Grow – Athletes in Action at Mizzou

AUDIENCE OF ONE (AO1)

We want to encourage athletes and coaches to adopt the perspective that winning in competition comes from viewing sport as an opportunity for worship.

Having an Audience of One means worshipping God with your life.

For many people sport is their life, their identity, the thing they worship. It becomes all-encompassing, but sport cannot satisfy the expansive needs of the soul. Only God can do that. Instead, worship God through your sport. When you give yourself fully over to him, sport becomes an avenue of freedom to share God’s character. Through your effort, attitude, intensity, and sportsmanship, you worship an Audience of One with your life. You can learn to do that by joining us in a small group or in one-on-one discipleship.

ONE-ON-ONE DISCIPLESHIP

Another way we can help you grow is through one-on-one discipleship. Athletes can meet with our staff to study scripture, pray, ask questions, and be developed into a multiplying Jesus-follower on your team. We care about your spiritual growth and want you to feel supported and encouraged.

SMALL GROUPS

Small groups are an opportunity to experience true community. We all have a desire to be known and loved. This is the place where we can grow in relationship with God, others, and ourselves as we spend time in God’s Word and prayer.

We can find joyful opportunities for kingdom work around every corner and experience greater intimacy with Jesus as we live the full, free lives for which we were created. Join us this semester as we discover how to live sent. No reading required, but we’ll use the concepts in Heather Holleman’s book Sent: Living a Life That Invites Others to Jesus.

Join us to explore a fresh invitation for you to reimagine opportunities to get to–not have to–share the saving love of Christ in a way that feels natural for who you are. Learn practical strategies for gathering those on your team through discussions and activities, and develop skills for asking good questions and sharing your own stories of gospel transformation. Our hope is to see our lives and teams transformed as we develop God’s joy-filled desire to reach those who don’t yet know Him.

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BUILD: Teaching spiritual principles (including the gospel, the Spirit-filled life, testimony sharing, and discipleship) that grow athletes in their faith.

CONTACT US

I am not measured by my wins or losses, virtues or flaws, victories or defeats. I find freedom every day knowing that I’m loved by the King, my heavenly Father, NO MATTER WHAT. It’s no longer about me and my stats. It’s about God’s love, and what He’s already done to win me over. That’s my truth. That’s my identity.

Ultimate Training Camp allowed me to see that perfection and winning aren’t the ultimate goal. Before UTC basketball and my faith seemed like two separate things. I learned that God wants us to be a part of it all.

Before giving my life to Jesus I was in a place where I was constantly seeking the approval of others, constantly seeking perfection, having my identity wrapped up in who I was on the softball field. Those are struggles I still face, but I know that I know that I know my identity is in Jesus, and I am a daughter of a King who lavishly loves us and pours out grace to us.

Isaiah 43:1 says that, “I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” I have seen God redeem relationships in my life that I thought were too far gone to fix, I have had the opportunity to travel across the world and share the Gospel with people who have never heard it, and time and time again I have experienced God’s faithfulness through hard seasons in my life. Because of God’s faithfulness I am able to wake up everyday and choose joy because I serve a Father who loves us more than we can comprehend.