Sports Spectrum: Aaron Judge Spring 2018 Edition by Sports Spectrum

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SPORTS SPECTRUM OUR PLAYLIST CONTAINS CHRISTIAN MUSIC PROVIDED BY THE PROS THEMSELVES Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) - Song of the South by Alabama Brett Phillips (Brewers) - Take It All Back 2.0 by Judah and the Lion Kole Enright (Rangers) - Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin Cliff Pennington (Reds) - Brother by NeedToBreathe Daniel Murphy (Nationals) - The Way by Jeremy Camp & The River by Jordan Feliz Yan Gomes (Indians) - Manolo by Trip Lee & Blessings by Lecrae Matt Wieters (Nationals) - Promise Land (Glory Hallelujah) & Shouting Ground by David Crowder

HIS

OLY

2018 OLYMPIC HIGHLIGHTS

A look back at the 10 best moments from Pyeongchang, South Korea

32OLY

THE WISE WAY TO GOLD

Obstacles stood in David Wiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way, but with God he overcame them all

Photo by Francois-Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty

TABLE OF

CONENTS

CBB FOLLOWING JESUS, MODELING JOHN WOODEN

Cori Close is using God and a legendary basketball coach to build up young women at UCLA

CBB FAB FRESHMEN OF FAITH

Marvin Bagley, DeAndre Ayton and Trae Young are freshmen to watch in March

NBA

JRUE HOLIDAY

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WOMEN IN THE WORD

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Six of the best female basketball players in the country are also believers

COVER • PHOTO CREDITS:

NFL

SOARING LIKE EAGLES

The Eagles boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus en route to winning Super Bowl LII

26NFL

THE GENESIS OF FOOTBALL SUNDAY A quarterback’s idea is now a worldwide movement centered around the Super Bowl

MLB 2018 MLB SEASON PREVIEW

Predictions, storylines and Jesus followers: Aaron Judge, Andrew McCutchen, Kyle Gibson, Brian Dozier, Brett Phillips

SPORTS SPECTRUM

ART DIRECTOR Aaron Dean Sauer aaron@sportsspectrum.com MANAGING 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.

What began as one Gospel event in Detroit has spread across the major leagues

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6 — OneCoach Toolkit 25 — NFL Draft Preview 35 & 55 — SS Cutouts 57 — Daily Devotionals 85 — Gospel Message

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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.

SHARING JESUS AT THE BALLPARK

PLUS+

Aaron Judge - New York Yankees Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty

MLB FROM BASEBALL TO ADDICTION TO REDEMPTION

Darryl Strawberry joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast to discuss his journey to evangelism

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BY THE N U M B E R S#

1,151

Eagles and Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the most combined total yards ever in an NFL game.

HIGHEST OF PASS ATTEMPTS

scored by Rockets’ James Harden, along with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, on Jan. 30 to become first player in NBA history to score 60 points as part of a triple-double.

in a game for Alabama true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa BEFORE BCS National Championship Game. Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty

COMBINED OFFENSIVE YARDS

60 12 PTS

24 10.3

Wins for the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 1, breaking the 24-year-old NHL record for most wins in an expansion season (with more than two months remaining in season).

Eagles’ Zach Ertz “Making Disciples” video on Sports Spectrum’s Facebook page.

SIXTY NINE Points earned by league champion Toronto FC in 2017, an MLS record. Said coach Greg Vanney: “I think we had the greatest season in the history of the league.” 4

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ATHLETES ON 2018 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM the largest delegation for any nation in Winter Olympic history; they won 23 medals.

Photo by Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty

NUMBER OF VIEWS

Pass attempts for Tagovailoa in second half of title game, including 3 TD passes, the last of which was a 41-yarder to win in OT.

PAS S AT T E M PTS

MILLION

TWENTY FOUR

244

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty

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TRENDING

Our favorite NBA City Edition jerseys

N ike and the NBA have debuted new “City Edition” jerseys for 2018. Per Nike,

“The Nike NBA City Edition uniforms represent insights and emotion from the court to the upper deck to the cities’ streets, in pursuit of a unique way to capture each team and its city in a way that respects the past and present of the clubs while also positioning them for the future.” They’re unique and distinct for sure. To see more jerseys and view our favorites, visit SportsSpectrum.com and search “City Edition Jerseys.”

Sacramento Kings —

A nod to the 1985 baby blue uniforms.

Golden State Warriors — The Chinese characters represent the Bay Area’s Chinese culture.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty

New York Knicks —

Honoring the brave firefighters of New York City.

Photo by Noah Graham/Getty

W ith a new Major League Baseball season comes new style, which means new spring training hats for every club. Also to be worn during batting practice prior to regular-season games this year, TRENDING

the caps have technology to make them lighter and more moisture-absorbing. But what’s most noticeable are the new logos for some teams, or new color schemes for others. To see more hats and view our favorites, visit SportsSpectrum.com and search “Spring Training Hats.”

Kansas City Royals

Toronto Blue Jays

Spring Training hat

Detroit Tigers Spring Training hat

Tampa Bay Rays 5

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Spring Training hat

Chicago White Sox Spring Training hat

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ONECOACH

WITH

MICHAEL TURNER DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MISSISSIPPI DELTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE MOORHEAD, MISS.

Tips and Resources from Coaches to Players COACH’S BACKGROUND Michael Turner is the new defensive coordinator at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead, Miss. He’s the youngest collegiate defensive coordinator in the state of Mississippi. Turner played at Mississippi Delta, and then one season at Mississippi State before getting into coaching six seasons ago. Prior to getting this position in January, Turner was linebackers coach at Hinds Community College, where he helped the Eagles go from 2-7 to 6-3 and make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Turner wasn’t looking for a new job, but he prayed for God to open a door if He wanted him to move on. “A few days later, the head coach called and asked me to be the defensive coordinator,” Turner said. “It was definitely a God-deal.” Turner was raised in the Church, but he didn’t take his faith

COACH’S MISSION

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personally until about a year ago, when an aunt with whom he was very close passed away from cancer. “I never really understood what I had in my relationship with God,” he said. “I lived my life on that fence, kind of that lukewarm thing that John talks about in Revelation. I was trying to do things to bring honor to God, but deep down I had a ‘works mentality,’ instead of letting grace come to me. “All that changed when I watched my aunt battle with cancer. She lost that battle, but I watched her walk with the Lord. I found myself humbled by it. It wasn’t until that point that I recognized that life is temporary. You’re here one moment and gone the next. I started to understand that I needed to find my purpose.” Now Turner is leading by example to young men who come to Mississippi Delta as a stepping stone to wherever they’re headed.

“You just have to take yourself out of the center and let God be the center in your life”

Coach Turner doesn’t look at student-athletes in a cookiecutter manner. Each young football player who arrives on campus has a future, and Turner wants to help each athlete figure out how to get there. Before he ever puts a player into a drill, he lets them know the opportunity in front of them. He tells the young man that he needs to decide what his main goal is. Once Turner understands his goal, he keeps that goal in front of the player, day in and day out. He’s not going to make him do something he doesn’t want to do. He has to buy in. Then he instructs the athlete on the small things to make it right. The key is repetition. “We just do things over and over until it is instilled in their minds that they can do it in their sleep,” Turner said. The next step is accountability. That means not cutting their reps short when no one is watching. “We keep pushing them to 6

By David Smale

— Michael Turner

finish the goals they had when they got here,” he said. “We want to make sure they still want to reach those goals. “It boils down to building a relationship with those kids that will last beyond their two years here. When they mess up, you have to engage with them, and ask them if that’s what they want to settle for. That’s usually a trying time when we get to that point. By having a relationship with them, we can dig in. I try to give them as much personal responsibility as they can handle.” Turner wants to make sure they’re “all in.” He doesn’t want them simply to visit the weight room or show up at practice. He wants them to be fully invested, to make the most of what they have in front of them. “I always tell them, my expectations should never be higher than their own expectations.” TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

ONECOACH ONE COACH COACH’S DRILL Turner has some basic strength routines that he uses with each of his players.

1. The first thing I tell them is, “Don’t worry about

strength, worry about flexibility.” The more flexible you are, the more range of motion we can build upon with muscle mass.

2. The next thing we work on is squats. Working on

legs increases explosion. The only way to make people faster is to work on technique. They are genetically limited to their own top speed. You can teach them forms and how to be more explosive, but other than that, you can’t train speed. You either have it or you don’t.

3. The next thing we work on is upper body and core. Everybody cares about the upper body, but if you don’t have a strong core, you don’t have anything. That includes your thoracic area, your abdomen, your lumbars in your back. Without that, you can’t do anything. You can’t even do a bench press or a squat, much less power clean.

4. The final thing we work on is plyometrics, which are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength).

COACH’S SPIRITUAL LESSON “In Matthew, Jesus says He’s standing at the door and knocking, and we just have to let Him in. That’s an effective visual for me. God’s will is for everyone to come to Him in repentance, but not everyone is going to choose to do so. I made that decision. For years, I told people that I was saved, but it wasn’t until my aunt died that it was a total commitment. “It’s a heart transplant. Through my growth in the past year I have developed my understanding of that. I thought I was saved, but I was going through the door and holding onto the doorknob. I never went all the way through the door. “I got into coaching to mentor young men, but I found that I could have a long-term impact on these young men. I can be with them for years. God struck a chord with me, and I have been debunking all those things I grew up with. I finally have come to the point where I’ve let go, and wherever God takes me it’s OK. I’m in the process of finding new opportunities. God is taking me where He wants me to go. I just have to be willing to go. It’s very humbling. “You just have to take yourself out of the center and let God be the center of your life. Everything else will be easier and smoother.”

OneCoach Toolkit: Coach To Player

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Photos courtesy of Michael Turner

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ONECOACH

WITH

CALEB & BRIDGET KELLY ASSISTANT BASEBALL & FOOTBALL COACH; DANCE COACH PEARL HIGH SCHOOL PEARL, MISS.

Tips and Resources from Coaches to Coaches A COACHING MARRIAGE It’s a simple fact: Coaches can learn from other coaches. In fact, they should. Football coaches, for example, can learn from other football coaches, whether it’s a new offensive scheme to run or a new defensive formation that can stop a particularly effective offense. But young coaches can also learn things that have nothing to do with X’s and O’s from older coaches. Stretching it a bit further, coaches from different sports can learn from each other, including concepts like training regimens that prepare athletes for games, or motivational techniques. The world of sports is a common bond that has general theories which cross multiple boundaries. It also goes without saying that husbands and wives should learn from each other, taking their individual styles of leadership and analysis into a joint venture. Caleb and Bridget Kelly fit both groups. Caleb is an assistant coach for the football and baseball teams at Pearl High School in Pearl, Miss. Bridget is Pearl’s head dance coach. And they’ve only been married about a year and a half. They’re both former athletes in their respective sports, and they’re still young in their careers. They are in constant-learning mode, both in their careers and their marriage. “We definitely learn from each other,” Bridget said. “I’ll come home and talk about a bad day at practice, and he’ll say, ‘This

SPORTS SPECTRUM

By David Smale

worked well for us.’ I’ll go and try that the next day at practice. We are encouragers for each other.” The state dance competition occurs in the fall, the same time as football. It makes “being there” for each other more difficult, but not impossible. Unless competitions occur at the same time, they’re both there for the other one’s events. “She’s just as hard core as a dance coach as I am as a football and baseball coach,” Caleb said. “I’ve never seen someone so passionate about coaching. I’ve learned how to be more passionate about my coaching. “One way that I support her is attending her competitions. If we’re lucky, we’ll have them on different days. Usually her competitions are on Saturday mornings. If she wants me there, I’m there, even if it’s the morning after a road game where we don’t get home until 1 a.m. Being there physically or spiritually is important.” And with the competitive juices still flowing in their veins, there’s a little competition at home too. “Our state championship fell about a month before football,” Bridget said. “I said, ‘I’m going to bring home the first state championship in our family.’ It didn’t work out that way, but I knew he had my back and I had his back.” The dance team finished second at state, while the football team won its first-ever 6A state title with a perfect 16-0 record, so Caleb won that bet.

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ONECOACH ONE COACH

“We have to look at what’s going on in life and decide how we’re going to grow as people and in our relationship with Christ.” — Bridget Kelly

SUPPORTIVE SPOUSES As a newly married couple, Caleb and Bridget strive to make sure everyone knows their marriage comes first. Their “drills” deal with supporting each other. “Our athletes see how we support each other,” Bridget said. “They’re seeing God through us. Even though I am a coach, supporting him means even more to me than my success as a coach. I see the joy that he has in what he does, and it makes me want to be a better coach.” Caleb admits that he’s fallen short in the supporting role during the first year or so of marriage, but he works at it constantly. “There are many hours where I have to be away from Bridget,” he said. “She supports that, and she understands the grind. But I’ve learned that you have to take a break. You have to put your marriage first.”

COACHING CHALLENGES Bridget says young girls face a number of challenges, including: • Security — “The world is more cutthroat than it was even when I was in high school less than 10 years ago. The girls struggle with insecurity. Is their hair done a certain way? Do they fit in with the right crowd? My girls struggle with those things.” • Meaning — “Less than two weeks after losing in the state championship, one of our girls lost her brother to a long fight with leukemia. Our team got to rally together and be a family to that girl. That meant more to me than winning a championship.”

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• Identity — “At a public school, I can’t speak about my faith publicly, but the girls will see the actions. They see the way I love my husband and how I treat them. They see that, above all else, I represent Christ. They don’t necessarily have to hear me talk about it.”

GROWING AS CHRISTIAN COACHES Caleb and Bridget attended the Coaches Time Out conference in Jackson, Miss., in January. Here are some of the things they took away: Caleb: “In coaching, a lot of people put emphasis on what you know, what you know about your scheme, what you know about the X’s and O’s, but this conference taught me that it’s not all about those things. The most important thing is the relationships you build with your players. That’s more important than the work you do on the whiteboard or the field or court. “A majority of coaches have spouses who have their own careers and offer support of the role of the coach. With both of us being coaches, this conference is a learning thing. I took notes on leadership and she did the exact same thing. We both want to strive to be better coaches. We’re like sponges. We soaked up everything. It was a learning experience that helped us grow closer together, not only as coaches, but as husband and wife. “I discovered Christ through sports early on, and I can always bring Jesus into sports, whether it’s reading the Bible on the way to games and sharing it with others. It just goes hand in hand.” Bridget: “I enjoyed being around likeminded people who believe the focus is not just on the wins on the scoreboard, but the wins in life. Seeing your athletes have wins in the everyday aspect of their lives is most important. It’s been cool to see others who have that same goal. “Sometimes other people can see something in you that you can’t see in yourself. That was definitely the case with me. I never saw myself as a coach, but God has used my ability to dance and my relationship with Christ to coach young girls through a trying time in their lives. “I was reminded that sometimes it’s not about dance. We have to look at what’s going on in life and decide how we’re going to grow as people and in our relationship with Christ.”

OneCoach Toolkit: Coach To Coach

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ONECOACH

WITH

BRUCE PIELSTICK OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIDAMERICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY OLATHE, KAN.

Tips and Resources from Coaches to Parents

ruce Pielstick is a West Coast guy through and through. He played high school and junior college football in the state of Washington, then concluded his college career in Oregon. From there he coached in high school and college in Washington, Oregon and California over the next 30 years. Following the death of his wife from cancer, he felt led to move halfway across the country for a new opportunity. Now he’s the offensive coordinator for MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., where he coaches the Pioneers with head coach Brian Willmer. Bruce has written a book about his life in coaching and dealing with his wife’s cancer. His inspirational story, “Heart, Soul,

How should parents help their kids decide where they should attend college? I think it’s good for the parents to be involved in the decision, but ultimately it’s the young person’s decision. If the parents make the decision and the young person is not happy there, they can blame the parents. It has to be the young person’s decision. The parents are there to guide and ask questions the students might not know to ask. What types of things should parents/ students find out about a school that might be recruiting the student? Being in a good program, a program that fits you in your major of interest, the need for your position and the love of the coach, those are all good things. But it really comes down to finances. If you can’t afford to attend, it doesn’t matter how good the fit is.

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By David Smale

Mind & Strength; One Coach’s Story of Learning to Trust and Praise God…Always,” will be available soon. In the book, he details how God taught him that, regardless of how life was going, he could only be successful and happy when he relied on God’s provision and promise. MNU is an NAIA school in the Heart of America Athletic Conference and it is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. As such, it is very intentional with teaching faith in the classroom and on the field of competition. Sports Spectrum sat down with Coach Pielstick to get some ideas for parents of students who want to attend college and continue playing sports.

I will tell a young man from the West Coast that I am offering him a scholarship. I’ll tell him that we’re in Olathe, Kansas, which might cause him to hesitate, because Olathe, Kansas, is a long way from the West Coast. I’ll say, “If Alabama offered you a scholarship, would you go?” Of course he would. I follow up with, “That’s a long way away too, so you still have to move away from home. That shouldn’t be a deterrent.” The finances play a huge role. If you’re being recruited at the Division I level, the finances are easy, because almost everything is paid for. Most NCAA Division I scholarships are fullrides, while Division II offers mostly partial scholarships. Division III does not offer athletic scholarships. At our level of the NAIA, there are no athletic scholarships, but we can offer financial packages that help them attend.

If you can afford to attend somewhere, then you start looking at all the other elements. If you’re an athlete and you play the position where there is a need, that’s a great place to go because you’ll have a chance to play. Then you look at the program. Is the program one that’s been on the skids or is it a winning program? More important than that, what type of coaches will you be playing for? That can’t be the only factor, however. A lot of athletes will make the decision strictly because of the relationship with the coach, not knowing that the coach may not be there a year from now. The difference for us is that we’re a Christian college, and we coach that way. Our faith is at the center of our lives. Early in my coaching career, I was becoming a coach who happened to be a Christian. Now I am a Christian who happens to be a coach.

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ONECOACH

For students who might attend MNU, where on the list of importance should football appear? Most students need to realize they’re not likely to play in the NFL. If you’re going to a high-level Division I program, then football is pretty high. It still can’t be at the top of the list, because even most Division I athletes don’t play professional football. But if you’re coming to MidAmerica Nazarene University, it’s going to be way down. You want the chance to continue to play football, but that can’t be the final decision. Those other factors (finances, academics, relationships with coaches) become bigger.

What tips would you give a studentathlete coming out of high school about changing from a football player who happens to be a Christian to a Christian who happens to play football? First of all you need to be yourself. It’s rare to find a young person coming out of high school who really knows who they are. That’s kind of what college is all about: finding out who you are. You just need to be yourself, and you also need to be searching for who God wants you to be.

That’s where MidAmerica Nazarene comes in. We are coaching you to become the man God wants you to be. If you aren’t in a Christian environment, you have to do that on your own. If you’re at a college where football is No. 1, you have to do that on your own. You also have to be strong enough to sustain it when the world around you is throwing unrealistic expectations at you.

OneCoach Toolkit: Coach To Parent

“You just need to be yourself, and you also need to be searching for who God wants you to be.” — Bruce Pielstick

Photos courtesy of Bruce Pielstick

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“WE WANT TO CREATE AN UNCOMMON KINGDOMTRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG WOMEN.” — CORI CLOSE

Following Jesus, modeling John Wooden

BY DAVID SMALE

CORI CLOSE IS USING OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, AS WELL AS THE MOST LEGENDARY BASKETBALL COACH, TO BUILD UP YOUNG WOMEN AT UCLA

ori Close has played for and coached under some lofty names in women’s college basketball. But she credits a legendary retired coach from the men’s game for much of her development. “My first coaching job was at UCLA from 1993-95. I got an unbelievable opportunity when Kathy Olivier took a risk on someone fresh out of college,” said Close, now the head women’s coach at UCLA, a top-10 program this season. “Then I went back to UC Santa Barbara where I played, and coached there for nine years. Then I went to Florida State for seven years, where I coached under Sue Semrau, because I wanted to learn what it meant to be a Kingdom coach. I worked under great people all the way through.” Then came the ultimate name-drop. “I was mentored by John Wooden for 15 years.” During her first tenure at UCLA, she met Coach Wooden and a lot of his former players. But it was one in particular who impacted her for the next 25 years. He 12

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Photos Courtesy of UCLA Athletics

walked into her office on her fourth day on the job as the head coach seven years ago. “John Vallely was part of the community service organization that we’re part of at UCLA,” she said. “At that point, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know what was up and what was down. I hadn’t hired any staff. My head was just spinning. But I knew I needed to meet him. “He said, ‘I’ve been married 38 years because of what Coach Wooden taught me. I’ve started three successful businesses because of what Coach Wooden taught me. I’ve conquered cancer three times because of what Coach Wooden taught me.’ Then he really got me. He said, ‘I survived the death of my 12-year-old daughter, because of the way Coach Wooden loved me.’ “He didn’t mention that he was a starting guard on two of Coach Wooden’s national championship teams (1969 and ‘70) and that he played seven years in the NBA, because it paled in comparison to the man he became. I was

blown away by that. “That was a searing point to what I wanted my mission to be. I fail every day, and I ask for forgiveness a lot. But I want my players to say the same thing about me 10, 20, 30 years down the road that John said about Coach Wooden.” Close grew up in a Christian home. Both of her parents served on staff for Young Life, as do her sisters. In fact, she’s the only one in the family not to be on staff with the student ministry. Through Young Life, she learned how to create community that does life together, something she’s carried into her role as a coach. “I watched my parents love on high school kids and adopted that method,” she said. “They modeled that incredibly well. They love people that nobody else takes time with. That was really empowering.” Close has instilled that in her staff, as well as her student-athletes. Recently, after a staff meeting in which she wanted all the staff to do a “temperature check,” she said, “It’s easy to point fingers, but how are we doing?” TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

FOLLOWING JESUS - CORI CLOSE

That brought some unusual results, as one of her assistants came to her and told Close she had a blind spot in one particular area. Many bosses would flinch if a subordinate did that, but not Close. “She really held me accountable,” Close said. “I felt loved, and I appreciate that she had the strength and character enough to point something out where I was not being consistent. Culture wins, and it wins internally first. Then it asserts itself externally as time goes on. “I’m a work in progress. I’ve had a lot of people invest in me, in terms of organizational leadership, people who are Godly people and are really wise in business and culture. I’ve tried to be a sponge and walk in humility.” Coach Wooden was never shy about his walk with the Lord, so he established that culture at UCLA. But it’s still a public university. Close said she’s never had any push-back from the administration about keeping her faith to herself. But she also says that she doesn’t “speak” publicly about it too often. “My relationship with Jesus is what I have chosen,” she said. “One of the things that He has called me to do is to love people who are really different from me, and maybe disagree with me. I have tried to create an environment

“I DON’T THINK YOU CAN HOLD PEOPLE TO STANDARDS THEY DON’T HAVE. I’VE CHOSEN JESUS’ STANDARDS FOR MY LIFE, AND I WANT TO BE HELD TO THOSE STANDARDS.”

