“…for if someone does not manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” — 1 Timothy 3:5
Leadership
Every team needs a leader. It is commonly debated — what makes a great team leader and what qualities must he/she possess? Does he/she need to be the best player, outspoken, the highest paid, the player with the most tenure?
The debate over the qualities and characteristics necessary could be endless. Even if you think of some of the great team leaders of today across various sports, they are very different. Compare LeBron James, Tom Brady, Mike Trout and Sidney Crosby; they all possess a wide array of characteristics.
When God called for leaders of His Church, he spoke to Paul and laid out a clear list of qualities that must be met to be an “overseer” (1 Timothy 3:1-4). When we look to mold young men and women into leaders, or when we look to select captains for teams we coach, are we using the list Paul has clearly provided? Or are we looking at the muddled list that society has given to us?
Paul, through God’s Word, has provided the only litmus test that should be used to measure the character of an individual and his or her ability to lead.
— Ryan J. Dinunzio
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven in the Stanley Cup Final, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” — Ephesians 5:15-16
The final minutes of a game are when composure matters most. You’ve got the lead, the clock is winding down, and every decision feels heavier. Push too hard and you risk a turnover. Hold too long and you let momentum slip. Managing the clock isn’t just about protecting a lead — it’s about knowing when to act, when to wait, and when to trust your teammates.
The best players are able to stay aware of the circumstances and finish strong. They make intentional choices with every shift, knowing how to control the pace and make the time they have count.
In the same way, the apostle Paul was calling attention to the importance of living with intention in Ephesians 5:15-16: “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Life doesn’t give extra time or redo opportunities, so each moment matters. The decisions you make, the way you spend your energy, and the priorities you set shape your life. They also impact your growth, influence and legacy. Wisdom isn’t just speed or effort; it’s intentionality.
So be careful how you live and manage the clock well. Be intentional both on the ice and in your walk with God. Play the periods you’ve been given with focus. Finish strong, and make every second count.
— Sam Gonzalez, Hockey Ministries International chaplain
From left: Dodgers players Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts, Blake Treinen, Justin Wrobleski, Evan Phillips and Alex Call at Faith Day, Sept. 20, 2026. (Photo via Instagram/@acad_8)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched their fifth straight National League Division championship and now have their sights set on October, where they hope to become just the third franchise to win three consecutive World Series titles. There’s loads of talent up and down the roster, and there’s also a strong core of believers who are vocal about their faith in God.
Six players — utility man Tommy Edman, star outfielder Mookie Betts, reliever Blake Treinen, starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski, reliever Evan Phillips and outfielder Alex Call — joined team chaplain Brandon Cash for Faith and Family Day on Sunday, where they shared their testimonies and how their faith guides them as professional baseball players. It’s an annual event many teams hold, like the Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates.
All six are regular attendees of team chapels and seen as leaders in the clubhouse as much as they are on the field. Call, for example, was traded from the Washington Nationals to L.A. at the trade deadline last season. Cash said he was excited because he heard Call was the spiritual leader in the Washington clubhouse, and he’s since carried that over to the Dodgers.
His testimony mirrored many of his teammates’ in a lot of ways in that he grew up in church with parents who modeled what it looked like to have a strong faith. Like a lot of believers, once he was on his own in college and then as a professional player, he had to decide if his faith was his own or just something he believed because his parents did.
“That’s where it kind of became real for me,” Call said. “I went from, ‘Yeah, I don’t do this or this because I’m a Christian’ to ‘God calls us all to be disciple makers. He calls us all to love and to be a blessing.’ That’s where I turned it up a notch and try not to be ashamed of the Gospel or anything else — just glorify Jesus in my daily life and on the field.”
Wrobleski had a similar upbringing thanks to a mother who set an example and raised him in the faith.
“It’s been a journey for me,” he said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were ups and downs with my faith and God trying to show me things and get me back to where I need to be. Every time I feel like I’ve been down in my life or I feel like things aren’t going the way that I want, it’s just God showing me I need to get back to the Word and pray.”
