Materials needed are a trash bag and a few balloons. Set up a volleyball net and form teams, but instead of using a volleyball you use the trash bag filled with balloons. Seal the end of the bag with duct tape. Basic volleyball rules apply except that a person may hit the ball up to 6 times per side, and they can’t use their hands or arms. They only use their head and feet. 

Give each person a copy of the following on a piece of paper and a pen. Give them a certain amount of time (three minutes or so) to find a different person for each of the “animal trivialities” listed. When they find a person, have them place their initials in the blank. If possible, try not to use an individual more than once.

Animal Trivialities:

When it comes to following Jesus - are you ALL IN?

In recent months, steroid use in sports has drawn national attention from President Bush, Congress, league presidents and players’ unions. Major League Baseball has been on the hot seat with allegations of steroid abuse by former player Jose Canseco and by testimonies from current superstars admitting the same.

Tynesha Lewis of the Charlotte Sting has been blessed. Not only is she gifted with an amazing athletic talent that she continues to use for God’s glory, but she’s also been forgiven. Now in her fifth season in the WNBA, Lewis has experienced the world’s temptations and received God’s redemptive grace along the way, through it all, learning the benefits of complete honesty.

Steroid use has in many ways cast a shadow over the entire world of sports. Many fans have been left wondering whether or not anybody in big-time athletics is clean. At this stage of the game with penalties for positive drug tests escalating, an athlete would be a fool to take a chance with steroids. But the quest for glory still lures some into a reputation-destroying mistake.

According to Sports Illustrated, 70% of kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. Why? Because adults, particularly parents, have turned games into negative experiences through their behavior, criticism and constant pressure.

FCA area rep Bill Stutz has held many roles in the sporting world. He’s been a player, a coach and an official. Now, as a sports parent, Stutz is doing what he can to reverse this trend. Prior to taking his current position with FCA, Stutz founded the organization Enjoy the Game® — an educational program designed to restore civility back to the sports environment.

In last month’s article we opened up a discussion about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) supplements. This month we will focus on one of the most popular and high-profile supplements: creatine.

The use of creatine by athletes at the professional and amateur levels has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. Sales of creatine products have grown from $30 million in 1995 to nearly $500 million in 2005.

“Truth is what you make it. There’s different aspects of truth. Depending on your perspective. I think that’s true.”
–– Phillip, 16-year-old surfer.

As a kid, Allison Lambert used to hang out near the fields where her dad served as chaplain to the University of Texas football team. She observed how hard work and passion led to fulfilled dreams. But it was during her own climb to Division I volleyball that she experienced for herself the reward of perseverance.

Allison, a 6-1 senior from Austin, Texas, plays right side for the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

Most of us measure people according to appearances - God sees the heart!

Goal
A commitment to be drug and alcohol free is a firm pledge, not a conditional promise. A commitment does not change because of circumstances. A commitment is a stake in the ground.

Key Scriptures
Romans 12:1-2; Luke 9:23; Joshua 24:15

Warm Up