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— CORI CLOSE

SPORTS SPECTRUM

where we can have healthy discussions, where we can appreciate each other. That’s something we work on all the time. “Jesus modeled that the best. He wasn’t the loud, clanging cymbal. He loved them and loved them and loved them until they asked Him why. I’ve spoken about my faith less at UCLA than I have any other time in my life. But I’ve had more opportunities to share because people ask me how we’re different. “We want to create an uncommon Kingdom-transformational experience for young women. I don’t think Jesus wants me to do things that would make people feel ‘less than’ or undervalued. I want to keep conversations going. I want to build bridges without compromising what I believe to be the calling on my life. That’s to follow Jesus. I don’t think you can hold people to standards they don’t have. I’ve chosen those standards for my life, and I want to be held to those standards.” When push comes to shove, Close doesn’t think her role as the head coach at UCLA has that much to do with basketball. The court is a big part of her teaching ground, but she believes that learning to compete and to do so with joy in our hearts is part of what God teaches us through sports. At the same time, basketball is not going to last. It’s not going to be something anyone cares about down the road. Close told about the time that UCLA’s director of mental training took the players to the middle of the court and asked them what would last. “Banners? No, they hang in buildings,” she recalled. “Rings? No, they sit in cases and collect dust. “Then he said, ‘The only two things that are going to stay with you for the rest of your life are who you become and who you impact.’” Close knows that wins and losses are not what last. She quoted Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, who, after the 2017 national championship game victory, said, “May the light that shines in you be greater than the light that shines on you.” “The eternal commitment is to abide,” she said. “Fruit is not going to come by shaking the trees. Fruit comes by abiding in the vine. I want my life to show fruit, but it’s not by outward speech; it’s by spending more time in the Vine. I’m trying to win my own internal battle, though I fail often. I just want Him to get the fruit.” Coach Wooden used to display a poster of “The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.” It read, “Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words.” “He lived that so well,” Close said. “That’s what I’m imperfectly trying to do.” 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 SA PL OL R8T6S6 -S8P2E1C-T2R9U7M1

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Fab

FRESHMEN of FAITH BY JUSTIN ADAMS

IT’S MARCH, COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S SIGNATURE MONTH. SIXTYEIGHT TEAMS AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE THEIR SIGHTS ON MAKING IT TO SAN ANTONIO FOR THE FINAL FOUR. HERE ARE THREE “FAB FRESHMEN OF FAITH” TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON AS THEY AIM TO LEAD THEIR TEAMS DEEP INTO MARCH.

Before stepping on the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Marvin Bagley III had already left an impression on Chris Paul and James Harden. The NBA superstars actually competed with Bagley in the Drew League, an elite summer circuit in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-11 power forward then joined an already talented roster at Duke, and now leads his team in both points and rebounds, averaging 20.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as of March 1. The versatile big man has a quick first step to get past defenders and has the elite leaping ability to grab rebounds or contest shots at the rim on the defensive end. Not confined to playing in the paint, Bagley handles the ball well and has the range to step out and knock down mid-range shots or an occasional 3-pointer. These talents were put on full display in an early-season matchup against the Texas Longhorns. Trailing by 16 in the second half, Duke followed Bagley’s lead as he scored 24 points after the intermission en route to an 85-78 win in overtime. Bagley’s 34-point, 15-rebound effort tied the Blue Devils’ freshman scoring record and was the first time any Duke player had a game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds since Christian Laettner in 1992. “I believe ultimately in this kid. I knew he was going to be good, but coaching him every day, he’s a treasure, really,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. “Because he wants to be really good. All of his teammates love him because he’s as hard of a worker as we have.” Beyond the court, Bagley spends time pouring back into the lives of others. While living in the L.A. area as a teenager, he volunteered for Hoops with a Heart. This is a non-profit organization that donates sports equipment to Los Angeles after-school programs and assigns children to be mentored by high school athletes. Furthermore, Bagley realizes that without his faith in Jesus, the chance to play college basketball at the highest level wouldn’t be possible. “If it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be here,” Bagley told CBS Sports in November. “I still can’t believe I’m playing basketball, at Duke — it’s kind of a dream come true.” S P O R T Sthis S P E C There RUM 15 doing

>>2018 NBA Draft prediction: Top 3<<

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty

Marvin Bagley III – Forward – Duke Blue Devils

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FAB FRESHMEN | ONE TO WATCH

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Every time DeAndre Ayton steps on the hardwood, he’s rewriting history. Take the Arizona freshman’s record for the most doubledoubles in a season, for example. The previous school record stood at 12 double-doubles; it took Ayton just 19 games to reach 13 double-doubles. Another record for the 7-1, 250-pound forward from the Bahamas: He tied the Wildcats’ mark for most rebounds in a game with 19 against Arizona State. A Wooden Award candidate for most outstanding college basketball player, Ayton has transitioned well into the college game. Averaging 19.9 points and 11.2 rebounds as of March 1, he started the season with nine doubledoubles in his first 11 games. One of his best efforts was Arizona’s close win over Alabama, in which he scored 29 points and added 18 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. Ayton is being compared to versatile NBA bigs like KarlAnthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis. NBA scouts like his soft hands in the post, which allow him to finish well around the basket. When he’s not using his 43.5-inch vertical jump to dunk over helpless defenders, he can step out to the perimeter and knock down mid-range jumpers. “I’m not a regular big man,” Ayton told Sporting News. “I’m a mobile big man. I’m not trying to be big, like 270. I like it the way I am: pretty mobile and running the floor.” Born in the Bahamas, Ayton grew up playing soccer until he almost literally grew out of the sport. At just 12 years old, he stood 6-5 and basketball became his sport of choice. After being discovered in a summer basketball camp in 2011, he moved to San Diego a year later to live with a summer coach and attend a private school. Four years later, he attended Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, where he was paired with another top recruit, Marvin Bagley III. There, Ayton’s skills blossomed and he became the nation’s No. 1 recruit according to Scout.com. Now, being in the spotlight, Ayton understands he is a role model to kids back in his homeland. Earlier in the season, when Arizona played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Ayton went to speak with students at Mt. Carmel Preparatory Academy in Nassau. As he fielded questions from the kids, one staffer asked him how he felt to be back home as a basketball star. Rather than boast about his abilities, Ayton responded with a piece of advice that has helped him stay grounded in his faith and motivated on the hardwood. “I told them to put God first,” Ayton told Bleacher TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971 Report, “and to be prepared to sacrifice.”

>>2018 NBA Draft prediction: Top 5<<

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty

DeAndre Ayton – Power Forward - Arizona Wildcats

FAB FRESHMEN | ONE TO WATCH

>>2018 NBA Draft prediction: Top 8<<

SPORTS SPECTRUM

Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty

Trae Young – Guard – Oklahoma Sooners

When Oklahoma Sooners star guard Trae Young steps on the court, he’s likely to have a jaw-dropping moment that will have him as a trending topic. Whether he’s launching 3-pointers from Steph Curry range or threading assists like Pistol Pete Maravich, he’s a walking highlight terrorizing defenses. As of March 1, Young led the nation in points (28.0) and assists (9.0) and was on pace to become the first player in Division I history to lead the nation in both categories for a single season. Taking the basketball world by storm, the 6-2 freshman dropped 43 points against Oregon in the fifth game of the season. Overall, he has four 40-point games on the year, tied the NCAA record for the most assists in a game with 22 against Northwestern St., became the first player in 20 years to have a 20-point and 20-assist game, and led the Sooners to wins over top-10 teams Wichita State, Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech. Last season, the Sooners won only 11 games. With Young, they surpassed that mark three days after the New Year in racing out to a 12-1 start, aided by a 10-game winning streak. Young is an elite shooter with range extending several feet behind the NBA’s 3-point line. He has the speed to breeze past defenders for easy shots at the rim, or stop on a dime and knock down jumpers with ease. He’s also a good passer who’s able to bring out the best in his teammates. But for all his offensive greatness, he does have a glaring weakness: turnovers. Young averages five turnovers per game, one of the highest in college basketball. Despite that issue, he looks to mirror his game after two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. “I just love [Nash’s] all-around game,” Young told SLAM Magazine. “His touch — he was able to score from all three levels on the court, and he was able to get all his teammates involved.” You can say Young was destined to star in crimson red and white since day one. Growing up 15 minutes from campus in Norman, he became Oklahoma’s ball boy, befriending guys like Blake Griffin from 2006-08. After that stint, he hung around the program, and as his game evolved, he was offered a scholarship when he was a sophomore in high school. Averaging 42.6 points, 4.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds during his senior year at Norman North High School, Young was recruited by Duke, Kansas and Kentucky, but he decided to stay close to home. The oldest of four, Young is following in the footsteps of his father, Rayford Young, who once scored 41 points for Texas Tech in an upset win against Kansas in 1999. Every weekend for Young follows the same routine: He joins his family for Sunday service at Victory Family Church in Norman, followed by lunch. The weekly routine is a part of his mother Candice Young’s plan to keep her family grounded in their faith. And no matter where Young goes in the upcoming NBA Draft — if he leaves after this season — missing church isn’t an option. “It’s important to me,” Candice Young told ESPN. “If you’re at home, you’re gonna get up. It’s not an option. I feel like that’s the grounding they get at the beginning of the week. It starts you off right.” It’s that foundation that is giving Oklahoma fans hope of going deep in the NCAA Tournament, and also keeping the Wooden Award candidate focused on his faith, family and hoops.

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in the

WORD

BY ALIESE WILLARD

They’re some of the best female basketball players in the country, and they’re also believers. Here are six women to watch in the NCAA Tournament, which culminates with the Final Four on March 30 and April 1 in Columbus, Ohio. GABBY WILLIAMS | SENIOR FORWARD

Katherine Frey/The Washington Post/Getty

> The UConn Huskies have been the dominant force in women’s collegiate basketball since 1995, and it’s because of players like Williams. She’s a swiss army knife on the court, able to guard every position (no matter the size of opponent), and versatile enough to achieve the AAC’s second highest defensive rebound rate (6.2 per game) and number of assists (5.1 per game), third highest field goal percentage (.583) and steals average (2.6 per game), and fifth highest average of rebounds (7.8 per game). An AllAmerican projected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, Williams plans on playing in the WNBA and Europe after her college career.

Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty

| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

ARIEL ATKINS | SENIOR GUARD | UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

SABRINA IONESCU | SOPHOMORE

Peter G. Aiken/Getty

GUARD | UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

B A S K E T B A L L

> In only two years of collegiate play for the Ducks, the 5-foot-10 Ionescu has accomplished more than most players dream of. The Pac-12 leader in scoring (19.2 points per game) and assists (7.8 per game), she made history this season when she recorded her eighth career triple-double, making her the NCAA record holder (she later added a ninth). It’s no wonder Oregon has gone as high as No. 6 in the national rankings, the highest in the program’s history.

> A ferocious sharpshooter, Atkins has helped lead the Lady Longhorns to a No. 7 national ranking, with potential for a deep postseason run. Second in the Big 12 for free throw percentage (.859) and steals (2.7 per game), and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.396), Atkins is the leading scorer on her team, with an average 14.8 points per game. She is also a finalist for two national honors: the John R. Wooden Award and Senior CLASS Award.

*ALL STATS CURRENT THROUGH MARCH 1 18

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WOMEN IN THE WORD

JAIME NARED | SENIOR GUARD/

FORWARD | UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

Patrick Murphy-Racey/Getty

> Expected to be selected in the 2018 WNBA Draft, Nared has led the Lady Vols to yet another successful season (23-6 through February). She has recorded seven double-doubles, and is ranked first in the conference for free throws made (153), fifth for steals (60), sixth in points per game (17.6), and seventh in rebounds (219), all of which has helped the team climb into the top 12 in the nation.

MERCEDES RUSSELL | SENIOR CENTER

Jonathan Daniel/Getty

| UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

> “Good things come in TALL packages,” reads Russell’s Instagram bio, and we’re sure the Lady Vols couldn’t agree more. At 6-6, Russell is one of the tallest and most revered centers in the SEC. Currently eighth in the conference in blocks (40), and fourth in rebounds (252), her most impressive accomplishment is a No. 2 ranking in the conference for field goal percentage, at 60.1 percent. Swish.

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE | JUNIOR

GUARD | UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

> Known for her fearless approach and skill as a sharpshooter, Ogunbowale ranks first in the ACC in scoring, with an average of 20.3 points per game. She’s also within the top 15 of the conference for free throw (.795) and 3-point field goal percentage (.368), and steals (1.6 per game). Expect the Fighting Irish to utilize her in multiple roles in order to maintain their top-five national ranking.

Patrick Murphy-Racey/Getty

B A S K E T B A L L

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“I think for her and me that was definitely a pivotal moment because that was something — it brought us closer together getting closer to God,” Jrue said, adding, “I would say [our relationship with God] changed because I started to reach more towards Him. And I don’t know if it sounds cliche or whatever, but I felt like a lot of times when something bad happens, that’s where you can start to seek God more. Again, some people veer away from Him but at that point I felt like because my wife and myself are both believers, we [prayed] together and that’s something that we could just do together. We just pray together every night before we go to sleep. Pray for our daughter, pray for her health.” Eventually, Lauren’s health improved enough for Jrue to return to the court. Yet as he rejoined the team, several questions lingered, such as, “Could he stay healthy?” In 2014, Jrue missed 48 games with a stress fracture in his right tibia. The following season he reinjured his tibia again and missed 42 games. But even though he missed time, the injuries helped transform his prayer life. “Before [those injuries] I felt like I prayed a lot,” Jrue said. “I tried to pray when everything would go well. Do my devotion every day. Set my alarm every morning and it would say, ‘Do your devotion. Do your devotion.’ But I do think that me being hurt and going through that struggle, that was one of the times where I didn’t get as close to God as I wanted to, because I got hurt one time but the injury reoccurred again. And I think that second time was when I started to get closer to Him.” In Holiday’s first game back on Nov. 18, 2016, he scored 21 points and dished out seven assists against the Portland Trail Blazers, and then helped the Pelicans reel off four consecutive victories. They were 2-10 in his absence. The Pelicans went on to finish the season 34-48, missing the postseason, but Holiday was a stabilizing force on the offense, averaging 15.4 points and 7.3 assists per game. Seeing Jrue’s value to the team, the Pelicans rewarded him with a five-year, $126 million deal this past offseason. And the contract has paid off for New Orleans. Through March 1, he had posted career highs in points (19.1), rebounds (4.4) and field goal percentage (.492). The Pelicans are also back in the playoff race, holding onto the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Holiday will be relied on more the rest of this season to fill the hole on offense usually filled by Demarcus Cousins, who tore his Achilles tendon Jan. 26. As Holiday enters the stretch run to the playoffs, he’s sitting on a verse that helps him focus. “One Scripture verse is Philippians 4:6-7, and it’s, ‘Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Ask God for what you need and thank Him for everything that you have. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace,’” Jrue said. At home, Lauren has fully recovered. Seeing his wife healed has given Jrue a new insight to his faith. “Just believing,” Jrue said. “Believing that God can heal any disease. He is a miracle worker and just to be able to have faith in that and to have peace with whatever decision He makes because ultimately it’s up to Him and it’s not up to us.”

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he New Orleans Pelicans were on the court getting ready to host the Detroit Pistons in a Jan. 8 matchup when starting point guard Jrue Holiday needed help grabbing a basketball to take a final practice shot. Coming to his rescue wasn’t a trainer or a ball boy, but his 17-month-old daughter. She leaped out of her mother’s arms and approached her dad, clutching the ball to her jean jacket. She took two large steps and bounced it to her father’s waiting arms. Fans witnessed the adorable moment on the Jumbotron. But as simple as that father-daughter exchange may have appeared, it was a monumental blessing — one of many Holiday treasures after going through one of the toughest challenges he’s faced as a husband and father. In June 2016, Jrue’s wife, former U.S. soccer star Lauren Holiday (nee Cheney), received a major health scare while six months pregnant with their first child. She was diagnosed with a benign tumor on the right side of her brain. Thankfully, the tumor was operable and not expected to threaten the health of Lauren or the baby. However, Lauren began suffering painful headaches, so doctors induced labor 5 1/2 weeks early to accelerate the timeline for brain surgery. She gave birth to healthy baby girl, Jrue Tyler Holiday, in September 2016. Just a few weeks later, she successfully underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Through it all, Jrue stayed by his wife’s and daughter’s sides, and held on to a “positive belief that everything was going to be OK.” He missed the first 12 games of the Pelicans’ 2016-17 regular season, as the team never pressured him to return before his family was ready. “[Lauren is] the most important thing to me,” Jrue said. “Obviously we were having a daughter as well and this was going to be my first experience with that and I just wanted her to come out healthy.” Support for the Holidays poured in from all over the country. Prayers and well wishes from the New Orleans community, fans and Pelicans teammates made their way to the Holidays’ front door. But several questions lurked. How well would Lauren heal from surgery? Would the baby being born early experience any health issues? It all forced the Holidays to press into their faith. Lauren memorized Psalm 30:5 and would recite it daily: “For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” And Jrue committed himself to grow deeper in his time of prayer with the Lord.

STRENGTH

UNDER AFTER NAVIGATING THE SCARIEST YEAR OF HIS LIFE, JRUE HOLIDAY IS ENJOYING HIS BEST SEASON IN THE NBA BY JUSTIN ADAMS

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philadelphia eagles

Soaring Like

The Philadelphia Eagles boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus en route to winning Super Bowl LII

by jon ackerman With additional reporting from Jason Romano, Becky York and Floodgate Productions

HE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES OPENED THE 2017-18 NFL SEASON AS LONGSHOTS TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL – 40/1 ODDS. THEY WERE COMING OFF A 7-9 SEASON AND UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A PROMISING, BUT STILL UNPROVEN QUARTERBACK. DALLAS WAS EXPECTED TO WIN THE NFC EAST, GREEN BAY THE NFC, AND NEW ENGLAND THE SUPER BOWL. BUT AS WE ALL KNOW NOW, THE EAGLES BECAME THE BEST UNIT IN THE NFL. WHILE OUTSIDERS MARVELED AT THEIR RISE, THE PLAYERS FELT SOMETHING SPECIAL BREWING BEFORE THE SEASON EVEN BEGAN. SPORTS SPECTRUM TALKED TO A NUMBER OF EAGLES ABOUT HOW THEIR SEASON PROGRESSED — NOT ONLY ON THE FIELD, BUT IN THEIR SPIRITUAL LIVES AS WELL. HERE IS THE STORY OF THEIR SEASON:

Safety/special teams captain Chris Maragos: “All the way back in April when we started OTAs, we were just starting out as a team but we could tell we had the right culture of guys, the right coaching staff in place — offense, defense and special teams — and enough talent to get it done.” Tight end Trey Burton: “During training camp we knew we had a really good chance of being good, just because of how high the competition level was, and how much everybody pushed each other. Our practices were tough, like there was nothing easy about them. Our coaches were not letting us be soft.”

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After going 1-7 last year in road games, the Eagles were immediately challenged in 2017 with four of their first six games on the road. Burton: “Being able to win three out of the four of those road games was crucial for us in the beginning. … You don’t go into the season thinking you’re going to be bad. You expect to win; all 32 teams expect to win. But when push comes to shove, you start the season off great and get all these road games out of the way and win those games, it’s important.” After a Week 2 road loss to Kansas City, the Eagles reeled off nine consecutive wins, making the playoffs a certainty. Yet, numerous key players also went down with seasonending injuries: kicker Caleb Sturgis in Week 1, running back Darren Sproles in Week 3, Maragos in Week 6, left tackle Jason Peters in Week 7, and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks also in Week 7. Maragos: “We had so many injuries, it deterred us a bit; we wondered if we could withstand it. But the character and core of this team was so strong and we were able to overcome literally every injury.”

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As the wins stacked up, the camaraderie in the locker room strengthened — due in no small part to the many Christ-followers on the Eagles. Burton: “You look at every position on the team, there’s at least one believer. A lot of positions there’s multiple believers. It’s pretty special to be a part of that.” Tight end Zach Ertz: “These are guys that not only love me as a player but encourage me more so off the field to stay true to the Word, to be in the Word, to consistently seek growth.” Left guard Stefen Wisniewski: “I remember when [receiver] Marcus [Johnson] got baptized before the Carolina game [at the team hotel in Week 6] — we’re all praying, he gets baptized and I could just feel God’s presence in that room. I was like, ‘There’s no way we can lose tomorrow. There’s no way.’” WEB 23

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NICK FOLES Burton: “There’s been so much talk about faith in football this year, and we were kind of the groundbreakers on that, or the bridge in letting people know it’s cool to talk about. Multiple reporters in Philly in the locker room come up to me and say, ‘Hey, your guys’ faith article was the mostread article we had all season and we need to do another one.’” Then star quarterback Carson Wentz, who was enjoying a MVP-caliber season, suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, as the Eagles moved to 11-2. Ertz: “When Carson went down, it was obviously tough for the team, a guy that was pretty much the rock of the team. When he got hurt, everyone was extremely devastated.”

Maragos: “Everyone had written us off — we lost our left tackle, middle linebacker, running back, safety and then finally our starting quarterback. People were saying, ‘Somehow they managed to make it this far, but now they’re really done.’ In their eyes, losing our star quarterback was the final blow.” Wentz: “We were obviously playing extremely well. We were on pace to go win the NFC East. We were just really clicking. … I felt like I was in total control out there and potentially had a feel for the game that I probably hadn’t had on that level yet. I just felt probably as good as ever.” He suffered complete tears of the ACL and LCL in his left knee when he dove in for a touchdown (which was ultimately overturned).

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philadelphia eagles Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty

Wentz: “I just remember saying, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,’ like over and over. ‘I need You.’ The trainers were looking at it, doing their tests and I honestly wasn’t even really paying attention to their tests. I was just laying back, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.’ He’s the only one that could make it better, He’s the only one that could provide me peace. And at the same time, I’m like, ‘Your will.’ Because I knew I needed Him emotionally, physically — kind of everything in that moment.” Wisniewski: “At that point our goals were really, really high. Our goals were like, ‘We could be the best in the league. We could win a Super Bowl.’ Our quarterback gets hurt, and we didn’t want to change our goal.” Taking over was Nick Foles, one of many key offseason acquisitions, who’d spent his first three years in the NFL with Philadelphia. Wisniewski: “We knew we could keep winning with Foles. It’s crazy too when you think about it: Our starting quarterback — who is a very outspoken, bold Christian with his faith — goes down, and it’s like, ‘You can’t stop us.’ You knock out one Christian quarterback, we got another one. We don’t care.’” Burton: “With Carson going down, obviously you never want to see anybody get hurt, but we just took it in stride; we had been there. Maybe if he would have been the first guy to go down, it might not have been as smooth of a transition.” Foles, who aspires to be a pastor when his playing days are done, led the Eagles to victory in two of the final three regular season games, thus clinching the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Eagles then defeated Atlanta and Minnesota to reach Super Bowl LII against New England. Burton: “Going into it we knew we were the better team. On paper we were the better team and then on the field once we got started we were the better team. I think what was huge for us was jumping out to a lead early.”

STEFEN WISNIEWSKI With 38 seconds remaining in the first half and the Eagles leading 15-12, Foles called a play that will live in Super Bowl lore. On fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, he dialed up “Philly Special,” a trick play they added for the playoffs — direct snap to running back Corey Clement, who pitched it to Burton, who threw to a wide open Foles in the end zone. Burton: “I just remember him calling the play, I pick my head up and I lock eyes with him, and I’m like, ‘All right, we’re really doing this. Let’s go.’ And then from then on, I focus on catching the toss and then he was so wide open that I just wanted to make sure it was a catchable ball, and the rest is history.” The teams combined for 40 points in the second half, and 1,151 yards for the game, the most in any modern NFL contest. Wide receiver Torrey Smith on the offensive shootout: “We knew it was going to be that way for us, we didn’t think it would be that way for them. … Ultimately our defense came up big when it mattered most. There was no doubt. We knew we were going to win that game.” Hicks on Brandon Graham’s strip-sack with 2:16 left in the fourth: “Honestly, the vibe the entire game was that we were going to win, it was just a matter of how. It’s crazy because we were on the sideline and I remember BG saying, ‘It’s time to make the play.’ Everybody, all the defensive guys, they knew it was that time. They hadn’t gotten to the quarterback yet.” Despite being the underdog in every playoff game, the Eagles toppled the mighty Patriots, 41-33. Foles, one of many backups playing key positions, was named the game’s MVP.

Maragos: “We were shorthanded, but yet God got so much more glory because look what He was able to accomplish through ‘the least of these,’ the backups, the guys who were filling in roles.” Hicks: “As much as [the injured guys] want to be out there helping the team win, and you see all this success, you can’t deny that God’s hand is on this team. You can’t deny it. How can I sit here and have all these selfish desires [of wanting to play] when God’s hand is at work?” Wisniewski: “We all really felt God’s favor was on our team. That’s something you don’t want to throw out casually, but we felt that and that was real. And here looking at the other end, it’s really hard to deny that that was real.” And the core leaders on the team didn’t leave the confetti-filled field that night before thanking their Lord and Savior. Wisniewski, who had been leading the team in passion-filled pregame prayers since Week 5, savored the chance to lead his brothers in prayer following the biggest game of the year. Wisniewski: “I had been dreaming about that all week. It’s been my joy to be the guy who prays for this team, especially because we’ve got so many believers. … And so we win and the rush of emotion is crazy — confetti, there’s just people everywhere and it’s chaos, media and players. I hugged a couple guys, highfived and then after a couple minutes I was like, ‘Yo, we got to pray. This is what we do after every game, no matter what, we pray at the 50-yard line. And this is the Super Bowl, we’re going to do it.’ It took longer than usual to gather the guys … “But the whole point of that prayer is to just let people know the only reason we were able to do this is because we are followers of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit is in us. He’s touched our lives, He’s given us the strength, He’s given us the ability, and we wouldn’t be here without Him.”

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty

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CARSON WENTZ

DRAFT DRAFT ORDER APRIL 26-28 1. Cleveland Browns 2. New York Giants 3. Indianapolis Colts 4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston) 5. Denver Broncos 6. New York Jets 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8. Chicago Bears 9. San Francisco 49ers 10. Oakland Raiders 11. Miami Dolphins 12. Cincinnati Bengals 13. Washington Redskins 14. Green Bay Packers 15. Arizona Cardinals 16. Baltimore Ravens 17. Los Angeles Chargers 18. Seattle Seahawks 19. Dallas Cowboys 20. Detroit Lions 21. Buffalo Bills 22. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City) 23. Los Angeles Rams 24. Carolina Panthers 25. Tennessee Titans 26. Atlanta Falcons 27. New Orleans Saints 28. Pittsburgh Steelers 29. Jacksonville Jaguars 30. Minnesota Vikings

31. New England Patriots 32. Philadelphia Eagles

* Order S P Oas R T SofS PMarch E C T R U M 1. Subject to change prior to draft. 25 current

PROSPECTS TO WATCH

MINKAH FITZPATRICK SAFETY | ALABAMA

Projected as a top-10 pick, maybe even top-five, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Fitzpatrick figures to be the first safety off the board. The first cornerback too — he can play both positions. Fitzpatrick primarily played safety for the national champs, but also spent plenty of time covering receivers outside and inside. A shutdown defensive back will fit on any team.

Photo by Butch Dill/Getty

COURTLAND SUTTON WIDE RECEIVER | SOUTHERN METHODIST

Some experts see Sutton as the second-best receiver in the draft, or at least third, slotting him toward the end of the first round or early in the second. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he’s a tough matchup and big-play threat. Sutton averaged 72 catches, 1,166 yards and 11 touchdowns the past two seasons with Southern Methodist.

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty

MASON RUDOLPH QUARTERBACK | OKLAHOMA STATE

Rudolph won’t be the first quarterback taken, or second, or third, and probably not the fourth. But he might still go in the first round — that’s how deep this draft is with passers. Most experts peg the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Rudolph as a second- or third-rounder, but it’s a QB hungry league. If the top four passers go quick, teams might move Rudolph up their board. He led the nation in yards (4,904) in 2017.

Photo by Brett Deering/Getty 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 : CSAPLOLR 8T 6S 6 S- P8 2E 1C -T 2R9U7M1

T “IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, I THINK CHURCHES WHO DON’T USE FOOTBALL SUNDAY ON SUPER BOWL WEEKEND ARE GOING TO BE THE MINORITY.”— GARY MOLANDER 26

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By Jon Ackerman

THEGENESIS

OF A quarterback’s idea is now a worldwide movement centered around the super bowl

he conversation began as two friends just catching up, quarterback Josh McCown and pastor Craig Gross sitting around late one night in an Orlando hotel, taking in a Christian sports conference. Before long, the creative thinkers were tossing out creative ideas. Before they called it a night, one idea in particular stood out. “We were kind of kicking around some things and [had] this thought that, ‘We’re at this conference where we have a bunch of athletes and guys that are passionate about their faith and willing to speak out about it, what that would look like if we captured some of that content and just shared it with churches,’” McCown told Sports Spectrum in the days leading up to this year’s Super Bowl. “Super Bowl Sunday has become so important to our culture. If we leverage the importance that it draws in our culture, [we] said, ‘What would that look like if we leverage that moment to tell people about Jesus and to really have an impact?’” The Increase, a community of Christian pro athletes, had recently begun releasing videos of such pros sharing their stories of the decrease of self and the

increase of Christ (John 3:30). McCown was among the athletes who’d been filmed. Pondering ways to get the videos in front of more people, he thought, “Why don’t we put two or three of them together, the best ones, get a host that tees them all up, and present it to the Church? Hey Church, show this instead of preaching on Super Bowl Sunday.” The morning after that late-night brainstorm, McCown presented the idea to Steve Stenstrom, the president of Pro Athletes Outreach, the ministry behind The Increase. “It took me about a half a second to smile and embrace the idea and say, ‘That’s brilliant, Josh. I love it. Let me go to work on what we could do and get back to you,’” Stenstrom says. While still at this same conference, Stenstrom floated the idea to Gary Molander, the co-owner of Floodgate Productions, the company hired to produce The Increase videos. “My initial thoughts were, ‘Oh my gosh, yes. … If we do this right, I think in 10 years, churches who don’t use Football Sunday on Super Bowl weekend are going to be the minority.’ And I still believe that,” Molander says. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

“That makes it fun to think about who we’re going to meet in Heaven some day and hear the stories of how they gave their life to Christ because they saw Football Sunday” — Steve Stenstrom That was February 2013. Within the next year, the idea had been branded Football Sunday. Five years later, it’s on that steep trajectory. The seed planted by McCown has sprouted into a movement now reaching 2 million people. “Not all ideas are created equal,” Stenstrom says. “So in this case it was very clear to me, having walked with the Lord for a long time and having been in ministry for many years, there’s just a language of faith and there’s an understanding that something is rich with God’s wisdom, and God’s divine direction. There’s just a difference, like when you hear an idea, that something in the spirit of God within your heart, as a ministry leader, knows that God is orchestrating something. And that was obvious in that moment. “Sometimes you’ve got to really mine for the gold, but this one was on the surface. It got my attention and it kept my attention, and that attention quickly led us to an action plan that we began to pursue and consider.”

The next Super Bowl was 11 months away, but Stenstrom didn’t feel the door was open to debut this short film in 2014. “Producing the product was an easy thing for us to do,” Stenstrom says. “We already had the stories. We had a great guy in [former NFL quarterback] Trent Dilfer who was willing to host it for us in the first year. The creative side, the production side, the product side, we had.” It was the marketing and distribution side that lacked. But within that year, The Increase got connected to Life Church and Bobby Gruenewald, creators of the YouVersion Bible app. Gruenewald helped get The Increase videos put into Life Church’s Open Network, which is full of free resources (largely created by Life Church) for pastors and church leaders. He also facilitated getting the videos distributed through the app — one of the first times YouVersion accepted thirdparty content. “That partnership with them unlocked a church network that we didn’t have before,” Stenstrom says. And so Floodgate was given the green light to forge ahead and produce the first Football Sunday. With stories from athletes shot in early 2014,

Molander arranged to film Dilfer, who got the crew access to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. They shot him in a day. “And then Steve had the idea of, ‘What if we sent you guys to the Super Bowl cities the week before?’” Molander says. “We’re like, ‘Are you kidding? How do we turn that around? We’re not the news; we’re editors and storytellers, we’re not the news. How do we turn that around so fast?’ Steve was like, ‘I don’t know, just do it.’ “So I’ll never forget that first championship weekend, where there’s four teams left and they’re all playing on Sunday. We knew that Monday morning we were flying somewhere, and we had no idea where.” New England and Seattle became the destinations. Tickets purchased, bags and gear packed, the crew set off for Boston first. They attempted to get access to players through the team’s media relations staff — no luck. They tried going through Don Davis, a former Patriot who worked for both PAO and the NFLPA — no luck. “It was one of the scariest feelings for me, just as a human, flying into a city, knowing nobody, knowing that the expectations were that somehow we’re going to interview the Patriots players,

who by the way are playing in the Super Bowl in a week or two,” Molander says. “It was insane.” Matthew Slater, New England’s special teams captain, became their ally. A well-known believer, he helped corral offensive lineman Nate Solder and defensive tackle Chris Jones to also sit down for interviews. Then it was across the country to Seattle, where, thankfully, quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive lineman Russell Okung were connected with The Increase and more than willing to help. “Just set up out there on our practice field,” they told Molander’s crew. “We’re going to start sending all the believers out to you.” “So here’s the thing: God always intervenes, every single time,” Molander says, adding, “It’s, ‘God, if You don’t do something, we can’t make this happen on our own. There’s no way. Like, if You don’t prod a player’s heart to come over to us where we’re set up, we can’t do it.’” Despite venturing into the unknown, the Floodgate guys returned home fired up, thrilled at the possibility of doing this annually. They landed in Fresno, Calif., that year on a Friday, then went right to work editing down everything captured into a 30-minute video. Already away from their families for a week, they didn’t emerge with a polished product until Wednesday. With Dilfer as host, Football Sunday 2015 featured wide receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, along with the New England and Seattle players filmed just days before its release. “We set a very modest goal,” Stenstrom says. “We said, ‘What if five churches from every state on average did Football Sunday? So what if we have 250 churches sign up?’”

“SUPER BOWL SUNDAY HAS BECOME SO IMPORTANT TO OUR CULTURE. WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE IF WE LEVERAGE THAT MOMENT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS AND TO REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT?”— Josh McCown

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THE GENESIS OF FOOTBALL SUNDAY

JAMES BROWN, 2018 HOST GARY MOLANDER [ L ] & TRENT DILFER [ R ] More than 1,400 churches participated in Football Sunday that first year. The estimated reach was more than 600,000 people. Super Bowl XLIX featuring the Patriots and Seahawks took place in Phoenix on February 1, 2015. Stenstrom, a former NFL quarterback, was watching the game with his son, Blake, in an NFLPA suite when Marshall walked in. “I remember him tapping me on the shoulder and he said something to the effect of, ‘Hey, you told me about Football Sunday, but I didn’t realize what a big deal it was. I’ve had people texting me and DM’ing me all day saying they saw me in their church.’” Stenstrom knew they were on to something when “we blew past our human goal of 250 churches,” and the notion was only reinforced upon returning home to Denver to the feedback coming in from churches that showed Football Sunday. The vast majority said they would

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participate again in 2016. New for Year 2 was a three-week teaching series for pastors if they wanted to do championship weekend, Pro Bowl weekend and Super Bowl weekend, and a shorter 12-minute main video. Dilfer, Thomas Davis and Drew Brees were featured in 2016, along with Denver and Carolina players set to play in Super Bowl 50. More than 2,600 churches took part, reaching an estimated 1.32 million people. And according to surveys from nearly 400 pastors, more than 5,000 people came to Christ after watching the video. Three five-minute videos were added to the main videos and teaching series in 2017, when Marshall, Anquan Boldin and D’Brickashaw Ferguson were the featured athletes, joined by New England and Atlanta players set for Super Bowl LI. More than 2,750 churches participated, reaching an estimated 1.22 million people. The video also appeared on the Hillsong Channel 30 minutes before kickoff, and pastor surveys indicated more than 15,000 people came to Christ.

“The beautiful thing about Football Sunday from my seat, and when you get a chance to talk to any pastor or a church leader, is we’re hosting an outreach event in partnership with local churches … and [millions of people are] watching it in the church buildings,” Stenstrom says. “So they’re already in the place where they need to be once they make a decision to follow Christ. It’s beautiful because again, those pastors and leaders, they know what to do. God’s wired them to be part of the Great Commission. And so we feel like we’re getting to partner with those pastors and leaders in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. “That makes it fun to think about who we’re going to meet in Heaven some day and hear the stories of how they gave

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their life to Christ because they heard D’Brickashaw and Kirsten Ferguson’s story, or whatever it might be.” In 2018, all the same types of videos were produced, more than 3,100 churches participated, it again aired on the Hillsong Channel, and an estimated 1.32 million people were reached. But added was an on-the-ground outreach effort in Minneapolis, the Super Bowl host city. A Football Sunday edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine was produced, with 200,000 copies traveling to the Twin Cities to be handed out by a team of 25,000 people led by 400 pastors, who were also armed with 300,000 Gospel flyers. Football Sunday has morphed into a strategic vision that can be replicated year after year in the Super Bowl host cities. In the next three to five years, Stenstrom would love for every church leader in America to know about Football Sunday, that it’s a resource there for them whether they use it or not. The pastors who do take part often experience their thirdhighest attendance day of the year, behind only Easter and Christmas. “There’s a segment, a large segment of the American population that loves football so much that if they knew they could hear from the pros playing in the games that day, or Trent Dilfer or Benjamin Watson or James Brown as host, then they would come,” Stenstrom says. “They would come on that day but maybe never come again. But it might be the one chance when they can hear the Gospel.”

THERE’S NOBODY ON PLANET EARTH THAT SPEAKS TO THAT MANY PEOPLE IN CHURCHES ON SUPER BOWL WEEKEND. SOME OF THE LARGE CHURCHES IN OUR COUNTRY REACH 50,000

PEOPLE. BUT THIS IS REACHING NOW 1.5 TO 2 MILLION PEOPLE. AND I THINK WE’RE JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE. — STEVE STENSTROM

STEVE STENSTROM There’s no telling what God will do in the future. Stenstrom says his ministry will “remain faithful and obedient to do what God tells [us] to do without knowing the outcomes or the how’s.” And Molander says, “We don’t ever want to plan the Holy Spirit out of this thing.” And it all began when an idea, sparked by a late-night conversation between a quarterback and a pastor, ignited a movement among millions. To convey the reach Football Sunday boasts, Stenstrom tells the athletes that they’ll speak to more people that day than any pastor in the world. “That’s the power of it when you think about it,” he says. “There’s nobody on planet Earth that speaks to that many people in churches on Super Bowl weekend. Some of the large churches in our country reach 50,000 people. But this is reaching now 1.5 to 2 million people. “And I think we’re just scratching the surface.”

KIRSTEN FERGUSON WEB 29

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WINTER OLYMPICS Photo by Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty

Photo by David Ramos/Getty

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty

By Aliese Willard

FEBRUARY 13

MEN’S ALPINE SKIING, COMBINED EVENT Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, considered the greatest male skier of his generation, finally won an Olympic gold medal. It was his third Games, and he received a silver in Sochi 2014. But compared to his 55 World Cup race wins, a record six consecutive World Cup overall crowns, and being a six-time world champion across four disciplines, his Olympic performances never measured up to the success he found elsewhere.

FEBRUARY 14

MEN’S HALFPIPE SNOWBOARDING A nailbiter — Shaun White put down a showstopping final run to narrowly top Japan’s Ayumu Hirano. White landed back-to-back 1440s — a combo he’d never even attempted in practice — and earned the 100th Winter Olympic gold medal for the U.S.

FEBRUARY 17

WOMEN’S ALPINE SKIING SUPER-G, SNOWBOARDING PARALLEL GIANT SLALOM Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic, the first athlete to compete in and win gold medals in both snowboarding and skiing at the Olympics, shocked the field (which included Lindsey Vonn) to win by 0.01 of a second in the women’s super-G. Her best sport is snowboarding, in which she’s a two-time world champ, and she followed up by winning another gold days later in that event’s parallel giant slalom.

FEBRUARY 16

FEBRUARY 13

WOMEN’S HALFPIPE SNOWBOARDING Snowboarding phenom Chloe Kim, 17, won gold in the women’s halfpipe, enthralling crowds and judges by landing back-to-back 1080s. Known for changing her hair color to wild shades on a whim, we think her current golden blonde ‘do was nothing short of prophetic.

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Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty

Photo by David Ramos/Getty

MEN’S SKELETON Racing in front of an ecstatic home crowd, Yun Sung-bin won the gold in skeleton, South Korea’s first Olympic medal in the event. Every other Winter Olympic medal for South Korea previously came in skating (figure skating or speed skating).

FEBRUARY 21

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SKIING TEAM SPRINT In a surprise finish, Americans Kikkan Randall and Jessica Diggins narrowly edged the Swedish and Norwegian teams to claim the first Olympic cross country skiing gold medal in U.S. history. For a good laugh, check out NBC’s coverage; the commentators practically lose their minds when Diggins takes the lead. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

WOMEN’S SINGLES FIGURE SKATING Russian skaters Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova took turns setting back-to-back world record high scores for their short programs, treating viewers to the world’s most challenging and entertaining skating, and raising the bar for skaters to come. Zagitova eventually won the gold, and Medvedeva took silver.

Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty

Photo by Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty

FEBRUARY 21

FEBRUARY 22

WOMEN’S HOCKEY The U.S. women’ hockey team pulled off a riveting win against rival Canada. After regulation play tied at 2, the game went into 20 minutes of overtime, then a six-round shootout that the U.S. won. It’s the first gold medal for the women’s team in 20 years, and occurred on the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice from 1980.

FEBRUARY 24

MEN’S CURLING The story of the U.S. men’s curling team is the next semi-inspirational sports comedy movie in the making: five average Joes from Minnesota with no medal expectations slid and swiffered their way to their country’s first Olympic gold medal in curling. Add neon green homemade curling shoes, an epic mustache, and the fact that the team was accidentally given the women’s curling gold medals, and there’s obvious cinematic substance (movie producers, take note).

FEBRUARY 22

MEN’S SKI HALFPIPE David Wise pulled off an incredible third run in the halfpipe final, taking the lead after losing a ski and falling on his first two runs, and restoring his confidence after playing it safe in the qualifying round. He held his spot to capture gold, defending his title from the 2014 Games. SEE PAGE 32 31

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By Aliese Willard

Obstacles stood in David Wise’s way, but with God he overcame them all

as a id Wise v a D ff eo to writ freeski medal. as easy econd gold for the men’s w t s as ang ing run ongch der for conten ns, his qualify the 2018 Pye ast. le s t To fa at the tition a and wa compe derwhelming he two runs, e t s ip p ju lf t un ha of icks safer tr ics were d in the first e n with ition. A gold Olymp h u r s a y r s c a ne 14 pet Wise down a und of com ent at the 20 ro to put v l e d h a t e e n h fi rc ip fo eig lfp the eski ha .6 put him in . e it to ls 9 to mak in the first fre a 7 n f fi o e th ore st medali mpics, his sc s heading to in. Wise ly ier ga Sochi O t of the 12 sk mity struck a was set up u la a o uns place later, c finals r is first two o days of the three h w T d st 1260 — lande t his fir f his life: He double cork rashed h g u o th d tc to 080 an he bes s — bu to be t ouble cork 1 axis rotation kis had come ffad is s tricks, h two o ne of h vers wit ition after. O . u d e e n n a m go,” ns ctio the tra malfun supposed to at the during the binding s how it’s n camera off whe ll, that wasn’t dressing the nt “We gh, ad a differe h a lau ipe. o t it w d e id h switc he sa halfp he of the n, Wise gs. Yet bottom is second ru d the bindin re. e u For h tighten r binding fail is and e k h s t f o o — an pair d again wrecke

SPORTS SPECTRUM

With additional

reporting from

Becky York

ed s surpris m just a id in an I’ , e m t sa “Trus ,” Wise ad to uys were o. “I definitely h wn, g u o y s a e o d id r v e e g y an m liv Instagra ute and calm m ry e v E . in ted take a m t frustra t of a I was jus walk ou ving e s u to a g c e in b o a g t is u r skie …b h s halfpipe m time to time wa s n ru o o fr hin tw it w binding nt e ic re o diffe pen tw that hap rmal, and on tw no really ab ss.” e kis, no le s go in th f o s pair e run to n e’s o is ly n W o t h h g Wit ers thou any view ic gold finals, m second Olymp a r quest fo over. e as w l a e first tim d e m a wasn’t th g n is ri th u t d u B ardship leading h h it w alt rs he’d de two yea tion. His ere rife with ti e p m o c sw acks. If e Game up to th nd athletic setb ed la s stok persona iled run fa e th , n. anything is determinatio rote h f w o e is the fire m,” W e proble haters forgot h T “ e g, “is th re in his blo Or, perhaps, mo red . m th a o er b e who I they nev s in the ly te ra u acc I wa out who to figure e.” first plac TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

In the halfpipe, skiers whiz up and down 22-foot-high wa lls slick with icy snow, performing tric ks when they’re pro pelled into the air. Ju This is who dges award a David Wise is: score based on a comb The athlete who completed ina tion of trick the most impr difficulty, height from essive and technically the top of the -difficult run ev wall, technique, progre er performed in ha ssion in the run, lfpipe skiing, an and variety of tricks. d won his second cons ecutive Olympi While he honed his ski c gold — glorifying God lls in the all the way thro halfpipe, Wise worke ugh. d on his faith as well. Raised in a Ch ristian home, Wise always felt drawn to having a relationship with God. From his ea rliest memorie “[God] spoke to my s (and Wise estimates they heart as a child start around ag an d I was never able to ge e 3), he was skiing. A na t Him out of tive of Reno, N my head,” Wise said ev., Wise was one of thre in an interview with e competitive Sports Spectrum. “E daredevil siblings who liv ven when I tried to ed for the near walk away He was alw by slopes of the Sky Tave ays able to pull me rn ski resort. back.” Four years younger than The “walking away” his twin sisters Jessica occurred in and Christy, W hig h school, when Wise’s ise followed them in ski raci parents split up ng until age 11 and the sisters he loo , when he was intrigued ke d up to left for by the jumps an college. d tricks he saw other skie rs perform at th “All of the sudden I ha e terrain park — the disc d this massive ipline known as str uc ture of support missi fre skiing, or frees es ty le ng from my life. kiing. That’s when I really wa Though W lked away and did ise is the first to my own thing. I went admit he wasn’t initially through a journey a standout, his of discovering whether fa m work ethic mad ily’s my faith in God e him one. really was my own or “I’ll be hone jus t something I st, I wasn’t the believed because I wa most talented kid gr s told of it from a owing up. Thin young age on,” he sai gs didn’t come super na d. turally to me,” Wise read the Koran Wise said on Instagram. , the Book “But my sisters of Mormon, and the and my dad and mom taug Apocrypha, ht me how to questioning the valid work hard, and I just neve ity of his beliefs until r took ‘no’ for he found the faith he an answer. I said that I wan ’d been ted to be the ab searching for. solute best skier that I coul d possibly be, “Jesus’ message is so and I wasn’t going to give unique up until I acco compared to any oth mplished what I accompl er message in the ished.” wo rld,” Wise said. “Now Over the ne when people xt several year ask me why I have the s, Wise trained with re faith that I have, it’s nowned Tahoe an easy answer. I know ski coach Clay Beck and because I took the competed in as time to discover why many freeski events I believe it.” as he could: m It was also during hig oguls, aerials, big air, halfpip h school that e and slopestyl Wi se’ s training began to pa e. Ev halfpipe — “b entually y off; he won y far the most his first U.S. national dangerous and most exci championship title ting,” accordin in halfpipe at age 15 g to Wise’s blog — becam , and went pro at 18. e his specialty. Do zens of competitions and wins followed in the next few years , including three X Games freeski halfpipe gold medals.

A Wise Upbringing

“I didn’t think that God’s plan was going to be me wearing this gold medal. It wasn’t my strength out there that enabled me to do that; I was fully dependent on Him.”

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Wise also found time to start a family. In 2011 at age 21, he married his wife, Alexandra, whom he credits as the “superstar” of his family. Their daughter, Nayeli, was born later that year. He qualified for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, and competed in the first ever freeskiing halfpipe event at the Games. In spite of poor pipe construction and an adverse weather combo of sleet and heavy snow, Wise landed his run and won the gold medal. Post-Olympics, the Wise family’s upward trajectory continued: Alexandra became pregnant with their second child, the couple led the youth group at their church in Reno, and enjoyed watching their family grow. Life was good.

Reigniting the Furnace “God spoke to my heart as a child and I was never able to get Him out of my head. Even when I tried to walk away He was always able to pull me back.”

FREESKI HALFPIPE

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Photos by David Ramos | Ian MacNicol | Hyoung Chang/Getty

HOW DO HALFPIPE SKIERS COMPETE? Skiers plunge up and down the 22-foothigh walls of the halfpipe, performing tricks when they’re launched into the air above the walls. The most difficult tricks earn more points, as does a clean run with no falls.

HOW ARE HALFPIPE SKIERS JUDGED? A team of five judges evaluates the athletes on their overall impression of the run. They evaluate based on the amplitude or height reached above the walls, difficulty of tricks, variety, execution, and progression. Each judge awards a score between 1-100, and the scores are averaged together to create the final score.

COMMONS TRICKS:

Alley Oop: A spin going against the direction of travel Cork: An off-axis rotation. In halfpipe, inverting or flipping once is a single cork. Flip twice for a double. Switch: Skiing backwards

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Following his triumph in Sochi, though, a slew of troubles plagued Wise and his family for the next few years, hindering his athletic abilities and testing his resolve. Alexandra suffered from severe postpartum depression after giving birth to their son, Malachi. Baby Malachi experienced a febrile seizure while Wise was traveling, Alexandra’s father died, and both she and Wise each lost a grandmother. Furthermore, Wise was devastated when one of the students in his youth group committed suicide, and when his sister Christy, now an Air Force pilot, lost one of her legs in a paddleboarding accident. In skiing, Wise struggled to heal from debilitating shoulder and back injuries, and sustained three concussions. His performances suffered — he didn’t make the podium in any elite competition in 2016 — and several sponsors dropped him. “On paper, those were the worst two years of my competitive career, but in my spirit and heart, what my wife and I have been saying is that those were some of the best years of our lives,” Wise said, “because we were able to use these adversities to find the true meaning of joy. True joy doesn’t come from everything going right; true joy comes from being content knowing God is good and He has a plan that’s better than yours.” Though it appeared Wise’s career was over, he credits his trust in God and distrust in the naysayers for the resurgence he eventually experienced.

“I am thankful for the sponsors that dropped me and the short-sighted people that counted me out,” Wise wrote in his blog. “You guys are responsible in a major way for reigniting the furnace in my heart, and I have never felt as passionate and excited about skiing and competing as I do right now.” After a banner season in the winter of 2017, Wise qualified for his second Olympic Games in January of 2018, and won his fourth gold in the X Games. Then he headed to Pyeongchang.

Time’s a Charm Th ird It all came down to Wise’s third

and last run in the finals. After the two bindings malfunctions in his previous runs, he made the decision to tighten them as high as they would go, which is considered exceptionally dangerous. To him it was worth the risk. “If I was to have a bad crash with those bindings torqued all the way up, I could potentially break my tibia or fibula, or blow my knee, or whatever,” Wise said on Instagram. “But it was the Olympics, and I was going to land a run, and not have my skis come flying off [as] the reason that I couldn’t land a run.” Before he slid down the start to the halfpipe, Wise reminded himself why he was competing. “For me it comes from knowing that I’m here to glorify God, whether I get the glory or not,” Wise said. “I was able to just scale back, and I thought, ‘If God doesn’t want me to land a run today, then I’m not going to land a run today. But if I can go out there and use skiing as my act of worship, and land a run, then I’m going to do it.’” The run he put down was one for the record books: he repeated his winning X Games run, in which he landed four double corks spinning in four different directions. He is the first athlete to do so in a single run, and his flawless technique earned him the highest score (97.2) — and the gold medal. It was the best run of his life, and the most difficult halfpipe skiing run ever completed. “I can honestly tell you, I didn’t think that God’s plan was going to be me wearing this gold medal,” Wise said, indicating the medal around his neck. “It wasn’t my strength out there that enabled me to do that; I was fully dependent on Him.”

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CUTOUT

PROFESSIONAL

HALFPIPE FREESKIER DAVIDWISE Height: 6-1 Weight: 185 Birthplace: Reno, NV Age: 27

“I TAKE JESUS’ APPROACH TO LIFE AS MUCH AS I CAN. IN LUKE 15:4 HE SAYS THAT HE’S WILLING TO WALK AWAY FROM THE 99 TO SAVE THE ONE, SO IF I CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IN MY LIFE, IT WOULD BE TO INSPIRE JUST ONE PERSON. IF I CAN INSPIRE MY TWO KIDS TO BE PASSIONATE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, THEN I WILL HAVE MORE THAN I EVER COULD HAVE ASKED FOR OR IMAGINED.”

OLYMPICS 2014

SOCHI GOLD PYEONGCHANG GOLD

Photo by David Ramos-Laurent Salino/Getty

2018

X2018GAMES: Aspen — 1st, Ski Superpipe 2014 Aspen — 1st, Ski Superpipe 2013 Aspen — 1st, Ski Superpipe 2012 Aspen — 1st, Ski Superpipe

FIS World Cup Victories, Ski halfpipe

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FUN FACT

Wise was the first skier to ever land a double cork 1260 in a halfpipe, and the first to land four double corks in four different directions in a single run.

TWITTER: @mrDavidWise INSTAGRAM: @mrdavidwise

FAMILY

Wife: Alexandra Kids: Nayeli (6), Malachi (3) TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

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| SEASONPREVIEW

2017 | MLB SEASON RECAP WILD CARD ROUND

AL: No. 4 New York Yankees beat No. 5 Minnesota Twins NL: No. 4 Arizona Diamondbacks beat No. 5 Colorado Rockies

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

AL: No. 2 Houston Astros beat No. 4 New York Yankees in 7 NL: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers beat No. 3 Chicago Cubs in 5

WORLD SERIES

Houston Astros beat Los Angeles Dodgers in 7

DIVISIONAL ROUND

AL: No. 4 New York Yankees beat No. 1 Cleveland Indians in 5 AL: No. 2 Houston Astros beat No. 3 Boston Red Sox in 4 NL: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers beat No. 4 Arizona Diamondbacks in 3 NL: No. 3 Chicago Cubs beat No. 2 Washington Nationals in 5

AL MVP: Jose Altuve, Astros NL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber, Indians NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, Nationals AL Rookie of the Year: Aaron Judge, Yankees NL Rookie of the Year: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers AL Manager of the Year: Paul Molitor, Twins NL Manager of the Year: Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks

2018 | MLB STAFF PREDICTIONS AMERICAN LEAGUE AL AL AL AL

East winner: New York Yankees Central winner: Cleveland Indians West winner: Houston Astros wild cards (2): Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

AL champion: Cleveland Indians over New York Yankees in 6 NL champion: Washington Nationals over Colorado Rockies in 5

WORLD SERIES

World Series champion: Cleveland Indians over Washington Nationals in 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE NL East winner: Washington Nationals NL Central winner: Chicago Cubs NL West winner: Colorado Rockies NL wild cards (2): Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers

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AL MVP: Mike Trout, Angels NL MVP: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber, Indians NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers AL Rookie of the Year: Willie Calhoun, OF, Rangers NL Rookie of the Year: Ronald Acuna, OF, Braves AL Manager of the Year: Aaron Boone, Yankees NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black, Rockies

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MLB STORYLINES TO WATCH

FRONT ROW - SEAT 1

:: ANGELS BRING OHTANI TO AMERICA

s, landing ohei Ohtani sweepstake The Angels won the Sh need his l y Japanese star, and wil the 23-year-old two-wa on in the ust Ho n pio defending-cham help to contend with ation, but rot g rtin sta the in ts to be AL West. Ohtani projec jols can Pu ert Alb with a good bat. If on he’s also an outfielder DH a as d tte slo be Ohtani can play more at first base, non-pitching days.

FRONT ROW - SEAT 1

s, the Astros en-game World Serie Following a classic sev Angeles Los in s acquaintance and Dodgers will renew 2017 get of ms tea st be two y. The during interleague pla 3, 2018. after it starting August

the last and 2015 NL MVP is in The five-time All-Star made ve ey’ Th s. nal tio Na h the year of his contract wit but have r, rpe Ha six seasons with the postseason four of ton has ng shi Wa . nd rou divisional never moved past the n out, pa further, but if they don’t weapons to advance . Harper might move on

MLB TICKET-18

::: WORLD SERIES REMATCH :::

:: BRYCE HARPER’S LAST YEAR IN DC?

FRONT ROW - SEAT 1

TWEETS OF FAITH

Steven Souza Jr. –

“The son of Man same to serve not to be served.” – Mark 10:45

FRONT ROW - SEAT 1

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MLB TICKET-18

kee faithful first homestand, the Yan On April 2, New York’s only two the h wit up line a witness get their first chance to NL ing ign home runs last year. Re York men who crushed 50 w Ne to d de tra s n (59 HRs) wa okie MVP Giancarlo Stanto Ro AL g him up with reigning a lot s in the offseason, teamin ect exp nx ge (52 HRs). The Bro of the Year Aaron Jud of bombs this year.

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::: BRONX BOMBERS ARE BACK :::

MLB TICKET-18

Opening 1968, we’ll see a true For the first time since on March y pla l wil ms tea 30 the Day, meaning each of ff game the there will be no one-o 29. Unlike years past, the season. gin be to up tch rseas ma night before or an ove to an MLB r is the earliest start eve Furthermore, this date season.

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::: ALL IN ON OPENING DAY :::

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MLB STORYLINES TO WATCH MLB T CKET-18 I

MLB T CKET-18

::: NAME TO KNOW:

BYRON BUXTON :::

MLB T CKET-18

The Twins’ 24-yearold center fielder is thought to be the fastest pla yer and best defen der in the game, and some folks are thinking he’ll be in the AL MVP running by year’s end. The Gold Gl over was the No. 2 overall pick in 20 12, the Minor Leag the Year in 2013, ue Player of and hit .298 the fin al two months of 2017, a marked im provement over his .253 average for the whole seas on.

S SINGLETON :::

MLB T CKET-18 I

MLB T CKET-18

::: THE LOVE OF CHRI

Drafted by the Cu bs in the 19th rou nd last June out of Southern Universi Charleston ty, Singleton likely won’t make it to the this year. But he’s majors certainly someone to root for. His mo one of nine victim ther was s in a Charleston ch urch shooting in Ju On the day after his ne 2015. mother was murde red, Singleton fam said, “Love is alway ously s stronger than ha te. If my mom would, the n the hate won’t be we just love the way nearl love is. We forgive [the shooter] for wh y as strong as the at he’s done. There nothing but love fro ’s m our side of the family.’’

TWEETS OF FAITH

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Juan Pierre –

This is a trustworthy saying and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners... – Timothy 1:19

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Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty

| SEASONPREVIEW

:: MONSTER EXPECT ATIONS IN BOSTON ::

Following five years with John Farrell, Red Sox to a Wor who led the ld Series his first se ason, Boston has given its manage rial job to Alex Co ra. Farrell’s squad won the AL East th e past two years, but not reaching the ALCS is a disap pointment in Bosto n. So the Red Sox hired Housto n’s bench coach rig Astros knocked Bo ht after the ston out of the pla yoffs. The heat is on Cora from the get-go.

::: CAN THE ROCKIES

STAY RELEVANT? :::

Colorado has neve r played postseaso n ball two years in a row in 25 years of existence Rockies spent big , but the money to get in th at position this year, after losing in the wild-card ro und last year. They made Wade Davis the highestpaid reliever ever, hoping he’ll protect an offense featuring two players from the to p five of last year’ s NL MVP voting (3B Nolan Arenad o, OF Charlie Blac kmon).

::: BEST DIVISION? :::

Boston and New Yo rk figure to battle in the AL East; Houston and L.A. in the AL West. Th e NL Central will be interesting with the Cubs and Cardina ls, and the NL Wes was best last seas t on with the Dodg ers, Diamondbacks and Rockies all ma king the postseaso n. That could be the same in 2018, as the Giants also made moves to contend in the NL West. Fans, prepare for some late nights watching the stellar West Coast baseball.

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the Yankees BASEBALL Will hit more home LEADERS runs than any & JESUS team in history? FOLLOWERS BY JON ACKERMAN

As a hot prospect climbing the ranks within the New York Yankees farm system in 2015, Aaron Judge was being compared to baseball legends. One such icon himself, Reggie Jackson, told reporters gathered for the Yankees’ spring training in Sarasota, Fla., that the 6-foot7 outfielder boasted characteristics of Hank Aaron, Willie Stargell and Dave Winfield, among others. A modernday name that popped up that day was Giancarlo Stanton, then a 6-foot-6 outfielder for the Marlins. Three years later, Judge is beginning to live up to those comparisons. He made his major league debut late in the 2016 season, and last year turned in a rookie campaign for the ages — All-Star, Home Run Derby winner, American League home run leader (52), AL Rookie of the Year, second in AL MVP voting. And then this offseason, New York went out and traded for that modern-day star Judge was being compared to: Stanton — four-time All-Star, last year’s National League home run (59) and RBI (132) leader, last year’s NL MVP. The Yankees were already going to be contenders in 2018 after taking Houston to seven games in last season’s ALCS. But now they have another big bat in a lineup that will easily live up to the famed “Bronx Bombers” moniker long associated with the club. New York could challenge the MLB record of 264 home runs hit by a team in a season, set by Seattle in 1997; the Yanks bombed 241 in 2017. Leading the barrage will be the 25-year-old Judge, who was also ranked as MLB’s favorite player last year in an ESPN poll. He’s a favorite among his peers, too. Prior to the ALCS last fall, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros told the media, “If I was a GM, I want him on my team because he plays the right way and he’s very humble.” “He did everything to win the MVP in the regular season,” added Altuve, who went on to take the award ahead of Judge. “But what I like the most about him is how humble he is.” That sentiment is shared by many around the league. And Judge is not shy about showing where that unpretentious attitude stems from. His Twitter profile reads, “Christian. Faith, Family, then Baseball,” under an image displaying 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

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TWEETS OF FAITH

AARONJUDGE

Daniel Norris –

Upon crossing home plate after smashing his 52 homeruns last year, Judge would point to the sky. Following the game in which he hit No. 50, thus breaking the rookie record for homers in a season, he was asked who he was thinking of when he pointed upward. “The Lord,” Judge told the assembled media. “He put me in this position, blessed me with so many opportunities in my life. I just try to take a quick moment just to kind of thank Him. I just got a chance to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium. That’s something not too many people can say they’ve done. It’s a blessing every time I step on that field and get that opportunity.” As he embarks on his sophomore season, Judge is living out Matthew 23:12: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I am not perfect but my God is and He loves me perfectly.

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McCutchen BASEBALL Can help the Giants LEADERS contend in the tough NL West? & JESUS FOLLOWERS BY JON ACKERMAN

No team has won more World Series titles over the past decade than the San Francisco Giants. They went on an even-year run that brought championships in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14. Then again, no team was worse than San Francisco in 2017, as the Giants and Detroit Tigers tied for a league-low 64 wins. But hopes are high again in the Bay Area after some big offseason moves. The Giants aim to jump right back into the NL West race, even if it is one of the toughest in the majors, considering Los Angeles, Arizona and Colorado all made the postseason in 2017. The Giants’ biggest acquisition was outfielder Andrew McCutchen from Pittsburgh, where the fivetime All-Star was the face of the Pirates franchise. He hoped to be one of the rare players who stayed with the same organization his entire career, but after nine years and only eight postseason games, the 31-year-old is eager to join an organization with World Series experience. “There are a lot of emotions that, of course, come along with this,” McCutchen said during an conference call with media after the trade. “I was there for nine seasons. You’re going to have those emotions. A lot has happened. To put it all in a nutshell, we have a lot to be excited about, and we have also a lot to be thankful for.”

ANDREWMCCUTCHEN

Pittsburgh is where McCutchen met his wife, Maria, and the couple had their first child (a son named Steel, who McCutchen insists was not named after the Steel City). It’s also where, in May of 2013, Cutch really dedicated himself to the Lord. “I was going through some things,” he said in an interview with The Increase, a community of Christian pro athletes that is part of the Sports Spectrum network. “It got to a point to where I got on my knees and told God, ‘I submit. I give it to You. I know baseball doesn’t rule me. And I want You to know that if I didn’t have baseball, I know that I would still have You. I love this game that You gave me, but I know just as quickly as You’ve given it to me, just as quickly You can take it away. But I know what You can’t take away, and that’s my love for You and Your love for me.’” WEB 43

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TWEETS OF FAITH

Albert Pujols –

From that moment on, McCutchen went from going out on the field to just perform and play well, to playing and making a difference in His name. He ended the 2013 season by leading the Pirates to their first playoff berth since 1992, and McCutchen was named the 2013 National League MVP. He remained an All-Star and MVP candidate in ‘14 and ‘15, while the Pirates again earned wild card berths. But the team couldn’t stay above .500 in ‘16 or ‘17, which led the organization into rebuilding mode, which led to trading McCutchen. “I’m just very happy to be a part of [the Giants] organization, an organization who knows what winning is all about,” McCutchen said on the conference call. “I’ve seen it over the years, played against it for many years.” McCutchen will make an emotional return to Pittsburgh the weekend of May 11-13.

Through all of life’s challenges let us turn to God’s life giving words of encouragement and understanding.

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Minnesota be BASEBALL Will the Twins of 2016 LEADERS (really bad) or 2017 (really good)? & JESUS FOLLOWERS KYLEGIBSON BY JON ACKERMAN

With 85 wins and a wild card berth in 2017, the Minnesota Twins became the first team in major league history to advance to the postseason a year after losing at least 100 games. They were 59-103 in ‘16, then 85-77 in ‘17. The drastic turnaround was led by manager Paul Molitor — a Hall of Famer who was in his third year in charge of his hometown team — and earned him 2017 AL Manager of the Year honors. Though the postseason lasted just one game (an 8-4 loss to the Yankees in New York), the Twin Cities now expect Molitor to keep the team a contender. Minnesota’s core remains largely intact for 2018, with first baseman Joe Mauer and second baseman Brian Dozier leading at the plate and in the field, and Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson on the mound. The Twins hope center fielder Byron Buxton can continue developing into a franchise player, and that offseason acquisitions Jake Odorizzi and Anibal Sanchez will bolster the starting rotation. Or could a utility guy like Eduardo Escobar spark the squad again? Last season, All-Star third baseman Miguel Sanó went down with a stress reaction in his left shin on Aug. 19, so Escobar filled in. He proceeded to belt 10 of his career-high 21 home runs as a fill-in starter. He also collected a career-high 73 RBIs on the year, leading the Twins with nine home runs and 25 RBIs in September as they clinched the playoff berth. “The 20 home runs is surprising,” Escobar told the Star Tribune in late September, “but I’m working hard all year. It’s different when you have the opportunity to play every day. I feel like Jesus has blessed me.” Could it have been because the team chaplain prayed over Escobar’s bats? True story: He brought his lumber with him into the team’s chapel service on a San Francisco road trip. “Escy walks in, he’s got both his bats; he’s been struggling,” said Gibson, one of the team’s chapel leaders, on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “He walks in, both his bats, crosses them right there in front of the chaplain, and the chaplain’s just kind of like, ‘All right, let’s pray.’ “[Escobar] goes out and hits a homer and then he just goes on a [hot] stretch, and it was at a perfect time … Then of course he had to bring them every week to chapel.”

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Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/ Hannah Foslien/Getty

TWEETS OF FAITH

BRIANDOZIER

Chase Anderson –

“We needed a bat bag about a month later for everybody’s bats in the chapel,” said Dozier, another chapel leader. Yet, the tone at chapel or for the season wasn’t set by bats, say Gibson and Dozier. It starts with the manager. “You have a guy like Paul Molitor, who’s really firm in his faith, and the leader of the whole team, and the icon he is — when you have a guy like that that’s firm in his faith, he’s always at chapel,” Dozier says. “We’ve been trying to get people to chapel just to pray every now and then, but when you see a Hall of Famer go in there, [other] guys are like, ‘Hmm, if he’s doing it, let me check it out.’”

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

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one of the most BASEBALL Will fun players in baseball LEADERS earn his place in the Brewers’ outfield? & JESUS FOLLOWERS BY JON ACKERMAN

Brett Phillips is one of those guys everyone wants to hang out with. You spend five minutes with him and you feel like you’re his best friend. His stories are hysterical. Like the time in seventh grade when his neighbor constantly asked him to shoot hoops after school. The 60-something man was Randy Poffo, better known as Randy “The Macho Man” Savage. “My family told me he’s a wrestler, but I wasn’t star struck,” Phillips recalled on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “I didn’t follow wrestling growing up and I just wasn’t into that sport. So it was more just, ‘This old man wants to play basketball with me, all right. This is going to be easy.’ He was older, he was in his 60s, and I kid you not, I did not win one time. And I’m talking months and months of playing HORSE every single day. He was like a kid literally wanting to play over and over again, and I think he got so much joy out of just beating me. It wasn’t even the fact that he was getting exercise, I think he was getting super pumped that he just whopped up on a little whippersnapper.” Or the time a former MVP asked him if he was the guy with the laugh. As Phillips became more well-known, videos surfaced of his uncontrollable, contagious laugh. “Andrew McCutchen came up to me in private and he said, ‘Hey, not to be weird, but are you that guy with the funny laugh?’” Phillips said. “This is Andrew McCutchen, and my response was, ‘You know, I play a little baseball too.’” That he does, and well. The 23-year-old outfielder made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on June 5, 2017, in which he got his first big league hit, showed off his canon arm by throwing out a runner at second, and had his evening immortalized with a highlight segment on ESPN featuring his laugh and the Macho Man. In 2018, Phillips is in line to at least be the Brewers’ No. 4 outfielder, if not become a starter at any one of the positions. His speed, arm and defense make him tough to keep out of the lineup. WEB 45

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Wherever he ends up, he’ll remain grateful. After getting called up last summer, Phillips phoned his mom first, then “everyone who has impacted my life and helped me get to the big leagues. I made about 75-100 phone calls.” His promotion came right in the midst of his relationship with Jesus growing more than ever. He accepted Christ in seventh grade at a youth group meeting, but felt led to get baptized at a Christian conference in November 2016. He left that event with a reading plan that would take him through the entire Bible in a year. He says he never missed a day, even if he had to do the reading at 2 a.m. after a game. It’s never been clearer to Phillips why he plays this game. “I play because of Him and I play for Him,” Phillips says. “And I play just because He’s blessed me with the gifts and the opportunity, not me. I’ve got nothing to do with it.”

