FCA 4 DC

Fatherhood, redefined

2006-12-17T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a great article about the state of the African American Family. There is a great need to reach out and minister to young men to help break the cycle of generational curses. The only way to break generational curses is the power the is found in Jesus Christ. Let us be faithful to the call to preach the gospel to coaches and athletes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/16/AR2006121600998.html

Pray for God's Spirit to move!!!

"All Die"

2006-11-28T03:53:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from CJ Mahaney's Cross Centered Life

"In World War II, Ernest Gordon was a British captive in a Japanese prison camp by the River Kwai in Burma, where the POWs were forced to build a "railroad of Death" for transporting Japanese troops to the battlefront. They were tortured, starved, and worked to the point of exhaustion. Nearly 16,000 died.

Gordon survived the horrors of that experience and wrote about it in a monumental work, Through the valley of the Kwai, published in 1962 (and later made into the movie To End All Wars). He describes one occasion when, at the end of a workday, the tools were being counted before the prisoners returned to their quarters. Guard declared that a shovel was mission. He began to rant and rave, demanding to know which prisoner had stolen it.

Working himself into a paranoid fury, he ordered whoever was guilty to step forward and take his punishment. No one did.

"All Die!" the guard shrieked. "All Die!" He cocked his rifle and aimed it at the prisoners. At that moment, one man stepped forward. Standing at attention he calmly declared, "I did it."

The Japanese guard at once clubbed the prisoner to death. As his friends carried away his lifeless body, the shovels in the tool shed were recounted-- only to reveal that there was no missing shovel.

Imagine, if you can, the effect upon his fellow prisoners of this man's substitutaionary sacrifice for them. It's a profound and moving story of sacrifice and heroism. Yet if falls short of being an adequate illustration of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ--because there is no adequate illustration"

Powerful thought that even moving stories like this soldier do not compare to the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus. AMEN!!

FCA Student Leader Training

2006-09-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday Night FCA will host a Student-Leader Training for FCA leaders. Last night was a good start with 3 young people who have a strong desire to lead their FCA huddles.

The night was filled with great questions centered around topics such as: what does it means to be a Christian? Why did Jesus have to die? I believe that if a young person can understand the gospel and be able to explain the truth of God's Word to a friend, then we are going to see God change D.C. It does not depend on our strength or our labor but on the faithful preaching of God's word and His Spirit moving in the lives of coaches and athletes and all whom they influence.

On the way home I asked two of the students to share their testimony on how God changed their lives through the ministry of FCA. It was affirming and humbling to see how FCA introduced these two to Jesus. They were church goers before but never made a decision for Christ until their involvement in a FCA huddle and a FCA camp. It was humbling to see how God used the ministry for his glory and the conversion of sinners.

Pray that God will continue to use FCA for His glory and the spreading of his Kingdom.

The Privilege to Pray

2006-09-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

I love being a coach where I get to encourage, love and challenge young people with the Gospel. Friday night I had a chance to pray with a team before the game. I bowed and took a knee and stretched out a hand in front placing it on student-athlete while another student-athlete behind me placed his hand on my shoulder. After bowing before our Heavenly Father, I got up and looked in the eyes of two of the young men that have been actively involved in FCA. These two men went to camp and I have had the opportunity to develop strong relationships with them for several years.

I felt that the Lord was showing me what FCA is all about. FCA is all about sharing Jesus with young people and watching them give their lives to Him. After that prayer, my heart was full and thankful that God has allowed me to serve in His Kingdom for His Glory.

Continue to pray for FCA and the young lives that the ministry has the potential to reach. Never let us forget that the ministry is built on Jesus and sharing his sacrificial love with coaches and athletes.

"The Best Thing About School"

2006-09-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

Two of my students were being interviewed on Wednesday for outstanding academic acheivement. Both of these students have 4.0 G.P.A.s and are number 1 in their respective classes (one is a junior, the other a senior). The reporter asked some great questions about football, academics and life.

One question the reporter asked was, "What do you like best about going to school here?"

Response, "I like football and FCA and learning more about JESUS." INCREDIBLE. It is encouraging to a see a young person look into a tv camera and say that one of the most exciting things in his life is that he gets to learn about JESUS. AWESOME.

Praise God for what he is doing in that young man's life.

Sharing the Victory

2006-09-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

FCA's magazine Sharing the Victory (www.stv.org) is writing a series of articles on how FCA is impacting the inner-city. This past Wednesday they were out to talk to coaches and athletes about their experience with FCA in inner-city D.C. It was a blessing for me to sit back and listen to what these coaches and athletes say about their experience in the ministry.

First we talked with a long-time huddle coach who has sponsored the FCA huddle for the last ten years. It was great to hear him articulate how God has used the ministry to grow his own walk with Christ and grow the lives of his players. He shared a few particular stories of when God put him in situations that he did not think he could handle, but how God gave him the exact words to say for that situation. The coach reiterated the impact the FCA can have on the lives of inner-city youth through biblical conversations and mentorship.

Next we talked to a coach who has had a relationship with me for several years and recently has decided to work with FCA at his high school. This conversation was special. Life in the inner-city can be challenging. Coaches see kids make poor choices, fall into drug addiction, parental problems, and sometimes (more often than I care to admit) die through violence. The coach was down when we came in, but I could tell that he spirit was lifted through the conversation about FCA. We talked for 30 minutes about how the positive peer pressure an FCA huddle offers can challenge many kids to live lives for God. Coaches know that their voices can grow stale, but that the voice of a young person standing up for Christ to another young person can make a dramatic impact for the gospel. I am more convicted that training and equipping FCA student leaders to live for Christ will radically change the city for the Gospel of God.

The last conversation we had was with a student who was a regular attender to an FCA huddle but not one of the student leaders. We had a chance to share the Gospel with him through an array of questions. He asked me where my life with God was while I was in high school. I told him that I believed in him but that he was not the Lord of my life. I did not live my whole life for him. It was not until I was in college and learned the call of the Gospel that I submitted my whole life to Jesus. I, in turn, asked him the same question. He made the observation that football was the idol in his life that he was worshipping. He knew it was wrong and wanted God to be on the throne of his life. We challenged him to turn and make a choice to live for God. I told him that if he knows that God should be running his life than stop at nothing until the Lord Almighty is the Ruler of his life. Pray that the Holy Spirit regenerates his heart bringing about a true conversion.

I look forward to the article and I praise God for the opportunities that we had to speak about God's Gospel even through the process of the magazine writing the article. Pray that God continues to have his hand on this ministry so his Gospel will continue to go forward in the lives of coaches and athletes in D.C.

Be clear with the Gospel

2006-08-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

The senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Mark Dever, has helped me understand the importance of thinking about how one shares the Gospel. He wrote this about talking with a friend about Christ, “I realized in talking with him that I couldn’t take the meaning of words for granted. 'God', 'prayer', 'heaven', 'good', 'moral', 'judge', 'sin' were all words which I realized I had not done a good job defining.”

It is so important to be clear in sharing of the Gospel of Christ, especially with kids. The words like God, prayer, heaven, sin, or justified are hard words for the average adult, let alone high school students.

Yesterday, I was talking with an eighth grader, Alonzo, about the claims of Christ. Here is a small part of the conversation.

Dave: Are you a Christian?
Alonzo: Yes, I am a Christian.

D: How long have you been a Christian?
A: Since as long as I can remember, my mom has always brought us to church.

D: Have you ever made a personal decision for Jesus?
A: I guess

D: What does it mean to be a Christian?
A: To love God.

D: Who is God?
A: Uh…The guy in the sky.

D: Who is the guy in the sky?
A: Uh……

Here is a young man that goes to church every Sunday yet when asked a simple (yet complex) question, “Who is God?” he is clueless in what to say.

When sharing the good news about Christ it is important that our hearers understand the words that we are using so they can understand the decision that they are making. Let us be clear with the Gospel.

Pray that I will have more opportunities to open up God’s word and explain to Alonzo the Gospel of Christ.

Biblical Coaching

2006-08-30T03:46:00.000-07:00

Biblical Coaching

I have been a coach for the last 5 years at the junior high, high school and college level. I love to coach, but I do not think I have ever seriously sat down and thought about how to define my coaching philosophy… until recently.

Every coach will influence somewhere in the ballpark of 17, 000 people in their lifetime. If a coach does not have a coaching philosophy, can they be sure in how they are going to influence those 17,000 people? The fact is that a coach is going to influence people, but the question is how are they going to influence them?

I have the privilege of serving the coaches and athletes in D.C. through the ministry of FCA. I want to challenge coaches to coach with a biblical mindset. A biblical mindset often will seem counter-cultural to the world of sports. Here are a few principles of biblical coaching. Read them in light of the young people that will be coached and consider how having these principles in a program would influence those young people toward Christ.

1) LOVE IS THE CORNERSTONE : love God & love each other

2) POWER IS MANIFESTED WHEN INDIVIDUALS DIE TO THEMSELVES FOR TEAMS'S SAKE: unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit

3) THE TEAM OVER THE INDIVIDUAL: "When you choose to become part of a
team, you cease to exist as an individual." (John Wooden)

4) HUMILITY IS THE MARK OF GREATNESS
a) be teachable
b) anyone who thinks he is something when he is nothing is deceived

5) SERVANT LEADERSHIP
a) Jesus came to serve, not to be served
b) prioritize developing Servant Warriors
c) Leaders lead the way by going first, and going further (max sacrifice)

6) PURSUING "WINNING" AS A GOAL, THOUGH NOT SINFUL, IS DANGEROUS MOTIVATION
a) winning, by nature, tends to glorify "self" and not God (idolatry)
b) winning, by it's intoxication, produces a climate of "ends justifying
the means", whereby Godseeking coaches often compromise their verbal
commitment to prioritize family and player relationships

7) PURSUING "WINNING" AS A GOAL INHIBITS PERFORMANCE
a) the pursuit of winning produces anxiety, tension and fear of failure
that hinders relaxation and thus diminishes maximal performance
b) winning as a motivation hampers performance when winning a game or a
winning season is no longer a probability or possibility

8) THE GOAL IS TO GLORIFY GOD BY EXCELLENCE, NOT WINNING
a) winning is the secondary goal. Glorifying God is the primary goal.
b) use football as a vehicle for kingdom expansion and life education
c) excellence is "being the best you can be" (faithfulness to God)
d) winning games is a biproduct of the pursuit of excellence for Jesus
e) bring glory to God by running the race in such a way to win the prize
f) aim for perfection
g) process vs results
h) goal is the road, not the end of the road

9) EMPHASIZE PEOPLE NOT PRODUCTIVITY
a) emphasizing productivity often squashes people and limits performance
b) emphasizing people builds people up and enhances performance

10) THE POWER OF THE "PUTUP" GAME
a) putups keep teams positive and hopeful
b) putups free us from the negative power of momentum shifts
c) putups make teams momentum proof and circumstance proof

11) THE OPPONENT IS OUR FRIEND
a) "Double Win" encourages opponents and brings out the best in both teams
b) goal is to BLESS our opponents (and everyone we encounter) to God's glory
c) our enemy is Satan; not the opponent (Ephesians 6:12)

12) WE COMPETE AGAINST OURSELVES
a) comparing ourselves to others inhibits our performance
b) pursue closing the potential/performance gap
c) people come to beat us; we come to "be" us

13) WE ONLY ASK FOR ONE SIMPLE THING- EVERY LAST DROP OF YOUR BLOOD
a) maximal effort in all things, at all times

14) COMPLETE SUMISSION TO COACHING AUTHORITY:
players obey coaches
a) with immediacy
b) with great effort
c) with smiles on their faces

15) SPEAK IN TERMS OF RESPONSIBILITIES NOT "RIGHTS": when you choose to become part of a team, you forfeit rights and gain
responsibilities

16) PROMOTE ATTITUDES NOT RULES
a) we are looking for "changed hearts", not blind obedience
b) win your players hearts, and they will follow wherever you lead them
c) happy players play better

17) THE LONG TERM OVER THE SHORT TERM
a) every moment is an opportunity for "Life Education"
b) our desire is that players become great husbands, fathers, friends,
leaders and employers/employees

18) START FAST, FINISH STRONG: it isn't how you start, but how you finish, that matters

19) LOVE IS THE CORNERSTONE
we conquer with/by loving God, and loving others

20) be a BLESSING to the opponent, fans, referees, hotel workers, restaurant workers

(created by Scotty Kessler former Head football coach of Pacific Lutheran)

Having principles like this would encourage men and women to have hearts like world missionaries. These principles help to foster an attitude that transforms men and women into those that are built for others.

Are they against the culture of sports? Sports are of the world. The Lord God has called us to be in the world but not of the world. Hold fast to the principles of Christ.

I had a great conversation yesterday about biblical coaching with a HS football coach. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to convict coaches to coach with a Christ-like attitude that the end goal is not winning but the Glory of God.

Know Any Golfers?

2006-08-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

FCA DC is having a golf scramble on October 2nd, 2006 at Potomac Ridge Golf course. For more details and to register as a player go to www.fcadcgolf.org

This will be a great time for fellowship, fun and funds. I hope and pray that God blesses this tournament financially so we can continue to make an eternal impact in DC for Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.

Please pray with me.

Cherish Every Opportunity for the Glory of God

2006-08-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

What a gift it is to be able to share Christ!!! God has graciously allowed his people to be his ambassadors sharing his good news with a fallen people.

But, do I really have a burden for those fallen people?

This past week FCA DC had the opportunity to partner with another organization for a Back-to-School Jam. Our role was to organize the young people and to share a positive message before the start of the school year. The initial number of expected youth that were to attend was between 150 to 200. The actual number that showed up was 11.

We had a great day of games and were allowed to share Christ with those 11 young people. Praise God for that opportunity!! It is a sweet gift to share God’s amazing love story.

But…

Should I be satisfied with 11? Should my heart break and mourn that more young people were not there to hear the Good News about Christ? Or should I be happy with the 11 that we had the opportunity to impact? I struggle with these questions.

I know that I cannot control anyone's response to the gospel, only faithfully proclaim it. I know that numbers do not always indicate success, but should I want more?

I want the multitudes to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I do want to see thousands come to Christ in my lifetime. I do want more people to hear the good news of Christ. But here is the important question: Why do I want it? Do I want it to pat myself on the back and glory in how many people FCA and Dave shared with? Or do I want it for the glory of God? If I were to be honest, most days I want numbers for the glory of myself. Correct my heart, oh Lord.

I do not want it to lift high the name of Dave or for the name of FCA. I want more people to come to events so they can here about the story of redemption that God offers through the blood of his son Jesus Christ. I want to boast only in Christ and him crucified.

Oh, Lord, help my sinful heart see the value in every opportunity that I have to share the good news. Please continue to burden my heart for the lost that you will use your servant to bring Glory to your Name. I do pray for the multitudes in this city to know you. Continue to examine my heart that I may see anything in me that is offensive to you. Help me desire the redemption of sinners for your glory and for your glory only.

"I want to be saved"

2006-08-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

God is a powerful God. He is the God of my salvation. I am humbled by the privilege and opportunity that the Lord God has given me to speak into the lives of young people with His Gospel.

FCA ministers to the hearts of coaches and athletes, challenging them to leave their lives of sin and turn to God for salvation. On Monday night, one young man took a knee beside me at a football game and said, “Hey Kiehn, I want to be saved.”

I have challenged this young man with the Gospel for several years. I could see God opening his heart in recent months through his spring involvement with his school’s FCA huddle. This summer he went to FCA camp and learned more of the Gospel. I sat with this young man for an hour Wednesday morning and again explained to him the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We talked of God’s holiness and man’s separation from God due to our sin. We talked of Jesus and his perfect life, substitution death and resurrection. Then we talked about accepting Christ and repenting of sin to truly live a life for God. A little before noon in a Quizno’s restaurant, I bowed with this young man before the Almighty King of Heaven and he asked Jesus to live and reign in his heart.

I pray that as you read this you are encouraged by God’s wonderful work of salvation in Jesus Christ. I pray also that you pray for this young man that the seed will be planted on good soil and well up to eternal life. Pray that God will carry on to completion the good work that was started in his heart.

Join me in praying for other young people in this city to submit to God, repent of their sin, and live full lives in Christ.

Prayer

2006-05-26T03:53:00.000-07:00

I read something interesting today in the devotional "My Utmost for His Highest," by Oswald Chambers. This devotional has challenged me tremendously over the past several years. Chambers wrote this , "God answers prayer in the best way, not sometimes, but every time, although the immediate manifestation of the answer in the domain in which we want it may not always follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?
The danger with us is that we want to water down the things that Jesus says and make them mean something in accordance with common sense; if it were only common sense, it was not worthwhile for Him to say it."

I am challenged by this statement. How often do I "water down" the things that Jesus said because they do not seem realistic? This spoke directly to my heart. Do I expect God to answer prayer?

As I have worked in the inner city of Washington, D.C. for the last four years, I have seen a lot of seemingly hopeless situations. Day after day, I hear stories or see lives ravaged by drugs, violence, sexual promiscuity or hopelessness. After seeing so many lives in turmoil, it is easy to get a hard heart and believe that there is no hope for many people.

Do I believe that Jesus can save people in the most hopeless situations?

That question is at the heart of my ministry. If I do not believe that, how can I continue to labor in the city? If you look at God's Word and read the promises spoken by and about Jesus, it is hard not to believe in the redemptive power of God. But do I believe it?

The challenge for the urban worker is not to water down the message because it appears that Jesus words are too good to be true. We must hold fast to God's Word to remind us about the nature and the power of the God that we serve.

Do I believe in the redemptive power of God? Do I believe that Jesus can save in worst of the worst?

That is a question I can truly only answer in prayer. I know that he can intellectually, but I need to believe it in my heart.

If I truly believed in the complete redemptive power of God, how would that change my life?

Discipline

2006-05-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

It is hard for me to maintain discipline for any length of time. It was easy for me to maintain discipline as an athlete because I was told what to do and when to do it. My schedule was written out for me and all I had to do was show up. When things have to get done, they are easy to get done.

Life becomes hard for me when there is no deadline staring me in the face. This is why I have not blogged in a few months. I fell out of the discipline of writing and it was hard to get back in the habit.

It is like when you avoid doing laundry for a week and it piles up. The clothes pile gets big and starts to look overwhelming so you avoid it. Then after two weeks you have no clothes to wear. You know you have to do laundry but are not looking forward to it. But after you finish, you feel so much better about life.

But the beauty of living a life with Jesus is that each day is a new day. His mercies are new every morning. So as I have been putting off writing for months, I wake up this morning with a renewed attitude to write down what God is doing in my life and the ministry of FCA.

I am not putting it off anymore. I am starting today. Writing that down convicts me in so many other areas as well. Whatever you are putting off, get it done today.

Jesus said, “Come and Follow me.”

2006-03-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

I love walking through life with kids. There is a lot of drama that the young people of DC face everyday. They face drama at school, at home, and with their peers. It is one of my greatest privileges to walk through life with these young people.

I had the opportunity to take two seniors up to visit a college where they might play football. It was a great day and a great way to serve these young people. The two-hour car ride gave us plenty of opportunity to talk.

Most know that if you are in a car with me for more the than 10 minutes you are going to hear a lot about Jesus. You can imagine how much Jesus these kids got during the two-hour trip.

On the way home, we got on the topic of Jesus (big surprise). One of the kids fell asleep and said to wake him up when we changed the subject, while the other student-athlete was all ears.

We went all over the map, but he said something that stuck into my spirit. He was talking about his cousin and how she got “into God.” He said that he didn’t think it was good for her. That really surprised me. It is hard for me to understand how anyone could say that getting into God was bad, so I asked him to explain. He went on to explain how his cousin is always at church but won’t look for a job or take care of her son. WHAT?!

I had to explain to him that being a Christian says that you need to take care of your children and take care of your finances. It was sad to hear a young man so confused about who Jesus is because of the lack of positive witness he has seen. It breaks my heart.

How can young people come to Jesus if the Church is not living right? How can young people love God if they cannot see anyone loving him? Jesus says, “that all men will know we are his disciples if we love one another.” The Church needs to love one another so all men will know that God is a good and loving God.

It breaks my heart when I hear young people day in and day out say that they are confused about how to live for God because of the lack of Godly examples. It challenges me to make sure my walk is right and inspires me to go and talk to believers about getting their acts together. Its time to GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER… DO IT TODAY!!

As the conversation went on, the young man kept talking about how he needed to get right or choose to be right before he could come to Jesus. But Jesus never says get right before you come to me; what he says is “Come and Follow me.” Jesus says, “Follow me.” I told him to forget about what he needed to change and just follow Jesus and let him change you.

He said that he did not want to learn more about Jesus. He did not want to follow him. And can you see why? It is easy to understand why many of today’s young people do not want to follow Jesus.. because the church does not make following Jesus look good. I am not saying the Church should put on a front or fake it. I am saying that the church needs to live their lives in such a way that people will look at the way they are living and say, “I want that. I do not know what it is that they have, but I want that. I want that peace. I want that joy. I want what they have.”

When was the last time someone came up to you and said, “I want what it is that you have.”?
Be an example for our young people. Live in Love for the Lord

March 11th Wizards Rally

2006-03-17T05:41:00.000-08:00

After last Saturday night’s game of the Wizards vs. the Pistons, FCA had its second Youth Rally of the year. We had between 800-1000 people stay after the game for the rally. Antonio Daniels, a Wizards guard, spoke about how God has helped him do the right thing and how God has taught him to put his family first. The adults and kids were encouraged by his message.

It was also a great night to introduce people to FCA and inform people about FCA camps this summer. We had a Christian rapper come and bring the gospel message through song.

I had the opportunity to share my testimony of how God came in and changed my life. I talked about how I always thought that I was good enough to go to heaven because I was a good person, but God showed me that I will never be good enough. God sent Jesus to die on a cross because no one on earth is good enough and we all need Jesus to get to heaven. I gave an invitation for all in attendance to chose and follow Jesus. Pray that the people who raised their hands to receive Christ will truly submit to His authority and give Jesus total control of their lives.

It was a special night for me to experience the privilege of sharing about what God has done in my life. I am honored that God has chosen me to preach about his redemptive love and grace. It was a win for FCA and the Kingdom.

The Mystery Van is just a Mystery

2006-03-17T05:40:00.002-08:00

My van is having some serious problems. Sometimes I go to drive it and it starts just fine, no problem. The next day or even the same day, I go to drive it and the car won’t start. I never know if my car is going to start or not. It really is hit or miss when I get in my car. Is it going to be a good day or a bad day? You have to take it as it comes.
It reminds me a lot of the passage that God is speaking into my life. John 3:8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
When you are born of the Spirit of God, you never know what each day is going to bring forth. I love that my life is like the wind, constantly changing and taking me places that I did not expect. It causes me to live with a moment to moment mentality. Although I love it, some days I wish my car would just start, but the Lord’s ways are above my ways and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts.
Some of you may be thinking, “He is blaming his car not starting on God?” I am not blaming my car not starting on God, but I know that he is going to use it to for my good. Romans 8:28, “God works all things for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.” It does not say all things are good, but it says he is going to work all things for my good.
That is the joy that I have in my Lord and Savior. He is in control and I have to be patient. So my car is acting crazy, I ask, “How are you going to work this for my good?”
And He will, just in His timing.

The City Needs FCA

2006-03-17T05:40:00.000-08:00

I love going to huddles and talking to kids about Jesus. Yesterday I went to the Wednesday FCA huddle at Dunbar and walked away in awe of how the Lord is moving in the lives of those athletes.

A couple of thoughts… I was probably asked about 30+ questions like:

“How do we know that our God is the one and only God?

“Who wrote the bible?”

“What about Jehovah Witnesses?”

“What does the Holy Spirit do, anyway?”

It was incredible to see these young student-athletes so hungry to learn about the truth of God. The Word says that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled.

…One of the girls asked the question, “You all go to church right?” I saw two kids shake their heads as if to say they have never been to church. This is one of the reasons I love FCA: because we are reaching kids that the church cannot get to. These kids have never stepped foot in church but they are faithful to come to FCA every week to learn about Jesus. Continue to pray that these young people continue to follow Jesus.

After the opening prayer one of the athletes seated next to me asks if he could close in prayer. After I replied with saying yes, he says, “It will be the first time I ever prayed.” WOW!! The first time this young man ever prayed was yesterday at the end of the FCA huddle. It was one of those precious moments that I will not forget.

Coach’s Conversation

2006-03-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

Praise God. I walked in the football coach’s office at Dunbar yesterday and saw one of the coaches that I have been coaching with over the past three years. After giving him a hug and a greeting, he says, “Colossians 3:1-17. It reminded me about a conversation we had in here during the year.”

We sat in the office and talked about that passage and the rules for Holy Living. It was great to see the vulnerability of a coach processing his faith with his peers and to see his desire to live a life that is Holy.

It was a great moment. I praise God that he is working on this coach’s heart and that my life and witness have helped him move closer to God. I feel honored and privileged that God is using my life to draw others to his name. I cannot tell you how encouraged I was after that conversation.

Continue to pray for God’s favor.

Blog Catch Up

2006-03-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

I have been falling behind on this blog and I wanted to apologize for all who come regularly to read the happenings of the FCA DC ministry.

I compare falling behind on writing to falling behind on laundry. You really want to do the laundry but the more it piles up the less motivation you have to do it. Then one day you say enough is enough, it is time. So enough is enough, I am back to catching up on the happenings of the ministry. Read on….

FCA REAL TIME IN DEPTH

2006-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

For the nearly 750 FCA staff members and some of their spouses, perhaps the greatest single event in our 51 year history occurred in Kansas City this past weekend. One staff member from Illinois commented, “This is the best thing FCA has ever done.” Another from Texas said, “This time together has been great - very refreshing - a time for personal renewal - and it was all about faith, fun and fellowship.” I would like to share just a few of the highlights of Realtime II with you.

Ken Smith, emcee, said in his opening remarks, “Heart prints are what you are all about. You are sons and daughters of our living God - stamped with your imprints all over the world.”

Dr. Tony Evans, founder and senior pastor of the 7,000 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas shared that his son was influenced by FCA and mentioned how Coach Tom Landry asked him to serve on the Dallas FCA board. “FCA is a great organization that has met a sanctified athletic arena by bringing Christ to sports.” He shared so many things that stirred our hearts. Mentioning the very popular Seinfeld television series, he shared, “It was so popular because there was no plot - it just meanders - plotless people like plotless programming. More and more, people have decaffeinated lives. You in the sports field see people wearing jerseys with numbers and names on the back. Somehow, they don’t have their own numbers - going through the motions of life with something missing. You at FCA do what you do because you have discovered something more important. You serve FCA because you have a direct calling on your lives. We are all children of God inequitably crafted to serve Him.”

Evans warned that “Today, we have a generation in crisis. The one thing that captures this generation is athletics. A sport that has been revived and given new life is bowling. The real test of a bowler is the impact. If all of the pins are still up, you failed. You, like the bowler is measured by your impact. You at FCA are called, because of your love for our Savior. There is a generation growing up in broken homes, there are drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage and teen suicide. Many people in America are safe and won’t turn around to help those who are drowning. You at FCA are making a difference and realize that it is not just a job, you are serving the purpose of God making an impact for the Kingdom.”

Dr. Ken Whitten spoke each morning to the gathering. Whitten, the senior pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, which has a membership of more than 9,000 people, inspired everyone with his informative and captivating messages. “I love FCA and the work that you do in our schools across America. FCA has access that no one else has.” Each message was centered on the three main conference themes.

Faith - “is like a roll of film - it’s got to be developed in the dark. God puts real people in real situations to build where nothing else could build.” He shared about a member of his church, Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and how he handled various situations.
1. Faith is not altered by appearances. Will you believe in God where there are delays (which are often God’s denials) in your life? Time is not important to God - timing is.
2. Faith is not fettered (a restraint) by feelings or emotions. Even when you feel defeated, you still believe. Whitten shared a story about Coach Dungy, who had just lost his son in an untimely death, and how he helped a young man, whose sister had taken her own life, was now contemplating doing the same. Dungy told the teen, “God put me on this earth to tell you that life is worth living. Here is my phone number. I want you to call me daily in the afternoon and call me at night.” After several days, the young man who did not realize who Coach Dungy was said, “Coach I promise I won’t take my life.”
3. Faith is not limited by logic. In Luke 8:40-56, Whitten referred to vs. 51-52 stating “It may not make any sense some times - with all the work you do in schools - knowing there are more coaches and kids to bring to Christ. But, there may be a kid who heard a devotion that was shared who will not take his or her own life as a result.
4. Faith is not defeated by doubt. “This is real time. Sure, there are times of disbelief and self denial, but I want you to know, there is a second half. None of us have experienced the rest of the story.” (promise of eternal life)

No one will forget segments by “America’s Minister of Encouragement.” Dr. Swan’s side-splitting stories - about himself and family members as well as his impersonations were incredibly funny. His father’s take on what was wrong with young men in America was that they no longer carried three very important things - a comb, a knife and a handkerchief.

Joel Engle and his band provided some outstanding music and worship times. He shared at one setting, “The only way we can make it is to die to ourselves and take up the cross.” Joel’s amazing rendition of “For the Glory” has to be the theme for this year at all of our camps and conferences.

Joe Ehrmann, who has been called “The most important Coach in America” because of his work to transform the culture of sports, challenged the FCA attendees in an excellent workshop. “You can change America through sports. There are between 20 and 30 million kids playing recreational sports and more than 10 million playing scholastically. Coaches have the opportunity to speak life, truth, hope, vision and depth. Sports are the one place where the playing field is level. Want to change America? It’s not about winning and losing - it is about loving the kids - release a power. When those kids walk out on those practice fields or courts, remember he or she has a keyboard on their chest - ready to input anything you say….positive or negative.”

“Buck” McCabe - Chairman of the FCA National Board of Trustees, shared a little of his personal story. “Who are those people who paid my way to go to the Black Mountain FCA Camp so many years ago? Who was that staff person who helped me receive the greatest gift that one could possibly receive? Thank you seems so inadequate but it was at that time my life was changed.”

Dr. Charles Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta and founder of in Touch Ministries, is known as one of America’s greatest preachers. His desire is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church. He shared so many profound thoughts as he encouraged the audience on Friday evening. “Your relationship with Jesus Christ needs to be as far and wide as possible. He shared about four characteristics displayed by the Apostle Paul that would help keep the impact of FCA forever.

1) Faithfulness - “Be faithful to the calling God has on you. The most important thing in your life is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything that flows from this makes its mark - affects everything that you do. As this relationship grows, the influence and impact grows. Each of us have had decisions in our lives - including making time for our personal Bible study, prayer life and more. The person of Jesus Christ shines the brightest when we are faithful to His Word, faithful to His calling. He loves you and has equipped you with His Holy Spirit. Faithfulness is clearest when things are going wrong around you and yet you obey Him and trust Him.”
2) Fruitfulness - “Our Father will be glorified when you bear much fruit. Say to yourselves, my life is going to count daily. I am going to fulfill what God has called me to do. If each one of you are fruitful, you can’t count the numbers who are being touched. Think what you could do in another 50 years! You want people to be blessed long after you are gone. Having a lasting testimony - fruitfulness is what it is all about.”
3) Fearlessness - “We learned from Paul that as long as you are fearful, you are not free. Paul’s focus was on God and realized that things like finances, sickness, etc can cause fear. God can handle every single need we may have. You can’t be a good leader and still have fear. Fear can hinder God’s work. Obey God and watch Him work. When you are living in obedience, you can be fearless and God can use you in an awesome way. What keeps you going when everything seems opposed to you? What saves you is your focus on God. He assumes full responsibility.
4) Fervency - “Fervency means boiling bright and there is fervency with this FCA group. You have a passion - you are excited and that keeps you going. Be excited - fervent for God. You can’t be ignored. Some may reject your sharing your faith, turn you off, but they will say to themselves, ‘You know, he (or she) really believes it.’ God has sent you to be missionaries in a field where it is absolutely essential - our schools - witnessing to a section of people who don’t attend a church. God is behind this organization and you have an awesome responsibility. He is responsible for the outcome. If you (FCA) don’t get to them (coaches and athletes and all whom they influence) who will?”

Dr. Stanley concluded by saying, “God is saying to you - major on your relationship with me and I will determine how far and wide your ministry will be. The impact you have is immeasurable. May God prosper you and strengthen you.”