A first-time All-Star this year, Wrobleski has been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers and a mainstay in the rotation, making 22 starts with a 3.70 ERA. The Dodgers could use him either in the rotation or as a long reliever in the postseason like last year.
He shared that a verse that’s stuck with him lately is Romans 12:12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
“That’s something I’m trying to live out right now,” he said. “It’s a journey. Knowing Jesus obviously gives you that peace when you’re out there. For me, it’s big before the game. It’s a super big blessing to pitch for the Dodgers, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes with it. Just knowing that the results aren’t always what matters; it’s just giving your performance to the Lord, good or bad, and that’s kind of been something I’m trying to do this year.”
That pressure is felt by all the players. They know the expectations that come with playing in L.A. They know their team is loaded with talent and high-priced players.
Edman — who shared that his faith grew substantially when he was in college at Stanford thanks to faith mentors and involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes — said he handles the scrutiny of playing pro baseball by remembering that his identity is in Christ.
“As a baseball player, one of the big struggles that we have is our identity being tied up in our performance on the field or being just a baseball player,” Edman said. “Baseball is such a crazy long season and a rollercoaster of emotions that you can go up and down like crazy.
“I have my identity rooted in my role as a son of God and a follower of Jesus Christ. I always have that in my foundation. Not to say that helps me perform on the field, but it definitely allows me to have that inner peace regardless of how I’ve done on the baseball field.”
Each player has a different background that led them to where they are personally and professionally, and that’s something that makes the chapel dynamic unique, Cash said. For example, Betts didn’t really grow up in the church like some of his teammates did. He spent most of his weekends playing baseball, and going to church just wasn’t much of a priority.
“As I got a little older playing ball, I kind of wanted the sense of purpose, because ball is just an avenue to show what God has given me and given all of us,” said Betts, an eight-time All-Star. “Once I wanted to learn my purpose, I think going to chapel, getting to know Cash, getting to know these guys has really changed my life completely. These are literally like my brothers. Obviously we’ve grown playing baseball and winning together, but I think we’ve grown the most in our Bible studies and our chapels on Sundays.”
He said he just read through 1 and 2 Kings, where he read about King Soloman and how he was wise and felt on top of the world. Betts saw some similarities to pro baseball.
“When you’re on top of the world and everything’s going great, but you lose what’s important, which is God, you kind of lose everything,” he said. “No matter how good or bad I do, I make sure to give glory to God and I make sure that every day I pray and give glory to Him because everything we have here is for Him.”
Treinen, who’s now in his seventh season with the Dodgers, shared that he sort of begrudgingly attended church growing up. His mother was a member of the worship team, which meant he often spent all morning and part of the afternoon at church when he would’ve rather been home watching football.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve greatly appreciated the stubbornness and consistency that my mom put in my life for me and my brother to take us to church on Sunday,” he said. “It was a lot as a kid, but it built a structure of faith and a standard of worship in life.”
He recalled a moment at a youth conference at the University of Tennessee where he said he “felt the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit just rock me and put me in my seat.” He recounted how Christians should always be able to give an answer for the hope they have in Jesus, and that experience is what he goes back to when explaining where he first believed.
“We all have the right to believe what we want,” he said. “But when you see the truth and the facts and the tangible hand of God in your life, it separates just wanting to be a good person and knowing Jesus is real, to ‘this is absolute.’ I’ve experienced the presence of the Father and I will forever with my life.”
Even though my career didn’t revolve around social media or NIL, I was still full of myself. I graduated from Oregon thinking my little receipt would land me my dream job at ESPN, but I was wrong. I was wrapped up in softball because of my flawed identity. For years, I worked hard for college, so when it ended, I was devastated. No substance — just a gut check I wasn’t prepared for.
It took me months to land my first gig, and when I did, it was pathetic. I made $10 an hour in a warehouse that I walked to and from for a while. It was hard to fathom this new rock bottom.
