DECEMBER 2017
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SPORTS SPECTRUM
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We have been working for the last 12 months to revamp the content, create a new look and feel and become even more focused on how this can be an enriching tool for the sports fans in the Church and an outreach tool to the lost. The support of our donors and members has helped us reach 15 million people with the Gospel in 2017 and the wave is growing larger in 2018. Here is a look at the impact our channels are making!
SPORTS SPECTRUM MAGAZINE
Our agship publication since 1985 has been redesigned and relaunched
SPORTSSPECTRUM.com 400,000 vistors since our relaunch in March of 2017
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Our podcast has been downloaded more than 100k times since March of 2017
4 million people have watched an Increase story in 2017
Football Sunday has been seen by more than 2.5 million people in over 5,000 churches around the globe, with 20,000 people accepting Christ after watching. www.footballsunday.com
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
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Demario Davis New York Jets Linebacker JJ Hoover Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Adam Wainwright St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Luke Weaver St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Candice Appleby Professional SUP racer and surfer Kody Lostroh Professional bull rider Frank Newsom Professional bull fighter Mike Fisher Former professional hockey player David Johnson Arizona Cardinals running back Justin Jackson Sacramento Kings forward
where sports and faith connect
SPORTS SPECTRUM Blessings/Lecrae Lions/Skillet, Unleashed Washed by the Water/NeedtoBreathe Multiplied/NeedtoBreathe Light Shines Bright/Toby Mac Feel Invincible/Skillet, Unleashed Bad Day for the Devil/The Livestock Bank Gracefully Broken/Matt Redman DNOU (Don't Nobody Own Us)/KB Hammer Time/Lecrae
HOW HAVE SPORTS & FAITH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOU THIS PAST YEAR?
RAYMOND ST. MARTIN
I think it is common to witness the positive impact the world of sports can have on fans and young athletes alike. It is something else to see that Jesus can be glorified in the game by more than pointing to the sky or opening an interview with, “I’d like to thank Jesus.” The year 2017 has been one of focused prayer on creating media that glorifies our Creator and His Son, Jesus Christ. I am in awe that 15 million people have been impacted by something that our team has created, and I look forward to witnessing what God has in store for 2018.
JUSTIN ADAMS
It was truly a blessing to see athletes help those affected by the natural disasters of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the wildfires in California. Athletes like J.J. Barea and Carlos Beltran took supplies to Puerto Rico. Matt Carpenter donated $10,000 toward hurricane relief for every home run he hit. Tim Duncan pledged $1.25 million to help the U.S. Virgin Islands. And J.J. Watt raised more than $37 million to help aid the people in Houston. It shows the power an individual can have to help others when they use the platform God has given them. It’s challenged me to actively look for opportunities to help others in my own community.
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BECKY YORK
Each week this year I’ve spoken to athletes around the country, from a variety of professional sports teams. With every interview, I’ve been incredibly blessed and inspired to witness the ways in which God is working in and through these competitors. Teammates coming to know Christ for the first time, players celebrating baptisms together in hotel pools, Bible studies springing up on teams that have never hosted one, rookies finding true community within the Christian brotherhood on their teams, and athletes sacrificing their offseason to serve the poor, starving or devastated communities across the globe — these events have grabbed my attention again and again. There’s been no lack of stories about faith and sports. Praise God!
MIKE MILLER
The past year has taught me a ton in terms of faith and sports. Spending time in the NFL showed me that “faith” isn’t always pretty and it isn’t always true. I really learned the difference between a professing Christian and a practicing one. What I was reminded of is that you can have faith in anything. But what is always true is Jesus Christ. No one said following Him would be easy, but time and time again He has shown me it’s worth it. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” — Philippians 1:21
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ALIESE WILLARD
I’ve been both surprised and delighted in how athletes have demonstrated their belief in Christ this year. Whether it was an interview for a Sports Spectrum article or one of the dozens of video testimonies on our website, each athlete’s story is unique and resonates in a different area. They are honest, courageous, sometimes hilarious, and always authentic about their faith. In watching and experiencing their stories, my own faith has been challenged to grow. I’m excited to see them perform in their sports next year, knowing that they compete not for their own glory, but for God’s.
JASON ROMANO
The story of the year where sports and faith intersect is Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. This guy has impressed me with his improvement on the field, being one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in just his second season, but also his desire to make the name of Jesus known off the field through his foundation, Audience of One, and his passion to spread the Gospel wherever he goes. In a city that worships their team as much as Philadelphia does the Eagles, Wentz is using his platform to point people back to the One who truly deserves our worship and praise, Jesus Christ. I’m excited to see what God has planned for Carson in 2018.
Web site: www.sportsspectrum.com/subscribe/ Phone: 1-866-821-2971 Mail: 640 Plaza Drive, Suite 110, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Email: subscriptions@sportsspectrum.com General correspondence, Letter to the Editor, or Writer’s Query No unsolicited manuscripts, please E-mail: editor@sportsspectrum.com Permissions, Reprints Contact: Sports Spectrum permissions Phone: 1-866-821-2971 E-mail: editor@sportsspectrum.com COVER • PHOTO CREDITS:
(Dr. James Naismith) University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Volume 31 Number 4 SPORTS SPECRUM MAGAZINE A product of Pro Athletes Outreach PUBLISHER The Increase Network contact@theincrease.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Raymond St. Martin editor@sportsspectrum.com ART DIRECTOR Aaron Dean Sauer aaron@sportsspectrum.com SENIOR EDITOR Jon Ackerman jon@sportsspectrum.com STAFF WRITERS Justin Adams Jason Romano David Smale Aliese Willard Becky York
Sports Spectrum Global is a multimedia ministry with the purpose to impact people by connecting faith and sports in a relevant way, ultimately directing people, with resources for discipleship, toward a personal, loving God who demands Christ-centered lives. Printed in USA. Copyright © 2017 by Sports Spectrum Publishing. Bible quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
JON ACKERMAN
Darryl Strawberry and Randall Cunningham were two of my favorite athletes growing up; two of the few jerseys I ever owned. I’d heard bits about them since they stopped playing, but really learned more this year. I knew Strawberry struggled for years with drugs and alcohol, but turned his life around and was leading Strawberry Ministries, so I finally read his autobiography, which had been sitting on a shelf for years. Cunningham, I didn’t know, had become a pastor in Las Vegas. In October, he rallied his church to collect food, blood, money, whatever it could to help victims of the nearby mass shooting. It just goes to show an athlete’s influence can carry well past his playing days. SPORTS SPECTRUM 5
AARON DEAN SAUER
Joining this sports media ministry has opened my eyes to how many Christian professional athletes are out there and vocal about their faith. Despite rivalries or being opponents, at the end of the day we’re all on the same team serving the same God. I love being able to play a part in telling their stories through our channels. To see the impact that this ministry has on people’s lives has been inspiring. Being new to this team, I look forward to expanding our reach in the years to come. I feel blessed to work with such a dynamic team and love my role.
SPORTS SPECTRUM (USPS # 023-364) is produced 4 times a year by Sports Spectrum Publishing Inc., 5712 C Stockbridge Drive, 2nd Floor, Monroe, NC 28110. Periodicals postage paid at Indian Trail, NC, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPORTS SPECTRUM, 640 Plaza Dr., Ste 110, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
WWW. sportsspectrum.com Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and Instagram for current news and updates!
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SPORTS SPECTRUM | DECEMBER 2017
CONTENTS 12
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HOUSTON WE HAVE A CHAMPION The rising Astros took down the mighty Dodgers in a World Series for the ages
15 B.M.I.C (BIG MAN IN CHRIST)
NAIA Coach of the Year Larry Cordaro stands just 5-foot-4, but is a big deal at LSUAlexandria
YEAR IN REVIEW
22AN UPWARD VISION
Dr. James Naismith’s vision to reach young people for Jesus is fueling Upward Sports
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RETIRED & REVELLING
Family man Mike Fisher felt at peace in retiring after the greatest season of his career
18PLANTING SEEDS IN THE SAND
Jenny Johnson Jordan uses her faith and volleyball experience to grow leaders at UCLA
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20COACH ON A MISSION
Vitaly Valui, a former troublemaking teen, is using rugby to bring the Gospel to kids in Belarus
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SPORTS SPECTRUM CUTOUT
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DAVID JOHNSON
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Daily Devotional
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
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Get into the Word each week with devotionals by pro athletes and team chaplains
Week One
HOOVER 56 J.J. with Eddie Taubensee
48TOUGHEST
MEN ON DIRT PBR stars Frank Newsom and Kody Lostroh found their toughest battles outside the arena
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MIKE FISHER
Week Two CHRIS MARAGOS with Kyle Speller
Week Three
DAVID LEDBETTER with Terry Evans
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Week Four LUKE McCOWN
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Week Five MARK APPEL
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Week Six STEVEN SOUZA
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Week Seven TREY BURTON
with Becky York
with Brian Hommel
with Mickey Weston
with Jack Easterby
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Week Eight
MATT HOLLIDAY with Jerry Birch
Week Nine
DEMARIO DAVIS with Becky York
Week Ten DON KELLY with Jeff Totten
Week Eleven
SENECA WALLACE with LaMorris Crawford
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Week Twelve ADAM WAINWRIGHT
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Week Thirteen MATT FORTE
with Mark Mitchell
with Becky York
52COMPETING FOR A
DIFFERENT CROWN
SUP queen Candice Appleby has found her worth not in the waves, but in God’s love
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Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
overtime. Another TD in OT capped the 25-point comeback (no team had ever rebounded from more than a 10-point deficit to win the Super Bowl) and secured the franchise’s fifth championship.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
APRIL
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
NEW ENGLAND COMPLETES LARGEST SUPER BOWL COMEBACK IN FIRST-EVER OVERTIME The favored Patriots looked doomed halfway through third quarter, trailing 28-3. But then the legendary Tom Brady led them on four straight scoring drives the Super Bowl’s first S P O R T S S P to E C T Rforce UM 8 8
MARCH
MISSISSIPPI STATE BUZZER-BEATER SNAPS UCONN WOMEN’S 111-GAME WINNING STREAK Morgan William of Mississippi State dropped in a jumper at the buzzer to snatch a 66-64 win from UConn, which hadn’t lost in 111 games. Some called it the biggest upset in women’s basketball history. Unfortunately, the win came in the national semifinals, and MSU couldn’t carry the momentum to a national title two nights later against South Carolina.
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
HUNTER RENFROW’S LAST-SECOND CATCH DETHRONES ALABAMA With a 2-yard touchdown catch in the final second of regulation, Hunter Renfrow ended Clemson’s 35-year title drought — and stunned a college football dynasty in the process. Alabama defeated Clemson for its fourth national championship under Nick Saban the year before, and a fifth in eight seasons would have been unprecedented. But when Deshaun Watson rolled right and found Renfrow, Clemson claimed the game’s mostcoveted prize.
NORTH CAROLINA MEN CAPTURE TITLE ONE YEAR AFTER HEARTBREAKING LOSS Justin Jackson delivered a go-ahead 3-point play with 1:40 left to give North Carolina its sixth national championship via a 71-65 victory over Gonzaga. The Tar Heels were on the wrong end of a 3-point title-winning buzzer-beater by Villanova the year before.
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Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
TIM TEBOW DRILLS HOMER IN FIRST PRO BASEBALL AT-BAT Twenty-nine-year-old rookie Tim Tebow took a 2-1 pitch off the railing in left-center for a two-run home run in the former NFL quarterback’s first minor league baseball atbat, helping the Class A Columbia Fireflies to victory. Tebow ended the year with the St. Lucie Mets in high Class A. SERGIO GARCIA WINS FIRST MAJOR IN 74TH TRY After many near-misses, Spain’s Sergio Garcia finally claimed his first championship in his 74th major appearance. He earned a Masters green jacket after topping Justin Rose with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM AN INCREDIBLE YEAR IN SPORTS
2017
JUNE
REAL MADRID ROLLS JUVENTUS FOR ANOTHER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE Led by two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (who would go on to earn FIFA Player of the Year honors), Real Madrid crushed Juventus, 4-1, in the Champions League final. The win made the Spanish side the first to claim back-to-back titles in the league’s modern format. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
RAFAEL NADAL BECOMES FIRST TO WIN SAME GRAND SLAM 10 TIMES With a straight-sets win over Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final, Spain’s Rafael Nadal became the first tennis player to win the same Grand Slam event 10 times. The victory marked his 15th Grand Slam overall, and he added another later in the year at the U.S. Open. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
MATT CULLEN HELPS PENGUINS TO CONSECUTIVE CUPS Pittsburgh earned its fifth Stanley Cup, and second straight, after taking out the red-hot Nashville Predators in six games. It marked the third career Cup for 40-year-old veteran center Matt Cullen. WARRIORS DETHRONE CAVS IN THIRD STRAIGHT FINALS MATCHUP Round 1 went to Golden State, and Round 2 to Cleveland. The 2017 NBA Finals served as the rubber match in this budding rivalry, and the Warriors captured their second title in three years. It was redemption for a Warriors team that squandered a 3-1 series lead the year before.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
JULY
JORDAN SPIETH OUTDUELS MATT KUCHAR IN BRITISH OPEN At 23 years old, Jordan Spieth won his third major to join Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to collect three of four major championships before turning 24. But the coolest moment of the tournament came when the family of runnerup Matt Kuchar surprised him on the 18th green. He thought they were in the States, but they flew out to England hoping to be there for the 39-year-old’s first major victory. He came up short but went home happy.
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AUGUST
DODGERS GO ON A SUMMER TEAR From June 7 to August 5, Los Angeles went 43-7 — the best 50-game stretch of major league baseball in 105 years. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
UNBEATEN ANDRE WARD ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM BOXING Saying his body could “no longer put up with the rigors of the sport” and his “desire to fight is no longer there,” Andre Ward retired from boxing with a 32-0 record, and as the IBF/WBA/WBO Light Heavyweight champion. “I give God the glory,” he wrote, “for allowing me to do what I’ve done, for as long as I have.”
AARON JUDGE BREAKS ROOKIE HOME RUN RECORD With his 50th bomb of the season, Aaron Judge passed Mark McGwire for most home runs by a rookie. He ran that total to 52 by the end of the season, making him the easy choice for Rookie of the Year.
ATHLETES STEP UP TO FUND MULTIPLE HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, J.J. Watt raised more than $37 million. After Hurricane Irma, Tim Duncan raised $2.7 million for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Carlos Beltran raised $1.5 million and J.J. Barea raised nearly $247,000. And after receiving his first NFL game check, Deshaun Watson donated the money to three cafeteria women who were impacted by the destruction of Harvey.
SEPTEMBER
SLOANE STEPHENS WINS U.S. OPEN, FIRST GRAND SLAM EVENT In the first all-American final at the U.S. Open since 2002, Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys for her first Grand Slam title. The good friends were also a part of the first all-American semifinals since 1985, as Venus Williams and CoCo Vandeweghe made the final four as well. 11
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YEAR IN2017
SOCCER LEGEND KAKA‘ LIKELY RETIRES AFTER FINAL GAME IN MLS Kaka,‘ the MLS’s highest-paid player, announced he would not renew his contract with Orlando City, and bid a tearful farewell to the team for which he played three years. However, the Brazilian legend didn’t say he was retiring, leaving open the chance he may play again in his homeland.
OCTOBER
MINNESOTA LYNX LAND FOURTH WNBA TITLE IN SEVEN YEARS Led by Finals MVP Sylvia Fowles, the Minnesota Lynx topped the L.A. Sparks in five games to win their fourth WNBA championship of the past seven years. That moved the Lynx into a tie with Houston for the most titles in league history.
Photo by Chris McEniry/Getty Images
EAGLES EMERGE AS BEST TEAM IN NFL The Philadelphia Eagles won all five games in October, running their record to a leagueleading 7-1, and made Heaven more crowded in the process. They baptized wide receiver Marcus Johnson in the pool at the team’s Charlotte hotel ahead of their 28-23 win over the Panthers, and that wasn’t the team’s first baptism ceremony.
NOVEMBER
WE H
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CHAM SPORTS SPECTRUM
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ROY HALLADAY (FORMER MLB PITCHER) 5/14/77 - 11/7/17
DARREN DAULTON (FORMER MLB PLAYER) 1/3/62 - 8/6/17
Y.A. TITTLE (PRO FOOTBALL HOF’ER) 10/24/26 - 10/8/17
CORTEZ KENNEDY (PRO FOOTBALL HOF’ER) 8/23/68 - 5/23/17
JOE TILLER (FORMER PURDUE FOOTBALL COACH) 12/7/42 - 9/30/17
DAN ROONEY (STEELERS CHAIRMAN) 7/20/32 - 4/13/17
JAKE LAMOTTA (FORMER BOXING CHAMPION) 7/10/21 - 9/19/17
DALLAS GREEN (FORMER MLB MANAGER) 8/4/34 - 3/22/17
ROLLIE MASSIMINO (FORMER VILLANOVA BASKETBALL COACH) 12/13/34 - 8/30/17
LOU DUVA (FORMER BOXING TRAINER) 5/28/22 - 3/8/17
JUD HEATHCOTE (FORMER MICHIGAN ST. BASKETBALL COACH) 5/27/27 - 8/28/17
FAB MELO (FORMER NBA PLAYER) 6/20/90 - 2/11/17
DICK MACPHERSON (FORMER SYRACUSE FOOTBALL COACH) 11/4/30 - 8/8/17
YORDANO VENTURA (ROYALS PITCHER) 6/3/91 - 1/22/17
DON BAYLOR (FORMER MLB PLAYER/MANAGER) 6/28/49 - 8/7/17
JIMMY “SUPERFLY” SNUKA 5/18/43 - 1/15/17
2017
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
HAVE A
MPION
STORY ON NEXT PAGE
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THE RISING ASTROS TOOK DOWN THE MIGHTY DODGERS IN A WORLD SERIES FOR THE AGES BY RAYMOND ST. MARTIN
Photo by Alex TrautwigMLB Photos via Getty Images
By the time Yu Darvish threw the first pitch of Game 7, the 2017 World Series had already secured its place in postseason history. Long before the Astros chasing Darvish with five runs in 1 2/3 innings led to an anticlimactic 5-1 Astros victory, role players like Joc Pederson, Brad Peacock and Alex Bregman combined with some of baseball’s brightest stars — Clayton Kershaw, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Yasiel Puig and Carlos Correa — to put on a show for the ages. Yet, this was not just any show. It was more like a 15-round heavyweight boxing match between two deserving opponents landing haymaker after haymaker. It was a matchup of two teams that won over 100 regular season games, Dodgers (104-58) and Astros (101-61), and each played with the heart and will of a champion.
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Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
Clayton Kershaw
GAME1
After being stretched to seven games by the Yankees in the ALCS, the Astros arrived in Los Angeles to face a rested Dodger team that had gone 7-1 over its two playoff series, sweeping Arizona and losing once to the defending-champion Cubs in the NLCS. Kershaw, the Dodgers’ ace, was dominant in his first ever World Series start. Other than giving up a solo home run in the fourth inning to rookie Alex Bregman, he shut the Astros down, posting 11 strikeouts while walking nobody and only surrendering three hits in seven innings. A first-pitch, firstinning run from Chris Taylor and a tiebreaking two-run bomb from Justin S P O R T S S P E home CTRUM Turner in the sixth were enough offense to help the Dodgers take Game 1.
Jose Altuve (L), George Springer (R)
GAME2
Many sleep patterns were broken and most of America was tired on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 26. Try as you may, there was no turning off Game 2 Wednesday night. It was the kind of game that children get to stay up late for and even casual fans can’t take their eyes off of. That the two teams combined for a World Series-record eight home runs was historic. But with five of them coming in extra innings after Houston’s Marwin Gonzalez extended the game by homering off Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth, this game was also epic. Long past the exits of starters Rich Hill and Justin Verlander, both teams were embroiled in a game of “anything you can do, I can do better.” It started with Altuve and Correa going back-to-back in the 10th to give the Astros a 5-3 lead. The Dodgers tied it up with a Puig Thomer O S U B S C R I B Eand TO SPa O R Ttwo-out S S P E C T R U M : single C A L L 8 6 6 - 8by 2 1 - 2 9Enrique 71 Hernandez, scoring Logan Forsythe.
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Alex Bregman
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Brad Peacock
Joc Pederson
GAME4
The starters, Charlie Morton and Alex Wood, battled to a 1-1 tie through six innings. The score maintained until Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought his closer, Ken Giles, into the top of the ninth. This move backfired and Game 4 would be the last time Giles would pitch in the Series. He gave up three runs, capped by a go-ahead double from Cody Bellinger and an inherited runner that scored on a Pederson three-run shot off reliever Joe Musgrove. With the Astros only managing two hits, the Dodgers tied up the series and regained home field advantage.
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With the series back in Los Angeles and the Dodgers looking for their first World Series title since 1988, they sent Hill to the mound to again take on Verlander. An early Springer home run (his fourth in four games) put the Astros up 1-0. The Dodgers were patient and managed to manufacture two runs off Verlander in the sixth inning. Then a seventh-inning home run by Pederson and two-out save by Jansen closed the door on Houston, setting up Game 7.
Charlie Morton (in orange)
GAME5
If Game 2 was the greatest Game 2 in World Series history, then Game 5 has to be in contention for the best Game 5 ever played. It started with team aces, Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel, on the mound and took five hours and 17 minutes to complete. The two teams combined for 15 runs, seven home runs and 28 hits. After giving up leads of 4-0, 7-4 and 8-7, the Dodgers — down to their final three outs and down by three runs — stepped to the plate in the ninth determined not to go back to L.A. down 3-2. Working against replacement closer Chris Devenski, Puig reached out and poked a one-handed, tworun home run over the left field fence. Taylor, down to his last strike, then tied the game with a single to center.
GAME7
The difference in Game 7 came down to two starting pitchers who got themselves into trouble. Only one was able to escape, as the other gave up five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Houston’s starter, Lance McCullers Jr., gave up three hits and hit three batters in 2 1/3 innings, but he came up with three key strikeouts and a couple of fortunate line drives right at defenders. Darvish was not so lucky. And so, a World Series for the ages ended with Houston winning its first championship. The title also marked the first World Series championship for any team from Texas. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
GAME3
GAME6
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Derek Fisher
With momentum and home field advantage tilted toward Houston, LA sent Darvish to the mound. He was sporting a 4-0 record and a 0.88 ERA is his previous five starts, and was 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his career at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. But in this topsy-turvy series, Darvish only lasted 1 2/3 innings (the shortest start of his career) as he gave up four runs. The hero of Game 3 came in the form of an unexpected reliever, Peacock, who pitched 3 2/3 hitless innings to earn his first career save.
The Astros were unable to walk off in the ninth, so this game also went to extras. Unlike Game 2, however, this one ended in the bottom of the 10th with a single from Bregman that barely scored pinch runner Derek Fisher. This seesaw marathon came to a close in a rush of orange between first and second bases.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Then in the top of the 11th, Springer, the eventual World Series MVP, hit the seventh home run of the game: a two-run shot to give the Astros another two-run edge. This lead would hold up. Although a Charlie Culberson homer brought the Dodgers within one, Puig, with the entire stadium on its feet, swung through a 3-2 slider, ending what many consider the best Game 2 ever played in the World Series. “I have to tell you, this is one of the craziest games I’ve ever played,” Altuve told reporters afterward. “I really thank God for the opportunity to be here. They took the lead, we tied the game. We took the lead, they tied the game. We took it again, they almost tied it again.”
Cody Bellinger
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
GAME2 CONTINUED
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BY DAVID SMALE
L
ARRY CORDARO CAN’T REALLY WALK AROUND ALEXANDRIA, LA., WITHOUT BEING NOTICED. AS HEAD BASKETBALL COACH AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITYALEXANDRIA, HE STANDS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE AVERAGE CITIZENRY OF THIS COMMUNITY IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA. He’s the reigning NAIA national coach of the year, after leading the Generals to a 34-1 record in 2016-17 and a berth in the national semifinals. In just three years of existence, all under Cordaro, the program has won three conference titles and appeared in the national tournament all three times. But it’s about more than wins and losses. “I definitely want to teach them skills that they can carry with them the rest of their lives,” Cordaro says. “Sometimes the Xs and Os are not the highest on the list. It’s capturing their hearts and letting our players know that they can be anything they want to be. Maybe they’ll be the first one in their family to graduate from college. It’s bigger than basketball.
