Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta is the Georgia capital's oldest Black Baptist congregation, and one of the most influential churches in the South.

Unfortunately, though, 151 years of history aren't stopping Atlanta from requesting that the church relocate—in order to make way for a new football stadium.

Update (April 22): The police shootout that killed one of the suspected marathon bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, took place outside the Watertown home of a Southern Baptist church planter. The pastor, who shared his story with Baptist Press, is part of the broader trend of Southern Baptists targeting New England for new churches.

Meanwhile, Philip Jenkins offers helpful background on Chechnya's Islamist movement and explains why Suf Islam "could yet become a potent de facto ally for Western interests."

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Update (April 19): Amid the relief and celebration following the capture of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Friday night, some Christians spoke up to pray for him.

Taken into police custody, the 19-year-old was hospitalized in serious condition after suffering injuries from two altercations with police.

During the search for Dzhokhar, which had residents across the Boston area on lockdown for most of Friday, John Piper tweeted prayers that he be caught and his soul be saved: "My prayer for the running Boston bomber: Make his foot slip. Spare more victims. Save his soul." Following his capture, Piper indicated he would continue to pray for the suspect’s salvation, saying, “Two prayers answered. One to go.”

Huffington Post Religion quoted clergy, Catholic sites, and other Christian tweeters who were praying for Dzhokhar because “he is still a child of God” and “we are to pray for our enemies.”

LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer sent a tweet saying, "'But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.' -Jesus."

Dzhokhar's older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, also a suspect, died following a firefight with police the night before.
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In December, Gallup looked at the seven people Americans trust more than their pastor. Today, the Barna Group reported that Americans believe professional athletes influence society more than pastors "by more than a three-to-one margin."

Update (May 29): The Associated Press reports that Kountze Independent School District (KISD) in Kountze, Texas, is appealing a judge's ruling that gave Kountze High School cheerleaders the right to display Bible verses on banners at football games.

According to a press release from the KISD, attorneys for the cheerleaders are reading the court's ruling too liberally. The school's attorneys are asking the court to clarify the ruling, which "found that the banners were allowed under the U.S. Constitution, but stopped short of saying the cheerleaders have a free speech right to include the religious messages."
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Update (May 8, 2013): A Texas state judge has determined that religiously themed banners displayed by cheerleaders at Kountze High School in Texas are constitutionally permissible. According to the Associated Press, "In a copy of the ruling obtained by Beaumont station KFDM, [judge Steve] Thomas determined that no law 'prohibits cheerleaders from using religious-themed banners at school sporting events.'"

The lawsuit, which became a high-profile case last fall, was scheduled to go to trial later this summer, but this summary judgment ends the case.
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When Kountze High School in Texas banned cheerleaders from using Bible verses on their banners, the ban sparked a national debate about students' freedom of religion and free speech rights. For now, though, cheerleaders will be free to wave their banners, according to a ruling by Hardin County District Judge Steve Thomas.

Yesterday, Thomas extended a temporary injunction against the school district's ban on religiously themed banners, saying that the ban appeared to violate the cheerleaders' free speech rights.

Update (June 4, 2013): According to CNN, several Professional Golf Assocation (PGA) stars including Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, and Stewart Cink gather for a weekly Bible study, bringing the champions together over faith.

"On the course and off the course, the Bible group is the invisible club in the bag," CNN reports. "Some members pause midway through their rounds to read from the New Testament, meditate on holy scriptures and, of course, pray."
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Webb Simpson, who won today's U.S. Open golf tournament, might be the newest member of the "holy hall of fame." His Twitter bio describes him as a "*sinner* loved by a Savior."

Simpson, who trailed by four entering the final day, finished at 1-over-par 281 to beat Michael Thompson and Graeme McDowell by one stroke. He studied religion at Wake Forest University and has hosted a Youth for Christ Challenge golf tournament.

"It was a cool day. I had a peace all day," Simpson told reporters. “I probably prayed more on the last three holes than I’ve ever done in my life, and that kept me calm and got me home in 2 under."

He won his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship last August.

“I’d be stupid not to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because it was tough out there and I was nervous, and I felt his presence all day,” he told CBN.

In an interview with Beliefnet's Chad Bonham, Simpson described how faith directly plays into golf ethics.

Our deposit of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, more than anything, has allowed me to make those tough decisions. It’s happened probably 10 times in my life where I had to make certain calls and call penalty shots on myself. For me, it’s not as much the nature of the game but the fact that the Holy Spirit is prompting me to call a penalty on myself. Within our own nature, we don’t want to call a penalty on ourselves. We want to see how much we can get away with. That’s been a part of every tough decision I’ve made in golf.

In April, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association spotlighted Bubba Watson, who won the 2012 Masters.

Earlier this year, CT spotlighted how many high-profile athletes--Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Kaka--put their faith front and center. CT has written cover stories on the pros and cons of sports.

