Sport. Faith. Life.

Travis Vaughn is one of the key leaders behind the resurgence of Upward Sports, the largest youth recreation sports ministry in the United States. Each year, more than 225,000 young athletes participate in Upward programs run locally by churches across the country.  Travis is also an accomplished runner. After earning a college scholarship in the […]

Philip Leopold is a strategist, connector, and longtime advocate for the power of sport to serve humanity. Philip had a very successful career sports marketing – then was drawn in by the Vatican-inspired global movement Sport at the Service of Humanity, where he now serves in a leadership position.

John Ashley Null is a theologian and Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of North Africa. Ashley has also been longtime chaplain to elite athletes at the highest levels of sport. For over four decades—including six Olympic Games—he’s walked alongside world-class competitors, helping them navigate the pressures of performance and identity. As a theologian, Reverend Null […]

Dr. Rob Ramseyer is an intentional leader of athletics. He’s the Vice President of Athletics and Strategic Expansion at Friends University in Witchita, Kansas. Alongside his athletic leadership work, Rob and Friends University golf coach Dustin Galyon recently co-founded the Impactful Coaching Project, which trains coaches to develop the whole person, and so much more. […]

Symone Abbott first turned to Jesus hoping He would make her a better volleyball player—something she now describes as selfish. That initial request eventually blossomed into a humbling and joyful, life-changing faith. A multi-sport athlete growing up, Symone played at Northwestern University before building a professional career that has taken her to Italy, France, Puerto […]

Rabbi Erez Sherman is the co-senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and the host of the podcast Rabbi on the Sidelines. Rabbi Sherman grew up with a deep love for sports and has spent years bringing a faith perspective to the world of athletics. He interviews athletes, coaches, managers, owners, and fans about their […]

The World Cup is coming to North America  The Men’s FIFA World Cup arrives in North America starting in June 2026, and it’s set to be massive—with an estimated 5 billion people watching the world’s most popular sporting event. Heather Reddy and her team at Athletes in Action had a tremendous vision: Use the World […]

Authors Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski join us to discuss the world of youth sports in the United States—a cultural phenomenon that catches nearly all parents off guard as they navigate what the authors call the “Industrial Youth Sports Complex.”Drawing from their own experiences as parents of young athletes, Brian and Ed offer a faithful […]

Dave Jones took a slap shot to the face, and it changed his life. Dave tells us how his faith and future changed after that moment, leading to a career in professional hockey, Christian marketing, sport performance psychology, and most recently, as an author.

The 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity is only days away!  The Director of the Faith & Sports Institute and this year’s congress director Paul Putz joins us to preview the upcoming event set for July 31-August 2 at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary in Waco, TX, US.

The Female Leadership Excellence Pre-conference (FLEX) is a one-day event preceding the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity on July 31, 2025. The purpose of FLEX is to provide a community for female leaders in sports to give and receive resources and encouragement. Leaders of the event Cindy White and Elizabeth Bounds tell us […]

Since her days as a gymnast and Notre Dame football cheerleader, Kristin Sheehan has been a powerful bundle of energy.  For the last 20 years Kristin has been the Program Director and Co-Visionary for Play Like a Champion Today, a program designed to bring the inspirational and character building power of sport to all children, […]

Josh Lindblom grew up in Indiana and found he could throw a baseball really hard. Josh eventually played college baseball at Tennessee and Purdue, then was drafted by the Dodgers in 2008, and made his Major league debut in 2011.  Josh spent 15 years in professional baseball, playing for multiple major league teams and in […]

Are you wondering about AI and sport? We are too. Tracy Trothen is an interdisciplinary professor of ethics at Queen’s University, and she’s a long time expert on sport, technology, and ethics. Tracy is also a certified spiritual care supervisor and ordained minister, Tracy loves sports and is more excited than daunted by the possibilities […]

Juliana Smith is the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Mission Impact and Enrichment at Baylor University – and that’s just the start of her title. Juliana already has a long history of successful stops in sport administration roles at places like Texas Tech, and Oklahoma, and Colgate, so it’s no wonder Baylor sought her […]

Kevin Washington is the  Associate Athletic Director for Mission Impact and Enrichment and Athletics Chaplain at Baylor University. After a stellar college football career at Notre Dame, Kevin entered sports ministry through FCA and has served in ministry roles at a number of universities. Kevin will be a keynote speaker at the 4th Global congress […]

Dr Graham Daniels, a repeat guest on SFL, is a former professional footballer in the UK, and is now the General Director of Christians in Sport, an organization with the mission to reach the world of sport for Christ. Graham will be a keynote speaker at the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity at […]

Eric Bain-Selbo is dean and religious studies scholar with a keen eye for sports. He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Sport and Religion, and for a career he has podered and written about the about the intersection of religion and sport.

Sabrina Little is a philosopher specializing in virtue ethics, moral psychology, and classical philosophy. She’s also an elite level runner and has been selected to represent the United States on five national teams. Her first book, The Examined Run, combines those two interests.  Sabrina will also be a keynote speaker at the next Global Congress […]

Father Patrick Kelly is a Jesuit priest, a professor, and an absolute gem in world of Christianity and sport.  He’s authored multiple books, articles and book chapters on sport and faith, and he works collaboration with Vatican offices about the topic of spirituality and sport.

B3rd athletics is an organization that helps coaches and athletes put God first, others second, and themselves third. Founder, Director, and Coach Tanner Field lives this out through very intentional choices and practices with his team. His highly successful teams aim for excellence, knowing that in the absence of God, they can’t ever be excellent.

After degrees in journalism from Cornell and Syracuse, Matt Sieger became a sports reporter for several publications on both the east and west coasts of the US. As Jewish believer in Jesus who converted later in life, Matt has been drawn to researching and writing columns about Christian athletes. His new book entitled, The God […]

Isaac Lee is a badminton champion of the Arctic Winter Games, and so much more! Isaac serves as the Continuing Education Program Manager for Truett Seminary’s Sport and Faith Institute.  Before coming to Truett, Isaac employed his passion for Jesus Christ, and sports as a sports ministry leader with Athletes in Action. Isaac is now […]

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are nicknamed the Big Three of men’s tennis. Luke Helm thinks they have something to teach us.  Luke has coached two nationally ranked collegiate tennis programs, is an author with graduate degrees in both theology and writing, has won a pickleball national championship, and is the “Director of Rackets” at a […]