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Photos courtesy of Larry Cordaro
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“I’d be coaching in vain if it was only about the wins and losses. It’s about our guys keeping good character. It’s not just about stepping to the free-throw line with the game on the line. It’s about going out into the community and giving back to kids. It’s about helping them have an open mind and seeing what the Lord might have in store for them. “We just try to give our guys opportunities. What they do from there is up to them. We want them to have a fun time, but we also want them to have a humble attitude about the winning streak we had this past season. Our guys kept it in check this year. They never had an ego. They always put the team first, having fun and working hard.”
Louisiana. “I’m older than I appear,” the 37-year-old says. “Don’t let the height or youthfulness fool you. I’ve been around.” While Cordaro could hang his hat on his success on the court, he won’t. Instead, he focuses on what really matters. “We want our players to be winners in everything they do — in the classroom, in the community and on the court,” he says. “It’s not just basketball that I coach. It’s life. I also try to share the Gospel at the same time, and let these guys know that all the glory goes to God.” He’s thankful that God allowed him to start the program, a role he doesn’t take lightly. “We work hard every single
t’s easy to see why he’s such a big man on this campus of just over 2,600 students. But did we mention Cordaro stands closer to 5 feet than 6 feet? “It’s not every day that you see a 5-4 college basketball coach,” Cordaro says. “If you have passion and a purpose, when an opportunity presents itself, good things can happen.” The opportunity was there, and Cordaro seized it. He grew up playing sports, whatever was in season with his siblings. After graduating from LSU in Baton Rouge with an undergraduate degree in accounting, Cordaro switched gears and became a graduate assistant at the school. From there he went to Texas-Arlington and became one of the youngest Division I assistants in the country. He served a combined 10 years in the Southland Conference, eight at Southeastern
day, and we love on our players,” he says. “That’s a key word in our program. We want them to love each other. Our staff tries to teach them how to love, whether that be loving the work, or loving each other through good and bad. As a young coaching staff, we’re just striving to capture this time in their lives during their four or five years of college. We want them to make the most of their opportunity — athletically, academically and spiritually.” Hold on. Cordaro is the head coach at a state university. How can he get away with sharing his faith with his players so openly? “I don’t know if I’m supposed to have a team scripture every season,” he says. “We paint a big scripture on the wall. We pray after games while the crowd is leaving, both at home and on the road. My athletics director has not said anything to
SPORTS SPECTRUM
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“IT’S NOT JUST BASKETBALL THAT I COACH. IT’S LIFE. I ALSO TRY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL AT THE SAME TIME, AND LET THESE GUYS KNOW THAT ALL THE GLORY GOES TO GOD.”
me about it. He’s a follower as well, and I think that helps. “I haven’t tried to keep quiet about it. We have some strong Christians on our team, and we’ve had two players on our team get baptized. That was special. [For] one of them our whole team was there. I’ve never had that in all my years of coaching. We have some strong-faith players, and sometimes I look up to them when it comes to their spiritual walk. “All [members] of our coaching staff are strong in their faith. It’s just our culture. I’m becoming more comfortable in talking about my faith in public. I walk into practice with my Bible. Sometimes I’ll open it up and that will be my message to the team for that day. It’s been a great encouragement, and I look forward to continuing that.” Cordaro is not concerned if someday he might not be allowed to be as vocal about his faith. “I’ll just lean on God at that time,” he says. “I will continue to coach as a Christian for my entire career. When I can’t do that, I’ll choose something else to do.” The on-court success Cordaro has enjoyed is likely to lead to other coaching opportunities. He says he is not looking to move on from LSU-Alexandria, but will when God wants him to. “I’m not where I want to be as a coach, and I’m not where I want to be as a Christian,” he says. “I have room to improve. LSUA is a great place for me to start my head coaching career. I also want to improve my walk with God and let others on my team, on the campus and in the community know that there’s a better way to do things. That’s giving glory to Him and doing things the way Jesus did them. Hopefully this is just the beginning. We can do a lot for LSUA, and I also want to do a lot for God’s Kingdom. “The best part of my job is molding young adults into something they wanted to achieve when they first arrived, whether that relates to their jump shot or a subject in school or just having the courage to go out and pursue something they want to achieve. I want to give them that ray of hope. I really enjoy being around people, particularly young men who come from different backgrounds like basketball players normally do.” So how does he do it? How did this coach who looks more like a freshman team manager than a head coach build an 86-9 record with three conference championships in three years? “It’s simply just a work ethic, and players buying into what we do and into each other,” Cordaro says. “It’s the servant-leadership that our staff embodies. We try to relate to our players not just winning the game, but winning the day.” Now that’s a philosophy worth looking up to.
“I’D BE COACHING IN VAIN IF IT WAS ONLY ABOUT THE WINS AND LOSSES. IT’S ABOUT OUR GUYS KEEPING GOOD CHARACTER.” 19
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Volleyball World Championships, finished fifth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and served as an alternate for the 2004 Athens Games. In between all those matches, Johnson Jordan joined her husband in ministry, as he spent a decade as UCLA’s football chaplain through Athletes in Action. The two later carried their ministry to Pittsburgh, where Kevin was the Steelers chaplain from 2009-12. But the beaches and Southern Californian sun called the native back home, so the family moved back to Los Angeles looking to start a new chapter, as Johnson Jordan’s pro career ended in 2012. That’s when she began dabbling in coaching, which set her on course for her next career move. Ph ot os co ur te sy of Je nn y Jo hn so n Jo a rd n
PLANTING SEEDS
each volleyball is nothing new to Los Angeles. Many accounts have it originating in Santa Monica, the coastal city just west of L.A. But the game is one of the newest and fastest growing sports in the collegiate world. And one coach at UCLA is making sure her players have the leadership tools needed to have a strong footing off the court. Jenny Johnson Jordan is entering her fourth season as an assistant coach for the Bruins’ beach volleyball team. An alum who made her mark on the volleyball hardwood from 1991 to ‘95, she was a two-time captain, a two-time All-Pac-10 first-teamer, and a member of the 1991 national championship team. During her time in Westwood, she grew close to her teammates, which led to a life-changing moment her sophomore year. “I had some teammates who were believers and they made an impact in my life,” Johnson Jordan said. “So for me, it was a time when I really owned my faith.” She was also heavily impacted by a football player she met in her dorm named Kevin Jordan, who became a Christian just six months earlier. They soon began to date and later married. “We kind of had that [spiritual] journey together,” she said. After college, Johnson Jordan turned pro and hit the beach. She teamed with partner Annette Davis and won a silver medal at the 1999 Beach
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“Stein Metzger and I were freshmen together at UCLA and he was coaching the beach team, and asked me if I would join the staff,” Johnson Jordan said. “So at that point we were just starting the program; it was pretty limited. But since then it’s really grown.” Johnson Jordan came on staff in 2014 and started a new student-athlete ministry at UCLA with her husband called “4TheJourney.” It’s a play off the uniform number four, which both wore while playing in blue and gold. “Our transformation as believers really happened in college,” Johnson Jordan said. “That was the most pivotal time for us and so I believe that’s why we’re back in the college setting, working with college athletes.” The two invest spiritually in the lives of coaches and athletes on campus — leading Bible studies, serving as chaplains for teams that request them (including the football and women’s basketball teams), having men’s groups called “Man2Man,” leading a weekly student-athlete chapel gathering called “Bruin Varsity Life,” and having one-on-one mentoring sessions with athletes. Working with her husband on campus has made the work a delight. “It’s a beautiful thing and something sweet and special that we can share together,” Johnson Jordan said. She also loves the rewards of working with student-athletes. “It’s great to see a student-athlete really make that connection,” Johnson Jordan said. “But we also know that at the same time,
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IN THE that it’s not going to happen for every college student, every athlete we see in those four years. So a lot of it is planting seeds and being available and listening, and maybe the transformation doesn’t happen in college, but trusting that it will happen eventually.” Walking through life with athletes also reveals many of the heavy topics some of them experience, such as anxiety, depression or even disordered eating. They are tough subjects to navigate, but Johnson Jordan takes comfort knowing she doesn’t need to have all the answers. God will handle the situation. “For me I have that peace, so it frees me up to be a listening ear and to offer very pragmatic help when needed, and then know at the end of the day it’s going to be in God’s hands and He will take care of it,” Johnson Jordan said. Johnson Jordan’s leadership in campus ministry carries over to her responsibility as a coach. One of her first points of emphasis is to teach players how to adjust from playing on the hardwood to the sand. “People assume that if you’re an indoor player then it’ll actually translate to the beach, and that’s just not the case,” Johnson Jordan said. “On the beach, there’s only two of you on one side and 21
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SAND
Photo by Donald Miralle /Allsport
you have to be pretty skilled at every skill. So you have to pass. You have to set. You have to hit. Sometimes you get to specialize a little bit more with a blocker and offender. But other than that, you have to be able to execute every skill well.” One of the best ways she discovered how to help the players was to demonstrate in practice the type of intensity and communication she looked for on the court. “Sometimes they have to see it to understand what it is that I’m asking and how it’s different from what they’re doing,” she said. The teachings have paid off. Beach volleyball became the 90th NCAA championship sport in 2016, and the Bruins went 22-8 that first year and improved to 30-6 in ‘17, advancing to the eight-team NCAA Tournament both seasons. As the team tunes up for the next season this coming spring, one goal is to beat crosstown rival USC, which has won back-to-back national championships. But guiding athletes in the ways of the Lord, with her husband by her side, will ultimately have an impact greater than winning a shiny trophy. “I love to compete,” Johnson Jordan said. “I love to train and play the game and to coach, but to me there’s always the bigger picture.”
COACH'S TIPS I’M SOMETIMES ASKED, “WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BECOME GREAT AT VOLLEYBALL, OR COACHING VOLLEYBALL?” HERE IS MY ANSWER, WHICH APPLIES TO BOTH A BEGINNER AND PROFESSIONAL:
. Watch the best, play with the best, 1study the best. If you don’t know
where your talent lies on the volleyball spectrum, make it a goal to find out. Without direction, you won’t get better.
. Be great at defense. That means great 2technique in your digging and passing platform, or blocking in the front row. This also includes reading your opponent’s next move — their serve, a setter’s dump or set, or what a hitter is about to do.
. Have balance and quickness in all your 3movements. Blocking, digging, setting, hitting, serving and passing all require good balance. Then build quickness with weight training and conditioning.
. Find an environment that fosters 4growth to practice, play or coach. . Be a great teammate with great 5character. Volleyball is a team sport and requires the ability to work with, build up and challenge others. And let’s all be accepting to new participants in the sport so we can continue to see the game grow. — JOEL LIST, REGIS UNIVERSITY
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH
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A COACHONMISSION BY DAVID SMALE
VITALY COACHING THE NATIONAL 7 RUGBY TEAM RIZHANY CZECH REPUBLIC (PICTURED FAR RIGHT)
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young Vitaly Valui roamed the streets of Minsk, Belarus, angry at the world. His parents worked long hours, leaving him and his younger brother to fend for themselves. Valui, who had taken up judo at age 7, got his kicks by fighting and getting into trouble, mostly because of a bad attitude. By the time he was 13, he was on the streets. He and his brother earned money by washing people’s cars for cash near a local hotel. “I hated school; I was a troubled kid and they kicked me out when I was in ninth grade,” he said recently. “I was 13 and he was 10 when communism broke up and we experienced freedom. It was quite different. T O S U B S C R I B E T O S P O R T S S P E C T R U M : C A L L 8 6 6 - 8 2 1 - 2 9 7 1
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VITALY & FAMILY
(Katia, Artsiom, Irina, Vitaly, Tima)
was a street fighter. During that time we had many mafia gangs because of freedom. Many people got involved with the mafia.” Valui didn’t appear to have much of a future when a group of students from America came to Minsk. Youth With A Mission (YWAM) set up shop in the hotel near where Valui and his brother washed cars. “I was 14. It was the first time we saw foreigners in our life, because we had had 70 years of communism. They told us about Jesus. We didn’t know anything about Jesus,” Valui said. The new ideas the YWAM students shared were a shock to Valui. “I was so bad. I used to lie a lot. I used to swear a lot, because our translators taught us how to swear. I didn’t know any English at first, so I had to learn from translators. “But these people with YWAM told us that God loves us and He doesn’t care who you are. This really touched my heart. It really shocked me, because I was a bad guy. I couldn’t understand how anybody could love me. My parents never told me that they loved me. “We started to spend more time with them. There were 75 or 80 Americans in a discipleship training school. We got involved there and heard the Gospel during the camps. They didn’t just tell me that God loved me, they demonstrated that they loved me as well. They gave me clean clothes. They fed me. They showed me in the Bible how God created the world and sent His son for us. That changed my mind,” Valui said. He stayed involved with YWAM until he turned 18. He was invited to enroll in the YWAM discipleship training school, and during that six-month training, he surrendered to God. He started to listen and learn about God’s love, about the Holy Spirit and the relationship with Jesus. SPORTS SPECTRUM
Photos courtesy of Vitaly Valui
“God really changed my life,” he said. “When school finished, I wanted to know what being a missionary was all about.” As impactful as the YWAM personnel was, there was another factor that steered his future direction dramatically. One of the YWAM staff members signed him up for a subscription to Sports Spectrum Magazine. “I read this magazine and it became a part of my life,” Valui said. “I read about different Christian athletes like David Robinson and Kevin Johnson. I didn’t know that those guys were Christians until I read that magazine. Every time I read Sports Spectrum I think about that.” Partly because of what he read in Sports Spectrum, and partly because of his own love for sports, Valui decided that sports could be used to impact people
for Christ. The concept of sports ministry was completely foreign to the people of Belarus. But Valui saw that sports might be a way to reach the young people who found church to be boring and irrelevant. “Nobody wanted to talk about sports as a way to reach people for God,” he said. “So I started a local Christian soccer team. After that, some of the team became missionaries. I started to talk to religious leaders from different denominations. I told them that God could use sports to change people’s lives. Through YWAM, we built a team that could change our world through sports.” In the 20 years since he went on staff with YWAM with a focus on
sports ministry, Valui has done more than just start a soccer team. There is now a Christian soccer league in Belarus with 30 teams involved. Many of the teams are led by coaches who were not Christians when they got involved, but are now. They also host international tournaments with teams from seven different countries. Matches are played during the day, and evenings are spent in worship, prayer and hearing God’s Word. About 10 years ago, a visiting missionary from South Africa brought Valui the idea of starting a rugby team in Belarus. “We didn’t know anything about rugby in my country,” he said. “We started to recruit kids in the street and we built the program. I was a translator for [the missionary], as well as a player. After I blew out my ACL, I [was] through as an athlete.” He remains a coach for that team, and has had success. Valui was nominated as best manager in an international rugby tournament in Bosnia. But the honors don’t matter to Valui. His goal is strictly to have an impact. He says being a coach means he’s doing what he was called to do. “It means they respect you,” he said when asked what being called “Coach” means to him. “They trust you because you give your life to the work. It means you take responsibility.” It’s not always easy, especially when your biggest stress is “trying to be perfect.” He knows that’s not possible, but it doesn’t stop him from trying. “I know,” he said, chuckling. “I draw inspiration from Sports Spectrum. I read the testimonies of athletes and coaches, and what it means to be a coach. Being a coach is like being a father. I work with many kids who need a dad. I just want to change their lives.” TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
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University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
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AN
UPWARD
VISION
DR. JAMES NAISMITH INVENTED BASKETBALL AS A WAY TO REACH YOUNG PEOPLE FOR JESUS. THAT SAME VISION IS FUELING UPWARD SPORTS, THE WORLD’S LARGEST CHRISTIAN YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATION. BY JON ACKERMAN az McCaslin went on a mission. After hearing Jim Naismith get interviewed at the Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast during the 2016 Final Four in Houston, McCaslin made it a point to meet the last living grandson of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. In junior high, McCaslin did a school report on the origin of his favorite sport. How cool would it be to shake the hand of Naismith’s grandson? As McCaslin introduced himself to Jim and his wife, Beverly, she noticed the star lapel pin on McCaslin’s sport coat. “Are you with Upward?” she asked. “Yes, I am,” McCaslin replied. He was actually the founder of Upward Sports, the world’s largest Christian youth sports organization. Jim and Beverly proceeded to detail how all five 25
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of their grandkids played in Upward leagues, and how their son, son-in-law and daughter-in-law all coached Upward teams at one time or another. They loved the personal way Upward coaches worked with the children, how breaks in the games were spent reading Scripture or praying, and the positive atmosphere surrounding the teams. They lauded the organization’s stated mission: “Promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports.” Then Beverly paid McCaslin a compliment that sent chills down his back. “That is the one program that we know of that does basketball the way James Naismith intended for it to be done — reaching young people for Christ through a sport,” she said. The always affable McCaslin was speechless. “I almost fell out of my chair,” he says now. “Coming from them, it just meant the world to me.” It was 30 years earlier that McCaslin’s world began to TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
AN UPWARD VISION come into focus. He was hired in 1986 as the minister of recreation for First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C., and his first endeavor was to launch a youth basketball league. He thought sports could be one of the church’s greatest outreach tools. That notion was quickly confirmed. Within five years the league had more than 500 kids and ran out of room. So in 1995, McCaslin launched Upward Sports. He figured their model could work for many local churches. Once again, the notion was quickly confirmed. Within five years, more than 300 sports leagues — featuring more than just basketball — had popped up around the country. It became abundantly clear that sports could be one of the most powerful outreach tools for a local church. And it’s the same vision laid out by the inventor of basketball more than 125 years earlier.
rugby and football, so a soft soccer ball was used and the goals were placed high above the ground. Two peach baskets were nailed to the bottom of a second-level running track on either end of the gym. To score, he instructed the players to toss a soft shot, like one effectively used in one of Naismith’s favorite childhood games, Duck on a Rock. He wrote up 13 rules, showed them to the students, and tipped off the first ever game of “basket ball.”
B
orn in 1861 in Ontario, Canada, James Naismith always loved sports. He competed in football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer and gymnastics while earning a physical education degree at McGill University in Montreal. From there he followed another passion — his Christian faith — to earn a diploma from McGill’s Presbyterian College of Theology. He then sought to combine sports and faith with even more education at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass. The Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in 1844 in London to be “a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets.” That lined right up with Naismith’s desire to develop young men spiritually and physically. And with YMCAs popping up all over the world, instructors were needed. In December 1891, Naismith was tasked with developing a game to be played indoors, in a relatively small space, to keep his class of future YMCA instructors occupied during the winter. He didn’t want it to be as rough as 26
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“The boys began tackling, kicking and punching in the clinches,” Naismith said in a 1939 radio interview. “They ended up in a free-for-all in the middle of the gym floor.” So some rule changes were needed, the most important being no running with the ball. The chaos ceased. The boys caught on and began to excel. Soon thereafter, they went out and taught the game at other YMCAs. In 1898, Naismith accepted a job at the University of Kansas to be a chapel director and P.E. teacher, but he also started a men’s basketball program. KU initially competed against local YMCA squads, but within a couple years, enough college teams had formed to begin playing intercollegiate
basketball games. By 1904, after some more rules modifications, it was a demonstration sport at the Olympics. Naismith was taken aback by the popularity of the game, and in awe when it was accepted as an official Olympic sport. At 74 years old, he witnessed his game being played at the 1936 Berlin Games, handing out medals to the top teams: gold for the United States, silver for Canada and bronze for Mexico. Today, only soccer is more popular worldwide than basketball. Born the same year as the Berlin Games was one of Naismith’s 17 grandchildren. The youngest of his five kids was James Sherman, who later had a son he named James Pomeroy. Now 81, James P. (Jim) is the last living grandson of Dr. Naismith. Jim was 3 when his famous grandfather passed away, but he now takes pride in carrying on the family legacy. He was never much interested in basketball, but as a follower of Christ, he enjoys knowing the game was created because “Granddad” wanted to teach young people about Jesus. “He [could] see a potential for an outreach, a Christian outreach to young people using competitive sports, and it is perfectly clear that he himself loved competitive sports,” Jim says, adding, “If you can take something you love and apply it not only to your life, but through outreach to give others a better life, now that’s a really good vision.” It’s a vision McCaslin shares. “It didn’t really register with me that [basketball] was ministry oriented until I was called into the ministry,” he says. “I really started looking deeper into basketball and when I realized why basketball was created, it just lit me up. It was so exciting to hear that the sport that I loved the most was designed for the purpose of sharing Jesus with kids.”
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AN UPWARD VISION
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“
When you throw a ball out on a field or a court, everybody has something in common. And it just creates opportunities to build trusted relationships. Ninety-five percent of all the people in this world, they come to know Jesus because of a trusted relationship.
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— Caz McCaslin
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he beginning of Upward Sports can be traced to a broken pole vault pole. McCaslin was a lean, 175-pound sophomore basketball player in 1978 competing on the Osborne High track team in Marietta, Ga., simply because he wanted to dunk a basketball. Like many other teenage boys, he entertained visions of one day joining the NBA. Not interested in running, McCaslin opted for all the jumping events, like high jump, triple jump and broad jump. Knowing few kids were competing in pole vault, McCaslin’s coach convinced him to try that as well. Any points there could be the difference between his school winning and losing a track meet. There was just one problem. “I didn’t have a lot of — actually I had none, zero — upper body strength, and so I couldn’t even bend the pole,” McCaslin says. “I mean, I looked like a wounded cat trying to get over the bar.” So his coach fetched a pole designed for a smaller athlete. “When I stuck it in the ground, it bent like a piece of spaghetti. It threw me over the bar. It was hilarious to watch; it was so funny,” McCaslin says. “But strangely enough, I would get over the bar multiple times, and sometimes win the pole vaulting because nobody else was pole vaulting.” Around this same time, former professional football and baseball star John “Bull” Bramlett came to preach at McCaslin’s church. Also called the “Meanest Man in Football” because of his aggressive play on the field and wild actions off it, Bramlett became a Christian after retiring from the NFL. His new life in Christ led him to launch his own ministry and speak at hundreds of churches, schools, prisons, conventions and chapel services. “I’m telling you, he was lighting my fire,” McCaslin says. “He said, ‘Man, it’s all about the money and the cars and the houses and the motorcycles and the boats,’ and I’m like, ‘Sign me up. I’m ready. Let’s do this.’ And then he got all the way to the pinnacle [of his message] and he said, ‘I had everything I ever wanted, and it was at that moment when
I realized I was the most unhappy I’d ever been.’ “And he said, ‘Praise the Lord there was somebody there that told me what would give me real joy and real peace, and he introduced me to Jesus. And it changed my life.’” McCaslin couldn’t wait for the altar call, to walk up to the stage and accept Christ himself. And in the days that followed, he began praying, “OK Lord, whatever you want me to do with these athletic skills, I want to give them to you. I want to do just like [Bramlett] did.’” Back on the track, as McCaslin began gaining confidence, the county meet rolled around. He found himself up against “really serious pole vaulters, which I was not.” He wanted to go home, but his coach talked him into staying. McCaslin soon was attempting to surpass 11, 12 feet — higher than he’d ever tried before. “I stuck that pole in there, and about the third time, the pole broke, because it was not meant for me,” he recalls. “And I landed directly on my [left] knee and shattered my knee cap.” As a result, McCaslin missed his entire junior season of basketball — the year he was supposed to become a star, attract scouts and land a scholarship. He returned for his senior season, but wasn’t able to match the level at which he played as a sophomore. His NBA dreams withered. “I thought, ‘Hey, wait a minute. I thought we had a deal: I was going to play in the pros, I was going to share Jesus.’ And He said, ‘I’ve got a bigger plan. I want you to do something else.’ I struggled there for a while trying to figure out how I was ever going to be able to use sports as a ministry when sports was taken away from me because of an injury,” McCaslin says.
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AN UPWARD VISION
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cCaslin gained some direction after high school when his youth minister, knowing well the kid’s love for Jesus and sports, suggested he set out to become a minister of recreation. He took McCaslin to a nearby church that had a gym and recreation program. McCaslin was awed — and convicted. He found his calling. His first initiative on staff at First Baptist in Spartanburg was to start the children’s basketball league. One hundred and fifty kids signed up that first year. By Year 5 there were 520 kids with games played on both Fridays and Saturdays. But that was the max. The league couldn’t accommodate any more kids, so 27 sat on a waiting list. McCaslin was ecstatic over the league’s success — until his wife, Leslie, subtly brought him back down to earth. “We didn’t get in this to turn kids away,” she said. “We got in this to reach kids.” With new perspective only a loving wife can provide, McCaslin set forth to figure out how to reach anybody and everybody in his community. So he approached a man in the church who had previously helped fund some facilities upgrades. McCaslin asked him if he’d help them build another gym. “You don’t need another gym,” the man said. “You need a thousand gyms.”
