Sports Spectrum Magazine - Fall 2019 by Sports Spectrum

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CONTENTS

$18, 4 ISSUES (PRINT)

14 — College Football Primer

For information on subscriptions, back issues, discount bulk issues, or changing your subscription address: Web site: www.sportsspectrum.com/magazine/ Phone: 1-866-821-2971 Mail: 640 Plaza Drive, Suite 110, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Email: support@sportsspectrum.com General correspondence, Letter to the Editor, or Writer’s Query No unsolicited manuscripts, please E-mail: support@sportsspectrum.com Permissions, Reprints Phone: 1-866-821-2971 E-mail: support@sportsspectrum.com COVER • PHOTO CREDITS: Top - Brandon Williams (Mike Buscher/Cal Sport Media); left - Justin Simmons (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri); right - Wesley Woodyard (AP/Jeff Haynes); bottom - Devin McCourty (AP/Winslow Townson)

“Heart of a Coach” and “Heart of an Athlete” are registered trademarks of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and used with permission.

PUBLISHER Sports Spectrum Media PRESIDENT Steve Stenstrom

VP OF MINISTRY OPERATIONS Howard Haworth MANAGING EDITOR Jon Ackerman, jon@sportsspectrum.com ART DIRECTOR Aaron Dean Sauer, aaron@sportsspectrum.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Becky York PODCAST HOST/PRODUCER Jason Romano DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Jimmy W. Page CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Joshua Doering, Kevin Mercer, Jimmy H. Page, Joshua Pease, Reza Zadeh CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Lauren Atherton BUSINESS OPERATIONS Jacob House, Tricia Hudson COPY EDITOR Lori Stenstrom

Sports Spectrum Global is a multimedia ministry with the purpose to impact people by connecting faith and sports in a relevant way, ultimately directing people, with resources for discipleship, toward a personal, loving God who demands Christ-centered lives. Printed in USA. Copyright © 2019 by Sports Spectrum Media. Bible quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPORTS SPECTRUM, 640 Plaza Dr., Ste 110, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Predictions, storylines, quarterbacks to watch, games to watch

18 — NFL Preview Predictions, standings and awards

19 — Defenders For Christ

In addition to performing as defensive leaders in the NFL, they live their lives as defenders for Christ.

20 — Way Bigger Than Super Bowls Devin McCourty 22 — Accepted And Acknowledged Brandon Williams 24 — Captain Chaplain Wesley Woodyard 26 — Finding His Value Justin Simmons 28 — Transformational Teacher Derwin Gray 30 — Building Up The Bears

As Chicago rode a stout defense to its first playoff appearance in eight years, a strong community was forming in team chapels and Bible studies. Throw in some fuel from a stinging playoff loss and the Bears are eager to build on the foundation laid last year.

34 — NFL Wives In The Word

Behind the men playing on Sundays are often wives living the same transient life. Many of those women are building community through a Bible study distributed across much of the NFL.

36 — Content In The Chaos

She’s a professional soccer player, an NFL wife, and a new mother. As long as she’s centered on Christ, Cheyna Matthews has learned to love her family’s life on the go.

40 — Pinning Down An Identity

U.S. wrestler Kyle Snyder is not defined by wins or losses, but some significant defeats have shaped him into the man he is: an Olympic and world champion fully committed to Christ

44 — The Increase Devotionals Messages from professional athletes, chaplains and leaders

62 — The Pursuit: Drop The Weight By Jimmy Page

63 — Victory Beyond Competition: What Does Audience of One Really Mean? By Reza Zadeh

+ PLUS

4 - By the Numbers | 6 - Around the Spectrum | 8 - Sports Spectrum Digital | 10 - Heart of an Athlete & Coach | 64 - Gospel Message Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for current news and updates!

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PATRIOTS REIGN

Confetti rained down last season on the New England Patriots after their victory in Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams. Will the Pats claim title No. 7 on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami? Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always among the favorites. Check out our 2019 NFL season preview starting on page 14. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

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BY THE NUMBERS

432 39 8 539 100 Years of existence for the NFL in 2019. Season #100 begins Sept. 5 and concludes with Super Bowl LIV Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami.

Number of career passing TDs held by Peyton Manning, a record likely to be broken in 2019 by Drew Brees (needs 19 more) and/or Tom Brady (needs 22 more).

Record number of medals won by American Caeleb Dressel at the 2019 world swimming championships (6 gold, 2 silver). He won 7 golds at the 2017 Worlds.

Homers by 2019 MLB leader Christian Yelich (through 8/8), already a personal career high for the reigning NL MVP who’s on pace for an even better season.

Combined number of strikeouts for 2019 MLB leaders Gerrit Cole (226) and Justin Verlander (206, through 8/8) of Houston. In 2002, Arizona’s Randy Johnson (334) and Curt Schilling (316) combined for 650.

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AP Photos/ David Richard, David Zalubowski, Kathy Willens, Gene J. Puskar, Jeff Roberson

BY THE NUMBERS

2.6BILLION 1BILLION 72,548 4:55 15 Years of age for American Coco Gauff, Wimbledon’s youngest player who advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to No. 7 Simona Halep, who went on to win the title.

Hours and minutes needed for No. 1 Novak Djokovic to defeat No. 2 Roger Federer in the men’s Wimbledon final, the Serbian’s 16th career Grand Slam. The fifth set alone lasted 2 hours, 2 minutes.

Estimated TV viewers worldwide for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, according to FIFA.

AP Photos/ Lee Jin-man, Ben Curtis, Tim Ireland, Andrea Smith, David Vincent, Aijaz Rahi

Atlanta United’s attendance vs. L.A. Galaxy on Aug. 3, a new single-game regularseason MLS record. Atlanta owns the league’s top nine single-game regular-season crowds all time.

Estimated video views worldwide for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, according to ICC.

BY THE NUMBERS www.sportsspectrum.com

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THESPECTRUM SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS FIRST-TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPS\\ St. Louis celebrated its first NHL championship in June when the Blues beat Boston, 4-1, in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The victory ended a 51-year championship drought, which was tied for the longest in NHL history. And it completed a remarkable in-season turnaround. On Jan. 3, the Blues sat in the NHL basement at 1518-4. Five months later, they hoisted the Stanley Cup. Ryan O’Reilly was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP, and the official title-winning goal came late in the first on a backhanded shot from Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo.

