There were many parts of our weekend in Tampa that could be deemed a highlight, sharing a meal with new friends, the outreach around the city, the Bible studies, and going to church together Sunday morning, the list could go on! Another aspect of the weekend worth highlighting was our guest speaker, Doug Gilcrease. Doug is the former Chaplin for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has worked with Athletes In Action since 1989. Doug shared some great advice for those wanting to be successful in the sports industry. Firstly, believers need credibility. As a believer, what does that mean? Read Psalm 78:72, “And David shepherded them with the integrity of heart; with skillful hands, he led them.” This verse highlights the two important parts of credibility; character and competency. The Integrity of Heart; Character The three characteristics of a good leader that Doug shared with us are: Honesty - be true to yourself and your beliefs first and foremost, it’s easy to get lost in the temptation and lies that lurk around every corner but hard to find your way back to who you are if you’ve compromised along the way Humility - 1 Peter 5:5-6 “In the same way, you who ar4e younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Endurance - obedience to finish the race set before you! “Every day we have the chance to change somebody’s eternity.” - Doug Gilcrease With Skillful Hands He Led; Competency Be a lifelong learner! - Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” This simple message is a great reminder to be in God’s Word daily and surround yourself with those who share the same beliefs and values. Are you, or someone you know, interested in learning more about how you can get involved with USG? Register for our next Training Academy Team today!

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - AW Tozer Everything about our life is influenced by how we view God. The way we act, how we view ourselves and others, and everything else in our life can be traced back to the question of, "How do you view God?" For example, even if you view God as a slightly improved version of yourself, it wouldn't be surprising for you to become easily overwhelmed and anxious by the problems of the world because even a slightly better version of you is still far from big enough to handle the problems of this world. One of the most significant realizations that have happened in my faith journey is understanding how great it is to grow in a proper "fear of the Lord". In his book, When People Are Big & God Is Small, Edward Welch notes the most radical treatment for overcoming the fear of man is to grow in our fear of the Lord. Once we truly recognize how Magnificent and Almighty God is, it is much more challenging to fear others or become overwhelmed by the trials of this world. Thankfully, God has revealed a great deal about Who He is to help us grow in this understanding. We must not settle for the often minimizing and inaccurate thoughts our finite minds are quick to assume God is limited to being. Imagine you first meet a stranger named Sarah and all you learn about her is that she is a mom. Sure, you glean a lot by that one descriptor of who Sarah is, but then imagine you go on to learn that she is also a volunteer soccer coach, veteran, former professional athlete, wife, homeowner, Bible study leader, and medical doctor, among many other things. Consider how much better you are likely to know Sarah once you discovered all of those other names or attributes of Sarah. Even though our finite (limited) minds can never fully comprehend our infinite God, there is much He has revealed to us about Who He is. I have found the 2 most significant items we must first settle in our heart and minds is God’s Goodness & Grandness. We will always be constrained by how we approach these 2 topics. If we have not truly settled in our hearts that God is good, we will live with a continuous nagging that we are in debt to God. If we do not settle the issue of His grandness, we will find ourselves continuously overwhelmed by the problems we encounter as we believe them to be larger than our God. Here are 2 resources that have been of great value in helping me grow in understanding God’s Goodness and God’s Grandness. God’s Goodness: “God has a name” by John Mark Comer; This book unpacks the most frequently referenced verse in the entire Bible, Exodus 34:6-7. These verses are the very first time God describes Himself in the Bible, and provide an incredible glimpse into Who He is. “6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” God’s Grandness: There are several dozen names of God throughout Scripture. The ministry Navigators highlights 30 of these names in a simple format challenging you to commit 5 minutes daily praying over the accompanying verses and worship God in a fresh way each day. May we all continue to grow in our awe of God’s goodness & grandness in 2022!