“That moment was really quite the vision-stretching moment for us,” McCaslin, 55, says now. “And it was 1995 when Leslie and I left the church and we started this not-forprofit called Upward Sports. That first year I went to seven of my friends in five 28
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different states and just asked them if they would try [starting a league], and it worked in all of them. And the next year we had 64 [leagues]. And the year after that we had 127 and then 230 and 340 and 440.” Within eight years, Upward Sports had its 1,000 gyms. Within three more years, it had 2,000 gyms. It’s now in 47 states having served more than 7 million kids playing basketball, flag football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball and even cheerleading. Yet, Upward is about more than just youths playing sports. The organization’s focus is on what it calls the 360 Progression: “Development of the total athlete mentally, athletically, spiritually and socially, applied intentionally through all Upward Sports programming.” Experienced coaches lead kindergartners through sixth graders in the game discovery stage; second through eighth graders in the development stage; and fourth through 12th graders in the performance stage — all while using Christ as a model to create positive sportsmanship and character. “I honestly and truly do not know of another way or place or opportunity where people can build friendships, and where there’s no racial barriers, there’s no financial barriers, there’s no cultural barriers,” McCaslin says. “When you throw a ball out on a field or a court, everybody has something in common. And it just creates opportunities to build trusted relationships. Ninety-five percent of all the people in this world, they come to know Jesus because of a trusted relationship with somebody that they know. So it starts with the trusted relationship.” According to McCaslin’s research, 75 percent of Americans watch, read about or participate in sports once a week, and 98 percent do
it once a month. “There are few greater wide-reaching equalizers in ministry strategy as sports,” he says. Some churches decide not to do sports ministry, however, because those playing don’t come to their church. The Naismiths noticed this with their grandkids’ leagues — out of about 500 kids, maybe 60 were from families involved in the church. But their reaction was the same as McCaslin’s: “This is a really great outreach.” “The truth is they do come to their church,” McCaslin says. “They just happen to come on Saturday. If the goal of the Church is to get people coming on Sundays, the first step has to be ministering them when they show up on Tuesday evening or Saturday afternoons. Upward Sports is not a program for the Church, it’s a strategy for the Church to reach its community.” People are looking for genuine relationships, McCaslin insists. “Are they more likely to have those sitting with other fans at a Saturday basketball game or sitting with people in a pew on Sunday?” he asks. McCaslin says there are 60,000 gyms attached to churches in America. That means churches have the facilities but may not realize they’re sitting on an incredible asset to reach their community for Christ. McCaslin isn’t just trying to grow his organization. He’s trying to grow the crowds in Heaven. “We have got to start doing things that are creating intentional opportunities to create trusted relationships with people that don’t go to church,” he says. “They’re searching for the truth and they don’t even know it.” Sports are an intentional opportunity. They have been for decades. That’s what drives McCaslin, and what drove Dr. Naismith more than 125 years ago. If the inventor of basketball could see what Upward Sports is doing today, his grandson believes he’d be proud. “I honestly think if Granddad was sitting on the side,” Jim says, “he’d be smiling. ‘This is what I had in mind, guys and gals. Keep going. Keep going.’” TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
{ HOW UPWARD IS IMPACTING CHURCHES } A church in South Carolina, excited about its upcoming soccer season, was prepping a good plot of land next to the church for games and practices. But construction issues slowed the process. The pastor realized the fields wouldn’t be ready in time, yet he didn’t cancel the league. Instead, he drove around to area churches and found one with a good field beside it. He approached the church — and its pastor was excited to offer the fields for soccer. The pastor running the league didn’t allow the loss of his own fields to distract his vision for reaching kids in his community for Christ. He’s noticed that while church growth is slowing, the number of families showing up for games on Saturdays keeps increasing.
A pastor moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, and he wanted to launch Upward with his new church. A local YMCA was on the verge of shutting down, meaning 300 kids would no longer have a basketball league. The pastor saw an opportunity to fill a recreation sports void. After reaching out to five other area churches, the pastor began an Upward basketball league using the churches’ gyms. The pastor hoped to bring back most of who would have played at the YMCA. But God had bigger plans. As of midNovember, more than 850 had signed up and the list is growing. All because one pastor had a vision to serve the community and bring church unity, and a group of pastors sought not to transform their church, but to transform their community. All color photos provided by Upward Sports
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Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
BY JUSTIN ADAMS
As he slowly got dressed in the visitors locker room after a game in Denver in late October,
Sacramento Kings rookie Justin Jackson was approached by a reporter. The purpose was to do an interview about him living his Christian faith as a pro athlete. To Jackson’s right sat fellow rookie De’Aaron Fox, who looked up from tying his shoes when he overheard the reporter’s inquiry. “Hey, you’re talking about God?” Fox asked with a smile. “Yeah, he’s definitely the guy you want to talk to.” The soft-spoken Jackson kindly agreed to chat with the reporter. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he shared his faith with the media, and it wouldn’t be the last. Jackson actually vowed four years ago that he would use whatever basketball platform he was given to bring glory to God. 30 30
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“The big thing for me is to show that you can be a big-time athlete and still live for Christ,” Jackson told USA Today High School Sports in 2013. “If I have the opportunity to make it to the pros and be on that type of platform, I want to show people how a Christian acts and lead by example.” Jackson was a high school senior at the time. And his hoop dream
was just like many others who lace up their sneakers: to play at the highest level of basketball in front of thousands of adoring fans. He went on to sign with perennial power North Carolina, win an NCAA championship and become the 15th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (by Portland, but later traded to the Kings). His dream has become a reality. Jackson now has his platform. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
“I AM STILL SAVED BY HIS GRACE, SO THAT MAKES ME NO DIFFERENT THAN ANYBODY ELSE IN THIS ROOM — BESIDES THE FACT THAT I HAVE ACCEPTED HIS FORGIVENESS AND I’M TRYING TO LIVE FOR HIM EVERYDAY.” — JUSTIN JACKSON ackson’s journey began in Tomball, Texas, 30 miles north of Houston. His father, Lloyd, ran track and his mother, Sharon, played basketball at Blinn Junior College, an hour outside of Houston. Being from an athletic family, you might think sports were the most important thing in his household. But beginning in the fourth grade, Jackson’s parents decided to homeschool him so they could ensure he was studying Christian-based curriculum. They wanted him growing in his faith as much as he was growing in height. “It was huge. It was just me learning the same stuff everybody else was, just from a viewpoint of what I believe in,” Jackson said. “It also gave me more time to be with my family, which was huge in my growth and development. It was definitely big for me and I wouldn’t change any of that.” His parents used the extra family time to inscribe the Word on Jackson’s heart. By attending church services and having family Bible studies, they developed a routine that followed the example King Solomon taught to his son.
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“My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” — Proverbs 7:1-3 “It was kind of what we did and it was just the way that we lived,” Jackson said. “I’m glad that they did that for sure because that is something that I try to do now.” From the time Jackson picked up a basketball, it was clear he had special talent. His family lived in Cincinnati for a time, and as a 10-yearold he played for the Cincinnati Trailblazers’ 14-and-under homeschool team. Upon relocating to Texas when he was in junior high, he was named captain of the Homeschool Youth Christian Association (HYCA) Warriors. Competing against other homeschooled teams, private schools and public schools, Jackson’s skills began to catch up with his 6-foot-7-
inch, 180-pound frame. He led the Warriors to a national championship in 2012. In his final year of high school (2014), Jackson averaged 31.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks. He became a Parade All-American and second-team USA Today All-American. He ended his high school career by playing in the Jordan Brand Classic and earning co-MVP honors with Jahlil Okafor in the McDonald’s All-America game. From there, ESPN’s No. 8 recruit signed on to play college ball for Roy Williams at North Carolina. Wearing the number 44 in honor of Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin, Jackson as a sophomore helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2016 national title game against Villanova. Unfortunately, UNC left empty handed, losing to the Wildcats on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Afterward, it looked like Jackson was heading to the NBA. Not so fast. Unsatisfied with losing and realizing he could improve his shot and draft stock, Jackson returned to Chapel Hill for his junior season. The extra work paid off. He led the team in scoring (18.3 ppg), set the school’s single-season record for the most 3-pointers made (105), was named a first-team Associated Press All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. His stellar season was capped with a return appearance in the championship game. Played on the makeshift courts at University of Phoenix Stadium, the Tar Heels captured the program’s sixth title, rallying past the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 71-65. The month would only get better for Jackson. Two weeks after winning a championship ring, he declared for the NBA Draft. Two days later, with his dream of playing in the NBA about to become realized, he began to build for the future by placing an engagement ring on the finger of his girlfriend, Brooke Copeland. The two made their union official this past August in Chattanooga, Tenn. “Her heart is amazing. It’s one of the biggest things that attracted me to her,” Jackson said of Brooke, who played three years of basketball at Florida and envisions becoming a missionary. “Her faith is extremely strong and so is her whole mindset in this world by trying to reach people.”
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Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
“WHAT I’VE LEARNED IS THAT THE MORE YOU STAND FIRM IN YOUR FAITH, THE MORE PEOPLE WILL RESPECT YOU.” — JUSTIN JACKSON
Jackson shares a heart for others and carries it with him when he’s with the Kings. He’s part of a youth movement, as Jackson joined two other drafted players, Fox and Frank Mason III, on the Kings’ roster this year. Jackson began the season as a starter, but started to find a groove coming off the bench in November. Off the court, Jackson is intentionally trying to build friendships with teammates. Whether it’s interacting in conversations on the bus or eating dinner with teammates on road trips, this allows Jackson to learn more about the guys he’s playing with. It also gives him an avenue to be able to speak into their lives. “What I’ve learned is that the more you stand firm in your faith, the more people will respect you,” Jackson said. “And so if you’re involved in something that people don’t associate [as] Christian things, then they might be like, ‘Oh, this person may not be serious about this Christian stuff.’ But whenever you stand firm
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and you’re still a guy that might joke around on the bus or might be in the middle of a conversation, people definitely respect that and I think that’s when you can reach people.” The journey to achieve the hoop dream is complete for Jackson, but the impact he’ll make in the NBA and in the lives of his teammates is just beginning. “These are the guys I go and play with every single day. I’m not going to isolate myself from them,” Jackson said. “I’m no different from anybody else. I’m still a sinner. I am still saved by His grace, so that makes me no different than anybody else in this room — besides the fact that I have accepted His forgiveness and I’m trying to live for Him everyday.” “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere.” — 2 Corinthians 2:14
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CHRIS BROUSSARD
I CAN’T IMAGINE LIVING WITHOUT CHRIST
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BY JASON ROMANO
Chris Broussard is known for his 12 years
of service to ESPN as an NBA insider and reporter. In October 2016, he accepted a position with FOX Sports to be a commentator on its television, radio and digital platforms. 34 34
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Photo courtesy of Chris Broussard
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An outspoken Christian, Broussard is unashamed about his faith in Jesus, and has created a ministry called K.I.N.G., which stands for Knowledge, Inspiration and Nurture through God. The goal of the movement is to strengthen men in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ by providing brotherhood, encouragement, accountability, knowledge and fellowship. In 2013, Broussard faced backlash from an ESPN “Outside the Lines” appearance, during which he was asked to comment on NBA player Jason Collins coming out as a homosexual. Broussard stated, “If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin … I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God.” Recently, I sat down with Chris on the Sports Spectrum Podcast to discuss his faith, his move from ESPN to FOX, and whether he regrets what he said on the OTL broadcast.
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What is God teaching you right now? He’s helping me overcome some of my fears and challenges. And just strengthening me in terms of being more focused on Him and not on what other people are saying or criticisms from other people. Being secure in Him. Walking in faith rather than fear. The scripture I’ve been meditating on is James 4:7, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Anytime there is resistance, it’s not an easy thing. It’s tough, it’s going to be a challenge. Be resolute everyday, disciplined to overcome whatever challenge we’re facing and when we do it, the scripture says the devil will flee. The victory will come.
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Once you arrived at ESPN, how was it for you once this sudden exposure started to come because you were on TV every day? I don’t think any of us sports writers got into this to be famous or on television. When you’re a sports writer, you’re not a famous celebrity. You’re mostly anonymous to most people. I was first hired to be a writer at ESPN but as I did more and more television, that’s when you start to become more famous and known. The biggest moment for me was in the summer of 2010 and LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami. People began to know me and recognize me. That’s where it really took off. I will say this about fame: I’m not complaining, I’m thankful for it, but it is overrated. You should not live your life trying to be famous.
What is K.I.N.G. and why did you start it? It’s a Christian men’s movement. It is to strengthen men in their daily walks with Christ, Monday through Saturday. We do it through accountability, encouragement, support, teaching and brotherhood. When I was young, I didn’t know a lot of men who were my age, who I could relate to, who were also Christians. As I found more and more guys who were living like that, I realized they were isolated too, and backsliding and getting in trouble in a lifestyle they didn’t want to. And [much] of that was because they didn’t have that brotherhood. This led me to say that we needed a place where we could talk to somebody, real talk, about our struggles and not be condemned. We have 14 chapters throughout the country and it’s growing. KingMovement.com is the website.
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Tell us about the time you accepted Christ and how your faith began? I was raised Catholic. We went to church every Sunday. But it wasn’t until my 21st birthday on October 28, 1989, my parents took me and my girlfriend out for dinner. When the birthday cake was brought out, instead of making a wish to blow out the candles, that’s when I repented, asked the Holy Spirit to come into my heart, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My actual birthday is my spiritual birthday. It’s been almost 28 years. I can’t imagine living without Christ. I really can’t. I guess I’d survive, but as far as having joy, having peace, having security, I can’t even fathom. I’m just thankful.
What is your prediction for the 2018 NBA Finals? Golden State vs. Cleveland. That’s my prediction. Boston has gotten closer and they’re a very talented team. I view them as the biggest challenger to Cleveland in the East, but if LeBron James doesn’t show any decline, I still think they are the best team in the East. Cleveland’s talent, on paper, is very close to Golden State’s.
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How has it been for you in the family dynamic moving from the East Coast to the West Coast? That’s been the biggest challenge. My wife is a medical doctor and she’s a partner in her practice in New Jersey. She was not able to just up and leave so she’s still in New Jersey and I’m in L.A., which isn’t ideal but we’ve made the best of it. I’m living with family in L.A. and that has been good, and it makes it easier on her to know I’m with family. Every couple of weeks, she comes out to L.A. and I get back to New Jersey. My daughters are in college; they’re sophomores now. If they had been at home, I would not have made the move.
In 2013, you made an appearance on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” and made comments about your faith and where you stood on the issue of homosexuality as a sin. It created a firestorm on social media and people were even calling for your firing. Do you regret anything you said that day? I don’t regret it because I think I shared the truth in love, which is what we’re called to do as Christians. To this day, I still get asked about this a lot. I just happened to be on a 21-day fast, just a water fast. No food. Just strictly water, and I was a week in on that day. I don’t believe that was a coincidence at all. I believe God was preparing me for what was to come, the onslaught, the media criticism, and even giving me the strength to speak up and say what I said. And now, love it or hate it, everybody knows I’m a Christian.
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Romano: How has the transition been from Bristol, Conn., to Los Angeles, and your move from ESPN to FOX? Broussard: It’s been great. I really love the role I’m in at FOX, which is basically why I left. ESPN made me an offer, but they wanted me to stay in a reporter’s role and FOX wanted me in more of an opinion/personality role. I was ready to move on from chasing news.
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BY JON ACKERMAN
HOW NBA PLAYERS DO “CHURCH” WHEN THEY CAN’T GO TO CHURCH 36
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HE HYPE LEADING UP TO THE 2017 NBA FINALS WAS UNPRECEDENTED.
Never before had two teams met in three straight championship rounds. Never before had a team entered the Finals without dropping a postseason game — and the other squad had only lost once. Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, Round 3, was set to be another intense battle featuring the NBA’s biggest stars. An hour before the rivals took the court at Oracle Arena in Oakland for Game 1, however, some key players from both teams came together. They met in a pre-disclosed location, out of view from any fans or media. And they came together not to talk, but to listen. To learn. To think. To pray.
Members of the Cavs and Warriors met for chapel. It’s a regular routine for numerous players around the league — stretch, shoot, chapel. It didn’t matter that they were about to face off in the most-anticipated game of the season. Says the man who led chapel that night, Warriors chaplain Earl Smith, “That’s what chapel offers you: the opportunity to take a break from getting ready to compete, after you’ve warmed up to compete, to just reflect on
something that’s not about the game.” This wasn’t a new occurrence or one-time thing. The pregame NBA chapel is estimated to have been around nearly 40 years. It takes place at the same time before every contest in every arena, no matter the stakes of the game. Players know: If they can’t go to a local church because they’re traveling or playing or usually not left alone in public, they can always go 60 minutes before a game. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
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hapels — typically defined as places of worship serving an institution — certainly aren’t unique to basketball. The NFL, MLB and NHL have similar ministries. But there’s one key difference: NBA chapels are open to both teams. The other leagues host their services on a per-team basis. “Because of the culture and rhythm of each major sports league, [each] chaplain ministry kind of takes on a different kind of flavor and involvement,” says Jerry Birch, the Cavaliers’ chaplain. “In the NBA, it’s such a bang-bang league.” Multiple games are played each week, so chaplains — often local pastors chosen by the organization — don’t go out on the road with the team. But considering NBA squads are significantly smaller than in other sports, one chaplain teaching two teams is manageable. Even team staffers are welcome. “I’ve been a chaplain for NCAA football, and for that you usually have the home team, the away team, and it’s just one team. And you’ve got to kind of give that rah-rah speech to get everybody hyped up,” says Ikki Soma, a Houston pastor who also serves as a Rockets chaplain. “But in the NBA, the chapels are open to both teams and anyone even associated with the teams. So that’s been the cool thing, to see people from different cultures and both teams, and coaches and trainers and even scorekeepers, all come to chapel, regardless of their age, ethnicity, socioeconomic background. The fact is, for that 15 minutes, even though in an hour they’re about to bump heads and lock elbows, we be come one under Christ.” Designated chapel time is when the event clock strikes 60:00. There’s a countdown to tip-off displayed in locker rooms and on the clocks surrounding the court; it starts at 90 minutes. So whether a player is in the locker room dressing or relaxing, or on the court stretching or shooting, he knows how much time he has until tip-off. At exactly 60 minutes, chapel can commence.
The meeting place is typically a vacant locker room or spare dressing room. When at home, a player knows where to go. But for the visitors, locker room assistants will post signs or simply tell players where they can meet. Regular chapel-goers who have been in the league long enough know where the meeting rooms are even on the road. The chaplains then lead a 15-minute service however they see fit. Some open with worship music, some don’t. Some preach a message for 15 minutes, some just chat with the guys. It depends on who’s in the room. “If it’s just your team, the time may be [spent] different because you’re
David Robinson (top left) and Dikembe Mutombo (bottom) attend chapel service before Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
“THEY CAN BUY ANYTHING THEY WANT, BUT THEY NEED WISDOM. THEY NEED PERSPECTIVE. THEY NEED HOPE.” — JERRY BIRCH 37
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doing a check-in. You may be laughing and joking about something that took place that they’re telling you about. If it’s both teams together, you try to be consistent and aware of the time because the visiting players have to be in their locker room by a certain period. … You try to get finished in a time that if anyone wants to see you individually, you still have enough time to walk down to the court talking to them or maybe you sit down and pray with them separately after guys leave,” Smith says. “When it hits 45, that’s when we have to say, ‘Amen,’” Birch says. Most chaplains pass out “chapel notes,” an outline or handout similar to what you might receive walking into a church. Some are simply an outline, and only those hearing the accompanying message can fill it out. But many chaplains have found that this material is also easy to hand out to arena workers — ushers, support personnel, even police officers. So the handouts are a little more detailed, including scriptures and main points. “The message is going to be the message and the people that get it in the arena that are ushers are getting the same written message that the guys in the actual chapel proper get,” Smith says. “The difference is the guys in the chapel proper actually have it explained why we’re dealing with that theme.” For Birch, “it holds together so it’s a lesson that you can appreciate and understand as a standalone leave-behind.” He’s built a rapport with the team that allows him to place the notes on every chair in the Cavs’ locker room, opening the possibility for a player who didn’t attend chapel to receive the message or ask Birch more about it. Smith and an assistant print out more than 100 pamphlets per game and hand them out until they’re gone. And most chaplains do have assistants. Because they’re often fulltime pastors and not team employees, they’re not able to make every game. But between the lead chaplain and an assistant
“THEIR VOCATION SHOULD NOT DICTATE WHO THEY ARE.” — EARL SMITH TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
or two, they make sure every game is covered. Not just anyone gets to be an assistant, though. “[One] thing about being a chaplain is that you have to know your place,” Birch says. “It’s very difficult to establish relationships with sports stars and professionals anyway; they are naturally guarded. And they should be. I’m very, very careful. I’ve had four associate chaplains over my [18-year] tenure and God sent each one of them to me; they were handpicked by God. “Because every season I have people call me. … When LeBron came back three seasons ago, I probably got a half dozen calls from guys who said, ‘Hey, I’ve got an epiphany from God. I’m supposed to help the chapel ministry.’ I’m like, ‘And who are you again?’ My response was, ‘When God tells me, I’ll call you back.’ Because you don’t want to bring somebody in there that’s going to try to leverage a relationship into personal gain or notoriety.” Like anyone, players yearn for genuine relationships, and often aren’t comfortable opening up to someone they don’t know. Chaplains try their best to establish trust and show they’re running a legitimate ministry. But sometimes, the best way to influence a team can be through the players who do attend chapel. If the chaplains can equip the few who attend, those guys can then go out and reach their teammates. Among the most influential in that regard, Birch says, was Kevin Ollie, “the greatest evangelist I’ve ever seen in NBA history.” The current University of Connecticut head coach played for 12 NBA teams in 13 seasons. “If he went to Team B and in the prior season when Team B came to Cleveland, none of their players came to chapel, when Kevin Ollie was on Team B, half the team came with him,” Birch says. “When they’re on the road, they’d say, ‘Hey Kevin we’re going to go out, you want to go out?’ ‘No, you know where I’m going to be. If anybody wants to have Bible study, I’ll be in my room.’” Ultimately, a chaplain aims to be available in any way he can for his players. Lunches, coffee, individual counseling, couples counseling, weddings, baby dedications, etc. “My mission is to make sure — because they’re such young men — that in the environment they work in, their vocation should not dictate who they are,” Smith says. “So for me, I believe — not just me, the other team pastors of the 30 teams in the NBA — our mission and our 38
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Jerry Birch and wife Photo courtesy of Jerry Birch
Earl Smith (2nd from right) Photo courtesy of Earl Smith
“WHEN LEBRON CAME BACK THREE SEASONS AGO, I PROBABLY GOT A HALF DOZEN CALLS FROM GUYS WHO SAID, ‘HEY, I’VE GOT AN EPIPHANY FROM GOD. I’M SUPPOSED TO HELP THE CHAPEL MINISTRY.’ MY RESPONSE WAS, ‘WHEN GOD TELLS ME, I’LL CALL YOU BACK.’” — JERRY BIRCH
goal is to equip these young men to represent a life of accountability, integrity and responsibility.” And it starts with chapel — with the opponent. In his 30 years of chaplaincy, Smith says he’s never noticed any tension between the opposing teams. “You may be competitive, yet at the same time you have a commonality, and that commonality is your need to have a place for your faith,” he says. Of course, not all NBA Christians attend chapel. It may not fit into their pregame routine, or they’d rather relax and reflect on their own. But for many others, it’s as much a part of their game night as warming up. If they forget, or their stretching and shooting goes long, they’ll sprint off the court to make it in time. Birch sees young men “running to church” almost every game. “They’re coming because they desperately know they need things that money can’t buy,” he says. “Because they can buy anything they want, but they need wisdom. They need perspective. They need hope. They need strength. They need the truth. They need encouragement. “They want to draw closer to God because they know that’s more important than the 20,000 people who paid hundreds of dollars to watch them perform. “This is more important than that.”
