Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin launched his charitable foundation's first initiative, which aims at benefiting three Houston organizations that help underprivileged children. Lin hosted a gala Thursday evening heading into the NBA's All-Star Weekend for "The Making a Difference" project by his Jeremy Lin Foundation.

"I feel like this was always something that I wanted to do," said Lin, as reported by The Associated Press. "I didn't know I could do it at this level and be able to have a foundation and do an event like this."

"I've learned to understand what it means to have a platform and how to use that the right way," the outspoken Christian said. "I'm still learning what that means every day. I feel like this is a step forward in being able to use the attention that we (NBA players) are given from society to be able to bring it upon other people in need. more >>

Jeremy Lin rose to fame when he became a starter for the New York Knicks last February. While he is now wearing a Houston Rockets jersey and making fewer headlines in the sports world, the Christian guard is still thanking God for his opportunities.

After his first NBA start as a Knick last February, Lin managed to score 25 points and lead the New York team to a 7-game winning streak. The guard became the first player in NBA history to put up numbers of at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starting games, causing sports pundits, celebrities and fans to name him and the phenomenon "Linsanity."

One year later, the guard who now plays for the Houston Rockets opened up about the nostalgic year he underwent on his journey to Texas. more >>

Although some people poke fun at professional athletes like Ray Lewis, who glorified God throughout his journey to the Super Bowl, a new study has found that Americans look to these types of high-profile individuals more than they do to faith leaders for inspiration.

The Barna Group, a market research firm that specializes in studying religious beliefs among Americans and how they impact faith and culture, recently released a study claiming that athletes have more influence than pastors. An estimated two-thirds of Americans- about 64 percent- believe that professional athletes influence people in American society more than professional faith leaders, according to the report released on the Barna Group website.

This belief seems to be most prevalent among whites, parents, people who have graduated college and those who make more than $60,000 a year. However, some still believe that faith leaders impact their lives the most, including those who attend church weekly and take in earnings of less than $40,000 each year. more >>

Jeremy Lin may no longer be playing under the lights of Madison Square Garden, but his "Linsanity" is still being viewed in a new documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival recently.

Lin, 24-year-old Houston Rockets guard, rose to fame when the Christian athlete became a New York Knicks starter last February after all of the team's guards suffered from injuries. The guard became known as "Linsanity" when he became the first player in NBA history to put up numbers of at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starting games.

The "Linsanity" documentary made its debut at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Sunday. Evan Jackson Leong directed the project and first approached Lin about the opportunity to do so while he was playing for Harvard University. more >>

In the battle to combat immorality and instill certain values into professional sports, the Vatican says it wants NFL star Tim Tebow and NBA sensation Jeremy Lin on its team.

The Pontifical Council for Culture, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012, has announced its plans to host a "We Believe In Sports" international conference as a way to promote the instillation of good values in athletic events around the world, reports Catholic News Service.

Msgr. Melchor Sanchez de Toca Alameda, head of the council's Culture and Sport section, also hopes to provide examples of people who demonstrate that faith and sports are compatible, CNS reports, which is why the council has invited Christian athletes like Tebow, the New York Jets quarterback, and Lin, the Houston Rockets point guard, to the event. more >>

A mobile app studio in Los Angeles announced this week it is creating a series of Bible-based games and stories for children and has launched a crowd-sourced campaign to help fund the project. Well-known Christian leaders are supporting the campaign, including NBA star Jeremy Lin, LifeChurch.tv pastor Craig Groeschel, author of Crazy Love Francis Chan, Newsong Church pastor Dave Gibbons and nearly a dozen more featured on the campaign's Kickstarter page.

After experiencing the need firsthand for quality Christian apps directed at inspiring and entertaining kids, Emmy Award-winning creative director Jeff Matsuda and technology industry veteran Mike Su began the fundraising for their company, Deep Fried Manna. As the name implies, Deep Fried Manna seeks to create innovative and fun apps that teach biblical values by using games and stories.

"We as parents realized that when given a choice, our kids were increasingly choosing their iPads over traditional TV," explains Matsuda, the 42-year-old father of three, "yet there were so few apps out there that taught them about God." more >>