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This November, thousands of college wrestlers throughout the country begin a four-month journey that will culminate with the 2005 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Come March, more than 300 will make the trip to wrestle at the NCAA finals, and only 10 will go home with a gold medal. What does it take to be one of the 10? It starts with a denial of selfish wants, a willingness to endure hardships and a relentless, total commitment to the cause.
Looking back on the past weekend's FCA 50th Anniversary celebration, I can only think of one word: AMAZING. I am not sure how many people were there, but it does not matter, it was the spirit of fellowship, spirit of unity, and the Spirit of God that was present in Kansas City. All who attended were blessed in a great way.
Perhaps more than any other sport, Major League Baseball often becomes a family business. It’s not unusual for sons to follow in the footsteps of Major League dads or for brothers to pursue similar dreams on the diamond. What is rare, however, is for those Big League dreams to be realized by all of the sons in one family. The story of the three Drew boys from Hahira, Ga., is one of baseball’s current legends in the making. J.D., Tim and Stephen, who grew up playing front-yard baseball games in southern Georgia, all pursued that risky career path of baseball. And all three made it.
Due to Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints began the 2005 NFL season with more on their minds than winning football games. Katrina caused devastation not only in the lives of many Saints fans, players and families, but also to the whole city of New Orleans. In the season opener, kicker John Carney hit a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to give the saints a 23-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers. “You don’t want to attach too much importance to it, you know, because it’s still just a football game,” Carney said. “But, sure, there was a sense that we were playing for more than ourselves today."
One is an unassuming, 6-foot-2 junior point guard who chooses to strike from afar. The other is a 6-foot-8, senior forward whose flashy, aerial deeds make the highlight reels. One comes from a Methodist background; the other Catholic. One was raised in a well-to-do family where life’s big challenge was growing up between two sisters. The other’s parents worked hard to steer him away from the dangerous, sometimes fatal, lawlessness that plagued his extended family.
Deion Branch came from relative obscurity as one of the no-name New England Patriot receivers to win the XXXIX Super Bowl MVP title. With 11 catches and 133 yards, he added to his 10 catches in last year's Super Bowl to set several receiving records. He missed seven regular season games this year due to a knee injury but came back in time for the playoffs.
Interestingly, Anthony "Deion" Branch wasn't highly recruited out of his Albany, Ga., high school. Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss., offered him a scholarship in some respects to assure the signing of linebacker Anthony Maddox, a highly recruited teammate. At Jones, Branch worked hard and contributed significantly and in 1998, helped his team achieve a perfect 12-0 season.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7
I can’t remember the last time I had a definite end time to my daily responsibilities. You know, like when the whistle blows and you grab your lunch box, clock out, go home, eat dinner and just hang out? More often than not, things that I need to get done stretch far beyond a normal 24-hour day.
What happens when we get asked a question we are not prepared to answer? If you are anything like me, one of two things happen. The first option could be your heart beats rapidly and you blabber incoherently for a few seconds in an effort to form an answer. The other option is to pause, take a deep breath, and calmly say what is on your heart. By the Lord's grace, I experienced the latter recently.
While preparing for an upcoming presentation on Leadership and Career Development to a group of aspiring young athletic professionals, I was blindsided by a question in a conference call with the symposium leader.
As an NHL player, I’ve never been quick to admit my fears, but I’ve definitely had them. When facing Edmonton in game seven of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my athletic career. Leaning on God during that game helped me find strength to face my fears head on. We ended up winning the game and the Stanley Cup, a first for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Teresa L. Phillips is a sports pioneer. A former Vanderbilt basketball player, Phillips spent time as the head women’s basketball coach at Fisk University (Tenn.) and Tennessee State University for a number of years before becoming the first woman to coach a Division I men’s basketball team, which she took over at TSU for a short time in 2003. Now the TSU athletic director, Phillips was named one of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated and Tennessee’s second-most influential sportswoman by The Tennessean—all this while becoming just one of a handful of female athletic directors in the country.
It was in a post-game press conference that we saw the true Curt Schilling. Sure, he had pitched an unbelievable game in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, but in the first question of his press conference we quickly learned where the Boston Red Sox pitcher found the strength to complete his performance. Schilling explained that he has been a Christian for seven years and has learned over time that he cannot do anything under his own strength. He puts his hope and trust solely in God for the strength to do what is needed.
This year, the world of baseball gave us a very good example of perseverance. The Boston Red Sox, down three games to none against the New York Yankees, did not quit. They defied the odds and made something happen — something their organization had been incapable of doing for 86 years. They won the World Series. The Red Sox dug in and won eight straight games against probably the two best teams in baseball, the Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals.
This year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver promise to be truly exciting and inspiring. Nations will both unite and collide as they
compete for medals, honor and their countries. Some athletes, however, will be competing for a higher purpose: the glory of the Lord. Take some time to get to know eight of them here, then cheer them on and pray them up when the Games begin!
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Korver, Appalachian State head football coach Jerry Moore, author and speaker Wes Neal & FCA President Les Steckel.
Best Practices with Roger Lipe along with FCA staff members Johnny Shelton of Virginia Tech and Brad Long of Franklin College in Indiana.
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Have you ever noticed how we tend to judge ourselves based on our intentions? Even if our actions were wrong or the outcome was bad, we still give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Why is that? I think it is because we know that our intentions were good. Most of the time, we were trying to help others or trying to do the “right thing,” so even if it didn’t turn out right, we still encourage ourselves.
The NBA … it's fantastic. Well, maybe not. But at playoff time it does get pretty exciting. The Indiana Pacers are once again making a push for the coveted title. The Pacers are not being led by the deadly sharp shooting of Reggie Miller this season, but the powerful play of two younger players — Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal. Reggie's days are ending, and he is passing the torch to his teammates. He knows he cannot carry the load like in years past. It is time for the younger, more youthful players on his team to step up, take on the responsibility, and lead their team to a championship. Reggie no doubt will do his job, but his best days are behind him now.
If you gave him just 30 minutes to share his vision for the Denver FCA urban ministry, you’d be captivated. And at the end of those 30 minutes — if he could speak fast enough to squeeze in his passion and strategy — you might sink slowly back into your chair, exhausted at the thought of what God has called him to do, yet energized to see his vision come to fruition.
To Rick Parros, white and black are just the colors he sees when he opens his morning newspaper. And race is just something sprinters do when they speed to the finish line.
They came in droves, descending on the Hawaiian islands like a flock of tourists fleeing the harsh bite of winter. It was early February—a perfect time to seek tropical warmth. But tourists don’t typically tote $10,000 video cameras, dollies, boom microphones, or lighting and sound equipment. This group was different.
March can be a time of spiritual renewal and testing. Depending on your area of the world, you may be encouraged by the promise of spring and new life as your surroundings begin to change. But there are also distinct temptations that come with the new season. For example, participating in St. Patrick’s Day parties this week probably tempted a few out there. Then there are also various temptations that come with the NCAA Tournament and the thousands of bracket pools.
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