The Katinas, five brothers born in American Samoa, along with two other band members provided music that reflected their faith in the Lord with a worship experience no one will ever forget. God’s love prevailed as one brother shared an experience that will not be forgotten. “Our father served in Vietnam. Upon his return, his life was a mess. One night, in the back of a church in Oceanside, CA, he cried out to God. “I want to believe.” That night, as the pastor shared an invitation to come forward, dad was the only one to do so. Right there, the spiritual lives of our family changed.” Thank you for the honor and privilege to worship you. We never know how much it really cost - but it is all about you Jesus.”

Ken Whitten shared on Saturday morning about Fellowship. His message included insights from Luke - chapter 15. Sharing stories about the prodigal son, Whitten reminded us that “Anger comes from hurt. Forgiveness is not pretending it never happened (being hurt, maligned or even abused - experiencing rejection) bitterness can eat you away. We must learn to forgive the other person but also forgive yourself. Forgiveness comes from forgetting it, and then you are no longer in bondage.”

We don’t need to have to the spirit of the Pharisees. 1) They have a virtue problem. You could say, ‘others have faults I readily see, but there are none in me.’ 2) Having the right values is a problem. It is easy to complain about others. Know what are the most important things to Christ. 3) Don’t have a religious spirit. Have a spirit of a slave serving others. 4) Don’t have a resentful spirit. Whitten told a story of 40 Christian wrestlers who were challenged by the Emperor Nero. Facing the loss of their lives, they stood their ground saying “For you Oh Christ - to Thee the Victory from Thee the Victor’s Crown.”

Jean Driscoll, world-class athlete was voted as one of Sports Illustrated for Women “Top 25 Female Athletes of the 20th Century.” The winner of the Boston Marathon (8 times) in the wheel chair division for women, Driscoll shared how FCA had been very critical to her walk with the Lord and shared her great appreciation for the support she has received throughout her career. She shared her “I can do all things attitude” taken from Philippians 4:13. Having being born with spinal bifida, a cleft pallet and more, Driscoll was always competitive and wanted to do what others did. Many would give little hope to her for ever being normal. It was always a battle for her to keep up with her siblings but Driscoll persisted. She got involved in racing in her wheelchair. It was a coach who encouraged here for more than 2 years to try competing in a marathon (26.2 miles). She qualified to enter the famous Boston marathon for the very first of eight times. She still holds that record completing the difficult course in 1 hour, 34 minutes and 22 seconds.

Driscoll’s real heart change happened when a woman shared that there was a God of grace, love and forgiveness. “God was not punishing me, He wasn’t picking on me, instead, I was being picked out. It was a freeing and liberating experience. I know now that God is always with me, He cares about me and He wants the very best for me.”

Worship leader and singer, Dennis Jernigan shared his compelling story about being abused as a child and then adopting a lifestyle not pleasing to Christ. “Here is a lie - God can’t love me because of what I have done.” He commented, “Don’t let sin determine the rest of your lives. I have faced many giants in my life - but I’m not the victim, I am the victor. We are wired to Win!”

Dr. Whitten concluded his morning sermons on Sunday as we wrapped up the memorable conference. “The topic of today is fun - and haven’t we had fun at this conference?" Sharing a story from Exodus 18 and the life of Moses, he said, “Sometimes ministry isn’t fun. It can wear you out, become too heavy and difficult to endure. For some, we don’t know how to relax - to have fun and we fail to teach our kids to relax as well. How many of you always have to be busy doing something?”

“In ministry,” Whitten shared, “there is frustration and fatigue. You can get exhausted and feel isolation - not wanting to meet with anyone - not getting your quiet time. If you are not feeling fulfilled, here are some things you can work on: 1) If you are not having fun in ministry, re-establish your priorities - Pray, Teach, Lead. Keep ministry as the main thing. Build relationships, talk to your board members - tell them the truth about your inner feelings and needs. Then get back to your priorities. 2) Recruit people with ability. Find able people with integrity who can come along side of you. 3) Reorganize the process. Implement programs that will work and are attainable. Don’t try to do too much. 4) Release the people to do the work. Provide motivation. Use these simple rules of life: Work like you don’t need the dollars. 2) Love like you never been loved before. 3) Dance like you would if no one is watching and 4) Live like it is heaven on earth.

Les Steckel, President of FCA, shared only a few but very powerful words. "This (Real Time II) is a dream I’ve had to get Team FCA into the locker room. You have heard the game plan, (simplicity with four core values). It's time to move from the locker room back onto the field! Let's do everything with integrity - especially self-integrity. I know that I have to take the plank out of my eye before I can think about the speck in others. Serving is what we all do. The biggest challenge you and I have is spinning too many plates! Teamwork is what makes dreams work. Excellence is another core value - enjoy your jobs - pray with your spouse. Finally, we can have the greatest ministry in history if we only will follow His game plan. Here is what I would like to challenge each one of you to do. In addition to your regular study and quiet time, read daily from Proverbs. Read a chapter for the corresponding day of the month. When the month is over, start over reading a chapter each day. Please meet the challenge - it will advance Team FCA!"

"However, as it is written,: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him…'" I Corinthians 2:9

FCA Real Time II

2006-02-16T02:45:00.000-08:00

Ellen and I are off to the Home Office in Kansas City, MO. All the FCA staff across the country are comging together to celebrate what God is doing through FCA throughout the country. It should be a time of Faith, Fun, and Fellowship.

Pray for safe travel and that it will be a time of refreshment and encouragement.

American University

2006-02-11T08:39:00.001-08:00

Friday I met with the Head Volleyball Coach at American University, Barry Goldberg. He had a passion to share the love of God with his players as well as the other athletes at American. It was a great time to meet a fellow laborer in the faith and dream about what God can do at American. I am hopeful that God is going to open a door at American for FCA to minister to the coaches and athletes at that school.

Pray for God to open a door for FCA at AU.

Prayer and Fasting

2006-02-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

The FCA staff throughout the Eastern Metro Region gathered Feb 7 12pm to Feb 9th 12pm for a time of prayer and fasting. It is vital when you are in ministry to lay down your ministry and concerns and seek the Lord’s face. It was a challenging 48 hours. We spent a lot of time in prayer and devotions seeking a “full life in Christ.”

There were so many great comments and things discussed throughout the two days, but the idea of humility resonated in my heart. The Lord convicted me of my pride and challenged me to model my life after his i.e. a life of humility. “He did not consider equality to be grasped so he made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. In being found in his appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross.”

Jesus Christ lived a life of humility, submitting to the Father’s will. His main purpose on Earth was to give the Father Glory, and he accomplished it through HUMILITY. Andrew Murray said, “Every virtue starts with Humility.”

Another thing that the 48 hours did was that it gave me a charge and an excitement to go back to D.C. and serve the King. God is in this ministry and we are seeing athletes and coaches submit their will to God and live a life of obedience. I am thrilled that the Lord has called me to serve him through FCA in this city.

Continue to ask God’s favor for FCA in Washington, D.C.

From the Mountaintop to the Valley

2006-02-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

After a great time of being in the Lord’s presence it is always hard to come back to live in the world. God has not called us to live on the mountain top but rather to live and work in the valley. After the retreat I went back into the schools and went to work.

The first day back I had to stop a student from harassing a teacher, which came very close to a physical altercation. I was calm throughout the incident and did not raise my voice or get frazzled, but the young man did not remain calm and did raise his voice. I praise God that I was able to protect and stand up for a teacher who was being harassed. God was in control of the situation.

Later that day a student-athlete came up to me before he went into the weight room and asked me for a favor. He wanted me to hold some of his money while he worked out so it would not get stolen. No Problem. I was thinking 5 or 10 dollars. However, he gave me a roll of $500. I asked him where he got the money and he said that he won a Super Bowl bet. I did not believe that. I told a coach at the school, who is a product of the city and DC public schools and who has had brothers in and out of jail his whole life about this situation. The coach then gave me a detailed explanation how drugs are moved throughout the city. The main drug that moved throughout the city is crack. It starts as cocaine and then it is boiled and hardened into smaller substances commonly known as “crack rocks.” The allure to sell drugs is a tough thing for city kids to resist. They come home night after night and see their mother struggle to pay the pills and put food on the table, but they also see the drug pushers with brand new clothes and new cars. It is very hard for the kids to resist the temptation.

It is hard to reiterate what I learned in that half hour explanation, but I found a few things particularly interesting. First thing is that the older hustlers often use teenagers and preteens as workers for their drug endeavors. They use teenagers to sell, deliver or as a look out while they are making different drops. This fascinates me because nothing is new under the sun. This reminds me how adults have been using children to do their dirty work since the time of Jesus. It reminds me when the daughter of Herodias was used to ask for the head of John the Baptist after being told to by her mother. Children often want to win the approval of their elders and often get roped into doing things that dishonors God in the process.

The coach also made an interesting quote by Biggie Smalls, referring to the ‘hood: “Either you’re selling crack rocks or have one heck of a jump shot.” He was an athlete growing up, and because he was an athlete was not allowed by the dealers to participate in any illegal activity. He said that the head hustlers loved sports so much that they wanted to live vicariously through the young people from the neighborhoods who were great athletes. Kids are branded early; either they are going to be athletes or a potential laborer in the drug industry of the neighborhood. This also creates an identity for the athlete as being looked up to and idolized. These athletes know nothing else but sports. Sports are their ticket out of the ‘hood.

The end of that same day I drove a freshman athlete home. I often use these rides home to discuss what is going on in kid’s lives but also a chance to share how much God loves them through his son Jesus. I love telling kids how Jesus saved me. While we were talking he mentioned that he does not leave the house anymore so I asked why. He explains that the weekend before he was at the playground and there was a drive-by shooting. It is not that he does not want to leave the house but rather he does not want to risk his life by leaving the house. (Side note: he lives next to a police station. Violence in the city has no safe zones).

This is my first four hours back after seeking God’s face for 48 hours. We are not called to live on the mountain top but to live in valley. I think about when John, Peter and James were on the mountain with Jesus when he was transfigured before their very eyes.

Matt 17:1-2 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

Matt 17:9a,14-16 “As they were coming down the mountain….When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

I love this passage because it is as both literal and figurative. Jesus led his inner circle up a mountain to have an amazing “mountain top” experience. Then he led them down the mountain and was met with a man suffering from seizures. The mountain top experiences are there to grow our faith that we may be able to stand when we are in the valley.

It was a great 48 hours of prayer and fasting and the Lord spoke to me there but I am called to live and minister among hurting of Washington, D.C. I praise God for his mountain tops and praise him for putting me back in the valley.

Thank You Notes

2006-02-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

I enjoy writing thank you notes and giving people notes of encouragement. I also love to receive them. I have saved every note that my mother has ever written me. She is the master encourager. My mom has taught me how to encourage others.

I walked into the administrative office where I used to teach at Dunbar Senior High School and noticed something that was shocking to me. I had written notes of thanks and encouragement to the ladies in the office on Secretary’s Day a couple of years ago. The amazing thing is that both notes were still taped to their computers. Even a note my mother wrote to thank them for handling the packages that they would hold for me from her was still there.

My observation is that people love encouragement. In our society it is rare for people to receive encouragement and affirmation. Those ladies in the office still have a little note of encouragement from two years ago. Be an encourager… you never know what somebody needs to hear.

My mother always said, “Never underestimate a kind word or deed,” and she was right.

Encourage someone today!!!

Nike "Coach of the Year" Conference

2006-02-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Nike hosted a coaches’ conference and invited some the best coaches in college football to talk about strategies and game plans for their teams. Urban Meyer from Florida and Bob Stoops from Oklahoma were two of the coaches in attendance at the conference.

FCA had the privilege of hosting a luncheon on Saturday during the conference. Chick-Fil-A donated box lunches and Northern Virginia FCA distributed various FCA materials.

A fellow coach of mine at Dunbar Senior High School, Tony Lee, was the guest speaker for the event. Tony has been coaching HS football for 15 years and was a Hall of Fame player at Cheyney University. Tony is also the pastor of Pillar of Truth Bible Church in Washington, D.C.

Tony gave a heart-felt talk about football and Jesus to football men. It was challenging to the football coaches in attendance to influence their athletes in a way that will have an eternal benefits. It was amazing to see so many men in one place being affected by the power of the Holy Spirit. There were 7 men that raised their hands to respond to the call of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Praise God for the luncheon and the words brought forth by Coach/Pastor Lee. It was a blessing to be a part of such a Spirit-filled event.

(The only negative thing was that all the pictures that I took for the event were erased off my camera when I tried to download them to my computer. I believe that one way Satan tries to frustrate us is by breaking technology that we are trying to use to give God praise. So there will be no pictures of the event but Satan cannot take away the eternal change that occurred in the hearts of the men in attendance at the event.)

HBCU Track Championships

2006-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning I went with a fellow FCA staff person to hold chapel at the Historically Black Colleges Track Championships. The event happened at the last minute when a woman on the event’s board asked FCA to come and run a chapel before the meet.

About 65-70 college and high school athletes attended the chapel. Mark Stephens, Metro Maryland’s FCA staff person spoke about the Heart of a Champion.

H-Hope (hope that you will do your best)

E- Encouragement (encouraging one another)
A- Action (Faith in action)

R- Respect (Respect for team and competitors)

T- Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

All the athletes were encouraged and affirmed for their willingness to step out from their teams to give God honor and glory before the meet started. Praise God for the boldness of these young athletes.

I spoke with a young athlete from Howard University about getting FCA at her school and she was excited. She told me that she was involved with Impact, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. When she told me her name, we made the connection that we have been emailing each other back and forth about getting together to talk about FCA already. God has got a way of working things out.

Pray for FCA at Howard and the contact that was made on Saturday.

Finding Christ in the Weightroom

2006-02-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Jesus meets people where they are. “Being the very nature of God, he did not think that equality with God could be grasped so he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Jesus came down to earth that we might know him. He meets us in the midst of our struggles and sins that we might experience His grace.

I love that FCA meets athletes where they are. We go to the athletes to love them and walk with them in midst of their struggles and sins. This past week I was working out with a few athletes in the weight room. It is pretty special when conversations about God and real life happen when they are unplanned.

We started talking about one kid’s family situation and his relationships with his parents. He has not seen his dad in over two years and can never get a hold of him when he tries to call. I could see that his lack of a relationship with his dad was a sore spot in his life. I shared with him that he had to love his dad even if he did not deserve it. I went on to explain why he needed to love his dad.

Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…If you love those who only love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the pagans do that?” Jesus went to the cross and died for us even though we did not deserve it. “Jesus demonstrated his love for us that while we were still sinners he died for us.”

I do not deserve God’s love, yet he loves me. Therefore, by following Christ’s example, he gives me the strength to love others even when they do not deserve it.

I believe that God used that time to meet this young man in the midst of his struggle. God is always relevant. I pray that this young man will respond to God’s love for him in loving those in his life that may not deserve his love.

If I Could Touch the Hem of His Garment

2006-02-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

There has been this song playing through my head recently. The chorus goes: “If I could touch the hem of his garment, I believe just one touch could make me whole.” There was amazing power in the presence of Jesus Christ and simply a touch of his robe could heal people. This has become more and more real to me this week.

As I walk the halls of schools and hear the burdens and pains of my students, I can feel myself losing energy. Youth laborers in the city are emotionally exhausted at the end of the day because they give so much of their spirit to the hurting kids of the city. This week I have heard more about sexual molestation among teenagers than in the whole last year combined. The perversion of sex in the inner-city has helped to destroy the lives of many young people. The statistics show that children who have been molested are more likely to molest others. It is a vicious and ugly cycle. I write about this to show the reality and the heartache that many of these kids must face, but also to invoke your prayers against the spirit of molestation that pervades the city.

Pray for me and other youth laborers that we may be able to give people Jesus as we talk and minister to them in the schools, locker rooms, fields and courts. Ask the Lord to grant us wisdom as we come across vile and hard situations. Everyday that I walk the halls and talk to students in the city, I have a renewed commitment to build up the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a way to affect change in this city. Pray for God’s favor in this ministry so that young people’s lives will be transformed by the healing power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead.

Ephesians 1:17-23

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

FCA College Retreat

2006-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Ellen and I served as huddle leaders during the 4th annual Eastern Metro Region FCA College Retreat. It is refreshing to serve college athletes because they think on a much higher level than high school athletes (Praise God for that). It was great to hear their passions and their struggles.

Christian Athletes are in a battle for righteousness. All college students are under attack, but it is only heightened among athletic teams. Often times, athletes are forced to be around unwholesome talk that takes place in the locker room that they cannot escape. Almost all the college athletes that I talked to, struggle with finding the balance of being around their unbelieving teammates and when to walk away and disassociate with their ungodly behavior.

