Hang around the Syracuse campus long enough, and you’ll likely run into a young lady in Orange athletic gear hanging up fliers, chatting it up with fellow athletes and, if around a big crowd, letting out an occasional shout. “FCA tonight!” A year earlier, Jenna Rickan would have cringed at the thought of sharing her faith so visibly. Back then, the Syracuse soccer player was living out the beginning stages of her Christian walk.
You Are Here > Popular content
Popular content
Need to be Known
Set:
I recently was told a story about a promising young man who left high school and sports to pursue a singing career. As I heard of his actions, I felt a questioning look cross my face. The person sharing the story said, "Well, he wants to be famous." I cringed—not because the young man didn’t have musical gifts, but because he desired more to be known than to be great.
Heart of an Athlete: Sharis Lachappelle, University of Texas
Texas soccer player Sharis Lachappelle is mature beyond her junior class status. A broken leg and school transfer strengthened the San Antonio native’s reliance on her Creator and helped her understand the true purpose of playing—to bring God the glory and share His light with those around her.
Season of Change
He didn’t even know what he’d said. He hadn’t prepared for it, and, truthfully, the whole thing was just a blur. He’d had enough on his plate at the moment without trying to recall what he’d said in front of the cameras.
As University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy sat in his hotel room after losing to Alabama in the Jan. 7, 2010, BCS National Championship game, he thought long and hard about what had happened. The loss itself was painful enough, but it was just one battle he was fighting inside. The other was why he’d not even had the chance to compete in the game.
Fit4Ever: Sleep Debt
If you want to perform better on the field—and in life—sleep might just be your secret weapon.
I recently came across a study conducted by sleep expert Dr. Bill Dement from Stanford University in which he evaluated 11 players from the university’s men’s basketball team. For the study, the athletes were asked to sleep normally according to their habits for two to four weeks and then spend the next five to seven weeks sleeping 10 hours per night. While most of the athletes still slept fewer than nine hours per night, the results were eye-opening.
The Master
As a dynamite athlete growing up in Lake City, Fla., Pat Summerall would glance at the Bible from time to time, but it was really more of an afterthought than a priority. Other options were much more appealing.
Years later, at the Betty Ford Center in 1992, as a struggling alcoholic whose drinking problems had damaged his relationships with his family and friends, the Bible was Summerall's only choice.
Fit4Ever: Make A Health Comeback
Every comeback starts with a single play and then grows with momentum and belief. Start your health comeback today!
Powerful Strides in Christian Living
This is a discussion written for groups of coaches and athletes to help them develop their lives in Christ. It is ideal for a group of very young Christian athletes or coaches. The goal is to help them learn their identity in Christ and to develop spiritual disciplines.
In Full Swing
The moment arrives in chaos.
Electricity saturates the atmosphere, as if the air itself is a conduit of high voltage. The crowd noise starts to swell like a massive breaker off the coast, cresting with awe-inspiring force. Indeed, the fate of the free world seems to hinge on what happens next. At least, that’s how it feels when the score is tied, a base hit would drive in two, and the screams of 37,000 fans are echoing off every green-hued corner of baseball’s oldest cathedral.
Heart of an Athlete: Becca Wann, University of Richmond
Playing two Division I sports is nothing new for Richmond senior Becca Wann. For the past three years the Chesterfield, Va., native has immediately gone from the soccer field to the basketball hardwood, a yearly routine that occupies eight consecutive months at a time. With those days soon coming to a close, Wann is looking to build on her already stellar athletic résumé and to utilize her platform to share her faith.
The Story Behind Fields of Faith
It all started a few short years ago. I was frustrated by looking at the culture of the United States and its moral digression. I couldn’t help but think about my three kids who were about to become teenagers, and I was particularly struggling with the fact that we had so many great Christian resources in America — more than at any other time in history — and, yet, we still seemed to be losing the moral and spiritual battle. Everywhere my wife and I went, we were, as parents, always on the defense against the culture and the media. And anyone who knows anything about sports knows that if you’re always on defense, you’re not going to win. At some point you have to go on offense.
Heart of an Athlete: Stephanie Steinweg
As a young girl, William and Mary lacrosse player Stephanie Steinweg looked up to female athletes. She loved watching them on the field and tried to learn what she could through observing their skills. Years later, the senior midfielder is returning the favor from the opposite end, inspiring young girls—specifically at FCA Camp—to give all they have on the field, not for their glory, but for God’s.
