Professional Christian Athletes Galore in St. Louis

We could take a deep look at the demographic of professional sports teams and what percentages there are of Christian Athletes per team and where they are at. However, what if you found a team where a high percentage of the players are Christian?

This can be found in the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals, one of those small market baseball teams that are in the playoff race year in and year out. Perhaps this routine of success is no coincidence. If a team is full of players that honor and glorify God, surely their success stems from something outside of simple skill.

One Christian on the team is Matt Holliday. Matt is an amazing outfielder who played college ball at Oklahoma State University. He had several good years with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the Oakland A's before the 2009 season. Halfway through that year Matt was having his worst statistical year in his professional career. And then he was traded to St. Louis where he turned it completely around and helped lead them to the playoffs. Here is a video of his testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ.

Another player on the Cardinals that is a Christian is All Star Pitcher Adam Wainwright. Wainwright made a name for himself during the Cardinals World Series run several years ago. Now he is a staple and the leader of the Cardinals very good pitching staff. His testimony is below.

And finally Albert Pujols is a Christian too. In fact, he's one of the best all around athletes in all of sports. He's won multiple MVP awards, a World Series and he is a phenomenal leader on and off the field. As far as professional athletes that are Christian, he's definitely one of the finest.

Jake Peavy: Dynamite Arm, Tender Soul

“People see Christians on platforms and think they don’t make mistakes, but that’s where Christianity is. Even when we’re failing, it is so that Christ can display His strength in our weakness.” 

And thus we tell the story of Jake Peavy, one of the best strikeout pitchers of the last decade, who lives a flawed life just like the rest of us, but through this flawed life he looks to glorify God.

As Christians we know how hard the struggle can be. The look of a beautiful young girl can pervert the thoughts in our heads. The gossip around the water cooler or PTA meetings can lead us to anger. Or in Jake Peavy's case, running late and being hassled by airport security.

Jake Peavy woke up late one morning and was in a hurry. He left his wife and children at home and hustled to the airport. As he unloaded his van, filled with tons of bags, he was approached by the airport security and told that he needed to move his van, that it was illegal for the van to sit there without someone in the drivers seat. Peavy, who was in a hurry, told the security that he would after he unloaded the last few bags. The security said do it now. Peavy said call a real cop. Security did and he was put in jail.

What happened next was typical. He called his wife who bailed him out. Peavy went back to the airport and caught a later flight to the Dominican Republic so that he could teach children about Jesus and baseball.

We all have those moments where we are quick to anger. Sports athletes are no different. However, Peavy believes God used this situation to draw attention to Peavy's mission. The publicity of his arrest led to publicity of where he was going and what he was going for. Peavy had more in attendance because of his arrest, which means more hearing the Word of God.

Let's all try to remember how to turn any mistake into a way to Glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Enjoy the video.