The Christian Athlete

The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

In Onward Christian Athletes, religion expert and commentator Tom Krattenmaker provides a first-of-its-kind exploration of what is really happening where sports and faith converge, and the larger story it tells about popular Christianity in American life in the new century.

In this day and age, competition, most visibly in sports, often brings out the worst in people. Many athletes and fans seem compelled to do things that cheat sports of their purpose-of God's purpose. This leads Christians to wonder how it is possible to bring honor to God in the world of sports today. Christian athletes in every sport have to ask: What is the true function of sports? Is it possible to hold fast to Christian values and be a competitive athlete? Is it acceptable to let Christian values slide during competition? Dwayne K. Smith answers these questions and more in his exceptional book, The Christian Athlete-Honoring God in Sports, a must read for every athlete, coach, fan, and parent with children in sports. A coach himself, Smith combines stories and humor with powerful insights on subjects that athletes and coaches deal with on a regular basis, such as handling failure, battling laziness, and glorifying God with our bodies. Take a time out to become The Christian Athlete you were meant to be-honoring God in the sports you love

"Scripture and Sport Psychology: Mental-Game Techniques for the Christian Athlete is the first book to combine principles from the Holy Bible and sport psychology literature into a straightforward and practical guide for improving mental skills and athletic performance. Without a strong mental-game, athletes limit their ability to perform optimally. Drawing from enlightening parallels from the Bible and sport psychology research, the author provides effective techniques to enhance the mental fortitude necessary for peak performance."--Back cover.

Most Christian athletes know they are supposed to play for the glory of God, but what does that actually mean? How can the Bible be practically applied to sports? In The Assist, Brian Smith combines the wisdom of God's Word and his own experience working with athletes to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport. This book will show you how to: Use your sport to grow closer to God. Glorify God in every area of your sport, including practice, injuries, relating to teammates, and winning and losing graciously. Leverage your position as an athlete to maximize your impact in God's kingdom. To be a Christian athlete means much more than just giving your best and making sure God gets the credit. It means living out your faith in every aspect of your sport. Smith's book is aimed at helping you do just that: it is designed to assist you in integrating your faith with your life as an athlete.

This interdisciplinary text examines the sports-Christianity interface from Protestant and Catholic perspectives. In addition to a "systematic review of literature," the contributors, who include many of the pioneers in the field, address a wide range of topics. These include biblical athletic metaphors, disability, evangelism, professionalism and celebrity, humility, the Vatican's perspective on sport and genetic enhancement technologies.

The opportunities that exist for Christian athletes are amazing. The potential to leave a lasting impact is overwhelming. The challenge is to stay focused on what ultimately matters: a vibrant relationship with God. Faith and sports are an invaluable tandem that sometimes fall off balance. Compete Inside offers athletes reflections, relevant Scripture passages, and piercing questions to help them develop their faith and integrate it into their athletic life. Nothing can be more valuable than investing in your faith. These reflections inspire the athlete to put first what should be first: our faith and trust in Christ. Awesome! Philip Rivers, 11 year NFL Veteran Quarterback, 5 time Pro Bowler As athletes, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We put our performance out there for all the world to evaluate. We have high highs and low lows. Because of this, sports are more than physical competition or mental challenges. It becomes a spiritual journey. We all know the importance of focus in athletics. This book will help keep you focused on the most important thing, and assist you in leaving a meaningful legacy that lasts far beyond your playing days. Matt Birk, 15 year NFL Veteran, Super Bowl Champion, and 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year This book is an excellent resource for all athletes striving to excel in their sport and live a life for Christ! It is highly relatable to the highs and low that athletes face and speaks the truth of Gods love and mercy. Kristen ONeill, Associate Head Womens Basketball Coach at Seattle University, former WNBA, FIBA, and Division I athlete This book will serve as a road map to help us give God back the glorynot to strive to have him on our team, but to one day cross home plate with the winning run and be on his team. In society, sometimes we glorify athletes more than a man that died on a cross. It can create an EGO (Edging God Out). These great reflections help us bring God back into the mix. Tony Robichaux, Head Baseball Coach, University of Louisiana Lafayette