Thorns in the Wilderness
Set:
While on a recent backpacking trip with my daughter, I found myself crying out to God in prayer before even breaking out in a sweat.
First, my GPS was having issues and couldn't locate the trail head. So, what should have been a 1.5-hour drive, turned into almost 3 hours. While it had only been sprinkling all morning, as soon as we started hiking the rain came pouring down. Then, not even a half mile into the trip, my waist belt broke, which meant my pack would have to rest on my shoulders and back, not my hips. And, finally, at the foot of our first incline, my trekking pole broke, and with my bad knees, this was a vital piece of equipment.
Fit4Ever: The Domino Effect
Life is a lot like dominoes. Our small decisions often lead to rippling consequences that we never expected. We tend to think single, small choices are stand-alone decisions and that they won’t affect our futures. Over time, though, these decisions lead us to make other decisions just like them and eventually result in either tremendous negative consequences or outstanding positive patterns.
The Power of Fear
Set:
Coach Smith was aware that one of his players was smoking pot. There was good evidence that he had even smoked on a team trip, which was clearly a violation of team rules. But Coach Smith did not take any action or even talk with the player.
At the end of the season, the school principal called Coach Smith for a meeting and told him that there was verifiable evidence the player had consistently violated team rules. The principal also had clear evidence that the coach knew about it; consequently, he was asked to resign.
In Pursuit of Holiness
Mike DeVito pursues the NFL’s top quarterbacks to earn a living, but it’s his pursuit of Christ—and Christ’s pursuit of him through a college team-mate—that has forever changed his life and the lives of many others.
The Fear of Failure
Below are a couple of email responses I sent recently to a college baseball coach when he asked me, “Does the Bible have anything to say about failure?”
Coach,
I’ve been thinking through the issue of failure and the Biblical examples of it, they’re all over the place.
The Test
Key Verse:
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment. Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.
Proverbs 12:19-20
Team First
Set:
When I came to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was a rookie and came in during the heyday when they were in the process of winning four Super Bowls in six years. You think of all the star players and the Hall of Fame guys and you think, well that’s why they’re so good. But it really wasn’t. As I got there, I saw how it operated. It was the practices. It was everybody working together. I think it’s still possible to achieve that today. The good teams have that. Even though you have star players, they understand that it’s not 11 individuals who are going to go out there and have things run smoothly enough to win.
Foolish Men
Set:
Coaches cannot make everyone happy. We hear cruel and untrue remarks shouted at us from the stands every game day. “You’re not playing the right person—you don’t know what you’re doing—I could coach better than that in my sleep!” It is easy to dwell on these comments, respond to them with anger, or lash back at shouters in the stands. The difficult task is to respond as Jesus would respond, and we learn how to do that from his example in Scripture. Responding to ignorance is even more difficult when we are criticized for seeking to live godly lives. The Apostle Peter teaches us that actions speak louder than words when it comes to bearing witness before those who ridicule us.
Right or Left?
Set:
When I played little league football for the Sharks, we had an undefeated season. We were so good that not a single team even scored against us. Not bad for eight-year-olds!
Needless to say, teams feared the Sharks. After our games, Coach Buckley would hand out the coveted “110%” helmet stickers to players who had played with all their heart and had given that extra effort on the field.
As competitors, we can sometimes be tempted to hold back what is God’s for our own pleasure. But God wants us to give Him what is right, not what’s left. In Luke 6:38, Jesus says:
What's Your Role
Set:
Why do we place so much emphasis on the role we have on a team? For example, a non-starter might think, I’m not on the field . . . I’m not good enough. On the other hand, starters might carry an I’m better than you attitude. We must evaluate our attitudes. Does our attitude bring a smile to God’s face? On a team, each person’s talents add to the whole. Who, by themselves, could take on a whole team and win?
Influence with Integrity
Set:
In today’s world of sports, it seems that anything done for an advantage is fair game—as long as you don’t get caught.
As a Major League pitcher, I have seen it all. Managers who spend their entire careers stealing the signs of other coaches from the dugouts and down the baselines. Players who reach base do the same thing. Pitchers are supposed to throw a clean, unscratched ball, but you can do some pretty cool things with a scuffed baseball.
Newest Unknown node types
No featured resources found
Featured Resources
-
Video
-
Promotional -
Bible Study -
Wallpaper
Browse By
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic