Former big leaguer Sanderson now models Christ as player agent
You�d think a longtime major league pitcher � especially one who made millions of dollars as a 19-year veteran, former All-Star and member of multiple playoff teams � would kick back and relax for awhile after retiring. Maybe travel to exotic locations or buy a mansion and sip daiquiris by the pool.
Not Scott Sanderson.
�I took three weeks off after my last game and then started representing players,� he said. �I knew later in my career that this is what I wanted to do.� (more…)
Corey Lynch thanks Jesus after being selected in NFL draft
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Appalachian State free safety Corey Lynch in the sixth round of the NFL draft.
Lynch’s wife Cissie is the daughter of Franklin Graham and the granddaughter of Billy Graham.
“I’m going to bring a lot of dedication. I’m going to bring character. Those are always tops on my list, and definitely some game-changing plays,” Lynch said about his selection by the Bengals.
“I just thank Jesus Christ for everything he’s done for me so far. He’s led me to Appalachian through a great career, and I believe he’s led me to the Bengals for another great career. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Faith, father help guide Felix to success on the track
It is early morning at the large cafeteria hall of the Sunrise Ministry in Auburn, Calif., and Professor Paul Felix is giving an Olympic performance in the face of poor conditions. The volume on his body microphone is jumping from faint resonance to raised screeching to silence, and the veteran pastor isn’t fond of his handheld mic. “Can we fix this?” he asks. “I like to talk with my hands.”
At the front table, the soft-spoken daughter who otherwise tried to emulate the man with the booming voice, smiles at the irony. After all, Allyson Felix usually lets her feet do most of the talking.
In four months, the sprinter may be the female track star of the Beijing Olympics, running three distances — including two relays — with a chance to win three gold medals. But on this morning, she is the youthful, beaming, 22-year-old Sunday-school teacher who has just introduced her dad at the church’s annual father-daughter breakfast.
“My family has always been there to make sure I understood what we were learning in church,” she tells people. “My running is a gift from God; My success is not of myself. I know that my actions on and off the track should be a reflection of God, because people watch what you do and what you say. My father taught me that.” (more…)
Jones maturing in faith in twilight of career
Todd Jones vividly remembers his worst outing ever.
It was June 1, 2007, and the Detroit Tigers were at Cleveland. The Indians were threatening to close a 9-5 deficit in the eighth inning, so Detroit manager Jim Leyland brought in Jones, the team�s veteran closer, to nail the game shut. Two runs scored before Jones retired the side, but the Tigers spotted him two more runs in the top of the ninth.
It wasn�t enough. Jones imploded in the bottom of the ninth, surrendering a three-run homer to Victor Martinez and two more runs to absorb a bitter 12-11 loss.
�That was nice,� Jones recalled, sarcastically. �There�s usually one game a year where a fan leans over and says, �Mr. Jones, are sure you�re right-handed?�� (more…)
Final Four: Faith touches the hardwood
NCAA college basketball is closing one of its most suspenseful seasons in scenic San Antonio with a Final Four of college basketball royalty: North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and Memphis.
Saturday’s two semifinal games will match UCLA against Memphis and Kansas against North Carolina. The two winners play Monday night for the 2008 NCAA Championship.
Among the crowds in San Antonio will be a sizable representation of coaches and players who, on the basketball court and beyond, see Jesus Christ as life’s ultimate champion. (more…)
Michael Redd’s faith has grown stronger since he arrived in NBA
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Redd always had Christ in his life. But since he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2000, the 29-year-old shooting guard has developed a stronger faith. Not long after he arrived in the NBA, Redd famously declared he would remain celibate until he married his wife and, by all accounts, kept that promise.
Then after signing a six-year, $91-million contract in August 2005, the NBA all-star used part of the money to help his father purchase a church. Redd’s father, the Rev. James Redd, is pastor of the Philadelphia Deliverance Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio. Before his son’s generous gift, the congregation worshiped in storefront and basement churches. At a time when NBA stars are glorified for their wanton lifestyles, Redd stands out as one who puts his faith first.
I talked to Redd about faith and basketball. (more…)
Top 12 Evangelicals in Sports
You can stay home on Sunday to watch football, skip Tuesday night prayer meeting for the baseball game of the week, and miss Saturday’s church retreat in favor of a pro golf tournament–chances are, you’ll still hear about Jesus. Evangelical athletes populate the major sports, and many of them enjoy the chance to be outspoken about their faith–thanking God for that winning field goal, late-inning homerun, or 18-foot putt.
We’ve scanned the sporting world to come up with a gallery of some of the most dominant athletes and coaches working today. Each of these men and women work hard, as their Bibles tell them, “to win the prize,” both in their sports and in their faith. (more…)
Allan Houston: Getting Playing Time With God
Two shining moments from Allan Houston’s career have cemented his place in NBA history: his buzzer-beating shot in Miami that sent his New York Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999, and his 53-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers four years later. But Houston is no showboating superstar. Hardworking on the court, he was a softspoken leader off it, In retirement, Houston has quietly staked his post-NBA legacy on helping fathers and sons come together in a series of basketball retreats called Father Knows Best, held since 2004 in Harlem and soon to expand to New Orleans. We chatted with Houston about how the program got started, why it’s needed, and why athletics and faith go together. (more…)
Famous Model and TV Announcer Wins Battle to Protect Life and Family Values in Ecuadoran Constitution
Rosanna Queirolo doesn’t fit the standard profile of a pro-life activist. She’s a former model who has posed in skimpy outfits in Ecuadoran magazines, and is a committed environmentalist who believes in man-made global warming. She was recently elected to Ecuador’s constitutional convention, its “Constituent Assembly”, on the socialist ticket.
But Queirolo has surprised her political party by becoming the Assembly’s most outspoken and aggressive advocate of human life and family. It has earned her bitter denunciations from fellow members of the socialist Alianza PAIS and plaudits from Ecuador’s pro-life majority. Now, Queirolo appears to be winning her battle to preserve family values in the nation’s constitution. (more…)
Chuck Norris to give graduation address at Liberty University
Actor Chuck Norris has been selected to speak at Liberty University’s graduation on May 10.
Norris, the star of numerous feature films and the long-running CBS television show, “Walker, Texas Ranger,” was a mainstay this year in the campaign of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whom Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed for president.
Falwell said he chose Chuck Norris after speaking with Huckabee recently. “He [Huckabee] and Chuck have become close friends and he told me how he had been impressed with Chuck as a very thoughtful and intelligent person and as a strong conservative Christian. I can’t imagine any profession where it is more difficult to remain true to your conservative Christian values than the entertainment field.”
In addition to his acting career, Norris won many state, national and international karate titles in the mid-to-late 1960s. (more…)
Jesus Christ's Superstars - Celebrities, Athletes, Actors who use their spotlight to honor God. 