“No football fan will want to miss this one.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY “A searing character study…a breathless, can’t-put-it-down read.” —LOS ANGELES TIMES “As savvy, dirt-dishing expose.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS From nationally-acclaimed journalist and ESPN commentator Skip Bayless, the newly updated eBook edition of the classic bestseller GOD'S COACH. First published in 1990, this unforgettable expose tears the metallic blue shine off the legendary star, revealing the truth about ‘America’s Team’ and its beloved head coach Tom Landry, whose much-regaled Christian charity extended to strangers everywhere, yet stopped short of the team who labored under him. From the hangover that led Jerry Jones to buy the team, to the wild ride of the Staubach era, Bayless strips away the image of the team created by the most powerful PR machine in sports, revealed by insiders willing to break their silence. Packed with unparalleled insight into one of the most storied franchises in the history of sports, GOD'S COACH is a compelling revelation about a corrupt football franchise that dared call itself America’s Team. Skip Bayless appears daily as the host of ESPN’s First Take; his commentary appears regularly on ESPN.com. A former columnist for the Dallas Morning News, DALLAS TIMES HERALD, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, and SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, and sportswriter for the LOS ANGELES TIMES and MIAMI HERALD. In addition to GOD'S COACH, he is the author of THE BOYS and HELL-BENT.

In order to help pastors and other Christian leaders to lovingly lead God’s flock to Jesus Christ and into God’s mission, Scott Thomas and Tom Wood clarify a process of coaching and shepherding that is rooted in the patterns of the Good Shepherd himself, a process in which leaders stir up the gifts, passion, and calling upon others’ lives. This book addresses the needs of the leader, his or her sinful tendencies, and church leadership issues. It directs the leader to the person and work of Jesus. It provides a system to intentionally shepherd leaders to glorify God in their personal, spiritual, and missional lives. Many ministry leaders serving in churches find themselves overwhelmed, disillusioned, and depressed by the enormous and challenging task of leading and ministering in a congregation. As a result, the ministry suffers, the leaders suffer, and the result is often an unhealthy church existent with little or no Gospel influence. These leaders need someone to shepherd their soul so that they can lead others to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We suggest that coaching for the church leader looks less like corporate consulting or humanistic psychology and more like biblical-shepherding. We suggest that every church leader needs a Gospel Coach to come alongside with words of truth, wisdom and experience to encourage, admonish, comfort and help—words drawn from Scripture and godly wisdom, grounded in the gracious saving work of Jesus Christ, and presented in the context of a trusting relationship. Gospel Coaching is an intentional relationship to skillfully care for others with four ancient shepherding principles: 1) Know the sheep, 2) Feed the sheep, 3) Lead the sheep, and 4) Protect the sheep. A Gospel Coach both inquires about the personal, spiritual, and missional aspects of a ministry leader’s life in a loving yet focused manner, and also probes the church leader for compulsive unbelief or selfish motivation, or disobedience and sin, and leads the ministry leader back to the Gospel, through belief, repentance and obedience. Churches that desire to be rich in a Gospel application toward their city, their relationships with one another, their communication and worship, as well as their service, will benefit to a greater degree by having their leaders being coached by a Gospel-centered leader.

