Hear from USG’s Senior Engagement Associate, Michael Carpenter, as he reflects on how the Lord moved during the 2021 calendar year at Uncommon Sports Group. "Over the past year, I have been encouraged by the Lord’s continued faithfulness in using USG to reach individuals working in the sports industry, for His glory! After our ministry had not had an in-person event in over a year, we had a Weekend Gathering event in Miami, Florida in April of 2021. This event was for USG members that had completed our first Training Academy team, Team 24, that walked through the devotional, Purpose Driven Life, as well as some assignment call to action over two months. Some of the highlights of the Impact Weekend included our students building Christ-centered relationships with each other, our group hearing from a diverse group of Christ-centered present leaders in the sports industry, participating in small-group evangelism on South Beach, and leading a Gallup Clifton Strengths Assessment activity with our students! Later in May of 2021, we led a similar Weekend Gathering event in Atlanta, GA! These in-person opportunities helped prepare our organization for our mission trip to Kenya in July of 2021! I can't help but reflect on the Lord's goodness throughout our whole Kenya mission trip. The Lord was faithful in putting the trip together in a short amount of time, weaving our team of USG members together through authentic and intentional community, and using the unique gifts of each team member for His glory during the sport camps, coaches clinic, excursions, and Bible studies. My hope is that our USG members left this experience in Kenya with an equipped foundation in Christ Jesus and that they presently are ignited to live a life rooted in Him in their athletics workplaces, all over the United States, where the Lord has planted each of them! Since the mission trip, our team has continued to follow up with one another in terms of accountability for individuals' post-trip goals! USG closed out the 2021 calendar year strong with two additionally powerful Weekend Gathering events in Minneapolis, MN, and Tampa, Florida, for Team 26 and 27 Training Academy participants respectively. Right at the start of the 2022 calendar year, our USG staff was able to lead a group of over 15+ individuals at the Passion 2022 Conference, in Atlanta, GA for an incredible time of fellowship and spiritual growth. Over a day and a half, our group was able to hear powerful messages and talks from a wide variety of individuals, worship with 60,000+ believers during the conference, and the Lord wove our team together in unity. My favorite speakers included David Platt speaking on living missionally, Jackie Hill Perry defining holiness, and Jennie Allen illustrating that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus! A few of my favorite songs included “The Blessing” by Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe, “Beautiful Jesus” by Chidima, and “I Thank God” to close out the conference by Maverick City Music! This was my third time attending the Passion Conference with a USG group, and the Lord moved in mighty ways again in our USG members, through music, personal testimonies, guest-speakers, and prayer! After missing out on the opportunity to do quality life with our USG members for over a year, due to COVID-19 I’d say that the theme or word to define this past year within our ministry has been “thankfulness”. I’m thankful to have been able to do life in the trenches with many of our USG members at various events, and to meet many in person for the first time! Individuals all over the nation are growing in their relationships with Jesus, and are shining His light in the sports industry that can often be so dark! I have been so encouraged by how the Lord tangibly worked in USG in 2021, and I am excited to see what he has in store for the rest of the 2022 calendar year!" Thanks, Mikey! If you'd like to know more about the USG Academy, what it means to be a Member of USG or the work that we do, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you!

As you may have heard, a group of USG members attended the 2022 Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA in early January. One of our members, Katie Suits, shares her thoughts and experiences below: "Passion 2022 was one to remember! Witnessing 50,000 young adults worshiping our Lord and Savior with everything in them was a glimpse of what I believe heaven will be like. I sat back in awe and just took the crowd in as we worshipped at different moments. I did not know whether to cry or shout a joy of praise! God showed up in each session. It was undeniable! He made His presence known through the communal worship, wonderful sermons brought forward through some of the best speakers, and in deep conversations between sessions. For those who did not believe in God, or who may think He has left them, or that this generation does not know Him, they are completely wrong. God is real, He is alive, and He is moving. All we have to do is jump in, throw off the weight of our sin, and say, “Use me.” Thank you USG for giving me the opportunity to attend such a wonderful conference. If you have a chance to attend Passion in future years, I urge you to go! God is good!" Thanks, Katie! If you'd like to know more about USG and the opportunities it sponsors for its members, visit our USG Academy page today. Are you ready to take the next step and become a member? Then apply today! And as always, if you have questions about who USG is and what we do, please contact us. We'd love to get to know you. Thanks for reading!

Uncommon Sports Group (USG) is humbled to have the ability to provide $20,000 of scholarship funds to 13 individuals each semester. These scholarships are awarded thanks to our generous sponsor: Texon Athletic Towel & Laundry Supply. Our Fall 2021 Reflection Scholarship required the watching of the “I am Second” video by Tony Dungy. Applicants were then asked to answer three reflective questions based on the video. The scholarship review committee agree this was one of the most competitive pools of applicants that we've ever had! We'd like to thank everyone who applied! Scholarship Winners: First Place - $5,000 Scholarship: Hannah Conlisk - NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway, Guest Services and Information Coordinator Second Place - $3,000 Scholarship: Mark Fairley - Liberty University, Cross-Country, and Track & Field Graduate Assistant Third Place - $2,000 Scholarship: Samantha Williams - University of Missouri-Kansas City, Assistant Athletic Advisor/Graduate Assistant Honorable Mentions: $1,000 Scholarships Daniel Chaderjian - USC (California), Baseball Student Manager Ashton Pilz - University of Kansas, Men’s Basketball and Called To Greatness Ministry Intern Erin Castle - Belmont University, Student-Athlete Development Intern Madison See - Davidson College, Mental Health Clinician For Athletics Janee’ Dunigan - Miami University (Ohio), Football Intern Dave Nedbalek - Oral Roberts University, Men’s Basketball Graduate Assistant Adaeze Iheoma - Texas State University, Marketing and Promotions Intern Luke McQuade - Cedarville University, Athletics Administration Graduate Assistant Faith Padgett - Florida Atlantic University, Football Operations Intern Dominic Ferrucci - Boston College, Football Student Manager For those who are new to Uncommon Sports Group, USG is a non-profit that provides professional and spiritual training to young adults pursuing a career in collegiate or professional athletics. For more information or apply to be a part of our next USG Training Academy, check out our website or contact us. We'd love to hear from you.

Uncommon Sports Group had an excellent 2021! Coming out of the pandemic difficulties of 2020, the team was ready to connect with students in person and eager to come alongside future leaders of the sports industry. We had four full teams in 2021. We wanted to share each of them below: Team 24 - Miami, FL Weekend Highlights: Our members had the opportunity to tour Hard Rock Stadium, both FIU and FAU athletic facilities, and catch a Miami Marlins game. We wrapped up the weekend doing an evangelism outreach on South Beach! New Members: Aaron Crowell, Ally Ginkens, Ashley Weingartz, Austin Thompson, Bekah Wyatt, Bryan Peters, Chris Riewald, Cody Crump, Garrett Sons, Jalen Stone, Justin Wrenn, Kelsey Witkay, Kevin McNamara, Kyle Richardson, Luke Berge, Maggie Vlasaty, Miranda Rivera, Payten Martin, Shaun Nestor, Steven Rudd, Thomas Arteaga, Zoe Lamb Team 25 - Atlanta, GA Weekend Highlights: Our members had the opportunity to tour Georgia Tech’s athletic facilities while also hearing from Dan Heck (Auburn Athletics) and Chase Hudson (Atlanta Hawks). We wrapped up the weekend catching an Atlanta Braves game! New Members: Adaeze Iheoma, Addison Patrick, Annalese Lamke, Antonio Borjas, Ashton Pilz, Dominique Ridley, Elyssa Melton, Ian Silva, Jenna Ladd, Kaitlin Taylor, Katie Suits, Kyle Yost, Michael McGinnis, Preston Manthei, Scott Daughtry, Sean Callahan, Zachary Moore, Zachary Hopp Team 26 - Minneapolis, MN Weekend Highlights: Our members had the opportunity to tour Target Field, Target Center, Minnesota athletics facilities, and DIII Northwestern University athletics facilities. We heard from many incredible guest speakers, including former AD Joel Maturi! New Members: Erin Couwenhoven, Josiah Filegar, Elijah Gill, Nicholas Lachney, Gillian Manske, Justin Ratanataya, Jacob Stonick, Sam Wilkinson, Samantha Williams Team 27 - Tampa, FL Weekend Highlights: Our members had the opportunity to tour South Florida’s athletic facilities and minor league Tampa Tarpons baseball complex. We also heard from NFL wide receiver, Justin Watson, and former Bucs chaplain, Doug Gilcrease. New Members: Conrad Chow, Chance Collingwood, Ansley Doster, Nickolas Fairley, Joshua Fenwick, Hannah Conlisk, Lucas Marroquin, Elijah Minso, Dave Nedbalek, Mikayla Padilla, Kevin Roussey, Hunter Snyder, Macy Terry, Therese VanderPutten, Chris Barbre Each of these Academy Teams was an incredible experience for our members and staff. The Impact Weekends provided us with opportunities for growth, authenticity, and most importantly, a deeper relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. If you'd like to know more about USG, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to join USG as a member and attend our USG Academy, apply today!

Long-time chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Doug Gilcrease, has a compelling testimony that shows the power of evangelism through the vehicle of sports. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Doug shares with us how he came to follow Jesus and how one conversation changed the trajectory of his entire life. Hear his whole story, as well as some encouragement for your own journey, in the episode. 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!

The Uncommon Sports Group Team recently met several of our members at the 2022 Passion Conference. Our very own Mikey Carpenter shares about his experience below: "Our group of USG members and staff had an incredible time at the Passion 2022 Conference in Atlanta, GA, in early January 2022. Over a day and a half, our group was able to hear powerful messages from a wide variety of individuals and worship with 60,000+ people during the conference. During the experience, the Lord wove our team together in unity. My favorite speakers included David Platt who spoke on living missionally, Jackie Hill Perry who used scripture to define holiness, and Jennie Allen who illustrated that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus! A few of my favorite songs included “The Blessing” by Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe, “Beautiful Jesus” by Chidima, and “I Thank God” to close out the conference by Maverick City Music. With the timing of the conference, our USG contingent was able to take time and reflect on how the Lord tangibly moved amidst a busy 2021. We were refreshed and ignited for what the Lord has in store for 2022! Our group had a wonderful time getting to know one another on a deeper level through time in fellowship. After the conference, our team was encouraged to use the platforms that the Lord has given us to live more eternally minded and to embrace the Great Commission, as we go back to our respective cities, all over the nation!" Thanks, Mikey! One of the member benefits of the USG Academy is sponsored attendance to professional and spiritual development opportunities throughout the year. If you'd like to be a sponsored member of USG during the 2023 Passion Conference and are looking to delve deeper into your relationship with the Father while pursuing a career in the sport industry, then we'd love to have you as a USG member. Check out our Member Benefits page, or learn more about our USG Academy Training Teams. If you feel like you're ready to join USG, then Apply today! Lastly, if you have questions, and would like to talk to our USG staff, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.

It can be challenging to be a Christian within the college and pro sport industry, but it can be nearly impossible to live out your faith as a professional athlete. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, former Butler University standout and Memphis Hustle forward Sean McDermott, joins the Uncommon Podcast to talk about his faith journey and the role that Christ has played in his basketball career. 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!

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.