It was refreshing to see so many strong athletes who want to take a stand for Jesus. Many young athletes came to Christ and everyone was encouraged to live a life of love for Jesus. Joey Rozek, a youth pastor from NJ, gave spirited talks about Friendship, Lordship, and Hardship. A few quotes:

“If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all.”

“If God is too small to understand, he is not big enough to worship.”

“God calls us to faithfulness not success.”

“If God wants to use you greatly, he must wound you deeply.”

“The footprints of the Lord keep us from the destruction of the world.”

“Can’t clean fish until you catch them.”

“If it is not in the Word, it shouldn’t be heard.”

I was blessed and encouraged by his words, and I know that many athletes were as well. God was all over the College Retreat and it was a great thing to be a part of.

I also realized how much I love my wife during the weekend. My wife will be the first to admit she is not an athlete, but she gave all that she had playing soccer, football, basketball, and Ultimate Frisbee. A few Ellen quotes:

“Dave if you told me that I would be playing basketball at ten o’clock at night, I wouldn’t have come.” (But she had a great time).

After complimenting her for giving me an assist in a soccer game, “What’s an assist?”

We both woke up on Sunday morning and were extremely sore. The life of FCA is not for the weak of heart or for the out of shape. I have a new-found desire to get back in shape.

Overall, the weekend was a success, and I inspired to pursue starting FCA huddles at the colleges and universities in Washington, DC.

Great Ministries

2006-01-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

I met a great man of God who is laboring in the inner city as a youth pastor. He serves about 40 young people everyday from all over the city at an after school program. Check out this great ministry called Horizons at Calvary Baptist in Chinatown (www.calvarydc.com)

I am excited about laboring and serving the city with Pastor Jon Mein. Pray that God will build a solid friendship and will edify both of us in our relationships with Christ and in our respective ministries.

FCA Huddles

2006-01-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning, we had our best huddle at Terrell so far this year. We started FCA with doing Trust Falls off one of the tables. The kids told me that they shouldn’t stand on the tables because they were going to get yelled at. But I assured them that since they were with us that they would not get yelled at…. I was wrong. They got yelled at. But after a little pleading with the cafeteria staff, they allowed us to administer the Trust Falls.

I have done Trust Falls before with kids, and the first person is always nervous and scared. There is lack of trust that they will be caught by their peers. But after the first person goes everyone else wants to go. With each passing person, the next person has more and more trust that their peers will catch them.

We used this experiment to show them that at first it is hard to trust God with different things in their lives. After each time that they trust God and His way is proven right, it is easier the next time to put their trust in Him. We further illustrated trust with the story of Noah. I love talking to these kids about God. They have so much energy. They have so many questions about God and the bible that it is hard to stay on one topic. We kept on bringing them back to trust and Noah. I wish I more time with those kids.

Wednesday afternoon, the FCA huddle at Dunbar discussed the idea of giving. We talked through 2 Cor 9:6-13 about what God says about giving. The concept of giving “cheerfully” was a tough concept for these kids to grasp.

They had some great examples of their attitudes of giving. They are so honest about what they think. It is inspiring to see young people so genuine and vulnerable with their beliefs. They had so many questions. Should they give money to the homeless? What does God think about the homeless? Why should I give money to my pastor who drives a Benz? If I give ten dollars does that mean I will get twenty back? It was a great time of looking into God’s Word and examining what God said about giving. I had to leave before it was over to run to another meeting, but they just kept talking about it.

Kids have so many questions.

Pray that God continues to show the right answers to the questions of these young people and have each answer lead them to closer to a right relationship with Jesus.

Almost Missing God's Blessing

2006-01-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

I very rarely take naps. If I am tired throughout the day I usually grab a cup of coffee and fight through the tiredness. Wednesday I was feeling under the weather so I wanted to take a quick power nap before a meeting I had at 2pm. So I laid down at 1pm and set the alarm for 1:18pm (why 1:18pm, I don’t know). Well... I slept through my alarm and woke up at 2pm- the exact time of the start of the meeting.

Thankfully, the man of God I was supposed to meet at two was flexible and was not upset with my tardiness.

The meeting, although brief, was great and hopefully will move us to start FCA at Howard University. I learned a lot about the history of Howard and about the culture of the athletic community there. I want FCA at Howard University for two reasons. First, I want to serve and encourage the athletes at Howard in their relationships with Christ. Secondly, I want the student-athletes at Howard to reach out and be examples to the inner-city students in D.C. on how to be successful in the classroom and on the field while giving honor and glory to Christ.

I was tempted just to cancel the meeting because I overslept. Thank God that I did not listen to my flesh, but listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Pray that God continues to open the doors at Howard and allows FCA to serve and encourage the athletes in their walks with Jesus.

Daybreak

2006-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

I met with the Executive Director of Daybreak Ministries today. Daybreak is a ministry of McLean Bible Church in McLean, VA. It is a great ministry built on an after-school program in a low-income community in Northeast DC offering tutoring and bible studies.

We met to discuss a possible partnership with Daybreak to reach out to Kelley Miller Middle School and H.D. Woodson Senior High School. I am hopeful and excited about a possible partnership with them. They are looking to hire someone specifically to serve the high school and middle school age group.

Pray that God brings the right person to start at Daybreak and the possible partnership with FCA.

Emotionally Spent

2006-01-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday and Thursday I serve as an Academic Coach at Dunbar Senior High School through the Play It Smart Program (http://www.playitsmart.org/). I have many different roles, but counseling the young men and helping them overcome personal obstacles is the greatest task. It is impossible to address practical needs such as grade point averages and SAT scores if the kids cannot focus. At the end of a day serving and counseling these young men at Dunbar I am emotionally exhausted.

I care a lot about the young men that I serve. I have one-on-one conversations with student-athletes throughout the day, trying to understand what they are dealing with at home and in school. I see tremendous resilience in these young men overcoming many difficult obstacles, but I also see a lot of pain. At first most of the young men are reluctant to share their struggles until trust is built in the relationship. It is vital that I am consistent in every area of my life because these student-athletes watch everything that I do to see if I “walk the walk". By God’s grace I have gained trust with these young men and now I have a voice in their lives.

The more trust that my players put it in me, the more responsibility I have to continue to walk right and the more emotion it takes out of me to minister to these young men. It is one of my greatest joys to be able to pour my life into these young men.

Tuesday was an emotionally exhausting day. I left all that I had at work that day and came home spent, but would not trade that day for anything. The day ended with an hour-long discussion about relationships and God’s grace. I am not sure how much headway was made, but I presented God’s viewpoint to the best of my abilities.

Please pray that I will in no way be ashamed, but have sufficient courage to always exalt Christ in my actions.

The American Ministry Frustration

2006-01-24T05:11:00.001-08:00

I visited friend of mine today who is also laboring in ministry in the city. During our conversation I realized something about ministry in America. The bible never says that ministry is easy, but, rather, the Holy Word says that is will be hard. Ministry for the Kingdom of God is not easy but arduous and laborious. So why do I and other American ministers get frustrated when things do not happen as fast as we want them to?

We are conditioned in our "right now" society to expect God to move right now. Isn’t that true? One of the cultural sins of America has crept into the minds of God’s workers. I am guilty of it all the time. I often get frustrated and discouraged when things do not move on my timeline.

The apostle Paul had it down pat, but he had to learn it too. Paul was the Hebrew of Hebrews, from the tribe of Benjamin, zealous for the Jewish law. In other words, Paul was a stud. He was the All-American Quarterback, 4.0, perfect family, great test scores, seems to have no problems kind of guy. Everyone knows someone who seems to have everything going for them. But when Paul became a believer in Jesus Christ things got ugly. He was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and left by all his friends. Things were not easy for him. They were hard, but he “learned the secret of being content in all circumstances, well being well feed or hungry, living in plenty or in want.” We have to learn it too. Paul also said that, “Whatever I considered my profit, I now consider it loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.”

It is easy to fall in the trap of American culture and expect everything to happen right now, but we must align our thoughts to the Word of God. “God is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness.” He is faithful.

Pray that all of God’s laborers in the ministry will be strengthen by Christ and hold fast to his Word. Pray that we may be patient, always rejoicing in the amazing love and grace of our Savior and King Jesus Christ.

Another God Day

2006-01-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

There is a FCA College Retreat this weekend and Ellen and I are going to be huddle leaders, ministering to these college athletes. I love doing ministry with my wife.

Today I went to some local colleges and universities trying to recruit a few more kids to come. I love being a Christ-follower because God always is going before us and preparing the way.

As I was walking to the athletic office at Howard University, I ran into a woman on the street. I started talking to her and she started sharing some of the struggles she was going through with a friend. People in the city are very bold and forward with what is going on in their lives and I love it. It is easy to see where people stand. I talked with this woman for a few minutes and gave her one the bibles that I was caring with me. As soon as I gave her the bible, her friend that she was waiting for opened the door of the athletic building. He called me over and introduced himself. He is a coach at Spingarn High School, a school that I have been praying about since August. He said that he is about to become the Head football coach. He has been to an FCA camp as a clinician. That is God for you. He has a way of arranging divine meetings.

When you are faithful in the small things, God knows that you will be faithful in the big things. What if I did not stop and talk to this woman on the street? What if I had written her off as semi-crazy and kept walking? What if I did not leave room for God to move, but, instead, focused on my own agenda? I thank God that I did not miss Him today. I had a "God moment" today that will help move the ministry forward because I was faithful in the small things. God is always watching.

After I spoke to the Spingarn Coach, I went on to meet with the AD who was a college baseball player at a Christian school who had a student in mind that is a member of the football team and Divinity School. God knows what he is doing.

I pray that God will allow you to slow down and be sensitive to his divine appointments.

FCA @ UDC

2006-01-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

I am making a push to bring FCA to all of the colleges and universities that lie within D. C.’s boundaries. I sent out a bunch of emails and waited for a response. One of the coaches that responded was the head basketball coach for the University of the District of Columbia. UDC is in upper-northwest off Connecticut Avenue.

Coach Julius Smith called me back and wanted to talk about bringing FCA to UDC. After exchanging a few phone calls and a number of emails, he gave FCA tickets to their game last Saturday. I took two kids and a FCA “Home Teamer” to the game. I love hanging out with kids.

We had a great time at the game. I had the chance to meet Coach Smith’s wife, son, mother and his pastor. There was a family feel to the atmosphere and to the team. I love watching basketball games with people who are passionate about sports. The kids enjoyed the game and getting out of the house.

One of the best things about the day was the fact that I bought some candy for the ride from Northeast to the game in Upper Northwest. Growing up, my mother always made sure that our house was full of snack food. None of my friends were ever disappointed when they came over to the Kiehn household. There was always a stocked pantry of goodies. My mom is the master of fun and making people smile. She sends a gift every month designated to the Scooby Doo Mystery Van of Ministry (aka my car). She wants to be responsible for making the rides in my car a little more enjoyable so she helps me buy goodies for the kids when for trips. What a great idea! The kids love that I have snacks in the car. Thanks Mom!

So much ministry happens to and from the FCA events in the car.

Pray for FCA at UDC and the continued friendship between Coach Smith and myself.

Pigskin Banquet

2006-01-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

Friday night, Ellen and I went to the Annual Pigskin Club Banquet at the Washington Capital Hilton. The Pigskin Club honored a senior football player from Dunbar Senior High School for his outstanding play on the football field during the season. It was great to have coached him for the last three years and to see him be awarded for all his hard work on and off the field. He has an incredible work ethic and is a joy to be around.

The Pigskin Club is a prestigious organization that fights for democracy in sports. They are a pioneer organization that has fought for minorities in the sporting world. The banquet has become a staple for the Kiehn family every year. We always bring some of the young men from Dunbar to experience a high-class banquet. It is heart warming to see the young men from the team to dress in shirts and ties and question what fork to use during the first course.

I am still learning to use proper table manners but thankfully, my wife is from the south and is well-versed in proper etiquette. I have learned a lot of the proper decorum from my wife. My wife graciously thanks her mother who graciously thanks Amy Vanderbilt who set the standard for etiquette.

Manners and etiquette need to be taught. My wife has a heart to teach manners and I hope that she will have an opportunity to do that this year.

Anyway, the banquet was great and it was a privilege to see one of my seniors honored at such a prestigious event.

God's Blessings and a Heavy Heart

2006-01-20T03:08:00.000-08:00

I feel so blessed to be able to serve kids in the city. I am humbled by the way they love me and think highly of me. I acknowledge that God is powerful and mighty and I boast in Him for making my life smell sweet to the kids that I serve.

Yesterday a couple of my players gave me some humbling compliments. One shared that he was scared to go to college because he would not have people like Mr. Kiehn there to help him. Another shared with young players that before you get caught up in the wrong stuff, find a mentor like Mr. Kiehn who cares about you and can give you the right advice.

I do not share this to boast in my abilities, but to give God glory for how He is using my life. I come from a different background, different financial upbringing, and different culture, but the love that God has placed in my heart has made these kids respect and love me. The relationships that I have in the city are blessings from God.

I really care about these kids. Somedays my heart is so heavy because I see the emptiness and loneliness in their lives. They have so many hurts and have no where to turn. They are crying out for someone to love and encourage them. When I think about all the kids that are in this city hurting, my heart gets heavy and I feel a burden to try and reach as many as I can.

I talked to a young man yesterday about why he was walking the halls instead of being in class. I used to teach this young man and had to fail him for not completing all his assignments. I called him over and didn't yell at him but asked him what was going on in his life. What brings him to the hallway?

He explains that one of his good friends from "around his way" was shot and killed last night. Who does this young man talk to about his pain? Where does he turn? If he had not been at work, it could have easily been him last night. He does not know where he is going to spend eternity. That is the reality of many kids. Each day could be their last and they have no idea where they are going to spend eternity. The time is now. We need to have a sense of urgency.

I found another young man smoking a cigarette in the hallway. I asked him the same question. Why? What brought you here? Why are you not in class? He goes on to explain that he has a lot going on in his life and does not have anyone to talk to. I just met this kid and he is already sharing a major pain in his life... loneliness. I gave him my business card and told him to call my cell if he needs anything. He simply replied with, "Thanks man." But there was something different in that thank you. I felt a little more peace in his voice.

Another student was acting up in class and I caught up with him and gave him the same line of questioning. It is not rocket science, but it is a godly principle. "Be quick to listen and slow to speak." This kid comes from a rough neighborhood so I ask him a question I was never asked growing up. "Anyone got killed around your way recently?" He goes on to tell me about a young girl who recently killed her baby's father.

Do you see the pain and hate that these kids grow up with?

Is there hope?

You better believe that there is. God is a Redeemer. He can take any situation and make it for his good. There is nothing beyond his control and nothing that is too hard for him. With God all things are possible.

I know these truths, but when you see this day in and day out even God's laborers in the city feel tired and start to get become jaded. Please pray for Ellen and I and for the FCA ministry. Pray that we will continue to hold on to the HOPE that is in the name of Jesus.

Pray that he continues to use our lives as a sacrifice, helping to bring many young men and woman into the Kingdom of God.

Washington Wizards

2006-01-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to bring a few students to the Washington Wizards game. I love being around kids. Some of the kids had never been to a game before where they sat that close.

One of the students that came said that it was his first organized basketball game that he has ever been to, even in a recreation league. This is a young man who has declined invitations to numerous dinners, events, camps, and retreats over the last year and a half. The simple fact that he came to the game was a "God thing."

We had such a great time. The Wizards mascot, GWiz, came over to our seats and jumped on my kids. They were trying to act to cool, but they really enjoyed it. GWiz was the only the start of the festivities; I took it from there.

During the game there are different Jumbo-Tron Contests (the big screen above the stadium). The camera flashed on me during the Dance Contest. I moved like I have never moved before. I brought out some of my best moves and even some new ones I didn't know I had. I went crazy. The crowd was loving it. For my finale I jumped across my kids and landed on my back and started kicking my legs in the air. I wanted to get my kids on the Jumbotron, and was successful. If you did not know that I brought those kids it may have appeared extremely bold. I looked like some crazy white guy jumping across a group of inner-city teenagers at a pro basketball game. Anyway, I won the dance contest on the Jumbo-Tron and won a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to take my wife out to dinner. It pays to be a goofball sometimes.

My kids had a night that they will always remember. It is in God's nature to have fun and enjoy life. Of course I also told my kids that the reason that they went to the game was because Jesus loves them. (I said it about 10 times to make sure they knew that God had ordained this evening).

