One of the most exciting times for an athlete is when their team gets new gear to wear — a new uniform, team sweats, team shoes or pre-game warm-up outfit. In new gear, the step seems quicker, the jumps a little higher. For some reason, it makes you feel better as an athlete. I remember those days as a player, and even when I ordered new things as a coach it was always fun. Outerwear, however, does not make the player different. It is what is on the inside that counts.
You Are Here > Popular content
Popular content
Perspective on Prosperity
Years ago, I was on a 15-mile run along the coast with one of my unchurched buddies when the conversation turned to faith.
He asked, “Will a relationship with God help my running?”
Translation: What’s in it for me?
People don’t always say it, but that’s their question. Listen close and you’ll hear it a hundred times a day in a hundred different ways. We can’t help it; we’re egocentric by nature.
The Difference Maker

March Madness has arrived. State and College basketball tournaments have begun and many are finished. In our state (Illinois), the girls' AA tournament just ended. Once again, Naperville Central won the state crown, led by Coach Andy Nussbaum and athlete Candace Parker. Candace tore her ACL last summer and missed many games before Christmas, but since her return, they have gone undefeated all the way to back-to-back state championships. She was the difference-maker for her team. She will be heading to Tennessee to play for Coach Pat Summit next year.
Fit 4 Ever: Water of Life
Water is the single most important nutrient in the body. To be honest, it's impossible to be healthy without water. Yet, even though we know we're probably not getting enough, many of us still don't do anything about it.
The Heart of Texas
In many cases, the University of Texas (and they wouldn’t mind us mentioning this) is larger than life. After all, isn’t everything bigger in Texas?
And really, it’s tough to disagree. The Greater Austin metro area has a population of 1.6 million people. UT’s 350-acre main campus employs 21,000 faculty and staff while serving as the educational grounds for nearly 50,000 students, many of whom are members of one or more of the 900 registered student organizations.
Impacting the campus and community for Christ sounds like a great vision, but where do you begin?
My Top 10

I love ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. There’s something about sports highlights that makes me want to lace up the shoes and put on the jersey again! Even though ESPN’s is my favorite Top 10 list, there are many others out there. Certainly, David Letterman made it famous with his comical late-night list. But did you know that God created the original Top 10 list a long time ago? It’s called the Ten Commandments.
#80 - StVRP - Sylvia Hatchell, Deb Patterson, FCA Sports & Les Steckel

North Carolina head women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchel, Kansas State head women’s basketball coach Deb Patterson, Vice President for FCA Sports Sean McNamara & FCA President Les Steckel
The Good Life
The young girl in eighth-grade science class may look like she's doing all right, but Claudeen Bryant knows better. The fifth-year teacher at inner-city Nashville's (Tenn.) Haynes Middle School has been around long enough to see through the facade of most struggling adolescents. She knows how easy it can be to trick people into believing everything is OK when, inside, you're an emotional wreck.
The Soul Surfer
They came in droves, descending on the Hawaiian islands like a flock of tourists fleeing the harsh bite of winter. It was early February—a perfect time to seek tropical warmth. But tourists don’t typically tote $10,000 video cameras, dollies, boom microphones, or lighting and sound equipment. This group was different.
Home Stretch: Anthony Parker
After moving around to several different places in the Midwest, my family landed outside of Chicago in Naperville, Ill. I was the oldest of three, and my brother, Marcus, and sister, Candace, and I all grew up loving the sport of basketball. Some of our favorite memories are from basketball trips to gyms all across the U.S.
While our family was close, we didn’t have much of a spiritual life. We went to church for Easter, Christmas and weddings, but that was about it. Looking back, I can see that I definitely had a Christ-shaped void in my heart.
Defining Moments

Many discussions about this year’s men’s Final Four have been filled with a number of main storylines: VCU and their improbable run, Butler’s incredible two-year dominance, UConn’s amazing post-season string, and Kentucky’s resilience. As story after story emerges about each team and their journey, members of each squad are discussing their season’s defining moments.
Overcoming Obstacles

The Hall of Fame football coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, “Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.” Many times I have looked at overwhelming obstacles in my life and have felt like there was no chance of victory. However, I have learned that no matter how big an obstacle is, I serve a God who gives me victory in spite of overwhelming odds. Caleb and Joshua wanted to conquer the people of Jericho when the rest of Israel was afraid.
Fit4Ever: Change Your Crave
The other day, I saw a billboard for one of the major fast-food chains that said “Eat what you crave” and showed a picture of a gigantic bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.That beautiful biscuit we were told to crave packed 560 calories, 38 grams of fat and 1360 mg of sodium. For the average person, that would be almost a day’s worth of salt and saturated fat in just one meal.
Five Minutes

As the Competitor’s Creed states, your desire as an athlete is to “compete for the pleasure of [your] Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.” That is truly competing with a spiritual focus, not a physical focus.
STV Hot Seat: Teresa L. Phillips
Teresa L. Phillips is a sports pioneer. A former Vanderbilt basketball player, Phillips spent time as the head women’s basketball coach at Fisk University (Tenn.) and Tennessee State University for a number of years before becoming the first woman to coach a Division I men’s basketball team, which she took over at TSU for a short time in 2003. Now the TSU athletic director, Phillips was named one of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated and Tennessee’s second-most influential sportswoman by The Tennessean—all this while becoming just one of a handful of female athletic directors in the country.
Fit4Ever: Four Key Relationships
“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” – Proverbs 13:20
My mom used to tell me that idle hands always led to trouble. Maybe that’s why she always tried to keep us busy. When we had nothing to do, we usually wound up misbehaving.
Godless in Heart

The Light Is Always Flashing

Across from the headquarters of FCA, atop a hill, is a tall communications tower. In the almost three years that I’ve worked here, I’ve glanced at this tower hundreds of times and never given it a second look. But yesterday morning I caught myself daydreaming. It was in this daydream that God taught me a beautiful lesson--one He’s been teaching me over and over again for the last several weeks.
At the top of this tower is a flashing light. It guides air traffic and prevents aircrafts from flying into it. No matter the time, day or season, this light continues to flash, and communication continues to be broadcast.
#97 - StVRP - Chad Hennings, Susan Bumpas, Clebe McClary & Les Steckel

Three-time Super Bowl Champion and Air Force pilot Chad Hennings, Susan Bumpas, Vietnam War Veteran Clebe McClary & FCA President Les Steckel
Featured Resources
-
Video
-
Promotional
-
Bible Study
-
Wallpaper
Browse By
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic