Far away from the adoring fans and the harassing media, the smooth-talking agents and the lure of the NBA, Alabama point guard Ronald Steele withdraws to quiet places to pray.

A preseason All-American, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Steele has high expectations for his junior year with the Tide. He dreams of an SEC title for his team and All-America honors for himself. He dreams of next season, too.

Tucked neatly between peaks of California’s San Bernardino Mountains is the quiet reservoir town of Big Bear Lake, population 5,500. It is a cozy ski resort town full of log-cabin charm, the kind of place that begs visitors to forget that the turbulence of Hollywood sits at its feet only 100 miles away.

It was in this quiet town that an Olympic quest began. U.S. marathon runner Ryan Hall was only 14 years old when he stared out at the lake through his parents’ car window and was filled with a vision — a vision to run.

If you gave him just 30 minutes to share his vision for the Denver FCA urban ministry, you’d be captivated. And at the end of those 30 minutes — if he could speak fast enough to squeeze in his passion and strategy — you might sink slowly back into your chair, exhausted at the thought of what God has called him to do, yet energized to see his vision come to fruition.

To Rick Parros, white and black are just the colors he sees when he opens his morning newspaper. And race is just something sprinters do when they speed to the finish line.

“A little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough.” – Galatians 5:9

I need You, Jesus...To come to my rescue...Where else can I go...  From the streets you could hear their song. The collection of voices grew louder as the sound of worship drifted down the newly cemented driveway and floated into the humid summer night breeze. Within the walls of the recently erected Gulf Coast home gathered a group of young adults from Church of the Good Shepherd — a group whose lives one year earlier had changed as quickly as the flood waters rose on August 29, 2005, the day Hurricane Katrina hit.

Clemson volleyball star Brittany Ross sat on the home bench in street clothes watching her team play in pre-season matches. The bench felt mighty uncomfortable.

Ross was an All-ACC starter as a freshman and the team’s top outside hitter last season as a sophomore, leading the team with 535 kills. Going into the 2006 season, everyone was expecting Ross to have her best year yet.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to play soccer for Baylor University. We moved to Waco, Texas, when I was in sixth grade, but I had heard stories of the Green and Gold’s glory way before then.

This year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver promise to be truly exciting and inspiring. Nations will both unite and collide as they
compete for medals, honor and their countries. Some athletes, however, will be competing for a higher purpose: the glory of the Lord. Take some time to get to know eight of them here, then cheer them on and pray them up when the Games begin!

Growing up in Pennsylvania, my grandmother raised me to go to church. I did all the normal Christian things like go to Sunday school, sing in the choir and participate in our group of junior missionaries. Obviously, by the time I got to college, I knew who God was. I could tell you all the Bible stories and knew about Jesus, but it all was a very premature version of knowing Him. I didn't really recognize Christ as my Lord and Savior or have a personal relationship with Him.

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Every athlete and coach has heard and probably used this phrase. But that doesn’t change the fact that a productive offense generally overshadows defensive success. Both fans and media tend to focus on one thing: points scored. But after the Carolina Hurricanes’ final rally in game seven of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, no one could deny the defensive presence. After all, it was the perseverance and calm leadership of blueliner Glen Wesley that helped clinch the win and allowed him to finally raise the Stanley Cup – something he’d waited 18 years to do.

Chosen Attribute: Motivation

Dictionary definition: "Something that causes one to act."

My definition: "What compels you, what drives you, and what your life is plugged into in order to truly live."

Satisfaction would seem to be one of the most elusive commodities on the planet. In the world of sport it is not uncommon for a sideline reporter in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl to ask a player or coach for his thoughts and to hear, “We’re going to win it again next year!” The game isn’t even over yet, but the player is already thinking of next year.

Sadly, this is often due to the inability of the highly achieving to simply be satisfied with their achievements. There is the constant push for more, bigger, greater and higher.