Praise God for the little things that he does to bless his people.

Little Lights

2006-01-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

I had a great meeting with the founder and the program director of a Southeast ministry, Little Lights.

Little Lights is a great ministry working in Potomac Gardens, a housing project in SE, providing tutoring, bible studies and various other activities. They also have a basketball team with a coach that has been praying about how to serve DC public schools. Enter FCA.

FCA is going to give this coach an opportunity to serve the kids he is already working with at their local High School and Junior High. I pray for the partnership and the friendship that was started yesterday.

It all started with an email that I sent after finding them on the DC church registry. By the way, they are not even a church. God is good!!!

Pray for wisdom as we both move forward in understanding the best way to partner and serve together. AMEN!!

McKinley Tech "A Divine Meeting"

2006-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

God has been pressing on my heart to rest in Him and hold on to His promises. In August 2005 I went to a number of D.C. schools and did prayer walks along the campuses. One the schools that I went to pray at was McKinley Tech. God has heard my prayers and has allowed FCA to serve at McKinley.

In November I met the head coach of the football, basketball, and baseball team. Coach Sims is "The Coach" at McKinley. I met him at a DC Coaches meeting and told him about FCA and he loved the idea of bringing it to McKinley. We talked and met a number of times throughout the next couple months. Finally this past Wednesday he had me over to speak to his basketball team about FCA. It was a divine meeting.

It is such a blessing to have God Almighty go before you to prepare hearts for your coming. There had been a situation that the team was dealing and needed to regain proper perspective. I had the chance to talk about FCA and encourage the team and the coaching staff. The coaching staff and parents that are already working with these kids encouraged me all the more.

The Head JV coach is the former Superintendent of his Sunday School at church. A parent, whose son is on the JV team, is a deacon in his church. A mother of one of the players is a member of the Southeast, East of the River Clergy Team. Are you kidding me? They have three godly adults that are already working with the team. FCA is going to give these Christian ambassadors a vehicle to bring Christ to the focus of the athletic community at McKinley.

They kept repeating, "You could not have come at a better time." Well I know that that is true because "a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps."

And I did not mentioned the four players that are strong believers that want to be involved in leadership. Praise God!!! His way is always the best way!! His timing is always the right time!!

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

A Frustrating Eye-Opening FCA Moment

2006-01-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

This morning I went over to Terrell Junior High School with an FCA volunteer for a FCA huddle. We usually get there around 8am to talk to the students before we actually engage in FCA. Today we had a huddle of 5 girls. I was frustrated that none of the boys came over to the huddle.

We asked the kids if there are times in their lives when they feel overwhelmed. These young ladies opened up and shared how they have to take care of their households by cleaning and buying groceries. We went to encourage these young ladies with Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Then I was humbled. I was asking myself in my head if FCA is worth doing here at Terrell. We only have five girls... is it worth it? Then three of the five girls shared that sometimes they wish they were dead. I was shocked. In that instance I realized that we have to get FCA in every HS and JHS in the city. There are so many hurting kids. What an appropriate word for those kids today!!! When you are thinking about death, hold on to the Name of Jesus and the strength that He provides.
Please pray that God will increase the influence of this ministry so we can reach more for Christ.

Life is Tough in the City

2006-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

I was working with a group of football players yesterday and I am always taken aback with the honesty and vulnerability of these young men.

I asked one player how he was doing and he said he was doing horrible. So naturally I responded with "Why are you doing horrible?" He replied, “Everyone keeps dying.” He recently has had two of his neighborhood friends shot and killed. He said that they kept making poor choices and now they are dead. This athlete is a 3.0 student and is on the accelerated track. Even though he is making the right choices, he is still affected by the bad choices of his friends.

Three minutes after that conversation another student told me that a girl is going around saying that she is pregnant with his child. He was adamant that it was not his, but he had slept with her so he cannot be sure. He did not want to believe that having sex one time could get a girl pregnant. That young man is only a freshman.

That is real life in the city. You have one young man making the right choices, but still living with the wrong choices of his friends. And you have another young man making wrong choices and having to live with his indiscretions. These conversations happened in a 5 minute time span, can you imagine how many of our young people deal with these issues?

Pray that God continues to anoint my words as I interact and engage with DC’s youth. Pray that I may direct them to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Pray that I will reflect Christ in all that I do.

FCA WEEKEND OF CHAMPIONS

2006-01-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

WOW!! God is good. FCA had a great Weekend of Champions Retreat this weekend. The DC Public Schools were on break the week before the retreat so it was hard to connect with coaches and kids to attend. FCA DC contributed 6 student-athletes of the total of 50 total athletes that came. The remaining athletes came from Northern Virginia, Western Maryland or Loudoun County.

I was very curious how the kids from the city would interact with the kids from the suburbs. During the first meeting, most of the kids that I brought were looking at me as if I had lost my mind. They were either giggling or had a blank look on their face. The first meal all the kids sat with the people that they came with. then, all of the students were placed into huddles, led by current college athletes, for the remaining of the weekend. Our kids were split up and forced to step out of their comfort zone. The afternoon of the first day was set aside for competition. The huddles competed in a various number of activities: flag football, basketball, capture the flag, soccer, pool, ping-pong and foosball. Each huddle was awarded points for winning and for Christ-like performances (highlighting sportsmanship, teamwork etc.).

After 3 hours of competition, the DC kids from the inner city were acting like they were best friends with their huddle members (comprised mostly of suburban kids). It was fascinating to see how sports competition broke down the lines of race to build friendship. A student from DC commented that he was surprised that he got along with people so quickly. He said that it is hard for him to make friends. It was an eye opening experience for both the athletes from the city and the ones from the suburbs.

The speakers for the weekend, Green Bay Packer Todd Franz and former Chicago Bear and Redskin, Greg Huntington, spoke about SEEKING HIM, SERVING HIM, and SHARING HIM. Both speakers did a great job of communicating the truth of the Holy Scriptures. After each talk the athletes had a chance to go back to their huddles and talk about what they had learned and to ask any questions that they had.

I believe that this weekend changed the lives of those in attendance. I know that four athletes gave their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Incredible!!!

On the way home I asked some deeper questions to the kids from DC that I brought. They all said that they would love to come back and that they had a great time. I asked if they would like it better if it was all kids from DC or if they liked that it was mixed? Everyone responded that they liked the mixed setting a lot and got a chance to learn more about another culture. They commented on how different the language used in the suburbs was to the language of DC.

It was a great weekend. Something special happens when you take kids out of their environments. It is easier to change their perspective on life.

Pray that the words spoken to these kids this weekend will stay in their hearts, changing how they live and who they live for.

SACRIFICE

2006-01-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

I wanted to thank everyone that gives to the FCA DC ministry. It truly is a sacrifice for people to give. There are so many great people that give to this ministry, investing to see coaches and athletes lives for Christ.

I am truly grateful for all the financial support given to this ministry. It is an amazing blessing to see so many people give sacrificially. There are many places were people could spend their money, but I am so thankful for their investment. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I pray that God blesses the supporters of this ministry. I pray that their cups will overflow with joy from the giver of life, Jesus Christ. “Those who sow generously will reap generously.”

Father, I pray that those who sow into this ministry will reap generously. Let them reap joy, peace, patience, self-control, gentleness and love. In JESUS name, AMEN.

Trinity University

2006-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

God is moving all the time. I believe that our job as believers is to see where God is moving and jump on his back. He can bear the weight.

I got an email the other day from the head volleyball coach of Trinity University. He actually plays in the worship team at my church. Praise God!! I had the opportunity to sit down with him for an hour and hear his heart for God, his family and to see Christ grow in the lives of the girls he coaches.

It was a truly divine conversation with Marcus. He has a passion to see God use his life to affect change at Trinity. I am excited about working with him and building our friendship. I am excited to labor together to use FCA to help win souls for Christ at Trinity. Praise God!!!
Pray that God opens the hearts of Christian athletes at Trinity and the hearts of the administration.

Blog Vacation and a Welcome Home

2006-01-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

I apologize for taking a little blog vacation over the Christmas holiday. I had an absolutely wonderful Christmas with my in-laws and am excited for 2006. The last couple of weeks have been crazy for the Kiehns.

A few days after our return to DC one of our cars was broken into. My wife got in the car and realized that something was not right when she saw a huge rock sitting on our dashboard. Then she saw that the ignition was popped and the lock was broken. It was a little bit of a surprise to find our car broken into, but neither of us was taken back by the setback. When you are doing God’s work bad things will happen to you. But they (car-jackers) may have wanted it for evil; God will work it to our good. For God works all things for the good of those who love him and been called according to his purpose.

Ellen and I dealt with it and moved on. We went to see “Les Mis” on New Year’s Eve and had a great time. Life was looking up. Then on Tuesday after meeting a friend, our other car died. The car just wouldn’t start. It has been one of those weeks. But that is life. Things break down and people try to get you down but you need to turn that frown upside down. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!
Please pray for protection and covering over the Kiehn family in the next couple of weeks. I have a feeling that all these setbacks were supposed to frustrate us. That means God is about to do something big. We are waiting in anticipation!!!

FCA Christmas Huddle

2005-12-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today I met with a FCA huddle and continued to talk to about forgiveness. We talked for a long time about forgiveness. Does forgiveness have limits? Are there some things that you can’t forgive?

I appreciated their honesty and candor during the conversation. In the end I talked about the ultimate forgiveness in Jesus Christ dying on the cross. We talked about the Christmas season being a celebration of salvation coming to earth. “To all who believes in him, he has given the right to become children of God.”

At the end of the huddle 5 young men raised their hands to receive Christ and prayed the sinner’s prayer. I pray that the seed is planted on fertile ground in their hearts, springing up to eternal life.

Let us celebrate Salvation this Christmas Season!!! Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth with those whom his favor rests!!!

Forgiveness

2005-12-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

I talked with a few senior football players for an hour about forgiveness. It was so hard for these kids to believe in total forgiveness. The believed that you can forgive someone, but only to a point. It was really hard for them to understand God’s forgiveness.

If a person cannot believe in forgiving others, how can they believe in God’s forgiveness? It does not make any sense to a kid who has never seen true forgiveness demonstrated to him or to others. They wanted to believe that you can forgive, but you can never forget.

I shared how when you forgive, you have to forget. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not easy to forgive people who have hurt you, but it is what God requires. The bible says that if you do not forgive others, then God will not forgive you. Forgiveness is an expression of submission to God’s Word and His plan.

We talked through a variety of situations and examples to make it relevant to their lives. At the end of the conversation the senior athletes started to understand more about forgiveness. When they looked at how much Jesus has forgiven them in their own lives, they started to realize the importance in forgiving others.

There is no limit to God’s forgiveness. Praise His Name for His forgiving nature. I thank Him for how much he has forgiven me.

Pray that God brings godly people into these young men’s lives to model Christ-like forgiveness. Remember that forgiveness this Christ-mas season.

The Harsh Reality

2005-12-21T14:08:00.001-08:00

The city is a dark, dark place. I heard a story from a teacher yesterday about a young girl named Anita*. Anita lives with her aunt because her mom and her dad are in jail. She shared that last night her uncle tried to kill her aunt. She was downstairs when she heard the arguement. She ran upstairs and saw her uncle smothering her aunt with a pillow. She attacked her uncle and stopped the assault. The uncle stormed out of the house. The aunt replied with kicking Anita out of the house because she blamed her for making the uncle upset and for him leaving. There is a harsh reality in the city.

Another student, who is on my football team, was hanging out with some friends near his house. A drug addict walked by them. One of the people that he was with walked over to the drug addict and put two bullets in his chest. The guy died instantly. My player mentioned it as if it was from a movie. He was not even phased by what he saw. He has been desensitized to the violence that he has seen his whole life.

I wish that DC was not this rough, but it is important to understand the harsh reality that DC teens face everyday. The struggle is real. That is why FCA is essential for this city. Please pray for a spiritual revival in this city.

*Name changed to protect student's identity

Roosevelt Senior High School

2005-12-21T03:35:00.000-08:00

Monday afternoon I went over the Roosevelt Senior High School with a volunteer huddle coach, Wendell Hankins, in an effort to restart FCA there. The experience had God’s all over it. I walked in the building only to see a coach that I recognize from the football sidelines. We talked for a minute and I told him about FCA. He responds, “That sounds great. Let me know what I can do to help.” He is also the head track coach and soon to be the head football coach. It was affirming that God wants FCA at Rose.

Wendell and I walked to meet Dr. Butler, who is the assistant principal and also the former tennis/track coach. I was blessed to discover that he had had a lot of exposure to FCA. In 2001 he went to a FCA ranch camp in Wyoming for a week with his tennis team and other athletes from across the city. He was amazed at how many of the student-athletes opened up and shared what was going on in their lives. He recalled one girl on his tennis team that shared about attempting suicide. He was shocked that this quiet, intelligent, polite young lady had wanted to take her life. Needless to say, he believes in the FCA mission.

We met with 5 students who want to be on the leadership team to help reach their peers for Christ. I was praying the other day for student leaders in the city. (FCA is run on the campuses by student-leaders and supported and trained by their huddle coaches.) It was an answer to my prayer. They were intelligent and passionate about seeing their school grow in Christ. Pray that God continues to move their hearts to serve coaches and athletes at Rose through FCA. One of the girls at the meeting attended the FCA Youth Rally after the Wizards game on the 10th. She was one of the girls who came down and took a picture with Jared Jefferies after the rally. It was all God.

After speaking with the student leaders for 25 minutes, Dr. Butler brought us down to speak to the track team with the coach I mentioned earlier. I spoke briefly to the team about FCA and what we do and how it can help them become better athletes. A few of the kids asked questions that indicated that they were skeptical about what we were doing there. We have to expect those athletes that do not have a relationship with Christ to be skeptical. Skepticism is fine because the proof is in the pudding. We need to prove our message is real and powerful; that Jesus loves them and wants to be the Lord of their lives.

I love being in the inner city schools. I love it. The city is so small. I always see kids that I know when I go into different schools. Two of the girls on the track team were Christian girls that I took to Young Life camp this past August. It is a small community.

Pray for Theodore Roosevelt. Pray that God continues to rise up student leaders and teachers who want to serve the coaches and athletes of the school. (Cool side note, Steve Fitzhugh, the FCA national spokesman for the One Way 2 Play program, spoke at the school a few weeks ago and his mother is a teacher there. Praise God)

New Believers

2005-12-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday I had a divine experience helping lead two girls to Christ. Before a FCA meeting at Dunbar, two girls came up and started talking about college and life with me. After a few minutes, I engaged them in a converstation about Christ-mas and Salvation. Why did Jesus have to come? If you died today, do you know where you are going to spend eternity?

It is not my call to tell anyone where they are going to spend eternity. These girls both have experienced Christians that have claimed that they were both going to go to hell because they have tatoos. We talked about that a little bit, but I just kept asking questions. After about 10 minutes of questions, I asked them if they wanted to know what the bible says about going to heaven. We talked through Romans 3:23-24 and Ephesians 2:8-9 about sin and grace. I emphasized that you do not come to Jesus so you can escape hell (although that is a plus) but to escape into his righteousness. God's kindness leads us to repentance. God loves us... that is why he sent Jesus to die for OUR sins. We believe because of his LOVE.

They prayed with me to receive Christ. Please pray that the seed planted in these young ladies takes root and sprouts up to eternal life. I believe that their destinies were changed forever, but pray that they seek after God with all their heart. Believers prove that they love God by their obedience, pray for obedience to God's Word for these young ladies, IN JESUS NAME.

Kingdom Perspective

2005-12-17T05:56:00.000-08:00

Ellen and I had a dinner with a member of the FCA DC board and his wife. One of my greatest joys in life is to learn about people's lives and passions. Last night was a great conversation that confirmed and convicted that I need to have a Kingdom perspective.

I feel that as a believer we need to know what is happening in other parts of our city and the world. I know that all people are not called to all places and people are going to have specific passions. However people need to learn about what is happening in other parts of the world to expand their perspectives.

I was challenged last night to read the front section of the post and not only the Metro and Sports section. So this morning I got up and read that first section and got a glimpse into other parts of the world. Studying other cultures and issues puts your issues into perspective. It is great to see what God is doing in the lives of other people and countries. (For some great stories about what God is doing fighting for justice through his people check out www.ijm.org INTENSE)

All the glory goes to one God, who is the God of all, and every nation.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

2005-12-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

God is so faithful. I am in awe of his faithfulness to this ministry. He has opened so many hearts of generous people to support the FCA DC ministry. Praise God for his faithfulness. I am so humbled with people’s willingness to give to the FCA DC ministry and to see coaches and athletes come into a deep lasting relationship with Jesus Christ.

