In this episode of Stories of His Glory, Ryne and Evan interview Scott Knowlen. Scott is a long time wrestling coach at Bismarck High School, a member of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and an Area-Representative for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Bismarck-Central North Dakota.

In this episode, Scott shares the amazing story of how God used moments of pain and heartache to ultimately draw Scott closer to Him.

Faced the choice of chasing after the comforts the world provides or leaning into a relationship with the loving God who is chasing after us, Scott lays out the decision he made that changed his life forever.

Verse of the Day:

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." - 1 Peter 1:6-7

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

From the football field to the mission field, Moreno’s story is a powerful picture of what it means to follow Jesus. Once a professional football player in Madagascar, a sudden illness ended his athletic career. Through that loss, God called Moreno into a life of ministry and disciple-making.

In this episode, Moreno shares how Jesus transformed his life and how God is using sports to reach the island of Madagascar. From launching football clubs, the disciple-making power of Multiply Schools, and the power that a single ball has to reach unreached people groups with the Gospel, Moreno’s story reminds us that faith grows strongest when we trust God in the unknown.

Be encouraged by this powerful testimony of obedience, courage, and the unstoppable mission of God through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes around the world.

In This Episode:

• Pray for Multiply School, as Moreno and his team train and disciple coaches across Madagascar.
• Pray for provision for a permanent ministry house and venue to host trainings and prayer gatherings.
• Pray for more workers to join the harvest as FCA continues to grow throughout the nation.

Verse of the Day:

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

In this episode of Stories of His Glory, we sit down with Jeff Martin, Chief Strategy Officer for FCA and founder of Fields of Faith.

Jeff shares the powerful story of how God used his concerns for the next generation, a passage from 2 Chronicles 34, and the boldness of students to spark a movement that now spans across the nation.

From experiences in his own faith journey to lessons learned in ministry and leadership, Jeff explains how one moment of obedience can create not just a ripple effect, but a wave of transformation in the hearts of young people.

Topics include:

• Jeff’s personal faith story and call to ministry
• The early days of FCA and the heart behind Fields of Faith
• How God used a student’s courage (and a samurai sword!) to inspire thousands
• Why uniting the local church matters more than ever
• Encouragement for anyone called to step out in faith

Verse of the Day:

"Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the Lord, the God of their ancestors." - 2 Chronicles 34:33b

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

What does it look like when a teacher/coach fully embraces God’s calling to invest in middle school students? In this powerful episode, Chad Even shares his journey from growing up as a sports-driven kid, to hearing God’s voice calling him to go to Trinity Bible College, to discovering his passion for teaching, coaching, and helping kids grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Chad opens up about:

• The moment God told him where to go to college and how it changed the course of his life.
• Walking away from basketball when it was no longer his identity.
• Why middle schoolers matter and how he sees and connects with students during such a transformational time in their lives.
• The challenges of leading FCA through COVID and the incredible story of growth at Wachter Middle School.
• How students are boldly sharing their faith through sharing “The Four” bracelets and Bibles with their friends.

This conversation is a testimony of God’s faithfulness and a reminder that students today are hungry for the gospel. Whether you’re a teacher, coach, parent, or mentor, Chad’s story will inspire you to see the impact of saying “yes” to God’s call.

Verse of the Day:

"Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.  Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” - Matthew 9:37-38

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

For much of her life, basketball was at the center of Alys Seay’s world. But after years of striving, pressure, and fear of failure, Alys discovered that God wasn’t calling her to perfection, He was calling her to surrender. In this conversation, Alys traces her journey through basketball, the challenges of being a collegiate athlete, a radical season of overseas missions, and her work today as both a medical professional and an FCA volunteer disciple-maker.

Listen to Alys reflect on how God reshaped her story from striving for success to living surrendered for His glory.

In this episode:

• The pressures of college athletics and performance anxiety
• Discovering freedom through surrendering to God’s plan
• How God redirected her through the World Race missions trip
• The power of community, discipleship, and speaking life into others
• Living out faith intentionally in medicine and mentoring college athletes

Verse of the Day:

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

_____

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

At just 13 years old, Brian Conklin’s dream of pitching in the Major Leagues ended in an instant with a devastating shoulder injury. The game he loved was gone. But in that moment, God was building something greater.

