Bethany House, 2006, 176 pp., $10.99,
bethanyhouse.com
“Do not underestimate the power of athletes to influence lives,” sportswriter Dave Branon writes at the beginning of his sports devotional book, Undefeated. Branon shares his own personal experience with role models to illustrate this point. The book goes on to discuss a number of important concepts, such as redemption, humility, honoring the elderly and compassion. The power of these devotionals comes from seeing these different concepts embodied in more than 40 Christian athletes, such as Albert Pujols, Shaun Alexander, Darrell Waltrip, Laura Wilkinson and Chris Paul. The 38 devotionals give ample room for reflection, as readers consider how God has worked in the lives of athletes they can look up to. While the Bible is involved in some of the stories, it is unfortunately relegated to several short quotations at the end of each testimony. Teens will enjoy reading the inspirational stories, but don’t count on this devotional book to help them find their place in the story of the Bible.
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Review by: John Dunham, writer, International Bible Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