Terrell Junior High Huddle

2005-12-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

It was the first time that I had the opportunity to visit the huddle at Terrell in a few weeks. I love these kids. It is so exciting that these kids are always so excited to see me. “Hey Coach Dave.” I love it. We talked about the real reason for Christmas. Marcus Miller, a cousin of Sean Miller that I have written about before, said people forget the first 6 letters of the word Christmas, Christ. We talked about the real reason that Jesus came to the world. He came to save the world of their sins. We talked about Romans 3:23-4

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

These kids are so energetic and enthusiastic to learn about God. It amazes me every time we go. Jessica, an FCA volunteer, has a great gift with the middle school age. It is always fun to see her interact with the kids and them with her.

The reason these kids are so amazing because even though many of the kids have experienced hardships they still have a faith. One girl told a teacher following FCA that she learned the real reason for the season, that Jesus died for our sins that we may have life. The teacher replied with, “What are you going to do with it?” She replied, “I am going to live for Him. He wants us to do right. I am going to do right.” That same girl’s brother committed suicide earlier this year. She is holding on to her faith. Praise God.

The teacher she was talking to shared her testimony with me. She came to Christ about 9 months before her 19 yr old son was killed. She said she was praising God at his funeral for the 19 years that she had to be a steward of his life. She said that if she did not have God she did not know how she would have made it. God is a good God. All the time!! Praise God!!!!

Jonathan House #2

2005-12-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

I had an opportunity to go back to the Jonathan House to lead a bible-based discussion about the young professional call to inner-city Washington D.C. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about the issues of the urban environment and also to challenge some of the views of people that have outside of the inner-city about native Washingtonians. It was great to highlight some of the progress that I have seen in my own heart in regards to the prejudice that I have had to work through as well as allowing others to analyze their own prejudices.

I appreciated the honesty and candor of the men of the Jonathan House. There were many great points made, but one of the general ideas is that everyone needs to be a respecter of persons. We all walk by people everyday that we do not see because they are different than us. We need to be intentional to be a respecter of all persons. The word of God says is this way in the book of James,

“ 1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Pray for the men of the J-House that they will continue to be a light to Capital Hill.

FCA "Live It Out" Youth Rally

2005-12-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday the FCA Youth Rally at the MCI Center went great. After the Washington Wizards played the Chicago Bulls on Saturday FCA had a “Live It Out Rally” challenging kids to life for Christ. It was a great event with

Over 800 in Attendance

Gee-Whiz having a great time with the kids (Gee Whiz is a Christian)

Jared Jefferies, a Wizards forward, came out to share his testimony with the kids

A Christian Rap Group came out to present the Gospel through song

All who came were affected with the amazing love of Jesus Christ

Thank you all for your prayers for this event. It was a win for all in attendance. Pray that we are able to follow up with those who showed interest in FCA and those who want to follow Jesus.

Chicago "Fun"-draising Trip

2005-12-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

I am sorry to all my blog readers for the blog hiatus in the past week an half. Last week I had limited computer access because I was on the road for a fundraising trip in Chicago. What an amazing blessing it was to share the vision of FCA with family and friends. The trip was awesome and there were so many great things that happened but here are a few highlights.

1.) The drive out to Indianapolis, my first stop, took 10 hours. It was one of the best drives that I have ever had in my life. It gave me a chance to catch up with some friends on the phone but more importantly it gave me a time to appreciate God’s beauty. As I drove through the mountains and the Mid-western flat hands, I really appreciate God for his handiwork. I spent most of the drive with the radio off enjoying the peace of solitude.

2.) I spent the first night with a couple that I went to college with. Stan and Allison Chen have both had a tremendous impact on my spiritual development. They are very godly, thoughtful people. Allison gave me one of the best comments that I have ever received. Stan and Allison stayed home to fellowship with me instead of going to a performance with friends from Texas. After apologizing to them making them change their plans, Allison said, “We were happy to stay home. I told my friend the other day that I love hanging out with Dave, all he wants to do is talk about God.” That truly blessed my heart. It was so great to share the call that God has placed on my life with people that truly care about me.

3.) The next day I had a chance to see one of my former disciples now in college at Valparaiso running track and playing football. It was a surprise visit for him and I had the opportunity to encourage and pray for him.

4.) Wednesday night I spent with the Picchiotti family. John Picchiotti, (Coach Pic to me) is a man of God that has always stayed obedient to the heavenly vision. Coach Pic left a job in commercial real estate to go into full time ministry led me to Christ and then was called back into commercial real estate. It is always a gift to spend a night with the Pic family. They have three wonderful kids that are always happy to see me and it is always great to see Amy do her mother thing. I am always humbled to be in the presence of my spiritual father for his example of godliness and righteous. He truly exemplifies the scripture to whom much is given much is expected. He has been given much but gives even more.

5.) I had a great opportunity to have a few lunches and a dinner with some friends to share the FCA vision. It was great to see people who want to serve on the FCA DC “Home Team.”

6.) I had a chance to see my family at a rehearsal dinner for my cousin’s wedding. I just love my parents. My parents are the most generous people that I know. I hope that I will be able to pass on a spirit of generosity on to my children.

7.) Also got a chance to see a couple of my friends get married. It was a great ceremony and a fantastic reception. The reception was in the Field Museum Chicago. It is great to eat dinner and dessert with a T-Rex next to you. I hope and pray for many years of God’s blessing on their marriage.

So all in all it was a great trip. (I will not go into the ride home and the dangerous roads and having to spend the night in WV.) God was faithful as He always is.

Men's breakfast

2005-12-05T03:08:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to speak at a Men's breakfast this past Saturday to encourage men to live a life of holiness. I spoke from John 2:12-17 about Jesus clearing the temple. I spoke about three things that can lead men to holiness.

1.) Focus-Phil 4:8-9 Col 3:1 Our focus needs to be on the things of God!!! We need to ask ourselves if what we are watching, listening to, talking about is beneficial to the kingdom of God.

2.) Men of Action- James1:22-25 We need to be men and women of action willing to respond to what God has placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit through his Word.

3.)Right Motivation- Romans 5:8 We need to be motivated out of our love for Christ and turn from our wicked ways. The more we love God, the more we will hate sin.

I love to speak about Jesus and how he has changed my life. Pray for the men of McLean Presbyterian Church that they will live lives of holiness.

The Non-Profit December

2005-12-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

November and December are the biggest giving months for all non-profit organizations. Many people are thinking about where they want to give a gift before the end of the year. I pray that you prayerfully consider making a contribution to FCA this December. The money that we raise this month will allow me to spend more time with coaches and athletes during the new year.

If you are not in the position to give, please pray that people will get a heart to give this holiday season to FCA.

Coaches Dinner

2005-12-05T02:53:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about coaching is to celebrate the year with the staff. Over a course of a year, a strong bond is built among the coaching staff. It is great to see the relationships that I have developed with the coaching staff. The conversation is so easy now and I love being around that group of men.

The coaching staff went out to Ruby Tuesday's to celebrate the year's success and to laugh over some of the moments that we experienced throughout the year. It is hard to develop deep relationships with men because most men are suspicious at the early stages of a friendship. It has taken a little bit of time, but I am so excited to see where my relationships have gone with these men. I am no longer on the outside but truly a part of the staff.

Pray that I may continue to encourage these men to become more and more like Christ with the way I live my life.

Eastern Metro Region FCA Training

2005-12-05T02:40:00.000-08:00

This past week the FCA staff in the Eastern Metro Region came together for a time of training and a time to refresh and encourage one another. I was so blessed by the people on staff and their passion to serve Jesus.

I try to wake up between 5-5:30 everyday to study God's Word and pray. When I go to conferences, I usually am the only one up, but not at this FCA mid-week conference. I was so encouraged that when I got down stairs to read, there were 3 men already seeking God's face. Wow, what an encouragement to me! FCA is extremely blessed to have men in leadership with a passion to learn more about God and seek his face in study and prayer.

Prayer was the most important time that we spent at the conference. We started the training with two hours of prayer and each new day with 45 minutes of prayer. It was so amazing to pray with my brothers and sisters and to hear their burdens for coaches and athletes across the east coast.

I left the training energized to do the work that God has called me too. I also left challenged to seek God's face more every day so that I may be in the center of his will.

Pray for me that I may take the ideas from training and put them into practice.

Challenges

2005-11-29T02:34:00.000-08:00

I went to a local high school today to check on some of my student-athletes. I know that is always hard to regroup following a long weekend but I felt extremely sorry for these kids. It seemed to me that the school was in a chaotic state. There were kids walking around in the hallways and many teachers were not in the building. The building itself felt like a sauna as I walked through the halls. These kids have to fight tremendous physical barriers in order to learn during the school day.

I tell the student-athletes that I work with all the time that it is important to rise above your surroundings and still succeed. I believe that it is the truth. Situations and circumstances cannot dictate one's attitude. But the environments that these kids face everyday can eventually paralyze their desire to rise above their situations. I know it is tough for these kids at school and I am not even talking about their home lives. I give these kids a lot of credit to fight and strive to succeed in the midst of chaos.

There was an article in the post a few weeks ago that the schools in DC fail in comparison to the newly renovated jails of Fairfax and Loundoun County. These kids deserve a better school environment.

I still have hope that the kids in DC are going to make it. I know that Apostle Paul learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. He realized that he could do all things through Him who gives him strength. (Phil 4:12-13). I know that it is possible for these kids to succeed, but I know that these kids need the strength that comes through Jesus Christ to make that happen.

Pray for the student-athletes that they may have strength that comes through Christ.

Turkey Bowl Champs

2005-11-29T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Dunbar Crimson Tide beat the Coolidge Colts in the 36th annual Turkey Bowl. The Colts played hard and were winning at halftime 14-13. But in the end, there were too many weapons on the Dunbar Team as Dunbar stretched their lead in the second half to 43-14. I would not be surprised if there was a rematch next year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/24/AR2005112400898.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/24/AR2005112400900.html

Enjoy!!!

Jesus Saves!!!!!

2005-11-24T03:08:00.000-08:00

The Lord has been doing a wonderful work in my heart. Yesterday, I felt an urgency to share the saving love of Jesus. At practice, a player came up to me and starting to ask me why his coach is “riding” him. The player had lied to his coach and made some other poor choices. The coach had a right to ride him; however the player refused to accept ownership for his mistakes. I used that situation to illustrate how this player had never accepted responsibility for his sin against God. I asked him if he knew where he was going to spend eternity. He didn’t know. I told him how much Jesus loves him and how he needs to confess his sin and give his life to God. Life is too short. I want every player of mine to consider where they will spend eternity. God offers us eternal life. Are you willing to take ownership for your sins and accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross?

Colossians 1:9-12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

There are so many things to be thankful for this Holiday season. I have a loving wife, a great home, and a wonderful job. But I am most thankful for the gracious and merciful love of God who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. I thank Jesus for dying on the cross for drinking the cup of God's wrath so that I may be called a child of God. This morning I am in awe of his amazing love that while I was still a sinner he died for me. He has transformed me into a saint by his Holy Spirit and given a purpose in which to live: to bring him Glory.

Stop today and think for 5 minutes where you are going to spend eternity. The amazing God of the universe sent his son to seek and to save that which was lost. Think about Jesus this Thanksgiving season and Praise Him for his sacrifice that can qualify you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Do you qualify?

Jonathan House

2005-11-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

God continues to open the doors to bless the FCA ministry. Yesterday I had a chance to meet a great group of Godly men who live and serve at the Jonathan House. The Jonathan House is a house for men that live in a Christian community to encourage each other to live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. I have met some great men of God that have lived in the house that have become my good friends. Ellen and I were invited over for a their Tuesday night fellowship dinner. The men served us with great food and with tremendous kindness. It was a blessing to be able to be in the presence of men who believe in service. The conversation was warm and inviting. We had a chance to share our passion for the FCA ministry in DC and to hear the stories of what brought each of the men to the city.

Pray that God blesses the men of the Jonathan House and He builds on the friendship that were started last night with the men of the house and the Kiehn family.

DL Moody

2005-11-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

One of my spiritual mentors has been D.L. Moody. His biography Passion for Souls has spoken volumes to me in my lifetime. I often go back and search for new information about his life and am constantly inspired. I read a sermon given at a memorial service about his life by Dr. R.A. Torrey this morning (http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Why.God.Used.D.L.Moody.html)
and am challenged and encouraged to seek God with more of my heart. I strongly recommend that you take time to read about DL Moody and the impact that he made for the Kingdom of God.

Excellence takes Planning

2005-11-22T04:24:00.000-08:00

Today was a day full of planning and preparation. I believe Winston Churchill said something close to "plans are useless but planning is essential." I think that this is a great way to look at preparing for an event. I believe that planning is a very Godly endeavor. It takes time and pray and patience having to work with other people. It is not easy for me to be a planner, yet I have seen time and time again how God has blessed my planning. When I do not plan, I am not giving something the full respect that it deserves. Planning helps events, huddles, and meetings run with excellence. Excellence is one of the four key values of the FCA ministry. In order to present excellence, one needs to plan.

I met with a group of urban laborers to plan for an outreach event on December 17th at the Rock of McLean Bible Church. McLean Bible Church opens up their youth facilities to allow inner city kids to take advantage of their resources. FCA is partnering with Young Life DC, Young Life PG, Daybreak, Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, and Darrell Green's youth organization to coordinate the program for the event. McLean provides the facility, the food, and transportation. It is a great partnership, and I look forward to laboring alongside other believers to win souls for Christ.

The Central Union Mission is another great organization that has a heart for partnerships and to serve the youth of Washington, D.C. Every year the Mission allows FCA to use Camp Bennett for a week of FCA camp. We partner with Camp Bennett to run a basketball camp with 8-12 year old boys and girls. FCA runs the day program and the Camp Bennett's staff runs the evening program and provides staff to stay with campers at night. I am blown away by the generosity of God's people.

It would be dishonest and ungodly if we did not properly plan these events. The only proper way to thank McLean Bible and the Central Union Mission is to run excellent God-driven events. (And that is what FCA plans to do.)

Senior FCA Football Dinner

2005-11-21T05:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I wanted to thank the Dunbar football seniors for all the hard work and dedication that they put into the team over the past four years, so Ellen and I invited them over to our house. There were many days that they worked out and went to study halls when they would have rather been at home relaxing. They have spent so much time and effort into continuing Dunbar football in a winning tradition, they deserved a thank you.

During dinner, I asked them what they will take with them from their time of playing high school football. Many commented on taking their work ethic developed through football on to college and the work force. They also commented on how they learned a lot from their coaches about the game and about life. It warmed my heart that they also mentioned learning a lot through the various FCA huddles and chapels that they experienced during the last few years.

During dinner I had the players give me a "good, bad, good." Each player had to comment on one good from the season, then a bad from the season, and finishing with a good (always have to end on a good). It was interesting to hear all their responses but the last one took the cake. Steven Bazemore said for his last good was to be having dinner with 10 of his closest friends. That is what football is all about. Sports develop real friendships that last a lifetime. The bond of friendship formed during all the summer workouts, study halls, two-a-days, and late practices, is the greatest aspect of high school football.

Proverbs 17:17
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born of adversity.

It has been a gift to witness those friendships take root over the last four years because I know what those friendships will mean in years to come. I thank God for all the men that I battled with on the field and for the friendship that resulted because of it. Pray for these young men and for their friendships that they continue to grow and flourish.

Reality Check

2005-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting article in the post of families moving out to Loudoun County to build new homes. The article was very interesting especially when I contrast it with what I saw yesterday delivering the Thanksgiving Dinners.

Some of the homes that Ellen and I visited yesterday, had as many as 10 people living in a two bedroom apartment. All one could see was beds in order to fit the entire family under one roof. According to the Washington Post, a teacher who makes $52,000 a year could not afford 83% of the properties in the city. The high cost for homes and property taxes is causing more families to move to a smaller apartments or homes.

Personally, every time that I visit the families of the student-athletes that I am ministering to, I am humbled and convicted. It is very easy to complain about what we do not have or how small our house is or how we need more storage space until I visit some of my students. It is a reality check for me to realize how blessed Ellen and I. I am always encouraged by the character of the kids who live in tight quarters. They are thankful, kind and joyful. They always bring a smile to my face with a quick joke and a positive attitude.