Nik Wallenda became the first man to walk right over Niagara Falls Friday night, a 30-minute tightrope televised live on ABC News.

Wallenda told reporters it took "a lot of praying, that's for sure. But, you know, it's all about the concentration, the focus, and the training."

QMI Agency reported earlier on the details of Wallenda's faith.

The King of the Wire puts his faith in the King of Kings.

Just before Nik Wallenda steps onto the wire tonight in an attempt to become the first person to walk a tightrope across the mouth of the Horseshoe Falls, he’ll form a circle with a dozen close friends and members of his close-knit Christian family and they’ll say a prayer to Jesus Christ.

The cross Wallenda wears around his neck every time he walks on a wire isn’t just a fashion statement, it’s a message about the religious beliefs the American performer holds close to his heart.

“I grew up in a born-again Christian family. A Bible-believing, God-fearing family. That’s the way I was raised and I find comfort and peace in that,” he said.

The Toronto Star has these details from tonight's walk.

His wife and three children held hands and prayed with him minutes before he began. They were there when he reached the end. His engineer uncle perched close at hand; he was a key player in making the stunt happen.

...Moments before strapping on the harness, the daredevil joined hands in riverside prayer with wife Erindera — an eighth-generation wire walker herself; Nik proposed on a wire — and their three children Yanni, 14, Amadeus, 11 and Evita, 9. Prayer comes easily to Nik, a born-again Christian, who thanked God and Jesus out loud — and through his microphone to the world — for much of his 25-minute feat.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune writes, "He told ABC his faith in the Lord kept his emotions in check, but that his extensive preparation was an equal component of success."

The New York Times used a biblical analogy to describe it:

He started just after 10 p.m. in mist so thick he was not visible on the Canadian side for more than 10 minutes after he started. The walk, which took about 30 minutes and was televised by ABC, had an Old Testament feel to it.

"I don't know what people will say about me 100 years from now, but it's got to be pretty impressive," he told ABC.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

"God is so good," Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber said this afternoon moments after he threw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners.

It's not a line he says only after winning—or after doing something amazing like throwing the 21st perfect game in major league history. Want proof? Just look at his Twitter feed. "If you're looking for answers, you've come to the wrong place," he says in his Twitter bio. "But, Jesus has them! Love Him and my beautiful wife. Also, I play for the #WhiteSox." Among his tweets:

Pro 16:18 When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.#whereisyourfocus

— Philip Humber (@Philip_Humber) December 1, 2011

Jeremiah 17:5-8 is speaking to me right now. Recommend this if you are getting caught up in trying to meet expectations of men. God is good!

— Philip Humber (@Philip_Humber) March 23, 2012

First bible study of the new season.So thankful for a family of believers within our baseball family.#blessed

— Philip Humber (@Philip_Humber) February 28, 2012

Frankly, Humber had a hard baseball career until the White Sox picked him up last year, and he hasn't had enough of a high profile to draw the attention of usual Christian athlete media like BP Sports and Sports Spectrum. But journalist J.C. Derrick apparently had a short profile ready to roll, and World magazine published it this afternoon.

"For so long, I was trying to make it about me," Humber told Derrick. "I was going to make it happen because of how hard I was working. ... But because of the road I took, I couldn’t deny the fact that it was God doing it, that God had a plan. ... . Wherever we’re at, whatever we’re doing, that God will be glorified in what we’re doing. And he can be glorified in our low moments or in our best moments."

Christianity Today recently covered Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow, and other Christian athletes—and journalists' new interest in their faith.

The Denver Broncos will pick up quarterback Peyton Manning and trade Tim Tebow, ESPN reports.

On March 7, the Indianapolis Colts released Manning after the quarterback had sat out a season due to neck injuries. He is expected to sign a $95 million contract with the Broncos, essentially pushing out Tebow, an outspoken Christian athlete who has attracted scrutiny for his faith and football.

Tebow began starting as the Broncos' quarterback last season, pulling off late-game wins that made him one of the most talked-about athletes. Denver went 2-4 in 2011 before Tebow started and went 9-5 after he took the helm. Tebow's visible expression of faith became the internet meme "Tebowing," to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.

CT interviewed Tebow last year about faith, football and fame. Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner suggested that Tebow might consider toning his faith talk down. And Ted Kluck warned fans not to hold Tebow up on a pedestal. CT's April issue looks at several Christian athletes under the recent spotlight, including Tebow, NBA player Jeremy Lin, and MLB player Albert Pujols.

Update on 3/21:
Tebow was traded to the New York Jets, Jay Glazer is reporting. ESPN's Rich Cimini argues that the trade could set off a controversy for the Jets, who gave Sanchez a three-year, $40.5 million contract extension. Last season, Tebow completed just 46.5 percent of his throws, but Sanchez also struggled, fueling speculation about his future, Cimini writes.

There's also some thought that Tebow and his clean-cut image could help polish the negative perception of the locker room, torn by discord last season. But others close to the team said that was no factor whatsoever in the decision.

