Tiger Woods in 2018 (Photo Courtesy: Keith Allison/Flickr)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8
What are we talking about?
I love talking about sports. This is the perfect time of the year for it! The MLB playoffs have started and there was even an extra game this year, college football has great matchups, Tiger Woods won again, and the NBA is right around the corner. Who doesn’t want to talk about the pennant chase or if Tiger is really back? I feel like I could talk about this stuff all day long.
Listening to a podcast this week, I was struck with how easy it is to hide Jesus from our daily conversations. This then sparks the question of why. Are we too nervous? Do we feel like we don’t know enough? Does the world please us more than Jesus does?
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the things of the world. But nothing takes precedence over the joy of the Lord. It is not sex or drugs but everyday successes that steal it. Things like job promotions, having a nice car or a great relationship.
C.S. Lewis explains this struggle:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
So, as we enjoy another day, let’s make sure we focus on eternal things. Hopefully that can spark a conversation to plant a seed.
— Reid Carper
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING PATRICK BAILEY
Patrick Bailey is the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was a first-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Giants and made his MLB debut with the team in May 2023. Bailey won back-to-back Gold Glove awards in 2024 and 2025, and last year became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off inside-the-park home run and a walk-off grand slam in the same season.
Today on the podcast, Matt Forte talks with Patrick Bailey about his faith in Jesus, winning two consecutive Gold Glove awards, and the identity battle he’s faced in keeping baseball in proper perspective.
Joao Fonseca is rapidly becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport of tennis. The young 19-year-old has quickly risen from No. 154 in the world rankings to the top 30 in about a year, showcasing an extremely well-developed and powerful game that has even the best players in his sport complimenting his early success.
Being from Brazil, he has also brought with him an enthusiastic fan base that provides unprecedented energy and support at nearly every match he plays around the world. Many commentators and journalists in the sport project he will soon be among tennis’ elite and challenge the top players for the biggest titles. But perhaps what has been one of the most impressive aspects of this young talent’s achievement is his mentality.
Following a particularly challenging match early on in a tournament he eventually went on to win, Fonseca reflected on how he navigated the ups and downs of the match: “I knew I had to stay very solid … with a good mindset, forgiving myself when I had the chances. … It’s about returning, failing and moving on.” As part of his development, he understands that unless he can find a way to put his misses in the rearview mirror and keep moving onto the next point, he will struggle to navigate a match he plays. If he can’t mentally move past his missed opportunities or mistakes, it will be hard to win.
All of us come up against missed opportunities or chances we didn’t take or mistakes we made. Mess-ups are a part of life. I know we like to think that success in anything is never making a mistake at all, but I truly believe Fonseca is onto something by pointing out that “returning, failing and moving on” is the actual key to real progress. If we never messed up, how would we ever learn our need for grace?
In our falling and failing is exactly the place where God meets us and shows us why we need to depend on Him and accept His forgiveness for the times when we have missed it. So often, we beat ourselves up over the times we’ve messed up, but God wants to us shake off those misses, get back up, and try again.
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer once said that it’s actually not our obstacles or the challenges we face that make us unique, but rather our comeback stories. How we choose to dust ourselves off and move forward is where the real victory and strength lie, and in my opinion, that comes from knowing the One with the greatest comeback story ever told: dying a criminal’s death on a cross and walking out of a grave three days later.
In Jesus, resurrection and second chances are our guarantee. They are what give us hope and the ability to forgive ourselves because we know He has forgiven us. We don’t need to keep being stuck in our failures. We can accept the grace He offers us and keep giving that to ourselves and others over and over again.
Don’t let your mistakes define you. Instead, let grace define you and give you a new beginning.
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
The results on the court have been up and down for Hubert Davis in his five years as the head coach at North Carolina. What’s remained consistent, however, is his faith in Jesus and willingness to be bold in sharing it.
After serving as an assistant coach for Roy Williams from 2012-2021, Davis was elevated to head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. From the start, he said he viewed his job as more than just coaching basketball.
“I’ve said this a number of times, that I’ve been put, placed, purposed and planned to be in this position at such a time as this,” Davis said on “The Drive with Will Dalton” ahead of this season. “I’m on assignment. It is missionary work. It’s an act of service … it’s a position of great honor, and I love being in [it].”
That perspective hasn’t changed, even as the results and the sport itself have.
On the court, his team’s next task is a first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against a No. 11-seeded VCU team that just won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The No. 6-seeded Tar Heels enter the tournament looking to right the ship following a 15-point loss to rival Duke in the regular-season finale and a one-point loss to Clemson in their first game of the ACC Tournament.
After a first-round loss last year, UNC is looking to rekindle some of the magic that led to a run to the 2022 championship game in Davis’ first season at the helm. They’ll have to do so without star forward and projected NBA Draft lottery pick Caleb Wilson, who led the team in scoring (19.8 points per game), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4) before undergoing season-ending thumb surgery in early March.
UNC missed the NCAA Tournament the year after the runner-up finish, but returned as a No. 1 seed in 2024. That season ended with a Sweet 16 loss, however, to No. 4-seeded Alabama.
The topsy-turvy nature of UNC’s results have coincided with significant changes in the college game, most notably the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) rules that allow for players to make upwards of six or seven figures in some cases. That has resulted in heavy roster turnover, including losses of key Tar Heels like Caleb Love and Elliott Cadeau.
While some coaches have stepped away amid the changing landscape, Davis has embraced the challenge.
“Obviously there’s differences, but I think it’s been really exciting to maneuver through the differences in college athletics,” Davis told Dalton. “But again, with all the changes, my mission and my assignment haven’t changed at all. It’s to be in these kids’ lives and be able to serve them and give back to them.
“Regardless of how many changes happen, my assignment has stayed the same. I love this assignment. I enjoy it. As I’ve said before, it’s a privilege to be in this position, having a front-row seat to be able to do it on a daily basis.”
That sense of purpose is rooted in Davis’ own story.
Before his coaching career — and even before his 12-year NBA journey — Davis was a player at North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith from 1988-1992. It was during that time that his faith in Christ took shape.
In 1990, just before his junior year, Davis attended a service at Chapel Hill Bible Church while searching for answers following the death of his mother two years earlier.
“During that time, I was really struggling,” Davis said on Dalton’s show. “I was going to a number of churches, and the reason being I was looking for answers. I was looking for answers in regards to why my best friend, my mom, passed away two years earlier of cancer. That’s the only reason I was going to church.”
After that church service, a man named Mike Echstenkamper — who was working with Athletes In Action on the UNC campus — approached him.
“He introduced himself and I broke down crying,” Davis told Dalton. “I met him on campus the next day, and that was the day I accepted Christ into my life.
“I was going to church looking for answers, and obviously I never found that answer. But I did find out and was able to see the things that my mom told me — how much Jesus loved me and the plan and purpose that He had for me.”
“When I’m asked a question, the only thing I know how to do is to be myself,” he told Dalton. “My personality is my personality and this is what you get for 55 years. I’m very secure and confident in my own skin and I feel very passionate about the things that I love and care about.”
UNC and VCU tip off at 6:50 p.m. ET Thursday on TNT.
Sandy Koufax is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time. In the summer of 1954, after pitching just one year at the University of Cincinnati, Koufax began to receive serious interest from major league teams. A scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates was so impressed with Koufax after watching his tryout he said, “This is the greatest arm I’ve ever seen.” Later on that year, Koufax decided to sign with his hometown team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Despite having a rocket of an arm, Koufax’s MLB career got off to a rocky start, as he struggled mightily with his control. The arm talent was clearly there as his strikeout numbers were high, but so were the walks. It wasn’t until a spring training appearance in 1961 when catcher Norm Sherry suggested to him, “If you get behind the hitters, don’t try to throw so hard.”
Koufax took that advice. He stopped trying to throw every pitch with all his might, which often led to a lot of walks and frustration. He began to slow down, trust in his God-given abilities, and focus more on getting the ball into the strike zone.
From 1961 to 1966, Koufax enjoyed one of the greatest runs of any pitcher in MLB history. Here are some of his many accomplishments over the final six seasons of his illustrious career:
Three-time Cy Young Award winner (1963, 1965, 1966)
National League MVP (1963)
Two-time World Series MVP (1963, 1965)
Six-time NL All-Star (1961-1966)
Four no-hitters
Perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965
Three-time Triple Crown winner (league leader in wins, strikeouts and ERA; 1963, 1965, 1966)
That’s quite the turnaround!
Oftentimes when we face adversity or fall behind in our own lives, our first instinct is to “throw harder.” The adjustments Koufax made on the mound are the same adjustments we as Christians should make in our everyday lives. In today’s fast-paced world it can be very difficult to slow down. You might even think it makes you look weak if you take your foot off the gas, but actually it’s quite the opposite.
God’s pace is not hurried. God’s pace is not slow. God’s pace is perfect. We must learn to trust God’s timing in our lives. When we walk with God step by step and put our trust in Him, we can reach heights that we never imagined!