BACK-TO-BACK WORLD CHAMPS\\

FIRST-TIME NBA CHAMPS\\ Toronto became the first non-U.S. team to win the NBA championship when the Raptors took down the vaunted Golden State Warriors in June’s NBA Finals, riding MVP Kawhi Leonard’s 30.5 points over 24 playoff games. His 732 total points were the third-most in NBA history behind Michael Jordan’s 759 in 1992 and LeBron James’ 748 in 2018. It marked the Raptors’ first NBA Finals appearance, which came after reaching just their second Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto was eliminated by the Lebron-led Cleveland Cavaliers each of the previous three postseasons, getting swept in 2017 and 2018. 6

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CRICKET’S HOST NATION WORLD CHAMPS\\

In what has been described as one of the greatest and most dramatic matches in cricket history, England defeated New Zealand in July’s 2019 Cricket World Cup final. Both teams were tied at 241 runs at the end of regulation play, forcing the first Super Over (like a baseball extra inning) in World Cup history. The squads remained tied after the Super Over; thus, the match was determined by a tiebreaker called the boundary count back rule. England scored 26 boundaries (like a baseball home run) to New Zealand’s 17, and thus won its first ever Cricket World Cup. TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

BASKETBALL | BASEBALL | FOOTBALL | SOCCER | HOCKEY

Top to bottom: AP Photos/Steve Luciano, Ben Margot, Charles Krupa, Matt Dunham

A resounding run to a fouth Women’s World Cup title was secured in July by the U.S. women with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final. The Americans already had won more titles than any other team, but became the first nation to win back-toback World Cups. They won the 2019 championship with a record 26 goals, never trailed in the tournament, and extended their World Cup winning streak to 12 games (dating back to 2015). Three-time World Cup champ and three-time Olympian Tobin Heath gave “all glory to God” on social media after her team’s latest triumph.

THESPECTRUM SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS

DOUBLE BACK-TO-BACK GOLF CHAMP\\ With his two-stroke victory in May’s PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka became the first golfer in history to hold back-to-back titles in two majors at the same time. He claimed the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018, and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019 (prior to the 2019 U.S. Open being played). Only three other golfers have successfully defended two different majors in a career. The 29-year-old Koepka also became the only current golfer under 30 with at least four major championships, and the PGA win also returned Koepka to the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES BASEBALL CHAMPS\\

Top to bottom: AP Photos/Nati Harnik, Alonzo Adams, Julio Cortez, Ringo H.W. Chiu

After setting an SEC record for wins (23) and sweeping the conference regularseason and tournament titles, Vanderbilt added national champions to the list of accomplishments after defeating Michigan in June. It’s Vandy’s second national championship (first was in 2014). The Commodores’ run to the College World Series Finals was expected; Michigan’s was not. The Wolverines were one of the last four teams selected for the 64-team NCAA postseason tournament, but became the first Big Ten representative in the CWS Finals since Ohio State in 1966. Then they won Game 1 of the three-game series, but fell 4-1 and 8-2 in Games 2 and 3.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS\\ The country’s top two softball squads marched to June’s Women’s College World Series Finals, pitting No. 1 Oklahoma against No. 2 UCLA. OU was a dominant 49-2 on the season, riding a record 39-game winning streak into the postseason. But one of those regular-season defeats was to the 46-5 Bruins, who shocked the Sooners again in the CWS Finals. UCLA clobbered OU 16-3 in Game 1, then clinched its 13th national championship on a two-out walk-off single in Game 2. OU had won two of the previous three NCAA titles, but couldn’t keep the Bruins from winning their first since 2010.

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NBA OFFSEASON CHAMPS\\

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the L.A. Clippers ... Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets … Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to the L.A. Lakers … Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets … Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder … Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics … Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat … D’Angelo Russell to the Golden State Warriors … Derrick Rose to the Detroit Pistons … Andre Iguodala and Dwight Howard to the Memphis Grizzlies … J.J. Redick and Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans … Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz … SPORTS SPECTRUM

GOLF | SOFTBALL | OLYMPICS | TENNIS | RACING

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WHERE SPORTS AND FAITH CONNECT

.COM

For your daily sports and faith content — such as news, videos and devotionals — visit SportsSpectrum.com

By Jon Ackerman

TOBIN HEATH GLORIFIES GOD IN HELPING U.S. WOMEN WIN ANOTHER WORLD CUP TITLE

With its 2-0 victory over the Netherlands on July 7, the U.S. women’s national team secured its second straight World Cup title, and record fourth overall. U.S. captain Megan Rapinoe, who was awarded the Golden Ball (top player) and Golden Boot (top scorer), scored on a penalty kick in the second half, and Rose Lavelle later added a second goal. With a record 26 goals, the Americans never trailed in the tournament, and extended their World Cup winning streak to 12 games (dating back to 2015). Among the U.S.’s starting 11 for the final was Tobin Heath, the 31-year-old forward who started six of the team’s matches in France, recording one assist. On July 8, Heath gave “all glory to God” in an Instagram post. This marked her third World Cup, as Heath was also a key part of the 2011 U.S. World Cup team (which lost in the final to Japan) and the 2015 U.S. World Cup squad (which defeated Japan in the final). Heath is also a three-time Olympian, helping the Americans to gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Games, before a quarterfinal loss in 2016. Through it all, Heath — who stars professionally for the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and won three NCAA titles with North Carolina — has shared her faith in Christ. “I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian home and an awesome family,” she told Beliefnet in 2011. “Our family was just really passionate about Jesus. I had a great experience growing up. Like many kids, I wanted to do my own thing so it wasn’t until around the end of high school and start of college that I started to develop my own faith. I stopped piggy backing off of my family’s [faith] and wanted to figure out what it was all about. I got super interested in things and obviously from there it’s just grown. “Like anyone who has a relationship [with Jesus] knows, the coolest thing about it is that it’s infinite how much you can learn and begin to understand. It’s something that grabbed me.” Heath has long spoke publicly about her relationship with God, realizing the platform she’s been given through soccer is a blessing... To read the rest of this story, search “Tobin Heath” on SportsSpectrum.com. 8 8

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VOICE OF THE CHRISTIAN ATHLETE

THE INCREASE

.COM

For more stories from the lives of athletes, all pressing toward the goal found in John 3:30, visit TheIncrease.com.

RECENT VIDEOS OF ATHLETES LIVING IN THE INCREASE SAM ACHO

“If you’re going to spread the Gospel to somebody and share good news with them, you have to love them … When I think of evangelism I think of two words: passion and love.”

To watch this video, search “Sam Acho” on TheIncrease.com.

KYLE GIBSON

“As you dig into it and really listen to other people who are doing an amazing job empowering people and giving them the confidence, you kind of realize, everybody is an evangelist and has a duty for evangelism.”

To watch this video, search “Kyle Gibson” on TheIncrease.com. www.sportsspectrum.com

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2019 2019

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRIMER PRIMER

BY JASON ROMANO & JON ACKERMAN

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

1. CLEMSON 2. ALABAMA 3. MICHIGAN 4. OKLAHOMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ALABAMA OVER OKLAHOMA HEISMAN WINNER: TUA TAGOVAILOA, ALABAMA QB DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DERRICK BROWN, AUBURN DT COACH OF THE YEAR: LINCOLN RILEY, OKLAHOMA

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AP Photo/David J. Phillip

ACC - CLEMSON BIG TEN - MICHIGAN BIG 12 - OKLAHOMA PAC-12 - OREGON SEC - ALABAMA BEST GROUP OF 5 TEAM - CENTRAL FLORIDA

STORYLINES STORYLINES Will anyone dethrone Alabama and Clemson?

They’ve combined to win the past four national titles (two each), one of them has ended the regular season at No. 1 every year of the College Football Playoff era, and they’re 1-2 in all the 2019 preseason rankings. Oklahoma is a popular pick to challenge.