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:21

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SHARING JESUS AT THE

BALLPARK By Becky York

WHAT BEGAN AS ONE GOSPEL EVENT IN DETROIT HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE MAJOR LEAGUES A

mong the few headliners over the years who have sold out Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers’ home stadium, are The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger and Metallica. But one annual event rivals those stars’ ability to fill the park’s seats. Featuring MLB players and big-name musicians, Home Plate has drawn more than 155,000 people back to the baseball stadium, packed more than 40,000 seats per night, and saved thousands of souls. It began when one man had a passion for the game of baseball, and an even greater affinity to see the Gospel proclaimed. Jeff Totten was the associate pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Birmingham, Mich., in 1987. Recognizing that most of the youth in his church were actively involved in sports and loved the game of baseball — much like himself — he arranged to bring the 5th-12th graders to a Tigers game. To Totten, this wasn’t just an opportunity to have fun with a bunch of fellow baseball fans, this was a vision to center the event around the Gospel. With bold faith, Totten wrote a letter to one of the Tigers’ starting pitchers, Frank Tanana, whom Totten had heard was a Christ-follower. The pastor explained his vision and invited the pitcher to share his testimony with the kids at a breakfast before the game. Upon receiving the letter, Tanana agreed. On April 25, 1987, the star pitcher shared his story of faith and presented the Gospel message to a group of 1,030 tweens and teenagers in a local banquet hall. That marked the very first Home Plate event. “When I heard about the outreach event Jeff wanted to do — inviting people to hear the Gospel and players’ testimonies before the game — I was thrilled,” Tanana said. “I was so excited to share what God had done in my life so that others can experience Christ as I had.” 46

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Home Plate was a huge hit. Tanana made the breakfast available to all ages the following season. He knew how great of a vehicle sports could be for the Gospel, and he wanted others to experience the same. As word of the pregame breakfast grew, so did the number of attendees. Year after year, more players shared their testimonies and more fans came to hear the Gospel. And year after year, the group needed to find a bigger venue to rent. Often times, they had to turn people away due to lack of space. That is until 1996, when the Tigers’ management recognized the increasing traffic this event brought to the games. Once originally unreceptive to the idea of hosting the event at the ballpark, the organization soon offered to let Totten have Home Plate in the seats of the stadium. While Tanana continues to share his story and be an active part of Home Plate each year, he loves to come alongside new players who enthusiastically tell of their own Gospel experience. Current Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris shares a similar enthusiasm for the event after experiencing his home field turn into a sanctuary for the first time at last year’s Home Plate event. “The ballpark is a big stage and it’s nice to be able to be out there together with other players, sharing the truth of Christ,” Norris said. “It’d be one thing to go to an event center, but it felt good to be literally on the field with people on the stands. As a player, we’re out there and just playing baseball every day. But to TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

Frank Tanana

James McCann

Photo by Jeff Goode/Getty

Comerica Park be able to stand out there and proclaim our faith was powerful. We were able to say, ‘God we understand that You’ve given us this field as a platform and here we are, using it to spread Your Word.’” From eggs, bacon and a bunch of rowdy teenagers, to a soldout stadium of more than 40,000 in 2017, Home Plate has become a highly-anticipated event year after year. And the enthusiasm isn’t limited to the fans in Detroit. In the early 2000s, minor league teams began to incorporate a “Faith Day” into their promotional schedule, drawing Christfollowers and fans alike to the stadium to experience testimonies from players. Though many mainstream media outlets have ridiculed or accused Christians of encroaching into the world of sports, there’s no denying that fans hunger for faith in the ballpark. Today, nearly 75 percent of major league teams host a Christcentered event each year at their home facility. Whether it’s called “Faith Day,” “Fellowship Day,” “Faith and Family Night” or “Home Plate,” the Gospel is proclaimed by pro athletes, coaches, umpires and chaplains who are eager to declare the reason they take the field: to bring glory to their Coach, their King — Jesus Christ. In Minnesota, the Twins weren’t unfamiliar with bringing a WEB 47

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night focused on faith and worship to their ballpark, but when outfielder Torii Hunter was traded from the Tigers to the Twins in 2015, he entered the clubhouse inspired by Home Plate. He insisted they bring Faith Night back to the Twin Cities. Catching Hunter’s excitement, pitcher Kyle Gibson and second baseman Brian Dozier joined him as they approached their chaplain, David McIver, to make it happen. “That year blew us away,” Gibson said. “And the year after that and the year after that. Even though last year our event followed a 14-inning game and met a thunderstorm 10 minutes into the presentation, it was still awesome.” Gibson went on to recall his favorite part of being involved in Faith Nights in Minneapolis: “The most memorable moments for me are the ones after the event, later on in the season when fans come up to me and the first thing they talk about is Faith Night. They may say, ‘I was going through a really hard time and what you said that night really hit me at just the right time!’ It’s these ongoing stories, from believers and non-believers alike, that bring us so much encouragement.” 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 SA PL OL R8T6S6 -S 8P2E1C-T2R9U7M1

“The most memorable moments for me are later on in the season when fans come up to me and the first thing they talk about is Faith Night. They say, ‘I was going through a really hard time and what you said that night really hit me at just the right time!’” — Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson T

he players aren’t the only ones who use their platform to share the message of Jesus Christ with fans on these nights. Top Christian performers such as MercyMe, David Crowder Band, Newsboys and many others join the festivities by providing their music, setting the stage for a night of worship. MercyMe, a contemporary Christian band founded in 1994, has faithfully led worship at dozens of MLB faith nights over the last 15 years. “We (the band) love baseball so it’s really easy to say yes,” MercyMe guitarist Mike Scheuzcher said.

A die-hard Texas Rangers fan himself, Scheuzcher admits that since they’ve been invited to play in Arlington for Faith Night this 2018 season, he’s been counting down the minutes until the event. “I can’t wait! I’m hoping to meet Adrian Beltre,” he said. Though Scheuzcher recognizes that many of the fans may not have heard their music prior to their performances at the ballparks, they see it as an opportunity to shine Jesus in a major league way. “There are believers in all walks of life,” he said. “You may be a mechanic, a musician, an athlete or a stay-at-home mom. My number one goal as a Christ-follower is to show the hope of Christ. It’s not to push the Bible on people, or prioritize my music. It’s to say, ‘This is who I was before Jesus, and this is who I am now because of Jesus.’ People need hope. If we can share the hope of Christ with people through our music, just like an athlete can after a baseball game, we will.” In addition to live performances by worship bands, there have also been additional special guests and Christian-themed attractions featured on these nights — such as Bible character bobblehead giveaways or special appearances by VeggieTales veggies.

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Coors Field Colorado Rockies Newsboys’ Michael Tate

“People need hope. If we can share the hope of Christ with people through our music, just like an athlete can after a baseball game, we will.” — MercyMe guitarist Mike Scheuzcher Former San Francisco pitcher Dave Dravecky has been invited to faith days across the league for years. He and his wife, Jan, look forward to Fellowship Day every year at AT&T Park, where he’s both shared his testimony and watched many players do the same. “It’s a powerful thing to see young men who have a very sincere faith use the platform of baseball to share their faith in Jesus Christ,” Dravecky said. “I know that for some of them, getting up in front of people to share their faith is far more terrifying than taking the field each week in front of millions. But as they take this step of faith and tell their story, many are encouraged and challenged to seek Jesus for themselves. It’s very raw, very beautiful, and very human. It’s a time for the stadium to see that these athletes are real people with real stories.” Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed shared the same passion as he recalled experiencing his first Faith Night while playing for the Triple-A Reno Aces in 2014. It was Ahmed’s first time speaking in public, and without a bat or mitt in his hands, he was more than WEB 49

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nervous. But eager to share his faith, the shortstop stepped out of his comfort zone and back on the field in front of a crowd of thousands. “It was a really cool experience to be able to play a game and then come back after to see how many fans stuck around to hear about Jesus and what He’s done in our lives,” Ahmed said. “That year I was also able to connect with a few of the players on the other team — Blaine Boyer and Jeff Francoeur — who shared their faith as well. There’s a really good community of Christ-followers in our league. It’s really special.” The following year Ahmed was called up to the majors. Having become an Arizona Diamondback, he’s been able to share his faith in Christ on a bigger platform at the team’s annual Faith and Family Night. Though he was injured the following two years, Ahmed plans to continue sharing his faith in every opportunity he’s presented.

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Matthew Boyd

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“I hope to play in the majors for another 10-15 years,” he said, “and no matter how many times I’m asked to be a part of a faith night, I’ll always say yes. It’s a great opportunity for us to show fans that we’re more than just baseball players.” The Milwaukee Brewers hosted their first Faith Night in 2017. When Brewers fan Chad Pagel saw the event on the team calendar in February of 2017, he could not pass it up. Four months later, Pagel brought his three young daughters, his wife, and four families from the church life group he and his wife led. Knowing it was a first for the team, they weren’t sure what to expect. “It was hopping! We were blown away by the turnout … 20-25,000 people were there!” Pagel said. “Pitchers Cory Knebel and Chase Anderson shared powerful testimonies. What really struck me that night was the boldness they had. Cory had just come to faith that same year and yet, though he was new to the family of Christ-followers and quiet in personality, he wanted to get out there and tell everyone about his faith in Jesus.” Pagel admitted he has been impatiently checking the 2018 calendar, waiting to see Faith Night reappear.

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“You see these guys on TV but you don’t know their background,” Pagel said. “For them to open up and relate to us as fans and Christ-followers, we are able to see that they have the same faith and strength in God that we do. To hear that, whether they win or lose a series, they come home knowing they’ve already won it all because they have Christ … It shows a side of them that really matters.” “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” — 1 Peter 4:10-11

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Don’t miss the chance to hear your favorite baseball

players share how Christ has transformed their lives. Find out when your city is hosting a day to proclaim the name of Jesus at the ballpark! See the list below, or search “Faith Night Schedule” on SportsSpectrum.com.

San Diego Padres - April 28 Detroit Tigers - May 12 St. Louis Cardinals - June 3 Philadelphia Phillies - June 6 Minnesota Twins - June 10 Houston Astros - June 10 Tampa Bay Rays - June 30 Seattle Mariners - July 7 Pittsburgh Pirates - July 27 Colorado Rockies - July 29 New York Yankees - August 4 Kansas City Royals - August 5 Arizona Diamondbacks - August 25 San Francisco Giants - September 1 Oakland Athletics - September 8 Washington Nationals - September 9 Atlanta Braves - September 18 Texas Rangers - September 19 * Dates subject to change. Please check team calendars prior to event.

“As a player, we’re out there just playing baseball every day. But to be able to stand out there and proclaim our faith was powerful. We’re able to say, ‘God we understand that You’ve given us this field as a platform and here we are, using it to spread Your Word.’” — Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris

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Darryl Strawberry

BY JASON ROMANO

He played 17 major league seasons with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. He won a World Series with the Mets in 1986, is the their all-time leader in home runs (252) and was inducted into the team’s hall of fame in 2010. Later in his career, Strawberry was a part of three World Series teams with the New York Yankees in 1996, ‘98 and ‘99.

Off the field, Strawberry struggled with addiction for most of his adult life. It wasn’t until after his playing days that he reached rock bottom. Only by the blood of Christ was he able to overcome and resurrect his life. Today, Strawberry is an evangelist who travels all around the country telling people about Jesus Christ and the hope found in our Creator. He and his wife, Tracy, founded Strawberry Ministries, and are cultivating opportunities for those stuck in addiction to find a way out and find hope through Jesus. Recently, I sat down with Darryl on the Sports Spectrum Podcast to discuss his story from fame to addiction and then redemption.

Photo by Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport

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DARRYL AND WIFE TRACY STRAWBERRY

Photo by Rafael Fondeur/FilmMagic

JR: You didn’t have a dad growing up. What was that void like, looking back at it now and even going through it at a young age? DS: It was very empty. Every kid that grows up and plays little league would think they have a father who comes to watch you play and supports you. I didn’t have that. I only had my mom. It was very hard. People say you can just move on but that’s not the reality of life. I remember when I was going through that, I used to sit on the bed and say to myself that when I grew up and got married and had kids myself, I would never put my hands on my kids because it would leave scars and pain inside of them. And I did that — I never touched my kids because of what I experienced. It was very tough for me, my brothers and my sisters to go through that. A boy always needs a father.

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“God is never going to change what He’s doing. He’s always going to use people to help people.”

JR: In your youth and your teen years, and then being drafted No. 1 overall in 1980, what was life like for you? DS: I was very lonely because I didn’t have a father in my life. My pain led me to my greatness and my greatness led me to my destructive behavior. Baseball was a great outlet for me to escape and I was able to excel. I was determined to make myself great because of the rejection of my life. I was very successful from the outside standpoint and everybody looking at me, but I was very empty inside.

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JR: You made your major league debut in 1983 with the Mets. I wonder how you look back at those early years and coming to the big leagues and being a baseball player in New York City? DS: It was exciting. I was very happy to the point of getting there and finally arriving. It was really exciting and I was very happy for my mom because she got a chance to be there and see me finally make it. I didn’t know the expectations would be so high in New York, but they were great. I will always be grateful for that. It was an exciting time for me to play major league baseball in a city like New York. It really made me grow up to become a person. JR: You had a lot of second chances from a baseball perspective and off the field as well. What do second chances mean to you? DS: Second chances were big for me on the field — coming to the Yankees and playing for the boss, George Steinbrenner, and having another chance to play baseball. We all have some kind of demons and issues, and it’s about how do we get to a place to help people overcome life situations? And for me, that’s what it was: struggling with life situations, fighting through the pain of who am I and what’s my focus in life. I went through that a very long time. Second chances, third chances, fourth chances, it’s so important. We never know the end of a person’s life. If we give up on people, we don’t know what their journey could turn out to be. Who made us God to make decisions over people’s lives? It’s so important for us to care about people right where they’re at. We never have to tolerate the behavior, but we can care about them and try to understand why they’re hurting. We have to get back to that as a country. I was the same person like everybody else who is hurting today.

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Darryl Strawberry JR: What was the lowest point for you? DS: There were a lot of low points. Being affected by cancer twice. Losing my left kidney in my second surgery. My mom died at an early age, so I thought I may be doomed for that too. That was a real struggle. Addiction was right there with me in the midst of that. I was still hopeless because I was still empty inside. I’ve been to a Florida state prison through addiction. But through all that, I look at it as God was doing for me what I couldn’t do for myself. He was saving, He was still protecting me, He still had His hand on my life. Even at the bottom of the drug use — smoking crack, shooting dope — even being lost for years and years after baseball, it wasn’t until God interceded into my life and He brought me my wife, Tracy, and she was the one who led me back to finding my way. She said God had a plan for me. I didn’t see it but she saw it. God is never going to change what He’s doing. He’s always going to use people to help people. That’s what we’re here for. God used her to lift me up and bring me back to Him, and I’m grateful.

JR: When was that moment you started to discover your purpose? DS: I knew that there was a purpose, I just had to continue to grow. Studying the Word of God, I think, is the only way one will be able to grow and find out His purpose. God’s going to speak through His Word. Yes, He’s going to speak through people to help you, but He’s going to speak through His Word to train you up.

It’s about the blood of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb. We’re all set free because of the blood of the Lamb — because of Jesus dying on the cross for us and allowing us to have this life and have it more abundantly, so that we can go out and help others and tell them about the love of Jesus.

We can never fulfill the purpose of our life if we don’t study for ourselves. I think so many people want victory, but they don’t want to do the work. I started doing the work with God and He started showing me who I was and why He created me. And I started falling into the purpose and understanding of who I am now. It’s not who I am when I was playing baseball and hitting home runs. From a Kingdom standpoint, I needed to start accomplishing real things that were everlasting. Once I got into the Bible, I never looked back. I continue to eat the Word of God and eat it all the time to be able to grow what God has set before me, to grow in His Kingdom.

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To listen to the live interview with Darryl Strawberry visit: sportspectrum.com

JR: What is the Lord teaching you right now? DS: I’m learning that it is never about me, it’s always about others. If we can get to that place and be empowered with God’s Word and Scriptures and realize that it is not about us — [that] He has transformed us and changed us, and others matter — when we can understand that and believe that, we can help someone else. God’s always going to take care of you when you help somebody else.

I watched my wife, Tracy, study God’s Word the way she did, day after day after day, and I was wondering why she had so much understanding and wisdom and joy. And that’s what I needed to do. I needed to separate myself from all the worldly things, and friends, and saturate myself in the Word of God. That’s when I started understanding the purpose of my life.

“I started doing the work with God and He started showing me who I was and why He created me.”

FROM BASEBALL, TO ADDICTION, TO REDEMPTION

CAST

Photo by: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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NINETY NINE

CUTOUT

NEW YORK YANKEES OUTFIELDER

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Height: 6’7” Weight: 282 Born: 4/26/1992 Birthplace: Linden, CA Nickname: All Rise

FIFTY TWO RUN BATTED IN

Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty

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RUNS: 129 | HITS: 154

BATTING AVG. 284 SLUGGING % .627 56

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“HE PUT ME IN THIS POSITION, BLESSED ME WITH SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES IN MY LIFE. I JUST TRY TO TAKE A QUICK MOMENT JUST TO KIND OF THANK HIM.” — ON POINTING TO THE SKY AFTER HOME RUNS

AWARDS:

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 2018 SILVER SLUGGER

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Daily Devotionals

Psalm 119:11 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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Daily Devotional

MONDAY>>>

WK-1

love at all times

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” — Proverbs 17:17 You can only go so far by yourself, but with a group you can reach a great distance. The Christian community we’ve established on our team brought each of us closer to the Lord and each other. Our loyalty to one another was displayed in a powerful way as we each faced different personal struggles. We were able to be there for each other, walking through life together instead of on our own. There was one guy on our team whom I didn’t really know well at the beginning of the year. He began coming to our Bible study but never really spoke or engaged much. I didn’t really know where he stood in his faith or if he even had faith in God. During one of our road trips, he had to stay back due to an injury. The day we returned, he sat down on the bench next to me to tell me something that completely surprised me. “I have to tell you something I think you’ll be really excited about,” he said. “What is it?” I asked. To which he replied, “When you guys were on the road last week, I went to church.” “You did?” I asked with excitement. “Who’d you go with?” “No one,” he said. He then went on to tell me all about what the pastor had talked about and how much he loved it. I was amazed! Sometimes I think I know what the Lord’s doing in people’s lives, but with this He blindsided me. I had no idea what was happening in my teammate’s heart and mind. I’ve found that when I’m faithful and consistent in sharing Christ with others, the Lord gives me moments like these so I can see His power at work. As the season progressed, my relationship with this teammate grew and we became really good friends. I learned a lot about this guy. Though at first he came across as uninterested, I learned he was much more comfortable discussing things one-on-one. In the group, he preferred to listen and really take things in. The two of us would often sit down together and talk. As the year went on, I watched as this guy, who already had an amazing work ethic, was changing. His words, actions and responses showed me how God was working in his life. When you take time out of your day to spend with God, while also making the effort to spend time with others around you who are pursuing Him, you’ll notice growth. Opening yourself up to be vulnerable with others is a great thing. Every time our group got together to read, study and pray together, we would grow deeper and learn more about each other. The relationship we have, with Jesus as our common bond, has strengthened our love for and friendship with each other and with God. 58 58

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Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images

STEVEN SOUZA

Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder

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WRITTEN BY TERRY EVANS

TUESDAY>>> powerful unity [OPEN WITH]

John 17:20-23

Growing together in love and faithfulness toward God empowers followers of Jesus with a supernatural unity. This unity might lead the rest of the world to find the Church curiously irresistible or completely intolerable, but would hopefully never leave the world any room for mere casual indifference. Consider the dynamic of a major league clubhouse. If you were to observe some teams around the league, you would find little unity, little desire to come together as a team, and little desire or expectation to win. Who benefits from this type of clubhouse? Who respects a team with no chemistry? Within some of the more successful clubhouses around the league, players embrace their roles while encouraging others. Everyone seems focused on the higher goal of the team and everyone benefits as a result! These are the teams that fans appreciate and cheer for the most, and even the media seems to show a higher level of respect towards them. The same can be said about us as followers of Jesus. If we would grow up in a way that brings us together in what we believe and how we behave, how much more respect might the world around us have for the God that we claim to serve? The early Jesus community was said to be “men who have turned the world upside down.” How are we contributing to the chemistry of the Jesus community? What might happen if this community unites in its beliefs and behavior?

WEDNESDAY>>> growing together

2 Timothy 1:6-8

A great man becomes a great man because of great men in his life. When the apostle Paul found himself awaiting his inevitable execution, he wrote one last letter to a young man named Timothy, whom Paul addressed as his own beloved child. Paul had been a father figure in Timothy’s life, but even more than that, Paul was a mighty man of God who modeled what Christ-centered manhood and mission was all about. In his final letter to his young prodigy, Paul encourages Timothy to “man up” and fulfill his God-given purpose.

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Who are the mighty men in your own life who model true manhood and mentor you in the new way of living under the authority of Jesus? Perhaps one of the reasons our modern American Christianity might be lacking the transformative power we ought to possess is the utter absence of authentic discipleship relationships. Many of us read books on discipleship, join discipleship groups, and attend conferences that preach discipleship, but don’t have an authentic apostle Paul or Timothy in our lives. If we were seriously devoting our lives to authentic Christian discipleship we would naturally find ourselves with someone who pours their life into ours and someone we pour our lives into. According to Scripture, if we are lacking either of these types of relationships, we are starving ourselves spiritually. When you take the time to encourage, exhort and equip others around you, you will find yourself richly rewarded with new levels of spiritual growth in your life.

THURSDAY>>>

perspective on personal struggles

Romans 8:18

All Christ-followers are to embrace the life the Lord has called them to. Many people assume following Jesus will guarantee better health, more wealth and great prosperity in this life. However, the Bible clearly teaches and reveals that this is simply not the case. The most common misconception about God, which inevitably leads to a confused Christianity, is the assumption that life is about us and God exists to help us live a better life. At some point, we need to humble ourselves enough to come to grips with the shocking and often offensive truth that life is not primarily about us. We exist for God. We are the creation; He is the Creator. Everyone is dealt a different hand in life for a variety of different reasons. But Scripture shows us over and over again that the only question a follower of Jesus should be asking is, “How can I best honor and glorify God with the hand I am currently holding?” If our Lord was willing to do what He did for us through His incarnation, death and resurrection, there should be no limit to what we’re willing to do for Him! If this is all we knew about God, would this alone

not be enough to trust that He loves us and cares about our overall well-being? When we embrace the hand God has given us, we find ourselves experiencing the unexpected moments of His power at work in and through us.

