Faith In The Game
STORIES BY ATHLETES OF FAITH
Faith in the Game is a blog containing submissions by athletes of faith. Each of them was asked one question: Tell us a story about a time when your faith was most present in your life. Rather than tell us about their faith, we asked them to show us.
These stories are oftentimes uplifting, and at all times profound, raw, honest, introspective and heartfelt. These are not the sort of stories you hear in a press conference. Some of them take place on the field; others, off it. They are presented without agenda or judgment. On many levels, we think you'll find them fascinating, as they pull up the veil on a side of sports that is rarely revealed but very often present.
This blog is moderated by author and father Ben Petrick, a former Colorado Rockies catcher thought to be the only professional athlete to have his career shortened by Parkinson's Disease, along with writer and father Scott Brown. In addition to their professional and family lives, both men are also coaches of youth sports. A selection of the stories they've collected will soon appear in a book, and together they're also working on Ben's autobiography.
If you'd like us to email you when new stories appear on the blog, please send us a note at info@imagine-books.net.
Liked posts
-
The Astronaut — by Ben Petrick
Ben Petrick is co-editor of Faith In The Game. A former Major Leaguer with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, Ben has Parkinson’s disease and recently underwent an aggressive surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation to alleviate his symptoms. A television news story on Ben’s amazing recovery can be found here. Ben chronicles his progress, along with stories of faith, family and baseball, in this blog.
***
I’ve found myself at an interesting crossroads lately. Is it possible to feel guilty for experiencing improved health? I spent so much time praying for a something to alleviate my Parkinson’s symptoms. Now that that’s happened, I’m overwhelmingly grateful, but also conflicted because I’m leaving someone behind.
I’ve always had a partner on this walk: my father.
I recently returned from a two-week vacation, which left me with two main thoughts: First, I am so thankful for the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery I had last winter that has improved my symptoms greatly. Second, I want so desperately for DBS to be an option for my dad, who also has the disease. Because of his being older and having other health complications, DBS might not be viable for him.
7 notes Filed under: Faith, faith in the game, religion, spirituality, christian, christian athlete blog, ben petrick, baseball, colorado rockies, Portland, scott brown, imagine media, Oakland, Santa Clara, O'Dowd, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, Parkinson's Disease, Deep Brain Stimulation,. -
The Jackson 7: A Week’s Worth of Word
We’re excited to welcome respected broadcaster and new Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson as a contributor to Faith in the Game. An ordained minister, Jackson and his wife, Desiree, founded True Love Worship Center in Southern California.
Every week, Jackson will provide some “assigned reading” for the week, along with his thoughts. You can follow him on Twitter at @JacksonMark13.
***
Day 1
Romans 8:8: “…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Those who are living the life of the flesh cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. Look to please God.
Day 2
James 1:8: “…being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”
A double-minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. Get your mind right!
-
“Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don’t Matter and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind.” — Dr. Seuss
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” — Jeremiah 13:23 -
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is a great friend to Faith In The Game, providing us with thoughts to pass on to our readers. They’ll be shared periodically on this blog. Here is today’s —- it’s a bit of a quick one:
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln
Make a difference today.
Love,
Clint
-
“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” —
Mike Singletary
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. — Ephesians 5:19 -
Beautiful Girl, by Aaron Brooks
Aaron Brooks, 26, is a guard for the Phoenix Suns. After winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2009-2010 with the Houston Rockets, he was dealt midway through the 2010-2011 season for Goran Dragic and a first-round pick. This is his story, as told to Scott Brown and Ben Petrick.
**
Announcers sometimes call me “Little Aaron Brooks.” I’m barely six feet tall, so relative to other NBA players I guess the nickname is appropriate. This is a story about the time Little Aaron became a man.
I was coming off a great sophomore season at University of Oregon. The team had done well, and my 15-point-per-game average had me on a lot of NBA draft boards. I was all-Pac-10, and had a great against USC where I scored 34. If I put together a junior season that in any way resembled the previous one, I’d be in great shape to get drafted.
But my junior year was horrible. My play was uneven and our team failed to make the postseason. Things were so bad that I was suspended for our last game for throwing a forearm at a guy from Washington during the Pac-10 Tournament. Needless to say, I fell off everyone’s draft board. Entering the NBA was not an option.
What most people didn’t know was that as bad as things appeared on the surface, they were much worse inside my skin. Halfway through the year, my girlfriend, Shavonne, told me she was pregnant.