Can Trevor Lawrence do it again? As a freshman last year, he took Clemson’s QB1 spot from a senior after four weeks, then led the Tigers to a crushing of Alabama in the title game. Now a true sophomore, there’s plenty of film for opponents to study, but he’s a leading Heisman candidate.

Which transfer QB will stand out? Can Ohio State keep winning? Top to bottom: AP Photos/ Jeff Chiu, David J. Phillip, Jay LaPrete, Sue Ogrocki, John Amis

Jalen Hurts went from Alabama to Oklahoma; Kelly Bryant from Clemson to Missouri; Brandon Wimbush from Notre Dame to UCF. Hurts has the best shot at a national title, but all three hope to maximize their last year of eligibility.

The Buckeyes haven’t lost more than two games in a season since 2012, when Coach Urban Meyer took over. He’s now retired and Ryan Day is in charge — and the expectations remain high for a program that feels it should have won more than one title under Meyer.

Is Georgia Southern a new power?

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GSU enters its sixth season at Division I and wants to hang with the big boys after its first 10-win season. Head coach Chad Lunsford, a follower of Christ, led the Eagles to a Camellia Bowl win in his first full season in charge. They open 2019 at LSU.

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QUARTERBACKS TO WATCH Tua Tagovailoa Alabama @Tuaamann

Trevor Lawrence Clemson @Trevorlawrencee

Two years, two title games for Tua — but only one championship. He came off the bench to help Alabama win the 2017-18 championship, saying “All glory goes to God” afterward. The junior is now the unquestioned Crimson Tide starter and leading Heisman candidate.

After leading Clemson to a national title as a true freshman, Lawrence will feel pressure this year for another championship, as he also handles Heisman expectations. But as he pursues all that, he’ll also be “Pursuing Him at all costs,” as he says on social media.

Brady White Memphis @BradyWhite223 Memphis is looking for its sixth straight bowl game and will ride its senior QB, who transferred from Arizona State after 2017. White, who calls himself a “Son of God,” finished his first season as a Tiger with 3,296 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Fromm, as a true freshman, helped the Bulldogs to the title game vs. Alabama in 2017, but they finished 11-3 with a Sugar Bowl loss last year. Georgia is a 2019 preseason playoff pick by many, and led by the junior QB, who says, “All praise to the One and only.”

Collin Hill Colorado State @collinhill15

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Colorado State had high hopes for Hill, who starred in five games as a true freshman in 2016. But after two torn ACLs, he’s only now the unchallenged starter. The junior credited his “relationship with Jesus” in his lengthy comeback.

Also see: Brock Purdy, Iowa State, pg. 12

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Top to bottom: AP Photos/ Chris Carlson, Chris Carlson, Ric Tapia, Mark Zaleski, Jack Dempsey

Jake Fromm Georgia @FrommJake

TOP GAMES TO WATCH Clemson @ Syracuse Sept. 14 Syracuse notched 10 wins last year for the first time in 17 years, and could give Clemson a bit of a challenge this year in the ACC Atlantic. This big matchup is in Syracuse and one week after Clemson faces a tough Texas A&M squad.

Top to bottom: AP Photos/ Adrian Kraus, Michael Conroy, Ron Jenkins, Carlos Osorio, Brynn Anderson

Ohio State @ Michigan Nov. 30

Notre Dame @ Georgia Sept. 21 Notre Dame aims to get back to the College Football Playoff after getting throttled by Clemson in the semifinals last year. Georgia seeks a return after losing the national championship game in 2017-18. Whoever wins this game takes a big step in the right direction.

Oklahoma vs. Texas Oct. 12

Michigan opens the year at No. 7 in the preseason rankings, two spots behind Ohio State. But the Buckeyes are in transition with a new coach while the Wolverines have seen three 10-win seasons in four years under Jim Harbaugh.

Oklahoma’s been a CFP team three of the past four years, but hasn’t reached the title game. Texas has yet to reach the playoffs (which began in 2014-15), but returned to the 10-win mark last year, when it edged OU 48-45 in the Red River Showdown.

Alabama @ Auburn Nov. 30 Alabama has lost just one conference game the past three years — to Auburn in 2017. The annual Iron Bowl returns to Auburn this year, giving the Tigers (preseason No. 16) some crowd support to possibly pull off another upset. www.sportsspectrum.com

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PREVIEW EAST 1. PATRIOTS 2. JETS 3. DOLPHINS 4. BILLS

NORTH 1. STEELERS 2. BROWNS 3. RAVENS 4. BENGALS

SOUTH

1. COLTS 2.TITANS 3.TEXANS 4. JAGUARS

WEST 1. CHIEFS 2. RAIDERS 3. CHARGERS 4. BRONCOS

EAST 1. EAGLES 2. COWBOYS 3. GIANTS 4. REDSKINS

NORTH 1. PACKERS 2. BEARS 3.VIKINGS 4. LIONS

SOUTH 1. SAINTS 2. PANTHERS 3. FALCONS 4. BUCCANEERS

WEST 1. RAMS 2. 49ERS 3. SEAHAWKS 4. CARDINALS

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — CHIEFS OVER COLTS NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — EAGLES OVER RAMS SUPER BOWL — CHIEFS OVER EAGLES OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR — N’KEAL HARRY, PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR — NICK BOSA, 49ERS COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR — COOPER KUPP, RAMS COACH OF THE YEAR — DOUG PEDERSON, EAGLES OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR — SAQUON BARKLEY, GIANTS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR — J.J. WATT, TEXANS MVP — CARSON WENTZ, EAGLES

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AP Photo/Darron Cummings

In today’s NFL, defense often goes unappreciated. With new rules that favor the offense, coupled with the rise of fantasy football, those on offense tend to be remembered more often. But every great team needs a great defense, and every great defense needs great leaders. We highlight five such defenders in the pages that follow. One has been to multiple Pro Bowls and won multiple Super Bowls, while another is coming off his first Pro Bowl season after years of battling in the trenches. One has grown from an undrafted rookie seeking the wisdom of elders to now being that experienced voice in the locker room, while another is on the rise in the NFL as he strives for longevity. And lastly, one former defender’s NFL career was cut short by injuries, but that simply allowed him to launch a second career as an influential pastor transforming lives. What they all share in common, aside from performing as defensive leaders in the NFL, is that they live their lives as defenders for Christ. They’ve experienced the life-changing power of God and are on a mission to defend His Word as they share their testimonies through the platform football has given them. As Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams (page 22) says, “You have to stand on your 10 toes and be able to defend the Word of God, and defend God and Jesus Christ.” Just as Williams needs his playbook to guide him in defending against the threats of opposing teams, followers of Christ need the Bible to ensure we’re prepared to defend against the threats of this world. Says Williams about the Bible, “It’s got all the game plans and scenarios for life to defend what is God’s, which is everything.” www.sportsspectrum.com

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WAY

BIGGER THAN

SUPER BOWLS BY KEVIN MERCER

evin McCourty’s eyes wandered across the line of scrimmage and came to rest on the determined gaze of Detroit Lions star receiver Calvin Johnson. For one of the few times all game, Johnson was single-covered by the New England Patriots’ rookie cornerback. This was an opportunity for Johnson, but also a chance for McCourty to show what he could do in a nationally-televised Thanksgiving Day game. The pass unsurprisingly sailed toward Johnson — then kept flying a little too far. McCourty saw his moment and snagged the interception. Later in the game, a second

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SAFETY DEVIN McCOURTY HAS ENJOYED NINE SEASONS WITH NEW ENGLAND, THREE SUPER BOWLS AND TWO PRO BOWLS, BUT HE LIVES WITH A MISSION TO GROW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST errant pass toward Johnson fell to McCourty. Buoyed by those two defensive plays, the Patriots ran away with a 45-24 victory. And those two picks, McCourty says, are his career favorites. He had established himself. “I was a guy that always had a huge chip on my shoulder coming out of high school not ranked in the top 100 in the state, having only one [college] offer,” McCourty says, “so I always felt like I had to prove to people that I belonged.” Since that day in November 2010, McCourty has done just that and beyond in his nine-year NFL career.