Stephen Curry (left) and James Jones (right) walk the hallway before a game. (Photos by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images & Nathaniel S. Butler/ NBAE via Getty Images)
“THE FACT IS, FOR THAT 15 MINUTES, EVEN THOUGH IN AN HOUR THEY’RE ABOUT TO BUMP HEADS AND LOCK ELBOWS, WE BECOME ONE UNDER CHRIST.” — IKKI SOMA
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A ‘WEIRD INJURY’ DERAILED DAVID JOHNSON’S SEASON, BUT THE NFL’S MOST VERSATILE PLAYER FOUND GOD CALLING HIM TO LEAD EVEN WHEN HE COULDN’T PLAY
BY JON ACKERMAN
hree yards from scoring his first touchdown of 2017, a year ripe with weighty expectations, David Johnson absorbed the force of a 207-pound safety running full speed and shoulder first. The running back made the catch and held on to the ball, but the air immediately left his lungs upon impact. Johnson writhed on the ground before heading to the sideline. His backup punched it in on the next play, giving Arizona a 17-9 lead over Detroit with 5:37 left in the third quarter of their Week 1 matchup. While the Lions’ next drive stalled after four plays, Johnson found his breath again. He felt fine, so he went back out for the Cardinals’ ensuing series, and his number was called on the first play — handoff around the left end. But after five yards, he knew something wasn’t right. “I didn’t realize my wrist was feeling weird until I caught my wind and I went in to the next series,” Johnson said on the Sports Spectrum 40
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Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images
Podcast in early October. “I was running with the ball and it just didn’t feel like I was securing the ball well enough. I ended up actually fumbling, and that’s when I really realized that there was something up. “After going in and getting the X-ray, they saw something was fishy with the wrist. Actually, going into the locker room, I thought it was just a sprained wrist and that I’d be able to tape it up and get back on the field. I thought I was going to be able to keep playing … but unfortunately it was a scapholunate tear and I had to get it repaired.” In layman’s terms, Johnson dislocated his wrist. Surgery was needed. The initial reports stated he’d be out 12 weeks, but Johnson said there really wasn’t a timetable. It simply depended on how his wrist responded to rehab. Just like that, a year boasting the potential to be one of the greatest in NFL history became shrouded in doubt. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
hope. “I’m blessed and I thank God for giving me this platform, for giving me this ability and the skill to play in the league,” Johnson says. Despite the unwanted downtime, he’s able to find blessings in disguise. For instance, he’s able to dig into more of the Bible because he’s not constantly studying a playbook. He and his wife, Meghan, were given a study guide focused on the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. “I’m able to actually be there and learn, read more into the Bible, and go further along in the study guide with my wife,” Johnson says. He’s also getting more time with his son, David Jr., who entered the world this past January. That means more diaper changing and late-night feeding, but Johnson is happy to spend this extra time with his young family. Being present for
yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving, to join only Roger Craig (1989) and Marshall Faulk (1999) in doing so. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was even willing to give Johnson 30 touches a game. Hence, he was featured on one of four regional covers for Sports Illustrated’s 2017 NFL preview issue, and fantasy football owners everywhere made him the consensus No. 1 overall pick. Then Week 1 happened — dislocated wrist. “A weird injury and it’s really not a common injury in football,” Johnson says. So much for joining Craig and Faulk. So much for the intense knee rehab to be ready for all offseason workouts. So much for helping the Cardinals rebound from the 7-8-1 disappointment of last season. The 25-year-old knows the window of opportunity with Arizona’s current roster is narrow, as quarterback Carson Palmer is 37 and receiver Larry Fitzgerald 34. Yet, as a man rooted in his faith, he never questioned God. He says he never grew angry over the frustrating turn of events for a season brimming with
his son’s major milestones is important. “When he rolled over I was there. I was there when he started crawling so I’m trying to be there when he starts walking, when he starts speaking,” Johnson says. Still, the Cardinals are seeing plenty of Johnson too. “I’m really doing everything but the physical stuff on the field. So I go to practices, I’m going to the games, I’m going to the away games, I’m going to meetings, I’m still looking at what we have planned for each week as far as
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the playbook. So I’m still there in all the aspects except for just being on the field, which is very tough for me not being out there and helping out my brothers,” he says. So he’s doing what he can to add value off the field. If all he can do is help coach, that’s what he’ll do. He actually feels he’s being called to lead. “I think God is working on me right now as being a leader … He’s doing stuff to put me in positions to try to be a leader, but sometimes I get scared or I don’t want to. I feel like I’m going to say the wrong thing to the team or do the wrong thing, and I feel like He keeps wanting to put me in those positions, those uncomfortable positions,” he says. They may be uncomfortable, but those leadership opportunities are not unfamiliar.
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third-round draft pick in 2015 out of Northern Iowa, Johnson found success with the Cards right away. He started only five games as a rookie, but scored 12 touchdowns (eight rushing, four receiving) in helping Arizona reach the NFC championship game. He upped that to a league-best 20 TDs in 2016, collecting Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in the process, while also becoming the first player in NFL history to record 100 yards from scrimmage in the first 15 games of a season. He might have made it 16 had he not sprained a knee in the Cardinals’ season finale. Still, he finished with 1,239 rushing yards and 879 receiving yards, totaling a league-leading 2,118 yards from scrimmage. The most versatile player in the NFL then set his sights for 2017 on 1,000
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ohnson wasn’t the first player drafted out of UNI — an NCAA Division I-AA/FCS school since 1981 — and he won’t be the last. But the school is no football factory. That’s partly why his rapid rise to stardom in the NFL was so surprising. One scout’s take before the 2015 NFL Draft said, “Johnson lacks the short-area quickness to be a consistently effective every-down running back.” Translation: No one was predicting All-Pro status after two years. But Johnson is a grinder. “College life for me was way different than what I hear from other players,” he says. “… I had a summer job doing weird things with asbestos removal and then I fortunately ended up going to dorm duty, where we were maintenance guys and we’d clean up the dorms. We’d fix the dressers, fix the windows, fix the drains and everything. “So that’s the stuff I had to do in the summer where I think other college student-athletes, they were able to just work out. I had to do a job and I had to work out at the same time, so I think that’s really where I learned how to have my work ethic.” Incorporated into many of those summer days were also Bible studies, as Johnson faithfully attended groups led by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes area representative, Ken Trautmann. Monday night meetings were open to any UNI student, and Wednesday nights were for the football team. “David was just faithful to come almost every Wednesday,” Trautmann says. “But he was quiet, really quiet.”
Johnson knew about God and went to church as a kid in Clinton, Iowa, but found himself more consumed with sports, school and life. It wasn’t until his sophomore year of college that he really began studying the Bible, “really focusing in on what God has done, what Jesus has done for us and learning more about Him, and really letting God take my life.” Often, Johnson would stick around after the meetings to talk one-on-one with Trautmann. By the end of Johnson’s junior year, Trautmann could see fruit from those discussions; Johnson was really grasping the Gospel. Prior to his senior season, Johnson approached Trautmann about being more of a leader. Trautmann was happy to oblige. “I teach a Bible study for maybe 10-20 minutes,” Trautmann says, “and then we would break up into small groups. And so one thing David would do is he would lead small groups; he’d lead a breakout small group. He would
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[also] go out to other FCA groups and share his faith. He would be one of the guys I’d ask to go out and share; there were other FCA groups that would ask for athletes to come and share, and so he’d do that.” Johnson says of Trautmann, “He’s the one who really has molded me into learning more about God and stepping over the faith line.” It’s a line Johnson still finds himself struggling to cross. As God leads him into leadership roles with the Cardinals, Johnson’s natural instinct is to resist and remain quiet. But to follow the Lord is to step out of comfort zones. “I’ve always been a leader as far as leading by example,” Johnson says. “But my biggest thing I have to learn is how to speak to the players, the younger guys and how to lead a team that way.” Trautmann has no doubts Johnson will learn to lead the Cardinals well. Trautmann’s wife, Lynn, who helps lead FCA groups at Northern Iowa — and loved sending Johnson home with leftover food because about all he would make for himself were peanut butter sandwiches — couldn’t agree more. “He was a guy that really had a heart for Christ. He wasn’t a partier, he wasn’t anybody who was doing that kind of stuff,” Lynn says. “I think when David speaks people will listen because he lives it out.” Before long, Johnson figures to be among the veterans looked up to on the Cardinals. As he watched and learned from seasoned pros like Fitzgerald and Andre Ellington, Johnson aspires to be that guy for others. He can share about his struggles to adjust to “adult” life, as is common to many young believers. “Spiritually it was actually pretty tough just because when I came in as a rookie, it was a whole new change for me,” Johnson says. “I didn’t have the normal [routine] where I’d go and talk to my Bible group leader, Ken Trautmann. I didn’t have people that I normally could go and talk to about the Bible … I felt like my rookie year I might have slipped off my spiritual trail for a little bit, but I was able to talk to Ken, talk to my wife and regain that strength in God.” Some Arizona teammates have helped sharpen Johnson as well. He’s a regular at the players-only Bible studies during training camp, led by quarterback Drew Stanton with help from Anthony Edwards, the Cardinals’ director of player development who’s also a pastor. The group builds throughout the season on discussions from camp. “When we hold each other accountable, when we are talking with those verses and communicating and talking about different ways that we can show our glory to God through our platform, how we conduct ourselves so people don’t have to question if we are God-fearing people, people don’t have to ask us if we are Christians,” Johnson says. “They know by the way we conduct ourselves, by the way we speak, by the way we play football even. “Just the small things that I’ve learned from the Bible, those small things go a long way in how I conduct myself.”
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Perseverance through Trials “Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the Kingdom of light.” — Colossians 1:11-12 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9
Keeping Your Cool
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“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” — 1 Peter 5:8-9 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
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MAINTAINING PURITY “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” — 1 Timothy 4:12 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8
FINDING JOY IN YOUR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” — 1 Peter 1:8-9 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 45 — Hebrews 12:2 SPORTS SPECTRUM
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BY JON ACKERMAN
THE GREATEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER AND LURE OF MORE FAMILY TIME GAVE MIKE FISHER THE PEACE HE NEEDED TO WALK AWAY FROM THE GAME
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ike Fisher knew he was right where he was supposed to be — right at home — yet it wasn’t easy. He wore a fitted navy blue suit instead of a Nashville gold sweater. On his chest laid a white-dotted navy tie instead of a Predators logo. He took the ice in brown dress shoes because he’d hung up the skates he wore for 17 NHL seasons. It was October 10 and Fisher was on hand for Nashville’s 2017-18 season opener against Philadelphia. But before they dropped the puck they raised the franchise’s first banner: Western Conference Champions 201617. Fisher proudly served as captain of that overachieving squad, one that snuck into the playoffs as the west’s No. 8 seed. But from there the Predators went S P O R T S S P E C on T R U M a run that invigorated the city and surprised the country.
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MIKE Upon taking out Chicago in the first round, Nashville became the first NHL team to sweep a top seed, and actually the first squad in North American major professional sports to sweep a No. 1 seed. The Predators then proceeded to take out St. Louis in six and Anaheim in six to reach their first Stanley Cup Finals. That earned a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nashville squandered the first two games in Pittsburgh, but backed by one of the rowdiest crowds in hockey, responded with two wins at home. The buzz in Nashville reached its peak. Unfortunately, the Preds couldn’t sustain the momentum. A crushing 6-0 defeat on the road in Game 5 led to a 2-0 loss back at home — and the end of a remarkable season. They didn’t win the Cup, but they turned in the greatest season Nashville had ever seen. Two months later, the 37-yearold Fisher called it a career. “This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know I’ve made the right one,” he wrote in a letter to Predators fans. “I’ve decided to retire from the NHL.” He was greeted warmly by those fans on October 10. Fisher was down at rink level with his former teammates, many of whom remain friends, as they walked out onto the ice. But instead of lining up
“THROUGH THE WHOLE THING SOMEONE REMINDED ME OF A VERSE: ‘LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST RULE IN YOUR HEART.’ AND TO ME, ONCE I KNEW I HAD THAT, THEN I KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION.” — MIKE FISHER
CAREER NHL STATS: 1,088 GAMES, 276 GOALS, 309 ASSISTS, 585 POINTS, 134 PLAYOFF GAMES
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with them along the blue line, he stayed behind until announcer Pete Weber called him out. Fisher then stood on a blue carpet rolled out for the banner ceremony, about 40 feet across from the men he suited up with last year. And with help from current Predators captain Roman Josi (who didn’t play that night due to injury), he unveiled the banner for the crowd. As it reached the Bridgestone Arena rafters and last year’s playoff anthem, “Glorious Domination,” rang out, Fisher thought maybe, just maybe, he should still be playing. “It just kind of hits you,” he said a week and a half following that night. “You’re at the rink and it’s like, ‘Well, I could be there.’” He certainly could. It wasn’t like he retired because his body wouldn’t let him play anymore. And no one would have questioned him for coming back to chase his first Stanley Cup after getting the closest he’d ever been. Why not try to go out on top? As far as Fisher’s hockey career goes, last season was the pinnacle. “That was the best year, the most fun I’ve had, no question, in my career,” he says, remembering the way his team inspired and united its city. “So for me, it was like going out on a high. For sure.”
Watching his guys play on opening night was tough, but that thought of playing again was fleeting. He’s happy being one of the Predators’ biggest fans. He’s retired but not leaving Nashville, especially with his wife, Carrie Underwood, still performing as a country music superstar. He’s already enjoying life after hockey. “The other part of [retirement] is just the excitement of being able to be with my family more and being able to do things with my son and other things that I know God has for me,” Fisher says. “I knew it was the right decision and through the whole thing someone reminded me of a verse: ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart’ (Colossians 3:15). And to me, once I knew I had that, then I knew it was the right decision.” THAT’S NOT TO SAY the choice was easy, or just came to him in an instant. In fact, Fisher nearly retired before the 2016-17 season that turned out to be the best of his career. It wasn’t until the Lord spoke to him one morning as he was talking to a teammate that he knew he had to come back for another year. So Fisher played last season knowing it could be his last. And that was a frequent topic of discussion with one his mentors, Tim Burke, who is the Colorado Avalanche chaplain but also serves on staff with Hockey Ministries, the organization that oversees chapels at all levels of hockey. Burke, who pitched eight years in the major leagues, met Fisher during the 2004-05 strike season at a Hockey Ministries event, and they hit it off upon learning that one of Burke’s chaplains while he played for the Montreal Expos was Fisher’s uncle, David. Burke travels often to meet with various NHL players, but Fisher has become one of his deeper friendships. Knowing how tough the transition to retirement can be for a professional athlete, Burke takes special interest in helping anyone navigate that path — and did even more so with Fisher. “We’ve been talking about [retirement] for the last year and a half, actually,” Burke said this past October. “We talked about it last offseason, and he wasn’t far away from retiring last year. So we talked about it a lot and then we talked about it during the season this year a good bit. I’d just check in with him and see how TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
MIKE he was feeling with it.” That’s exactly what Fisher needed. “He’s been a real close friend of mine through these retirement decisions and life decisions in the last several years. He’s been one of those guys that I look to for guidance and wisdom. He’s helped me out tremendously. “That’s [one thing] I would say to the younger kids, whether they’re in college or [younger]: just surround yourself with those types of people, because it makes all the difference in the world. If I didn’t have those people in my life, who knows where I would be.” Those people also include his parents, Jim and Karen. Raising Mike, his two brothers, Rob and Gregory, and sister, Meredith, in Peterborough, Ontario, they were the typical hockey parents lugging kids all over for practices and games. They were Fisher’s biggest fans and never pressured him one way or another with sports. They just didn’t want to waste their time or money. “I remember my dad saying, ‘As long as you give your best, we’re going to support you. You can play on whatever team you want, we’ll be there for you, but we just need your best effort,’” Fisher recalls. That stance continued well past juniors. “They were way more concerned about me as a person, honestly, than what I was doing with my career,” he says. The positive family influence also came from Fisher’s cousin, Warren Robinson. Seven years older, Robinson lived with the Fishers in Peterborough when Mike was a teenager. Years later, Robinson got a job in Ottawa and provided a place to stay for his cousin, who was taken by the Senators in the second round of the 1998 NHL Draft. Fisher credits Robinson with strengthening his life off the ice, which in turn helped him mature and perform better on the ice. “When I was about 20, 21, I was struggling,” Fisher says. “I was a young guy in the NHL making a lot of money and just trying to figure out where I fit in. I was making mistakes and just really wasn’t happy. I should have been at the pinnacle of happiness because I’m playing in the NHL; you’re living out your dream. Inside I really had a lot of guilt and shame and I wasn’t living the right way. “So my cousin, whom I was living 49
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with at the time, kind of sensed it over time. You try and hide it, but he and I are really close. So we started doing a Bible study and he came along the side of me; he dealt with a lot of the same things in his life. And I recommitted my life to the Lord shortly after and was baptized. So he kind of walked along [with me], and he still does.” Grounded in his faith, surrounded by family and positive influences — these are the keys to Fisher’s hockey success. And reasons why he’ll thrive in retirement as well. “Mike will adjust to retired life better than anybody that I know,” Burke says.
Why? “Hockey wasn’t the most important thing in his life, for one thing. And he is very independent. He’s more balanced than anybody I’ve ever known that has played sports.” ON THE OCTOBER MORNING Fisher spoke with Sports Spectrum, he took his 2-year-old son, Isaiah, to school. “And I’ll pick him up this afternoon. I could never do that stuff. So there are a lot of positives. As much as you miss [hockey], when I’m doing these things, I love it. And being able to support my wife and her career a little bit more too is awesome,” he says. Two weeks prior, Mike, Carrie and Isaiah traveled to see Fisher’s family for Canadian Thanksgiving. It marked the first time he’d been home for the holiday in 20 years. Most mornings now involve consistent quiet time with God. While Isaiah watches TV,
Daddy and Mommy do their devotionals over breakfast — usually separate devotions done at the same time, but a routine the couple had never been able to maintain. Every other Wednesday morning, Fisher also meets with eight close friends for a men’s Bible study. “When you’re playing and you’re traveling, it’s hard every morning to go, ‘OK, I’m going to wake up at 6:30.’ You just can’t,” Fisher says. “You wake up, you’re tired, you eat, you’re out the door, you practice, you come home, you nap while you’re traveling. It’s really hard to get into a daily routine of a [quiet] time.” Where many athletes miss the game, Fisher is revelling in margin. What used to be a “no” can now be a “yes.” He aims to get more involved in his church, and stay active in his role as a board member for Danita’s Children, a non-profit organization that focuses on bringing the hope of Christ to Haiti. And with his brother, Rob, he plans to grow his Catchin’ Deers business, which makes huntingthemed apparel. The venture allows Fisher to follow his passion for hunting and fishing. And when it’s time for Underwood to go back on tour, the Fisher boys can hit the road too. “I want to be the best husband and dad that I can be,” Fisher says. “I feel like being the best dad is really a calling too. I was fortunate to have great examples as far as a marriage and godly examples at home. My wife and I want to do the same for our family.” Meanwhile, Fisher now spends many evenings like a typical male: watching sports. He has caught nearly every Predators game this season — and enjoyed them. Casually watching hockey for the first time in 18 years (one season overseas in addition to 17 in the NHL; he says he only watched scouting video during his career) hasn’t made him miss playing. That’s because hockey was a passion of his, not his identity. Living that out was easier said than done, Fisher admits, and he knows this common identity challenge will continue to test him even in retirement. “What’s next and can you be happy without hockey?” he asks himself. “So far, the answer is yes. Absolutely.” TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
FRANK NEWSOM | PHOTO BY D DIPASUPIL/WIREIMAGE
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KODY LOSTROH | PHOTO ANDY WATSON, BULL STOCK MEDIA
FRANK NEWSOM & KODY LOSTROH ARE RENOWNED FOR BEING TWO OF THE TOUGHEST MEN IN PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING. BUT THEIR BIGGEST BATTLES CAME OUTSIDE THE ARENA 51
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here are few sports partnerships more compelling and less recognized than that of the bull rider and bullfighter. In the sport of bull riding, the bull rider is akin to a football quarterback, both praised and scrutinized for performance, while the bullfighter is the offensive lineman, protecting the bull rider with his life. Frank Newsom is a bullfighter. This is not to be confused with the red-caped matadors of Spain, who slowly defeat a bull by exhausting it, nor the “rodeo clowns” whose main purpose is to entertain the crowd at a rodeo event. After a bull rider jumps off or is bucked off a bull, Newsom’s job is to distract and re-route the animal so the rider can safely escape. This sometimes means taking a direct hit from the bull in order to protect the rider. “I’m not going to lie, when they hit you, it hurts,” Newsom says. “They play rough. You definitely get that knot in your gut when you walk into the building that day to do your job. You’re kind of supposed to.” The bucking bulls in Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions weigh about a ton, give or take 200 pounds. They are the meanest (“rankest” in rodeo lingo) bulls to ride in the business, which also means they are the best. Kody Lostroh is a bull rider. His goal is to stay on a bucking bull with one arm in the air, while the other arm holds tightly to a thin rope tied around the animal. If he is able to stay on the jumping, twisting bull for a full eight seconds without touching with his free arm, his ride can receive a score from judges. Then he relies on a bullfighter like Newsom to protect him once he dismounts or is bucked off. “Bull riders and bullfighters are connected, like I believe soldiers would be,” Lostroh says. “Being in that close proximity to danger, [bullfighters] are our lifeline. And they will take the hit every time before we do.” Bull riding has been called the most dangerous organized sport in the world. It’s not hard to see why, when both fighters and riders are regularly tossed in the air like tumbleweeds by bulls more than 15 times their size. In a 2009 study by sports epidemiologist Dale Butterwick, bull riders were 10 times more likely to be seriously injured than football players. Newsom and Lostroh have sustained so many injuries they’ve lost count. Not that it’s a big deal. “For an injury, if it doesn’t make me have to miss doing my job, then it’s not very bad,” Newsom says. “I haven’t had a lot of really bad injuries. I’ve broken a lot of bones. Ribs are probably the most aggravating ‘cause they hurt. And you can still do your job, but it’s just fighting the pain.” Newsom and Lostroh have worked through broken legs, ribs, arms, backs, noses, multiple concussions, corrective surgeries, and torn tendons and ligaments. But these wounds have been minor setbacks compared to the challenges they have faced outside the arena. T O S U B S Cin R I B Ethe T O S P Osport R T S S P E C Tof R U Mbull : C A L L 8riding, 6 6 - 8 2 1 - 2 9 7 1credit And both men, two of the most well-known names their faith in God with pulling them through.
FRANK NEWSOM & KODY LOSTROH FEARLESS FRANK
Newsom is a bullfighting legend in the PBR world. He’s in his 20th year of fighting bulls for 10-month long seasons, and has been chosen to work the World Finals for the past 12 years (14 in total). He has such a wealth of experience that the PBR seeks his approval before they allow any new bullfighters to work an event. He is renowned for his near spooky ability to predict where the bulls will move once a rider has dismounted. “Frank’s got a sense of these bulls that you can’t train, I don’t think,” fellow bullfighter Shorty Gorham said in a PBR video interview. “Can someone learn it? Maybe. But I think it’s born in you.” Paired with Newsom’s prodigious cattle comprehension is an unusual resilience, and an ability to put aside pain. Ask anyone who has ever worked with Newsom about him, and you’ll get the same answer: “He’s the toughest man I’ve
KODY LOSTROH | PHOTO BY CYRUS MCCRIMMON/THE DENVER POST VIA GETTY IMAGES
ever met.” (Those are Lostroh’s and Gorham’s words verbatim when asked about him.) What’s even more remarkable about Newsom’s career is that 20 years ago, it was nearly over. Before he was one of the greatest bullfighters in PBR history, he had to overcome an obstacle more threatening than any of the bulls he faced: drug addiction. It was 1997, the second year of Newsom’s professional career. Each year, the PBR’s top bull riders vote on the four best bullfighters to work the World Finals at the end of the season. It’s not easy to be selected; there are usually 60 bullfighters to pick from, and bull riders vote on the four fighters that make them feel safest. For the first time, Newsom was chosen. Noticeably weary from working a 52
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grueling schedule that involved backto-back events, Newsom was offered methamphetamine after an event to give him more energy. He accepted. What followed were two stints in rehab and multiple in jail as Newsom’s addiction increased. Every time he tried to stop, he relapsed. His rising career withered away within three years as he missed more competitions and PBR events due to a drug-induced haze. “I don’t care how tough you are or how smart you think you are. If you’re messing with drugs, you’re going to lose,” Newsom told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2015. The turning point came in 2001, when Newsom was introduced to Randy and Bobbi Stalls. Ranchers and committed Christians who live in McLean, Texas, the Stalls also ran a ministry for drug addicts. The couple would take in drug users and help them achieve sobriety through hard work on their ranch and regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Most importantly, they made sure their charges attended church, and encouraged them to pursue God. Over the course of almost three years living and working with the Stalls, Newsom’s behavior and outlook improved. He no longer craved the artificial high of the drugs, and began to grow in his faith. Though he was raised attending church, he had never given his life to Christ. “[Randy] reintroduced me to Jesus, and led me down the right path. Jesus forgave me for all of my sins, and He helped me get my life straightened back out,” Newsom says. “I had to get honest about things and start dealing with all the bad choices I made and make things right.” Bullfighting was still a lingering uncertainty; Newsom wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to fight bulls professionally again. He worried that his dauntless approach to bullfighting had dissipated with the drug addiction, and feared being tempted again at events. Stalls had Newsom try bullfighting at the lowest levels possible: amateur and high school events. With each competition, Newsom found his trademark tenacity and love for the sport were still there. This time around,
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though, he felt fortified by his faith. “[God] says in His word that He doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, but He gives us love, courage and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7),” Newsom says. “Courage doesn’t mean that there’s not any fear, it just means that you’re going to face it and you’re going to go at it hard. And that’s basically what I do.” Newsom slowly worked his way back into PBR events, where his boldness with bulls earned him the nickname “Fearless Frank.” In 2005, Newsom was chosen to work the World Finals by the year’s top bull riders. One of those riders was Kody Lostroh.
