All things, even this: What Philippians 4:13 really promises athletes

All things, even this: What Philippians 4:13 really promises athletes

By Jonny Reid Jul 23, 2025

Rory McIlroy lets out a joyful yell after winning the Masters, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“Never, ever give up on your dreams.”

That was Rory McIlroy’s message after his career-defining triumph at the Masters in April, completing golf’s Grand Slam — a feat only a handful in history have ever achieved. The world of sport celebrated with him, not just because he won, but because he finally fulfilled something he’d long pursued.

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We admire ambition. We resonate with the dream. To be human is to desire, to aim, to stretch ourselves toward something great. For athletes, ambition often looks like striving to be the best — breaking records, redefining excellence, making history.

Sport, like ambition, is a gift. It’s one of the many ways we reflect God’s image: to create, to rule wisely, to fill the world with beauty and order. Pursuing greatness in sport — giving everything to become all you can be — is a good and noble thing. That’s why a verse like Philippians 4:13 has such deep appeal to athletes.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

You’ll see it tattooed on forearms, written on cleats, recited in locker rooms. It’s a mantra of motivation, a verse that seems to promise strength for victory and power for dreams fulfilled.

But what happens when the dream doesn’t come true? When we don’t seem to have the strength to do what we want?

When “All Things” Don’t Happen

What if the “all things” we believe Philippians 4:13 promises don’t come to pass? What if the scholarship falls through, the injury ends the season, or the dream just never materializes?

It’s tempting to read this verse as a divine endorsement of success — that with Christ, we’ll always win. But that interpretation sets us up for disappointment and confusion when life inevitably lets us down.

Because here’s the truth: “All things” doesn’t just mean the things we want.

To understand what the apostle Paul means, we have to zoom out. Philippians 4 isn’t a victory speech — it’s a letter written from prison. Paul isn’t fresh off a win; he’s nearing the end of his life, in chains. And he writes this:

“… I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)

What are the “all things” Paul speaks of? It includes hunger. It includes loss. It includes sitting in a prison cell, cut off from everything familiar. This verse isn’t about achieving your goals; it’s about enduring whatever comes with joy and peace.

“All things” really means all things. Not just easy things. The whole context of the letter to the church in Philippi is this: As Christians, we can have joy — deep, lasting joy — in the midst of a life of suffering.

Even the greatest victories have their aftershock. Rory McIlroy, fresh off of completing his career Grand Slam at the Masters, openly admitted as much with refreshing honesty in Toronto.

“You have this event in your life that you’ve worked towards and it happens,” he said last month. “Sometimes, it’s hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again.”

After years of grinding toward the ultimate dream, McIlroy found that once it was achieved, the daily grind — “three or four hours” on the range — suddenly felt tougher than ever. That victorious moment, the pinnacle of achievement, can usher in a sense of aimlessness instead of inspiring endless drive.

Where does McIlroy go now? Where do you go when you don’t make the team or get drafted? When injury ends your season? When retirement looms and your Philippians 4:13 tattoo is starting to sag?

The Real Strength

What was Paul’s secret to contentment? “[Christ] who strengthens me.”

Paul is saying that, in Christ, we have all we need. We can do all things “through Him” because, if we have trusted in Jesus, we are in Him — united to Him. Our identities and our futures are completely secure.

Nick Foles was the unlikely hero of Super Bowl LII in February 2018. As the backup quarterback, he stepped in for the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the season and then led the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory. But just a few years later, Foles was a third-string QB with the Chicago Bears, his career winding down.

And yet, his peace hadn’t gone anywhere.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the first-string, second-string, third-string — you’ve got to know who you are,” he said in a December 2021 press conference. “… It can’t be in this game. It’s got to be in something greater, and I’ve always said mine’s in Jesus Christ. I was a third-string quarterback tonight … but that’s not who I am.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the first-string, second-string, third-string, you’ve got to know who you are as a human being and what your identity is…It’s got to be in something greater, and I’ve always said mine’s in Jesus Christ.”@NickFoles https://t.co/3uKTH0S2Jc pic.twitter.com/QIFwgB3Z0p

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) December 27, 2021

Foles had learned what Paul wrote about in Philippians: His identity wasn’t in his performance. And it isn’t in yours either. It’s in Christ. If you’re united to Him, that can’t be taken away — win or lose, starter or backup, rookie or retired.

It’s why Paul could say a few verses before to “rejoice in the Lord always. … Do not be anxious about anything.” Anything. Even that which causes us pain, and even those circumstances when it seems like “all things” isn’t really all things. Philippians 4:13 doesn’t promise you that you’ll make the team. It promises that you’ll have Christ, even if you don’t.

Philippians 4:13 is a wonderful promise. Not that Christian athletes will always win, but that they can always endure in Christ. He provides strength to keep going after a torn ligament, a lost championship or an unfulfilled dream. He provides joy that doesn’t depend on the scoreboard. He is peace that remains when retirement arrives or recognition doesn’t.