FRIDAY>>>

consistency in service

2 Timothy 1:13-14

True Godliness is giving your entire self as a humble gift to God. However, our sacrifice isn’t to be made in the temple or at a church, but in our own homes, neighborhoods, clubhouses and locker rooms. We are to present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness. Unlike the Old Testament animal sacrifices, this is a living and active sacrifice to the wholehearted service of God and others. Christianity is not simply a set of beliefs about God, it is a transformative response to the revelation of God and His Gospel. When we are truly transformed by the knowledge and understanding of what God has done for us through Jesus, we will be able to discover the richness of doing what God desires us to do. The first community of Jesus followers were regarded as the people of The Way. They were given this name on account of their unique way of living their lives in service to their God and one another. There was something different and distinct about them that was plainly seen by those around them. Is our way of life different and distinct from the lives of those around us? May we all be humble enough and wise enough to examine our own lives and make the necessary adjustments that might be needed to start living a life of consistent service to our God and to the people around us.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about unity in christ:

Acts 4 & John 17; Acts 5 & Romans 8

Terry Evans, Atlanta Braves chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-2

MONDAY>>> giving freely

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” — Proverbs 11:24 (ESV) I love the book of Proverbs. It’s blunt, straight to the point. There’s no beating around the bush. This proverb really hits the truth on the head. In a way, it seems to sum up our culture: Take care of what’s yours; hold on to what you have and don’t let go. We rarely look for ways to lend a helping hand or go out of our way to find others we can give to. It pains me to think about how many churchgoing Christians believe in the Lord but do not give back to Him through tithing. At the end of the day, what is it we’re holding onto? Our earthly inheritance or eternal investments? In college, when my wife and I first got married and placed our trust in the Lord, we decided to faithfully tithe at least 10 percent of our income to the Lord. When we were only making $400-$600 a month and tithing $60 at a time, we were thinking, “Man, this is crazy! Why are we giving all this money away?” But we trusted and obeyed God, and He’s been faithful tenfold. Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” God worked in our hearts in an amazing way and prepared us for how we are to give now. Since then, God’s provisions have come to fruition for us like we’d never believe. Giving didn’t become easier when our salaries increased. In fact, it became harder. A career in the NFL brought with it countless expectations and requests from every direction. While this can be a burden, it can also be a great opportunity. When we were at ground zero in college, scraping the bottom of the barrel, we established a firm foundation in Christ. It seemed hard to give 10 percent when we were making close to nothing, but we realized it was even harder to give as that amount grew. Yet since the day we made that commitment, it hasn’t mattered how much we make; we’re sticking to giving 10-plus percent back to God. While that hasn’t always been easy or comfortable, we’re faithful to what God’s calling us to do. God doesn’t require from us a certain number or income in order to honor Him; He wants our hearts. Hearts that are obedient and trusting in Him. God’s entrusted each of us with resources and gifts to give back to Him.

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TREY BURTON

Philadelphia Eagles tight end TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

WRITTEN BY TED WINSLEY

TUESDAY>>> spiritual wealth [OPEN WITH]

Proverbs 19:1

The man who walks in his integrity is satisfied at the end of the day. Having done an honest day’s worth of work and treating people well, he has nothing to be ashamed about. He’s put forth his best effort, while knowing tomorrow is another day. However, the man who is crooked is foolish. He speaks lies and cuts corners to get ahead. He mistreats people for his own gain. His conscience bothers him from time to time, but he rationalizes his actions, telling himself that everybody does wrong things. He covers up his sins and falls asleep scheming about the next day. Not surprisingly, the Hebrew word for integrity in today’s verse can be translated as “prosperity.” So, better is the poor who walks in his spiritual prosperity than the one who is perverse in his lips. That would seem to indicate a spiritual divide between the person who spends time tending to spiritual matters versus the person who spends time scheming to get ahead. Proverbs 19:1 doesn’t really speak about middle ground, nor about the middle class and its values. So ask yourself which side of the spectrum you’re currently cultivating.

WEDNESDAY>>>

fear god, hate what he hates!

Proverbs 8:13

It might surprise you to learn that it is not only righteous to hate certain things, but if you love God, it’s actually required. If you fear God, you are to hate evil. No surprises there. The Bible clearly states, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10 NKJV). And in case you think hating evil is just an Old Testament concept, note that this command is repeated practically word for word in the New Testament when Paul writes, “Hate what is evil” (Romans 12:9). You’re not to hate people, but you should definitely hate evil whenever you see it. You are also to hate proud and arrogant attitudes, evil behavior and evil speech. Where this

quickly goes sour is if you make a point of hating these things in others, first and foremost. This can cause you to have a critical and smug attitude. The big question is: Do you hate these sins when you find them lurking in your own heart? Do you ruthlessly root them out? A psalmist prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

THURSDAY>>>

wisdom of holding your tongue

Proverbs 10:19

In Genesis 1, God used words to bring the world into existence. In John 1:1, when He describes His Son, He calls Him the Word. What God has to say with His words must have meaning because God is perfect. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life.” — John 6:63 God has freely given us the words of Spirit and life. Humans fall into a different category. You can’t call a world into being by your words. You are not the one who originated language. You aren’t perfect. Your words can bring a sense of life to those who hear you, but they also often leave scars on hearts, impair thinking due to a lack of truth, and may even encourage the hearer to follow a bad example. But you can follow God’s lead and speak words that heal, share truths that alter thinking, and send out a trust invitation. If you can’t seem to say things that help, you can at least be prudent by holding your tongue, as Proverbs 10:19 states. Some people aren’t able to do this and unnecessarily bring trouble upon themselves. Some people struggle with speaking important words that positively impact others because positive words weren’t spoken to them. That’s why your best example is the God who created words.

FRIDAY>>>

receiving wisdom

Proverbs 19:20

One of the many amazing things about God is that, as long as you’re committed to walking with Him, He never allows an experience to go to waste. This is especially true of the difficulties and suffering you’re sure to encounter as you make your way through this journey called life. The apostle James understood this well, so as he closed out a section of his epistle dealing with suffering, he wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). James had no doubt observed what many Christian leaders since the first century have seen: People don’t always know how to respond wisely during difficult times. That is why he instructed the first-century believers, who lived during very perilous times, to seek God for wisdom, and to be assured that He would give them what they asked for. God has promised to give wisdom to anyone who asks for it. Like many of the Lord’s gifts, He uses many means to provide you with the wisdom you ask for — His written Word, His Holy Spirit, life experiences, and other people. So ask God for wisdom, but be open to the many different ways He can give you what you’ve asked for.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about the fear of god:

Proverbs 15 & Ecclesiastes 8:12-13; Psalm 31 & Deuteronomy 6:24

Hold your tongue when you have to, speak when you need to, and gain the wisdom to know the difference.

Ted Winsley, Philadelphia Eagles chaplain

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Daily Devotional

MONDAY>>>

WK-3

defending the defenseless

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”— Psalm 82:3 I love this psalm. One of my greatest passions is caring for the oppressed. It breaks my heart to think of women being abused, children sold into slavery, kids in school who have no friends or family to go home to, and those who are being bullied. Many see their lives as worthless because they’ve never been told otherwise. I would love to focus more of my time and attention on helping people who are suffering through any type of oppression. I spend so much of my time in other places doing other things, but are these the best things? This past year I was able to partake in a training with DeliverFund, an organization created to fight against human trafficking worldwide. Now I’m able to do some more in-depth and hands-on training to fight in ways I wasn’t able to before. When I’ve served with DeliverFund in the past, I’ve been able to get involved with investigations on the civilian side of things, like helping them uncover online trafficking hubs. But now I’m able to dive deeper into these areas to better combat the injustices happening throughout our country and around the world. I’m more concerned about these women’s and children’s eternal lives than their physical ones, but I also know that many times we have to save their physical and emotional lives before we can help them spiritually. The majority of these victims are stuck in a state of mind that is not their own. Experiencing what’s called “traumatic bondage,” they feel indebted to their captors. The only emotional connection they’ve ever experienced is with those who hurt them. Many times they don’t even see themselves as a victim because it’s the only reality they know! In these cases, the idea of us going in to just tell them about the Gospel isn’t enough. Of course, I know God can do miracles in people’s hearts that we can’t fathom, but many of these individuals aren’t in a stable enough place to hear the Gospel. They’re relying on drugs to survive and they know the one place they can get them is through their trafficker. They need the tangible and practical saving love of Christ, which first responds through action. When we look at the life of Christ in the Bible, we see Him first care for the physical needs of the blind, the paralyzed and the abused before approaching their spiritual needs. When I look at the things happening in our world, I can’t think of anything that should come before our efforts to defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, the poor and oppressed. I may or may not be able to put a dent in the process of stopping this horrible industry, but I won’t stop trying. Christ called us to be His hands and His feet. This requires action. 62 62

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ADAM LAROCHE

Former MLB player

WRITTEN BY MICKEY WESTON

TUESDAY>>> take action [OPEN WITH]

James 2:17-18

In the Bible, the words faith, trust and believe are all action verbs. In James 2:17-18, James states, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” Adam LaRoche is a man of action. In his article, Adam talks about how his heart has been touched by what he has seen and experienced concerning oppressed men, women and children. He has spoken with women and children caught in the sex trade in Thailand. He has endeavored to conduct covert investigations in the U.S. to uncover human trafficking on our front door step. His heart has been touched to the point of action. In 1 Peter 1:13, all followers of Jesus are challenged by Peter with these words; “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” What touches our hearts needs to reach our minds and transform our lives. The Christian’s faith is not to be a passive faith, but one that transforms us to be the hands, the feet and the mouth of Jesus to a world that desperately needs hope. We have hope because of the grace of Jesus. Let’s not keep it to ourselves. Take action!

WEDNESDAY>>>

available: using the platform god has given

2 Peter 1:2-3

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great Lutheran author and pastor, said, “Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” It is a call to be available. God, through His Holy Spirit, has uniquely gifted every believer in Jesus Christ to fulfill His purposes on Earth. The question that each of us must answer is not whether I am equipped to do a work God is calling me to, but rather, will I make myself available to allow Him to accomplish something in and through me that I could not do on my own? God desires to stretch us beyond our comfort zones so that we will

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be totally reliant upon Him and learn what it means to walk by faith. In the Old Testament, we find the story of a young queen named Esther. After a plot to destroy the Jews is uncovered by Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, the young queen is urged to make herself available by seeking the king’s help to save her people’s lives. To enter the king’s court without being summoned could cost Queen Esther her own life. Mordecai challenges Esther and each of us with these words, “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” What platform or position has God given you to be used for His purposes? Are you available?

THURSDAY>>> watchman for the lord

Ezekiel 33

“Now as for you, Son of Man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.” — Ezekiel 33:7-9 (NASB) As God’s watchman, Ezekiel was commanded to seek after the Lord, hear what He had to say, and warn the people. Some would listen to Ezekiel’s warnings and some would not, but he was not going to be held responsible for the obedience of others. He was responsible for obeying the Lord. We have been given a similar responsibility. We are to listen to the Lord and reach out to others sharing the truth of the Gospel in love through our words and actions. Jesus has called each of His followers to be a modernday watchman.

FRIDAY>>>

who gets the glory?

1 Corinthians 12

Each of us has the tendency to give honor, special attention and glory to those we deem to be “superstars.” Many times, the “average” individual, or the person who works behind the scenes, is left feeling that what he or she is doing isn’t as important as what was accomplished by the one in the spotlight. The Lord desires to have the whole body of Christ work together to bring glory to His name. Some members of the body have a more public role, while others have more supportive roles. Both are needed and neither is more important than the other. Actually, many times the Lord reverses the roles we normally have to stretch us and make sure we stay humble and dependent upon Him. “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.” — 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NASB) The glory belongs to the Father and to His Son, Jesus. By the Spirit’s enabling, let’s faithfully fulfill the ministry He has equipped each of us to accomplish and function as one body bringing much glory to His name. Are you content with the role the Lord has given you in the body? Are you utilizing your role to its fullest extent? How can you allow the Lord to stretch you in areas so that your full dependence is on Him?

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about using your gifts for the Lord:

Ezekiel 33 & Psalm 96; Ezekiel 34 & 1 Chronicles 16:23-29

As Paul said in Acts 20:26-27, “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (NASB).

Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-4

MONDAY>>>

confidence to do good

“Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts. May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue — those who say, ‘By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us — who is lord over us?’” — Psalm 12:1-4 It’s easy to become discouraged when we look around at the world we live in. Sometimes it feels like there aren’t any good people left. When we look out the window or watch the news, we see what’s going on around us and it’s really hard. But if we think there’s no one good around us, we’ll be less motivated to do good ourselves, thinking we’ll be alone. This is a dangerous mindset to have. The world needs strong leaders. It just takes one person who is willing to be bold and step out; others will take notice. The more people we have with a like mind and a willingness to do good, the greater our confidence will become and the more motivated we will be. There’s power in a group of people’s words and actions. There’s power in knowing we’re not alone. Social media is a great tool in this way because those who are willing to step out and be vocal about doing good are able to link arms with others of the same mind all over the world. When many people band together to do the work of Christ, a huge impact can be made. When your followers on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter take notice and then spread word to their followers and their friends’ followers, the truth of Christ can spread rapidly. I’m always trying to encourage people to be the best version of themselves. The introspective part of that is what makes people grow. Realizing what you can and can’t do and what you need to let go of and trust God with is an important revelation. Having said that, you can’t sell yourself short. It’s hard to do the right thing in every situation. Being a Christian takes work. Our world makes it seem like being a Christian is no fun and there are a lot of things you can’t do because of your faith. But the devil is waiting for us; he’s prowling around like a lion to kill, steal and destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Faith in Jesus helps us see straight and keep perspective on what really brings us joy and fulfillment. We have been blessed with the truth and with that comes the responsibility to lead and love others. Trials produce character, and character helps guide our decisions. When we adopt the character of Christ, we are enabled by His Spirit to do good things for Him. 64 64

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Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

C.J. MILES

Toronto Raptors forward

TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

WRITTEN BY IKKI SOMA

TUESDAY>>>

getting dressed in the dark [OPEN WITH]

Ephesians 5:6-14

One morning, one of the executive assistants at our office came in walking with a noticeable limp. I asked her, “How did you get hurt?” “Hurt? I’m not hurt,” she replied. “Then why are you walking with a limp?” She walked toward me trying to show me that she was limp free, but lo and behold she had a very obvious limp. Suddenly we both laughed out loud because when we looked down at her feet, we noticed she had on two different kinds of shoes. One was a navy blue pump with a three-inch heel and the other a black pump with a one-inch heel. And then she said, “My husband was asleep when I was getting ready for work this morning, so I got dressed in the dark. I couldn’t see that I put on two different kinds of shoes.” A person getting dressed in a well-lit room would never put on two different shoes. In other words, the choices we make in darkness are vastly different than the choices we make in the light. In Ephesians 5:6-14, Paul tells us that before we trusted Christ, we lived in spiritual darkness. But now that we’ve trusted Christ, we are in the spiritual light. God opens our eyes to His spiritual reality. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring light to God’s Word as you read it and pray that you would live in the light.

WEDNESDAY>>> your pain has a purpose

James 1:2-4

My eldest daughter plays college volleyball and is studying to be a strength coach. She’s benefitted so much from strength training that she wants to help other athletes. My wife and I built a weight room in our house, so my daughters have grown up lifting weights and conditioning. I’m sure there were times in which I put my daughter through a grueling, painful workout and she wondered, “Does my dad love me? Why is he putting me through this pain?” On the walls of our weight room we’d record her progress on charts. She saw that

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she was deadlifting 50 pounds more than she was a few months before. She saw her vertical jump go up by seven inches. She saw her play on the volleyball court improve as well. It was then when she began to realize that there was a purpose to the pain she was experiencing. Her dad indeed did love her. How do you respond when your Heavenly Father allows you to go through trials and difficulties? Do you believe that a loving God has a purpose for your pain? The Christians to whom James writes were going through a variety of painful trials. In the midst of those trials, they were to count it all joy. Why should we count it all joy? Because the result of enduring trials is our spiritual progress and maturity.

THURSDAY>>> in need of direct light

Psalm 32:3

After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, one of the biggest problems was mold in homes. Our church sent teams to neighborhoods all across greater Houston to help muck out homes ravaged by flooding and found that only a day or two after the floodwaters receded, mold grew and spread quickly through many homes. If inhaled, the mold spores could make people very sick, so we had to wear respirator masks as we cleaned. Mold grows best in warm, dark and moist conditions, but direct sunlight can quickly kill it. Secret sin is similar to mold — it grows best when it’s kept in the dark, when it’s our little secret, when it’s our private battle. But as long as it is kept in the dark, it’ll continue to grow. The guilt of secret sin can also weigh us down (Psalm 32:3). James 5:16 gives us the solution to secret sin and the burdensome guilt associated with it: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” The word confess in this passage means to confess out loud to those you’ve offended or hurt because of your sin. This confession brings secret sin from darkness into the light.

FRIDAY>>>

integrity of the heart

Psalm 78

This season with the Rockets, I’m going through a study of Biblical leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence the decisions, motives and emotions of others. And trust is the currency of influence. How is trust developed? In Psalm 78:72, we read, “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.” King David led his people with character (integrity of heart) and competency (skillful hands). In survey after survey, the No. 1 trait employees look for in a boss is integrity, which simply means to be whole or authentic. It’s not superficial; it comes from the heart. A person with integrity is not perfect, but they freely confess their faults and offenses. They can be trusted because they follow through on their promises. They answer the question, “WILL they do it?” with a resounding “YES!” We develop integrity through an intimate walk with Jesus and with people who love us. Competency is something most athletes and coaches know how to develop intuitively. We go to the gym an hour early to work on our shooting. We watch film. We go to practice and do drills over and over again. We go to coaching clinics. Competency is learned. Competency allows us to answer the question, “CAN they do it?” with a resounding “YES!” We develop competency through discipline. So if you want to grow in your leadership, grow in two areas: character and competency.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about walking in the light:

John 1-2 & 2 Corinthians 4:4-6; John 8-9 & Acts 26:23

So confess your sins to God (1 John 1:9) and to those you’ve offended or hidden your sins from. If you do this, you’ll begin to find victory and healing over your secret sins.

Ikki Soma, Houston Rockets chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-5

MONDAY>>>

what cannot be shaken

“Lord, who may dwell in Your sacred tent? Who may live on Your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” — Psalm 15 This has been a prayer of mine, that I would not be a shaken person. There have been times in my life when I have been shaken, but those moments have now become markers in my life, showing me how the Lord has continually rescued me. Those moments have shaped my life and faith in Christ. I’ve experienced times of doubt. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’ve had a lot of doubt. Those seasons have become both convicting and encouraging for me. They’re convicting because I read this psalm and think, “If I really evaluate my life, I don’t measure up very well.” I had moments in unrighteousness — when I was not acting as Christ would — this weekend, this past week and even this morning. How can I dwell in God’s sacred tent? How can I live on His holy mountain? (These are references of Heaven.) How can I live a blameless life when I seem to continually slip up? But this passage is also a huge encouragement because ultimately, we know the answers to these questions. We know our righteousness is not counted by what we do, but by what Christ has done for us. Jesus embodies every aspect of this psalm; He lived out the Psalm 15 life in complete perfection! Because of the shed blood of Jesus, when God looks at me, instead of seeing a sinful, broken man, He sees Christ in me. I don’t have to be blameless because God has made me blameless through Christ. Now I can live confidently knowing His blameless Spirit lives inside me, leading me in the way of Christ. If I’m in tune with His Spirit, not quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) but following where He leads me, I will not be shaken. When I take time to pause and consider the psalmist’s heart as he cries out to the Lord, I’m inspired to do the same. Yes, we can look at our own lives to see that we cannot attain blamelessness on our own, but when we look at Christ, we see that we are infinitely loved by the Creator. We are not, in ourselves, crucial to God’s redemptive story, but by His grace, He has decided to use His Church to accomplish His will. We are benefactors, as well as participants, in the greatest story ever told.

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MARK APPEL

Pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images

WRITTEN BY BRIAN HOMMEL

TUESDAY>>> meditating [OPEN WITH]

Psalm 1:1-3

It’s one thing to read something, and a completely different thing to meditate on it. What Mark shared here is what meditation looks like. Google is killing our ability to think and process. We live in a quick results society and meditation is becoming extinct. It is important to read, but just as important is reflection. As Mark reflects on this psalm that King David wrote, he ponders, “How can I live on His holy mountain?” Have you ever wondered if you are truly saved? Have you ever wrestled with doubt? Of course you have, because we all have at some point in our journey. But when and how does doubt go away? The more you read and reflect on God’s Word, the more you can understand who He is, and in light of that, who you are! I am pretty sure Mark doesn’t doubt as often as he once did and that’s because he knows Jesus holds the words to eternal life (John 6:68). He has taken time to get to know the God of the Word. Imagine David writing this more than 3,000 years ago, outside, at night, looking at the stars as he shepherded the flock of sheep entrusted to him. This psalm gives us a front row seat to what he pondered. Take time today to read Psalm 15 and reflect on each section of it. See what thoughts flow into your mind and what questions come to mind.

WEDNESDAY>>> religion falls short

Matthew 23:26

Based on Psalm 15, the only people allowed to dwell with God in Heaven are those who are blameless. How does one achieve a blameless state? Religion is man’s attempt to get to God, but it has and will forever fall miserably short. Jesus uses a cup as an illustration when He was talking to the Pharisees: “You diligently clean the outside of the cup while the inside is dirty” (Luke 11:39). That’s religion — we want the appearance to look good on the outside, but inside is where the source of the problem lies.

This is why Jesus came from Heaven to Earth, in order to save the prize of His creation: you and me! Jesus purchased us not with gold or silver, but by His precious blood. Through His blood we are forgiven and set free from our sins forever. What David longed for was Jesus. Have you taken time to reflect on the fact that you are no longer clothed in sin and shame, but in His righteousness? When you start living at this address, doubt begins to fade away and the truth of who you are in Christ begins to take over! Questions to ponder: Has Jesus made you clean or are you trying to make yourself clean? Are you more concerned with your appearance rather than the state of your soul?

THURSDAY>>> a real relationship

Galatians 6:7

Why is it that we typically only cry out to the Lord when we really need something? What would the best relationship you have here on Earth look like if you only talked to them when you were in some kind of crisis? Crying to the Lord is important, but we should also be at a place where we communicate with Him in every moment we experience. David is building a relationship with God, just as Mark has, and it involves spending time. What occupies your time the most? Why? On your deathbed you will not say, “I wish I worked more. I wish I played more video games. I wish I spent more time on social media or texting my friends.” What you will say is I wish I had more time with the people that mean the most to me. Our lives here on Earth are but a breath, so we must take full advantage of our time here. As Mark spends time reflecting on God’s Word, he is sowing some really important seeds. Galatians 6:7 says, “You will always reap what you sow.” If you sow a bad seed you will reap a bad crop, but if you sow a good seed you will reap a good crop.

FRIDAY>>> don’t be shaken

Psalm 15:5

“Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” What are your fears? What do you worry about? What shakes you to your core? Anxiety is a real battle for many, but how do we overcome our fears and doubts? Jesus shares a story about two types of people: one who builds their home on sand and one who builds their home on a rock. When the rains came, only one withstood. Rain reveals our foundation. You are either building your life upon the truths of God, on yourself or on some worldly philosophy. No one can escape the rain, but in Christ I can be sustained in the midst of the storm. My goal as a follower of Jesus is to be able to take a nap on a small boat in the arms of Jesus in the midst of a horrific storm out in the middle of the sea. Jesus was never shaken and I belong to Jesus. Therefore I should never be shaken either. “Perfect love casts out all fear.” — 1 John 4:18 Jesus’ love is perfect and when I reflect upon who He is and what He has done for me, I am at peace. Jesus doesn’t make mistakes, He is incapable of it. He knows what He is doing. Rest in Him and spend time reflecting upon His Word. Allow His peace to transcend your mind.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about meditating on god’s word: Matthew 8 & Psalm 19; Mark 4 & Psalm 104

What seeds are you sowing? The Word of God, as stated in Isaiah 55:11, will not come back void. Invest in God’s Word and learn to enjoy each moment with God, not just in times of need.

