What does it look like to take a story like Jonah and teach it to athletes?

Praying scripture for your family will not solve the daily pressure and demands you face as a coach. It certainly won’t solve choosing between another meeting and making it home to enjoy dinner with your spouse (and kids). But it will, hopefully, give you a few action steps to choose your family while you are still on the field or in the office.

As a coach, your calendar often feels like it’s not your own. Between early practices, travel weekends, recruiting calls, film breakdowns, and game prep, the margins are razor-thin. And when you finally do get home, you're often running on fumes. You’re constantly pulled in a dozen directions. Sometimes, the people closest to you—like your spouse or kids—end up getting the least of you.

You can’t give everyone all your time, but you can give them your best time. And when you do, you reflect the heart of a God who is never too busy to be fully present with us.

Athletes are called to pursue holistic growth by following Jesus’ example in Luke 2:52, developing in wisdom, statue, favor with God, and favor with others. Growth requires daily intentional choices—seeking wisdom, building character, deepening one’s relationship with God, and serving others with humility. Jesus wants us to follow His example by growing in every area of life, becoming the people (and athletes) God created us to be.

As athletes, we know that motivation matters—it shapes how we train, compete, and respond to challenges. Some, like Buster Douglas, fight for something deeply personal. While others, like Michael Jordan, are fueled by proving others wrong. It’s easy to focus on external success, but God cares more about what’s driving us from the inside. By examining our heart we can align our motivation with His purpose.

It’s a deepening of trends that have been building for years, but the scale and visibility of the connection between sports and Christianity in public life is greater than ever. Athletes are more confident in sharing their faith, supported by a social media ecosystem that allows them to connect directly with like-minded fans and Christian influencers who eagerly amplify faith-themed quotes and statements from the sports world.

Lent isn’t just about giving something up—it’s about replacing it with something better. As an athlete, your time, energy, and focus are valuable. Instead of simply removing something, Lent is an opportunity to replace lesser things with habits that build you up spiritually, mentally, physically, and relationally.

Most of us understand there is some level of expectation to model Christ-like behavior to the athletes under our leadership. But what does it look like for us to grow in our walk with the Lord?

Coaches need to be discipled too.

Praying Scripture is one of the best ways we can pray for our players because the Bible expresses God’s will, God’s character, and God’s promises.

Sport culture often equates weakness with failure, but the biblical narrative offers Christian athletes and coaches a countercultural view: we are actually strongest when we embrace our weakness.

What if, in our pursuit to help our kid be the best possible athletic version of themselves, we are contributing to a system that’s more likely going to lead to joyless play and them hanging up their cleats because of pressure from us?

Prayer isn’t about being seen or celebrated. It’s a quiet act of faith. It’s not meant to be flashy or something to post on social media. When it comes to prayer, sometimes athletes and coaches just need a place to start.

Dude Perfect presents a potential model for what play and sports could look like on the New Earth.

Most coaches have a plan for X’s and O’s, but what about one for building a healthy team culture? What does it look like to gameplan for culture in the same way that we gameplan for championships? And what, if anything, can we learn about this from the ministry of Jesus?

Coaches must do the hard work of introspection. It honors God, creates space for reflection and growth, and helps us better serve those we are called to lead.

This is the first in a four-part series about how athletes can approach injuries in a way that honors God and utilizes the resources that God has given us for hard seasons of life.

9 ways to use sports ministry as a tool for validation. And what it looks like to minister out of a place of freedom.

We need a biblical perspective that integrates faith and ethics to provide guidance for Christian sports people as they navigate the complexities of personal branding in their lives and interactions.

5 things for Christians to consider when athletes talk about God after the game

As a Christian athlete (or a Christian sportsperson) who believes and abides by a traditional biblical sexual ethic, how should one respond to Pride Games? The issue is complex, making it difficult to find a one-size-fits-all answer. However, it is worth our time to carefully consider our specific circumstances and discern the next best step.