But there could be potential backlash for the Jets. Tebow's enormous popularity could turn into a distraction, especially for Sanchez. If Sanchez struggles, the fan base ostensibly could turn on him and start clamoring for Tebow.

In other NFL news today, league announced penalties on the Saints' management for its bounty programs, under the table payments for big hits and plays. Saints head coach Sean Payton will be suspended for a year, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely from the NFL, and the team will be fined $500,000, among other penalties.

Update 2:30 p.m.:
Adam Schefter is reporting the trade could be nullified: "Denver and Jets have encountered hangup in language in Tim Tebow's contract that could nullify trade.
(2) If the Tebow trade to Jets falls apart, St. Louis could wind up getting back into play. Sides sorting through details.
Tim Tebow has $5 million worth of recapture language, meaning Jets would have to pay back money to Denver. Jets might be unwilling. Complex."

Update 2/22: ESPN reports that Tebow will be traded to the Jets after a few hangups.

Pat Robertson weighed in on the trade, suggesting that "it would serve [the Broncos] right" if Manning's injury came back.

“I think the Denver Broncos treated [Tebow] shabbily," he said. "He won seven games, he brought them into the playoffs, for heaven sakes. I mean, they were a nothing team. He rallied them together with spectacular last-minute passes and, you know, when they beat Buffalo—I mean, Pittsburgh, excuse me—it was a tremendous victory.”

Robertson then referred to Manning's neck injury that took him out of the past season.

“And you just ask yourself, okay, so Peyton Manning was a tremendous MVP quarterback, but he’s been injured. If that injury comes back, Denver will find itself without a quarterback. And in my opinion, it would serve them right.”

Update 2/23: Without naming names, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly appears to call out Robertson for his remarks.

Is it ever right to wish ill upon someone?

I don’t think so.

The Denver Broncos newly minted quarterback, Peyton Manning, doesn’t need me to come to his defense. But his arrival in Denver has spawned something of a backlash in a few select places, with some actually suggesting that it would suit the Broncos and Manning well if he were to reinjure his neck this coming season.

A thirst for vengeance is an ugly human emotion.

A Denver-area pastor clarified earlier comments to a TMZ reporter, saying news outlets have wrongly portrayed him as Tim Tebow's pastor who believes God plays favorites.

Tebow has long been outspoken about his Christian faith, but his late-game wins have attracted even more attention this season as he began starting as the Broncos' quarterback, making him one of the most hot button athletes this year. Earlier this week, TMZ quoted a Colorado pastor suggesting God might favor Tebow.

Pastor Wayne Hanson -- who runs Summit Church in Castle Rock, CO where Tim's dad often speaks -- tells TMZ God is actively intervening in Denver Broncos football games ... and aiding Tim on the field because of his strong faith.

Hanson tells us, "It's not luck. Luck isn't winning 6 games in a row. It's favor. God's favor."

However, he told the Denver Post that he is not Tim Tebow's pastor and he does not believe God plays favorites with the Broncos.

For starters, he is not Tim Tebow's pastor. He has met the Broncos' quarterback and visited his home, but Tebow has never attended his church. And for good measure - no, Hanson does not believe God is choosing the Broncos over opponents because of Tebow's presence on the field.

..."I don't think God cares about who wins a football game," he said. "I do think he cares about people and people care about football. I think Tim has favor from God in his life, but that is there win or lose," he said.

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner recently suggested that Tebow might consider toning down. CT interviewed Tebow earlier this year about his public expressions of faith.

Cardinals first baseman and well-known Christian athlete Albert Pujols signed a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, ESPN reports. Earlier this year, observers discussed how Christians should handle big-dollar contracts.

"I do think it will hurt what people perceive to be his Christian testimony," said Scott Lamb, co-author of Pujols: More Than a Game. "I’m not saying it’s the way it should be, but I think it will."

Pujols, who led the Cardinals to its World Series win in October, has been outspoken about his faith.

"My life's goal is to bring glory to Jesus. My life is not mostly dedicated to the Lord, it is 100% committed to Jesus Christ and His will. God has given me the ability to succeed in the game of baseball," Pujols writes on his website. "But baseball is not the end; baseball is the means by which my wife, Dee Dee, and I glorify God. Baseball is simply my platform to elevate Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior."

Pujols, who has a daughter with Down syndrome, dedicated his family foundation to their "commitment to faith, family and others," giving to many causes in the St. Louis community. Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome opened in 2009.

Lamb expects St. Louis fans to make comparisons to LeBron James, the NBA athlete who left Cleveland for the Miami Heat. While it's good to remain loyal to a team that helped give him his fame, Lamb said, it's not necessarily a moral issue.

"So much of his mission is based in St. Louis," Lamb said. "Maybe that’s the point. He did the Midwest thing and now he can do the West coast thing."

