SDG Athletics

The Christian life is not simply about knowing what God commands. It is about loving the God who has spoken and joyfully walking according to His Word.

In Episode 15 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland concludes the eight-week study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining the psalmist's final two commitments: Delight in God's Word and do not forget it.

Athletics has a way of revealing what we truly love. Competition, success, recognition, championships, and athletic achievement can all be good gifts from God. But when those gifts become our greatest source of joy, they begin occupying a place in our hearts that belongs to Christ alone.

This episode challenges athletes to remember Biblical truth when facing success, failure, and adversity; parents to keep their children's spiritual formation above athletic achievement; and coaches to remain faithful to their Biblical convictions even under the pressures of competition.

As this series concludes, we revisit all eight verses of Psalm 119:9–16 and the foundational principles we've studied: guarding our way, seeking God, storing His Word, remaining teachable, declaring His Truth, treasuring His testimonies, fixing our eyes on His ways, and delighting in His statutes.

This week's challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:16, review the entire passage, and honestly answer two questions:

Do I delight in God's Word?

Am I remembering God's Word in the way I live?

Athletic careers will end. Trophies will collect dust. Statistics will be forgotten. But the Word of God remains forever.

Delight in the Word. Do not forget His Word. And use everything God has entrusted to you for His glory.

Soli Deo Gloria

Where you consistently place your attention will influence the direction of your life.

In Episode 13 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining the psalmist’s commitment to meditate on God’s Word and fix his eyes on God’s ways.

Athletes live in a culture of constant comparison. Who is starting? Who is ranked higher? Who got the offer? Who is getting more attention? Parents face the same temptation as they compare their children, teams, training, and opportunities with everyone around them.

But Scripture calls Christians to something different: stop looking sideways and fix your eyes on the ways of God.

This episode challenges athletes to recognize that their performance does not define them, parents to pursue faithfulness rather than comparison, and coaches to direct athletes toward something greater than statistics, rankings, recognition, and success.

This week’s challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:15 and ask one honest question:

What has my attention?

Examine your thoughts, conversations, screen time, worries, and comparisons. Then determine whether those things are helping you fix your eyes on God—or pulling your attention away from Him.

Meditate on the Word. Guard your attention. Stop looking sideways.

Fix your eyes on Christ and eternity.

Soli Deo Gloria

Eventually, the way we live reveals what we truly value.

In Episode 11 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining the psalmist’s remarkable declaration that he delights in the way of God’s testimonies as much as in all riches.

Athletics has its own version of riches: championships, rankings, statistics, starting positions, scholarships, exposure, recognition, and success. None of these things are inherently wrong—but even good gifts become dangerous when they occupy a place in our hearts that belongs to God.

This episode challenges athletes to consider who they would be without their sport, parents to examine what their priorities are teaching their children to treasure, and coaches to evaluate the value systems their teams are actually creating.

The Christian life is not about reluctantly abandoning everything enjoyable. It is about discovering a greater treasure. Christ is better. His Word is better. Knowing Him and walking in His ways is worth more than anything athletics or this world can offer.

This week’s challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:14 and ask one honest question:

What does my life demonstrate that I treasure?

Enjoy athletics. Develop your gifts. Compete hard. Pursue excellence.

But treasure Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

What is stored in the heart will eventually come through the mouth.

In Episode 9 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the study through Psalm 119:9–16 as the focus shifts from receiving God's Word to declaring God's Word.

The psalmist has guarded his way according to Scripture, sought God with his whole heart, stored the Word within him, and asked the Lord to teach him. Now that Truth begins to come out: “With my lips I declare.”

This episode challenges athletes to consider what their words reveal during competition, coaches to recognize the tremendous influence their words carry, and parents to see everyday conversations—including the car ride home—as opportunities for discipleship.

Christian speech is about more than avoiding profanity, complaining, or tearing others down. Followers of Christ are called to speak Truth, encourage others, declare the goodness of God, and make Christ known.

This week's challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:13 and intentionally use your words to point at least one person toward Biblical Truth.

Know the Word. Store the Word. Live the Word. And speak the Truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

Great athletes understand the importance of being coachable. But there is a far greater question than whether we are teachable on the field: Are we teachable before God?

In Episode 7 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining the psalmist’s humble prayer: “Teach me your statutes.”

God is good, Holy, righteous, wise, and trustworthy. Therefore, His Word can be trusted completely. The Christian does not look to Scripture merely for suggestions—we come underneath its authority and allow God's Truth to correct our thinking, expose our sin, and direct the way we live.

This episode challenges athletes to remain coachable before God, parents to allow Scripture to shape how they steward their children and athletics, and coaches to examine whether their leadership truly reflects Biblical convictions.

This week's challenge is simple: memorize Psalm 119:12 and begin each day with the prayer, “Lord, teach me Your statutes.” Then open His Word, listen to what He has already said, and have the humility to obey.

Be teachable. Know the Word. Submit to the Word. Walk according to the Word.

Soli Deo Gloria

At SDG Baseball, we use baseball as an excuse for the Gospel. In this short training episode, we introduce GDS, our simple framework for helping coaches and athletes clearly and faithfully share the Gospel: God is holy. We deserve judgment because of our sin. God sent His Son to save sinners. We then call sinners to the biblical response of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Our goal is to equip our athletes not simply to know the Gospel, but to confidently proclaim it wherever God gives them the opportunity.

Athletes understand preparation. We practice, train, repeat movements, and prepare for situations before the pressure of competition arrives. Psalm 119:11 teaches us that the Christian life requires preparation too.

In Episode 5 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining what it means to store God's Word in our hearts.

The world tells athletes to “clear your mind” when pressure comes. Scripture gives us something better: fill your mind with Truth before the moment arrives.

When failure, success, fear, anger, jealousy, temptation, or disappointment comes, we need more than motivational phrases. We need God's Word already shaping the way we think.

This episode challenges athletes to treat Scripture memorization as spiritual training, parents to intentionally store Biblical Truth in their children, and coaches to develop a vocabulary rooted in Scripture that helps athletes interpret competition, pressure, success, and failure Biblically.

This week's challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:11 and identify one recurring area of struggle. Find Biblical Truth that addresses it, meditate upon it, and store it in your heart.

Don't meet the moment empty-handed. Fill your mind with Truth before the moment arrives.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Before building an athletic program, adding teams, entering tournaments, or pursuing the next opportunity, there is a more important question to answer:

Why do we exist?

In Episode 4 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues The SDG Approach with Foundation Two: Build the Mission Before the Ministry.

Without a clearly defined mission, even good opportunities can slowly determine the direction of a team, family, school, or organization. More teams, more tournaments, more exposure, more revenue, and more growth can look like success while quietly producing mission drift.

Athletics is the vehicle—not the destination.

This episode challenges coaches, parents, pastors, Christian schools, athletic directors, and organizational leaders to think beyond wins, scholarships, rankings, and athletic development. What kind of men and women are we actually trying to develop? Do our calendars, budgets, coaching standards, and priorities reflect that purpose?

For SDG Athletics, everything ultimately points toward one purpose:

Soli Deo Gloria.

Know what you believe. Know why you're building. Then make sure everything you build faithfully serves that mission.

There is a tremendous difference between movement and direction.

In Episode 3 of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland continues the eight-week study through Psalm 119:9–16 by examining two very different ways to live: seeking and wandering.

Athletes understand what it means to pursue something. We pursue improvement, starting positions, championships, recognition, and opportunities. But Psalm 119 asks a much greater question: What are you seeking with your whole heart?

This episode challenges athletes, parents, and coaches to examine what is truly driving their decisions. In a sports culture filled with pressure, comparison, fear, rankings, tournaments, and endless opportunities, it is possible to stay incredibly busy while spiritually wandering.

The Christian life is different. We have a direction. We have a purpose. And ultimately, we have Someone we are pursuing: Jesus Christ.

This week's challenge is to memorize Psalm 119:10 and honestly answer two questions:

What am I seeking?

Where am I wandering?

Sports will eventually end. Our goal is not simply to develop athletes who know where they're going on the field, but men and women who know where they're going in life.

Seek Christ with your whole heart. Don't wander.

Soli Deo Gloria

Before deciding what an athletic program should do, we first need to determine what we believe.

In this episode of the SDG Athletics Podcast, Cole Cleveland begins the 12-part SDG Approach series with its first foundation: Conviction Before Strategy.

Every coach, parent, team, school, and athletic organization operates from a philosophy—even if that philosophy has never been written down. Our calendars, budgets, priorities, sacrifices, reactions to losing, and definitions of success eventually reveal what we truly believe.

Biblical athletics cannot simply be secular sports culture with prayer, Bible verses, and Christian language added to it. If Jesus Christ is Lord over all of life, then our Biblical convictions must actually shape how we coach, compete, schedule, parent, lead, spend, develop athletes, and define success.

This episode challenges parents, coaches, pastors, Christian schools, athletic directors, and organizational leaders to ask a foundational question:

Do the athletic systems we have built actually reflect the convictions we claim to believe?

Before programs. Before tournaments. Before facilities. Before recruiting. Before strategy.

Start with conviction.

Because the goal isn't simply to build successful athletic programs. The goal is to faithfully steward athletics for the glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria.