Student: At the University of Louisville, people come from all over the world to be a part of the sports programs represented here. God puts us in a position to impact people every day. The fellowship of Christian athletes at the University of Louisville has been making a difference for over 20 years.
FCA Staff Member: I was first introduced to FCA after getting in some trouble with the law here in the city in 2006. Got into some trouble with some of my teammates and after that was in the locker room and Chris Morgan just walked in and walked up to me and he said, "Hey man, what you did was stupid, but I love you and if you'll stop running from God, he can really use you." And I was just drawn to that challenge. I was drawn to his love for me, his unconditional love for me, and he invited me just to come and to start checking out Bible studies, FCA Bible studies and I did. And FCA helped me to understand that sport makes for a wonderful game, but it makes for a terrible God.
Student: The biggest thing that I've learned in the past two years is that it's not about my story and my role on the campus, but it's about God's story and what is my role in his story?
Student: One of my best friends who played softball here we're from completely different ends of the country. I have girls in my small group from St. Louis, from Tennessee, from Maryland, and to see the Lord work through them this semester, specifically with our small group, has been unreal. They'll tell me I'm forever changed because you helped me understand this story of Jesus's life. I think that's the main reason why I was here and why I was placed here is to help my journey grow and in order to lead other people to a man that has completely wrecked and changed my life.
Student: I don't know. I've always looked at people who are very religious as, oh, I want to live that life because it's so beautiful and she actually helped me get into that life and now I live that beautiful life with God.
Student: As Christians, we are called to be a light wherever we are, we should be a living example of Christ, whether we're at work in the classroom or in the sports arena, people are watching and the potential for impact is incredible.
Student: I think impacting people, making a difference in somebody's life. I want players to go, man, that guy loved me. That guy cared for me.
Student: I want to be remembered as someone whose life was different not because of myself, but because of the one who died to save me from a life of misery. And in that I can find complete joy and happiness.
Student: I want people to look at me and be like, I can see God living through him. That's really what I want.
Student: For a while I thought being a Christian and having a faith was all about you and God and your relationship and something that kind of make you feel better and to make your life go right and to make sure you go to the right place once you die. What I really think it comes down to, and something that I didn't realize until this year is Jesus commissioned us to go make disciples.
Student: Yeah, I think it being a disciple maker is just living out the great commission of go and make disciples of all nations. If we're Christians, little Christ, we're supposed to be modeling the way of Jesus.
Student: I think we have a responsibility as Christians to pour out to other people because I cannot contain this joy that I have, the joy that I've been given from God to have him in my heart. I have almost no other option than to spread it to other people. I cannot contain it. And I hope that the joy that I have in my heart for God leaks out to the world and that they want to know where that joy comes from.
Student: My whole life, I've always been, oh yeah, God, as a plan. It's bigger than mine and it's always been ingrained into me. My parents have said it, my coaches have said it, teachers, everybody. But I think it's always just kind of been a Christian memento or whatever you want to call it, just a Christian saying to me, and I've never actually dug into it and believed it. One day I was just driving with one of my teammates, and she's a goofy kid. She doesn't really get serious very often, but she got serious and she said, I really want to take my faith seriously, and I think that you're somebody that I look up to and I see is somebody that can really help me with that, and I really want to learn from you. And I was like, what the heck? I've been here two weeks. What are you talking about? I don't really know how to do this, but I said yes. And I texted Tammy and I was like, how the heck do I do this? I've never done this before. I've been discipled. I've been mentored.
Last week I got a birthday card from one of my other teammates, another freshman, and I'm reading it and she is like, I'm sorry if I get too deep here, but you're here for a reason. And I think part of that reason is because I needed someone like you. Like I said, I came, I transferred because of volleyball, and it's pretty clear now that that was kind of just my own thought. And I didn't leave for volleyball. I didn't come here for volleyball. I came here to be a part of the plan that the Lord has for Louisville volleyball and this group of girls and FCA, and he's putting me, he's letting me be a part of something way bigger than just a really fun game.
Student: At the end of the day, God doesn't care how many goals I would score. He cares about how many people's lives I can touch. I can impact. So maybe through soccer, maybe not, but it doesn't matter if he gave me the talent and the excuse to do that, what I have to do, what I believe is do my best every single day. Everything I do is for his glory.
Student: The reach that FCA has is really large, and I think that having a reach that big and having 300 kids show up on Mondays is incredible. And I think it's easy to say like, oh yeah, we did our job. We have 300 people coming on Mondays. But I think what FCA does is so much bigger than that. Every week there's a call like, hey, if you're not involved in a small group, you better get involved.
Student: I heard an analogy one time. Sometimes it feels like we have this house and we let Jesus stay in the guest bedroom. But the reality is God wants to come in and he wants the foundation, he wants the whole thing. And I think that's how our lives are supposed to be.
Student: I guess when I leave UofL, I want to be remembered for more than just my sport. I don't want to be the best field hockey player. That would be cool. But I think I want to be known more as a person who was caring and loving and who knew God and was really grounded in her faith and just wants to share him with others.
Student: Jesus is everything. And I want nothing more for my life than to see people come to know God and who their creator is and have a personal walk with him. And so if that's everything, then it's totally worth it, no matter what it takes to help others realize who their creator is.
Student: I'm never alone. God's always with me no matter where I go, no matter what I do. And he loves me.
FCA Staff Member: One of the things that Chris always says is that FCA or this ministry is not about three initials FCA, but it's about Jesus Christ and him ushering in the kingdom of God. And he's allowing us to be a part of that, a very small part of that, but a part of that, and so I think that's so special about what's happening with FCA is they're pointing people to the name that's above every name, and that's the name of Jesus.