Lamb said he heard Pujols speak about his faith in a public gathering, but he wonders whether the move to Los Angeles will allow him more opportunities with the larger Latino population.

"When he spoke about Jesus, it was short and stilted. You get the sense that if you turn him loose and took the yoke of English off of him, he could speak more in his native tongue," Lamb said. "[The deal] sure seems like it’s just about the money, but I’m hoping it’s more than that and time will tell. "

When former quarterback Kurt Warner became an overnight sensation for the St. Louis Rams in the late 1990s, he rubbed a few people the wrong way for his outspoken Christian faith. He says he learned the hard way that he should've been more sparing with his religious rhetoric, and that he should've simply let his actions do most of the talking.

Now he's got the same advice for Tim Tebow, the rising star QB for the Denver Broncos who is also outspoken about his Christian faith. In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Warner said that Tebow should tone it down a bit -- maybe even on the "Tebowing."

"You can't help but cheer for a guy like that," Warner told the newspaper. "But I'd tell him, 'Put down the boldness in regards to the words, and keep living the way you're living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony.'

"I know what he's going through, and I know what he wants to accomplish, but I don't want anybody to become calloused toward Tim because they don't understand him, or are not fully aware of who he is. And you're starting to see that a little bit."

Tebow is getting more attention than usual since he became the Broncos' starting quarterback last month. Denver was 1-4 when Tebow became the starter, and they've won five of six games since with him at the helm. With that, though, has come more scrutiny -- and not just about his football skills. Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said recently that he wished Tebow would "just shut up after a game. . . . I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I’ll like him a little better. I don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.”

Warner was more diplomatic, but essentially had the same message: Chill out on the God talk. And he speaks from experience: After leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory, Warner thanked Jesus on national TV, and kept doing so for some time afterward. Till he learned his own lesson, which he now imparts to Tebow.

"There's almost a faith cliche, where (athletes) come out and say, 'I want to thank my Lord and savior,' " Warner told The Republic. "As soon as you say that, the guard goes up, the walls go up, and I came to realize you have to be more strategic.

"The greatest impact you can have on people is never what you say, but how you live. When you speak and represent the person of Jesus Christ in all actions of your life, people are drawn to that. You set the standard with your actions. The words can come after."

(photo by Jeffrey Beall)

The team America faces Saturday in its second round World Cup matchup is spiritually united, ESPN's Jeff Bradley reports.

"We love to sing together, dance together, pray together," Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan told Bradley. "It brings joy to our hearts. This is our team."

Bradley says that spirit continues to the field. "What I've noticed, more than anything, about the Black Stars, is they are a team in every sense of the word," he wrote. "From their pregame (and postgame, and halftime, and pre-training and post-training) songs and prayers, to their disciplined adherence to Rajevac's rigid system that features a single striker, they are true believers that the whole can be greater than the sum of its individual pieces. ... It's 11 together with one goal."

Captain John Mensah (right) told the German news service DPA that prayer is no afterthought.

"We are Christians and we all know how important God is," he said. "We all respect God and we pray every time before the game and after the game. ... We praise God, what he has done for us. Then the next day is match-day, so we use that opportunity to give us strength and help us go on into the game."

The team isn't praying alone. The government and nation's churches have called for united prayers at home for the team.

And now that Ghana is the only African team left in the World Cup, Cameroon players Alex Song and Samuel Eto’o both said, in separate interviews, "Everybody must pray for Ghana."

The country of Ghana is 83 percent Christian--mostly Protestant (71%) and Pentecostal (26%). 83 percent of Christians say they attend services at least weekly.

A few headlines in global World Cup coverage have caught CT’s attention:

North Korean soccer fans are the target of a group of Brazilian evangelists who came to South Africa for the Cup, the Guardian reported. The group sees a rare chance to speak to citizens of the normally closed country: “We were praying for North Korea to qualify,” one pastor said to the Guardian.

No word on who they were rooting for in yesterday's match between the two countries, but Brazil's win probably had little effect on the evangelism: As the paper notes, North Korea allowed few actual North Koreans travel to South Africa, and those folks cheering were probably Chinese paid by the North Korean government.

South African churches, meanwhile, are taking advantage of the mission field the Cup provides. Associated Baptist Press reports on Baptists hosting World Cup church screenings, holding soccer outreaches for area children, and even writing a special newsletter they will distribute at World Cup events.

CTV reports that churches are addressing the dark side of World Cup tourism by raising concerns about the increase in child trafficking accompanying the flood of people entering South Africa for the Cup. (Children's HopeChest president Tom Davis has a blog that's more or less devoted to trafficking and other social justice issues of the World Cup.)

On the field, however, officials have muted expressions of faith. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), which governs the Cup, is not allowing players to demonstrate their religious faith, and some Christian leaders are protesting. The Association of Evangelical Priests in Paraguay called the ban “an attack on religious freedom and freedom of conscience,” reports Agence France-Presse.