Recently, USG sent Ashley Weingartz, the Assistant Softball Coach at Hofstra University to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Convention. Here's what she had to say about her trip: -- This December I was able to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2021 NFCA Coaches Convention. It was an awesome four days filled with lots of relationship-building and learning! While I was able to attend multiple sessions that helped me to expand my knowledge in various topics related to coaching softball, I was also invigorated by getting to meet up with friends and colleagues that I had worked with previously or had only met before via video chat! I was able to spend time with one of my friends, Kaylyn DeVaney, who has just been named the softball director for Athletes in Action. She is currently preparing financially and spiritually to begin full-time ministry in that position. She will start her new role within the next year. It was amazing to hear some of her vision for the ministry and I was grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with her! I also met up with a few members of a softball coaches prayer group that I started virtually attending this past year. Being able to physically be in the same place with people I had become so close with through prayer and technology was such great encouragement for my heart! Another great experience during the convention was going to the FCA Breakfast. Those in attendance heard Aubree Munro Watson speak. She is an outspoken Christian who also happens to be a two-time National Champion and a 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist. She spoke about her spiritual journey preparing for the 2020 Olympics through a pandemic and the relationships she formed with her teammates. Overall, I had an amazing experience! It was so great to be able to see so many friends after moving to a completely new place in September. Hopefully, I will continue to meet and build relationships with more and more people throughout the years as I continue to attend conventions! -- Thanks, Ashley! USG seeks to come alongside our brothers and sisters working in the professional and collegiate athletics industry. Sponsored events are one of the many member benefits that graduates from our USG Academy receive. If you are interested in becoming a member, apply today! Otherwise, contact us. We'd love to hear from you.

Christian hip-hop/rap is on the rise, and Shepherd is leading the pack. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Shepherd shares his testimony and the impact that music has had on both his faith journey and what he hopes it will have on his listeners. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

A few weeks ago, a group of USG members and staff spent three days in Tampa, Florida, focused on deep and lasting spiritual, professional, and personal growth through our USG Weekend Gathering experience. One of the best parts of these weekends is the opportunity that our teams have to meet and learn from high-level leaders throughout the collegiate and professional sport industry. This specific weekend, Doug Gilcrease (former Chaplain of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), left us with a profound understanding of scripture that can, and should, completely transform how we live as followers of Christ. Specifically, for our USG members pursuing a career in the sport industry. “...And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Psalm 78:72 (emphasis mine) Focused on Psalm 78:72, we see an incredible example of what I like to call, “Kingdom Credibility”, a leadership style that draws people to trust and follow leaders that in turn, trust and follow God. This brings glory to the Lord's Kingdom through the platform that the leader has been given. This is the example that David set in his early days as King! But, what gave him the credibility to impact the Kingdom the way he did? During our time in Tampa, Doug pointed out two key factors in David’s "Kingdom Credibility": First, David was a man of great character. We see that he was able to shepherd his people with an "integrity of heart", a godly sincerity that aimed at nothing but the glory of God and the good of the people following him. Similarly for us, as Christians in a secular career like the sport industry, we must be found with great character if we want people to experience Christ in and through us. Second, David was a man of great competency. We see that he led his people with "skillful hands", an incredible level of wisdom and excellence in what he did and how he did it. How will we, Christian leaders in the sport industry, ever make an impact for the Kingdom if we’re not good at what we do? Will athletes, support staff, or others in our departments or organizations follow our leadership if we are incompetent or unskilled in our position? No, of course not. Put simply, we won’t have a job! At USG, as we reflect on the past year and prepare for 2022, we hold tightly to what Doug shared during our Tampa trip. We want to challenge ourselves and you to live with Kingdom Credibility. If we want to set an example and share Christ with others throughout the sport industry, we must live with great character AND competency. Without character, no one will trust us. Without competency, no one will hire us. Together, though, we can live with steadfast credibility and influence for the Kingdom, bringing the utmost glory to God as he works through us. If you'd like to talk to us about membership at USG, or would like to know more about our program and ministry, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.

