I am Second - Lecrae

Edison FCA

Edison High School FCA had it's 1st meeting of the year today and over 180 students showed up to make it awesome! Everyone was excited and the leaders did a great job getting the word out to theirs peers. We also had 8 youth pastors represented from 4 different churches! SO cool to see the body of Christ working together!

We had a great meeting, with pizza and fresh baked cookie for all the students! After getting setttled in the students were welcomed by a group of leaders who shared about their different youth groups and then we jumped into the "Who am I" game. Then after the game FCA president Riley Mailman shared about FCA...he shared this verse from Ephesians with them...

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

He shared with the students that hopefully throughout the year the students will come to grasp the LOVE that Jesus had for them! Here are some pictures from today...

 

Huntington Beach High School FCA

Huntington Beach High School FCA kicked off with a bang on Wednesday! About 85 students packed into Mr. Johnston's classroom to check out the 1st FCA meeting of the year! We had a great time playing the "Who am I" game and then talking about what FCA is and what we will be doing throughout the year. God is good and it is so cool to see a room jam-packed with kids who want to find out more about Jesus!

We will meet again in 2 weeks, but in the meantime here are some pictures from the day!

Marina FCA Kick Off

Yesterday at Marina high School 105 students packed into the Coach Marshall's portable RM. 241 for the first FCA meeting of the year! It was awesome to see all the students come together at the meeting! Pizza was provided by Calvary Chapel Westgrove and was a huge blessing to the hungry students. As is custom on the first meeting the leaders introduced themselves and then leader Ben Drolet lead the group in a fun game that got everyone talking and sharing funny facts about themselves. After the game our speaker got up and shared about "Why Jesus?" It was a great message and a great way to kick off the school year! God is good!

The Athletes Bible...

August 11, 2011, 11:29 am » Jeff Hopper

I think it is important to consider some commonly chosen Bible passages and assess their application before selecting other Scripture choices that may make a lot more sense during a game. Here we go...

Three passages that athletes should trade out for something better

 

Theologians call the convenient application of a Scripture passage to our personal circumstances or interests “prooftexting.” Some teachers may do this deceptively, but most believers do it lazily or accidentally. Understanding the context of a passage helps us keep a check on our prooftexting and challenges us to apply the verse to our lives as it was meant to be applied, not how we would like it to be applied. Desiring to be more careful with our Scripture application, then, let’s look at three passages that may need to be phased out of use by Christian athletes.

          

 

Click here to continue Reading this article...

Heart of an Athlete - Devon Kennard

 Devon Kennard

Defensive End

University of Southern California

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
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.

STV: What has it meant to play football at tradition-rich USC? DK: It’s been an honor. Growing up—and even now—USC is the school for so many people. The brand we wear on our helmets is unlike any other. It’s my hope that those of us on the team who follow Christ present ourselves in the right way. His is the image we want to portray to people and to the community.

STV: How have the recent NCAA sanctions against USC affected you specifically? DK: I feel like God has definitely tested me in many ways. I’ve only been here for three years, and I’ve experienced things many athletes never have to face with coaching changes and NCAA sanctions, as well as position changes, injuries and surgeries. Through it all I have tried to give Him the glory because He’s led me through it. I truly believe He has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, as it says in Jeremiah 29:11.

STV: How do you bring the Lord into the game?

“...we need to realize that our time is now!”

DK: I don’t go to a game—home or away—without my Bible. I like to read Ephesians 6 about the armor of God, and I go into every game knowing that I am protected by Him.

God is the One who has given me the skills to be in this position, and I thank Him for that. It’s easy for athletes to build themselves up when things are going well. But, as Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” I want to remain humble because otherwise I know I will be humbled.

STV: How has FCA made an impact on your faith? DK: FCA creates an environment where Christian athletes feel safe. We do the same things, live the same lives and are dedicated to Christ. It is relieving to know there are other guys on the team who have the same goals and who are trying to walk in faith. You don’t feel like you’re fighting the battle alone.

At USC, we do our best to reach out to our teammates. Last season after every Thursday practice, a group of us prayed on the field, and, toward the end of the year, more and more guys started coming. We looked at it as a definite positive that they wanted to be a part of it.

A lot of people my age tend to put their faith aside. They try to live the college life and do the college thing, but we need to realize that our time is now! There’s no point in waiting. Having FCA on any campus is important because there are people who need it—Christian athletes who need that outlet or who are on the brink but don’t have anything connecting them to Him. FCA can really help fill that need.

About the Athlete:
School: University of Southern California
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
Year: Junior
Position: Defensive End

Notes:• 2009 Pac-10 All-Freshman first team (ESPN.com and The Sporting News)
• 2010 Pac-10 All-Academic second team

FCA Quote:
“Devon has stood out as a leader both on and off the field. We’ve gone through multiple Bible studies together, and it is evident that he has a passion for Christ and for strengthening those around him.” – Matt Barkley USC quarterback FCA Huddle Leader

Propaganda - What is the Gospel?

FCA Football Power Camp 2011

WOW, what a week! Yesterday marked the final day of our OC FCA Football Power Camp. For 4 days 60 campers and 20+ coaches took over Lebard Football Stadium for a time of football and worship! We were blessed by great coaches throughout the week that included players such as; Josh Gage-UW, Kyle Negrete-USC, Matt Barkley-USC, Robbie Boyer-USC, Bryce Butler-USC, Mike Willis-APU, Chris Rix-Florida State, Jason Jacobi-Chapman, Jared Hall-Bethel, and many more...