AFP notes that this might affect Brazilian players like the world-famous Kaká, a evangelical Christian who’s been known to wear an “I Belong to Jesus” T-shirt underneath his jersey and reveal it after victories. The Times of London's Matthew Syed speculates on why athletes like Kaká bring their faith to the field.

The New Republic discusses the rise of evangelicals on Team Brazil, and Baptist Press has a profile of U.S. goalie Tim Howard, a well-known Christian who was “Man of the Match” in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with England.

Der Spiegel reports that African soccer officials frequently have to crack down on witchdoctors who try to get spiritual forces involved in the sport.

Religious concerns even surround TV coverage of the Cup in some countries. Sports Business Daily reports that Hyundai has pulled a World Cup commercial after Catholic groups protest what they saw as “sacrilegious and offensive” imagery. In Somalia, radical Muslims have killed two and arrested many others for watching the Cup, which they say distracts from “pursuing holy jihad,” according to the Telegraph.

Finally, if you’d like a fresh perspective on “the beautiful game,” CNN has video of a new innovation: Lego footballers reenacting Saturday’s USA/England game.

(Image from www.shine2010.co.za)

Hall of Famer John Wooden, who died Friday just four months shy of his 100th birthday, was most known as the greatest coach who ever lived, leading UCLA’s men's basketball team to 10 national championships, including an astonishing seven straight from 1967 to 1973, a stretch that included 88 consecutive victories.

That’s how he’s most remembered. But perhaps he’ll be best remembered as a mentor, a friend, a loving husband and father, and a source of endless wisdom and grace to hundreds of players, thousands of coaches, and millions of fans and admirers through the decades and around the world. Wooden has long said that his wisdom came primarily from two sources—his earthly father, Joshua Wooden, and from his heavenly Father.

Several blogs have noted a speech by former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, who said companies told him they couldn't have him endorsing products after he appeared in the Focus on the Family commercial.

There's a lot of buzz leading up to tomorrow's NFL draft as Palm Beach Post reports that Tebow said he lost potential sponsors.

As to his first tenet, standing for what he believes in, Tebow told the crowd that multiple companies told him before the Super Bowl that they could not let him represent their products if he went ahead with his pro-life commercial at the Super Bowl. But Tebow said losing sponsors was a small price to pay for the ability to spread his message about family and faith.

However, the Associated Press reports that Tebow offers marketability.

Companies are lining up for Tebow to be their pitchman. Religious and advocacy groups want Tebow, the son of missionaries, for commercials and speeches. Some owners believe he would increase ticket sales.

And with good reason.

The Davie-Brown Index, an independent marketing research tool, found Tebow to be more appealing and more of a trendsetter than New England's Tom Brady, Minnesota's Brett Favre and Dallas' Tony Romo among others.

During the Superbowl, Tim Tebow, the former Florida Gators all-star quarterback, appeared in a Focus on the Family advertisement with his mother who had been advised to have an abortion. Despite any potential losses, Tebow has made deals with Nike and EA Sports.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has banned the use of eye black with messages -- a practice prominently used by former University of Florida star quarterback Tim Tebow to display Bible verses.

The NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a policy Wednesday that players cannot place symbols or messages on the black strips under their eyes, which are used to reduce glare from the sun.

The association denied that the rule was influenced by Tebow's biblical messages.

"When this rule was proposed the committee did not focus on any one team or student athlete," said Cameron Schuh, a spokesman for the NCAA. "That measure reinforces what the intended use of eye black is, which is to shade the eyes from the sun."

He said the panel's decision confirmed an existing rule "that players are not allowed to have any symbols or messages on their eye black, starting with this coming season."

Players other than the Heisman-trophy-winning Tebow have used the anti-glare paint for other messages. Reggie Bush, another Heisman winner, put 619, the area code of his native San Diego, on his eye black.

It's great to read the stories of faith and football preceding today's Super Bowl. But almost lost amid all those tales from Tampa is another remarkable story of sports and spirituality, this one out of a small town in North Carolina.

More than 6,000 people showed up in Cary, NC, Friday for the funeral of Kay Yow, who had been the women's basketball coach at N.C. State University for 34 seasons before losing a two-decade battle to breast cancer last week at the age of 66.

Yow, a Hall of Famer, won over 700 games and coached the 1988 U.S. Olympic women's team to a gold medal. But that's not why thousands flocked to her funeral. They came en masse because she had touched so many lives by her kindness and a deep Christian faith.

Yow deemed her faith the most important thing in her life, so it's no surprise that she would want the gospel message preached at her funeral. But what was a surprise was that she gave the message herself in this 25-minute video, a remarkable, moving farewell recorded some time before her death.

After describing heaven as a place of no more tears or pain, a smiling Yow said in the video, "I am saying to you now, rejoice, because I am now in a wonderful location with my heavenly Father."