Every December the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Convention takes place through the week leading up to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Final Four. As a former NCAA Division I volleyball student-athlete, this was an exciting event to attend! The convention takes place over four days and two of those days, Thursday and Saturday, are capped off with the semi-final matches and/or the finals. This adds another level of excitement and intrigue for coaches and aspiring volleyball coaches to attend. There are over 40 different presentations, coaching sessions, and learning opportunities each day! Some of these opportunities include, but are not limited to, coaches clinics, statistical analysis and reviews, women in coaching panels, Q&A panels with National team coaches and players, beach and indoor training techniques. Another aspect of the convention is the opportunity to wall around a hall with booths of about 100 different sport, athlete, administrative, and volleyball-focused organizations to better support your staff, players, and programs. Some organizations booths I was able to visit and connect with were Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Athletes In Action (AIA), it was great to connect with the other believers there who share a heart for the student-athletes and coaches. On top of all these things, it was an incredible networking opportunity. I was able to meet new coaches and well as see former coaches and past teammates, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over 10 years. I look forward to attending this event in the future with some of our USG members! Uncommon Sports Group sponsors many such events for our members every year. If you have questions about becoming a member of USG, please contact us. If you believe that you're ready to take the next steps in your faith and career, apply today! We'd love to hear from you.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA)? In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, the son of the late Flip Saunders, Ryan Saunders, share his journey from the college ranks to the NBA and the role his faith played along that journey. Ryan also touches on the impact his Dad had on his life and how he has moved forward since Flip passed away in 2015. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

Conrad Chow took part in the USG Academy during Team 27. The 8-week training was followed by the Team's Weekend Gathering in Tampa, Florida. Conrad is currently a basketball analyst at Pro Insight. We asked Conrad to share a few words about what his weekend experience was like: "The Tampa Weekend Gathering had a tremendous impact on me from both a professional and a spiritual standpoint. Within a small time window, the USG staff provided us with a diverse number of activities and sessions that challenged me the entire weekend. They included relevant Bible study content, applicable outreach opportunities, and in-depth personal strengths training. The bonds and fellowship we had is something I will remember and cherish." Thank you, Conrad! If you are interested in learning more about Uncommon Sports Group and the faith and career support we offer, check out our Member Benefits page or Contact Us. We'd love to hear from you!

The Christmas season is special for many reasons- the time we get to spend with family, the food we get to eat, the presents we get to give and receive- but above all else, it is special because we remember the fulfillment of God’s promise through the birth of Jesus. Paul eloquently writes in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive adoption as sons.” It is sobering to think of the generations of Israelites that came before that day who patiently awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise to them. But, how can we be sure that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel? How could so many of the Jews in His day not recognize Him as the Messiah? What proof is there that He was truly God’s Anointed One? In today’s article, we will be proving Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise by looking at two convincing proofs: the profile evidence and the fingerprint evidence. The Profile Evidence If you have ever watched an episode of Criminal Minds, you know that the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) convict suspects by analyzing the profile of the individual who committed the crime. What color was their hair? What car were they driving? What clothes were they wearing? If the BAU comes across a person that fits the profile they are looking for, they can know that the person committed the crime. In the case of Jesus, we can know if His claims to be God are accurate by analyzing His attributes to see if He fits the profile of the God we see in the Old Testament Scriptures. So, what was the profile of God in the Old Testament? God is described as omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:24), as omniscient (Psalm 147:5), as omnipotent (Jeremiah 32:17), as eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27), and as immutable (Malachi 3:6). If Jesus himself is God, then He must fit the profile of God that we see in the Old Testament. A common point that