Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Cram, stuff and fill to overflowing all the drive, discipline, commitment, devotion, hard work, enthusiasm and faithfulness you can into a 5-foot-7 athletic frame and what do you get? Kedra Holland-Corn. This Sacramento Monarch’s guard could be the poster gal for Colossians 3:23, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

Kedra’s natural ability in basketball was discovered in her youth in Houston, but she has invested hours and years since then honing and refining her technique. Because of her discipline and hard work, she is ranked in two WNBA top-10 lists: third in three-point field goals made with 59; and ninth in steals per game with 1.75. She also is ranked 11th in three-point field goal percentage with .393.

In high school Kedra had it all, at least according to society’s measuring stick. She could choose to play basketball at any college around the country, and had attracted media attention and accolades galore. There was a void in her life, however, during a time when she should have been on top of the world. Because of the influence of her great-grandma, a Christian woman who taught Kedra at a young age the importance of knowing Jesus, she realized that the missing piece (and peace) was having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “So on Sept. 6, 1993, I began my journey of allowing Christ to be captain of my life, leading and directing me in the direction He wanted me to go,” she remembers.

Following high school, she continued to perfect her game at Georgia, gaining a reputation for three-point shooting. There she earned First-Team All –SEC honors, and was named to the Associated Press All-American third team. She also was selected to the 1995 NCAA All-Midwest Regional Team, and was a member of the Championship 1997 USA Women’s World University Games, and the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival Teams.

Holland-Corn makes the most of the opportunities God provides. Her athletic achievements attest to that. But playing professional basketball is her career, one of the things she loves to do. Her relationship with Jesus puts sports in perspective for her by helping her realize that “It’s Just a Game.” She says, “If all is well with Him and our relationship, all is well in my life…. If all is not right with the Lord I begin to allow the game to control me and my life.” In the final analysis she says, “God is not going to ask me how many points I scored…. He will be concerned about what I did for Him while I was here.”

Principle: When you’re on top of the world you’d better check to see what’s under you!

Platform: Isaiah 33:6, “He (The Lord) will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”

Process: Kedra Holland-Corn is a prime example of a Prime Example! Guys and gals alike can watch, listen and learn a lot from her. Wouldn’t it be great if by watching, listening and learning a person instantly could become a mature successful Christian like her? At first glance her life looks pretty easy – not one mention of any heartache, suffering, disease, abandonment, poverty or even one of those seven deadly sins (Proverbs 6:16-19)!

ASK: Do you think it is easier to seek God for someone who is on top of the world or for someone whose life is falling apart at the seams? Give reasons for your answers, and a Bible passage if possible.

Actually, there is no right answer to that question, but there is a GREAT truth just begging to be uncovered. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” The fact that we seek God doesn’t even start with us, it starts with Him!

Kedra had a void in her life that no honor or achievement could fill. She was rich in the world’s eyes, but bankrupt spiritually. She recognized this emptiness for what it was, the God-shaped vacuum He has placed in each of us, which only He can fill. With the childhood influence of her great-grandma to help guide her towards Christ, Kedra cooperated with what God initiated.

ASK: What has God been initiating to draw you closer to Him? How have you been cooperating, or not?

Isaiah 33:6 speaks of a storehouse of riches, the key and a treasure. Sounds like something Hollywood could get carried away with. Thankfully, God fills out the passage with His instruction and promises. Kedra is a prime example of a mature Christian at a youthful age because she has followed this instruction and received the promises.

ASK: What is the instruction in this verse? (To fear the Lord.) What are the promises if the instruction is obeyed? (God will be your source of salvation, wisdom and knowledge, and the sure foundation for your times.)

NOTE: Wisdom, which comes only from God, is knowledge guided by spiritual understanding and moral integrity. Knowledge carries with it the sense of knowing through an intimate experience with, and understanding of, someone. To be promised salvation, wisdom and knowledge is to be received into a holy and personal relationship with God, Who becomes the sure foundation for your times.

READ Matthew 7:24-27. ASK: What is the rock in this passage? The sand? The house? The storm? What are some differences between building on riches and building on salvation, wisdom and knowledge? Why did Kedra choose God when she had everything to make her content and happy? What are you building on? Have you checked lately to see how stable it is under you? How can you tell?

No matter how strong, secure and stable your “house” (your life) looks on the outside, if a right relationship with God is not your foundation, you face eternal destruction. Kedra’s faith keeps her focused. That’s what a firm foundation does!

Close by reading Isaiah 55:6-7. Present the Gospel (found in FCA's Student Bible, pgs. FCA 15-20). Give people opportunity to ask questions and make decisions for Christ. Meet privately as needed for further encouragement and instruction.

Personalize: Think of as many opposites of the word “cooperate” as you can. (Example: complain, rebel, be stubborn, argue, get even, take over, want your own way, etc.) Do any describe you at this time in life? Consider how you may be rejecting what God is initiating to draw you closer to Him. If that’s the case, humbly repent and submit to His love and will for your life. Remember, to fear the Lord is to have a deep sense of respect and awe at His Holiness, which must result in obedience to Him. Only then will you enjoy the blessings of His promises!