Sport Spiritual

Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring. Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level, and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

It's never too late to do the impossible. Meet Ida Keeling, a 104-year-old mother, activist, and world record-holding runner. Her fierce independence and deep faith carried her through the Depression and the civil rights movement--but her greatest trials were yet to come.

Here are only a few of the new friends you’ll meet in TEENAGE CHRISTIAN, Inspirational Short Stories for Guys: DAVID, proud to be the owner of his grandfather’s Civil War-era rifle—a family heirloom—discovers the hard way that only a fine line separates adoration and idolatry. TIM, caught in a fierce tornado, has nowhere to run, except straight into the loving, protective arms of the Lord. KYLE’S feelings for his best friend, Charlie, turn from love to hate when Charlie hunts and kills Jannie, the tame little doe that Kyle befriended. MIKE puts an opportunity to work at a popular ...

The Mentoring Project’s flagship mentoring resource is its field guides. These long-form pieces provide practical guidance on various aspects of life as a Christian, like finances, purity, technology, work, and more.

Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is considered by many to be the most effective martial art, and its popularity has only been heightened by its dominance in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) arena. But one little-known aspect of this potent self-defense system is its deep spiritual roots and meditative practices. In The Essence of Muay Thai, Nuakai Aru, a Muay Thai master and longtime practitioner of various other martial arts, offers a fascinating historical and philosophical view of Muay Thai—along with his personal insights and experiences on the path.

Journalist and baseball lover Ed Henry reveals for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Jackie Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights advancement as well. Through recently discovered sermons, interviews with Robinson's family and friends, and even an unpublished book by the player himself, Henry details a side of Jackie's humanity that few have taken the time to see.

Case Keenum has traveled one of the most unique paths in the NFL. Recruited by just one college, undrafted, and released three times, Case has overcome every obstacle to become a successful starting quarterback. Keenum shares stories from every stage of his life, starting out as a ball boy for his father’s college team in West Texas, going on to win a state title in high school, and rewriting the NCAA record book at the University of Houston. A devastating knee injury almost derailed his football career, but helped him get closer to the woman who would soon become his wife.

John Tesh has achieved more in life than he ever dreamed possible. But the road to success has been anything but easy - and those challenges have become the secret to his success. Through his story, we can learn how to be relentless, how to achieve what we didn't think was possible, and how to handle our inevitable discouragements.

For 25 years, millions of Americans watched Jack Perkins on NBC News as a correspondent, commentator, and anchorman. People were familiar with his face, his bearing, and his rich, reassuring bass. Yet at the age of 52 and at the height of his career, Jack Perkins disappeared from the public eye and moved with his wife, Mary Jo, to a bare-necessities cabin on an uninhabited island off the coast of Maine. This isolated home they came to call Moosewood was the setting for Jack and Mary Jo’s spiritual awakening.

Had anyone told Ben Malcolmson that he'd someday be a wide receiver on the national champion USC football team - after not playing football since an unfortunate fifth-grade Pop Warner experience - he would have called them crazy. As a reporter for The Daily Trojan, in the spirit of George Plimpton, he participated in walk-on tryouts for the team and was dumbfounded to find himself listed on the roster. His position on the team never amounted to much in a game-time contribution, but Ben felt strongly that his faith was inextricably linked to his purpose.

When Father Bredder gets involved with murder—Heaven only knows what will happen next... When a baseball player is shot in the middle of a big game, Father Bredder is hired by the team to solve the case. Before he is done, he has to clear the name of a murdered priest accused of dealing drugs and save the soul of a young girl—all before the opening pitch of the World Series. “You can get hooked on God,” Father Bredder says, “like you can on heroin. You can’t get away from Him.” Named “A Red Badge Novel of Suspense” alongside Agatha Christie, Michael Innes, and Hugh ...

At the age of eight, Chad Gibbs attended his first Southeastern Conference football game. Since then he has been in a constant battle to not let his love of all things pigskin consume him. As a Christian, Gibbs knows he cannot serve two masters, but at times his faith is overwhelmed by his fanaticism. He is not alone. In 2008 over six million people attended an SEC football game.

A few too many deceptions? Matchmaker Willa Wald, content with her life running the Stonewood Cottages motor court, fills out a sheet on bachelors who take her out to dinner so she can match them with a good wife. Doesn't she understand that the men are really after her? And why does she secretly fill out a sheet on Lloyd Eldridge, a golf course designer, who checks into Cottage 3? Why isn't Lloyd up front about his famous parent, pro-golfer Tommy Cantrell? There are many questions to answer before they can see a happy- ever-after in their future.

Hot Off the Press Poetry: Extra Extra Read All About It!, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, depicts “The Times” in which we live. The categories: News Flash, Breaking News at 11:00 pm., Newshound, Bearer of Bad News, Have I Got News for You, Don’t Nobody brAng me No Bad News, No News is Good News, Missing Persons News, Sports News, and Fake News, provide the reader with local, coast-to-coast, national and transnational news, as well as entertainment. The poetic flow gives the bookworm comprehensive up-to-date news coverage and something to talk about. Awe, but there’s only one catch,...

For as long as she can remember, Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross's life has been measured in seconds. The fewer, the better. But when the race is over, how do you know what to run towards next? In Chasing Grace, join Sanya as she helps you see your own experiences through God's eyes.

Many of us would say it takes guts and a little bit of crazy to step toe-to-toe with a powerful, 1700-pound bull. For hall-of-fame bullfighter, Jeremy Sparks, it took faith. Sparks' remarkable and illustrious journey began at a young age when he received a God-given calling to become a professional bullfighter.

George Harrison met Muhammad Ali in 1964, when both men were on the cusp of worldwide fame. We Shook Up the World is the story of these two larger-than-life figures at a momentous time. A unique blend of biography and cultural history, this book goes to the very heart of the zeitgeist that each man inhabited and reinvented in profound and enduring ways.

Abiding deep within every golfer's spirit is a unique swing. Whether a beginner or advanced player, all golfers can dramatically improve their shot-making skills by taking an exciting and revealing journey inside The Spiritual Golfer. This intriguing pause resister unravels the mystery and confusion surrounding playing great golf!

Have you ever felt like you still had more to offer your team? Many athletes struggle, thinking that God only wants to be part of their lives when they are at church. In this book, I will show you how God wants to be part of every area of your life, including sports. This book will challenge your thinking and teach you how to combine your spiritual life with your physical life to achieve success in your everyday sports life. You can start each of the next 30 days filled with inspiration and enlightenment, to get you to the next level of success.

Drawing from his leadership and ministry experience as president of Alpha USA and Vineyard Churches USA and from his own life experiences as an ordinary Christian, Hunter calls us to reframe our salvation and discipleship. He believes that God intends us to become cooperative friends of Jesus, living in creative goodness for the sake of others through the power of the Holy Spirit.