I grew up in McKeesport, Pa., which is a town of about 24,000 right outside of Pittsburgh. It was a quiet place for my mom and stepdad to raise our family, which consisted of me, my two younger siblings and my older cousin, who became my older brother after my parents adopted him.

As a junior at the University of Southern California, Devon Kennard is familiar with the difficulties that come with being a collegiate student-athlete—both common (position changes and injuries) and unique (coaching changes and university-related NCAA sanctions). But for this starting defensive end, who is in full pursuit of Christ, the challenges have only deepened his faith and fueled his passion to lead his teammates and USC fans closer to the Lord.

Chosen Attribute: Joy

Dictionary definition: “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.”

My definition: “To be genuinely content from the inside out.”

Every morning, I have a routine once I get to the office.

1. Fire up the computer - 8:00 A.M.
2. Delete the spam from my e-mail account (while eating a couple pieces of toast).
3. Head to “Morning Glory,” the corporate prayer time of the FCA National Office.
4. Transition into prayer time with the Communications/Marketing Department.
5. Edit and send out the daily Impact Play e-mail devotion.
6. Start the day - 9:30 A.M.

I’ll be honest. Prior to writing this story, bullet point number five wasn’t that much of a landmark in my day.

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.

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.

For a time, Iver McDonald was superhuman. Well, not really. But at least she felt that way. That’s what can happen when you’re young and brash and enter high school as an elite softball player good enough to make the varsity as a freshman.
 
“I had this horrible attitude,” she said. “I thought I was the stuff in softball—like I walked on water. I thought I was invincible, that nothing could touch me.”

But things weren’t going so well in her personal life.

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.

 “…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

Annie Lockwood had high expectations for her athletic career when she walked on to the softball team at Arizona State University in 2009. Knowing the Sun Devils were fresh off a national championship and hoping to continue in their success, Lockwood immediately knew she wanted to be a part of it. Now three seasons later, she has realized that dream and stands amazed at what the Lord has done in her life—and how she loves to play for His glory.

Retracing the steps of Tre’ Kelley’s childhood is a sobering, sometimes harrowing, task.

To start, you must visit the areas of Washington, D.C., that aren’t in any travel brochures. You must go into the neighborhoods of the Northeast where vice is readily available — where the sounds of “Pop! Pop! Pop!” and the ensuing drone of police sirens, like banshees wailing in the night, are a familiar dirge. Only a short drive from the city’s majestic monuments and stately halls of legislature, it is worlds apart. No one goes sightseeing in this part of town.

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.

In 2007, God reached approximately 340,150 kids on 6,803 campuses through the hard work of 830 FCA staff members across 50 states. That’s 340,150 students who heard the Word of God in their own schools, were influenced by their Christian teachers and coaches and learned how to compete for Christ. That’s 6,803 campuses that facilitated a light for Jesus and allowed a Christian group to organize on their school grounds.