Today, Brian is a former Nebraska Cornhusker basketball player and serves as FCA’s Northland Regional Vice President. His pitching injury shifted his focus to a lifelong mission to reach others in sports with the Gospel. Brian learned that sports can never be God, but they can be an incredible tool to glorify Him.

In this episode, Brian unpacks:

• Why brokenness can be the birthplace of faith.
• The danger of making sports an idol and how Christ offers true hope.
• How discipleship shaped his life more than stats or trophies ever could.
• The incredible story of his parents’ salvation in Luxembourg and its ripple effect.
• What 21 years of FCA ministry has taught him about humility, leadership, and daily dependence on Christ.

Brian’s story will encourage athletes, coaches, and anyone navigating disappointment to see how God’s sovereignty works for His glory and our good.

Verse of the Day:

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" - Galatians 4:8-9

_____

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

No matter what arena of life he's in, pastor and coach Chad Hammontree desires to give all his breath in worship to Jesus. From growing up as a pastor's kid in Florida to playing college football in North Dakota, Chad shares how God shaped his identity from being wrapped up in sports to being firmly rooted in Christ.

Chad's story takes us from the Florida Gators to long snapping trick shots, from bounty hunting to a radical encounter with the Holy Spirit that redirected his life into full-time ministry. Today, Chad pours his energy into pastoring, coaching, and discipling the next generation - logging miles with young athletes both on and off the field.

In This Episode:

• Chad's journey of identity from football player to Child of God
• The night at Trinity Bible College that changed everything
• How God has used Chad's coaching as a powerful discipleship tool
• The balance between being competitive on the field and compassionate off it
• Understanding how God wired him and how to use that passion as a coach
• Stories of lasting impact from former athletes
• The role of worship in our daily lives

Verse of the Day:

" Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people," – Colossians 3:23

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

Coach Tommy Butler brings passion, honesty, and heart. From a middle school kid who shut down in school and cheated to survive, to now being a husband, father, and coach who leads with conviction and compassion, this is the story of a life turned upside down by Jesus.

In this episode, Tommy opens up about his life as an athlete, his early coaching career, and how God met him in a moment of total surrender. Now, whether he’s on the sideline, in the classroom, or at home with his daughter, everything he does is driven by the love of Jesus.

In This Episode:

• Finding success as an athlete when growing up in Oregon
• How the seeds of faith were planted by coaches and teammates
• The moment he surrendered his life to Christ
• The growth of his faith even through difficult times in his life
• Understanding how God wired him and how to use that passion as a coach
• How being a father taught him more about the Father’s love than he ever expected
• Why he doesn't have a single, blue item in his entire closet.

Verse of the Day:

" But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." – Romans 5:8

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

In this unforgettable episode, we hear the story of Ev and Teri Nelson, a couple whose lives were radically changed by the grace of Jesus, decades into their marriage and careers. From small-town North Dakota beginnings to decades of coaching and mentoring, the Nelsons share how God patiently pursued them through the ordinary and tough times in their lives.

His encounter with Christ transformed how Ev viewed his purpose as a coach and Teri shares about discovering true faith after years of striving and how God invited her into deeper purpose she never imagined, working with college athletes through FCA.

This episode is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late for God to write a new chapter in your story and that He often uses ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference.

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.

In this episode, we sit down with retired educator and coach Rudy Steidl, a deeply respected leader in the Bismarck school system. Rudy shares his journey from Valley City to Bismarck High School and how a faithful coach and a powerful encounter at an FCA camp shaped his life forever.

In This Episode:

• The coach who inspired Rudy to pursue teaching and coaching
• His first trip to FCA Camp in 1970—and how it changed everything
• The quiet yet powerful faith modeled by his parents
• How carrying his Bible became part of who he is
• The ripple effect of his legacy through decades of service

Verse of the Day:

"4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Philippians 4:4-8

Resources:

💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org

🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate

☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND

Call to Action:

If this story encouraged you, share it with a coach, athlete, or friend.

🎧 Follow the show so you never miss more stories of how Jesus is transforming lives through the world of sports.

🙏 Leave a review and help us declare the glory of Jesus Christ everywhere.