Operation Take the Land: A Practical & Spiritual Warfare Training Guide for Christian Student-Athletes Fighting for a College Scholarship

Many high school student-athletes make the mistake of focusing solely on developing their athletic ability to attract a scholarship when the real challenge to achieving their dreams is actually through building character and personal development skills. Every year, countless high school seniors fail to receive scholarship offers, not because they weren’t talented enough but simply because they lacked mentorship in acquiring the necessary intangibles of success. While addressing often overlooked principles such as Establishing Priorities, Handling Adversity, and Maintaining Accountability, this book gives a realistic view of how the student-athlete lifestyle should be carried out from a faith-based perspective. Readers of this training guide will learn how to:

• Discover how their relationship with the Lord is their ultimate resource in achieving their dreams of earning an athletic scholarship…
• Organize and manage their career as a Christian student-athlete…
• Build the character and personal development skills college coaches look for…
• Identify and avoid the most common mistakes that could prevent them from reaching their highest potential…
• Capitalize on the successes and failures of a former Division-1 student-athlete…

Like many teenagers, Alton Darling grew up with the dream of earning a college scholarship as a student-athlete and ultimately making it to the professional level. As a member of back-to-back state championship teams in basketball at Gainesville High School, as well as being a two-time all-state performer in football, it appeared Alton had a bright future ahead of him in sports.

While he was certainly talented enough athletically to stand out among his peers, to the shock of many, he chose to prematurely end his playing career at the collegiate level due to issues of adversity he experienced off the field and court. To prevent others from making the same mistake, his mission is to mentor a new generation of like-minded Christian student-athletes to become fully equipped for the rigors of pursuing an athletic scholarship. What’s unique in his approach is that he teaches personal development skills while also presenting the Gospel of Christ in a creative fashion.