CLICK HERE FOR CAMP PICTURES

The boys, ages 8-13, had a blast and grew both in the game of football and in faith! Mission Hills Church Youth Pastor, Danny Bowers was our Camp Chaplain throughout the week and did an awesome job of sharing about God's Power, God's Strength, and God's Victory. He really connected well with the campers! I was blessed by all the coaches and helpers who volunteered their time to come out and make this week a huge success! I am already looking forward to next year.

FCA Sports Camp Rewind...

What an amazing week! The 682 campers that invaded UCLA for the week had a blast. Check out the video below. Miles McPherson delivered great messages all week, and the Katinas were awesome! The highlight by far though was this...132 athletes gave their lives to Christ for the first time and 398 athletes rededicated their lives to Him.  That means 530 of the 682 athletes that stepped foot on UCLA’s campus last week made a new commitment to the Lord.  Praise God! That my friends is what it is all about!

Technical issues...

Blogger is malfunctioning on my computer and not letting me post. hopefully the problem will get fixed and I can return to updating you all tomorrow! Goodnight!

Camp Update - day 2 pictures

As promised, pictures from day 2...

Wrestling Coaches and Huddle leaders planning the week!

Women's Soccer staff prays together!

Surf Clinicians might have the toughest job all week?

Ackerman Hall just waiting to be filled with rowdy campers

Surf Clinician Dave Allee & OC Director Greg Brown

Handing out Camp Staff shirts...we are official!

Jared & Kelly Hall with some awesome huddle leaders!

Camp Update - day 2

Today was another great day of preparation and prayer for FCA Camp 2011! The entire camp coaching staff and their families arrived today to complete the Staff piece to the camp puzzle.

As the coaches arrived this morning and got all checked in FCA staff were hard at work completing the preparations needed for the following day. My part of that was to drive the U-Haul down to Anaheim with Tony Gomez and pick up the wrestling mats (how I love LA traffic)! The huddle leaders completed their training and are now ready for the 692 campers that will arrive tomorrow morning to participate in camp! Good work Colin Sinclair, Jared Hall and Marina Mayer for training preparing and loving on these college students who have volunteered a week of their summer to make an impact for Eternity in the lives of all these campers!

In the afternoon the entire FCA Camp 2011 Staff convened for the Welcome Meeting, the first of many to come. After that the athletic staff got together to pray and prepare for the 7 practices, over 4 days, that will be taking places. Some notable Head Clinicians include Mike Sheppard (Football) - QB Coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Jose Campo (Wrestling) - Champion Wrestler and Renowned Coach who also had his book "Wisdom from the Corner" published recently! We are blessed beyond words with an incredible coaching staff!

The day finally concluded with an awesome commissioning ceremony, that brought to life the reality that all the hard work and preparation is now over and camp is really beginning! It's Game time...who's going to be a Game Changer?  

The Camp Bible that every staff and camper receives!

Camp Update - day 1

Today was the first day of on site prep at camp. Core Staff and huddle leaders arrived to begin preparing and training for the arrivals of the campers on Wednesday morning. The day began for me and Jessica earl this morning as we awoke @ 5:30am to pack up our truck and get out of the apartment in time to pick up our camp U-Haul rental by 7:30am. After I got the U-Haul Jessica headed up to camp with the kids and i met a few of our other staff people at the warehouse to load up all the sports equipment, t-shirts, and about 3,000 pounds of bibles! WOW!

Once here we spent the day unloading and getting the equipment shed and training room set up.... on the other side of things the huddle leaders (college athlete/camp counselor) were having a bit more fun! They spent the day bonding, playing games and preparing their hearts spiritually for the week ahead of them! Then tonight the were treated to a Westwood favorite...Diddy Riese! Needless to say, today was tiring but rewarding! It is great to be a part of all the behind the scenes hard work that go in to making this an awesome experience for the Kids.

I will have Pictures everyday starting tomorrow...I promise!

Please Pray for; The huddle leaders as they prepare to influence the kids for Christ, The staff to be willing and ready to serve with a humble attitude!

GameChanger - FCA Sports Camp Updates

 

Tomorrow camp staff will head up to UCLA for our 2011 FCA Sports Camp to prepare for the 692 campers that will show up on Wednesday. I will be providing an inside look at FCA sports camp with daily updates and pictures. Check back each day this week, Monday June 27 - Sunday July 3, to see how God will use FCA Staff and volunteers to make an impact in the hearts of kids from all over the West Coast!

Check the Blog for Daily Updates this week!

theneedmovement.org

Edison High School FCA student leader Riley Mailman, has started a Movement to reach teenagers for Christ! Riley has a gift and passion for Jesus, which he has translated into loving others and sharing Jesus with them! Pray for Riley as he reaches out. Check it out at theneedmovement.org 

Here is an excerpt from his website...
"I am Riley Mailman, a normal teenager and the founder of theneedmovement.org. In November 2009, I felt compelled to reach out to other teenagers to share the life-changing love of God. Many topics will be discussed on this blog, and I encourage you to take part in the movement. In the end, we all need one thing, and His name is Jesus Christ."