A PAIN IN THE NECK
Raised on a farm outside Longmont, Colo., Lostroh’s love for bull riding has a lot in common with his faith — both started at a young age, and over the years have rarely wavered. Though that’s not to say they haven’t been tested. Lostroh began riding bulls at age 8, and became a Christian at 13 while attending a rodeo Bible camp run by his uncle, a pastor. He maintained his newfound faith as he continued to pursue bull riding. Though he wasn’t initially great at it — “terrible with a capital T” as he told a writer for Murdoch’s in 2015 — he went on to become one of the most recognized names in the sport. Lostroh qualified for the PBR World Finals 10 times, and was the world champion in 2009. For Lostroh, bull riding existed handin-hand with his faith. But what happens when one of those is taken away? This was Lostroh’s experience starting in 2015. It began while Lostroh was driving with a friend in Oklahoma in May 2015. In one bizarre moment, Lostroh’s eyesight and balance “fell apart instantly.” The change was so sudden that Lostroh had to pull over his truck. “I just started feeling funny, like I needed to get some coffee or something, and I pulled over to a gas station and I could hardly function. Like to look at me you’d think that I was really drunk because I couldn’t stand up and I couldn’t totally talk. It was just a mess,” he says. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
and normal.’ And then Lostroh’s friend friends and people drove him home, where around me said the he hoped to sleep off same thing. I don’t know whatever was afflicting what I looked like before him. “And that never but apparently it was happened for two years,” something weird,” Lostroh says. “I went to he says. bed every night thinking, Getting back on ‘I’m going to wake up a bull was not as normal tomorrow,’ and it instantaneous. It took never happened.” several months to What Lostroh woke heal from the surgery, to fix me first and foremost. And if not, up to was balance that and Lostroh had to relearn much of the to at least show me what was wrong,” was still askew, and eyes that shook with technique after his two-year medical he says. a condition called nystagmus. Everything hiatus. He began bull riding again in June One day, more than a year after he looked at, even stationary objects, 2017, and has made a quiet comeback Lostroh’s problems began, God rattled in his sight. competing in events with the Professional answered his prayer. It was a sunny day, Doctors puzzled over the diagnosis. Rodeo Cowboys Association. He is and Lostroh was driving “out in the It wasn’t a stroke, and they could find currently ranked fifth for bull riding in the middle of nowhere” when he heard the nothing wrong with the function of his Mountain States Circuit standings. Holy Spirit speak to him. eyes or inner ear. It must be symptoms On top of training for bull riding, “Clearer than I’ve ever heard the Holy of a head injury, they concluded, Lostroh raises his own bucking bulls, Spirit in my whole life, He told me that the long-term fallout from repeated manages oilfield workers, and works on a the problem was in my neck,” Lostroh concussions he’d endured as a bull rider. metal fabrication business he started with says. Lostroh was assigned multiple a friend. Elated, Lostroh called doctor after therapies to stabilize his balance and “Just that and chasing my kids around,” doctor, insisting that they needed to eyesight. For about two months, he he laughs. examine his neck. Several doctors, couldn’t drive a car. The man who had He’s grateful to have busy normalcy examinations and months later, Lostroh once ridden some of the rankest bulls in again, and continues to rely on God in his finally learned what was causing the the PBR now relied on his wife to take day-to-day life. problem: A tumor had grown in his neck him places. When he tried driving a “I may not understand everything that tractor on the ranch he owns with his happens, and I don’t have an answer family in eastern Colorado, he would get disoriented and lost on his “I WISH I COULD TELL YOU IT WAS JUST for everything, and that’s fine with me,” Lostroh says. “But in simple own land. ALL ROSY AND I KNEW I WAS GOING TO terms, I know God loves me and I love Months went by. With therapy, and that’s what my life is about: Lostroh’s symptoms improved to the GET BETTER, BUT IT WAS FRUSTRATING. Him being who God created me to be.” point where he could drive and leave Newsom’s life, too, is a constant the house. Yet he had no idea if he I PRAYED A LOT FOR GOD TO FIX ME.” balancing act. He juggles bringing would ever feel normal again, much – Kody Lostroh up children with his wife, raising a less ride bulls. small herd of cattle, mentoring youth, and “I was pretty decent at dealing speaking at events. and wrapped around his carotid artery. with the symptoms but still felt ‘off’ all Yet, both men are unafraid to share It was reducing the blood supply to his the time, and definitely tried to ride their faith, and have used their bull riding brain and pressing on different nerves a couple of bulls and it was not good fame as a platform to share the Gospel. that went to Lostroh’s eyes, mouth whatsoever,” Lostroh says. “I had no “A lot of times whether I’m putting and tongue. idea what my chances of recovery were. on a school or talking to somebody at God’s answer and Lostroh’s strange If you don’t know [what’s] broke then you a bull riding [competition], there will be symptoms finally made sense. He can’t fix it.” somebody there that wouldn’t have been underwent an intensive surgery in And though he tried to maintain there normally, that just wanted to hear me January 2017 to remove the tumor. positivity and trust in God, the talk because of what they [saw] me do on When he awoke, Lostroh felt normal for uncertainty of his situation was TV,” Newsom says. “So that’s my chance the first time in almost two years. His discouraging. to not only tell them about what I do, but balance problems and shaky vision were “I wish I could tell you it was just also tell them about who God is, and how completely gone. all rosy and I knew I was going to get important He is. The more I can do that, “The instant I woke up, my wife was better, but [it was] frustrating to be the better.” like, ‘Holy cow, your eyes look clear honest with you. I prayed a lot for God 53
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Photo by Aaron Schmidt
y all appearances, Candice Appleby’s life in 2012 was as vibrant as the cerulean waves she paddled through. With a sunny smile and attitude to match, the professional standup paddleboarding (SUP) racer was dominating in the sport she’d helped build. She’d won the Battle of the Paddle (a competition akin to the “Super Bowl for SUP”) in Hawaii and California four times, and racked up enough wins at other competitions to be christened the “Queen of SUP” by athletes and fans. Her world ranking climbed to No. 1, and she traveled to exotic shores (Japan, Fiji, France, Brazil) to compete. SUP racing and surfing was truly her life. With the same tenacity she used to train, she worked to spread awareness of the sport by teaching clinics, hosting seminars, and launching a SUP training club for adults with a friend.
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Her life appeared to be as cheery as her Instagram posts. That’s why it came as a surprise when she was knocked off her board at the 2012 Battle of the Paddle, taking second place to her biggest rival. Plenty of people fall off of their boards in SUP racing. But not Appleby, the SUP Queen, and not in the midst of the most important competition of the year. She knew her toppling off-balance was indicative of a host of struggles simmering beneath the surface. The first issue was her identity. “It was like, if I’m not No. 1, then what am I? My identity was so wrapped up in being No. 1 that I would stress myself out about the possibility of getting second, [that] when I won I didn’t even feel joy,” Appleby said. “I felt relief and that’s not what winning is really supposed to feel like.” In addition to the oppressive anxiety and pressure she felt, she was paddling with a hand injury. Most days she could barely hold a cup of coffee or make a fist with her left hand, much less grip the paddle she used to propel herself through the water. Though she had surgery to try and correct the torn soft tissue in early 2013, she began competing prematurely, and received cortisone shots for the pain. Appleby knew she needed another surgery, and she still hadn’t announced how the injury happened. A church sermon two weeks before the 2013 Battle of the Paddle gave her the soothing clarity she needed. “It was one of those sermons that just spoke to me,” Appleby said. “It was all about how the Lord loves you just the way that you are and you don’t have to do anything to prove yourself to Him; He loves you right where you’re at.” With the knowledge that she was loved no matter how she ranked, Appleby found the courage to pull out of the Battle of the Paddle. She sent out a press release explaining why she would not be competing, and acknowledged publicly for the first time the source of her hand injury: “In February of 2011 my hand got in the way of someone’s foot, as it was on its way to kick me in the chest,” she wrote. “Yes, truthfully/sadly enough, my injury is a defensive wound from a past abusive relationship.” Her admitting the abuse was the beginning of a turning point for Appleby, a time of healing in which she confronted her physical wounds of the present, and her emotional wounds of the past. She was comforted when she realized how her openness in the press release had helped others. “I had a lot of women and different people come up to me and share with me how that helped them, and how they felt like they weren’t alone,” she said. “I knew it was part of my healing process, but I also knew that God would use it to help somebody else.” She underwent a second surgery on her hand, though it was too late to completely fix the problem; some of the damage was permanent. To this day, Appleby can’t make a complete fist. But she can paddle, and was able to make a complete comeback. She won the 2014 Battle of the Paddle, and the Pacific Paddle Games in 2015 and 2016. Though she was excelling physically, God wasn’t
done shaping and healing her heart. She learned about Celebrate Recovery, a therapy program through the Saddleback Church she attended in California, and decided to join. Designed to help people struggling with “hurts, hang-ups and habits,” the program helped Appleby tackle and deal with the years of emotional damage she’d endured. One by one, hurts from the past resurfaced, and with God’s help she confronted them. She had suffered through childhood sexual abuse, and persistent bullying from her “first day of kindergarten to the last day of high school.” Her classmates played cruel jokes on her, and teased her for freckles and red hair — which are now her most-complimented features as an adult. Appleby also spent most of her 20s in serious relationships with men who didn’t share the faith she did. “I was at the height of really excelling in my career, but in a relationship that became physically abusive because I didn’t fully know my value. I didn’t know my worth,” she said. “I had this desire to be accepted and to be loved; I really wanted to have a boyfriend and all that kind of stuff. [I was] still loving the Lord, but not living by the way that I knew I should live.” She learned the importance of not bottling up and hiding her pain, as she had always done. “God put us here to do life together and help each other heal, and as an athlete, God’s given me a platform ... And I think that’s the responsibility I have now, is to be vulnerable, to share my victories, and share my struggles to help other people be able to get through life here, because we’re not supposed to do it alone,” she said. And though she’d become a Christian when she was 5 or 6 years old, she realized her mindset about competing needed an overhaul. Appleby admits to having an “I’ll show them” attitude in regards to the kids who bullied her in school, and based her self-worth on her success in SUP racing. “I started winning and I felt really good about myself, and I was letting those wins kind of fill that God-sized hole in my soul,” she said. “And that’s where I was finding worth, in these victories, because I was like, ‘Finally, I’m a winner.’” Now she has new motivation to surpass her competitors. “I have more of an eternal perspective of what’s most important. I still want to win just as bad as I wanted to win before, but I want to win now for different reasons,” Appleby said. “I want to stand on the top of the podium to glorify God and to share my experience, strength and hope that I’ve brought from Him.” She no longer worries about where she’ll finish, either. “My prayer now when I compete is just, ‘Keep me safe, let me have fun and let Your will be done, and put me where You want me to be.’ If I ask the Lord to put me where He wants me to be, then I can’t really argue with it at the end of the day, you know? And so I don’t get as nervous, and I don’t stress out,” Appleby said. “At the end of the day I know that I am more than a paddler. I know that my victory is in Christ, and everything else is just extra bonus.”
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SPORTS SPECTRUM
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Daily Devotional
Psalm 119:1 says, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Like the Psalmist says, it’s important for us as Christians to know God’s Word so that we stave off sin in our lives. But the Bible also has many other vital benefits. As Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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WEEK ONE
MONDAY
Daily Devotional
God calls us to be uncomfortable. This season has been full of ups and downs for me. Though I’ve been sent down to Triple-A multiple times, I’ve watched God use these opportunities for good. One thing I really love about playing for the Diamondbacks is the pregame Bible studies and prayer. I’ve never had something like that on any of my teams before, and this year it’s really impacted me in significant ways. Having been sent down, I’ve been able to share that with the minor league team. I’ve never been much of a talker. I don’t like it, I’m not great at it, and I’ve always tried to avoid it. But God’s been calling me out of my comfort zone. I’ve been learning how to communicate to others the truths from the Bible and what God’s teaching me through them. My teammates and I have gotten into the habit of reading God’s Word, digesting it, coming together to share and discuss it, and then praying together. It’s been so rejuvenating! “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” — James 1:22-25 When it’s my turn to share what God’s been teaching me, I might not have a clue what I’m going to say beforehand, but when it comes to it, I know He’ll speak through me. In fact, God promises that when we rely on Him — listening and responding to Him — He will fill us with the Holy Spirit’s truth. “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” — Luke 12:12 God didn’t make the Bible to be interpreted in many different ways. It’s one truth with a concrete meaning and purpose. But the truths of Scripture impact people in unique ways based on their background, personality, life circumstances and needs. When we come together and share with one another, we are then able to understand, relate to, sympathize with, and learn from the struggles someone else has gone through. We often miss out on these deep personal relationships with the people right in front of us because we’re too busy on social media. Stuck on our phones, we miss out on the personal interaction we can have when we choose to do life together. There’s no better way to express love to one another than to show them that love personally and directly. Get uncomfortable. Choose today to step out and share something God’s been teaching you, and watch as He gives you a boldness you might have never thought you had.
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J.J. HOOVER
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher
\ WRITTEN BY EDDIE TAUBENSEE \\
SSM TUESDAY Get in the Game [OPEN WITH]
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
In the 2017 MLB draft, 1,215 players were chosen by the 30 major league organizations. With only 25 spots on each major league team each year, every one of these players hopes to be one of the top 750 players in the world who make it. The numbers aren’t in their favor, but that doesn’t stop them from pursuing their dreams. Being one of those young men many years ago, I remember my teammates and I talking about how we would love to just be on the bench in the big leagues. When I was finally called up in 1991, I remember after about a week of not playing I wasn’t happy about just being in the major leagues. I wanted to get out on the field to compete and show the talent that got me there in the first place. Many followers of Christ are missing out on what God has for them because they choose to sit on the bench instead of putting themselves in the game to compete for the eternal blessings that are in Christ. To compete for Christ, we first need to look within and find out what hinders us from following Him. Then we need to direct our focus on Christ so we won’t be exhausted as we persevere in the life He’s set before us. My prayer is that we continue to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-3).
WEDNESDAY Check Your Ego at the Door 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Coaches are there to teach you the game, call you out if need be, help you make proper adjustments, and train you in the proper way to play. No matter what level of sport you play, your coach is doing all this to get you ready to take your play to the next level. How do they do this? Drawing from their own experience, they TELL you what to do. They TEACH you how to get better according to your specific skill set. They TRAIN you by having you repeatedly practice what you need to. And they give you TIME to get in the game and put what you’ve practiced into play. 59
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As followers of Christ, we go to God’s Word to know what to do. How does Scripture help us? It TELLS us how its truths can be trusted (Psalm 19:7-10). It TEACHES us how to live according to the gifts we’ve been given (Romans 12:2). It TRAINS us to live a life for God and for others (Galatians 2:20). And God gives you the TIME to put what you’ve learned into play (Romans 10:13, 12:1). Whether you are in a sport or learning from God’s Word, you need to check your ego at the door if you want to be teachable. Will you allow God’s Word to build you into the person He wants you to be (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?
THURSDAY Roll Over
Proverbs 16:9 Every young player has a vision for what their career will become. There are some things they can choose for themselves, such as a specific position on the field or which travel team to play for. If they really want to, they can choose the high school or college that best fits them. But when a player enters the professional level, all of that changes. They no longer have control over the team they play for, or what position best fits them. Even when they get into the minor leagues, they can have all the plans they want on how to make it to the big leagues, but it’s the team’s decision to move you up in the organization or not. The player goes out and gives it all he can on the field and leaves his future in the hands of the club. Proverbs 16:9 shows us that it’s the same for the follower of Christ. This verse emphasizes that though man proposes plans, God is the one who disposes. The results are under God’s authority, not ours. Proverbs 16:3 tells us, “Commit your ways to the Lord and your plans will be established.” This word “commit” means to trust or roll.
FRIDAY Centering Yourself Jeremiah 18:1-12
God uniquely crafted each and every one of us before we were even in our mother’s womb. We often forget this and miss out on the continual crafting He wants to do in our daily lives. God reminded the prophet Jeremiah of this when He told him to go to the potter’s house. While Jeremiah would be making something on his wheel, God would reveal His message, which Jeremiah was to share with the people of Judah. In this great passage we can clearly see God’s sovereign ability to mold the house of Israel if they choose to let Him. He is the Potter who is in charge of molding and making us (the clay), and He can change the clay as He pleases. In order for the change to take place, we need to turn to Him. Ultimately, the people of Judah didn’t listen to Jeremiah and continued to follow the plans of their own hearts instead of allowing God to mold them for His purpose. Eventually, God dealt with them. The good news is we can allow God to work in us. Are you are willing to humbly put yourself in the center of the wheel so God can work on you? If you are, God will continue to mold you into something wonderful and new until the day of Christ Jesus.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about being molded by God: Jeremiah 1-2 & Philippians 1:6; Jeremiah 3-5 & Psalm 37:5
Will you roll your ways over to God to let Him direct your steps?
Eddie Taubensee, Director of Baseball Ministries for The Increase
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WEEK TWO
MONDAY
Daily Devotional
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” — Hebrews 11:7 Because of his faith, Noah was chosen by God. He had yet to experience precipitation, but when God told him the heavens would be pouring down water, he believed. Noah had never seen a boat before, and yet when God gave him instructions to build, he set to work without question. Because of Noah’s faithful obedience and trust in God, even when it didn’t make any sense, all of humanity was saved. There have been many times in my life when I knew God was calling me to trust Him when it didn’t seem to make sense. I had just finished my first year of college at Western Michigan and had a full scholarship offer to transfer to Grand Valley State, a Division II school. Grand Valley State had won a lot of championships, it was 30 minutes from my serious girlfriend (who is now my wife), I would have been a starting wide receiver there, and I would have been fully scholarshipped! This would have been a really smooth, easy transition — one that made sense to everyone around me. But God had a different plan. As the season drew near, God kept closing doors to this school but opening doors to another. The opportunity to be a walk-on with no financial scholarship — a redshirt sophomore — at the University of Wisconsin presented itself. Everyone was telling me, “If you can’t even make it on Western Michigan, how are you going to make it at Wisconsin?” I knew I would have to sit out for the year and wait for eligibility to play. It made sense to go to Grand Valley State, but I knew the Lord wasn’t calling me there. He was calling me to Wisconsin. That was becoming increasingly clear to me as I sought direction and wisdom from Him. After much prayer, seeking truth in God’s Word and gaining Godly counsel from Christians, I made the tough decision to turn down the full-ride to Grand Valley State and step into an uncertain position at a Division I school. There were many times when I doubted, but as I prayed for discernment and peace in my spirit, I realized I needed to trust God even when it didn’t make sense. Later that year I was given a scholarship to play, I soon become a team captain, and ultimately, I was noticed by a scout, which led me to sign an NFL contract. Now that I’ve played eight years in the NFL with a Super Bowl win, I am further convinced that the Lord had everything planned out from the beginning. It hasn’t always been easy, clear or comfortable, but by having faith in God’s leading, I’ve experienced His power and divine will at work in my life.
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PhiladelphiaT OEagles S U B S C R I B Esafety TO SPORTS
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\ WRITTEN BY KYLE SPELLER \\
SSM TUESDAY You Can’t See Me
[OPEN WITH] Luke 10:38-42
Athletes have a lot of ways they celebrate a great play. They’ll do everything from dancing to crowd surfing. There’s one celebration where an individual will open up their hand and wave it in front of their face. It means, “You can’t see me.” In other words, “I’m so good, and what I’ve just done is so great that I’m at another level — and you can’t see me.” In the passage above, Martha was so busy and distracted by doing a good thing that she totally missed the opportunity before her to take advantage of a better thing — a God thing. Instead of mopping the floors and preparing a dinner, she could have been sitting at the feet of the King of Kings! Don’t you hate it when you miss opportunities? Jesus is saying, “I want to be your everything, but you can’t see Me. You’re so busy doing you that you just can’t see Me.” What will it take for your attention to be fixed on Christ? “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” — Isaiah 26:3
WEDNESDAY Seek After God John 17:3
Know that Jesus is fully invested in the relationship between you and Him, but He isn’t supposed to be doing all the work. Is He in this thing alone? Have you ever been in a relationship where it seems like you are strangers in the same house? One or both parties are present but not present. There’s zero attention, one person is always busy, there’s avoidance happening, and one person in the relationship feels like they are doing all the work, which makes them feel unloved, rejected and unimportant. It’s possible for a husband to live with his wife for 50 years or more, eat at the same table, and be aware of her daily activities, but never really understand her. He may be married to her but never really know her. In the same way, we can spend our lives attending church, reading books about 61
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the Lord, and even talking to Him, without ever truly knowing Him for who He is. The Bible repeatedly urges us to know God. That involves reading His Word to discover what the Father reveals about Himself. We need to spend time in His presence so we can experience Him in those ways — so we can know Him. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” — Colossians 1:9
THURSDAY But I Can’t See Him 1 John 4:8
Why can’t we see God? Because we have a million and one distractions bombarding us from all angles. There’s only so much input one person can take in a day. In the midst of the chaos and noise, why add yet another voice? Because His is the only voice worth hearing. In Psalm 46:10, we read that God says to His children, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” If we truly believe our God is above all things and will one day be exalted among all nations and praised by every tongue, why would we allow ourselves to be inundated with every other voice that vies for our attention? If we want to see God, we need to pursue Him. We need to seek Him in order to find Him. And when we do, He promises we will! “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13
FRIDAY Wait A Minute! Ephesians 3:19
If we are going to grow in our trust of the Lord, we must be relentless and not get distracted. “When you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?” — Galatians 4:8-9 The enemy’s plan is to keep us distracted through cell phones, social media, hurricanes, mass shootings, fires, sports, a mad man in North Korea, a “special” man in the White House, kneel for the anthem, stand for the anthem, not enough money, too many bills, gotta get a promotion, gotta change jobs, my father left, gotta raise my kids, gotta fight for my marriage, gotta build my ministry, gotta keep up appearances, gotta lose weight, gotta gain weight, gotta eat right, gotta get some peace, gotta get outta here, gotta get me a drink, gotta stop drinking, gotta network, gotta build my brand, gotta tithe because I want to be blessed like the popular preacher said. And I can’t hide the stress, the pressure, the expectations … it’s all showing in my face! Jesus is saying, “STOP! STOP a minute! YOU CAN’T SEE ME!”
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about knowing God:
Romans 1:18-2:29 & Daniel 11:32; Colossians 1-2 & Proverbs 2:1-6
Who, or what, are you seeking first? What priorities may need to change in order for you to truly seek and see Christ?
Kyle Speller, Denver Nuggets chaplain
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WEEK THREE
Daily Devotional
MONDAY Life is a waiting game. Waiting takes patience. It takes grit. And a whole lot of faith. It requires sacrifice and a readiness for the proper time. Even though it makes me cringe a little inside, waiting is helpful and nourishing! In this day and age, waiting is straight-up tough. I want information; I have it within my reach at all times. I want pleasure; I have it within my reach at all times. I can literally get most anything I want within a few taps, clicks and calls in a very rapid manner. And if I don’t get what I want when I want it, then I throw a fit! In Philippians, Paul is writing to encourage believers to watch out for false teachers and to be prepared to suffer for Christ’s sake because that’s what He did for us. At the time of his writing, it appears he is imprisoned (Philippians 1:7, 13) and truly waiting to either die or be let go. In his waiting, he pushes the Gospel forward. “But our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” — Philippians 3:20-21 And there are numerous other examples throughout Scripture that highlight the necessity of waiting. Mary carried a baby for nine months before He was born, then parented Him while waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Joseph went through half of his life as a slave, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Abraham climbed an entire mountain knowing he was about to sacrifice his son, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Jonah was in the belly of a whale, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Esther almost witnessed extermination, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Jesus lived so that He could die, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. These weren’t easy tasks. They hurt. They tore apart these people. It’s really easy to lose sight of the length of time these things took. Waiting is just plain, straightup difficult. It tries our character, tests our patience and purifies our hearts. We need to wait in His love and affection so that, in our waiting, we’re preparing our Master’s table; we’re training for godliness. Because it doesn’t just happen, it takes a lot of hard work. It takes grit, resilience and focus.
Don’t lose sight of what you’re waiting on.
DAVID LEDBETTER Pitcher in the Texas Rangers’ organization
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SSM TUESDAY Workers and Wanderers [OPEN WITH] Proverbs 3:5-6
When the Good News of God’s gracious gift of reconciliation through Jesus is understood correctly, it leads us to discover the life-altering realization that we have been set free from trying to earn favor with God. However, this freedom has been a difficult and dangerous truth for the Church to teach correctly. Some churches fear that people will abuse this freedom, and so they focus on preaching messages that address our behavior. This can communicate the idea that the Christian life is all about working constantly on your life to make sure it lines up with the “Christian code of conduct.” This can become dangerous if people are unclear on the Christian beliefs that ought to motivate Christian behavior. Other churches fear that people will fall into the kind of legalism I just mentioned, so they run in the other direction and preach messages that provide inspiration and promised blessings for this life. This tends to turn Jesus into more of an inspiring example and a mere helpful companion. It can become dangerous if people water down the seriousness of being reconciled to God and just wander through this life too casually. The reality is that both of these extremes can become self-centered, self-driven and self-focused ways of approaching our relationship with God. The Christian life is not about working constantly on your life or wandering casually through your life. The Christian life is about waiting confidently for another life — an eternal life.
WEDNESDAY What Are We Waiting For? Galatians 5:5
We declared previously that the Christian life is one that’s lived waiting confidently for another life. Now we must consider what it means to actually find ourselves in a position of waiting. In order to understand what it means to wait, we must first acknowledge that waiting always implies an object of focus. You cannot find yourself in a position of waiting unless there is something specific you are actually waiting for. So what are followers of Jesus waiting for?
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The apostle Paul wrote about this, plainly declaring, “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (Galatians 5:5). Later, he also wrote, “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). As followers of Jesus, we ought to “groan inwardly,” desperately desiring the completeness of our redemption and transformation. We ought to be eagerly expecting and confidently waiting for “the hope of righteousness,” which is the new life with our Lord that God has promised us. Do you find yourself eagerly awaiting the eternal life God has promised and provided for us in Jesus? A good measure of our Christian condition is whether or not there is a strong desire in the depths of our soul that longs for more of the power and presence of God than we currently comprehend and experience.
THURSDAY What Do We Do While We Wait? Galatians 5:6
If the Christian life is about waiting confidently for eternal life with our Lord which God has promised, then what should we be doing while we are waiting here on earth? The apostle Paul provides an answer in Galatians 5:6: “In Christ neither legalism nor license proves to have any value but only faith working itself out through love.” The Christian life here on earth is about loving others and preparing ourselves for the One we love. Like a young bride preparing herself for the moment when she will stand before her groom, we ought to be preparing ourselves for the moment we will stand face to face before Jesus. Scripture repeatedly uses the metaphor of Jesus being the Bridegroom with us as His bride. As His bride, we ought to stand firm and stay focused on Him, who has already demonstrated and pledged His love for us forever. Are you someone who seems to be constantly working on your life and your own moral performance? Are you someone who seems to be casually wandering through life primarily focused on yourself? Or are you a committed follower of Jesus confidently Al Bello
waiting for a new life with Him and loving others around you while you wait? A good way to measure our Christian condition is whether or not we expect our life here in this world to be the waiting period or the wedding party.
FRIDAY The Difficulty of Waiting Philippians 2:6-7
Throughout history, many followers of Jesus have considered their pedigree, privileges and prestige within their community as nothing compared to knowing Jesus. Perhaps one reason we have such a hard time eagerly waiting for the new life to come is that we are clinging too tightly to our success and status in this life now. Through Jesus, we are given a new pedigree as a new creation transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are given new privileges as adopted children of God and heirs to all He has promised. And we are given a new prestige far greater than anything this world has to offer — we are representatives of the King of kings and citizens of the eternal Kingdom of God. The only reasonable explanation for why we cling to this life more than we wait for the new life to come is that we are failing to truly know or trust Jesus. Let’s remember that Jesus chose not to cling to His status as God, but took on the form of a human servant in order to secure the promises of God for us. He has given up more than we will ever give in order to give us more than we could ever get. It is only when we become captivated by the life of Jesus that we will find ourselves truly wanting and eagerly waiting for the new life to come.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about waiting for Jesus:
1 Samuel 13-14 & Psalm 27:13-14; 1 Samuel 15-16 & Isaiah 30:18
Terry Evans, Atlanta Braves chaplain TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 SPORTS SPECTRUM 63
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WEEK FOUR
Daily Devotional
MONDAY I’m a planner. I like to have a plan for everything. This works great as I apply it to my day job as a quarterback in the NFL. I see the defense on tape the week before the game, study the defense, look for holes and develop a plan for victory with our coaching staff. Plans aren’t bad or evil or wrong. Without a plan, we wouldn’t move in any positive direction. The Bible actually has a lot to say about our plans, and Proverbs 16 is a great place to start. “To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end — even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided. When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them. Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” — Proverbs 16:1-9 I don’t think our problem is that we have plans. I think our problem is that we place our plans above our God. If we’re not careful, our plans become an idol, and we rely on them to create certain outcomes and results we’ve predetermined in our hearts. Over the years, I’ve learned that I’d much rather have His plans than my plans. There was a time in my life when my wife and I were taken through a scary situation with one of our children. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a plan. It was really difficult; having a plan couldn’t have ensured the outcome I wanted. It was completely beyond my control and I had to rely on God. The folks at The Increase invited me to share that story on film, and I tell it there. So if you’re a planner like me (or if you’re intrigued by the idea that this quarterback and Southern boy is fascinated with Einstein) then I invite you to head over to TheIncrease.com.
LUKE MCCOWN NFL quarterback
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SSM TUESDAY A Plan in Place
[OPEN WITH] Psalm 56:3
We all like to feel in control. No pilot hops into the cockpit of a plane with the expectation that the vessel will take off on its own. No NFL quarterback would choose to hurl the ball into the air without a plan in place. No PGA golfer would swing his club without first evaluating the course on which he’s playing. Likewise, each of us prefers to have a handle on our lives. But there are times when our plans will go awry. How we respond during these moments determines a lot about our trust in God. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7 God’s Word challenges us to never be anxious. Imagine a life without worry, fear or doubt. That may seem unfathomable to you, but that’s exactly what God calls us to! Throughout His Word, God assures us again and again of His promises, His providence and His power. If we serve a God like this, we have no reason to worry! When you face fear, look to God. Don’t let anything block your view of the Almighty Father. Don’t give fear any room in your heart, it doesn’t belong there. Place your trust in the One who holds all things in His hands.
WEDNESDAY A Better Plan
Jeremiah 29:11-13 In this passage, Jeremiah is writing to a group of people whose plans were crushed. They were taken from their homes, held captive and exiled. Things weren’t looking good for these folks, but Jeremiah didn’t let these circumstances shake his trust in the Lord. He used this opportunity to pen the reminder that God had not forgotten them. He hadn’t deserted them nor would He. Even though it seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong had, Jeremiah knew God had a plan that would stand firm. And His plan is always good. 65
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There are times when we see ourselves in situations that seem unbeatable. There may appear to be no reason or explanation for the suffering we experience, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that God has a purpose for all things. He can take the worst situations and turn them into an opportunity for us to serve, rely on and honor Him. God promised to restore His people and restore them He did. Though it may have not gone down the way they expected or hoped it would (coming 70 years later), God’s plan prevailed. The important thing to remember when trusting in God’s plan is that it’s just that: His plan, not ours. God doesn’t orchestrate all things for the sole purpose of benefiting us personally; He has a much greater purpose in store. With an eternal perspective, we can trust that God’s perfect plan will always prevail.
THURSDAY Fully Equipped
Hebrews 13:20-21 God has a custom-made plan for your life. This plan was created for you and you alone. No other person has the same blueprint you do. No one else will accomplish the work God has set out for you to do. Your coach might have a plan mapped out for you and your team. Your parents may have expectations set for your future. Your friends might try to force their own plans on you. But it’s up to you to determine which choices you will make. Which plan will you follow? Whose instruction will you listen to? Many people find themselves discouraged, frustrated and unsuccessful. Why? Because they are so set on pleasing other people. Living life for the approval of others will never satisfy you! There will always be an unrealistic expectation or higher standard to which you can’t attain. God doesn’t call us to accomplish something we can’t do with His power and His provision. He’ll never hold us to an unrealistic standard. Whatever He’s calling us to do, He will fully equip us for. So don’t live in fear, discouragement or frustration. Surrender your plan, and everyone else’s plan, to God and step into the role He’s called you to fill. When you do, you will be able to experience God’s limitless power at work in your life. You have been custom-made to do Kingdom work. Live out your purpose by the power of Christ!
FRIDAY Stop Planning Psalm 37:5
Don’t plan your life without God. If you do, you’ll soon realize He has a wonderful habit of upsetting whatever you had in mind. But how do we determine if our plans are God’s plans or our own? Evaluate your prayer life. Are you setting aside your own desires to seek the will of the Father? Do your prayers consist of Kingdom-minded purposes or self-focused comfort? Are you asking for temporal solutions or eternal outcomes? What you pray for reveals where your heart is. Dive into God’s Word. How can you get to know the will of God if you don’t know Him? We’ve been given the incredible privilege of having God’s Holy Word at our fingertips! Are you taking full advantage of it? You cannot expect God to speak to you if you don’t open your eyes to the instruction He’s already given you. Listen to the Holy Spirit. God has not only given you His Word to study, He’s sent His Spirit to inhabit everyone who believes in Him. There’s nowhere you can go to escape His presence; there’s no issue too tough for Him to speak into. But are you quieting your heart and mind enough to tune out the voices of the world and tune into the wisdom of His Spirit? Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re in control. By surrendering your agenda to the Creator of all things, you’ll find a peace and security in knowing His perfect plan is in place.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about trusting in God’s plan:
Luke 9 & Proverbs 3:5-6; Luke 12:22-48 & Matthew 6:10
Becky York, The Increase community manager TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 SPORTS SPECTRUM 65
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WEEK FIVE
Daily Devotional
MONDAY It’s one thing to be able to recite Scripture from memory, but being able to figure out what the content is saying — what it means, why it’s important, and how it applies to our lives today — is a whole other ballgame. I don’t want to simply be able to rattle off words, but to really know and meditate on the truths of God’s Word. I want to be a guy who is able to bring up Scripture passages from memory. I want to be able to share why I’ve tucked away this important truth in my heart. Back in 2015, while I was playing for the Astros’ Triple-A team in Fresno, I had a moment like this I’ll never forget. My glove has “Romans 12:2” stitched into it. The verse reads: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.” One day, as I was stretching before a game, one of my teammates saw the verse and asked me what it was. I recited the verse to him, and then he asked me what exactly that meant. I was so excited to be able to explain the truth of this powerful verse to him, putting it in words he could understand. Earlier this year, I received a text from him saying that one of the guys on his new team had been really pouring into him and he’s now committed his life to Christ. I was so encouraged! I know this guy had a long journey to Christ, having had many people share Christ’s love with him over the course of his career. I know sharing a verse with my teammate was only one small part in a large chain of events that led him to Christ. Knowing that at anytime I could be playing a role in what God is doing in someone else’s heart is a really cool reality. This is all part of the process of making disciples. Jesus’ disciples learned from Jesus, who spent time memorizing and understanding Scripture. Jesus knew the law of God backward and forward; He could recite any part of it to anyone in any situation. He spoke truth and taught sermons from God’s Word everywhere He went. If we want to be like Christ, we need to take action and study God’s Word. By speaking God’s Word in conjunction with the Holy Spirit’s power within us, we can bring life to someone’s area of darkness or soften a hard heart toward Christ. Go and memorize a verse or two. Not to build up your pride in your knowledge, but to be transformed by the Word of God and to be ready to share the reason you have your hope in Christ.
MARK APPEL
Pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization
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SSM TUESDAY Why Memorize Scripture? [OPEN WITH] Psalm 119:11
Mark has realized the really significant truth of Psalm 119:11, which most followers of Jesus simply just bypass. Memorizing Scripture does not come naturally to us, it requires focus and dedication. But why should we memorize it? Based on Psalm 119:11, memorizing Scripture helps keep us on the right path with Jesus. We can easily be sidetracked and go the way of the world, but if our hearts, minds and souls are fixed upon Jesus, then we will be walking in His light. As a result, we won’t stumble. Early in my journey with Jesus, I, like Mark, was challenged to memorize Scripture — not to win at Bible trivia, but in order to understand who I am in Christ and to walk in that truth. One practical way to memorize is to find a verse you like, write it on a sticky note, and put it on your steering wheel. Turn off the radio and just repeat it out loud over and over. By the time you arrive at your destination, you should have it down. When I played baseball, I used to write verses to put inside my hat. During batting practice I would pull one out, look at it and recite it over and over. What can you do to be intentional with your time and thoughts today?
WEDNESDAY The Power of God’s Word John 6:66-69
We live in a culture that tells us our true power lies within ourselves, but this kind of earthly power is not eternal, it’s temporal. In John 6:66-69, Peter came to the powerful conclusion that Jesus holds the power to eternal life. He realized that His words are power. Think about this: Why was it that Jesus stated He was “amazed by” the power of the Roman centurion? This Roman recognized his words have power: “I tell a soldier to come and he comes, I tell him to go and he goes” (Luke 7:8). He also recognized that Jesus was someone with even greater power and authority.
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Our words need to be accompanied with action in order for them to be true and effective. In Genesis 1:3, when God said, “Let there be light,” guess what? Light came into existence. His words are action! Do you know the Author of the Bible? Do you know His heart? Are you approaching God’s Word with a motive to try to prove your point or to build your own kingdom? Do you believe Jesus has the words to eternal life? Are you living by His power or your own?
THURSDAY Eating a Meal Psalm 119:9
We all like to eat. We’re thankful to be able to have meals every day, but do we actually think about what we are putting into our bodies? Our culture is starting to become more and more aware that there are massive consequences to our nutritional habits that, most of the time, won’t manifest themselves until much later in life, when it’s too late. The same can be true about our time with Jesus. Most of us don’t seek Him until something bad happens. We look for a verse or some saying that will give us strength, but it comes up short for us or doesn’t deliver us immediate relief, so we blame God. Mark tells us that he’s making time to invest in God’s Word and he’s reaping the benefits of this habit. What you put into your mind will eventually manifest itself into some sort of action. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 10:5 How do you take a thought captive? How do you prepare for the daily battles that lie ahead of you? Sit down and eat daily meals with Jesus. His Word is bread and meat to our souls and minds. Put His Word into your mind so you can be transformed and prepared for whatever comes your way.
FRIDAY Are you Ready? 2 Timothy 4:2
When Mark’s teammate approached him about the verse he had stitched on his glove, Mark was ready and available to share the truths that lie behind it. He was ready for action. I remember reading the book “Lone Survivor” and thinking, “Wow, the U.S. government puts so much time, money and resources into each Navy Seal so they’ll be prepared for almost every possible encounter!” Then I started thinking about my own journey. Jesus purchased me not with gold or silver, but by His blood. He has equipped me with the Holy Spirit, His Word, friends and mentors to put me in a place where I can be used by Him in almost any situation. I am a warrior for Jesus to be used at a moment’s notice. Often we are way too passive about our relationship with Jesus. Think of King David when he met Goliath. He had already killed a lion and a bear, but more than that, he knew God and God knew him! Most of us are unprepared because we don’t know who we are and Who we belong to. As I read through the Bible, I learn more and more about the heart of the Author and who I am to Him. “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, everything He has belongs to you.” — Galatians 4:7
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about God’s Word: Acts 17 & Joshua 1; Acts 18 & Colossians 3:16
Brian Hommel, Arizona Diamondbacks chaplain
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WEEK SIX
Daily Devotional
MONDAY Discipleship changes lives. However, we often rush over the idea of discipleship. We easily forget the very last commandment Jesus gave us before He left earth: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15 God has been showing me what it looks like to take my relationships with people to the next level, not only by telling others what it means to follow Jesus, but by showing them. This year, a few of us on the team have been intentionally focusing on discipleship. As a result, we’ve seen the power discipleship can have to change people’s lives and revolutionize the world with the Gospel. Chase Whitley, Alex Cobb and I have been faithfully gathering this year to dive into God’s Word together. Each month, more and more men are joining, hungry for God’s Word to transform their lives. It’s been amazing to watch men soak in God’s Word! Experiencing the newness of the Gospel through these men, as they grasp the incredible truths, is inspiring. Watching them hear, learn and live out these truths, I see their lives transforming. This year I’ve also been discipling a friend from back home. This man, a Muslim, recently found the truth of the Bible and gave his life to Christ. The biggest reason he chose to come to Christ was because he realized he didn’t have to do anything to earn His love. Discovering that God loves him just as much on the day he committed his life to Him as He would 50 years from now blew his mind. He’s now claimed that kind of love for eternity. I’m watching as he’s taking in all the intricacies of the Bible — what Jesus says and what Paul teaches — and he’s letting it rock his world! His excitement brings me back to the time I first gave my life to Christ. I need this sort of refreshment to remind me daily that this journey God’s taking us on is not supposed to be mundane; it’s to be joy-filled and life-giving! By discipling others, I’m able to recognize this truth more. We see this dynamic played out again and again in the Bible, as disciples of Christ disciple others. Jesus discipled the 12, who then discipled many. Paul discipled Timothy and Barnabas. We all need to have people who are challenging us to grow closer to Christ, as well as people we can pour into. When God speaks, things happen. When we speak, we need to follow it up with action. We’re called not only to tell people of Christ’s love, but to show it to them.
STEVEN SOUZA Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
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SSM TUESDAY New Creation, New identity [OPEN WITH] 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
There is an old saying that states most people are “creatures of habit.” Over time, we have developed certain thought processes and actions that make up who we have become. When we are confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, most, if not all, of those thought processes and actions become challenged. I have heard many people say at that point, “I just need to get a little religion in me,” or “I need to add Jesus to my life and He will make all things right.” That is far from the truth. Jesus did not come to take part in our lives; He came to become our life (Colossians 3:4). As Dann Spader, author of “4 Chair Discipling,” has said, “The lost don’t need to be rehabilitated. They need to be resurrected.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” When we come to Jesus for salvation, we come to Him on His terms, not our own. We offer Him the only thing we have to give Him, our sin, and He in return gives us His righteousness and makes us His ambassadors. Our new life begins, and the old ways of thinking and acting begin to transform, as we grow in our understanding of who He is and what He desires for us. Is He your life and are you being transformed?
WEDNESDAY Prove It!
1 Timothy 4:12 Ever hear the term “actions speak louder than words”? Or maybe someone has said to you, “Talk is cheap.” Statements like these are calling individuals to back up a claim that’s been made. In the game of baseball, scouts log many miles in their cars and in the air searching for what they call the “five-tool” player. They are in search of the next Steven Souza or Mike Trout, a player who can run, throw, field, hit for average and hit for power. That individual is a rare find and a coveted prize when the scout locates him. This player 69
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doesn’t just talk about what he’s able to do; he proves it day in and day out. Jesus has called every follower of His to be a “five-tool” example of those who believe. No matter what our age is, we are to be an example to others in five different areas: by the way we talk, act, love, express our faith (even when things aren’t going the way we would like) and how we maintain our purity before the Lord and others. Steven said in his devotional, “When we speak, we need to follow it up with action.” As Christ-followers, let’s speak the truth in love and, by our example, prove our faith is real. What tools in your life need to be more under the control of the Holy Spirit?
THURSDAY F.A.T. in Jesus
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Most major league baseball players are chiseled athletes. They’ve learned how to take better care of their bodies so they can perform at the highest level well into their late 30s. They’ve developed workout routines, they eat a proper nutritional diet, and they make sure to get rest. A fat baseball player is an exception, not the rule. Carrying extra weight on your physical body is a hindrance, but carrying extra spiritual weight leads to freedom. That’s why it’s OK to be F.A.T. in Jesus. F.A.T. is an acrostic that stands for being Faithful, Available and Teachable. When writing to the Corinthians, Paul described how he wanted to be remembered: as a faithful servant of Christ who handles Christ’s message well. A servant doesn’t own anything, but he manages well what has been entrusted to him by his master. A faithful servant is available to do whatever the master asks him to accomplish. He expresses his humility by being teachable. Steven and his teammates displayed their servant hearts throughout this past season. They were F.A.T. in Jesus. They faithfully made themselves available to their teammates and friends. They followed Jesus’ command to make disciples of all the nations. They were teachable, allowing the Holy Spirit to use His Word to transform their lives while they lived in community with one another. Being F.A.T. in Jesus needs to be the rule, not the exception, for every follower of Jesus.
FRIDAY Value vs. Cost Luke 14: 25-33
When you go to purchase an item, do you think about the cost or what value the item will bring you? To some, this may seem like semantics. The cost of an item is important, but I like to lean more toward the perspective of asking what value this will bring to my life. In this passage, Jesus turns to the crowd following Him at a distance and challenges them to consider what they value most. He asks them to consider three areas: their relationships, their sense of comfort and their possessions. Typically, these are three main areas that keep individuals from following hard after Jesus. Choosing to be a follower of Jesus will have a cost. It will likely cost you a few relationships because people will not understand why you have, in their minds, become so “religious.” It will cost you some comfort as people make fun of you, don’t include you in their activities, or, in some areas of the world, put your life in danger. It will cost you some possessions as you begin to give to the Lord’s Kingdom work. There will be a cost. I choose to focus on the value of gaining eternal life and friendships, impacting lives, and storing up treasures in Heaven. I focus on the value of knowing my Lord and making Him known. Following Jesus is a tough road, but the value far exceeds the cost involved. Is there something you value more than your relationship with Jesus?
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about growing in Christ:
2 Thessalonians 2 & Deuteronomy 31:8; 2 Thessalonians 3 & Galatians 5:25
Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 SPORTS SPECTRUM 69
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WEEK SEVEN
Daily Devotional
MONDAY Growing up without a father figure, I was extremely blessed to have a few incredible high school football coaches who acted as such to me. Now that I’m on the Eagles, I’m unbelievably thankful to have both a head coach (Doug Pederson) and offensive coordinator (Frank Reich) who are not only great leaders, but they love the Lord. These men are spiritual beasts – they’re on fire for God! It’s easy to follow someone you respect and look up to. It also gives us more freedom to become the best version of ourselves, both physically and spiritually. I know I don’t have to worry about losing my job, pleasing the right people, or disappointing others when I share my faith. For instance, last year we had no hesitation to ask our coach if we could use the team pool for a baptism. He couldn’t have been more excited for us to do so! Another leader I really look up to is Pastor Matt Chandler. I’ll often listen to his sermons or watch his videos on YouTube. One of the things I really respect about his teaching is his transparency. He doesn’t pretend to be high and mighty, or someone he’s not. He’s real, raw and humble. Recently I listened to a sermon in which he spoke about his daily routine. He explained how he tries to intertwine his relationship with God and his relationships with the Church, his family and his neighbors. He said it’s messy and inconsistent. He said one day he’ll be completely off the mark while other days he’s right on target. This encouraged me because I’ll often explain to my own kids, or other young people I speak to, that though I’m an NFL player, I’m human. I struggle just like everyone else and I’m in no position to be put on a pedestal. It’s extremely important to remain teachable no matter who you are or where you are in life. Humility means knowing we don’t have all the answers. In order for us to maximize our reach and influence in the world, we need to be able to both learn from others and explain ourselves to them. The Bible is full of stories where we see people — great people — make mistakes. Look at Samson, King David and many others who have fallen. These stories are in God’s Word for a reason – so we can learn from them, as well as be assured of God’s faithful promises. By paying attention to the truths and lessons that wise men and women offer us, we can become the people God’s designed us to be. But first comes humility.