Brian Hommel, Arizona Diamondbacks chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-6

MONDAY>>> patiently waiting

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” — Psalm 40:1-3 God has placed me in this place, position and time for a purpose, and I have full confidence in Him. He’s already laughing at the plans I thought I had for my career because He has better plans for me — ones which will prevail. This psalm has become so powerful and meaningful to me. I know He’s always had big plans for me, big things for me to do. Having lost almost every game a couple years ago, then being uprooted and traded to a different team, I was in a very desolate place. I began praying to God, “Lord, I need You to rejuvenate my mind and my body if you want me to do this work You’ve set out for me to do.” It’s in adversity where we struggle to wait. Last year, I waited and waited for God to change the circumstances I was in. I would cry out to God, “I don’t know what’s happening, but I know You’re near. I know You’re going to change my situation, but I don’t know when or how.” I had to wait patiently for Him to move. Before anything changed, God wanted to work in my own heart, mind and body so that my confidence and peace would be in Him alone. Now, God’s been showing up in a mighty way. He heard my cry and the way He showed up is amazing. If I’m playing well, I want to play even better so His light will shine even brighter. If our team is doing well, I want us to do even better so His light goes forward. I want people to see that God hears us and He can change a situation according to His will. The last part of this verse says, “Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” That’s what this is all about: that people would see His glory and put their trust in Him. I want something so big to happen this year that people will say, “This can only come from God!” That’s starting to happen both in my own game and with our team’s performance. It’s about His glory! Sometimes God allows you to go through a storm to bring you to a place of reverent fear of Him. He wants to make you stronger for an upcoming storm. He understands the final picture and wants to mold you into the person He’s created you to be, while giving you a glimpse of His unexplainable power.

DEMARIO DAVIS

New York Jets linebacker

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WRITTEN BY DON DAVIS

TUESDAY>>> identity theft [OPEN WITH]

Psalm 73:12-14

Statistics tell us that in the U.S. alone, there are 15 million victims of identity theft each year, having stolen a total of $107 billion over the last six years! The first case of identity theft recorded in Scripture happens in Genesis 27. Just two chapters earlier we are introduced to a pair of brothers, Esau and Jacob. During their birth, Jacob came out of the womb grasping Esau’s heel, almost as if he was already envious of what his brother had and he wanted it for himself. I think many of us spend our lives focused more on what we don’t have instead of being thankful for what God has blessed us with. Professional athletes are particularly vulnerable because the world convinces you that you’re special and deserve more. I know I have been guilty of playing the comparison game with God. In Psalm 73, Asaph admits he was envious and it almost cost him big time. He’s basically comparing his life to someone else’s, expressing it’s unfair that their lives are different. Thankfully, he comes to his senses and ends the psalm saying it’s good to be near God: “I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds.” My prayer for you and I today is that we stop focusing on what we do not have and start being thankful for all that God has blessed us with.

WEDNESDAY>>> fight or flight

Genesis 27

In Genesis 27, Jacob and Rebecca plot to steal the birthright from Esau, Jacob’s older brother. Their plan was to dress Jacob up like Esau and bring a meal to his father, Isaac, who was old and blind. Jacob takes the food into his father, who questions if it’s truly Esau, but Jacob kept up with the lie and Isaac gave Jacob the blessing. Needless to say, Esau was not happy when he found out. Instead of dealing with his brother, Jacob decided to run away from his problem and hope it would go away. Researchers agree that when humans are faced with a challenging situation, they respond in one of two ways: stay and fight, or

give up and run. Conflict is a reality of life, but knowing this does not make it any easier to deal with.

FRIDAY>>>

I admit I am an avoider. I would rather not deal with conflict, be it relational or otherwise, but running never solves anything. I heard someone say, “Bad news doesn’t get any better with time.” Neither will a situation get any better if you avoid it. In the Bible, Jesus tell us, “In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Genesis 32

My prayer for you today is that you won’t run away from the difficulties that are happening in your life, but instead be as bold as a lion and face them, knowing that God works all things for good.

THURSDAY>>> conditional prayers

Genesis 28

Have you ever prayed to God with conditions or offered Him an ultimatum? I’ve asked God to bless me, adding that if He holds up His end of the bargain, I would in turn do X, Y or Z. Sound familiar? In Genesis 28, Jacob — who is on the run from his brother Esau, who wants to kill Jacob for stealing his birthright — offers God an ultimatum. “Jacob made a vow saying, ‘If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God” (verses 20-21). I don’t know about you, but it sounds arrogant of Jacob to demand that God do something for him in order for him to declare God the Lord of his life. It’s as if the exchange is equal in some way. I imagine that God laughs when He hears our conditional prayers.

wrestling with god We have come to the end of our time with Jacob. The rubber has met the road and Jacob is going to face his brother for the first time since he stole his birthright. In this passage, we are told that Jacob sends all of his family and possessions ahead of him in hopes that once his brother sees all he has, he will spare his life. In verses 22-30, there is the story of Jacob wrestling with a man. We know that the man is a manifestation of the Lord and Jacob refuses to let the man go until he receives the blessing. Before agreeing to the blessing, the man asks Jacob a very important question: “What is your name?” Up until this point, when asked this, his answer was “Esau.” But in verse 27, he answers, “Jacob.” Ah ha! Finally he is not trying to be someone else; he’s content with who he is. There are three things we can learn from Jacob in this passage. 1) We need to come to God on our own, exposed and honest before Him. 2) We need to be with the Almighty to gain perspective and direction for our purpose in life. 3) We need to be all in, willing to fight for what we stand for. My prayer for you today is that you get alone with the Almighty and commit to be all in for whatever He has planned for your life.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about

finding your identity in god:

Proverbs 28 & John 16; Romans 8 & Psalm 116

The psalmist in Psalm 116 asks the right questions: “What shall I render to the Lord for all of His benefits to me?” My prayer for you today is that you will confess to the Lord how unworthy you are to even ask Him for anything. Praise Him for hearing your every prayer! Though we don’t deserve it and in spite of how arrogant we can be, the Lord still chooses to love and bless us. Don Davis, Director of NFL Ministries at The Increase

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Daily Devotional WK-7

MONDAY>>> the little things

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge.” — Proverbs 12:1 These two traits walk hand in hand. It takes discipline to grow in knowledge and continue growing in it. It’s hard to humble oneself and say, “No, I don’t know it all. Maybe I should learn this or try that or attempt it this way or add here and maybe subtract here and so on and so on.” Life has a way of making us pivot a lot. Like a pitcher who can throw anything in any count, life drops us curveballs when we’re least expecting it. Staying disciplined in the faith creates stability and a pliant, adaptive spirit. One of the worst things I can do in my life is get comfortable. And I don’t mean sweats and a tee (which I truly enjoy). I’m talking about falling into a routine that is complacent, lacking in consideration for others’ needs and my own spiritual life. I lose my perspective and, therefore, my way. It’s like a flood of water seeping into all the areas of my life before I plug it up. Where I once was able to actually hear what others were saying and identify with their feelings, I now lack that loving ear and can’t offer any advice or thoughtful words. Which brings me to this point: Where there is purpose, there is freedom. I listen to a few podcasts here and there, and there’s this one guy I enjoy named Jocko Willink (who is a man amongst boys). One thing he says pretty consistently is that “discipline equals freedom.” I love that, but I think purpose is even better! When I know what I’m living for, everything falls into place. The problem is that it’s hard to keep that perspective when there’s just SO MUCH OTHER STUFF going on at all times. That’s why discipline is so critical to the equation. It is the glue to finishing what we start. Those previous verses build off this principle. There must be many days spent in the field in order to produce that bread. There must be commitment to the end if you’re going to roast your kill. That’s why it’s easy to remember all the times we started something and didn’t finish it. The fitness industry thrives off this belief. They know how hard it is to remain disciplined for an extended period of time amidst the busyness of life. When we lose this priority and purpose, we drop the guard and neglect the discipline. It’s a vicious cycle. That’s been my focus lately: Stay true to the purpose and the fruit will fall. When Jesus’ love and abounding grace is the center of my focus, what I do should emulate that. It doesn’t matter what it is because I have the chance to make all kinds of encounters that can make an impact. I trust You. I will remain faithful. Remind me, Father, of my purpose.

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DAVID LEDBETTER

Pitcher in the Texas Rangers’ organization TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

WRITTEN BY EDDIE TAUBENSEE

TUESDAY>>>

coaches, contemporaries & call-ups [OPEN WITH]

1 Corinthians 11:1

Throughout my major league career, I had coaches above me, contemporaries beside me and call-ups replacing me. Coaches are the men who have gone through the battle. They are there to instruct, inspire, mentor and help you succeed on and off the field. The good ones see this as a calling and not just a career. After the game, most baseball players miss the relationships with contemporaries more than the grind on the field. For call-ups, it can be very intimidating being around MLB veterans. But there’s a tradition of veterans taking care of younger players. They teach them how to win on the field, but also how to carry the torch for the next generation. How does this apply spiritually? We need to have a coach in our life who has been through battles and can guide us through life’s challenges in a Christ-centered way. We need to surround ourselves with contemporaries to live life with, that we can encourage and have fun with along the way. And we need to share the Gospel with and pour into a young person who wants to grow in their faith with Christ. Paul was that coach to Timothy — the young call-up. Barnabas was a contemporary in Paul’s life who always looked out for him and was by his side. Spiritual life can mirror the baseball life if you look for a Paul, live with a Barnabas, and leave what you learned with a Timothy.

WEDNESDAY>>>

a time & place to remember

Psalm 63:6-8

It’s amazing to think about what we are able to remember — what holds value and importance for us. For instance, my wife is baffled that I can remember an at-bat from more than 20 years ago. I can give her details of that night, the pitcher and what he threw to me. However, I tend to forget an important conversation from a week before that impacts our family. I remember details from baseball because it was an important part of my life, but when I forget something pertaining to our family, it looks like that isn’t important to me, when it is.

Many times we are thankful when God comes to our rescue, but we quickly forget what He has done. In this psalm, David is in the wilderness of Judah, meditating on God nightly. He’s been through so much and experienced God to be his helper and deliverer throughout his life, allowing David to sing for joy in that place of protection (verse 7). When you have experienced God in this way, you don’t ever want to leave that place. David wants his soul to cling to God, because he knows God is the only true place of protection (verse 8).

FRIDAY>>>

Can you look back on your life and see where God has helped and protected you? Never forget these moments and take the attitude of David in this passage. Meditate on the things of God, and rejoice in how He has helped you along the way.

Where does this help come from? Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that God’s Word can work in us to make sure our motives are correct. It also tells us that Jesus has felt, fought and has the final victory to be the help we need. Therefore, we can approach the “throne of grace” anytime, anyplace in our lives to receive what we require “in time of need.”

THURSDAY>>> nowhere to go

Jonah 1:3

Jonah was a prophet of the Lord, and was commanded to confront the wickedness in Nineveh. He was given a command, “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2), but instead he chose to flee in the opposite direction. He wanted to be far “from the presence of the Lord.” God was obviously aware of where he was going and what he was doing, so He used a storm to bring about one of the most amazing stories from the Bible. This story is not just about what happened to Jonah, it’s a reminder that God is wherever we are. As followers of Christ, there are many commands given to us in Scripture that we need to obey. We might find ourselves feeling like Jonah, turning the other direction and running from what we are called to, but Jonah’s story is a great reminder that we are never far from the presence and sovereignty of God. What He wants to get done will be done, even if a “life storm” is needed to get our attention.

your time will come

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us we are saved by grace through faith and in Christ, and there are great works God has prepared for us to do. Salvation isn’t the end, it’s the beginning of our journey. We encounter not only the grace that saved us, but the grace that helps us finish strong.

It’s amazing to think we can approach the “throne of grace” anytime! God is ready to give us any and all that we need. The way we can approach this throne is through the Son of God, Jesus, who is a High Priest on our behalf (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus went before God on our behalf so that we can come to this throne of grace with confidence. We need to allow the Word of God to penetrate us deep within and to continue to check our motives. When we lean on what Christ has done for us, we can go to the throne of grace in humility, knowing grace and mercy await us in our time of need.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about god’s plan for his followers: Hebrews 3 & Matthew 28; Hebrews 4 & Psalm 63

Have you ever seen yourself in Jonah’s situation, knowing there is something God has called you to do, yet you go the other way? My prayer is that we can rest in God’s sovereignty and trust in what He wants us to do. Only then can we “arise and go” and not “rise up and flee” when God wants us to do something.

Eddie Taubensee, Director of Baseball Ministries at The Increase

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Daily Devotional WK-8

MONDAY>>>

a place of strength

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” — Psalm 91:1-2 This is by far my favorite psalm. I recite it before every game and throughout my everyday life. I love what the psalmist is doing here in these verses. In verse 1, he is describing a place of safety, with shelter, where we can abide and be secure. But in order to fully appreciate the context of this passage, we need to think about where and why it was written. The Middle East is a dry, arid, hot environment, and we have to remember they had no air conditioning back then. The sun was used as a metaphor for oppression or difficulties we face because anyone who worked or traveled outside for very long knew how brutal the sun’s blaze could be. People often sought out shelter in the shadow of something; they’d search for anything that could be a source of reprieve from the heat. If you’ve ever found a shady tree on a brutally hot day, you know what this feels like. We too have a lot of things in this world that can beat us down and zap us of our strength. These people understood that a good king was someone who could cast a big shadow and be a fortress for people to find refuge in. Likewise, we serve a vast, magnificent God who stands in the way of all our difficulties, taking the brunt of our burdens. We only need to stand in His shadow. As an athlete, there are so many things we can try to find security in. The world tells us to look for rest in many things, but these things only cast a really small shadow; they don’t give us the comfort and peace we need. But if we rest in the shadow of our strong God, not only will we find the shelter we need, we’ll be filled with the strength and power only He provides! I’m 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, facing men on the field who are 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds. I have to find my strength daily in the Lord to overcome the physical limitations I have. I need to trust in Him to be my refuge and shield to do what He’s called me to do. As I recite this psalm, I need to constantly check my heart and realize this strength is not my own; it comes from a much greater Source. I need to ask myself, “Am I trying to take the brunt of this on myself, which can only crush me? Or am I allowing the Lord to stand in that place for me so I can rest in His shadow?” When we abide in Him — a place of strength — we find everything we need.

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CHRIS MARAGOS

Philadelphia Eagles safety TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

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WRITTEN BY JACK EASTERBY

TUESDAY>>> prince of peace [OPEN WITH]

Isaiah 9:6

Peace is not an absence of conflict, it’s an internal presence that’s consistently greater than any conflict. When you walk with the Lord, you understand that you gain the presence of the Holy Spirit, which is greater than any conflict you might be in. It settles you, it gives you peace. In this passage, we are given the description of Jesus. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. On our own, we are getting beat up by the bully of sin. Sin intimidates us and makes us walk with our heads down in fear. But when Jesus comes into our lives, He beats up the bully of sin for us. Suddenly we are walking differently because we know our biggest obstacle has been defeated. The Prince is using His princehood to institute a new reality. He’s governing the peace of God here on Earth. There are no other princes of peace. There are princes of chaos, but no princes of peace. When you look at your life and wonder why you are so discouraged, down or confused, ask yourself, “What have I allowed to be my prince of peace?” The world’s economy is based on who wins the momentary wars. Every peace treaty ever made has been broken because man is incapable of solving the problem; we are the problem! In the Kingdom economy, Christ has won and peace forever reigns.

WEDNESDAY>>> he is peace

Micah 5:5

He will be our peace. He not only is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ is peace Himself! He is the ultimate example and personification of peace. This is displayed when He tells Lazarus to come out of the grave, when He calls Zacchaeus down from the tree, when He calls the Pharisees out, and when He meets the woman at the well and challenges her to get her life together. For the three years of His ministry we see in the Gospels, He is the ultimate peacemaker. Everyone loves peacemakers. It’s a positive attribute to find in someone. These are the

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people we want to have around us at all times, right?

FRIDAY>>>

Do you want to see how Jesus navigated those who were hard to make peace with? Take a look at what He did when the soldiers came to arrest Him. Peter jumped up and cut off one of their ears, but Jesus reached up and healed the man. Think about the conversation that man had with his wife when he came home from work: “I went to arrest a man and had my ear cut off. But it’s OK, Jesus healed me.” And look at how Jesus handled it when people talked behind His back — He prayed for them.

John 16:33

In the same way, when we pray for those who are hurting us, our hearts will change toward them. The Lord is asking us to be institutors of peace for His glory. How are you answering that call?

THURSDAY>>>

a different sort of peace

John 14:27

How is Jesus’ peace different from our peace? He doesn’t have an adversarial relationship with the Heavenly Father because of sin — we do. Jesus came down to Earth to leave His perfect communion with the Father — a relationship unbroken by sin — to bring us the hope of salvation and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees our inheritance with God. The peace of Christ is only a small example of what it looks like to have an unbroken communion with the Father. It’s a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Currently, we only know a broken, fallen relationship with the Father. Imagine if you had a broken relationship with your dad, but your brother had a flawless relationship with the same man. What if your brother turned to you one day and said, “I want to take your place. You have the perfect relationship with Dad, and I’ll take your place.” In the same way, Christ tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

walking through chaos We are not yet in the presence of the Father. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Though we will have trouble in this world, we need to look at our problems in light of what Jesus has done. This will help us recalibrate how significant — or insignificant — our problem really is. If you wake up every day and count your blessings, you will rarely have time to get to your curses. But if you wake up to count your curses, you might never get to your blessings. You will have tribulation in this life, there’s no question about it. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Jesus doesn’t say He will dissolve the chaos around us, but He will allow the chaos to shed light on His presence and how He can help us. If you know Jesus is your Prince of Peace, and you accept the peace He offers, you can walk by the chaos without flinching. You don’t have to be scared of the bully of sin. Confront the struggle and acknowledge, “This is not as big as my God!” “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” — Colossians 3:15

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about the peace of christ: Proverbs 16 & Isaiah 26; John 14 & 1 Peter 3:11

We need to appreciate what Jesus did when He left the right hand of the Father to come to us. He came to us because He wanted us to have the same perfect relationship with the Father that He has.

Jack Easterby, New England Patriots chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-9

MONDAY>>>

living with enthusiasm

“My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the Heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the Heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!” — Psalm 108:1-5 (ESV) Look at the way David is just shouting his praise to God throughout this psalm. I love it! The first half shows David telling us about how amazing God is; there are exclamation marks at the end of almost every sentence! David truly was a man after God’s own heart and we see it here as he continually proclaims God’s glory with boldness and enthusiasm. I think too often when we pray, we forget who it is we are praying to. We need to remember that we are approaching the Almighty God, the Creator of all things. He’s made everything and controls it all. But I think we often lose some of this reverence when we go to the Lord in prayer. In this psalm, David talks about God’s promises, then goes on to show us how we should pray. David doesn’t jump right into his requests, he first stops to give God glory and honor. Then he brings his prayers and supplications before Him. Doing this doesn’t mean we are going to get whatever we request, but it’s the appropriate way to approach our God. David started out as a lowly shepherd, but he was soon anointed as king. He really experienced the full spectrum of life, going from the bottom of the chain to the top. He lived the same life we all live today, though his might have hit some greater extremes than ours. He had Saul chasing after him to kill him, he experienced heartache and loss, he struggled with temptation and sin, and he had everything at his whim and disposal as king. We watch as David experiences every bit of emotion you and I face today, but no matter what he’s going through — whether joy-filled or heart-wrenching — he always goes back to God. I feel God’s presence most in the moments I etch out each morning to quiet my mind and read God’s Word. These are times when I can solely focus on what God might be trying to tell me and where He’s leading me. But when I’m working out for baseball, I also feel God’s presence because I know I’m developing the talents He’s blessed me with. When I’m working on the farm, or researching farming techniques, I feel God’s pleasure because I know that’s where He’s leading me. In everything I do and whatever I’m working at, I want to be following God’s lead and worshipping Him through it.

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J.J. HOOVER

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher

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WRITTEN BY JERRY BIRCH

TUESDAY>>>

not as our sins deserve [OPEN WITH]

Psalm 103:1-5

Other major religions require rigid adherence to a strict set of acts in order to please and appease their god(s). But Christians serve and praise the Lord because we have already found favor in His eyes! Psalm 103 doesn’t need a lot of explanation or commentary. Just soak in all the reasons in the first five verses for the excitement and enthusiasm the writer has for the Lord. But wait, there’s more! “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:8-14). Wow! All this has been expressed to us by God through Jesus Christ: “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s why we praise and serve the Lord!

WEDNESDAY>>> it was good for me to be afflicted

Psalm 119:67-71

As the Lord began to break me through untold adversity, transforming my life using all my fears, frustrations, failure and folly, I was led to these verses in Psalm 119. These have become life verses for me: “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” (verses 67,71). When I was a younger Christian and really began to study God’s Word in earnest, I struggled with Psalm 119. First of all it was so long — 176 verses!

Furthermore, the opening verses were intimidating: “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart” (verses 1-2). I understand now, at age 66, I wasn’t ready yet to be all in with God at that point. Reading this psalm made me feel guilty because I was still more interested in worldly things than becoming the man the Lord wanted me to be. This attitude led to a lot of bad choices and heartache for my family and me. Now I get it. Lasting joy is found not in chasing worldly achievements, but living in obedience to God’s Word. “Walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

THURSDAY>>> a psalm of repentance

Psalm 51

David wrote this melancholy song of repentance after Nathan the prophet convicted him concerning his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12). Here are the opening verses: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge” (verses 1-4). Here are two things David understood about God and his sin, and so should we: 1) There is no sin too great whose punishment (eternal condemnation in hell and the lake of fire) cannot be eradicated by the Gospel of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7)! That’s why it says in Romans 5:20, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

FRIDAY>>>

meekness is not weakness!

Psalm 37

Meekness is power under control. Not our own personal power, but power the Lord grants those who love Him. Which is why we can relax when evil comes against us. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” God will deal with them on His terms and timing. Meanwhile, we are encouraged to continue to follow the Lord. Psalm 37 tells us to trust in the Lord and do good, then we will dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. If we stay focused on our calling from God, serving Him only, He promises to bless us, protect us and deliver us! Betrayal, suffering and every kind of evil is all around us. It’s devastating to our core. With God, however, not only can we survive, we can thrive! How? By being still and waiting patiently for the Lord. This doesn’t mean be gullible, though. Christ said these words to His followers, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). In Psalm 37, God’s promise says, “For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace” (verses 9-11). The meek trust in God’s power, not their own!

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about humility in christ:

James 4 & Micah 6:8; Colossians 3 & Philippians 2

2) Forgiveness of our sins by God’s mercy and grace is only obtainable by confession, which means to agree with God. David got this right when he confessed “Against You, You only, have I sinned.” 1 John 1:9 teaches us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Jerry Birch, Cleveland Cavaliers chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-10

MONDAY>>>

he made me lie down

Heading into the 2011 season, I felt like everything was finally coming together for me. The fastball, the curve, the off-speed stuff — all of it was now in my wheelhouse. And the mental toughness I had developed over the years was beginning to pay big dividends for me and my team. The next season was going to be my best. But after a fateful pitch in spring training, I knew something wasn’t right. I tried to shake it off, but my right elbow wouldn’t cooperate. I didn’t know it at the time, but my season was about to end. ESPN, MLB Network and a host of other press outlets would gather at a news conference where St. Louis manager Tony La Russa would deliver the bad news to the masses. But in the middle of all that, God was about to do something in my life I never saw coming, something I couldn’t have scripted if I tried. “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” — Psalm 23 I know we’ve all read or heard that psalm before, probably more than once. It’s the most popular psalm ever, and for good reason. The words that begin the second verse jump off the page, as if God is reminding me of something extremely important — something that could easily become a theme for certain seasons of our lives.