She also said, "I don't want you to fret over the fact that I'm not here or question why I'm not here. Because God knows what he's doing. He doesn't make mistakes. ... I have now a place in heaven with him.''

Yow went on to give her testimony about coming to Christ as a young coach, telling several stories, and concludes by sharing the gospel via the "Romans Road," sharing verse-by-verse how to become a Christian.

Her message apparently had a big effect on those attending the funeral.

"Obviously I don't think there was a person in that room that wasn't touched and probably affected by her words,'' Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt said. "I have never known of a service like this. And it would be just like Kay to be the absolute first.''

I first met Kay Yow in 1978 as a 19-year-old sportswriter at The Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Virginia, where I covered women's basketball. Even at that first meeting--a post-game interview--it was clear there was something about Coach Yow that made her different: A kind and gentle spirit you didn't often see in the cut-throat atmosphere of big-time college basketball. She was competitive, of course, and wanted to win every game. But for her, relationships meant more than anything. She often told younger coaches that they could be friends first, competitors second.

I'll be planted on the couch this evening in front of the Super Bowl just like everybody else, taking note of all the players and coaches in the game who have talked about their faith. But at the same time, I'll be remembering one of the classiest coaches, at any level, that I ever met.

Rest in peace, Kay.

(Yow also discussed her faith with FCA's Sharing the Victory a couple years ago here.)

A YouTube hit portraying President Obama as an unborn child was rejected by NBC for a Super Bowl advertisement, The Washington Times reports.

Fidelis, a Chicago-based Catholic organization, premiered the 30-second ad on January 20 on Black Entertainment Television, Julia Duin writes.

Brian Burch, president of Fidelis, said NBC originally responded with a proposal for a package including ads on NBC-owned or operated stations in the country's top 10 markets plus an additional four cities for a price tag of $1.5 million to $1.8 million. The immensely popular football game is known for the unusual and trendy kinds of ads it attracts.

"We put out the call to our members and large pro-life benefactors who told us they would put up significant dollars to make this happen," Mr. Burch said. "I was told the ad was approved and then there were a number of attorneys working on it. Then I was told they didn't want to run political or advocacy ads."

The ad opens with an ultrasound. "Despite the hardships he will endure, this child will become," a voice-over says as a photo of Obama comes on the screen, "the first African American President."
"Life. Imagine the Potential," the caption concludes.

We've come a long way since the days when only clowns brought John 3:16 to football stadiums.

At last night's BCS championship game, Tim Tebow changed the Scripture reference on his eye black. It had been Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Last night it was John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Florida quarterback accomplished more than one goal last night: Google Trends says John 3:16 is currently the hottest search term.

Asked by a reporter about handling the pressure of playing in a national championship football game, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had an unexpected answer:

"Pressure is not having to win football games," he said. "Pressure is having to find your next meal."

So goes a recent story from The Boston Globe, one of many stories highlighting Tebow's Christian faith and experience on the missions field. He was born in the Philippines as a missionary kid, and returned there -- as well as other Third World countries -- numerous times.

Tebow and the Gators take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS title game, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern in Miami. Fox will carry the game live.

Not only will the game feature the top two teams and two of the best three offenses in the nation, but the last two winners of the Heisman Trophy; Tebow won it in 2007, and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford in '08.

While Tebow's faith has been in the news for some time (see these stories, for example), but Bradford, with his recent Heisman win, is now becoming more well-known. As Sports Spectrum put it: "Tebow’s story is known nationally. Bradford’s faith in Christ is well known in Oklahoma."

Both young men join other college football stars in sharing their faith via video testimony at Beyond the Ultimate, a website sponsored by Athletes in Action, a Christian sports ministry.

TIME recently highlighted its "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch." As Olympic coverage cranks up, you'll be hearing more and more about them, although current reports seem mostly to have to do with the athlete's ages, injuries, and drug use.

Press agency AMP is working with the USOC and NBC to highlight other aspects of the athletes' lives. They've told CT about a number of confessing Christians among the American athletes most likely to medal. A large proportion of them mention Philippians 4:13 in interviews and on their blogs: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Allyson Felix, a sprinter, has a section about her faith on her blog that says, "If we can help you with your faith journey, and help you learn more about God, contact us." She's also one of the few athletes involved in USADA's Project Believe, which puts athletes through extensive drug testing. She wants everyone to know she's clean. After all, she's being compared to Marion Jones as well as Wilma Rudolph.

Tyson Gay has made a lot of news, for his hamstring injury, for being dubbed "Tyson Homosexual" by American Family Association's autoreplace, and now for being exceptionally polite. "When I raise my hands in the air it is to give God praise," he told a fan on Ask Tyson.

Prison guard and world marathon champion, Catherine Ndereba, aka Catherine the Great, is also on TIME's list as a Kenyan athlete to watch. This year's civil unrest in Kenya made training a lot scarier than it had been before, but Ndereba is back to winning again. Just over a week ago, she placed first in New York City's half-marathon.