Everyone should go and visit and see how some people live in this city. Not only to see that they live in modest apartments and homes, but to see their attitudes of joy and thankfulness for what the Lord has given them. I hope and pray that I may have the same attitude of thankfulness for all that the Lord has given me. We need to thank God for what we have, instead of grumbling of what we don't have.

Thanksgiving Tradition

2005-11-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

What a day!!! I am in awe of how God allows me to participate as an ambassador for His Kingdom. Every year Mclean Bible Church distributes thousands of Thanksgiving dinners to families in the D.C. area. The dinners include a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, beans, pumpkin pie, and the gospel of John. This was the second year that Ellen and I helped distribute these dinners to families in D.C. It has become a Kiehn Thanksgiving tradition.

It is a true gift to be able to the bearer of such a blessing. I am so thrilled that McLean Bible has a passion to serve the community in a very practical way. Ellen and I dropped off 18 dinners today and will pass out three more tomorrow. God was giving us little blessings all day long. I got a glimpse on how it felt to be Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover. I knocked on doors and gave people something that completely lifted their spirits.

Most of the families were student-athletes from Dunbar Senior High School. Blessed are the feet of the bearer of good news. The dinners lifted so many spirits and encouraged so many families. A few highlights:

1.) During one delivery, I was walking up to an apartment to drop of the dinner and a woman asked Ellen if I was looking for her. Apparently the woman’s daughter goes to R.H. Terrell, a school where we just started an FCA huddle. Even though she wasn’t on our list of deliveries, we had an extra box, so we offered it to her. The woman has six foster kids plus her own children. The dinner was a gift from God. The woman also commented that her daughter had told her all about me and FCA. We have only been to Terrell twice, but she was so excited that she told her mom all about me. That blessed my heart. What a gift!!!
2.) Ellen and I drove all over the city today. We got lost a few times but eventually found all our destinations. During one of our excursions we made a wrong turn and ran into a Dunbar player and his mother unloading their car. Ellen and I stopped and gave them one of the extra thanksgiving dinners that we had received. She was so thrilled to get that dinner; it was a great encouragement. (She also sold me for a coffee mug for a school fundraiser… quite a saleswoman).

I am so thankful for the people of McLean Bible. The people that received a Thanksgiving dinner were encouraged and blessed by the generosity of McLean. Delivering the dinners also strengthened the FCA ministry by showing parents and extended families how much we care for the athletes of this city. Today was a full day.

I love the Kiehn Thanksgiving Tradition.

Profession vs. Confession

2005-11-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

There is a great coach that joined the Dunbar Crimson Tide staff this year. He is a pastor of a church in the city and he is building his congregation one life at a time through biblical discipleship. He has a huge heart for his family and to see men come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It has been great to labor alongside him as we witness to the team about the love of Christ. (Some days we even use words). We had a great conversation yesterday about the church. He shared with me an important distinction between profession and confession.

Profession- to affirm a belief in. Many people in the church affirm a belief in God. "Yes I would agree that Jesus is God."

Confession- to tell your sins to a priest (and in Christian's case to the High Priest).

There are many people who profess Christ but have never confessed Christ. It was a huge thing for me to understand because there are a lot of kids in the city that have only seen professors of Christ. Those professors often are living a life that is contrary to the image of Christ, so kids get confused about what it means to be a Christian.

It is vital that all believers confess Christ and live a life of intense holiness. We are Christ's ambassadors here on earth. What the world sees in the church that professes or confesses Christ reflects on Jesus Christ. Are you living a life that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

God is doing his thing!!!

2005-11-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

This week was so full with blessings from the Lord Jesus Christ. God is good. I wanted to let my supporters know about a few highlights that the Lord hooked up this week.

1.) Wednesday night, I went to dinner with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation Leadership Council. For the last three years I have been an Academic Coach in partnership with the Redskins Charitable Foundation program "Coaches in the Classroom"
(http://www.redskins.com/community/signatureprograms_coaches.jsp). It has been a tremendous blessing to help DC athletes increase their G.P.A. and SAT scores. The Redskins Leadership Council is a group of businessmen who have a spirit of philanthropy. I had a chance to speak about the challenges and successes that urban laborers face while working in D.C. I met some ex-Redskins players and current coaches and made some great contacts that God willing will bless the FCA ministry helping bring coaches and athletes to Christ.

2.) The superintendent of Philadelphia Public Schools (and former Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools), Dr. Paul Vallas, is a strong advocate of FCA. He believes that one of the main reasons that the Chicago public schools were turned around was because of FCA. He wrote a letter of support for FCA that was sent to every high school in Philadelphia. Yesterday I met Dr. Janney, Superintendent of D.C. Public Schools, while I was at Dunbar SHS preparing for the Turkey Bowl with the team. I had a chance to meet Dr. Janney and give him the very letter that Dr. Vallas sent out to the Philly schools. He knew Dr. Vallas and hopefully the next time they talk, FCA will be a focal point of the conversation. I do not know where it will go but it was very exciting that God arranged that meeting and that I had the letter in my possession to give to him.

3.) Yesterday I talked with three friends and hopefully future "Home Teamer's". I love sharing stories with people about what God is doing in FCA while hearing the joys and struggles of what is happening in their lives. I am so blessed to be able to meet and encourage so many great men of God. And a few of them said that they even read this blog. Praise God!!!

Celebrating God's work

2005-11-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

It is important to celebrate the things that God is doing in the lives of his people. Today we celebrated what God is doing in the FCA ministry throughout the Eastern Metro Region (New York City down to Fredericksburg, VA). I am amazed at God's faithfulness in how he is blessing FCA's efforts to transform kids lives with the gospel of Christ.

I was energized to see all that God is doing throughout the region, yet humbled at the task that faces DC. DC FCA is in a year of transition. We are rebuilding the board and building new relationships. We are strengthening huddles and starting new ones. Today we have 1 registered huddle. Our goal by the end of the year is 8. God is moving us closer to that goal each day.

I have been wrestling with God for DC. The past week I have had a strong sense of urgency to increase FCA's influence as fast as possible. Kids are dying everyday from the senseless violence that permeates this city. They are not only dying physically, but they are also dying spiritually.

DC needs the FCA ministry. Kids in the city need the FCA ministry. Student-athletes want to know who God is and how he can impact their lives. Please pray for God's favor for FCA in DC. There are great challenges that face these kids but with God's favor and blessing this city will be transformed by God's love.

I want to go the next year's regional board meeting and celebrate the amazing successes that God is going to do in DC. "Look to the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told" (Hab. 1:5).

R.H. Terrell Junior High Part Deux

2005-11-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I went over to Terrell Junior High for our second FCA meeting. I was blessed to be accompanied by a new FCA volunteer. Jessica has a huge heart for the junior high age group. She comes from a big family so she is very comfortable being around kids.

We got to the school and walked down to the cafeteria and waited for students to arrive. We spent the first 15 minutes walking around the lunch room and striking up conversation with the students.

I sat down at one table with two young men, Jamal and Michael. I invited them to come and join us in a couple of minutes to play a game and to talk about God. Michael responded, "Yeah I need to talk about God because of my little brother." He then proceeds to open up and share for 5 minutes how he cares for his younger brother but how his brother is not doing what he is told. He shared that his brother does not feel like anyone loves him even though he tells him that he loves him all the time. My heart went out to Michael. I was so encouraged by this student sharing something so close to his heart after only meeting me for the second time. Michael is a kid that wears his heart on his sleeve.

As I made the announcement for the kids to come and talk with us, I was hoping for only 3 or 4 kids. Well, to my surprise about 12 kids picked up their chairs and walked over to join us.

I wanted all of the kids to know that God loves them. We discussed John 3:16. (Remember that most of these students come from rough neighborhoods and unstructured homes). I was amazed that 3 of the students could quote the whole verse to us. What? AMAZING!!!! Here are a few other comments mentioned by the kids:

"I know why we love God, because he first loved us."

"God is love."

"I talked about this at bible study."

These students were incredible. Jessica and I were smiling ear to ear as we listened to these kids ask questions and respond enthusiastically. It was great to see so many students excited to talk about God. One little girl asked, "Are you going to be here every Wednesday?" When we replied yes, she smiled cheek to cheek. Warmed my heart!!!

Michael came to our FCA meeting too. He opened up in front of his peers talking about why it is hard for him to believe that God loves him because of all the bad things that have happened in his life. He was being real.

Michael is a perfect example of a student that has been through drama early in life and questions a lot of things that are good in this world. He represents the students that question God because of the drama that they have experienced in their lives.

After we prayed and ended our time, I had a chance to pray with Michael for his young brother and encouraged him to think about God's love. Pray for this young man that he may come to know the great love of Jesus Christ.

Board Interest Meeting

2005-11-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

In order for a urban ministry to be successful it is essential to have a strong leadership board in place. The board directs and oversees the operation of the ministry. The board helps to increase the influence of the ministry so that more coaches and athletes are affected by the love of Jesus.

While in prayer before our first meeting yesterday, I got extremely excited about the FCA ministry. I am always pretty jazzed about how God allows me to serve him through FCA, but it was heightened during my prayer time. I get excited every time I get a chance to share the vision that God has given me for FCA.

All in all, I felt that the meeting went well. There were some amazing men of God that came to here about the opportunity to serve on the board. It was a good start, but we need to continue to ask God for his favor in the develop of this board.

Pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work on these men's hearts directing them to serve FCA DC. Pray for those who were not in attendance that their desire to serve the FCA ministry grows. Pray for divine appointments with new people that will be future strong board members.

Internet Connection

2005-11-15T02:46:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about the internet is that I get random phone calls and emails from people who want to learn more about the FCA ministry. I had lunch with a guy yesterday, who was a basketball player in college, who wanted to learn about what FCA is doing in the area. I was blessed by this young man's openness and desire to be in a strong Christian community.

One of the best parts of my calling as an FCA staff person is the ability to meet with people to encourage them in their Christian walks and to help them find a way to use the gifts that God has given them.

It was a God-meeting. My new friend sent me this afterward, "Its amazing how God brings people in your life at just the right time." Another one of those events in my life that I cannot take credit for but lift my eyes to the King of Kings in thanksgiving. Praise God for his impeccable timing.

The Lord directs a man's way

2005-11-15T02:35:00.000-08:00

The amazing God of this universe continues to shower FCA DC with his blessings and his hand of grace.

I was supposed to meet up with a coach from McKinley Tech last week to discuss bringing FCA to his school. We could not meet last week so we rescheduled for yesterday. Over the weekend I ran into a youth minister who wants to serve McKinley Tech through FCA. It was a small rearrangement of my schedule but it shows me how God is truly in control. "A man plans his course but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). I could go to the coach with good news and get him excited about FCA while offering him help to get started. The same coach also introduced me to two other folks that could possibly have interest in serving FCA at their school. It is crazy how God is opening all the doors and I am only walking through them.

Home Gathering

2005-11-13T06:09:00.000-08:00

Last night a friend of mine held a home gathering with the hope of adding people to the FCA DC Home Team. What an amazing blessing it was to meet new people and share the vision for FCA DC!!!

I am often my own worse critic and always feel that I could be doing more, but as I shared last night about some of the men and women that I have impacted through FCA, I was floored. I have been blessed to serve and encourage many great young men and women and to see God transform their lives. Every time that I talk about what God is doing in my life, my heart seems so full.

I praise God that my wife was there as well to share the FCA vision. My wife is an amazing woman (Praise GOD) and has an incredible gift to verbalize the problems and challenges that those in urban ministry face.

I hope and pray that those who attended the Home Gathering seriously consider joining the FCA DC "Home Team" as monthly givers and daily prayer warriors. I Praise God for my friend Liz Woo, who has such a big heart for her friends and a willingness to serve God's purposes with her life. Please pray a blessing on her life.

That's Rich

2005-11-13T05:54:00.000-08:00

I am a coach for the Dunbar Crimson Tide and love to be around the coaches and players. It is special to be on the inside with a team during a season. You are there for all the ups and downs, you feel everything with the team.

My job during games is to put on the headset and sit in the stands and look for tendencies and breakdowns. Yesterday I was up with one of my senior coaches and he said something that jumped into my spirit. During a game in the stands you are constantly interrupted by past players and friends that want to wish you good luck in the game. He was talking about how he has coached about half the stands during his tenure in the league when he said, "That is rich. It warms my heart." It is rare to see men express emotion, especially those in the football world. This man looked around and saw hundreds of men that he coached and watch grow up. He has seen them get married and have children. He has had a tremendous impact on their lives.

I was an athlete in high school, and I have such a fond respect for my coaches. All of my coaches gave so much time and guidance and they have helped to shape the man that I am today. As a coach for the last three years, I have seen young men mature from shy, scared 9th graders into strong senior leaders. I think I understand what Coach was talking about; "It is rich."

Coaches on the high school and junior high level may never be compensated monetarily for all their efforts, but I know that they are rich.

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:19-21)

I hope and pray that coaches in DC store up for themselves treasures in heaven in how they love and care for the young men and women that cross their paths.

The Turkey Bowl is SET

2005-11-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

Get ready for a Turkey Bowl!!! Dunbar will play Coolidge on Thanksgiving Day at Eastern Senior High School at 11am. Coolidge won the West and Dunbar is the defending City Champion. It should be a great game.

Read the article from the Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/12/AR2005111201309.html

Big Steve Bazemore

2005-11-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Big Steven Bazemore has always been one of my favorite kids. He is always smiling and making others laugh around him. Today he tells me, "Hey Mr. Kiehn, you were sleeping on the Lord." (referring to me missing FCA yesterday). I reply, "It's not about me. " Then he replied, "I know, but I like when you talk about the Lord."

What an awesome blessing for a student to tell me that he enjoys hearing me discuss the things of God. Awesome!!! I love being a coach and serving the kids in DC. A year ago, I do not know if Steve would have said that, but as our relationship has grown, so has his faith. It is a true gift to be able to befriend and encourage athletes like Steve in their relationships with the Lord.

FCA @ Dunbar

2005-11-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was at home sick at all day. I hate being sick and I hate resting even more when I could be working. But God is bigger than Dave Kiehn and does not need me to do anything. He graciously allows me to serve him with my life and my job.

I got a call from Coach Craig Jefferies, the head coach of the Dunbar football team and huddle coach for Dunbar for the past 10 years, commenting on how FCA went yesterday afternoon. They brought in a great speaker, Buddy Boone (a.k.a. Suge Knight), the youth pastor at the Church of the Great Commission. The student-athletes were engaged the entire time and fired a lot of questions at Buddy.

Buddy had a great time speaking and already wants to come back and speak again. Next time he is going to ask the student-athletes to write anonymous questions so he can talk about what is really bothering teenagers. These athletes are excited to learn more and more about who God is and what God says about the world.

Pray that the student-athletes at Dunbar grow in knowledge and in depth of insight so that they may be blameless and pure until the day of Christ filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ.

2005-11-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

Tell your friends and your church about the FCA "Live it Out" Youth Rally. It will be a great time and a great opportunity to hear about Jesus. Bring your friends to the game and then make them stay so they can hear about JESUS.

Conversations

2005-11-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a great experience with the kids from Terrell that I wrote about in my last blog but there was more that blessed my heart.

As an FCA staff I love the opportunity to invest and develop new relationships with people. I had a great talk with a coach who shared about a friend that has been struggling with life. We had the opportunity to lift his friend in prayer together. I feel that spirits grow together when they meet together before the Lord. I felt honored that he shared his life with me. We both left the conversation encouraged and uplifted

I had a great opportunity to talk to a student-athlete about his personal relationship with Jesus. He has been surrounded by a strong support network that often encourages him in his faith. It was great to ask him questions about a personal relationship with God. He never heard of a personal relationship with God before. I gave him a "More than winning" (www.morethanwinning.org) track to read and hopefully we can talk about what he read. Pray for Jeremy that he grows in knowledge of God and invites Jesus into his heart.

Again I was blessed by a student-athlete who opened his heart to me. He was struggling because his uncle who is a big part of his life was arrested on a drug charge. He was down but trying to block it out so it would not affect his performance. I used this opportunity to share how all the choices we make affect people. I emphasized the importance of making right choices and to affirm him in who God made him to be. We prayed together and then he was back on the field.

