It seems we are constantly bombarded with news of immoral, destructive actions by famous sports personalities. As believers in Christ, we wonder how to respond and how we can discuss these issues in a way that reveals the light of Christ.
People usually get this news digitally, since 72% of Americans get their news on mobile devices. Half those people will read at least a portion of an article’s content. Then those questions come to mind.
Just like you, Athletes in Action (AIA) has been witnessing our culture’s moral decline and its impact. In late 2014, God gave AIA the vision to make a difference in today’s digitally-driven world by assisting the body of Christ to have a relevant answer that will bless everyone, thus drawing people to God’s ultimate answer, a personal relationship with Him! Read more about this initiative at athletesinaction.org/about and athletesinaction.org/its-time.
Early in 2016, athletesinaction.org was repurposed to be a light for Christ on the world’s digital hillside. (Matt 5:14-16) AIA publishes daily devotionals and a weekly Under Review piece addressing a relevant issue in the world of sports like:
Why Athletes Underperform for Coaches Who Use Fear
(10/30/16) While fear used to be the sole driver behind Halloween, over the decades it’s become an event that ranges far beyond simple boogey-man tactics.
Depending on your age demographic, halloween is an opportunity to dress up to get as much sugar as possible, give away as much sugar as possible, or, on college campuses, an opportunity to dress up vixenly to garner attention from the opposite sex.
Unfortunately, when it comes to our sports culture today, I would argue that fear is often still the primary driver at every level of play among coaches trying to motivate performance. It’s really time for this to change…. Read More
Each piece on the website prompts readers to think more deeply, share their thoughts, read other relevant material and get biblically sound help.
Karen and I are both part of a small team of staff who are contributing to this effort. In just nine months, athletesinaction.org has had over 500,000 digital conversations with people from over 200 countries!
As a partner in our ministry you are reaching the world! Thank you.
Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.
Click the following: November 2016 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.
the biggest story of game. Their off-the-field and between-the-whistle character was the true story. They helped Team China up after hits and always had a positive word for them. They slapped hands with kids and signed autographs. One of the more powerful moments came during halftime, though. Team USA invited Team China to meet up at midfield and prayed for them. The moment wasn’t planned. It was spurred on by an injury to one of Team China’s players.”
Can you image an entire football team playing for Christ? 
This summer has been quite eventful! Our family witnessed two big events for Ellie and Elizabeth.
This is a very exciting summer for us. In addition to our regular work of managing 
In family news, we rejoiced to watch Elizabeth graduate from high school, which is a miracle we continually thank God for; we are preparing for Ellie’s wedding to Austin Church; and we recently learned we will be grandparents to Erica and Parrish’s first child.
AIA’s vision is to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport, in every nation by using the platform of sports so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus; in other words, the Great Commission found in Matt 28:18-20.
players from around the country and took us to the Philippines. We knew we would be playing against university and professional teams and doing mission work, but we all discovered our plans pale in comparison to the plans God has for us.
clicking as if we had known each other for years. We were able to go so much further than surface level conversation and shared life together as men. We discovered what it means to be a man of God’s kingdom through His Word and the experiences He took us on. God grew each of us closer to Him and to the life He has for us.
really about. Many of us discovered our “why”-our foundational rock on which we will build for the rest of our lives. We discovered we can use our gifts and passions to bring glory to God. Using our play as our worship and our worship as our play, we can use basketball or whatever we do to be a spotlight for Jesus.
bigger than the scoreboard. It was so cool to fellowship with the teams after our games and share laughs, God’s love and the gospel story. It was counter-cultural in the realm of sport. It’s amazing that each one of us went on the same trip, did the same activities, and yet God worked in different ways in everyone. He marked us in ways that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
and exhaustion. She will start her senior year next week and will graduate on time with her class. The U. of Pittsburgh Concussion Clinic put her on the road to recovery. The director hadn’t ever seen a patient work as diligently as Elizabeth has! Thank you for praying! God has graciously answered. Please pray she’ll continue to recover and for strength as she returns to school.
CRU15: Last month, Rick and I attended our biennial staff conference along with 5,000 other staff members from Cru ministries all over the U.S. It was a wonderful time of connecting, worshiping God, hearing challenging messages from godly men and women and learning about exciting new strategies to reach the world with the gospel. The theme “Together” focused on ethnic oneness and partnering with others to spread the gospel. Here is a five-minute update we saw at Cru15 about several Cru ministries:
The Rogers 