Jonny Reid serves as an elder at Town Church Bicester in England and worked for Christians in Sport for more than a decade. He’s played field hockey and cricket all of his life. He has a wife and two children, and is the co-author of “Spiritual Game Plan: Competing with Joy and Godliness,” which helps athletes think theologically about sport, identity and purpose.

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13 Purdue athletes publicly declare faith at Baptism Night: ‘Christ changed me in so many ways’

By Cole Claybourn Nov 6, 2025

FCA leader Joshua McKenzie hugs a Purdue student-athlete at Baptism Night, Oct. 22, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Purdue FCA)

Joshua McKenzie knew he needed to do something. In recent weeks, several Purdue athletes had expressed a desire to be baptized — decisions that grew naturally out of their ongoing study through the Gospel of Matthew.

McKenzie, who has served with Purdue’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter since January, fielded numerous inquiries after a recent lesson on Jesus’ baptism.

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“A couple weeks ago, we were looking at the baptism of Jesus and there were some questions around what does baptism look like in your own life,” McKenzie told Sports Spectrum. “One athlete said they were interested in getting baptized, and honestly, that just kind of spurred in me that we should just give an invitation for any of our athletes to get baptized.”

Following that conversation, McKenzie extended the opportunity to any athlete who wanted to take that next step of faith. Before long, 13 athletes from multiple sports responded — including five football players, several cheerleaders and a track athlete.

Thus, Baptism Night was scheduled for Oct. 22. McKenzie — who also leads football chapels for the Boilermakers — and the FCA leaders took time to talk with each athlete about what baptism means and what it symbolizes: a public declaration of faith and a step of obedience in following Christ.

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Several athletes, including football players Demeco Kennedy and CJ Madden, prepared a written testimony to share with those in attendance before being baptized.

Kennedy described himself as a “lukewarm believer” who hadn’t been to church since he was an infant. He heard about God growing up but didn’t truly know Him. When he got to college, he knew he needed to get right with God. Marty Dittmar, who has served as the Purdue athletic department’s chaplain since 1997 (and joined FCA’s staff in 2011), mentored him and connected him with McKenzie.

“Since giving my life to Christ, it definitely hasn’t been easy,” Kennedy wrote. “However, God’s love has shown me that this is the way I want to live my life, glorifying Him in all I do. Christ changed me in so many ways and made me such a better person. I truly am blessed and highly favored and couldn’t have made a better decision.”

Madden said he’s known about Jesus “ever since I could remember.” But his understanding of faith was flawed and he thought being a “good person” was enough. When he got to college, he felt empty and could tell that what he was chasing was going to leave him unsatisfied.

“As I started to get back to my Christian roots, I started to ask questions,” he said. “The enemy depicted an image of Jesus Christ to me that was inaccurate, so I looked into other religions like Islam. After studying and even practicing Islam, my soul did not feel fulfilled. When I came to Purdue, I met a young lady who was deep in her faith. She redirected me on a path that led me towards living fully for Christ. She is now my girlfriend and I know from the bottom of my heart God used her to draw me closer to Him.

“Today, I publicly declare my faith in Jesus. This is the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

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Purdue FCA has held baptism events in the past, but McKenzie said this one stood out because of how organically it materialized.

Attendance at Purdue’s FCA huddles has grown significantly this year, averaging around 80 athletes each week — more than double last year’s average of 35. McKenzie said he’s already seeing ripple effects from that October night.

“It’s really cool to see the fruit already and the interest from other athletes,” McKenzie said.

And Purdue isn’t alone. Across college athletics, many are seeing what feels like a revival taking shape. In the past year, campuses such as Ohio State, Western Kentucky (and Conference USA), Pitt, Vanderbilt and Alabama have seen dozens of athletes publicly profess faith through baptism or worship gatherings.

McKenzie believes something is stirring in this generation. And because of social media, word can spread quickly about what’s happening elsewhere around the country.

“Now, in real time, we’re seeing what God’s doing on campus,” he said. “Could He have been doing this years ago? Quite possibly. But I do think the culture has changed. That’s very evident. These students on campus, if they’re professing Christ, that’s more unique than previously was before, especially in the Midwest and the South where seemingly everyone was a Christian. Now, it’s not a given.

“Those who are professing Christ are maybe more faithfully following Christ. There’s just more of a dividing line where you’re either in or you’re out. I don’t see as many college students on the fence.”

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Don’t just know the Bible — live it: ‘We should be running solely for Christ’

By Evie Polsley Nov 5, 2025

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

I have a friend who’s an incredible runner. He’s won numerous races, including several marathons, and he loves it. It’s his passion, and whenever he talks about it, I’m inspired to start running too.