David Brooks writes in his column today about a book called The Mental ABC's of Pitching by H.A. Dorfman, a sports psychologist. Dorfman, Brooks says, attempts to teach pitchers to focus, "to liberate people from what you might call the tyranny of the scattered mind."

While some advocate free expression and limitless "creativity", Dorfman believes:

Self-discipline is a form of freedom. Freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from expectations and demands of others, freedom from weakness and fear - and doubt.

Discipline, however doesn't just come from trying. It comes from building structures that build behaviors. Practice forms routines, which form habits. And habit shapes the mind. "If a player disciplines his behavior, then he will also discipline his mind." For a pitcher, this means practice, obviously, but it also means paying attention only to the job of throwing a baseball. "A pitcher shouldn't judge himself by how the batters hit his pitches, but instead by whether he threw the pitch he wanted to throw."

Brooks writes, "By putting the task at the center, Dorfman illuminates the way the body and the mind communicate with each other. Once there were intellectuals who thought the mind existed above the body, but that's been blown away by evidence. In fact, it's easiest to change the mind by changing behavior."

And here, finally, we find our spiritual analogue. Faith, belief, and trust in a God who is invisible to our senses is tough work, kind of like striking out an all-star hitter. With the noise of the fans, the signs from the catcher, the lessons from the coach playing through the mind, it's too much. For me, with the daily commute, the constant deadlines, the needs of a family, I'm shackled by the tyranny of the scattered mind. God is there, oh yes, but there are so many more pressing things. Life is hyperlinked, and I never complete one thing before moving to the next.

But then there is church. Those two hours once a week. Mine is by no means liturgical, but the routine is there, the faces are there, the words are there. And those actions shape my mind, my spirit.

Churches will be able to host big-screen Super Bowl parties in 2009 thanks to the NFL's reversed decision this week.

The NFL had received criticism for its decision, and the Washington Post reported that churches were canceling their Super Bowl parties out of fear of lawsuits. In a later Post story titled "Bill Would End Separation of Church and Super Bowl," three congressmen spoke with the Post about potential legislation.

The Post reports that the NFL will allow church showings as long as the showings are free and are on premises that the church uses on a "routine and customary" basis.

The NFL restricts TV screens to 55" at public viewings, except at bars and restaurants that regularly broadcast sporting events. Last year, the NFL sent letters to two churches advising them of the policy. The new policy will be set in place for 2009.

CT also wrote about NFL/church dispute in "Fumbling Religion" last fall.

Religion, he feels, is the main source of his strength, and because he realizes not everybody shares that feeling today, he sometimes refers to "the challenge of being in the minority in the world." ... "I don't try to be overbearing in what I believe, but, given a chance, I will express my beliefs."

If I told you that line was in reference to a star athlete, I wouldn't imagine you could guess whom. A number of sports stars, and journeymen, come to mind when I think of faith and basketball or baseball or football. And afflicted-minority syndrome is increasingly popular with Christians in America today.

But, surprisingly, I came across those lines last night in John McPhee's "A Sense of Where You Are," the profile he wrote more than 40 years ago of basketball great Bill Bradley, a white man of not-so-humble means who was educated at Princeton, the citadel of the American Presbytery. Hardly a typical minority.

Despite his inability to find the old coaching magic that led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl crowns from 1982-91, Joe Gibbs will always be remembered as one of the classiest guys to ever grace an NFL sideline.

Gibbs, a devout Christian, announced his retirement Tuesday as the Redskins head coach and president, just three days after Washington lost its first-round playoff game at Seattle. His decision, with one year left on a five-year contract, stunned the team.

In a press conference at Redskins complex, Gibbs said that family commitments - including a 3-year-old grandson being treated for leukemia - led to his decision.

"My family situation has dramatically changed [in recent years]," Gibbs said. "The only way to do this job [as an NFL coach] is to go after it night and day; it takes every minute. Having weighed that . . . I felt like with my family, the most important thing I'll leave on this earth are my kids, grandkids, and the influence I have on others. I felt like my family needed me."

(Watch Gibbs' Tuesday afternoon announcement at Redskins.com.)

It was a difficult season for Gibbs and the team, who struggled on and off the field - especially with the November murder of defensive star Sean Taylor - before rallying for four straight wins to make the playoffs. Alas, the playoff loss to Seattle ended what many had hoped would be a "Hollywood ending" for the team from the nation's capital.

Gibbs, 67, has a dual reputation as a committed family and as a hard worker who spent long hours at the team complex - away from his family - during the season. But his retirement clearly shows he has decided to put family first.

"It was the toughest (season) for me," Gibbs said Monday, a day before announcing his retirement. "When you go through a season like that, for a while it's hard to regrasp reality."

