Profoundly religious, he likes to quote Galatians 1:10: “Am I trying to win the approval of human beings or God? If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ.” Before each game, he kneels on the goalline, opens his arms wide and prays. “I’ll keep doing it even if people insult me, calling me a gilipollas [dickhead],” he said.

Darren is a man with learning disabilities who uses Prospects Supported Living services to help him in his home in Conwy.

He came to know Jesus not too long ago, admitting that becoming a Christian changed him into a new man.

Via Prospects http://www.prospects.org.uk/index.php/news_stories/152

As Costa Rica’s players tie their laces and the team’s coaches shout final instructions before Sunday’s World Cup last-16 tie with Greece, Arsenal striker Joel Campbell will pause, take a breath and begin whispering to himself.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

He recites the words to give him strength, words that make him think of his mother, Roxana, his father, Humberto, and three siblings in Costa Rica. Family is the second pillar in his life. God is the first.

Luiz has never played down his strong Christian beliefs and he has links with the Atletas de Cristo (Athletes of Christ) – a non-profit organisation that is made up of sportsmen and was started in Brazil in 1984. It is linked with the evangelical movement and counts Kaka and Lucio among its many devotees.

“My faith gives me the belief that I can go out and perform and improve as a player. It gives me strength and inspiration,” Luiz said last season.

The laying-on of hands on a team-mate is not something he practised at Benfica but he was famous there for the stickers on a van that he used to drive to training – one saying “Christ is life” and the other “God is Faith”.

When he left Portugal he nearly ended up at Real Madrid with Kaka, who he has often said inspires him “both on and off the pitch”. Asked about his future while still at the Portuguese club, Luiz said: “Everything in life belongs to God. Our purpose has already been mapped out.”

Fifa banned prayer in the last World Cup in reaction to Brazil celebrating their 2009 Confederations Cup victory in worship. The Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez gets down on his knees to pray before kick-off.

http://www.cbn.com/tv/1430469465001

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan has shared his testimony on the Beyond the Ultimate website, which features Christian sports stars. “I think we all need Christ in our lives,” he writes. “Money, fame, all those objects, they don’t mean anything if you don’t have Jesus in your life. All of those things can be gone in the blink of an eye. We can’t get caught up in it.”

The Brazilian captain Thiago Silva, regarded by some commentators as the best defender in the world, is another strong Christian. As a young, up-and-coming footballer he played for a short time in Moscow and there he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Coming near to death, he was also at one point told by doctors that he might lose one lung, and he was forced to miss an entire season of soccer.

He has no doubts about the nature of his subsequent miraculous recovery. “God saved me,” he has declared

When God speaks we need to recognise His voice & act. (cf James and the mirror)

“Acts” follows the gospels. Jesus spoke & after Pentecost came mission.

Examples

Adam & Eve   –   “What did God say to me?”

Jonah              –    “I hear you but I don’t like what you are saying”.

Moses              –   ” hearing on holy ground” but still wanting someone else to go.

8th June Sunday am TC

Its not a word commonly used today but it does describe passion, enthusiasm and fervour towards something.

The Bible encourages us to have spiritual fervour and zeal for God and His way of life.

Its easy to fall in to the trap of working up a passion & to try hard in our own strength to do all the things we think we should do to please God.

In Galatians the Christians  had made a similar mistake. Having become Christian by spiritual new birth & life they then tried to live this life without the power of God.

We need to realise that God has given us His Holy Spirit (John 14) to enable us to live His life of Zeal in us.

Thanks  Ian  (22nd June 2014)

Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1

He is reported to be a devout  Evangelical Christian who claims to read the Bible every day.

(Source. Daily Telegraph magazine)

The Uruguayan striker, for several years it has embraced the Christian faith and came to be part of that group of professional athletes in all disciplines who share a love for Jesus Christ and recognize him as Lord and Savior of their lives . These athletes have the responsibility to live a Christian life to the unanimous will of God in the world of sport “,