The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

“This is much more than a story of different religions, Jewish and Catholic, meeting on the cross-country course. I was drawn into the story by an even more eternal struggle: old vs new. Coach Bloom preaches the value of pain, hard work, suffering, and delayed gratification. His cross-country kids are, well, kids. They want to have fun, chase girls, and enjoy the loosey-goosey life. In Bloom’s inspiring tale, both coach and kids learn surprising lessons from each other.” —Amby Burfoot, executive editor, Runner’s World “God on the Starting Line is a classic, a tribute to all those who pursue excellence with talent, pride, courage, and the ability to endure. It’s the best sports book I’ve read in years and should be required reading.” —Bud Greenspan, Emmy Award-winning Olympic filmmaker _____________________ When Marc Bloom began coaching boys’ cross-country at a small Catholic high school, he almost quit in frustration. The boys rejected Bloom’s attempts at discipline, fooled around at practice and, one day, tossed a team member into the ocean. Bloom persisted, seeking to instill good values and help the boys achieve a sense of personal heroism through running. Fueled by the spiritual teachings of his Jewish faith to “repair the world,” Bloom began to make an impression on the boys, drawing out their courage and elements of their own faith. When Bloom combined ideas of hard work, passion, prayer, and suffering for a cause—a belief system necessary to sustain the rigors of cross-country running—the Running Roses ran their hearts out, making them state championship contenders and teaching the coach many lessons along the way. This is an important book for all runners, and for parents, coaches, and everyone who is touched by the joy and exaltation of young people who have much to teach the adult world about honor, decency, and the pursuit of excellence.

Every sporting moment is a moment of grace. Our God is with us through it all, challenging us to be our best, supporting us through suffering and loss, and calling us to respond to the call of Jesus to live lives of integrity, sacrifice, forgiveness, and love. Sometimes our sporting lives can seem full of overscheduling, selfishness, and pressures that make our participation more burdensome than freeing and life-giving. This is true for parents, coaches, and players alike. Thankfully, Coach God has a game plan for us! Coach God shares the true stories of athletes, parents, and coaches who have demonstrated humility, courage, and openness to enter into the mystery of God's game plan for them. The inspirational stories of Peter Frates, Pat Connaughton, Mark Bavaro, and other famous and not-so-famous athletes witness to the presence of God in their lives. These stories take the reader on a journey of faith in God's Spirit and remind us that we are always in the game and God is always with us. Sometimes God sends assistant coaches-namely our parents, coaches, or teammates-to deliver a message of hope or encouragement. One thing is for certain, as our ultimate coach, Coach God believes that we will be that good until we are that good. We just need to take a knee, look, listen, and believe!

With more than 60 million athletes involved in sports in America, it is estimated that one coach will impact more people in one year than the average person does in a lifetime. Today's coach could be one of the greatest authoritative figures in the life of today's adolescent. So the question isn't whether coaches leave a legacy, but rather, what will that legacy be? Current trending research shows that only 15% of coaches are intentional about coaching beyond the skills and strategies of the game (1st Dimension). A 3-Dimensional Coach understands and harnesses the power of the coaching platform to coach the mind (2nd Dimension) and transform the heart (3rd Dimension). They can be the catalysts for internal transformation that guides both the coach and the athlete on a spiritual journey to finding purpose in our performance-based culture. Now that's a legacy! In 3D Coach, National Coaches Training Director Jeff Duke shares his own journey through the three dimensions of coaching and how it has impacted his life and those around him. He also shares the personal stories of coaches from all levels who have implemented the 3D concept into their own programs and who have pointed to Jesus Christ, the Master Coach, as the ultimate example of how to lead athletes to true significance.

Coach John Wooden's teams won 10 NCAA mens basketball championships at UCLA and Sporting News magazine named him the greatest coach of all time. Yet decades after he retired and now after his passing, his wisdom capsulized so clearly in his famous Pyramid of Success continues to guide new generations of athletes, coaches, and people of all walks of life. In The Greatest Coach Ever, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes features 40 tributes from athletes, coaches, and other influential leaders like Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Sue Semrau, Tony Dungy, Mike Singletary, Tamika Catchings, Joe Girardi, Jim Tressel and David Robinson playing honor to Coach Wooden and reflecting on how his example has challenged and changed them. Their stories can challenge and change your life, too. Coach Wooden appreciated the tributes and the honor of being called the greatest coach ever, but felt uncomfortable with the title. He was eager to see that this book points to the one whom he calls the greatest coach ever. I am happy being remembered as a man of integrity. I like that, --John Wooden, May 21 2010.