“He makes me lie down.”

We skip over that line because we prefer the “green pastures” part. We skip over the first part, until it happens to us. It’s not what any of us want to hear, but it describes the reality of a loving God putting His hand on our shoulders, and pressing down until we’re lying on the ground, unable to get up and resume our normal activities. And for the 2011 season, make no mistake about it, I was on the ground. And it was the best year of my career. I mean it. I was forced to the ground by the hand of a loving God, and it was the best year of my career. I’ve told the rest of my story over at TheIncrease.com. There, you’ll discover how and why it was the best year of my life. It was truly my season of surrender, and it was amazing to see what God gave me in return.

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ADAM WAINWRIGHT St. Louis Cardinals pitcher

TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

WRITTEN BY JEFF TOTTEN

TUESDAY>>>

like sheep, we need direction [OPEN WITH]

John 14:5-6

In his devotional, Adam reminds us of the shepherd-sheep relationship Jesus has with His followers. Beyond Psalm 23, sheep and shepherds are frequent images throughout the Bible; they were commonly understood in the cultures and times of the Old and New Testaments. However, we are less familiar with them today. How many of our fathers were shepherds? Who among us aspires to lead a flock of sheep one day? So, when we read in Isaiah 53:6, which says, “All we like sheep ...” it helps to understand some things about sheep to fully grasp this Biblical comparison. You’ve heard stories of animals finding their way home from long distances. Just Google “pets that found their way home” to read accounts of dogs and cats that traveled hundreds of miles, sometimes over several years, to find their way home after being lost. But you can take a sheep over one hill from its home and it cannot find the way back on its own. Similarly, we have no spiritual direction without Jesus. Recall this exchange between Thomas and Jesus in John 14:5-6: “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Without Jesus to shepherd us, we are lost and unable to get to Heaven on our own.

WEDNESDAY>>>

like sheep, we need protection

1 Peter 5:8

In this passage, we are reminded that we are under attack by the devil. How do we, like sheep, protect ourselves? Some animals run fast to evade danger. Others change colors to hide themselves. Some have claws, teeth, sharp quills or poisonous bites. How do sheep protect themselves? If a flock of sheep is in a pen and a wolf enters, all the sheep can do is scurry to a corner and hope to not be one of the last ones to get there. Sheep cannot protect themselves, they need a Shepherd. Likewise, Jesus is our Shepherd. Recall His words in John 10:10-11: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the WEB 77

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Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

FRIDAY>>>

Ephesians 6:10-20 describes the armor (tools) that Jesus empowers us with to protect us. Among those are the assurance of salvation, faith, the Spirit of God living in us, the Word of God and prayer.

Romans 10:13

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:11-12

THURSDAY>>>

like sheep, we need cleansing

1 John 1

Have you ever watched a pet dog or cat “bathe” itself with its tongue? Snakes shed their skin for a new, fresh look. Even pigs wallow in the mud with a cleansing purpose — to remove parasites, as well as regulate their body temperatures and protect their skin from harmful rays of the sun. How do sheep cleanse themselves? They really don’t unless they happen to find themselves in a pool of water. When a shepherd shears his sheep, his primary motivation is financial gain from the wool. However, there is a benefit to the sheep. Grime, twigs and dirt can often pollute the wool of a sheep. In extreme cases, sheep may overheat and die due to the filth that dominates their wool. The “cleansing” provided by the shepherd makes the sheep healthier. Like sheep, we need a shepherd to cleanse us from our filth and dirt — our sin. Thankfully, Jesus provides that for us. “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:7-9

our shepherd — jesus Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as our Shepherd. Three different adjectives are used to describe Him as a shepherd. These encompass the life of a Christian. In John 10:1-18, Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd “lays down His life” for His sheep. This speaks to the justification provided to us by Jesus on the cross. The Good Shepherd has saved us from the penalty of sin! In Hebrews 13:20-21, Jesus is called the Great Shepherd. The Great Shepherd is “working in us” to do His will. This speaks to our sanctification so we may live lives “pleasing in His sight.” The Great Shepherd is saving us from the power of sin! In 1 Peter 5:4, Jesus is called the Chief Shepherd. The Chief Shepherd will “appear” one day with “a crown of unfading glory.” This speaks to our glorification at the second coming of Christ. The Chief Shepherd will save us from the very presence of sin! Is Jesus your Shepherd? Are you part of His flock? If you are, thank Him, follow Him, worship Him and serve Him. If you are not or are unsure, hear His voice today and respond in faith to His call. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” — Isaiah 53:6

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about god as our shepherd: Isaiah 52-53 & 1 Peter 5:4; Isaiah 55-56 & Micah 5:4

Jeff Totten, Detroit Tigers chaplain

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Daily Devotional WK-11

MONDAY>>>

he’s everything i need

My parents got me out on the ice at a really young age. At 18 months, they laced me up in my first pair of skates, and at the age of 2 I was on my first hockey team. When my parents would put M&M’s on the ice, I would skate to pick one up and eat it, fall down, get up, and then skate to the next one to do the same thing. That’s how I learned how to skate. Hockey runs in my family; each one of my siblings competes on the ice as well. As important as hockey is to my family, our faith in Christ is even more significant. Growing up in a Christian home, I was always surrounded by faith, but my faith in Jesus really became my own when I moved away from home. I was in Chicago playing juniors and was put up with a family that was also full of very strong believers. I remember that year being in my assistant coach’s office, and he asked me what sort of faith I had. A little uncertain myself, I hesitantly responded, “I’m a Christian?” That year began a journey for me to really establish and strengthen my faith. We had a chaplain in Chicago who challenged and encouraged me, helping me grow closer to God. At 17 years old, it was a big step to be on my own, but I think it was God’s plan for me to really seek Him for myself. But like anyone else, it can be easy for me to become content in my faith. There are so many things to distract me from God, whether that be laziness, practice, falling into materialism, or spending too much time on my phone. Instead of falling prey to these temptations, I try to stay grounded in my faith, realizing that everything I have is from God and for His glory. “I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.” — Psalm 57:9-11 Jesus’ command to us was to go and make disciples. So not only do I want to grow close to God myself, I want to lead others to draw close to Him as well. We need to ask ourselves: What are we doing with the lives God’s given us — lives that truly matter? What are we doing to make disciples? Every decision we make each day should center around this calling. “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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JACCOB SLAVIN

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman

TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

WRITTEN BY BECKY YORK

TUESDAY>>>

tapping into the unexpected [OPEN WITH]

Genesis 37:1-11

Joseph’s story is uncomfortable in every way. He’s favored by his dad, and therefore, hated by his brothers. Wearing an obnoxiously bright, rainbow-colored tunic, he approaches his brothers not once but twice to let them know that, because of a few dreams, they would soon be bowing down to him. So what do his jealous brothers do? They throw him into a pit and lie about it to their father. But Joseph does not wallow in self-pity. After he is picked up by merchants and sold to the Ishmaelites, he continues to seek the Lord and trust that He has a plan for his life. Because of Joseph’s faithfulness and servant’s heart, God met him where he was at — in a foreign land serving a foreign master with no security for the future. God continually provided for Joseph in ways he never would have imagined. In what place have you found yourself that you never saw coming? Stepping out into a region of the unknown can be unsettling at best. How are you responding? How would you respond if your comfort zone was hacked? Are you living in fear, insecurity or frustration? Or are you leaning on God, trusting Him to meet you where you are at?

WEDNESDAY>>>

where do you place your trust?

Genesis 39:1-6

Joseph, being his father’s favorite son, surely dreamed of a bright future, eventually inheriting the best of the land and sitting back while his brothers did the dirty work in the fields. But his reality shifted when Joseph was led to Egypt and sold to an Egyptian master. We soon find out, however, that Joseph didn’t turn away from the Lord because of his circumstances. Instead he turned toward Him. The Bible says the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did. His master took notice of his prosperity and elevated him to a high position, entrusting him with everything he had. Things started to look up for the lowly slave! But even then, Joseph did not use his success for his own advantage. When

temptation reared its ugly head, Joseph stood firm. His trust and faithfulness to God outweighed the momentary pleasures of sin. When we choose to trust in God, despite our circumstances, He will bless us. The blessings may or may not manifest themselves in the form of material or situational prosperity, but the Lord’s presence and peace will be with us. Through trials, temptations and frustration, the Lord will make His power and presence that much more real to those who choose to trust in Him. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” — Psalm 27:14

THURSDAY>>> no matter what

Genesis 39:11-23

Joseph literally fled from sin, and yet he was punished as if he not only fell into temptation, but instigated it. So here we see an innocent man betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and yet he still remained faithful to the Lord. He did not allow a negative reputation or prison sentence lead him to renounce his faith in God. He knew God had a plan and because of his confidence, verse 23 says, “The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything that he did.” Even in jail! Just as Jaccob discovered when he left home to lace up in a place of unknown potential, Joseph recognized that God was everything he needed. No power, no prestige, not even a plan — the presence and promise of God was enough to keep Joseph’s head above the water. And again, his faithfulness did not go unnoticed by those around him. Even the prison warden acknowledged Joseph’s heart for the Lord and the blessings that came to him as a result. People are always paying attention to our actions. Whether we are elevated to a position of influence or assigned a seat on the bench, people take notice of the way we respond and react to our circumstances.

FRIDAY>>>

wait for god’s timing

Genesis 45:4-11

Justice is sweet, but grace is sweeter. Joseph went through quite a journey of suffering, loss, recovery, loss again and then finally prosperity. But because of his faithfulness, God blessed him and gave him success at every stage of the game. Joseph patiently waited for God to reveal His purpose and promise to him. Despite his brother’s schemes, an adulteress’ temptations, two prison mates’ forgetfulness and a famine in the land, Joseph believed God was in control. His visions of standing before his brothers with their faces to the ground in front of him was fulfilled in the end. And yet he didn’t lord it over his brothers. He didn’t force them into the same slavery he was sold into. Joseph, being led by the Spirit of a gracious God, extended grace to those who didn’t deserve it. Instead of responding with hatred and vengeance, he opened his arms and wept tears of love onto his brothers’ shoulders. Though they sought to kill him, he promised to provide for them. Though they lied and deceived him — telling him their father’s last wish was for Joseph to have mercy on his brothers — Joseph extended mercy and gave them the best of the land. In what ways have you experienced undeserved grace from God? How can you extend that same grace to those around you who might not deserve it? May our eyes and hearts be transformed by God’s Spirit so that we, like Joseph, may see others through the lens of God’s grace.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about trusting in god:

2 Corinthians 12 & Psalm 27; Romans 3-4 & Psalm 28

Allow God to use you where you are. Trust Him to bless you for your faithfulness to Him. Be confident knowing He has a plan, even when it’s not the plan you might have had for yourself. Be amazed at the way God works in and through you to reach others. Becky York, The Increase

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Daily Devotional WK-12

MONDAY>>> a joyful noise

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ — when you already have it with you.” — Proverbs 3:27-28 It’s easy for me to turn my head the other way and go about my day. I don’t do so out of shyness or anger, but because it’s the more comfortable and convenient thing to do. But I have to ask myself, “What can I do to break out of my habit of the comfortable so I can positively impact someone else’s day … and maybe their life?” The biggest impact comes when someone does something that’s least expected. We live in a world where everyone is very individualistic, focused on their own needs and wants. But acts of justice, kindness and selflessness are critical to making an impact. Whenever anyone goes out of their way to be kind or act selflessly toward me, I automatically want to pay it forward. Reading the testimonies of God’s people in the Bible is a major encouragement to me. Having in words all they went through — explaining in detail the ways God rescued them — gives us rich lessons to learn from. Whenever we go through a success or a failure, a hard time or a celebration, we always have these words of wisdom to go back to. We can read about God’s people, who have gone through similar situations and find peace and purpose in God’s plan. The book of Proverbs is full of these stories! These verses explain the urgency of our mission for Christ. “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you…’” We have no guarantee we’ll live to see another day, another minute or another moment. Christlike obedience is immediate obedience. Personally, I’m a really big procrastinator, which has slapped me in the face many times. This passage is a great challenge for me because you never know when an opportunity will come. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. Just like when you wake up and turn off your alarm in the morning — if you don’t get up when it goes off, you’re not going to get up. We need to take action in response to the immediate impulse we receive from the Holy Spirit to do good works. When we stop resisting the uncomfortable and follow where God is pulling us, we will reap the benefits of joy found in serving Him. And we’ll be able to impact others with the love of Christ.

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LUKE WEAVER

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher

TO SUBSCRIBE TO SPORTS SPECTRUM: CALL 866-821-2971

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

WRITTEN BY STEVE SISCO

TUESDAY>>> focus

[OPEN WITH]

Philippians 2:3

Statutes, commandments, rules, laws, decrees — we see these words in Scripture quite a bit. They can be uncomfortable to read at times, especially when we understand God is asking us to walk in them. When I ask my kids to clean their rooms, I get an eye roll and a sigh. And even though they clean up, it does not please me. But they obeyed right? I have shared with them that when they are asked to follow my rules, it is not just about the rule itself, but the rule giver. I would like their obedience to come from a place of love and respect, not because there may be some reward or consequence. In the same way, when the Spirit prompts us, or when the Word of God flat out tells us, we need to move in obedience. It is the relationship that should move us, not the task. Why serve? Others benefit. Why go? Others need to see the love of Christ. Why persevere? Others need to see God working in you and through you to overcome hardships and temptation. Why obey? Our loving Father has asked it of us. When we have others in focus, it is easier to walk in obedience. When we have God in focus, we will agree with the psalmist: “With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments!” (Psalm 119:10)

WEDNESDAY>>> faith

Hebrews 11:1-2 Rally the troops. Rally point. Two-out rally. There is something to having a collective group working together to inspire change, growth and maybe a few runs. When it comes to our faith, it can be motivating to see how others have walked with the Lord. We can learn from their mistakes and their victories. In one concise list in Hebrews 11, we see that “by faith” Old Testament figures — men and women, hundreds of thousands together and handfuls scattered about — followed, obeyed and were catalysts for God, their Creator. They embraced a promise they did not live to see fulfilled. They had assurance for things hoped for and conviction of things not seen. As they looked forward, we look back to the

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same promise and the same hope, with the same conviction. If you read through some of their stories, you may find they were not all that extraordinary. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul points out that God chooses the foolish, weak and lowly people to advance His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive with Christ. “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” — 1 Corinthians 1:30 For this we can be thankful. Like those men of old, does your story begin with “by faith…”?

THURSDAY>>> idle

Proverbs 19:24

Have you seen warning signs that seem very unnecessary? DO NOT BREATHE UNDER WATER! CAUTION: FIRE IS HOT! Or from my favorite restaurant: PLEASE DO NOT PUT GRAVY IN THE WAFFLE MAKER! What concerns me more than the obvious is that the signs are written because someone, among other things, put gravy in the waffle maker. The proverbs of Solomon are full of little one-liners like our verse today. They are truths, encouragements and warnings that may seem obvious, but for one reason or another we tend to stray from their truths and trip over their solid instruction. Though we know to focus outwardly, not looking to our own interests, we may find ourselves passing up the obvious opportunity to encourage someone who is down, or feed someone who is hungry. Like the sluggard who won’t bring his hand to his own mouth, we often know what we should do, but lack the proper motivation to enrich and nourish others.

FRIDAY>>> gifted

1 Peter 4:10 Peter is writing to the collective individual. Let me explain: The word “each” at the beginning of this verse refers to “one,” but in using “each,” you know he is addressing a group, which includes us. Paul does this as well: “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7). The incredible wisdom behind these gifts is that they have been given to us for others. No, this is not regifting — well, actually it is. But in our case, the very best thing has been given to us and we give our best in return. We have been created and blessed in very specific ways. Our life experience, personality, abilities and spiritual gifts have been given to us to build the Kingdom. Peter would call us good stewards of these gifts when they are used to serve another. As Luke Weaver mentions at the end of his devotion, we will reap the benefit of giving when we look to others’ needs before our own. To understand completely the joy we find in giving, let’s look to Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about keeping your focus on christ:

Hebrews 11 & James 2; Romans 1-2 & Matthew 6:25-34

In idleness, laziness or procrastination we can be very inward-focused. When that is the case, relationships suffer, including our relationship with Christ. Of course, knowing our propensity to retreat to self, Jesus gives us the relational motivation we need to impact others. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” — John 15:5

Steve Sisco, Director of Baseball Chapel

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Daily Devotional WK-13

MONDAY>>> a turning point

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5-6 It was my junior year at Oregon State and I had just completed back-to-back All-American seasons. I had played on Team USA that year and thought I was a surefire draft pick. But that season I started struggling for the first time in my collegiate career. Baseball was becoming my identity — who I was, not just something I did. I started dropping in the draft order and began thinking I was going to just sign somewhere and leave. I was angry about the situation; I wanted a plane ticket out of there so I could just start my career. I was drafted late that year by the Reds — a deal was agreed upon and I was ready to sign. But the next day something was bothering me. It was the first time I felt uneasy about this, so I prayed, “OK Lord, am I supposed to sign? Make it clear to me if this is not right.” I soon got a call from the Reds saying, “Hey! We’ve got the money amount for you and we have one quarter of school covered.” To which I reminded them we had agreed on four. He admitted he forgot but said it wouldn’t be a problem. Then a second call came in and he let me know they could only cover one quarter. This was a deal breaker; I had promised my parents I would finish my degree. I began to fight it but then realized this was God speaking to me — making it clear. I decided not to sign and instead went back to school. I knew God was leading me in this direction even though it was not my perfect plan. In fact, it was a better plan. Not only was that the moment when I truly started trusting the Lord, but during that season with Oregon State I saw a few of my teammates come to know Christ, that was the season I met my wife, and once again we won a Pac-12 championship, which led me to be drafted even higher. By trusting in the Lord, I experienced His plan to be way better than my own. The summer I said no was a turning point in my faith, and consequently, in my career as well. I went into that season with the expectation of playing pro ball, but I also knew that if baseball wasn’t where He wanted me, then He would have something better for me. I had never had a peace like that before. His grace was showered upon me and as a result, that was the time I truly started committing my life and plans to the Lord.

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Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

MATTHEW BOYD

Detroit Tigers pitcher

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WRITTEN BY BECKY YORK

TUESDAY>>>

encountering the unexpected [OPEN WITH]

Daniel 3:9-12

Sometimes life throws you curveballs. Just when you think everything is going your way — you’re becoming successful in your ventures, your future looks bright, and everyone around you is looking on with admiration — the unexpected may strike. For Matthew, his professional baseball debut didn’t pan out the way he had hoped or expected … at first. His story reminds me of one we see in the book of Daniel. In Daniel 3, we find three faithful followers of God — Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) — who remained firm in their faith and obeyed the Lord when everyone around them gave into the pressure to bow down to other gods. You’d think God would immediately bless and provide for them above others so people would take notice, but that’s not what happened. It took a fiery furnace, which most likely provoked fear, anxiety and uncertainty in these men. But greater than their fear was their trust in God, who ultimately used unexpected and seemingly devastating circumstances to make them shine brighter than anyone around them. Their patient trust and confidence in the Lord resulted in career promotions as well as a citywide respect for their God. What roadblocks have you unexpectedly found yourself standing up against? How have your plans gone awry? Perhaps these are not adverse circumstances, but a chance to let your faith and trust in the Lord shine unignorable light to those around you!

WEDNESDAY>>> no backing down

Daniel 3:19-22

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had unwavering confidence in their Heavenly King. Nothing would make them back down from their faith in the Lord. When things heated up, they didn’t recoil in fear. When the soldiers ratted them out, they didn’t hide. When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times as hot as usual, they didn’t go running. They stood firm, knowing their Lord may or may not rescue them from the flames. They didn’t have a word from the Lord promising them everything would work out in their favor, but they were faithful because WEB 83

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they fully believed in a mission greater than the safety of their own lives. They were willing to die rather than fail to honor their King. Their steadfastness and witness led them straight into the flames.

FRIDAY>>>

But God was with them every step of the way — and not just in spirit. The Bible tells us He actually sent a physical presence of one of His angels to guard and protect them. And while the soldiers who were escorting them into the furnace died because of the heat, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah went right in.

When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to be removed from the fiery furnace, his first response was to praise their God. He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t react in incredulity or anger, he was simply awestruck. His only response could be one of complete humility and submission. The headstrong, dominant king of the land was forced to admit his mistake and not only allow these men to worship their God, but confess his own recognition of the Almighty’s power!

There’s nothing too hot to handle for our God. If the flames were conquerable, so is sickness, rejection, hurt and pain. If the furnace was tolerable, so is the struggle you are currently facing. Allow nothing to make you back down from trusting in the Lord who creates, rescues and redeems. What battle can you entrust to Him today?

THURSDAY>>>

unbound and unharmed

Daniel 3:24-27

Notice that God didn’t keep Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah from being thrown into the furnace. He didn’t allow them to avoid the persecution, but He did keep them from being consumed by it. These three men might have expected or hoped that God’s miracle would happen before they were tossed in like a heap of coal, but it didn’t. God’s miracle came while they were in the fire. And while in the fire, the men were not burned. Instead they became unbound. Scripture says they were seen “walking around in the fire, unharmed and unbound” (verse 25). They had even added an angel to their numbers! God’s miracles don’t allow us to take the credit. If these men had been able to escape the fire, people may have found reason to punish them in another way, or others may have credited them as top-notch escape artists. But God’s miracles leave no question that all glory and power belong to Him alone. No human could withstand the heat of the flames on their own. No man could choose to bring an angel into their midst by his own command. No one could keep their clothes or skin from smelling of smoke after being completely engulfed in a furnace. No one but God. These men obeyed God and allowed His plan to take action so that He would receive the glory and praise from all. How can you respond to your trials in a way that brings glory and attention to your Savior?

promoted

Daniel 3:28-30

Because of Hananiah’s, Mishael’s and Azariah’s obedience to their Lord, not only was King Nebuchadnezzar fully convinced of the Lord’s power, but news of Him spread like wildfire around the kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar’s newfound discovery of the only true God was proclaimed throughout the land. God’s miracles are contagious; they don’t go unnoticed. When we live by faith and trust in the Lord’s perfect plan, as Matthew, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah did, we too can be amazed by the way He works miracles in our lives. How can you replace your worry, fear and insecurity with boldness, faith and perseverance for tomorrow’s fire? Instead of letting yourself get scorched, let it refine you. God will soon elevate you to the highest promotion — an heir of His eternal Kingdom.

WEEKEND>>>

...continue reading about remaining steadfast in your faith: Isaiah 43 & Romans 4:20-21; Isaiah 44 & 1 Peter 1:4

Becky York, The Increase

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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 KNPERS 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 3

If you’ve said this prayer text “Surrender” to 52525 to receive the next steps in your walk with God. SPORTS SPECTRUM

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HOME PLATE is an annual outreach event at which current and former Detroit Tigers share about their careers as pro athletes and their faith in Jesus Christ. The event spawned many more “Faith Nights” across the league.

Detroit’s first Home Plate in 1987: 1,030 attendees Detroit’s 2017 Home Plate: 40,000 attendees -

Since its inception in 1987, Home Plate outreach events have hosted more than 175,000 people at 37 different events.

FAITH NIGHTS AROUND THE COUNTRY

More than 1,800 churches and community groups from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ontario have participated. More than 90 professional athletes have been featured speakers at these gatherings.

HOME PLATE HISTORY Total Tickets Sold:

173,675

Total Commitments to Christ:

5,526

- Total Renewal of Commitments:

26,504

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