The love that Cameron Mills had for Kentucky Wildcat basketball earned him little more than an unheralded spot on the bench. His passion for the sport, however, and his deadly accuracy from three-point range, brought him into the national spotlight through a pair of NCAA national championships.

Chosen Attribute: Passion

Dictionary definition: "Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling."

My definition: "An enthusiastic approach to life and people and the possibilities they have to offer."

The clock hits "0," and the blare of the buzzer fills the already noisy arena. The joy on the victors' faces is evident from even the highest balcony as tears of happiness, relief and exhaustion stream down their faces. The roar of the crowd is deafening as streamers fall and cameras flash in every fan's attempt to capture the winning moment-one that will forever be imprinted on the minds and hearts of the newly crowned champions.

If you meet Nichole Jones on the starting line she’ll probably smile at you, but then when the gun goes off, she’ll leave you in the dust. Don’t take it personally, though; she does that to everyone. “We call her the Smiling Assassin,” says Todd Harbour, Baylor’s head track/cross country coach. “She’ll smile at you and then just beat you bad.”

This 5’2”speedster is a quiet giant, both athletically and spiritually, who’d rather show you what she’s about than tell you.

If you’ve never seen the movie Secondhand Lions, don’t read the next paragraph. I’m about to spoil the ending.

At the end of the movie, the film’s two wildly adventurous uncles have died in an attempt to fly their biplane upside-down through their barn door. When the local sheriff breaks the news to their nephew, Walter, the sheriff says, “They had a good, long run. They went out with their boots on.” A young boy who had heard stories of the uncles’ adventures turns to Walter and asks, “They really lived?” His response: “Yeah. They really lived!”
 

The face of the Houston Astros has changed.

Jeff Bagwell has been retired for nearly four years. Craig Biggio bid farewell to Minute Maid Park after the 2007 season. And last year, fan favorite Brad Ausmus packed up his catcher's gear and opted to close out his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Houston is officially Lance Berkman's team. And he's OK with that.

God truly does make His strength known in whatever way He sees fit—whether through point-blank pows to the face or in subtle hints. In my case, it has been both.

When I came to Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan., God blessed me with the rare opportunity to play college baseball at a school that also helped cultivate my faith and personal ministry. It had always been a dream of mine to play baseball at the college level, but, if things had gone according to my own plan, I would have become just another face in the crowd. Thankfully, God has always put me in the place I needed to be—surrounded by the right people, challenged in appropriate times, and nurtured by His supreme love.

Since the beginning of time, love stories have been told and retold. Typically, they go something like this: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl live happily ever after.

For Auburn Offensive Line Coach Jeff Grimes, coaching wasn’t part of the immediate plan when he graduated from the University of Texas-El Paso in 1990 and finished a successful football playing career. But when a nudge from the Holy Spirit led him into the profession, Grimes embarked on what has now turned in to a high-impact coaching career filled with bowl games, All-Americans and recently, a BCS National Title. For Grimes, though, no gridiron achievements can outweigh the spiritual impact he makes as a man of God.

Watch any highlight reel of Shalee Lehning — Kansas State's sparkplug point guard who currently leads the nation in assists and triple-doubles — and it's easy to see why she's been called "one of the best point guards in America" and "a stat-sheet stuffer" by college basketball analysts. She flies around the court, diving for loose balls, setting her teammates up for layups and snatching rebounds from opponents almost a foot taller than she is.

“…the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

North Carolina junior attackman Thomas Wood developed a love for both lacrosse and the FCA ministry at an early age. Looking back over his life so far, he is able to see how the avenues of sports and faith have always been connected. In fact, according to Wood, his spiritual journey with Christ has made a direct and tangible impact on his lacrosse career, shaping him both as a player on the field and a leader off of it.

My story actually began in the projects of Brooklyn, N.Y., where I lived with my mother, older brother and younger sister until we were placed into foster care when I was 6. We lived with several different families, the three of us always together, until our mother died of AIDS when I was 9.