skeptics make against the divinity of Jesus is the language in the Scriptures that makes it seem that Jesus was begotten, or came to be, which would undermine the eternal attribute of Jesus. We see in many translations of John 3:16 that Jesus is called the “begotten”, or brought about, son of God. This verse can easily put a skeptic into a tailspin. How can Jesus be God if God had to bring Him into being? If we look back at the original Greek word, monogene, we see that it means “unique one”, and in the first century, this verse was used in a way to describe Jesus as the “unique one” of God. From this evidence, we can conclude that the original language did not intend to describe Jesus as being brought into being, but rather that He was the unique one of God. Another verse that seems to undermine Jesus’ eternality is Colossians 1:15, in which Paul calls Jesus the ‘firstborn of all creation. This is an obviously confusing text. How could Jesus be the firstborn of all creation if He is eternal? In the Old Testament, the term firstborn was used in reference to the family member who would receive the lion's share of the estate or would become the next king in the case of a royal family. The word firstborn, in Bible times, referred to the family member with the rights to the father. In using the word firstborn, Paul is describing Jesus as the One with the rights to the Father, as opposed to actually being born or brought into existence. We can affirm this by looking a little further down at Colossians 2:9 where Paul says, “For in Him all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form,”. Paul would not contradict himself by claiming that Jesus is the ‘firstborn’ and the ‘fullness of the deity in bodily form’ in the same letter. By looking at the contextual and historical evidence of the word ‘firstborn’, we can see that Colossians 1:15 does not undermine Jesus’ eternality. We have affirmed Jesus’ eternality, but what about the other attributes of God? Is Jesus omnipresent? In Matthew 18:20, Jesus states “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Is Jesus omniscient? In John 16:30 Jesus’ disciples state, “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this, we believe that You came from God.” Is Jesus omnipotent? In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth.” Lastly, is Jesus immutable? The writers of Hebrews pens in chapter 13 verse 8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” It is clear that Jesus fits the exact profile of God and through this evidence, we can conclude that Jesus’ claims to be God are true! The Fingerprint Evidence A common practice in criminal law is using fingerprint evidence to convict a criminal. If a fingerprint is found on a surface near a crime scene, law officials can try and match the fingerprints of a suspect with the fingerprint found on the crime scene. If it matches, then law officials can be sure that the person in question was responsible for the crime. If it doesn't match, then it is likely that they were not at the crime scene. In His wisdom, God left fingerprint evidence for the Messiah through Old Testament prophecy, and only His true Messiah can fit this fingerprint evidence. In the Old Testament, we find over three hundred prophecies about the coming Messiah, ranging from the location of His birth to His genealogy, to how He would die. God wanted to be sure that His promised Messiah would be recognized, so that we may be sure when and how His promise would be fulfilled. Let’s first take a look at the life of Jesus in comparison to the Old Testament prophecies. Does Jesus fit the fingerprint evidence? In Genesis 28:14, it is prophesied that the Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. In Luke’s gospel, he provides a genealogy of Jesus, and in Luke 3:34 he notes that Jesus was a descendant of Jacob. The prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 7:14 that, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” This prophecy is fulfilled in the Christmas child, as we see in Luke 1:35, “The angel answered and said to her, ‘the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, as we read in Matthew 2:1-6. The prophet Isaiah also wrote in Isaiah 40:3-4 that the Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner. The Scripture makes clear in John 1:23 that the man in the wilderness, John the Baptist, was the one who paved the way for the Lord Jesus Christ. In Zechariah 11:12-13, we read that it was prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed with thirty pieces of silver and that the silver would be given to a potter. Amazingly, in Matthew 26:15 and Matthew 27:6-8 this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. It is evident in just these five prophecies that Jesus is beginning to fit the fingerprint of God’s prophesied Messiah. However, despite the many prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, many skeptics use counterarguments to debunk these fulfilled prophecies. As any good investigator would let's look at these skeptical views to test their validity. The first argument is the coincidence argument. The skeptical view here is that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies by accident. His life somehow matched the