The reality was that in the last four years - his second stint as the Skins' skipper - Gibbs was unable to lead the team to the dominance it had enjoyed in his first stint from 1981-92, when Washington went 124-60 and won Super Bowls in 1982, '87, and '91. Gibbs retired in 1992 to turn his attention to auto racing, where he co-owns a team featuring NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. Gibbs vowed to never return to the NFL, and in 1996, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Redskins floundered for years as owner Dan Snyder went through six coaches and hundreds of players in search of a winning formula. Snyder ultimately turned back to Gibbs in 2004, offering $27.5 million and for a five-year deal to coax him out of retirement. Gibbs signed on, and while the team improved in the last four years, they never regained their dominance of the 1980s, going 31-36 and 1-2 in the playoffs.

But as a longtime Redskins fan, I know that the "reality" for Gibbs involved more than just numbers. He will be remembered not just as a great coach, but as a terrific leader and mentor to his many players over the years. Yes, they'll remember how he made them better football players. But they'll also remember how he made them better men.

Mark Moring grew up in Virginia, where it's almost mandatory to be a Washington Redskins fan. He is editor of ChristianityTodayMovies.com.

You can find all sorts of summaries of the baseball steroid scandal, but one commentary on it is worth commenting on. It is by Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune entitled "Some of us still are here to talk about past."

Morrissey got it basically right. George Mitchell, the head of the investigation, said, "A principal goal of this investigation is to bring to a close this troubling chapter in baseball's history and to use the lessons learned from the past to prevent the future use of some substances. While that requires us to look back, as this report necessarily does, all efforts should now be directed to the future."

Morrissey replies, "Some of us would like to linger awhile at the scene of the crime."

His instincts are good. We cannot fathom who we are today or what we are to become without an understanding of our past. We live in an age that wants to move forward, get on with solutions. But there is no forward without looking back.

But I wonder if Morrissey goes far enough. He finally agrees with Mitchell: "It does no good to punish players now for past sins."

I'm not sure, first, if there are any other types of sins but past sins. And if there are no consequences, well, what's to prevent another scandal in the future?

Second, I not sure we can ever "put this all behind us" without various people actually stepping forward, acknowledging their wrongdoing or negligence, and apologizing. The shorthand term is "repentence," but it's a notion that goes unmentioned in any of the accounts I've read so far.

And while Morrissey is quick to point the finger elsewhere--quoting Mitchell, who said that "commissioners, club officials, the players association, the players" all shared responsibility--nowhere in the column is there a clear indication of the role the sports media played in the cover-up.

Only a full accounting, including a few personal apologies and some substantive consequences, is really going to bring healing and hope to baseball. Mitchell is a bit confused about what an investigation can do. It can bring problems to light. But it is not something that by itself can "bring closure." A partial accounting, without repentance or consequences, will simply leave an open, sore wound for decades to come.

That being said, it is nonetheless a healthy sign that major league baseball has done as much as it has. Better late and partial than never.

Hunter Smith, punter for the Indianapolis Colts, will sing on Gospel Music Channel tonight before Sunday's highly anticipated Colts/New England Patriots showdown. He might want to sing some prayers because it looks as though the Colts will be the underdogs this week.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was born and raised a Colts' fan in Indianapolis so I have my biases. But CT Movies Editor Mark Moring describes the Colts/Patriots showdown as "Christians vs. the bad guys." Maybe it's because he admires Tony Dungy. Let's be honest: who can't help but love the guy? This, compared to the Patriot's coach, who was fined $500,000 after a Patriots video assistant was caught by NFL security filming the New York Jets' defensive signals. Wide receiver Randy Moss is no favorite either.
So I'm not the only one who thinks it could be good vs. evil.

In the meantime, if you don't know what to do with your time until the big game, consider re-reading CT's past football coverage.
Why We Love Football | Grace and idolatry run crossing patterns in the new American pastime.
Fumbling Religion? | When it deals with Christians and churches, the NFL doesn't always have a good game plan.

From Vick's statement after pleading guilty: "Dog fighting is a terrible thing, and I did reject it. I'm upset with myself, and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think that's the right thing to do as of right now."

A Sam Smith sports column in today's Chicago Tribune has sparked a thought that might help Christians slow down big injustices. It seems that a few teams have figured out how to defense mammoth, domineering big menf like Shaq. You do it with quickness--the defender must antipate the big man's move, step immediately in his path, establish his position, fall backwards when contacted by the big man, and so draw a charge. Foul on the big man. Enough fouls, and the big man sits on the bench--at least until the next game.

Christians activists are up against some pretty mammoth, domineering social injustices, and they are constantly getting beaten by them. I'm wondering if quick footedness leading to a charge--which usually requires the defender to flop backwards, feigning inappropriate contact--would constitute a social foul. Enough of those, and maybe the public would ask the social justice to sit on the bench. At least for awhile.

I'll let others speculate how exactly this applies to social injustices. But my intuition tells me there is something for us to learn in this style of basketball defense. It's helped the Chicago Bulls nuetralize Shaq. Not that Shaq is a great social injustice--though a Bulls fan might think so.