TREY BURTON Philadelphia Eagles tight end
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SSM TUESDAY This is About God
[OPEN WITH] Genesis 1:1-2
The story of a football player is often the same: I want to be great, make money and score X number of touchdowns. The mistake we often make in life is that we start with a dream from the viewpoint of our current situation, looking toward a desired destination. The problem with this is that we often begin to measure God’s power based on how our dream plays out. We assume God’s power is limited to how well we’re able to get from our current situation to our desired destination. You can’t start with your current state; you need to go further back to the preexisting idea that before you existed (even before your parents and grandparents existed), there was One who had an ultimate dream in mind. God’s ultimate goal is for us to worship and glorify Him in three persons. God’s plan for the world always included all three portions of Himself being glorified. He never had a dream that didn’t include the sanctification of the Spirit, the salvation by the Son, and the glorification of God. By the decision making of the Father, the flesh of the Son, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are His image bearers. This story doesn’t start with a better version of you, it starts with God having a dream. God’s dream is for the fallen world to be restored to Him in a love story that would ultimately bring Him glory. Don’t lose sight of this dream!
WEDNESDAY Our Part in God’s Story Colossians 3:17
God’s dream includes us. From the beginning, God created us to be His image bearers, displaying His glory to the world. The world can’t be all about you because you didn’t always exist and you won’t exist on earth forever. The sun has to burn when you aren’t around anymore. The stars had to twinkle before you were alive. There has to be something bigger than you!
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God’s goal included creating a team of people who would bring glory to Him, who would win for Him. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I on that team? Am I actively participating on that team? Do I understand that my relationship with that team is the very reason why I’m here?” Existence outside of Christ is the greatest distractor to existence and purpose in Christ. Some people know God has a big story, but they forget they’re a part of it. He’s asking you, “Are you in?” We all have a collective story in God’s plan, but we also have an individual story as players within the bigger picture. You have to decide if you’re in, not based on what kind of role you get to play. Your commitment to God’s plan cannot be dependent on His granting you what you hope and dream for. Let your hope rest in God and trust in His greater story.
THURSDAY Acknowledging the Author Colossians 3:23-24
Mankind’s biggest problem is not knowing or admitting its authorship. We find ourselves at Chapter 9 of God’s story and want to write Chapters 9-20 on our own. We think we have a pretty good idea of what should happen so we try to take the pen in our own hands and get to work. Then when we leave off at Chapter 20, we turn to the next generation and say, “OK, you take Chapters 20-30.” We forget the purposed creation of our sheer existence! We’re not looking back to how and why Chapter 1 began or who it is that holds the pen for the storybook of our lives. We forget who the book is about; we’d rather have it be about us. We don’t want the book to be in the hands of someone else. But God created us to be glory deflectors, not glory receivers. Allowing God to take control of the pen means we have to trust the gifts He’s given us and act on them as participants in His story.
FRIDAY Your Position in His Story Galatians 2:20
Stay positioned behind the cross. Ongoing sanctification means we need to remain behind the One who deserves and demands all glory. Every time you step out in front of the cross, you reveal things you’re doing well, as well as all the nastiness of your sin. The real reason you need to be behind the cross to begin with comes into full view for everyone. If you live the Galatians 2:20 life — no longer living, but allowing Christ to live in you — you are stationing yourself as an army soldier behind the cross. Take up residency here! You want people to miss you and see Jesus. This is our ultimate purpose and the greatest identity we could hold! Our story is about our sins being covered by Christ, but when our sin becomes uncovered, we’re not allowing Christ’s work to reveal its full power in us. When you don’t allow Christ’s powerful work to fully transform your mind and life, your worship will be fragmented between yourself and God. Believe God to be God. Picture your eighth grade yearbook. Your picture might be on Page 7 with the title “Most Athletic” in Mrs. Jones’ class, but the book isn’t about you. It’s about your school, a greater community. To create true authenticity in Christ, you can’t think this story is about you. Yes, it’s written for you and to you, with you in mind, but it’s about Him.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about finding your identity in Christ:
Colossians 3-4 & John 1:12; Ephesians 1-2 & 1 Corinthians 6:17
Whether you were designed by the Father to be a football player, evangelist, teacher or musician, you were created to be an eternal impacter, not only an earthly influencer. If you know God’s story and know you are an active participant in His story, your purpose and passions will reflect Him and deflect glory to His name.
Al Bello
Jack Easterby, New England Patriots chaplain
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WEEK EIGHT
Daily Devotional
MONDAY My favorite thing about being a father is doing everyday life with my four kids. It’s the day-in-day-out process of watching them grow and turn into the men and women God has created them to be that really blesses me. One of the things I most respected about my dad was how ambitious and hard-working he was. His example has greatly affected my life and has helped me become the man I am today. I loved the way my dad always supported and coached my brother and me in such a loving, non-demanding way. The way my father loved me shapes how I want to love and care for my own children. God designed us to crave and look for the attention and love of a father. He exemplified this with His Son, Jesus. Kids need the presence of a father in their lives — someone to know, love and support them no matter what. It’s innate in a child to want someone to be proud of them, to help shape their future, and teach them right from wrong. A father is also called to discipline his kids out of his love for them, encouraging them to be the men and women God created them to be. Being a father is a big responsibility — one I do not take lightly — but it’s also an incredible blessing. When I first became a father 13 years ago, I gained a better understanding of my Heavenly Father’s love for me. I realized how much I loved my own kids, not based on what they did or the circumstances they were in, but unconditionally. In the same way, I realized God loves me without circumstance. Whenever we screw up, God’s love remains the same. If we become extremely successful, God’s love remains the same. In the same way that I want to correct my children so they can be the very best versions of themselves, God disciplines us, not out of anger or spite, but because He loves us and wants the best for us. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” — 1 John 3:1 As a father, I hope to emulate the character of the strong, Godly men we read of in the Bible, and ultimately to show myself as an example of the Father’s love to my children. If I can be a reflection of my Heavenly Father to the children He’s blessed me with, I would hope that they too would want to pursue and know Him, the source of the love they receive every day. “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Now remain in My love.” — John 15:9
MATT HOLLIDAY New York Yankees designated hitter
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SSM TUESDAY A Father’s Discipline [OPEN WITH]
Colossians 3:21
It takes discipline to discipline. Depending on your personality and how you were raised, it can be tricky finding a balance between being too lenient or being too hard. I was a Woody Hayes/Bobby Knight kind of dad when I was young. I picked it up from my mom, who was a stern disciplinarian. I never heard of a “time out” until I started to play games outside with the other kids in the neighborhood!
honoring ways — a fancy way of saying, “By doing what the Bible says!” As you build a strong Godly character, it will inspire your children and lead them toward the Lord. This is your central role and primary calling as a Christian father because God established marriage for the creation of Godly offspring (Malachi 2:15). God’s goal for every Christian is to transform us into the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29). The Greek word for likeness is “eikon,” which is the same idea as our word “icon.” When you tap an icon on your smartphone, like Uber for example, you have certain expectations about how your phone will behave. Likewise when the world “taps” you, it should expect the character of Jesus.
Thankfully, the Lord never disciplines out of anger. For those who accept His gift of salvation, He took all His anger out on the cross when He sent Christ to die for us. When we disobey the Lord, He grieves and His unfailing love moves to correct us. God’s correction can hurt, but the writer of Hebrews reminds us to “endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Hebrews 12:7).
Remember: God is always more concerned with who you are becoming than what you are accomplishing!
Our Heavenly Father often uses suffering to bring us back to the pathway of right living. Listen to the experience of the Psalmist: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word ... It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:67, 71). Wow!
When it comes to our relationship with God, our kids and their mother, intimacy is everything. It’s foundational to true quality of life, yet it can be so difficult to build and maintain. Intimacy flows from a consistent dedication to demonstrate God’s love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
In the same way God disciplines us, we are to discipline our own children — never out of anger, but with love and guidance that leads them to righteousness.
According to Jesus, it’s an issue that starts in the heart. In the book, “Pursuit of Holiness,” Jerry Bridges defines the “heart” as the space where our mind, emotions, conscience and will all work together, either for good or evil.
WEDNESDAY A Father’s Character Romans 5:3-4
Fatherhood, like sports, has the potential to build strong Godly character. According to God’s Word, persevering through all the fears, frustrations, failures and the pressure to perform, this constantly challenges us to learn how to cope with all adversity. The Bible is like God’s weight room: You strengthen your character by working out its truth in your own life. Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes habits. You must intentionally train yourself to be Godly (1 Timothy 4:7) by building the habit of responding to your situations and circumstances in God73
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THURSDAY A Father’s Intimacy Mark 12:30-31
Building heartfelt intimacy takes the right mindset. What matters most to you will drive your thinking, choices and behavior (Romans 8:5-6). A heartfelt change takes emotional control. God’s Word says, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). Intimacy is damaged when we let our feelings dictate our thoughts and actions. You can’t always help the way you feel, but you’re in charge of how you respond. A heartfelt change takes a clear conscience. In Acts 24:16, Paul says, “I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” You can’t achieve true intimacy with secret sins, passions and lies. The truth must reign always!
Lastly, a heartfelt change takes a determined will. The Psalmist says, “I have chosen the way of truth…” (Psalm 119:30). Intimacy just doesn’t happen because we want it to; we must choose to take every opportunity to see that it thrives.
FRIDAY A Father’s Love 1 John 4:7-8
I’ve heard it said, “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less.” The Lord’s love for you is not based on your performance, it’s based on His character. He is the origin, demonstration and greatest expression of true love. In fact, God is love! Ephesians 5:1-2 instructs us to be imitators of God and live a life of love. But what does this look like in real life? Remember that the best interpretation of Scripture is Scripture! God’s divine love is described in detail in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. In part it says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...” That is how the Lord expects Christian dads to love our children. Furthermore, the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother with God’s divine love. As a Christian father, this is true whether you are married or divorced, and even if you never married her! It sounds radical because it is. The pain and turmoil created by divorce and out-of-wedlock births could be greatly reduced if Christian men only understood the power of demonstrating Godly love. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” — Galatians 5:6b
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about fatherhood:
1 John 1-2 & Ephesians 4:26; 1 John 3-4 & 1 Thessalonians 2:11 Jerry Birch, Cleveland Cavaliers chaplain TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 SPORTS SPECTRUM 73
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WEEK NINE
Daily Devotional
MONDAY What does it mean to walk in humility instead of pride? It’s easy to have a lot of pride, especially in the NFL. The men within our team Bible study have committed to pursue an attitude of humility — humbling ourselves enough to find out what God’s Word is teaching us. We’re choosing to discover and walk the true path on which Scripture guides us. We aren’t only called to learn about God’s plan, we’re made to carry it out on a daily basis. Obedience to God is one of the greatest litmus tests of humility because it reflects a heart that is joyfully and willingly yielded to the authority and instruction of the Lord. Obedience reflects trust and dependence on God over trust and dependence on self. Continually drawing near to God and His Word allows us to serve others better, submit to His will, and care less about what other people think of us. “Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” — Proverbs 18:12 Where pride is, there is no room for humility. Our hearts cannot contain both. Joseph, a man of great humility, is a great example of this type of conditionless obedience. Though everyone knew this young man was his father’s favorite (the colorful coat in Genesis 37:3 gave it away pretty easily), he didn’t shove it in his brother’s faces. Knowing his brothers hated him for it, he still obeyed his father and served him in the work he was asked to do. Even when his brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph was obedient to God. He was even faithful in jail! And when his former jailmates forgot about him, Joseph trusted God. Soon God elevated him, putting him a position above everyone else — second to the king. Yet Joseph became neither prideful nor haughty. Rather, he humbly served the kingdom. When his brothers assumed he’d want to kill them for what they had done, he not only forgave them, but offered them the best of what he had. Joseph’s humility came before his honor. If he had allowed pride to take root in his heart, he never would have been able to be used by God in incredible ways. There have been many times I’ve allowed pride to get in the way. But I’m thankful God’s always ready to humble me and bring me back to the point of recognizing His worthiness. Wherever I am and whatever I do, I pray I would always be humble enough to bring honor to God’s name above all else. There’s great freedom and assurance in knowing that God is in control. Placing our confidence and trust in Him will bring glory to His name — the only One who is worthy of all praise.
DEMARIO DAVIS New York Jets linebacker
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SSM TUESDAY Redirecting the Focus [OPEN WITH] Romans 12:3
Humility requires us to think no more highly of ourselves than we should, and leads us to rely on the sovereign person of Jesus Christ to be our ultimate source for all things. No longer are we depending on our own limited strength to make it through; instead we can fix our hope on the unlimited power of the God of the universe. Authentic humility and Godly discernment will bring us to recognize how little we really know and how much we have to learn. God doesn’t require us to have all the answers, but He does command us to lean on and trust in Him. Romans 12:3 tells us to think of ourselves with “sober judgment.” This doesn’t mean we walk around putting ourselves down, nor does it mean we should carry a woe-is-me sort of mindset. It’s pointing us to the John 3:30 theology: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” A true attitude of humility doesn’t see a lesser view of oneself as degrading, but liberating! With this perspective, we’re not eliminating the attention, but redirecting it. By redirecting the focus off ourselves and onto the One who truly deserves all attention, we are free to live out Christ-centered lives — ones of eternal and unlimited significance.
WEDNESDAY Training for War Deuteronomy 8:2-3
God doesn’t humble us to feel better about Himself. The Creator of all things doesn’t need an ego boost. The reason God brings us lessons in humility is to remind us that we can accomplish nothing apart from Him. In the Old Testament, we watch as God humbles the Israelites by feeding them manna in the wilderness. It was clear to them that they couldn’t survive one day without the providence and power of God. It’s no different for any of us today. If we’re fighting to acknowledge His control over our lives, we can expect a lesson in humility soon.
In Psalm 144:1, David praises God for the way He trains his hands for war and his fingers for battle. God may be allowing you to experience trials, temptations and humiliation to prepare you for a greater mission. Who knows what lies ahead of you? Could God be using difficult circumstances in your life to create in you an unbreakable trust in Him? Take a deeper look at the situations you find yourself in today and ask God what He’s teaching you. He doesn’t take pleasure in our suffering, but He delights in our reliance upon Him. Don’t simply survive the trial, let God refine you through it.
THURSDAY Not Even Christ Philippians 2:5-11
Think about this reality for a minute: Christ — God Himself — did not take advantage of the fact that He is equal with God. Instead, He lowered Himself to the lowest of positions for our sakes! It goes against every humanly fiber of our beings to desire to be last. No one wants to be picked last for a team, no one hopes they’ll be last in the buffet line, and it takes a special person to choose the back seat of a minivan. But this is exactly what Christ did, over and over again. Jesus had the ultimate trump card to play — Son of the King, descended from Heaven, Messiah of the world. No other human being, past or present, could compete with these titles. Yet He put status aside to serve the hurting, the poor, the sick and the lost. He wasn’t only humble when it was convenient or comfortable, He humbled Himself to the point of death — the most brutal, humiliating death imaginable.
FRIDAY The Day Will Come Isaiah 2:12
No one can simultaneously be humble and proud. How would you categorize yourself? Do you see yourself as someone who struggles with pride or who recognizes the importance of humility? If you want to know a little bit about pride, read the book of Isaiah. If you’re not sure what it means to strive for humility, you will after reading this book. Isaiah is not shy about God’s call for us to humble ourselves before Him. Our lives on earth are not meant to be lived for our own comfort, glory or recognition. Our purpose is to do anything and everything we can to serve and glorify Christ. And we know that we’re not living for this life, we have a much greater and much longer life (lasting for all of eternity) to live after this one. In due time, God will lift us up. Are you living each day for this life or for the one to come? What would it take to shift your perspective off yourself and onto the eternal, invisible, immortal King? Don’t wait for Him to bring you to a place of humility, humble yourself before Him. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” — 1 Peter 5:6
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about humbling yourself before God: Isaiah 2 & James 4; Isaiah 57 & Psalm 147
How often do we try to find excuses for why not to serve? “I’m too busy ... I’m not gifted in that way ... I’m not the right person for the job.” These answers fly off our tongues way too easily when a need arises. What would it look like to replace a self-serving heart for one that simply says, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
Becky York, The Increase community manager 75
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WEEK TEN
Daily Devotional
MONDAY It was Game 5 in the 2011 American League Division Series when I, a utility player for the Detroit Tigers, was about to step into an opportunity of a lifetime. In the very first inning at Yankee Stadium, I hit a home run, scoring the first run of the game and giving us a lead we never let go of. The game ended as a 3-2 win, clinching the ALDS! As a utility player, I had never been interviewed after a game before. But that night, as the reporters fired questions my way, I answered with enthusiasm. Within the next few weeks, after our season ended, I sat down to chat with my team chaplain, Jeff Totten. As we talked about life, faith and, of course, our big win, Jeff asked me a question that challenged me throughout the next year: “Did you think about sharing your faith in Jesus during that interview? That could have been a really cool opportunity.” Jeff wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty, he was simply trying to get me to think. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to share my faith. I was extremely proud of my faith and had shared my faith in public many times before. But I realized the interviewers weren’t going to ask about my faith; I had to create the opportunity. Over the next year, I prayed that God would bless me with an opportunity to be interviewed again so I could give glory to His name. We found ourselves in a very similar situation the following season. It was Game 2, we were up against the A’s at Comerica Park and my prayer remained, “God, help me to do whatever I can to help the team win, all for Your glory.” It was a tight game. Going into the bottom of the eighth inning, we were down 4-3. I scored a run off a wild pitch, which tied the game. Now we had the leadoff position up first in the ninth. I was fifth to bat with one out and bases loaded. Before I knew it, I stepped up to bat, hit a sacrifice fly, and brought in the game-winning run! This time when the interviewers came, I made a point to create the opportunity to share my faith. When the first question was asked, I didn’t waste a moment to say, “First and foremost, I want to give glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” It wasn’t forced, it wasn’t fake. Sharing my faith that night was as authentic and real as it gets. As Christians, we’re called to spread the Good News and be outspoken about our faith. When God places this burden on your heart, sharing your faith won’t be something that is forced, it will be real, authentic and Spirit-led. It’s an experience that will bring so much joy and fulfillment, so don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to come — create it!
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SSM TUESDAY Do Not Lose Heart
[OPEN WITH] 2 Corinthians 4:1-4
Twice in the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul makes it a point to say, “Do not lose heart.” This phrase is found both in verse 1 and verse 16, acting as bookends to the important message he’s giving his fellow Christ-followers. When Paul says, “We do not lose heart,” he’s encouraging us to not lose our motivation to do what God has called us to do. God has given you your sport as a platform for ministry — be enthusiastic about that! So why does Paul say it twice? Well, why do preachers repeat themselves? There are three possible reasons: We’ve forgotten what we’ve already said, we’re ill-prepared, or the repetition is for emphasis. I’m pretty sure in Paul’s case it’s the last reason. In fact, God’s Word often repeats points for emphasis. “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” — 2 Corinthians 4:1 It’s easy to lose heart in our work, our home life or our ministry. But Paul encourages us to look to the One who gives us our strength and endurance. By looking to God, our Creator and Sustainer, and filling our lives with the truth of His Word, we can press on to do His work. No matter what situations arise or what sort of failure we’ve faced, we will not lose heart if our eyes are fixed on Him.
WEDNESDAY How Not to Lose Heart
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
How do we not lose heart in ministry? Well, first of all, it’s not your ministry. In 2 Corinthians 4:1 we read, “Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry…” So you see, whether you are a ballplayer, a pastor or in a different profession, you do what you do because God in His mercy entrusted you with that position. When we remember this truth, we can be enthused to press on because we know our life is not about us; it’s about God and His 77
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ministry. Beyond being held accountable to our bosses or coaches, we are accountable to the One who gave us our gifts! “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6 With our focus redirected to Someone much greater than ourselves, we can keep from losing heart when things don’t go the way we expected them to. Our expectations should be loosely held, with the knowledge that our God is in complete control and He will see His purposes through, no matter what roadblock or hiccup we face. Just as Don was able to learn from his experience and use that as motivation for change, we too can change our behavior and reactions when we set out with a determined focus to bring glory to the One who deserves it.
THURSDAY Keep Your Motivation 2 Corinthians 4:6-12
Don’t lose your motivation. It’s crucial to recognize that we do nothing out of our own power — nothing! When we eat, sleep, drink, work or play, we do it all by the power and design of our Creator. In verse 7 we read, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” When we realize He’s the One who empowers us to do whatever it is we do, we no longer have to do it all by our own strength. We do all we can to be fully prepared and equipped for His work, but ultimately, God is the One who blesses the work.
FRIDAY It’s Not for Your Glory 2 Corinthians 4:13-18
Sorry to break it to you, but nothing is for your glory. In verse 15, Paul acknowledges this truth: “This is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” As God increases an athlete’s or pastor’s platform, causing more and more people to be influenced by them, they have to remember it’s not for their own glory. When you make the All-Star team, gain more Twitter followers, receive more Facebook likes, or find yourself leading others within your field of work or study, you then have a greater opportunity to share God’s Word and your faith in Christ with others. But this is not for your own glory, attention or status, this is a platform to be used for God’s glory. Make your prayer like that of Don’s: Aim for success for the purpose of bringing honor to God. Reach for the stars in order to elevate His name. Do not lose heart. Keep your motivation right before the Lord. Remember that the glory does not belong to you, but to Someone much greater. In whatever you are doing today, ask yourself, “How can I do this in such a way that brings glory to God?”
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about honoring God: Jonah 1-2 & Luke 12:8-10; Jonah 3-4 & Psalm 33:4-6
This powerful truth should not discourage or disparage you. Instead, it should empower you to know the Almighty God is at work in you! With the Holy Spirit in us and God’s plan set in place, we have an incredible journey set before us. Don didn’t wait for an opportunity to present itself, he took initiative and created a way to share the glory of God with others. He took action to let others know that what he had just accomplished was, in fact, not his accomplishment at all! In what ways can you deflect attention off yourself and onto God today?
Jeff Totten, Detroit Tigers chaplain
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Daily Devotional
MONDAY Someone once told me God has given fathers the most powerful shaping influence in the world. They shape their homes, their job environments and their children. And by doing this, they end up shaping the world. But their influence isn’t optional. Their choice isn’t whether or not they’ll have influence. They only get to choose what type of influence they’ll be. When I was a little boy, my mom married a man who became my stepfather. He coordinated drug deals from the basement of our house, and he used the home intercom system whenever he had anything to say to me. He and my mom separated when I was 11. I had a man in the house, but I didn’t have a father. “Sing to God, sing in praise of His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before Him — His name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” — Psalm 68:4-6 When the Bible says God is a father to the fatherless, those words jump off the page and grab me, every time. And in my experience, God doesn’t accomplish this directly. Instead, He works through other men. In my life, God used other fathers to help me experience my Heavenly Father. Men like Matt Hasselbeck, Trent Dilfer, Jim Zorn, Reggie Hodges and Benjamin Watson. All of them poured into me as if I was a beloved son. I watched them live as Christfollowers and I watched them live as men — real men. In verse 6, David says God sets the lonely in families. These men became my family, and I have no doubt that God “set” this in place. They mentored me, challenged me and carried me. And one day I’ll tell my own children of this family God provided. I share my complete story on The Increase website. I invite you to visit me there before you move to the next thing in your day. And I also invite you take seriously the larger invitation from God to pour your life into another life. The trajectory of my life, as well as the shape of future generations with my last name, has all been radically changed for the better. And it’s all because five flawed and imperfect men said yes to a perfect and holy God. And because of them, I now call that God, “Father.”
SENECA WALLACE Former NFL quarterback
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SSM TUESDAY Character of the Father [OPEN WITH] 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you think of the definition of a father, character should be the first thing that comes to mind. You hear it all the time from individuals: “My father was a good man,” or “My father worked hard to provide for our family.” If you had the privilege of having a father present in your life, you can probably tell a story or two concerning the character of your father. But what is character? I define character as your moral compass, partnered with a determined purpose to make the right decisions no matter the circumstance. No matter how great of an example your earthly father may have been, your Heavenly Father is great all the time. He is the center of morality; He makes the right decisions all the time. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, the Apostle Paul describes a few characteristics of our Heavenly Father. He’s the God of compassion. Knowing we serve a Father who is compassionate gives us hope! As His children, we know we can mess up at times, so we need all the compassion we can get. He’s also the Father of comfort. When we are down and out, broken and in doubt, God will be there to comfort us. I didn’t have the opportunity to have a dad present in my life. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know who my father is. But I’ve come to the realization that my Father in Heaven is the greatest example of what a father should be!