prophecies of old without any supernatural plan at work. We can quickly dissolve this argument with a simple mathematical analysis of the situation. In Jesus’ life, He fulfilled to the letter over three hundred Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. If Jesus had just fulfilled forty-eight of these three hundred prophecies, the mathematical probability of that happening by random chance would be one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion. In case you don’t like counting, that is twelve trillion. We cannot even comprehend a number that high and that is the probability of Jesus fulfilling just forty-eight of the three hundred fulfilled prophecies about the Messiah! It is a simple mathematical fact that the coincidence argument is virtually impossible. The second argument from skeptics is the altered gospel argument. This argument points to the possibility that the gospel writers fabricated the details of their writings to make it appear that Jesus had fulfilled these prophecies. In God’s wonderful wisdom, we see that he created checks and balances both inside and outside of the Christian community to eliminate any skepticism. When the gospels and the epistles were being circulated, scores of eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life, both Jewish and Christian, were still alive and would have called out the writers of the New Testament if they were falsifying the story of Jesus to make him out to be the Messiah. Furthermore, we see the disciple Matthew in his gospel being very clear that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Matthew was brutally killed in AD 60 by way of being staked and speared to the ground for preaching the gospel in Ethiopia. Logically, Matthew would not have been willing to sacrifice his life for something he knew was a lie and because of Matthew’s willingness to die, we can have confidence that everything he wrote down in his gospel is true. The third argument amongst skeptics is the intentional fulfillment argument. Skeptics claim that Jesus merely lived his life in a way to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. While this claim could be true for some of the fulfilled prophecies, such as Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:8-10), it is impossible for many of the other prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, such as being born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem and being a descendent of Jacob. This argument is quickly dissolved when we see that many of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled were completely out of his control and could not have been fulfilled by his own doing. The final argument among skeptics, especially Jewish skeptics, is the context argument. In this case, skeptics state that Christians misinterpret passages and rip them out of context to have them fit the story of Jesus. A common example that skeptics use is Isaiah 7:14, in which the prophet states that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. The claim is that this verse was mistranslated so that the word virgin appears in the text when the original language simply uses the Hebrew word almah which means young woman and not necessarily a young woman who is a virgin, and that the Hebrew world bethulah would have been used to depict a virgin woman. However, in the latest and most detailed linguistics studies of the Hebrew language, we have learned that the Hebrew word bethulah could refer to a widow or divorced woman, and not always a virgin. The original Hebrew word in the text, almah, was never used of a non-virgin, therefore it was the best word in the language to do the job of implying virginity. This example, among others, proves the validity of Jesus’ life matching the prophecies written in the Old Testament. Conclusion What proof is there that Jesus was truly God’s Anointed One? Well, the proof is in the pudding. Jesus not only fits the exact profile of the living God, but He matches the exact fingerprint of the prophesied Messiah in the Old Testament Scriptures. This Christmas season, we can be confident that our faith in Christ being the Messiah is not in vain. Not only do these proofs provide evidence of Jesus being the Messiah, but they provide assurance that Jesus Christ is truly alive. As you enjoy time with family and friends this week and celebrate the coming of our Savior, meditate on these truths and allow them to provide you with a peace that can only come from God. Jesus Christ is our Messiah and this week we celebrate His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection, which sets captives free. Sources: Strobel, L. (2009). The case for Christmas. Zondervan. 55 Old testament prophecies about jesus. Jesus Film Project. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2021