More importantly, though, he’s learned he doesn’t have to prove himself to God. He doesn’t have to strive in vain to earn His love. He need only rest in Christ. When McCourty entered the league as a first-round pick out of Rutgers (27th overall), he thought everything was up to him. “I always had this mindset of, ‘I’m doing good things. I’m doing better than some people around me, and that means I’ll be OK,’” he said. His mother had brought him and his twin brother, Jason (who joined the Patriots in 2018 after eight years with Tennessee TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

MCCOURTY

FREE SAFETY • 5-FOOT-10 • 195 LBS. • AGE: 32

DRAFT: 2010 1ST ROUND (27TH OVERALL), NEW ENGLAND

GAMES: 139 (139 STARTS) • TACKLES: 717 • INTERCEPTIONS: 21 COLLEGE: RUTGERS

Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini

and a season in Cleveland), to church growing up in Nyack, N.Y., and had instilled in them strong morals. But it wasn’t until 2014 that Devin began to realize it was about a relationship with Christ, not the good things he could do for God. McCourty attended a chapel and heard the Patriots’ chaplain, Jack Easterby, talk about coming to God. “[I understood] there was nothing you can do to earn it, you just need to come and bring all your sins and all your faults to Him,” McCourty said. “I think ever since then, I’ve understood this is something that I need in my life — growing my relationship.” McCourty was engaged to be married when he became an unrestricted free agent following that 2014 season. He had always heard that free agency was about more than money, and it was then that he saw just how true that was. The Patriots were the only team he had known, and New England was where his faith was flourishing. He decided to stay put. “I think that’s when my life really turned and I decided I would be living for something way bigger than myself,” McCourty said. “It’s continued to grow since then, in my faith individually with talking to God and working on that relationship.” McCourty had only played five seasons by that time, but so much had happened. With 73 combined tackles and seven interceptions (including the two memorable ones against the Lions), his stellar rookie season ended in a trip to the Pro Bowl. In only his second year, his teammates selected him as a captain. McCourty and the other captains led the Patriots to the cusp of a title, only to fall to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. Then, in his third season, McCourty was asked to do something not often seen in the NFL: switch positions from corner to safety in the middle of the season. McCourty initially was none too happy, but conversations with his brother helped him overcome self-doubt. Devin made the transition appear seamless — he recorded 79 tackles and picked off five passes in 2012. Two seasons after that, Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch didn’t get the late handoff, New England’s Malcolm Butler intercepted a goal line pass and www.sportsspectrum.com

McCourty hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy as the Pats defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. “I had already felt the opposite side (a Super Bowl loss), walking off the field and seeing someone else celebrate and confetti fall,” McCourty said. “It was so crushing that when I got that feeling [of winning], it was unbelievable.” All McCourty has done since is continue to impress as a stalwart safety. He hasn’t missed a game in three years, earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2016 and amassed a career-high 94 tackles in 2017. Oh, and he’s been to the Super Bowl three more times and won two, the most recent a 13-3 victory over the Rams this past February with Jason on the team — the first time in NFL history that a set of twins played in a Super Bowl together. McCourty remembers running up for a hug while his two children and Jason’s three played on the turf. “That’s something I’ll remember forever,” Devin said, “just the feeling after the game of being with my family on the field and feeling like, ‘Man, everyone that’s ever had any connection to us all won tonight.’”

“I WAS A GUY THAT ALWAYS HAD A HUGE CHIP ON MY SHOULDER ... SO I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I HAD TO PROVE TO PEOPLE THAT I BELONGED.” But McCourty is careful not to chase that feeling in search of fulfillment. “One of the biggest things is understanding that it’s a game,” McCourty said. “You have confidence going out there that no matter what — win, lose or draw — there’s always a bigger purpose.” That knowledge allows McCourty to play, and live, freely. He’s found accountability partnerships to be a significant help in his battle against temptation during a grueling season, even if it’s as simple as a conversation over a meal. Beyond that, McCourty is a part of two weekly team Bible studies and a regular in the chapel service before games. McCourty knows his walk with the Lord is never over, even as his long walk through the NFL creeps toward its latter stages. But don’t get him wrong — it’s not over. He hinted at retirement before last season’s Super Bowl, his fifth, but has since backed away. McCourty plans to go out on his terms. “My goal was always to get to 10 (years playing),” McCourty said. “Then each year just sitting down and realizing what’s ahead, how my body feels, how we feel about our family and what we need to do going forward.” Whenever that day does come, McCourty hopes his NFL career will jump start another. He’s already launched, with his brother, Tackle Sickle Cell, an organization that fights sickle cell disease. Devin also wants to try his hand at real estate, as well as coaching youth football and broadcasting. None of that will be this year and maybe not next, but McCourty’s illustrious career as a defender in the NFL will end. By God’s grace, not his efforts, will his days as a defender of the faith stretch on forever. SPORTS SPECTRUM

ACCEPTED AND AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY KEVIN MERCER

FROM A DIVISION II SCHOOL TO THE NFL, BRANDON WILLIAMS IS NOW A PRO BOWLER WHO BELIEVES HIS BEST DAYS ARE STILL AHEAD OF HIM — A FAR CRY FROM THE DARK DAYS HE EXPERIENCED IN COLLEGE.

t took long enough, but Brandon Williams’ play is finally getting the attention it deserves. After six seasons toiling in the trenches, the Baltimore Ravens nose tackle earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl last year. Williams enters his seventh NFL season this fall having turned 30 in February — the age so many NFL players dread. But he believes the best season of his career is in his future. “I’m coming off the Pro Bowl season, having a good year last year, and just having that taste of that Pro Bowl, I mean, I want to get there again,” Williams said on the

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Sports Spectrum Podcast prior to training camp. “You don’t want to just get there and be like a one-hit wonder. You want to have sustainability. So that’s what I want: longevity in the NFL.” Not too long ago, few thought Williams would be attempting a return to the Pro Bowl in 2019. Perhaps Williams doubted most of all.

t was fall of 2009, and Williams found himself on couches rather than football fields on Saturday afternoons. Due to a back

injury eventually requiring surgery, he could only watch as his Missouri Southern State teammates struggled to a 3-7 season. He had taken a medical redshirt and was still on the team, but he often didn’t feel like it. The following summer at his home near St. Louis, Mo., Williams’ doubts came to a head. “I just cried. I just bawled,” Williams said. “I just couldn’t take it anymore.” Faith had been ingrained in him during childhood. He had been baptized. He had even sung in the church choir. Now everything he thought he knew was tested like never before. Williams recalled crying TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

“HOWEVER BAD YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING THROUGH IT, WHATEVER YOU THINK IS THE WORST OF THE WORST, GOD CAN USE THAT AND MAKE IT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD.”