WEDNESDAY God is Love 1 John 4:8
The foundation of who our Heavenly Father is, is love. He is the source of love, the author of love, the creator of love and the example of love. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that love is a list of character traits: patience, kindness, not envious or proud, just to name a few. Our Heavenly Father is filled with everything we need to follow Him and we are called to be like our Father. The sad part is that many of us did not have a father that displayed love toward us. Don’t get me wrong, I know many dads love their children, but not with a pure 79
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love. Because of sin, we must work at loving others the way God intends. As we get to know our Heavenly Father, His love becomes the untainted example of true love. If we are to say God is our Heavenly Father, we are to be like Him and walk in love. John reveals this to us in a profound way: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). A child of the King is a child who loves. Our greatest pursuit in life should be to make Christ our first love so that His image is formed in us. Then we will have a picture to display to others — a picture of love. When we love what our Father loves, we have proof that we know Him.
THURSDAY Discipline of the Father Hebrews 6:7-8
One of the least-discussed characteristics of God is His desire to discipline His children. Because He is a good Father, God is willing to discipline us. Discipline is not a comforting word, it’s not the most exciting sermon to preach, nor is it the most searched topic on Google. But our Father God knows what’s best for us. He knows the fruit that will be produced in our lives as a result of His discipline. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we must endure discipline because it’s a process. Blind spots in our character — weaknesses, bad attitudes and spiritual hindrances — are all things that keep us from drawing close to Him. God’s discipline in our lives is proof that we are His children. Maybe God is addressing your speech or disciplining you concerning idols in your life. It could be that you need to be more loving to your spouse. When God has His thumb on an area of your life and won’t let up, consider it discipline. He wants to prune you so that more fruit can grow. Verse 8 of this text tells us that if we are not partaking of God’s discipline toward us, we are illegitimate sons! Discipline hurts, bends and even molds me, revealing that God loves me enough to discipline me. Discipline reveals that we are His children. Consider the alternative: If He is not disciplining you, you may be out of fellowship with your Heavenly Father.
FRIDAY To Love in Return Romans 8:28
Once we realize that everything about God is good, we can come to the place of complete surrender and love for Him. Our perception of who God is will determine our posture toward Him. If my 8-year-old son perceives that I’m upset, angry or not in a good mood, he would be hesitant to approach me. The same is true of our Father in Heaven. If we believe God is not a good God, we can’t posture ourselves to receive His goodness. Paul begins this verse with, “And we know...” Do you know God promised to never leave you nor forsake you? Do you know He jealously yearns for you? Do you know God gave His best so you can become one of His children? Knowing that God will always keep His word should produce confidence in us. Paul goes on to say that all things will work together for us if we love God. It’s one thing to believe God loves us, it’s a totally different thing to love God in return. We have no reason not to love God. He first loved us! The least we can do is to commit to Him and serve Him with all we have. He promised us that all things, not some things, but all things will work out for us if we just love Him. Our Father is loving, kind and personal. By the power of His Spirit, let’s allow His character to reside in us also.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about how God loves us: Ephesians 5-6 & Genesis 28:15; John 15 & Proverbs 1:8
LaMorris Crawford, Cincinnati Bengals chaplain
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TWELVE
Daily Devotional
MONDAY I love baseball. It’s the perfect game. And when the umpire invites us to “play ball” at the beginning of every game, the whole thing just comes alive for me. When I was 3 years old, I wore a Dale Murphy baseball jersey everywhere I went. Whether or not people wanted to hear me talk about baseball, they would hear me anyway. And they’d always hear me talk about how much I wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. It’s like it’s in my DNA. As someone who’s a veteran now, I’ve spent much of my life investing in the game of baseball. But baseball has also given me more than I could ever dream. It’s given me wealth, and I pour that wealth back into helping the helpless and giving a voice to the voiceless. It’s given me notoriety and fame, and I don’t take that lightly. I work as hard as I can to make known the glorious name of Jesus from the platform I’ve been given. And even though I have a life most people would dream of, I need you to hear something loud and clear. I need you to know that baseball is not where I find my fulfillment. Maybe that bears repeating… Baseball is not where I find my fulfillment. My only fulfillment is discovered completely and experienced fully because I understand who my Savior is. Without a relationship with Jesus, a person will live for himself, gaining the whole world. Without Jesus, that’s really the only place we can ever find fulfillment — in the things we accomplish. But that fulfillment is just a substitute for the real thing, and the people I meet already feel that in their hearts. “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” — Matthew 16:26 What’s better than the fulfillment I’ve found in baseball? That’s easy. The fulfillment I’ve found in being pursued by my Father in Heaven far exceeds my day job’s rewards. The fulfillment I’ve discovered in having Someone actually die in my place is better than life itself. And the fulfillment I’ve experienced from having my sins forgiven, and from hearing God sing over me because He’s madly in love with me — it just doesn’t get any better than that. Baseball is amazing. It’s a gift from God, and there’s never a day when I don’t wake up and thank Him for it. But God’s grace is greater. It’s more far-reaching than anything else available to any human who’s ever lived. I encourage you to find your fulfillment in that Name and to regain your soul as a beautiful byproduct.
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SSM TUESDAY An Unsinkable Kingdom [OPEN WITH] Luke 8:22-23
What could cause your faith to collapse? Something in your career, a loved one becoming ill, a child going astray, a national catastrophe? In Luke 8, the disciples experienced such a test and their faith did collapse. Still, Jesus woke up and miraculously calmed the storm. Many of us have heard this story told with the conclusion: When we experience trials that threaten to undo us, trust that Jesus is with us. He’ll calm the storm, we just need to have faith. But I question that interpretation. Why? Because sometimes Jesus does NOT calm the storm. Sometimes His most devoted followers get caught in a storm and never come back. Marriages fail. Children die. Careers are ruined. Sure, Jesus is always with us, but He doesn’t always fix the problem. The real issue in this story isn’t the personal welfare of the disciples but something bigger: the Kingdom of God. For three years the disciples heard Jesus preach the Good News of the Kingdom. They gave up everything to believe and follow Him. But now it appeared the whole enterprise was going down — both King and Kingdom would sink! Those of us who have sworn our allegiance to King Jesus are a part of His Kingdom — one that cannot sink. Marriages may fail, careers may go down the tube, a car accident may take us, but we can still trust Jesus because regardless of what happens to us, the promise of the Kingdom is certain.
WEDNESDAY Get Out in the Boat and into the Storm
Luke 8:24-25
for the disciples to listen to Jesus teach or watch Him heal. He allowed them to undergo life situations that would test their faith. Likewise, we can’t learn faith by watching others go through hard times. We can’t inherit faith. We have to learn it through our own storms. Neither can we learn faith by attending a Bible study. I’ve been to countless Bible studies and three different seminaries, but I never learned a single thing about faith in the classroom. What I have learned I did so through the storms of life. Many times I’ve failed the test. Like the disciples, I’ve wondered if this whole thing about Jesus and His Kingdom are really true. But thankfully the Lord stays committed to us. He’s committed to developing our faith. He knows this takes time. Jesus didn’t abandon the disciples after their faith collapsed, He stilled the storm anyway. He showed them the Kingdom will go on even if their faith fails. Then He prepared another test for them. If you’re a follower of Jesus, I guarantee He’ll continue to develop your faith too.
THURSDAY What Does True Faith Look Like? Psalm 112:6-8
Out there on the boat, the disciples cried out to Jesus, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown” (Luke 8:24). Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping after an exhausting day of ministry. Who is the model of faith here? Jesus or the disciples? In the storms of life, different people operate in different ways. Personally, I’m a fixer. Fixers are the ones who try to organize people in the boat to bail water. Then there are others who don’t fix, they just deny. The storm hits, their life becomes chaos, and they say, “What storm? I don’t see a storm. Everything’s wonderful.”
Jesus wants to develop us into men and women of faith who trust Him in every circumstance. When the disciples saw their boat about to capsize on the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee, they woke a snoozing Jesus and cried out, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Finally, there are people who don’t fix or deny, instead they blame. Usually they blame someone nearest and dearest to them. “Peter, why didn’t you listen to the weather report? It’s all your fault!” Often, the person we blame is God.
Faith is developed in the storms of life. It isn’t learned in a classroom. It wasn’t enough
What does true faith look like? What do we see Jesus doing? He wasn’t fixing, He was sleeping. Once He woke up, He didn’t
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deny the reality of the storm, He stilled it. Instead of blaming others, He rebuked the wind and the waves. Not only is Jesus the object of faith, He’s the perfect picture of it! Jesus teaches us what true faith looks like. Faith will rest in God’s promise when it seems He’s absent. Jesus could sleep in the storm because He knows nothing will get in the way of God’s Kingdom purposes.
FRIDAY Faith in Place
Romans 8:31-32
After Jesus woke up and calmed the violent storm, we’re told of the disciples’ response: “In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him’” (Luke 8:25). True faith depends on the greatness of its object. In the midst of the storm, many people say, “Have faith. You gotta believe. Everything happens for a reason.” But the Bible never tells us to simply have “faith.” The Bible tells us to have faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. You can have all the faith in the world, but if it’s in the wrong thing, you’ll sink. Faith depends on its object. Don’t focus on how much faith you have, focus on who your faith is in. You can have a little faith on really thick ice and be fine. You can have a lot faith on real thin ice and you may drown! That’s why the story ends with the question, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.” The issue of faith is bound up in the issue of who Jesus is. Our faith is in the One who commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him. Our faith is in the God who became flesh and dwelt among us. Our faith is in the One who died and rose for us. Our faith is in Jesus Christ.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about developing your faith in Jesus: Luke 8-9 & Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 11 & Proverbs 3 Mark Mitchell, San Francisco Giants chaplain
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WEEK
MONDAY
THIRTEEN
Daily Devotional
It’s easy to become anxious, but the Bible warns against letting worry overtake our lives. In fact, anytime we allow worry to seep in, it means we’re not trusting God. We may be trusting Him, but only to the point where we feel like we’re still in control. When we begin to realize we’re not in control, anxiety rears its ugly head. That’s when I need to lean on God and trust Him the most. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” — James 1:2-4 Scripture doesn’t say “if” you face trials, but “when.” We’re promised trials, and if you aren’t prepared for the trials that will come, you’ll find yourself overcome with anxiety. But since you know hardships are coming, you can prepare your heart and mind to trust in the Lord’s sovereignty. One day, while traveling back to Chicago, I was becoming increasingly anxious to get back to my family. I began worrying about them being by themselves. I put my headphones in and started listening as Pastor Tony Evans addressed the topic of anxiety, which was exactly what I needed to hear. There’s always something for me to worry about — my wife and kids being by themselves while I’m away, the upcoming season, our team or my health. But worrying is a sin. When we let anxiety enter our hearts, we’re admitting we don’t trust God. If we only trust Him when we feel in control of our lives, we’re not surrendering everything to Him. God calls us to complete surrender — absolute trust. He wants our hearts, souls and minds focused on Him so He can show us His power. When we fail to do that, we’re in trouble. It’s one thing to say you’re not going to worry, it’s another to put that into practice. The more I stay conscious of when I’m becoming anxious, the more I’m able to surrender it to God and trust in Him. When I feel myself getting overwhelmed, I tell myself to slow down. I go to a quiet place and pray. In these moments I need to realize there’s a bigger picture than what’s going on in my life this week or even this month. God calls us to take one step at a time, without worrying about the future. My wife’s favorite verse is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” All things work together for the good of those who trust and love God. He holds all things in His hands. If you fully believe in and live by this truth, you’ll have no reason to worry.
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MATT FORTE
New York Jets running back TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971
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SSM TUESDAY Anxiety or Trust
[OPEN WITH] Ephesians 6:10-18
The opposite of anxiety is trust. The two cannot live together in unity. If you are someone who is constantly worried, stressed or overwhelmed by the weight of your life, you might want to ask yourself, “Am I truly believing God is who He says He is? Do I trust that He has power and authority over all things?” If we are living in light of the truth of the Gospel, we have absolutely nothing to worry about. God’s Word assures us that He is in control (Isaiah 41:10), He has our best interests at heart (Jeremiah 29:11), and we can experience unexplainable peace when we trust in Him (Philippians 4:7). So if we as believers in Christ know these truths, why do we allow anxiety to creep into our hearts? When we let the noise of the world become louder than the voice of God, we drown out the truths He teaches us. By drawing closer to God and hiding His truths in our hearts, we can replace the distractions of this life with promised expectations for the eternal life to come. This is just what Matt did when he was becoming increasingly anxious. He tuned into Godly teaching and let the truths of Scripture transform his heart. Combat the fears and lies you’re facing with the truth of God. Put on the armor of God and take a stand in today’s battle, which Christ has already won for us!
WEDNESDAY He’s Got You Luke 12:25
Worry never wins. It’s a vicious source that continues to build on itself until we crack under the weight of it. So why do we worry? Jesus poses the question, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Luke 12:25). Researchers have shown that people who often worry are far more susceptible to disease, depression, panic disorders and weight gain. Studies also show that 85 percent of what we worry about never actually takes place! 83
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Worrying about life is a complete waste; it’s never worth our time or energy. So how do we stop the cycle before we face a nervous breakdown? Focus on the One thing that is constant, the One source that never changes and never fails us: God our Father. God’s sovereignty and unconditional love for us is enough to carry us through any trial we may face. Our role as His children is to unconditionally love and follow Him with all our heart, trusting Him above all. So before you let yourself slip into a state of snowball worry, stop and remember the truths of what’s eternal. Set your eyes on God and remember that if He clothes the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28, KJV), He’s got you too.
THURSDAY Crying Out to God Psalm 34:1-10
When trials or unknown circumstances arise, our first inclination is to worry, to question, maybe even to fear. But this wasn’t God’s intent for us. God created us to love, trust and obey Him with all our hearts. Throughout the Bible we see examples of great warriors of the faith facing moments of fear and doubt. King David spreads all of his raw feelings across the pages of the Psalms. We see him crying “from the ends of the earth” in Psalm 61, and in Psalm 34 he tells us God “delivered me from all my fears.” Paul, a murderer of Christians turned Christian zealot — who suffered imprisonment, shipwreck, persecution and hunger — said the secret to contentment is trust in God, which will result in “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Like these men, we are not immune to struggle, fear, doubt or worry, but we know the direction in which to look when it comes. The angel of the Lord has encamped around you to deliver you from your worry.
FRIDAY Simple Trust in a Not-So-Simple God Isaiah 55:8-9
In Genesis 22, we see one of the most extreme pictures of God-fearing faith. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were up there in years when God promised them a son. They waited and waited for this promise to come to fruition, and when it didn’t happen in the time they wanted, they decided to take matters into their own hands (Genesis 16). But God’s plans were higher than theirs. Later on, God did deliver on His promise and blessed them with Isaac. When God then called Abraham to take his only son and offer him as a burnt offering, Abraham responded in immediate obedience. He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t try to reason with God, he simply trusted God with the gift He had given him. As a result of His obedience and trust, God blessed him beyond measure and gave him descendants “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Genesis 22:17). What is worth your fear: temporal situations or the power of the eternal God? We might think we have the best plan in the book, but what about His? What might we be missing out on when we think we know better than the allknowing, all-powerful God of the universe? Are you willing to trust this God? His ways are always higher than ours.
WEEKEND ...Continue reading about trusting God:
Genesis 18-19 & James 1:5; Genesis 20-22 & 2 Corinthians 5:7
What fear do you need to give over to God today? He wants to be your Refuge.
Becky York, The Increase community manager
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TENETSOF
FAITH
MATT HOLLIDAY ON BAPTISM
I was first baptized as a baby — my dad was Catholic. I didn’t really grow up in the Church but I always knew baptism was an important part of Christianity. When I became a Christfollower, I knew it was something I had to do. John the Baptist was baptising people and Jesus was baptised so I couldn’t help but think, if it’s in the Bible and is something Jesus did Himself, it’s important. So one day during spring training, Adam and Jenny Wainwright came over with their family and the two of them, along with my wife and I, were baptized by our friend in our pool. That day we felt the Holy Spirit move. It was a powerful moment; there’s nothing like it. “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.” — Acts 22:16
ANDREW McCUTCHEN ON BEING A SERVANT
There’s the story of when Jesus is washing His disciples’ feet, and He says, “I didn’t come on this earth to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). And I think in the moments when I was down, it helped me to be able to be the person serving. For me and other professional baseball players, a lot of people want to serve us, and we have a lot of things given to us, and a lot of things come to us. Finally I was like, “I need to serve. I need to get over myself, man.” I try to do everything I can as far as serving; I just want to help, take the attention off of myself, and help others in any way that I can. From greeting workers in the hallway, to holding a conversation with someone that I pass every single day, to giving a kid a high five going down the field... It was a matter of just thinking about other people, and I could sense God’s presence through that.
MATTHEW SLATER TRUSTING GOD THROUGH UNCERTAINTY
In 2014 we had won the Super Bowl, and six days later I married my wife, Shahrzad. Two weeks after that, I had both of my shoulders operated on, and both were pretty significant surgeries. I remember not being able to do anything for myself; I couldn’t go to the bathroom, shower or feed myself alone. I was completely dependent on my wife, a woman whom I had lived with for all of two weeks! I thought to myself, “What’s going on here? This is not what I signed up for.” It made me question my love of the game, how much pain I could tolerate physically and emotionally, and made me wonder about retirement. I was unsure how it was going to go. The opportunity you have with injuries is, it’s a chance for you to make sure you have your priorities in line. It’s a time when you have to remember to sit back and let God do what He does. The thing I kept hearing from God was, “Just trust Me. Remember what I did for you.” I thought back to my career in college, and the improbable journey I had been on for the past seven or eight years. And I thought, “The Lord has been great up until this point, and He’s brought me to this point for a reason,” and I just had to trust Him, as hard as it was, and I just try to continue to trust Him. 84
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ADAMWAINWRIGHT ON READING GOD’S WORD
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” — Joshua 1:8 Reading God’s Word provides me with an amazing calmness within my spirit. I can quickly tell when I haven’t been faithfully in the Word when I start losing my patience, snapping at my kids, or becoming angry more quickly with others. The truths of Scripture bring me a peace that transforms my heart and I’m changed from the inside out, sometimes in ways that I didn’t even know I needed. After I read, I feel settled; I feel ready to take on the rest of the day. And if I read at night, I’m convicted of the ways I might have overreacted or mistreated others that day. When I’m diligent in reading God’s Word, the person I display to others is much more peaceful, patient and loving. The person I display is more like Christ. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16-17 I realize that there are many people who are much better at studying the Bible than I am. For instance, when I watch David Platt read Scripture, I see the words coming alive for him. It’s as if he reads it in the same way I read stories to my daughters — every character has their own voice and if I don’t portray the voices just right they will tell me, “Hey, you’ve got to fix that!” When I read books like the Bible or the Chronicles of Narnia in this way for my daughters, the stories come alive for them. They sit up in bed, attentive, leaning in as I tell the story. They can’t get enough! When I read the Bible for myself, I want to dive in on a much deeper and more intense level too. No matter how many times we read the Bible, there’s always a deeper level we can take it. There’s always more to learn from it than we may at first think. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12
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WHAT THEY
SAID
DANIEL MURPHY
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It was really cool for me to realize that Jesus loved me just as much in that moment as He did when I was hitting those seven home runs. He loves me when I’m at the mountaintop and He loves me when I’m in the valley — there’s not one moment when He is pouring out less of Himself for me. G
MATT FORTE
IN 2017
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With instant access to all types of media and information, we always have the opportunity to respond to something, but I want to make sure that everything I say is seasoned with truth and love. The only way for me to do this is to be slow to speak and prayerful in every situation.
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The whole reason why I play football is to make the name of Jesus known. God’s given me the ability and opportunity to play a game I love. Not for my glory, but for His. I play the game not for what I will get out of it, but for the glory and honor He will receive.
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Jesus is the ultimate reason I do what I do… How I S TO live my life is my gift back to BA N NA ND God who gave me the gift of life! TIO N A L S , S E CO The NFL is one of the greatest platforms I could be given to share my faith. I’d be doing my BENJAMIN WATSON Creator, myself and others a Sometimes you feel pressure to disservice if I didn’t bring Jesus say something about everything. into everything I do.
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I know sharing a verse with my teammate was only one small part of a large chain of events that led him to Christ. It wasn’t the start of his spiritual journey, but it was a piece of it. Knowing that at any time I could be playing a role in what God is doing in someone else’s heart is a really cool reality! This is all part of the process of making disciples. H
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FOR MORE STORIES OF ATHLETES IN THIER OWN WORDS, VISIT THEINCREASE.COM
This is the new-and-exciting type of faith that I want to have on a constant basis, not a complacent faith, but one that’s thriving and diving deeper daily. It’s a faith that says, “God’s Word is always good enough.”
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“I think it’s really important for people to understand who God is, what He says about us, and what He says about our sin. You have to turn from your old ways, from your old self. It’s not going to be perfect, but you have to turn and focus your eyes back on Him.” — Matthew Slater, New England Patriots
N A C ST U YO CHRI LLY OUR PROBLEM, A W N GOD’S SOLUTION O O N K PERS By Randy Alcorn
1. “God created mankind in his own image … God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:27, 31).
God made human beings with personal and relational qualities like his own (Genesis 1:26). But something went terribly wrong.
2. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Our sins against a good and holy God have broken our relationship with Him (Isaiah 59:2).
3. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When humankind chose to rebel against God, sin poisoned the world. People lost their relationship with God, and with it their happiness. But God loved us so much He sent us Jesus, fully God and fully man, to deliver us from death and give us life (John 3:16).
4. “God demonstrates His own love toward us … while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. He rose from the grave, conquering sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
5. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s greatest gift is a restored relationship with Himself, delivering us from hell and granting us entry into Heaven (John 3:36). This gift depends not on our merit but solely on Christ’s work of grace for us on the cross (Titus 3:5).
6. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved” (Romans 10:9). We must admit our wrongdoing, and ask God’s forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Then we are to affirm to others that the resurrected Jesus is our Lord.
7. “Whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over
from death to life” (John 5:24). The life we long for is freely offered to us in Christ. We can believe His promise and call on Him to save us, humbly accepting His gift of eternal life: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
If you believe Jesus Christ loves you, and would like to ask Him to forgive you and receive salvation, pray this prayer with me. It’s as simple as A-B-C: Admit, Believe, Confess.
“Dear God, I ADMIT that I’m a sinner and the penalty of my sin is death. I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that He died and rose from the dead for my sin. And I CONFESS Jesus as my Savior. Please forgive me. I repent of my sin and surrender my life to You. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen." — Miles McPherson, senior pastor and former NFL player 87
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TIMELINE A HISTORICAL LOOK BY THE NUMBERS 7 - Sports offered (basketball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading) 47 - States in which Upward has leagues 7 million - Number of kids served since Upward’s inception (Numbers courtesy of Upward Sports)
1861
James Naismith born in Ontario, Canada
1898 Naismith hired as chapel director and P.E. teacher at University of Kansas. He also starts basketball program.
1936 Basketball becomes official Olympic sport at Berlin Games. Naismith hands out medals to top three teams.
1940 NABC asks NCAA to take over operation of tournament.
BY THE NUMBERS BASKETBALL 450 million - Estimated number of basketball players worldwide 2 - World’s second most popular team sport 1 - Most-watched team sport at Olympic Games (Numbers courtesy of International Basketball Federation)
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1949 BAA merges with National Basketball League to form National Basketball Association (NBA).
1986 Caz McCaslin hired as minister of recreation for First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C. He soon starts youth basketball league.
2006
Upward Sports reaches 2,000 gyms across the country.
1891
Dr. Naismith invents game to be played indoors at YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass. He calls it "basket ball."
1904 Basketball becomes demonstration sport at St. Louis Olympics.
1939 National Association of Basketball Coaches launches national collegiate tournament in Evanston, Ill.
1946 Basketball Association of America launches professional league in New York City.
1959 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield and inducts first class.
1995 McCaslin launches Upward Sports in seven different churches.
2016
Jim Naismith, grandson of Dr. James Naismith, and his wife tell McCaslin that Upward is doing "basketball the way James Naismith intended for it TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 to be done."
TIMELINE