A bicycle kick in itself is pretty mystifying, considering the player begins the kick with his back facing the intended target. He then hurls his head and upper body backward toward the ground while his feet and legs whip up into the place his upper body was. All of these acrobatics are an attempt to accurately strike a flying soccer ball.

Imagine executing that kind of kick while your team is trailing 1-0 in the waning seconds of a highly competitive Superliga final match.

Welcome back to the real world, kid. It’s a far cry from the experience you just had, feeling so close to God and all. But now, you need to start thinking about — check that — start worrying about “more important” things.

Matt Hasselbeck is famous for a lot of reasons. Most people know him as a three-time Pro Bowl selection and the Super Bowl XL quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. Some associate him with his father, Don, who played nine seasons in the NFL. The less-football-savvy crowd knows him for his TV star sister-in-law, Elisabeth, from ABC’s “The View.” And a growing number of people are getting to know him for his dancing skills. (Thank you, Reebok!)

Regardless of what category you place him in, however, there’s one thing about Matt Hasselbeck that can’t be separated from his inner athlete, son, dancer or field general: his faith in Jesus Christ.

If you try to do this on your own, you may want to reconsider!

Anyone who has ever sat in the painfully uncomfortable job applicant’s seat knows there are a few simple rules that accompany a successful interview: be on time, dress the part, research the employer, ask questions and avoid taking a combative approach.

When Jill McCormick found herself interviewing at Santa Rosa Junior College (Calif.) for a job that included the head coaching position of the women’s water polo team and both the men’s and women’s swimming teams, she followed all of the typical interview protocols to a tee—except maybe that last one.

Nate Lewis, FCA area representative for Western Nebraska, was riding in a school bus full of high school students headed to an FCA event last year when he glanced back to see what the kids were up to.
 
 

As his eyes scanned the seats filled with laughing, talking teenagers, one stood out. “He was sitting there on the bus, reading his Bible with his FCA Bible reading plan in his lap,” Lewis said. “I didn’t say a word. I just shook my head and praised the Lord for the work He does in lives.”

Prior to the 1999 Major League Draft, Josh Hamilton was considered a prospect with all the tools. A 6’4” southpaw who could both stun hitters from the mound with his 96-mph fastball and shame pitchers from the plate with his bat speed of 110 mph, Hamilton had incalculable potential in the game. He held the world of baseball at his fingertips.
 
 

In many cases, the University of Texas (and they wouldn’t mind us mentioning this) is larger than life. After all, isn’t everything bigger in Texas?

And really, it’s tough to disagree. The Greater Austin metro area has a population of 1.6 million people. UT’s 350-acre main campus employs 21,000 faculty and staff while serving as the educational grounds for nearly 50,000 students, many of whom are members of one or more of the 900 registered student organizations.
 
 

Impacting the campus and community for Christ sounds like a great vision, but where do you begin?

There comes a time in a man’s life when he must decide about spiritual matters—what to believe and who to follow. For Kyle Korver, that decision came in the shower.

While the scene wasn’t exactly Hitchcockian in nature, it did produce some dramatic results. There, in the bathroom of his Philadelphia apartment five years ago, Korver wrestled with deep, longstanding spiritual questions. He realized that his family’s strong heritage of faith did not pass on to him simply by bloodlines. He realized he had been treating Christianity  like a faucet, turning it on or off as needed.

It was a long shower.

I absolutely love the Christmas season! There’s nothing better than celebrating the birth of our Lord in the presence of family and friends.

For many of us, however, this time of year means we abandon our healthy routines, throw off our restraint, and overindulge in huge quantities of food. There is just something about a huge turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls and green bean casserole. Finish that with a slice or two of pecan pie, and it’s time for an afternoon nap!

When Rick Comegy took over as the head football coach at Jackson State University in 2006, he had no idea the challenges that lay ahead. But, after more than 30 years in the coaching profession, this veteran of many sidelines did know one thing: It would take commitment and faith.

This month, as college football bowl games flood your television, let yourself get sucked in. Just make sure you have read below or your STV is close by. You’ll want to refer back to this article when you see a player score a touchdown and kneel in prayer. “Maybe he helps out with his FCA Huddle,” you’ll wonder.

If he’s found below or inside the magazine, the answer is yes.

We are profiling the athletes who are owning leadership roles both on and off the field. They are actively involved in their FCA Huddles and chapels and are setting positive examples for young fans to follow. We'll start with Heisman-hopeful Sam Bradford, and he is just the beginning of this tremendous list of athletes.