First Baptist Church-Zachary, LA
Seeking - Serving - Sharing

WASHINGTON (BP)--Mike Capps would have been so proud.
      This is what he and his son, Matt, used to talk about all those years ago at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium as they watched their hometown Braves. Matt would gawk at blasts by Dale Murphy and, later, Chipper Jones. He’d marvel at the way Greg Maddux painted the corners with the precision of a world-class artist, or the way John Smoltz conjured up fireballs from his fingertips.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (BP)--In the weeks leading up to the World Equestrian Games, competitors are not the only ones ramping up for the country's largest-ever equine event.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--"The World Cup is over, but South Africa is still here."

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--It's not your typical Africa.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--The feet seem to move furiously across the canvas, black swirls indicating a sense of near-frantic excitement.

CUMMING, Ga. (BP)--With dozens of kids toting Florida Gator signable footballs or miniature orange football helmets, or decked out in blue jerseys with "15" on the back -- and grown-ups wearing their game-day Gator shirts -- it could have been October in Gainesville, Fla.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP)--Playing for the second-youngest team in the NBA this past season, Kevin Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to win the league's scoring title when he finished the 2009-10 regular season averaging 30.1 points.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (BP)--Soccer was his passion and he wanted nothing more than to gain success in the game, even if it meant sacrificing his relationship with his parents.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--Ten stadiums, 32 nations, 64 matches, four weeks and one winner. They all add up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.

JUPITER, Fla. (BP)--One … two … three …
      As the pastor stepped to the pulpit, a young Adam Wainwright began counting.
      74 … 75 … 76 …
      The preaching continued, and so did the counting inside Wainwright’s head.

PRETORIA, South Africa (BP)--On a wintery day in Pretoria, South Africa's women's national soccer teams scrimmage with a squad of female soccer players from North America affiliated with Athletes in Action.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--"The atmosphere was incredible," said U.S. soccer fan Michael Williams from San Diego, "and that made it worth coming over, even with the loss."

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--While the world's focus has been on 32 national teams competing for the prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy, activities of high significance are taking place behind the scenes.

PRETORIA, South Africa (BP)--A key question often was posed to South African players during an Athletes in Action training camp in Pretoria held in conjunction with the World Cup competition.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--A team that prays together plays well together, or so it seems for Ghana’s national soccer team, the Black Stars, who have advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals.
      Of six African nations that qualified for the World Cup, Ghana is the only one still in the tournament. The Black Stars get their name from the country’s flag, which features a black star in its center amid three horizontal stripes -- red, yellow and green.
      “What I’ve noticed, more than anything, about the Black Stars is they are a team in every sense of the word,” writer Jeff Bradley noted in an article for ESPN The Magazine.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--It was all about goalie Tim Howard, an outspoken Christian, during the U.S. team's World Cup opening match against England on June 12. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
      In spite of a first-half injury to the ribs that left him in excruciating pain, Howard managed to stay on the field and ward off England's continuous attacks throughout the remainder of the game, a feat that earned him the "Man of the Match" title.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--The 2010 FIFA World Cup may well be a turning point for U.S. soccer.
      American fans purchased more tickets to the matches than those of any other country -- between 130,000 and 160,000. The U.S. television audience for the national team's World Cup appearances is the highest in history, with an estimated 14 million viewers tuning in to the highly anticipated June 12 match against England, which ended in a 1-1 tie. And, the U.S. now boasts 90 million enthusiasts involved in the sport.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--Several members of the U.S. National Team playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup are not shy about discussing their Christian faith. Following are quotes from five of them about their faith:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Some Christians have miraculous stories of how they came to know Christ. Some have found themselves in the deepest, darkest moments one could possibly imagine and realized there was nowhere left to turn but to a Higher Power.
      Clarence Goodson, a defender on the U.S. World Cup team, was not one of those stories.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP) – What’s been called the world’s greatest sporting event -- the FIFA World Cup -- kicked off in South Africa’s largest city on June 11.
      This is the first World Cup soccer tournament held on the African continent and is expected to draw a cumulative global television audience of over 26 billion.
      In the opening match, the host team, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, faced Mexico’s El Tri in Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium, built to resemble the traditional African pot called the calabash. The match began immediately following the opening ceremonies.