Ryan Hall, Olympic Runner

2009 All-Star MVP, JD Drew

A quote from JD Drew in Sports Spectrum Magazine:

"I'm just a really simple guy. I come from a small town and a small family. Carrying myself in a Christ-like way is something that's very important in my life. The plan of salvation is so simple, but so many people miss it because they think they can work their way to heaven. That's what I did. I abided by the law and did the things it said. But the simplest thing to do is just to ask God to forgive you and accept His Son [Jesus Christ] as your Savior and believe it with your heart. That's something I didn't do until I was 16."

Josh Hamilton's Story, in his own words

There are many articles about Josh's story. This is the best I've seen. It's the story told by Josh himself, and it is a story of hope for the hopeless.

I'm proud to serve the God of second chances.

"I'm Proof that hope is never Lost"
by Josh Hamilton (ESPN the magazine)

Here's a bonus clip. Prior to being selected to the all-star team, Josh had a dream about home run derby. The dream wasn't about hitting 28 HRs in one round, it was about getting to share Christ on a huge public stage. Here is a little clip where Josh talks about the dream with Harold Reynolds.

Harold with Josh Hamilton on mlb.com

Josh Hamilton: The real reason for his success

A little background info on Josh's story if you are unfamiliar: In 1999, Josh (right out of high school) was the first overall pick in the MLBaseball amateur draft. Two years later, injury and an addiction to drugs had him out of baseball, separated from his family, and living with his grandmother. While using drugs at his grandmother's house, Josh placed his faith in Jesus. A few years since, Josh is probably the brightest star in baseball right now, he's back with his wife and kids, he has beat his addiction to drugs, and he's crediting God for it all every time someone asks about his incredible comeback.

It really is a great story.

Let me first say I love to watch Josh play, and I root for him in the box scores every day I get a chance to check out some scores. I think he is genuine, and I know God is using him for the Kingdom. That being said...

Be careful with confusing his conversion for the real reason Josh is a superstar in the big leagues right now. What is the real reason he's so dang good? Because he's extremely talented. I've heard people say that going into the draft as a high school athlete, Josh had more talent then any scout had seen since Alex Rodriguez.

Common sense would tell us that even someone with this kind of talent would struggle to have success while injured and/or strung out on drugs. Common sense would also tell us that if this player got cleaned up and healthy, he'd probably be pretty stinking good. That is what has happened. Josh did not receive unbelievable baseball abilities the moment he prayed to Jesus.

Should God receive the credit? Absolutely! God gave him great athletic abilities, put him in an environment where his talent was nurtured, and finally God gave Josh victory over the things that were disabling him (drugs & injuries).

The reason for this post is not to diminish the Glory of God in what Josh is doing, but to say, "be careful" to those who've become infatuated with this Christian man's success instead of his faith.

Be careful that you don't start to believe that a true faith in Jesus will make you hit home runs, hit for average, make sick plays in the outfield, and dominate pitchers. God doesn't change your genes when you place your faith in Him. If you were 5 foot nothing before Jesus, you'll probably still be 5 foot nothing once you've met the Savior.

God can do all things, I got it, but remember that He is carrying out His will for us and not granting us our wishes like a genie in a lamp. God's will for your life may include success in business, success in sports, or popularity, but it also may involve cancer, poverty, or persecution. In fact Paul says we should expect to suffer as Christians.

I think especially in sports, people are open to hearing about God because they are looking for an edge. They want good fortune, good luck, and God's favor on the field. It doesn't work that way.

You may be like Job, and have everything taken away from you for the purpose of God proving Himself to be "all you need." You may be like Solomon, and have all the riches and power imaginable for the purpose of God revealing that all of this "stuff" is vanity and unable to satisfy us apart from God. Either way, God is all you need.

God is at work in Josh Hamilton, and He has chosen to use baseball success to bring God glory. God is at work in many others that are bringing God glory by persevering through cancer, depression, learning disabilities, persecution, bullies, slumps, losing seasons, abuse, broken homes, and poverty.

Faith in Jesus is acknowledging that He is all you need. Faith in Jesus is not a rabbit's foot that will bring you good luck.

Shaun Alexander

Matt Hasselbeck

Playing for an audience of one.

Summer Baseball Camp - Flagstaff, AZ

June 29th-July 2nd

Location: NAU for housing and dining, Flagstaff High School baseball field
Transportation: Included from Phoenix or Tucson

What you get: 6 practices over 4 days, all meals, dorm rooms, t-shirt, FCA Bible, and FCA Lanyard

Speaker: Darren Carrington, current pastor at The Rock Church in San Diego, CA. Darren is a former NFL safety and will be sharing a message of hope and inspiration in our 3 evening programs.