When I fully surrendered to Jesus, I realized how lost I was! My identity was in softball, not my Savior. As I matured in the Lord, God revealed plans and people I wanted to hold on to, but they needed to be released so I could experience abundant life as His disciple. Softball was my god and it was worthless, like all the other idols we hold before King Jesus. The softball world wasn’t the roadmap for me, and I finally swallowed the pill I avoided for years.
As your journey with the Lord continues, ask God to search your heart to identify people and plans that may not align with His plans for you. Are you willing to let go of them? Are you trusting God’s ordained steps for you? Or do you think you can do a better job than Yahweh Himself?
— Monique Fuiava, University of Oregon women’s chaplain
Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba scores one of his three touchdowns, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
After leading the entire NFL in receiving yards in 2025 (1,793), being named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and helping the Seattle Seahawks to a victory in Super Bowl LX, star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is picking up right where he left off.
The 24-year-old in his fourth season out of Ohio State recorded 122 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions in Seattle’s Week 1 win. Then on Sunday, he followed that performance with 155 yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions as the Seahawks blew out the Arizona Cardinals, 31-7, in Week 2.
It marked the first three-TD game of Smith-Njigba’s NFL career, and he’s once again leading the NFL in receiving yards (277) and tied for the lead in touchdowns (4).
With starting QB Sam Darnold out with a glute tendon injury, Smith-Njigba made sure his team started its first divisional game the right way. He caught a bomb from backup Drew Lock on his first pass of the game for an 82-yard touchdown, the longest reception of JSN’s career.
82-YARD TOUCHDOWN BY JSN 🗣️ What a way to start the game.
“It just was another day in the life of JSN,” right tackle Abraham Lucas told Seahawks.com.
Head coach Mike Macdonald agreed. “That’s what we expect from Jax,” he said. “That’s how good he is. That’s the type of player he is and it’s the kind of expectations he deserves.”
Smith-Njigba, however, preferred to credit others.
“It takes all of us. It takes the whole team,” the native Texan said in his postgame press conference. “… To God be the glory for this win.”
Smith-Njigba is well on his way to his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection and third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2026-27, while the Seahawks may be on their way to another division title and a deep run in the playoffs. And throughout the extensive individual and team success JSN has enjoyed during his short NFL career, he has sought to remain grounded in his faith in Christ.
“When I get on the biggest stage, I can scream His name and praise the Lord in front of millions,” Smith-Njigba said last month on the Sports Spectrum Podcast; he’s also featured in the latest edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. “Right now, I feel like that’s my calling to do.”
Although he grew up with faithful parents who brought him to church and introduced him to the Christian faith, a pivotal moment in his growth as a believer came in 2022 — his final year at Ohio State — when he was severely hampered by a hamstring injury.
“I think God throws a lot at you sometimes,” Smith-Njigba said of that time on the podcast. “The Bible says, ‘Do not lean on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5). That really changed me. I’m really thankful for the hard times because it made me into the man I am today.”
In Seattle, God has continued to draw JSN closer to Himself through his regular attendance at chapel services and the Christian community he’s found in the locker room.
“It’s awesome to be in the same room and share the same stories and the same faith that we have in our God,” he said on the podcast. “… I feel [Jesus’] presence. I’m never alone. He’s always with me and, with that, I feel at peace.”
“I think just staying grounded and giving Him the glory, and understanding that I’m here to serve others,” he told Sports Spectrum at a Super Bowl LX press conference. “I’m here to serve the Lord.”
“My faith comes first,” he reiterated later in the press conference. “That’s what I stand on. That’s who I am. Everything else is everything else. I’m a follower of Christ, I’m a son, I’m a brother, and then I’m a football player. So that’s what I lead with.
“… Jesus, for me, is everything. This is Who I do it for. I’m here to serve Him and to serve others.”
Marked by a humility centered on his faith in Jesus, Smith-Njigba and his Seahawks teammates will look to continue their red-hot start in Week 3 as they travel to Washington to take on the Commanders (0-2). Kickoff is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