WILLIAMS

NT NOSE TACKLE • 6-FOOT-1 • 336 LBS. • AGE: 30

DRAFT: 2013 3RD ROUND (94TH OVERALL), BALTIMORE GAMES: 83 (74 STARTS) • TACKLES: 228 • SACKS: 5.5

COLLEGE: MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE

Left: AP Photo/Nick Wass Right: AP Photo/Gail Burton

out to God, “If I’m not meant to play football, then who am I?” Eventually, a conversation with his best friend convinced Williams to return to his teammates in Joplin, Mo. Doubts lingered at MSSU, so noticeably that one day he was kicked out of practice. As he neared the sideline, he couldn’t bring himself to step on that painted white grass. So he turned around, rejoined his teammates, stuffed the ball carrier in the backfield three consecutive plays, and proved to himself and his coaches he could still perform like the Brandon Williams they all knew. For Williams, however, this is more than simply a story about a football player fighting through injury. His struggles were God’s method for revealing His infinite power and perfect love. Williams recalls that time with utter reassurance. If God didn’t let him go at his worst, God won’t ever let him go. “It solidified that He’s real,” Williams said, “that He loves me.” On the field, Williams wasted no time returning to form as the productive defensive lineman he had been before his back injury. But he didn’t stop there. He kept refining his game and kept improving, disrupting plenty of offensive backfields on his way to becoming a dominant Division-II defensive lineman. He capped off his senior season with the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year Award in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Williams’ production at Missouri Southern State made him a legitimate NFL Draft prospect. But could a D-II nose tackle make the jump? The Baltimore Ravens thought so, selecting Williams in the third round of the 2013 draft. Williams couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. “It was just so surreal,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything but thank God, to finally reach my dreams.” Williams soon learned that life in Baltimore didn’t look too much like life in Joplin, on the field or off. He caught on quickly. His first season was hampered by a foot injury, but by his second season, he was a starter. After back-to-back-to-back seasons in which he recorded more than 50 tackles, the Ravens gave him a five-year contract extension in 2017, www.sportsspectrum.com

the conversation swings to less wholesome topics. He says the Ravens have a core group of believers to dive deeper into the Word with, and to keep each other accountable. “It’s just one of those cool things to know that you’ve got other brothers in Christ to kind of bounce ideas off, to lean on, to kind of just have a shoulder to cry on or just talk to,” Williams said. “That’s the best thing.”

making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. “From top to bottom of the totem pole [in the Ravens organization], you feel the love,” Williams says. “You feel accepted. You feel like you are a part.” Two years, millions of dollars and a Pro Bowl trip later, people are talking about Williams at last. Then again, Williams never needed the approval of men. Baltimore has seen Williams grow into one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, and Baltimore has seen his faith in Christ grow and mature as well. Weekly, the Ravens hold a players-only Bible study and a couple’s Bible study. Williams is at both, attending the couple’s study with his wife, Alyssa, since their marriage in 2017. Williams said he does not shy away when the topic of faith is discussed in the Ravens locker room. After six years in the league, he’s learned when to discuss faith and when to withdraw if

illiams seems to have life all figured out, but he can’t relax into his routine quite yet. On July 8, he and Alyssa welcomed their third child. The first two were boys, Ryder and Nash. This time, God gave them a daughter, Rami. Whereas God first called Williams to the game of football, now God has called him to lead a household, raise his children to know Christ, and be prepared to tackle life’s challenges with a Biblical foundation. The eyes of the NFL world are now on him in 2019. More importantly, so are the eyes of his three kids and his wife. Yet, God did his mightiest work in Williams’ life when he felt like no one was watching. At a Division-II school in Joplin, Mo., not even able to participate in practice, God changed the course of his life for eternity. “It’s just so amazing what God can do through your life with anything,” Williams said. “However bad you think you’re going through it, whatever you think is the worst of the worst, He can use that and make it the most beautiful thing in the world.” SPORTS SPECTRUM

CAPTAIN CHAPLAIN BY JON ACKERMAN

t was early November last season, and the Tennessee Titans were coming off a big Monday night road win over Dallas. The victory pushed them to 4-4 on the season — eight games down and eight more to go. A showdown with the vaunted New England Patriots loomed that upcoming Sunday in Tennessee. Soon after returning from Dallas, veteran linebacker Wesley Woodyard felt something stirring inside him to lead that week’s team Bible study. So he approached the Titans’ chaplain, James Mitchell, to discuss a message — but accidentally put his foot in his mouth. He inadvertently said “chapel” instead of “Bible study.” So Mitchell held him to his word. 24

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THE ODDS OF AN UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT MAKING AN NFL TEAM ARE SLIM; THE ODDS OF LASTING 12 YEARS EVEN SLIMMER. BUT THERE’S WESLEY WOODYARD STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF TENNESSEE’S DEFENSE, LEADING ON THE FIELD AS CAPTAIN AND OFF THE FIELD AS PART-TIME CHAPLAIN. “I was thinking I was asking about leading Bible study, preparing for the small group, and he was like, ‘No my brother, you said chapel.’ So I went from thinking I would speak to about 10 guys to speaking to about 30 guys,” Woodyard recalled on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. He tried to back out, then became excited. Then he got nervous, but finally he got to work. When Saturday night came, he asked the teammates and staff in attendance to open their Bibles to Genesis 5, and he read from verse 21 to 24; “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully

with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” It may not be a well-known or muchpreached-about passage from the Bible, but it spoke to Woodyard, who zeroed in on one key sentence which actually appeared twice: “Enoch walked faithfully with God.” “I spoke about Genesis, about how the world needs more Enochs,” Woodyard said. “We’ve got to walk with God and be made holy for this world to really change.” Genesis 5 is a written account of Adam’s family line. It lists a number of men, the sons TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

WOODYARD

INSIDE LINEBACKER • 6-FOOT-0 • 223 LBS. • AGE: 33

DRAFT: 2008 UNDRAFTED, SIGNED AS FREE AGENT BY DENVER GAMES: 165 (108 STARTS) • TACKLES: 867 • SACKS: 27 COLLEGE: KENTUCKY

they had, how long they lived, and when they died. For no one other than Enoch does the text mention walking with God. “And the thing about Enoch,” Woodyard concluded, “he was spared death, so you know the Lord was pleased with him, because he chose to take his time with the Lord.” Woodyard said his teammates loved it. Then they all went out the next afternoon and put 17 first-quarter points on the Pats, shut out the eventual Super Bowl champs in the second half, and secured a dominating 34-10 victory. “Wood, you got to lead chapel every week!” punter Brett Kern joked after the game.