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” - 1st Chronicles 16:34 2021 marks the 8th year of our organizations’ existence and the first full year since our name change from Managers On A Mission to Uncommon Sports Group. We wanted to take a moment to share some of the most notable praises of 2021 below. USG Staff: We continue to be thankful for the Lord leading new individuals to join our team. We were blessed to add Noah Weiss and Suzanne Horner as new Ministry Engagement Associates, Zac Colburn as our Director of Operations in addition to JD Mathis, Erin Couwenhoven, Mike Moore, Daniel Peterfeso, and Joel Davis as Operations Associates. USG Board: Two of our longest serving Board Members, Chris King (since 2014) & Chad Atherton (since 2013) officially finished their final terms with our organization in 2021. While they will certainly be missed, God has faithfully led us to be able to add new Board Members in Angela Marin, Jalen Stone, Johnny Shelton, and Jason Romano. The new board members will begin their board terms next month. Chad and Chris were presented with USG “Game Balls” signed by the USG Staff and awarded to our longest serving Board Members. Chris King and Chad Atherton are stepping down from the board as their terms on the USG Board came to an end in December of 2021. We are grateful for their service over the last several years. Thank you! Scholarship Winners: We were once again able to award $40,000 in Scholarships this year! Our Fall 2021 Scholarship Winners are still being selected, but the top 3 winners for our Spring 2021 program were: Daniel Chaderjian - University of Southern California Mark Fairley - Liberty University Zachary Hopp - Washburn University Organizational Development: In addition to celebrating 1 year since our rebrand, 2021 has been a year of immense organizational development for USG. The most notable item has been our implementation of EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. We have been fortunate to have our long-time partners at Four13 Group support us in its adoption. It has supported us in establishing further clarity and focus within our organization. Additionally, we have been able to work with our valuable partners at Helmet Tracker in further enhancing the efficiency of our e-commerce operation. Other major developments in 2021 were the launch of our exclusive members-only USG Connect App, and the USG podcast! Clean Out For A Cause: Our Clean Out For A Cause program has continued to be the engine that helps drive our mission forward. We have been blessed to see our total pounds of donations grow to over 100,000 pounds annually. Donations of used and excess sports gear continue to come in from hundreds of college and pro sports teams throughout the country. The introduction of returnable poly bags in addition to the normal donation collection boxes has also led to hundreds of first-time donors throughout the year. USG Academy: 2021 was an important year in the launching of our new primary discipleship program, the USG Academy. This academy consists of an 8-week curriculum that future leaders of the sport industry complete remotely alongside 15-20 other members of their team. The USG Academy challenges participants to grow spiritually and professionally through weekly calls to action, discussions, and coaching sessions with our USG Staff. USG covers the costs for every individual who successfully completes the 8-week program to come together for an in-person weekend event. These “Weekend Gatherings” provide an opportunity for attendees to put what they have learned into action through facility tours, guest speakers, Bible Studies, and outreach projects. We are thrilled to have each of the following individuals officially join USG through their completion of the Academy in 2021: 2021 Academy Members Team 24 Aaron Crowell - James Madison Ally Ginkens - Kansas Ashley Weingartz - Hofstra Austin Thompson - Pittsburgh Bekah Wyatt - former USG intern Bryan Peters - St. John’s Chris Riewald - Idaho State graduate Cody Crump - Houston Garrett Sons - Oklahoma Jalen Stone - Michigan Justin Wrenn - Georgia Tech Kelsey Witkay - Florida Atlantic graduate Kevin McNamara - St. John’s graduate Kyle Richardson - Central Florida Luke Berge - Baylor graduate Maggie Vlasaty - Minnesota graduate Miranda Rivera - USA Volleyball Payten Martin - South Carolina Shaun Nestor - Immaculata University Steven Rudd - St. John’s Thomas Arteaga - ETSU Zoe Lamb - Pittsburgh Pirates Team 25 (Weekend Event Location: Miami, FL) Adaeze Iheoma - Texas State Addison Patrick - Oklahoma Annalese Lamke - Loyola Antonio Borjas - Fresno State Ashton Pilz - Kansas Dominique Ridley - West Virginia Elyssa Melton - NAIA Ian Silva - GCU graduate Jenna Ladd - Washington Football Team Kaitlin Taylor - Purdue Katie Suits - Baylor Kyle Yost - Taylor University Michael McGinnis - Columbia International Preston Manthei - Taylor University Scott Daughtry - Tennessee Sean Callahan - Taylor University Zachary Moore - ASU graduate Zachary Hopp - Washburn University Team 26 (Weekend Event Location: Minneapolis, MN) Erin Couwenhoven - Indiana Wesleyan Josiah Filegar - Trevecca Nazarene Elijah Gill - Minnesota Timberwolves Nicholas Lachney - St. John’s Gillian Manske - Bethel graduate Justin Ratanataya - Longwood Jacob Stonick - Taylor University Sam Wilkinson - Taylor University Samantha Williams - UMKC Team 27 (Weekend Event Location: Tampa, FL) Conrad Chow - Nevada-Reno Chance Collingwood - Taylor University Ansley Doster - 17 Tournaments Nickolas Fairley - Liberty graduate Joshua Fenwick - Taylor University Hannah Conlisk - Daytona Motor Speedway Lucas Marroquin - St. Louis City SC Elijah