After one conversation, I started looking for 5Ks and 10Ks to register for and dreamed of crossing that finish line. I knew it would take time and effort, so I asked my friend for tips, like what kind of running shoes I should buy, how to get started, what I should eat, and how to train for endurance.

He gave me all kinds of resources and suggestions, and they just sat in my inbox. I had all the information, all the knowledge, all the resources to start training for a race, but I did nothing. I read the material and knew what I needed to do to train, but I never actually put it into practice.

The same can be true for the race God has set before us. Maybe we read the Bible and go to church, but are we living out God’s truth? We have to do more than just know what’s in the Bible or how to live like Christ; we have to put our knowledge into practice.

What’s slowing us down? Are we prioritizing other aspects of our lives? Do we feel that the life Christ has called us to is too hard, so why even try? Does the Bible seem like it’s too big to tackle? Or do we think church is just something on a good person’s checklist?

“The Christian life involves focus and training,” reads the note for Hebrews 12:1-4 from the Life Application Study Bible. “It requires us to give up whatever hinders or endangers our relationship with God and to run with stamina and commitment in the power of the Holy Spirit. We will stumble if we look away from Him to worry about ourselves or look at the opposition, trials, or suffering facing us. We should be running solely for Christ, not our own glory or success, and we must always keep Him in sight.”

So how do we do that? If we’ve been tripped up by sin or apathy, how do we get going again? How do we run for Christ? Using a resource like the Life Application Study Bible is a great start. It was designed to answer the “so what?” question so we can not only know the Bible but — through the transformation of the Holy Spirit — be able to live it out in our daily lives.

Maybe we need to re-think why we do what we do. Am I using the tools and resources God has given me to run the race, or am I letting them “sit in my inbox”? Just like training for a 5K, it starts with small steps. Consider one of the following suggestions as a good first step for you:

Read one verse and ask, “How can I live this out today?”
Write down one “weight” (distraction or sin) to surrender to God this week.
Commit to using a study tool, like the Life Application Study Bible, daily for one week.

Don’t let God’s truth sit in your inbox. Put it into practice. Fix your eyes on Jesus, strip off the weights that hold you back, and run with endurance the race He has marked out for you.

Evie Polsley is a marketing manager at Tyndale Bibles.

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Vanderbilt hosts ‘Come As You Are’ event on campus with prayer, worship, athlete testimonies

By Kevin Mercer Oct 22, 2025

Left to right: Tyler Tanner, Hannah McLaughlin, Eli Stowers. (AP Photos, Photo courtesy of X/@VandySoccer)

It’s an exciting time at Vanderbilt University, and not just because ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to town to highlight the 10th-ranked football team’s matchup against No. 15 Missouri. On Monday night, hundreds of students gathered on campus at the Alumni Lawn to worship God and hear from athletes about how He has worked in their lives.

The event was titled “Come As You Are” and was similar to other athlete-led faith events sprouting up across the United States. The night brought together Vanderbilt athletics with various Christian ministries on campus, and featured worship songs, testimonies from Commodore athletes, a time of prayer, free shirts and Bibles, and — of course — free food.

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“The inspiration of the event was from Ohio State,” Vanderbilt student organizer James Chen told Sports Spectrum.

The three testimonials Monday came from the football team’s Eli Stowers, the men’s basketball team’s Tyler Tanner, and the women’s soccer team’s Hannah McLaughlin.

“I’m so thankful for this opportunity to speak about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Stowers said, via an Instagram account dedicated to the event. “It’s through Him that we are able to inherit the Kingdom of God, and I hope to spread that message to others.”

Tanner was also eager to share the Good News of Jesus with his fellow students.

“I want to be able to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible,” he said, via the Instagram account. “I want others to feel the Lord and grow in their faith just like me.”

McLaughlin counted it as a gift to share what Christ has done in her life.

“Jesus has saved me and completely changed my life,” she said, “and to have the chance to speak about Him and what He’s done for me at an event like this is such a blessing.”

The movement toward Christianity amongst the younger generation has made it’s way into the athletic department at Vanderbilt, Chen said. Athletes from many of the school’s sports teams wore shirts advertising for “Come As You Are” in the weeks leading up to the event.

“You really, really see [a movement toward Christ] in the sports teams,” Chen said, noting that Stowers and quarterback Diego Pavia have helped develop a Christ-centered culture within the football program. There are now multiple team Bible studies, and many players pray before games.

“Not only is football doing that but basketball, women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, baseball even — Vandy Boys,” Chen said. “Every single team on Vanderbilt’s campus has had something going on with it.”

Wonderful night worshipping at @VanderbiltU. @VandyFootball’s Eli Stowers, @VandyMBB’s Tyler Tanner & @VandySoccer’s Hannah McLaughlin shared their testimony! pic.twitter.com/m3LBzPmShy

— Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) October 21, 2025

“Our main foundational verse is Matthew 11:28: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,'” Chen explained. “That’s kind of how we came up with the name ‘Come As You Are’ because we wanted to make it very clear and evident that Jesus’ promise for rest and His salvation is for everyone.”

Christ is moving in powerful ways throughout the United States to draw young people to Himself — in dorm rooms, in locker rooms, and on Monday for all to see at Vanderbilt’s Alumni Lawn.

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Faith & Sports at Baylor: A Conversation with Athletics Chaplain Kevin Washington

By Paul Putz, Faith & Sports Institute Oct 8, 2025

Baylor sports chaplain Kevin Washington. (Photo courtesy of Paul Putz)

The Faith & Sports Institute (FSI) at Baylor’s Truett Seminary is a place where the locker room, the classroom, and the Church converge.

As part of a Christian research university with Power-4 athletics (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC), our mission is to develop and promote the integration of faith and sports in leaders, cultures, and organizations. We provide students with opportunities to engage in theological formation, learn from cutting-edge research, and pursue flexible educational pathways. These include residential and online graduate degree programs, as well as a non-credit online certificate program.

As director of FSI, one of the things I love about our work is the opportunity to collaborate with campus partners like Baylor Athletics. I sat down with Baylor sports chaplain Kevin Washington to discuss some of the work we get to do together and also to hear his vision for the transformative potential of sports.

To start, can you tell us about the work you do at Baylor and how you connect faith and sports?
I’m the Associate Athletic Director for Mission Impact and Enrichment, which involves overseeing sports ministry and also character formation within Baylor Athletics. We work with our student-athletes to help them develop as whole people: spiritually, vocationally, and as leaders in the community.

A personal passion and calling of mine is helping people connect faith and performance so that they can thrive in both. I love getting to do that work with student-athletes here.

What are the key parts of your sports ministry work? How do you engage with college athletes?
We focus a lot on the basics: one-on-one discipleship, evangelism, Bible studies for teams, and chaplain services. Those are always happening.

We also have some main pillars that structure what we do each year. We take a group of athletes through a semester-long faith and sports chapel, where we talk about integrating faith into all of life — not just athletics, but everything we do.

We also have an eight-week intensive discipleship cohort for athletes who already know Christ and want to go deeper in their faith as leaders.

Then in the summer, we hold our Champions Redefined Retreat, where student-athletes practice the things that we’ve been preaching. We help them see in real time how their faith can be part of the experience of competition itself.

On top of that, we have our summer mission trip. We want to create global citizens who see that the Kingdom goes beyond Waco and beyond Texas.

How does FSI partner with you in those efforts?
There’s a lot we could talk about. We have a fellows program, where select students in FSI’s residential grad program get hands-on experience serving within Baylor Athletics. They help with chapels, programming for discipleship and evangelism, and other roles.

FSI students and staff also help out with the Champions Redefined Retreat in the summer. And one of the newer things that we’re doing is an “Integrated Coaching” cohort, where we’re creating space for coaches to better integrate their faith with their vocation. FSI has been instrumental in that effort.

Last year, we also had a grant with FSI designed to help us think together about character formation in sports and how to connect research with practice.

FSI has been transformational for us — a partner we can lean on, press into, and serve with.

This summer, you were a key part of several FSI events, including serving as a keynote panelist for the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. What was that like?
For me, the exciting thing was bringing in people from across the country and all over the world who are interested in this conversation. The conference was really a space to shed light on the integration of faith and sports in a way that was tangible to a variety of people, cultures, ages, and levels of competition.

I tell people all the time that faith is always theory until tested. And with the work we do together, we’ve got the theory and research, and also the testing and practical application.

I think that is part of what is special about Baylor. We are a research university, we are a Power-4 university, and we are a Christian university. We don’t shy away from any of that.

📸 Highlights from the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

Part One: Keynote Talks

Last week at @TruettSeminary we hosted 250+ people from 35 states and 10 countries with the goal of exploring sports and Christianity in a deeper way.

Scenes from 4 of our speakers: pic.twitter.com/A6EyP7iD68

— Faith & Sports Institute (@FaithSportsInst) August 6, 2025

What are your hopes for Baylor in the years ahead?
We want to bring light to the sports world, right? If the sports world is the room, I think Baylor Athletics is like a light bulb. It’s the part you see.

But there are filaments inside, there’s electricity, there’s a whole infrastructure you don’t see that actually makes the light shine.

The research, support, and collaboration from FSI are a part of the wiring that helps to shine our light. When we link it up with the Christian mission that is our power source, we can get something special.

That’s what I hope for Baylor. Not that we’ll be perfect, but that we’ll be one of those Christian lights at the highest levels of college sports, where everything we do — the research, the competition, the character formation — is part of our Christian witness and is a blessing to others.

Learn more about ways you can learn, grow and collaborate with FSI.

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