Stay ConnectedSports Spectrum brings you stories and conversations at the intersection of sports and Jesus.
On Tuesday, former Chicago Bears pro bowl running back Matt Forte hosts TUEDAY MORNING RB.
On Friday, we feature a guest from the world of sports to share their Jesus story.
Copyright: © Sports Spectrum
Episode 315
Shawn Purdy is a former pro baseball player. He played his college baseball at the University of Miami in Florida. After being selected three times in the MLB Amateur Draft in 1987, 1989 and 1990, he signed with the Angels after being selected in the 16th round of the 1991 draft.
After pitching for eight seasons in the minor leagues from 1991-1998, he retired at the age of 29.
Today, Purdy is the dad to three kids, all playing sports at a high level. His daughter, Whitney, plays softball at Southeastern University. His son, Brock, plays quarterback at Iowa State and was the Big 12 True-Freshman of the Year in 2018. His youngest son, Chubba, is a four-star high school QB recruit entering his senior year in 2019.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Shawn about his pro baseball journey, coming to faith in Christ in 1995, being a father to three kids who play elite sports, raising them up in the Lord, and the importance of keeping Christ at the center, even as they pursue their sports dreams.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of more than 100 books, booklets and Bible studies.
He joined us on Episode 129 of our show to talk about his work with the Dallas Cowboys, how he got started in sports ministry, where the state of faith is in the NBA and the biggest spiritual battles athletes face.
On this THROWBACK edition, we hear Dr. Evans share about the church's current role in the climate we're living in today and what his biggest regret is in his ministry.
You can listen to the entire interview from Episode 129 in July of 2018 here.
Episode 314
Aubree Munro is a member to Team USA's softball team and a 2-time NCAA National Champion with the Florida Gators.
She has played in the 2016 and 2018 WBSC Women's World Championship, winning the Gold Medal both seasons. In 2018, she hit .389 with 3 HR, and 8 RBI.Episode 301
Beth Guckenberger is Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries, an international orphan care ministry serving abandoned, orphaned and impoverished children in Mexico, Nigeria, India and Haiti. Since Beth and her husband Todd co-founded the international ministry in 1997, Back2Back has been providing care for today and hope for tomorrow through its proven five-point Child Development Model. They strive to provide holistic care, meeting each child’s spiritual, physical, educational, emotional and social needs that they might overcome their life circumstances and break free from the cycle of generational poverty. This care is accomplished through a talented staff and national partners in each country as well as numerous individuals, churches and corporate partners, over 450 child sponsors and around 2500 mission trip guests each year.
A gifted story-teller, Beth is the author of Reckless Faith (Zondervan, 2008), Relentless Hope (Standard Publishing, 2010), 5 books in the Storyweaver Series (Standard Publishing) and Start With Amen (Thomas Nelson, 2017.) She serves on the board of David C Cook Publishing and also Christian Leadership Alliance.
She travels and speaks regularly at national conferences, youth gatherings, retreats, and churches. She draws from her field experience as a missionary, ministry director and parent for illustrations of biblical concepts. Her topics include, but are not limited to, orphan care, missions, ministry, parenting, marriage/intimacy, and general faith.
Beth and Todd lived in Monterrey, Mexico for over 15 years and together have raised 10 children (biological, foster, and adopted). She is a graduate of Indiana University with a BA in Education.
On this episode of the podcast, Beth shares with us her heart for missions, what led her to Monterrey, Mexico, why she believes starting prayers with "Amen" is vital to our communication with God, her work with the Cincinnati Reds and how her adopted son born with Cerebral Palsy is now a wide receiver playing college football.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 312
David Pollack is a college football analyst for ESPN. He was selected 17th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals where his career would be cut short by a neck injury sustained on September 17, 2006 in a game against the Cleveland Browns.
As a defensive end at the University of Georgia, he was just the second Bulldog to be named a three-time All-American. Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker was the first. He was the 2002 SEC Player of the Year, the 2003 and 2004 Ted Hendricks Award winner, and the 2004 Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy and SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner. His 36 sacks for the Bulldogs remain a school record.
He joined ESPN in 2009 and has been a staple on their signature college football show, College Gameday, each Saturday morning.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to David about his football journey, how he came to trust in Jesus, overcoming adversity, turning a nightmare into a dream, and the importance of preaching the Gospel through our actions.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 311
Christina Haugan is the wife of the late Humboldt Broncos hockey head coach Darcy Haugan. Her husband died on April 6, 2018, in a horrific bus crash that killed 16 members of the junior hockey team.
This episode of the podcast features an interview done by contributing writer Dave Dawson, and shares the powerful story of Christina walking through the process of forgiveness after losing her husband and how her faith in Christ guided her and her family.
For more on Christina's story of forgiveness, check out the article written back in April of 2019 on Sports Spectrum here.
Kelli Masters is an NFL Player Agent.
She joined us in July of 2017 on Episode 30 and shared her story of how she came to be a sports agent and where her faith in Christ came from.
Kelli is a former National Champion and Five-time World Champion Baton Twirler who graduated with honors from Law School at the University of Oklahoma.
Kelli is also the first woman to represent an NFL first-round draft pick with Gerald McCoy (3rd overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010.
On this episode from July of 2017, Kelli shares how she stays connected to Christ, while working in a very difficult and ruthless environment.
Listen to the entire interview with Kelli from Episode 30 here.
Episode 310
Kyle Snyder is a 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler. He is the youngest Olympic gold medalist and youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.
He was a 3-time NCAA National Champion at Ohio State with a career record of 75-5 and ended his college career as the first and only wrestler to win the NCAA, World and Olympic championships as a collegiate athlete.
In May 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Snyder to be a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Kyle about being an Olympic Gold Medal winner, striving for another Olympic Gold Medal at Tokyo in 2020, how coaching mentors helped open up his eyes to who Jesus was, living out that life of faith as a wrestler, and why he hopes to wrestle until his late 30's.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 309
Caylin Louis Moore should be dead, in prison or stalking the streets of Compton with fellow gang members. Instead, at age 24, he’s a Rhodes Scholar, author, speaker, husband, father and role model for children deprived of hope in downtrodden communities, while at the same time illuminating the seemingly static barriers the youth may face every day.
Football and faith played a big role in Moore’s life and eventually led him to Ft. Worth, Texas, to play Division I football at Texas Christian University.
Moore’s first book, “A Dream Too Big: The Story of an Improbable Journey from Compton to Oxford” (Nelson Books, June 2019), recounts his exodus from one of the most impoverished, gang-infested communities in the United States to the elite spires of Oxford, England.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Moore about his difficult childhood, growing up in Compton, escaping the gangs and drugs to become a college football player, and then eventually a Rhodes Scholar. This is a powerful story that will surely inspire you.
Episode 308
Marcel Reece played 10 years in the NFL from 2008-2017 with the Dolphins, Raiders and Seahawks. After going undrafted in 2008 out of the University of Washington, he spent two years on the practice squad with the Raiders before getting his shot. And he made the most of his opportunity, going on to be selected for four Pro Bowls in his nine seasons with Oakland.
After spending 2016 with the Seahawks, Reece was re-signed by Seattle in July 2017. But following the preseason, he was a final cut and released on Sept. 2, 2017.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Reece about growing up in Inglewood, Calif., as a Celtics fan, making it to the NFL after being undrafted, and the influence his grandmother and mother had on his journey to Jesus.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
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