Minso - Ashland University Dave Nedbalek - Oral Roberts Mikayla Padilla - GCU Kevin Roussey - Pro Skills Basketball Hunter Snyder - Daktronics Macy Terry - 17 Tournaments Therese VanderPutten - Kansas Chris Barbre - UT-Martin Mission Trip to Kenya The summer ministry highlight for 2021 was our mission trip to Kenya. COVID-19 complications forced us to cancel our Uganda mission trip at the last minute, but the Lord provided us with an opportunity to serve in Kenya. The USG staff led a team of current and future leaders of the sport industry to Nairobi, Kenya for a 2-week missions trip. Highlights of the trip included hosting a 2-day clinic for over 40 local sports coaches and daily sports camps for over 300 kids. You can read one of the participants’ reflections on their time in Kenya here. What a year it has been! The Lord’s hand has been evident in every aspect of Uncommon Sports Group’s 2021. We are grateful to our supporters, network, and partners and are eager to see what the future has in store. Above all, we are thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace. “To you alone, O Lord, to you alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of your constant love and faithfulness.” - Psalm 115:1 In Christ Alone, Drew Boe

In the next blog in our Throwback Series, we continue to share the stories, testimonies, and experiences of members during our time as Managers on a Mission. Although we've rebranded to Uncommon Sports Group, the lessons the Lord has taught us and those that attended our events are still important and impactful. Read on to hear how the Lord worked in Dan Young's life during our 2019 Uganda Mission Trip: Some of life’s most beautiful moments happen when things don’t go exactly as planned. Each day I encounter circumstances that force me to change my plans on the fly. Life is too short to worry and complain about these circumstances. Instead, I try to see God’s beauty in these moments, which is much easier said than done. Most of the time, it isn’t until afterward that I see the beauty of the moment. For example, we planned on having 350 children for our first sports camp in Jinja, only to discover that we’d only have 50 children upon arrival. However, once the camp started, kids from every corner of the streets came to join us, and the number was once again close to 350. At the time, it was chaotic, stressful, and annoying. The kids didn’t always seem interested in what we were teaching, their English speaking was minimal, and the sun was beating down. When the day was all said and done, and I had time to reflect on it, the beauty was there even though I couldn’t see it at the time. That was probably the first time any of those children had experienced anything like that and something they will remember for a long time. Despite the lack of actual skills that we were able to teach the kids, we changed their lives differently by showing them love. Another roadblock (literally a roadblock) that we experienced happened when we were leaving the first day of our sports camp in Gulu. Earlier that day, some of the kids had washed our bus and ended up creating a mud pile beneath it. Long story short, we didn’t leave right then. It probably took an hour or more to get the bus unstuck. There was so much going on, many people trying to help, and so many different ideas. For the first half of the process, the bus wouldn’t budge, and it seemed like we were never getting out. The only appropriate response was to laugh away the worries and take advantage of each moment. When the wheels finally caught some traction, I just remember feeling the beauty and excitement of that moment. The point of these two stories is that no matter what plans I make, God’s plans are better. If I’m not constantly on the lookout for these “unplanned” moments, I will miss out on God’s beauty in my life. I may have a plan for my life, but God’s plan will rule every time. What gives me the right to complain and stress about these wonderful moments God carefully places in my life? This theme has persisted throughout my life, and this trip has opened my eyes to its true beauty. It is an experience that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Dan! Every USG Academy participant is provided the opportunity to attend an Impact Weekend, a final exclamation point to the eight weeks of training they have completed. If you are interested in experiencing a trip similar to Dan's, and if you'd like to invest in your faith and your career in the sports industry, consider applying to the USG Academy today. If you'd like to know more about USG or would like to get in touch, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you. Thank you for your time, and God bless!

Butler University's Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Health, Performance and Well-Being., Ralph Reiff, joins the Uncommon Podcast to talk about his career journey, which got its start at Butler University and took some exciting turns. Ralph, who was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Hall of Fame in 2013, shares some insightful thoughts on a career in sports and how to master your discipline within the college and pro sport industry. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!