Left: AP Photo/James Kenney Right: Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

mong the spiritual leaders in Nashville, Woodyard is also one of the defensive leaders. He’s a team captain, a starter at inside linebacker, and the unit’s leading tackler each of the past two seasons (career-high 121 tackles in 2017; 113 in 2018 despite missing two games). He’s entering his 12th NFL season — sixth in Tennessee — at 33 years old, and as a member of the unofficial group “Best Players Never to Have Made a Pro Bowl.” That he’s lasted this long in a league notoriously known as the “Not For Long” league is a testament to his tenacity. Woodyard became one of the best defenders in University of Kentucky history (first-team All-SEC as a junior and senior), but went undrafted in 2008. The Denver Broncos extended a free agent offer immediately, and Woodyard immediately made an impact after signing. He impressed with big hits and lots of tackles in training camp and the preseason, then took advantage of time on the field in real games with the special teams. After Denver’s sixth game in 2008, the team elected him to be a captain. He retained that honor each of his six seasons in Denver, as he developed into a full-time starter and one of the key pieces in a defense that got the Broncos to the postseason in 2011 and 2012, and a Super Bowl XLVII appearance the following year. As he looks back on those early years, Woodyard considers himself lucky that he went undrafted. “I was so focused at another level early in my career, and I just was like, ‘All I need is the opportunity.’ … Being drafted (or not), that’s just www.sportsspectrum.com

the start of the race. How you maintain and how you approach the game as a professional is going to allow you to stay in the league for a long time,” Woodyard says. He joined Tennessee as a free agent in 2014, and was voted a team captain once again — before even playing a regular-season snap with his new teammates. He hasn’t relinquished the duty since. Not only has Woodyard been elected as one of his team’s captains each of his 12 years in the NFL, he’s actually been a captain 17 years running. He first accepted the honor as a senior at LaGrange (Ga.) High School, then earned it all four years at Kentucky before entering the NFL.

rowing up in LaGrange, an hour’s drive southwest of Atlanta, Woodyard found himself in God’s house at his mother’s behest nearly every day of the week. Their Southern Baptist church was a “seven-day church-fest,” and thus, young Wesley knew just about everything there was to

“STEPPING INTO THE LOCKER ROOM NOW, I’M THE GUY SHARING THAT ADVICE TO THE YOUNGER GUYS. I FEEL BLESSED THAT I’M IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.” know about Jesus. “But it wasn’t on my terms of giving my life to God,” he says. Woodyard did that a few years back at a conference through Pro Athletes Outreach. “My life has completely changed ever since then,” he says. “It’s been tough and it’s also been a breath of fresh air knowing that God has my back, and no matter what, I already have the victory.” He fights daily to grow in his walk with Christ so he can be the example of “a true man of God” for his son (Greyson), three daughters (Noah, Luca, Layn) and wife (Veronica). He’s been aided on that journey by some impactful teammates, especially during his early days in Denver. Andra Davis helped Woodyard learn how to put family first. Tim Tebow was an example of how to be bold in your faith. But none was more influential than Brian Dawkins, a teammate from 2009-2011. “Hall of Fame not only on the field but a Hall of Fame follower of Jesus Christ,” Woodyard says of Dawkins. “Just to see how he carried himself every day and how he was so willing to teach other brothers coming up behind him. He was more of the kind of man who was like, ‘I already made mistakes in my life, so learn from my experiences so you don’t have to go through those same aches and pains. Because my struggles are to build and uplift my brothers.’” As Woodyard says this, he acknowledges he’s no longer one of those brothers coming up in the NFL. He’s now the veteran mentor. “Stepping into the locker room now, I’m the guy sharing that advice to the younger guys,” Woodyard says. “I feel blessed that I’m in a position to be able to do that.” SPORTS SPECTRUM

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FINDING HIS VALUE

BY JASON ROMANO

ustin Simmons is entering his fourth season with the Denver Broncos, and over the past two years has solidified himself as the starting free safety. He started all 16 games in 2018 and recorded a careerhigh 97 combined tackles (71 solo), four passes defended and three interceptions. The 25-yearold recently chatted with me about his goals for a contract year in 2019, learning how to be a pro and being all in for Christ.

It’s been an offseason of change with the Broncos. What are the biggest differences for you in the way you prepare for a season now as compared to when you first came into the league? That’s a great question. I think looking at it each and every year, there’s always been something I’ve taken away that’s been a little bit different in terms of my offseason preparation. But I think the underlying factor that’s consistent throughout each and every year, now going into my fourth year, was how important and how big of an emphasis is on recovery of your body. Obviously, working out and getting your body in the best physical S

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When you come off a season like 2018, which was your best year from a statistical standpoint, but the team didn’t do as well as you’d hope, how do you navigate both getting better as a player and ultimately wanting the team to succeed? The biggest thing going into this season is we’re all looking for improvement — myself included, going into my contract year. If I could put any emphasis on how I’d love the

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To listen to the entire interview with Justin Simmons, visit SportsSpectrum.com

shape is huge and it is super relative, but also making sure that you’re not working your body too hard that you’re not ready for the longevity of the season.

IT’S A CONTRACT YEAR FOR FOURTH-YEAR BRONCOS SAFETY JUSTIN SIMMONS, BUT HE DOESN’T FIND HIS WORTH IN FOOTBALL. HIS IDENTITY IS IN CHRIST AND HE AIMS TO FOLLOW THE LORD’S PLAN FOR HIS LIFE, WHETHER THAT INCLUDES A BIG PAYDAY OR NOT.

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“THERE’S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON ATHLETES YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. I DON’T KNOW HOW GUYS DO IT WITHOUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD.”

SIMMONS

FREE SAFETY • 6-FOOT-2 • 202 LBS. • AGE: 25

DRAFT: 2016 3RD ROUND (98TH OVERALL), DENVER

GAMES: 42 (32 STARTS) • TACKLES: 184 • INTERCEPTIONS: 7 COLLEGE: BOSTON COLLEGE

season to go, obviously you need great safety play to be a successful team, but I just hope we do well enough that we hit the postseason, and I don’t care what that looks like. If that means sacrificing some things here and there, I just want to be able to prolong our season into the postseason, and I think that is how a lot of guys feel. I’m just really looking forward to this year, and the new staff we have coming over from Chicago (with head coach Vic Fangio).

Can you share what you’ve gone through in wrestling with identity as a pro athlete and identity in Christ? Oh, it is so hard. Even trying to explain it for people to understand, there’s still that battle and you struggle with it. We’re in a business that asks, “What have you done for me lately?” You’re always liable to get traded or replaced. So each and every year you come in, you’re fighting for your job. And a couple of bad games on top of each other really starts to bring in that voice, a lack of confidence that starts to creep in, and then it creeps into different areas of your life. It starts to affect how you treat your wife, or your teammates, or coaches or family members. So there’s a lot of pressure on athletes year in and year out. I don’t know how guys do it without TS

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To listen to the entire interview with Justin Simmons, visit SportsSpectrum.com

www.sportsspectrum.com

What are you learning from God right now? The Lord is speaking heavily to me right now. Talking to my wife, talking to my team chaplain — I have a great support group in South Florida back home that I talk to — it’s basically about not getting wrapped up in this season. I say all this because it’s my contract year coming up. Obviously in your contract year, you’re able to get bigger contracts and it is so easy to just get caught up in doing that. And if that happens, I could miss out on the little things like spending time with my wife and daughter, or pushing my quiet time with the Lord aside just to do football-specific things. I never want to shy away from that. I feel like the Lord is really speaking to me and just saying, “We’ve been step-by-step together and I’ve never left your side through everything you’ve gone through. Don’t doubt Me, I have your back and it’s going to be greater than anything you expected.” And I’d like for that to mean, yes, I’m going to have a great year and this would be a great contract, [but] that just may not be His plan for my life. I just want to make sure in talking with all of these people, that I’m just settled and comforted in the Lord’s plan for my life and whatever that may look like.

