A Glimpse Into Babette, Emma, & Angie's Bible Study!

This month we have the amazing opportunity of highlighting Angie Robles & her teammate, Emma Smith! Both students are athletes on the women’s basketball team here at DU. Angie and Emma have been meeting with one of our volunteers, Babette James! Continue reading for the full interview!

Can you share about how you came to faith and your athletic background? Angie: I grew up in a semi-religious household. We would go to church occasionally, but I wouldn't say I was very devoted. My senior year of high school I was going through a tough time and started to befriend people who were more open about their faith. After hanging out with them and seeing what God did in their lives, I was eager to become more serious about my religion. I expressed this to my high school basketball coach at the time, and she became my mentor and helped me grow in my faith. We started doing bible studies together and she even gifted me a few devotional books that I still use today! Emma: I grew up going to church and was baptized around age 12. I believe I did not really understand the magnitude of that decision until much later. I joined FCA as a freshman in highschool but became much more involved in it in during my junior year where I stepped into a leadership position. My faith began to flourish as I realized who my true, genuine friends were and was able to live a life that honored Christ to the best of my ability. This made me truly realize the importance of having God in my life and how my athletic performance can improve by having this relationship as well. Athletes, like me, often put a lot of pressure on themselves toperform at a high level. While I still struggle with this today, it is such a relief knowing that my value does not come from the sport I play, but rather from God, the one who created me and placed me where I am today. This has shaped my perspective and has allowed me to play basketball with much more freedom which has in turn improved my athletic performance over the years.

What does it look like to meet with Babette? Can you provide stories and highlights? Angie: I absolutely love Babette! She is one of the most caring and loving human beings that I will probably meet in this lifetime. She welcomes me into her home every Monday night, and as we divulge into her amazing home cooked meals we are also divulging into the powerful Word of God. We have been through the book of James, Colossians, and we are currently in the middle of the book of Mark. Every session ends with prayer, either Babette prays over the entire group, or we each pray over one another.

Emma: Having Bible studies with Babette has been one of the biggest blessings since coming to DU. I love the close community we have created and just being able to be vulnerable and learn more about Jesus, while eating some delicious food and getting away from campus. Babette is so wise and always offers such good advice to all of us. I really appreciate how she takes the time to meet with us and open her home. She meets us exactly where we are, and I always leave encouraged and refreshed, ready to go into the week. What have been your biggest take-aways from being part of the DU FCA team?

Emma: The biggest take-aways from being part of the DU FCA team is to be aware and value the community around me. I absolutely love all the people at FCA just as I love those who do not attend, but being surrounded by people who worship and believe the God that I do makes those relationships stronger than with those who do not have that at the center. Additionally, I have been encouraged to not be afraid of sharing my faith, as many people in college are still searching for something to fill the void they have in their heart. Going to FCA has made me realize that many people just want to be invited and feel the warmth of God which we as Christians should be showing through the way we love and serve them.

Angie: God is the way, and the truth, and the life. I play and live my life all for the glory of God. Being a part of FCA has solidified that for me and has introduced me to a community of believers that help me grow in my faith. In your own words, can you describe what FCA is to you? What is it doing on campus? Emma: FCA means so much to me because of the community that is created through glorifyingGod. It is so comforting to know that there are other athletes who share the same values as me and are doing their best in their sport to bring glory to God through their actions. On my campus, I know that those who are in FCA are leaders on their teams and are great people in general. This brings light to our campus and hopefully people can see the difference in how we act, so we can point them to Jesus! Angie: FCA is a place where I can connect with other athletes and further explore my faith in Jesus Christ. It is a place where I feel understood and can talk about my experiences with people who are going through similar things.

Interview with Babette James

Can you share about your faith walk? I became a follower of Jesus at the age of 25. Prior to that I had attended church and believed in God but didn't know what it meant to give my life to Jesus. In those first few years of my faith walk the Lord graciously surrounded me with Godly women who helped me grow in my understanding of what it meant to walk with Jesus and live a Christ-like life. Throughout the past 35 years He has given me mentors and spiritual leaders who have helped me grow in my walk. That's one of the beautiful things about growing in Christ - it's an ongoing process!!

Why discipleship? At the end of Jesus' life on earth He told His disciples to "go into the world and make disciples..." I believe that call is for all of us who follow Jesus! Discipleship is the beautiful part of our faith walk where together we learn to read the Word, see the world from God's perspective, pray with and for each other, among other things. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision of your life. Being discipled is the way we learn to walk out our faith every day. As a disciple-maker, it is a joy and a privilege to get to come alongside people growing in their faith. What does it look like to meet with these students? There are so many examples in scripture of Jesus sharing a meal with those He was teaching and discipling. I have found that sharing a meal with the students in my groups is such a sweet way to love on them and a great way to nourish both body and spirit. I usually make a simple meal, spend some time catching up and then spend the rest of the time doing bible study and prayer. One of the highlights for me is when we pray for each other, and you can see the care they have for each other and the trust to ask for prayer from fellow athletes. I think some of that happens because of the off-campus, home-like environment where they can relax and be transparent. It is such a privilege to get to be part of that! How has volunteering & meeting with these students impacted your faith walk? I have experienced my own growth as I've been part of this discipleship ministry! I wasn't a college athlete, and I am the mother of sons so to get to experience these young female athletes stretches me and is so much fun! There are always times when I rely heavily on the Holy Spirit to give me good listening ears and the right words to say. There has been much growth for me in that area, too! I am amazed and thankful that the Lord has given me this opportunity to serve Him through being involved with this amazing ministry. He has so many ways to grow us, to put our gifts to work, to stretch us...I am grateful to have FCA be a part of that in my life.