Baseball Staff:

Bill Berger, Head clinician: Coach Berger was an All-American 2b for ASU in 1972. He was drafted and signed with the California Angels. Bill coached high school baseball in the Arizona for 26 years at Coronado, Saguaro, and Desert Mountain. Coach Berger was inducted into the Scottsdale Sports Hall-of-Fame for his excellence on the baseball field as a player and coach.

Doug Jones, Pitching coach: former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 16-year career from 1982, 1986-2000. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, and the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs . His 303 career saves ranked 12th in major league history upon his retirement, and his 846 career appearances ranked 21st. He held the Indians' all-time record for saves with 129 until Bob Wickman broke it in 2006. A changeup specialist. He was elected to the American League All-Star team 3 times (1988, 1989 and 1990) and to the National League All-Star team twice (1992 and 1994).

George Arias, Infield/Hitting coach: Arias was drafted by the California Angels in the seventh round of the 1993 draft after graduating from the University of Arizona. He made his Major League debut in 1996. Coach Arias was a power-hitting infielder that had success at the college level, the major leagues, and in Japan.

Clay Klavitter, Catching/Hitting coach: Clay is currently the head varsity baseball coach at Cortez High School. Clay brings a wealth of knowledge of hitting and catching to our camp and we are excited to benefit from His passion for coaching baseball and His passion for Christ. Clay was drafted twice out of Glendale Community College and signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1990.

Huddle Leaders are college baseball players that will coach on the field and lead small group discussions off the field. Each camper will be assigned a huddle group made up of 10 campers and a leader.

Cost of Camp: FCA is a non-profit organization who's camps are run by volunteers. All of our coaches and huddle leaders are in Flagstaff for the purpose of serving the kids. FCA does not pay the camp staff, but does pay for the expenses of each coach and his family to come up and stay with us at NAU. Between the cost of transportation, meals, rooms, coaches, families, speakers, guests, t-shirts, Bibles, and the use of NAU's facilities the cost is $395.

Scholarship: Partial scholarships are available to athletes that need assistance. Don't let money be the reason that you don't attend this camp!

Information: www.azfca.org/camps or contact Brian at bberger@fca.org.

Clay Dyer, pro bass fisherman

At the end of this great piece, Clay says something profound. The man who was born with no legs and no arms says that whatever he's doing, whether it be eating or anything else, if he knows people are watching him, he wants them to be thinking, "I want what that guy's got."

I don't know if Clay is a believer in Jesus Christ, but that comment sums up what a Christian's life should be about.

My pastor preached a sermon the other day on being content with the circumstances that God has placed you in. He said if we want to share our faith with those around us, we should start by living content with where God has us. People should look at our reactions to normal daily life, see how we are satisfied and content, and think, "I want what that guy's got." From this point on, evangelism is easy. It's giving the answer to..."what that guy's got" that is so appealing.

Athlete, your slump, your bad game, or your bad play can be an opportunity to "be different." When others panic, worry, frustrate, or quit, you will shake it off and continue to compete. Maybe people will think to themselves, "I want what that guy's got."

Josh Hamilton and wife to hold Q&A session

Outfielder to discuss recovery with fans after Sunday's game
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com


ARLINGTON -- Josh Hamilton and his wife, Katie, and Baseball Chapel representative John Dee Spicer will be speaking with fans and answering questions after Sunday's game with the Athletics at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. [read more]

AZ FCA Summer Sports Camp

The Flagstaff camp is coming soon!
June 29th - July 2nd.

This truly is an experience you will never forget. Every day, it seems I have a parent or player tell me about the life-change that occurred at FCA camp.

Speaker: Darren Carrington, played 8 years in NFL and in 2 Super Bowls. Currently, the high school pastor at the Rock Church in San Diego, CA. Awesome gift to connect with young kids, we are blessed to have him!

Sports:
Boys-Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Wrestling.
Girls-Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball.

Staff Includes:
Vic Shealy, UNLV Football coach
Ray Perkins, Former NFL
Russ Pennel, U of A Men's Basketball (penciled in)
George Arias, Former MLB Infielder
Doug Jones, Former MLB Pitcher
John Petty, Cal. Baptist head wrestling coach
R.C. LaHaye, Grand Canyon Univ. head wrestling coach
Dan Payne, former Northern Arizona Univ. head wrestling coach
Trent May, Grand Canyon Univ. head women's basketball coach
Jill Mahoney, Grand Canyon Univ. women's basketball coach
Mark Lumley, Baylor Univ. softball coach

Plus college athletes: ASU, UofA, NAU, Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon
Plus great high school coaches from around Arizona.

See what you get:
6 on-field practice sessions over 4 days
3 nights stay in NAU dorms
3 evening programs
Speakers
Panel Discussions
Buzz groups
Music
Videos
Games
Huddle groups (lead by college athlete)
All meals included at dining hall
Transportation from Tucson and Phoenix provided
FCA Bible
Camp T-shirt
New relationships
Unforgettable experience!


Students Ages:
7th graders through seniors in High School

Scholarships Available:
Don't let money get in the way of you going to camp. Applications are available for special cases of need for financial assistance. Cost of camp is $395

See more about this camp:
www.azfca.org/camps
bberger@fca.org
602.264.8575

Andy Pettitte: Putting His Faith in Telling the Truth

He said he volunteered that his father had supplied H.G.H., even though Pettitte had withheld that from the Mitchell investigators. He and his wife had prayed about it, and came up with Romans 13:1-5, in which Paul spoke about a Christian’s relationship to civil government: “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”

...read the entire article in the New York Times

Superstar

I found a blog that was interesting to sift through. The blog lists Christian celebrities and professional athletes. It is called Jesus Christ Superstars.

It is hard not to lift these professional athletes to a high level of faith just because we want to believe that our hero on the field can be our hero in the faith. I think as Christian athletes we want so badly to find that perfect stud athlete with a solid testimony, so we can show our teammates that it is cool to be a Christian. You must be careful. This is definitely something I'm learning right now writing this blog and pointing to so many different athletes who profess to be believers. I ask myself what if this dude isn't for real, and I'm promoting him or her as a "hero in the faith."

Christian athlete, your biggest hero should be Jesus. There will be many people in your life that will bless you, encourage you in the faith, and inspire you, and I don't think it is wrong to have a level of admiration and respect for them. Christian, don't be quick to claim a hero in your sport because of his or her wwjd bracelet or because they thanked Jesus after sinking the game winning 3 pointer. Also, don't forget that they are still men and women who will struggle with sin. Don't let your faith be devastated when they do fall in the public eye. Pray for those Christians that are in the spotlight, that their testimony would be strong, and their lives would be a witness to the greatness of our King.

One more IMPORTANT point, God is not dependant on stud Christian athletes to make Christianity look cool and therefor draw the lost to the Lord. God is the biggest and coolest stud you will find. If your friends see Jesus, that's enough. Pray that your friends would see a true picture of who Jesus is. Pray that God would let them see how amazing and how different He is than everything else in our life. He is the one hero that won't disappoint.

I love this kid

Fifa's World Player of the Year. Ricardo Kaka.

Tim Tebow's Prison Ministry

The following is an excerpt from an article at ESPN.com (click on title to read more)

This is what it's all about. God giving you talent, and you using that talent for His kingdom. I suggest reading the article.

Heisman provides Tebow broader audience for message of faith
By Mark Schlabach

In the four months since Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, he has sought to spread his message of faith as far as possible. Winning college football's most coveted individual award has provided him with a broader audience.

"Because of my name recognition and because of who I am, I've been given an opportunity to go places where most other people can't go," Tebow said. "I can go into prisons and speak, and no one will say anything. I can go into schools and speak, and they'll love to have me. I can go to all these different places because of who I am as a football player. That's a platform the Lord has given me, and I think it's my responsibility to take advantage of it." read more

Ricardo Kaka

Unbelievable skills. Great T-shirt. I gotta believe that the Lord enjoys watching this kid score goals.

Tom Brady Interview

Tom Brady has it all. Right? This is evidence that we are foolish to chase success for the sake of money and fame.

Around the Horn

Three Christian baseball players break it down. Great article.
Click Here

Colorado Rockies

Baseball's Rockies seek revival on two levels (click on Title to read entire article)
By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY

On the field, the Rockies are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and only the second time in their 14-year history. Behind the scenes, they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success.

More Dwight Howard

Dunks

Christian kid that can touch the rim with his noggin!

Howard, indeed, is not a typical teenager. A 6-foot-10 power forward with the game that could make him the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, but with an evangelistic spirit that he hopes will "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world."

The NBA arena, as is his want, will be his pulpit after he declared for the draft on Wednesday.

NBA scouts are believers in his game. But will NBA fans buy his message?

Read more of Darren Rovell's article at ESPN.com by clicking the title below.
On a mission from God