Native Americans, after inventing lacrosse centuries ago, called it “the medicine game.” They said it was a supernatural gift, possessing the power to bond and heal communities.

“People from the tribe hoped if they played hard enough and the ‘Creator’ was pleased with the game, he would take energy from those who played and transfer it to someone sick in the tribe,” said Christian Zwickert, the fifth-year men’s lacrosse coach at Wesley College, a small United Methodist school in Dover, Del.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Rex Russell, author of What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. Dr. Russell has personally experienced the FCA ministry in many ways since his first encounter in 1959 at an FCA conference. At that conference, the theme was “Be a Witness,” and it encouraged those in attendance to use everything in their lives to testify to God’s grace. That conference changed the way Russell approached sports and life.

Former Nebraska head football coach and current Athletic Director Tom Osborne, FCA One Way to Play spokesman Steve Fitzhugh, Carson-Newman College head football coach Ken Sparks and FCA President Les Steckel.

Has your cell phone battery ever died? Mine sure has. Every night I plug in my cell so that it can recharge. But if it doesn't charge long enough, its battery dies early. And a quick tricklecharge in the car doesn't seem to help at all.

Have you ever considered how much sleep for your body is like recharging your own battery? When we don't get enough sleep, we run out of charge.

It was the winter of 2003. Outside the temperature was cold, but Dr. Steve Lucey’s spirit felt even colder. He was at a loss. Sitting in his Greensboro, N.C., home, he believed God had anointed him to use his sports medicine training on the national level, and he could no longer ignore the burden within. It had consumed him for too long, and now he was certain of its meaning: there was something more that God wanted him to accomplish.

One of the reasons Olympic athletes are so successful is that they are constantly training for an event. They spend most of their lives training for future competition. In fact, most athletes spend more than 90 percent of their time training for competition and less than 10 percent actually competing.

They train with tremendous focus and purpose because every day is important. Missed workouts are not an option. They have a goal in sight, which serves as a motivator and constant reminder that they need to stay on track if they are going to have future success.

“Expectations from last season ... coaching and playing in the NBA are so demanding ... the worst performance ... flashy clothes, the expensive cars and piles of money ... worst player in the game ... obviously fallen on hard times ... very inconsistent in their shooting...”

You don’t have to search to find remarks like these on the web or in the sports section of the newspaper the morning after any NBA game. They’re easy to find.

I grew up in a family where there wasn’t any hope that life was good. There was no confidence that our lives had meaning, or that there was purpose for our being here on earth.

I was very distant from my parents. My dad spent all of his time sitting in a chair reading the newspaper, and my mom screamed and yelled constantly about anything and everything. I was terrified of her, but at the same time, I wanted love and affirmation from her. I did great in sports and even competed in nationals for swimming, but nothing I did seemed to make my mom like me.

David Johnson, FCA Hockey Director Rick Randazzo, former Baylor football coach Grant Teaff, FCA President Les Steckel