Right: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Your faith in Christ is something you don’t hide from, it’s very important to you. How did that became real to you? One of the things I love about my sport is the platform that comes with it. The bigger the platform, the more people I’m able to touch about the truth of the Gospel and just my relationship with the Lord. I grew up in a Christian household but I had my identity wrapped up in totally different things. Basically I was like a lukewarm Christian. I was a guy that was out there living the [Christian] life just on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday, I’m out doing whatever it is I want to do. It was actually through a relationship with my wife that helped catapult me to a true relationship with Christ. It

was awesome. I never shy away from sharing stuff like that because I know that Christ saved me from myself, and I love to share that with different people because you never know where they are with their walk of faith.

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Left: Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

Do you have a welcome-to-the-NFL moment on the field? I think the biggest moment was my first year, a couple games into the season and we’re playing the New England Patriots, and going up against Tom Brady. When I was out there on the field, my first play on the field, I was the third safety that came in. A lot of our coverage that year was based on safety disguises and making sure we mess with the quarterback, so he doesn’t have great reads. Tom Brady just called out everything. I felt like if I moved my foot one inch, this guy was calling out exactly what defenses we were in and making the right offensive adjustments to put in exactly the play they needed to beat us. So it just shows you that is the level of excellence you’ve got to make sure you are ready with year in and year out.

a relationship with the Lord. I don’t find my worth in what my coaches say, what my teammates say, what fans say. I find my worth in who Christ says I am — and I still struggle with that and I have to have people pour into me, my group of believers that pours into me. It’s a super tough topic to deal with.

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TRANSFORMATIONAL TEACHER BY JOSHUA DOERING

hen Derwin Gray was a rookie defensive back with the Indianapolis Colts, he asked his teammates about the man they referred to as the “naked preacher.” They told Gray to ignore him. He just walked around in only a towel, telling everyone about Jesus. But Gray noticed how Steve Grant carried himself. He saw how hard Grant practiced and played. Every time there was a community service project, Gray knew Grant would be there. When he shared his faith, Grant did so in a loving way. And it wasn’t lost on Gray that when a teammate needed advice, they stopped by the naked preacher’s locker. Grant spent five years pouring into Gray

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TWO DECADES AFTER BEING LED TO CHRIST BY THE “NAKED PREACHER,” FORMER NFL SAFETY DERWIN GRAY IS NOW A PREACHER HIMSELF, LEADING THE FAST-GROWING CHURCH HE PLANTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA. and sharing the Gospel with him. On Aug. 2, 1997, Gray gave his life to Christ during the Colts’ training camp. Grant was the one who baptized him. “Steve Grant was a missionary,” Gray said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “He used his job as an NFL player as a platform to be on mission.” Some 20 years later, Grant is still preaching. He eventually became the Texas Tech football program’s chaplain under coach Tommy Tuberville (2010-2012), and he’s now a regular speaker at Fellowship of Christian Athletes events across the country. As for that teammate he led to Christ in the ‘90s? He’s actually a preacher too.

ray, 48, grew up outside of San Antonio in the 1970s. His father was out of his life by age 5 and his mother was in and out, so Gray’s grandparents were the primary influences in his childhood. At 13 years old, Gray decided he needed to get out of the situation he was in, and he decided the way out was football. “Football for me was more than just a game,” Gray said. “It was more than, ‘OK, I’m gonna go play because it’s fun.’ I loved it, but my motivation for loving it was to get out of where I was.” One problem though — he wasn’t all that good yet. A self-described “very, very late developer,” Gray started only four games as a TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

GRAY CURRENT ROLE: LEAD PASTOR, TRANSFORMATION CHURCH (S.C.) NFL CAREER: FREE SAFETY • 5-FOOT-11 • 210 LBS. DRAFT: 1993 4TH ROUND (92ND OVERALL), INDIANAPOLIS SEASONS: 5 WITH COLTS , 1 WITH PANTHERS (‘93 - ‘98) COLLEGE: BRIGHAM YOUNG

Left: AP Photo/James Kenney Right: Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

junior at Judson High School (Converse, Texas). But he became a Class 5A all-state selection the next year, leading Brigham Young University to offer him a scholarship. His rapid improvement continued in college. Gray led the Western Athletic Conference with six interceptions as a sophomore in 1990, as the Cougars finished 10-3 behind quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. Following a senior year in which Gray posted 60 tackles and five interceptions, the Colts took him in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He saw action in all 16 games in 1994 and 1995. He earned two starts in ‘94 and recorded the only interception of his NFL career in ‘95. But adjusting to life as a professional football player, while also experiencing the radical transformation that comes with choosing to follow Christ, wasn’t always easy. “That first year [after becoming a Christian] was very hard,” Gray said. “It was like wearing new clothes that itched. There were times where my mindset of how I used to think compared to how I thought now just collided.” In five years with the Colts, Gray appeared in 64 games, made three starts and registered 46 tackles. Gray then joined the Carolina Panthers for the 1998 season, making three appearances. His last came on Oct. 11, 1998. The Panthers were in Dallas playing the Cowboys. Gray, who tore an MCL the year before, ran down the field and engaged a blocker like he’d done hundreds of times before. He went one way, the Cowboys player went the other. “I just heard my MCL snap and pop,” Gray said. “This time, I felt the bone on the outside part of my knee grinding. When I went down, I was like, ‘I’m done.’” He could’ve rehabbed and tried to make a comeback, but Gray was ready to move on from football. He spent the rest of the season on injured reserve, which gave him an opportunity to read more of his Bible, which helped him become more comfortable sharing his faith. In the fall of 1999, Gray received an invitation to speak at a youth event in Columbia, S.C. He and his wife, Vicki, launched One Heart at a Time Ministries www.sportsspectrum.com

“WHEN YOU COME TO JESUS, IT’S LIKE EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS AND UNDER THAT TREE IS A GIFT. I DIDN’T REALIZE I HAD THE GIFT OF TEACHING, THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT. I DIDN’T REALIZE I HAD THOSE GIFTS.”

that same year. Their organization’s goal was to change one heart at a time by traveling to share the Good News of God’s love, grace and truth. “When you come to Jesus, it’s like every day is Christmas and under that tree is a gift,” Derwin says. “I didn’t realize I had the gift of teaching, the gift of encouragement. I didn’t realize I had those gifts.” Though the Grays loved what they were doing with One Heart at a Time Ministries, they began having conversations about potentially planting a church. However, they weren’t sure if God was calling them to do so. Derwin didn’t want to pastor; Vicki didn’t want to be a pastor’s wife. But in 2006, as Derwin attended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit in Chicago, he felt God tell him it was time. He ran out of the conference and called Vicki. She was “dead silent.” Derwin told her God would move her heart in that direction if He wanted them to plant. Six months later, Vicki’s heart was moved. Transformation Church opened in 2010 in Indian Land, S.C., a suburb south of Charlotte, N.C.