God is bringing me opportunity after opportunity to share his love with coaches and athletes. Please continue to ask God for favor in the FCA ministry and for favor with Ellen and me.

Little Blessings

2005-11-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today I have been blown away by God's faithfulness and favor. As a friend put it, I am receiving "mad favor."

This morning I spoke to about 50 junior high students at R.H. Terrell. I went to the school to start an FCA huddle. It was a strange way to give a talk because all of the kids were eating breakfast. I asked them to join me in an Icebreaker game, "Bear, Hunter, Ninja," and only 8 kids stood up to play. The winner received a FCA Bible and everyone received a copy of the Competitor's Creed. After the icebreaker the students started to open up engaging in a livily discussion but I still felt that it could have gone better. I am always my worse critic.

So tonight I went to the Washington Wizards game with a friend and saw 5 of the students from Terrell Junior High. They were all excited to see me running up to me and saying, "What's up Coach Dave?" I love God's hand in placing people in the right places at the right times. I was shocked and in awe that the kids that I spoke to in the morning about a loving God, were the same kids that I saw at the basketball game. And these kids were excited to see me and they knew my name. DC is a small world but God's world can be even smaller (yet is the biggest). I pray that every kid I serve will think of God's goodness when they see me. I pray that I am a reflection of his holiness (and that they are excited to see me, that is always a plus).

I feel that God is encouraging me to keep walking in His Will and He will direct my paths. God is a good God and wants to encourage his children. I praise God for the little blessings that I get to experience because I am his child.

Anacostia High School

2005-11-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Anacostia High School to fellowship with one of the coaches and to continue to build on our strong friendship. Coach Terry Dixon is an amazing man that has a huge heart for the kids of this city. It was great to watch him interact with his players and see how much they look to him for guidance and love. Terry also just recently had a baby boy with his beautiful wife.

Anacostia can be a very rough place to teach and coach. The reason that it is tough to place to be is that their is an incredible amount of unrealized potential in that school. The students are full of life and laughter but poor choices and a lack of caring role models result in lives full of bitterness and hate. I know how easy it is to become frustrated and disenfranchised by working in the inner city, that is why I am so joyfully to know that men like Terry Dixon exist. He stands in the gap for his kids.

Alki Thompson, a former FCA Area Rep. and current staff member of the House (www.thehousedc.org), is going to be running the FCA huddle at Anacostia High School and Kramer Junior High School. He is an amazing man of God that has tremendous gifts to serve young people. I am so excited to work with Alki and Terry to stand in the gap for kids at Anacostia. Please pray that these men have strength and courage to hold fast to God's word and maintain His prospective in the midst of kids hurting.

SEED Public Charter School

2005-11-09T03:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to S.E.E.D. Public Charter School. I was amazed at the facilities that this school offered to the children of DC. The student to teacher ratio is 3 to 1. This makes class sizes so small that students get the individualized attention that they deserve. It is an overnight school so students starting in the 7th grade spend Sunday night through Friday afternoon at the school. They go home during the weekends to be with their families. It is an incredible step for kids to live away from home in the 7th grade. They live in their own dorms and are taught life skills in the evening. Students are required to play a sport or join one of the numerous activities offered.

I had three reactions as I walked through the halls of that amazing facility:

1.) I was so proud of these kids for taking a step of faith to leave their families to put themsevles in a better situation to be successful. These students at SEED at doing some amazing things and they are the same kids that go to DC public schools.

2.) I felt sick that only these kids have this opportunity to experience this type of an education. I have always felt that the public schools' problems come down to leadership. Kids are going to try to do as much as they are allowed to do. There are so many great kids in DC public schools but they are not given the same opportunity to succeed. The chaotic environments of the public schools do not allow students to learn at their full potential.

3.) I also had a strong sense of hope. It is easy to walk in certain schools in DC and start to lose hope. The inner city can frustrate and disillusion even the most dedicated people. People need to see kids doing these great things in the Southeast section of the city. They need to see kids from rough neighborhoods excel in the classroom and in life. SEED is a place of hope. It gives hope to kids and to families that they can succeed.

I am excited about working with teachers at SEED to help the students discover the one thing that the school cannot teach... a personal relationship with the Most High God, Jesus Christ. Pray that God opens a door at SEED for FCA to bring the amazing gospel of Christ to its kids.

R.H. Terrell Junior High

2005-11-08T02:58:00.000-08:00

FCA is making its first plunge into the Junior High School level. We are going to have our first meeting on Wednesday Morning at 8am at R. H. Terrell Junior High School. Pray that kids show up and get excited about God through FCA.

I love the energy in which junior high school athletes approach life. There is an innocence and a joy that fills my heart. When I used to coach at Terrell everyday was an exciting day... I never knew what the students were going to say.

I was the head football coach at Terrell in 2002. Three years later I am now coaching at Dunbar, a high school across the street, where one of my former junior high kids is now the senior captain for the varsity team. I love that I have had the chance to coach Sean Miller for three plus years. I pray for him a lot and thank God that I have been allowed to enter his life as a mentor.

Hopefully Wednesday will be the start of brand new "Sean Miller" type relationships.

Come let us reason together

2005-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

I love coming to work Monday morning and seeing a line of protesters welcoming me to a new work week.

The Family Research Council is a strong supporter of FCA. The FRC allows FCA to have two offices in their building FREE of charge. They are an amazing organization defending the rights of the family. Today they were under attack by a group fighting for the stop of AIDS.

I have no problem with people who hold strong opinions, but I do have a problem with people who are not willing to discuss their opinions. I witnessed as the protestors attempted to engage people in discussions in order that they could push their opinion. But the problem was that these people did not reason with their adversaries, but only preached. I hate talking to people who are not listening to what I have to say but only waiting for me to stop talking so they can continue preaching.

The word of God says that we need to reason together. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow." (Isaiah:18) God is not afraid to reason with people because he knows that he is right. Christians should never be afraid of engaging people in discussions of the TRUTH. Why? Because you can't lose with the TRUTH. Paul new this when he was waiting in Athens for the disciples. "He was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks as well as in the marketplace day by day with those happened to be there." (Acts 17:16b-17)

Why are we as Christians so afraid to reason with people for the Gospel of Christ? We have the TRUTH!!! We can't lose with the TRUTH.

The protest this morning reminded me how important it is to have ministries like FCA. FCA reasons with coaches and athletes to accept the adventure and challenge of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We need to go to the lost on the courts and fields and reason with them to surrender to the truth.

Last week at an FCA huddle a student said that he loved FCA because it allows him to engage in discussion. He hated being preached at but loved to have a dialogue about Christ.

Pray that FCA continues to reason with coaches and athletes for the Gospel of Christ.

Ministry Car Rides

2005-11-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

I have a 1993 Chevy Safari that can fit 8 people at one time. My car has its own little quirks that I have become quite fond of. My passenger side sliding door sometimes gets stuck and will not close. In order to roll down my passenger window you have to press up to make it go down. The radio can hardly ever find a station. But that car has turned into the Scooby Doo Mystery Van of Ministry (it looks like the Scooby Doo van).

I give student-athletes rides all the time. Whether I drive them to the airport, their SAT test, to the store, or home, my car has become a portable church. Some of the best conversations happen while I am driving kids around town. (And because kids live all over the place, the rides last a long time.) I use these car rides to enter into these kids lives to hear their struggles and to ask questions about who they are. I ask about girls, school, church, FCA, practice, family and whatever else God lays on my heart. The kids do a lot of asking too. They ask about my college playing days, what to do when having girl problems, about my marriage, or my relationship with God. My car has become a safe place where many kids feel comfortable to talk about what is really going on their life. The student that I know who is struggling the most is the one I usually drop off last to get that valuable one on one time that kids desperately seek.

So my messed up Mystery Van has turned into a sanctuary where many students learn about the incredible Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through conversation and laughter. It is just a simple way to do life with kids.

Deut. 6:4-7

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

I would add, Impress them to children when you drive through town in your busted-up Scooby Doo Mystery Van.

Coaches need to teach LIFE

2005-11-05T03:42:00.000-08:00

As a former player I would often think that my coaches were making horrible mistakes. I remember one time in particular when my basketball coach threw our whole team out of practice the day before a big game. We got together as a team and were going to confront our coach about his decision to make such a drastic decision before a big game. When we got into the team meeting, as captain, I was elected to speak up. Although our coach did not agree with our thoughts, he allowed us to voice our concerns and in so doing, taught us the appropriate way to handle conflict. He was not just a basketball coach but he was a life coach.

In most athletic programs, there is a tension between what athletes think and what coaches do. I love coaches and believe that for the most part a student-athlete needs to support their coaches decision even though they may not agree. Most coaches have a tremendous amount of playing experience as well as coaching experience in the sport and should be trusted to make the right decisions.

But...

I think it is the job of the coach to listen to their players and hear the praise and the criticism of the program, allowing their student-athletes an opportunity voice their concerns. Coaches need to use the game of football as an opportunity to teach life skills. Athletes need to be taught the appropriate way to handle conflict or disagreements with their coach. These athletes will face conflicts in their future marriages and jobs and will need skills in confrontation. This does not mean change a coaching philosophy or bend to a player's will, but simply allow student-athletes to learn the appropriate way to handle disagreement.

I have seen many student-athletes in the city get in trouble because they do not know how to handle conflict with peers or their parents. In DC, many of our student athletes do not know how to handle conflict. I have seen numerous kids, turn inward and get angry at a coach or parent and never deal with that anger. The kids that never deal with that anger carry it with them the rest of their lives.

We, as coaches, need to teach our young men and women the necessary skills to make them successful in life. We need to be "LIFE COACHES" as well as field coaches.

Building a Team

2005-11-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

Teamwork is a vital part of any good sports program. It is vital that a coach emphasizes the importance of playing as a team. My High School basketball coach would always say, "If we Play Hard, Play Smart, and Play Together, then good things will happen to us." My whole life I have been taught to play as a team.

Now as a FCA Area Representative in DC, I need to build a team that will "Work Hard, Work Smart, and Work Together." God is a good God and he is bringing people into this ministry that want to be part of a winning team.

Recently, I have met with two different people, from two diferent areas of life that both want to be part of the winning FCA team.

A mother of a student at Sidwell Friends School wants to join Team FCA. She is passionate about her family and to see her son grow in his relationship with Christ. I have already been encouraged and strengthened by her tenacity and drive to see FCA grow at Sidwell.
A college student and former FCA huddle leader at Roosevelt High School wants to give back to his alma mater helping disciple young men in Christ. He is a driven and a hard working minister of the Gospel. He wants to see young people transformed by the love of Jesus.

Two different people, from two different areas of life both wanting to join Team FCA to help impact coaches and athletes for Christ.

Be part of a winning team, join Team FCA!!!

"Work Hard, Work Smart, Work Together"

The FCA Experience

2005-11-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

FCA is Fellowship with Athletes who want to know more about Christ. It is great to see athletes play warm up games. For the first five minutes they try to act cool and pretend that the game is stupid. After ten minutes the athletes do not want to stop laughing and playing games. It warms my heart when I see those big smiles and hear those laughs over a game. FCA loves to have fun. We love to laugh and enjoy life. Fun is the ultimate ice breaker, it is sure to crack even the toughest nut. That laughter opens up a time of real discussion.

Yesterday's FCA huddle was incredible. 30 athletes, 2 coaches, 1 teacher, and an amazing conversation about the Word of God. Here are a few observations about the huddle.

Many students do not like to go to church because they feel that they are getting preached at. The ones who do like to go love that the preacher breaks down the scripture.
Some students feel that they do not need to go to church to find God. But the ones who say that very rarely read the bible or talk about God outside of church.
For many students FCA is the only place that they feel comfortable to come and talk about God. The reason is that they get a chance to interact with the topic and ask questions.
The wanted to talk about money. Many of the student-athletes have a negative perception of the church in the way it handles money. That will be one our next topics.

The main idea of the huddle was "Is it in you?" Gatorade has coined this phrase and every athlete knows Gatorade and this catch line. We asked today if God's word is in you? And if you are not pouring God's word in you, what are you pouring in?

The student-athletes were challenged to find one way to start pouring God's word into their lives. PRAY that these athletes develop a hunger and a thirst after God's Word.

Humbled

2005-11-04T04:08:00.000-08:00

I love being a football coach. I love being around young men for an entire year to hear their successes and their failures. I am humbled at what kids share with me. Yesterday, I was getting my car ready to take a few kids home when all of the sudden one of my players, a freshman, came over to my car. He said, "You know Coach Kiehn, today is the day that my mother died. Saturday is the day that they buried her." (She died 4 years ago)

I am not sure how many other people that he told, but I felt honored that he wanted to share something that close to his heart with me. I am confident that he did not talk to many people about it but needed to tell someone. I thank God that I was there. I prayed with him, thanking God for the life of his mother and the legacy that she left behind in her son.

I thank God that I have the opportunity to share God with my players. I am humbled that these student-athletes chose to share their greatest hurts and joys with me. Pray that this player finds comfort in the next few days as he reflects about his mother.

God Bless Coaches in DC

2005-11-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at the perseverance of DC coaches. Coaches in this city have a tremendous amount of love for young people. Many of the DC coaches sacrifice precious time with families and love ones to serve the young people of this city. Their satisfaction comes when they see their student-athletes succeed on the field and more importantly in the game of life. Every coach that I have talked to loves the idea of FCA helping their players develop their spiritual side as well as their athletic and academic sides.

Unfortunately these great men and women are not given enough credit by the school district in which they serve. Many of these coaches continue to labor for young people without any compensation for their efforts. Now we know that Coaches coach for the love of their sport and the love of the kids that they work with. Coaches love to coach, but many coaches are getting frustrated with the athletic system in the District. The district is losing many highly motivated and talented coaches to schools in Virginia and Maryland because they are under-appreciated in this system. It is a travesty that coaches do not receive their promised "meager" paychecks for all the hard work they put it. It is not about the money, it is the principle. These coaches are not valued for all the effort they put it to help young people reach their full potential.

I hope and pray that the system starts to value the coaches in this city. I do not want to see kids being hurt because their coaches leave for other schools where they will be appreciated.

I have a greater found respect for DC Coaches knowing that they work to change the lives of young people for free!!! Many are frustrated and beat down but are still giving all that they have.

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
2 Cor4:8-9

Thank God that DC Coaches are still fighting for their kids.

Divine Appointments

2005-11-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at the hand of God. God has a way of putting us in the right place at the right time. There is no better script writer than the Almighty God that plans things in our lives to fulfill his purposes here on earth. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance for us to do." I have tremendous comfort and peace from the fact that God has created things for me to do and people for me to encourage and bless. He will bring those people in my life at the right time.

Last Thursday I was meeting a friend for lunch and I was an hour early so I decided to visit a teacher friend at the Sidwell Friends School. I went only to find that he was not there, but gone for lunch. So I wrote him a note and attached my FCA business card and was on my way. I got an email that night from a parent of a student that attends Sidwell. "I was the Sidwell parent volunteer sitting at the desk when you left a message. I have been searching for your organization for my son." I could have been anywhere at any given day but I was right there to meet this parent that has been searching for FCA. What if my friend was there? I would not have met this parent for has been searching for FCA. Praise God for putting us in the right places at the right times with the right people.

I pray that this relationship opens the door to have FCA at Sidwell. I love divine appointments.

Inconvenienced Mom

2005-11-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

The other day I had to take a student-athlete to the hospital for dehydration. As I waited with the athlete I was praying for him constantly asking him, "Are you alright? Is there anything that I can do?" I was there as his coach to fill in until his mom got there.

When his mom finally got there I was extremely surprised on how little emotion and affection was given to her son. Now I know that everyone responds to situations differently, but I was taken aback that his mother appeared to be inconvenienced. I felt that she was annoyed that she had to be there.

As I was thinking about it later, I realized how judgmental I had been. I look at myself, how when I am tired and in a hurry to go somewhere that I can get mad when an ambulance makes me miss a light. I get mad that I was incovenienced by missing a traffic light and getting home 3 minutes later while someone may be dying in the back of that ambulance. Are you serious?

So I think back to the emergency room mom and ask myself, "What was her day like? Why was she so tired?" I hope and pray that my heart is softened to people, that I may have compassion on them when they are not their best. Forgive me Lord for my spirit of judgment.

This situation also made me appreciate my mother so much more. I cannot think of one time in my life when I felt that my mom was inconvenienced to be somewhere with me or to do something for me. Today I Praise God for the constant love that my mother gave to me.