But it wasn’t just another church. The Grays felt called to create a multi-ethnic community where people of “every nation, tribe and tongue” were welcome. People told the Grays multi-ethnic churches don’t work. They didn’t care. “There were so many naysayers that said, ‘Don’t do it,’ but we were convicted that this isn’t an option,” Derwin said. Even with that conviction, Gray wasn’t sure what to expect that first service. “I felt inadequate. I felt like people would abandon me. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. He prayed that 700 people would come — well aware of how unrealistic that number was for a church plant. Seven hundred and one showed up. “The first thing is I sensed that God’s hand was on this,” Gray said this summer, reflecting on that first service. “Secondly, it made me feel incredibly grateful and dependent that only God Himself could do this and that He was raising us up — not just for ourselves but to be an encouragement to the rest of the Church in America.” Transformation Church was recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the fastest-growing churches in America in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016. In 2013, TC launched an extension campus at Kershaw Correctional Institution, and later another campus at Lee Correctional Institution. Gray still pastors in Indian Land, which opened a new 32,000-square-foot facility in 2014. Gray is also the author of four books: “Hero,” “Limitless Life,” “Crazy Grace” and “The High-Definition Leader.” And to think, it all began with a naked preacher. SPORTS SPECTRUM

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

BY JON ACKERMAN

BUILDING UP THE THE UP

BEARS C

hicago enjoyed a remarkable 2018. The Bears notched 12 wins to grab the No. 3 playoff seed in the NFC, marking the franchiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most wins since 2006 and a seven-game improvement over the previous year. No team allowed fewer points than the Bears in 2018, and only two teams gave up fewer yards. The Bears were tops in the NFL in takeaways.

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But the memory that lingers, that shrouds the success of last season, is a devastating defeat. Crazy things happen in the playoffs, and the brutal end to Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season certainly falls in that category. Hosting the defending-champion Eagles in the wild-card round, the Bears trailed 10-6 entering the fourth quarter, but seized a 15-10 TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

“The overall game was a hard pill to swallow, and I’m sure we are going to use that as motivation going into the next year. But you’ve got to love a guy who, when things weren’t going his way, he still gave God praise at the end.” — Prince Amukamara on Cody Parkey

AP Photo/David Banks, Nam Y. Huh

lead with 9:04 remaining. They couldn’t hold on to it. The vaunted Bears D gave up a touchdown with 56 seconds left in the game, putting them down 16-15. But after a 35-yard Tarik Cohen kick return and two clutch completions from second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago found itself at Philadelphia’s 25. After a spike and an incompletion, the Bears lined up for a 43-yard field-goal attempt with 10 seconds on the clock. And kicker Cody Parkey nailed it. Only it didn’t count. Eagles coach Doug Pederson called his final timeout right before the kick. So they lined up again, and Parkey kicked again. This time the ball sailed left. It hit the upright, fell down and hit the crossbar, bouncing back into the field of play. No good. One inch to the right and the ball would have bounced in, if not miss the upright all together. Or maybe at least maintain enough forward momentum to hit the crossbar below and ricochet the right direction. Instead, the play became known as “double doink.” After initially recording it as a simple miss, the NFL reviewed the kick the next day and determined the Eagles’ Treyvon Hester actually tipped the ball to send it off track. Still, it ended the Bears season. Parkey was 11 of 12 on fourth-quarter field goals before the blocked kick, and he had already hit three field goals on the night (accounting for more than half of his team’s points). But the fateful tip came at one of the most tension-filled moments — with the game on the line, in the playoffs. Before walking off the field, however, Parkey made a subtle gesture that largely went unnoticed. He pointed to the sky, a motion often made to acknowledge God. Minutes later, he joined the postgame prayer circle that formed in the middle of the field with players from both teams. Kneeling next to Eagles offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski, Parkey bowed his head. “The fact that he praised God through that moment, we were so proud of him,” Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara said recently on www.sportsspectrum.com

The Eagles’ Treyvon Hester (90, center) got a fingertip on Parkey’s game-winning attempt.

the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “Just the overall game was a hard pill to swallow, and I’m sure we are going to use that as motivation going into the next year. But you’ve got to love a guy who, when things weren’t going his way, he still gave God praise at the end.” Turns out, there was a lot of praising God within the Bears’ team last year.

he 2019 Bears aren’t expected to drop off much from last season. They’re heavy favorites to win the NFC North again (they haven’t won consecutive division titles since 2005-06) and largely expected to challenge the Rams and Saints for the NFC championship. The top-

ranked defense returns much of its core and expects to improve. Many players are praying they don’t drop off spiritually either. A close community of Christ-followers formed within the organization last season, from players to staff members to players’ wives. “Bible studies everywhere, guys loving on each other, and we were winning,” Amukamara said of the team’s culture. “I’ve never been a part of that where lives are being changed and the Word is being read and the Gospel is being preached.” Amukamara joined the Bears as a free agent in 2017 after five years with the Giants and one in Jacksonville. He said he chose Chicago in part because of the Christian culture within the organization. When visiting teams during free agency, Amukamara would not only talk with the head coach and his position coach, he’d seek out the team chaplain as well. His first season as a Bear was “great” as far as faith-based community went, but “this past year it was even better.” He credits the 2018 addition of backup quarterback Chase Daniel and tight end Trey Burton as key factors. Daniel came over after a season in New Orleans, and a year in Philadelphia before that. During that 2016 season as an Eagle, he was teammates with Burton, who joined the team as an undrafted rookie in 2014. SPORTS SPECTRUM

“I’ve never been a part of that where lives are being changed and the Word is being read and the Gospel is being preached.” — Prince Amukamara #20

AP Photos/Matt Marton, Rich Schultz

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AP Photo/Paul Sancya

“The year that I got there in 2016, the year that Carson [Wentz] got there was 2016, and they already had really strong Christians on their team — Jordan Matthews, Trey Burton, Chris Maragos, Zach Ertz,” Daniel said this summer. “All those guys were not starting their faith walk, they were at a different level — I’ve been in the league 11 years — of most guys I had seen.” In 2017, with that core group of believers that also included backup-quarterback-turned-starter Nick Foles, the Eagles won the Super Bowl. “Deep dives into Scripture at least two or three times a week,” Daniel recalled of his year in Philadelphia. “There was something [faithrelated] on almost every single day, which I would say is absolutely not the norm in the NFL. It’s over and beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” The 2018 Bears, Daniel says, were more the norm. A couples Bible study took place on Tuesday nights at the house of defensive lineman Nick Williams, and a player-led Bible study was held Thursday mornings. The Bears’ team chaplain, Jonathan Wilkins, is based in Dallas, but he comes to Chicago to lead the larger team chapel on Saturday nights (or the night before any game is played) and be present before and after every game. Most team chaplains reside in the city of their team, but the situation in Chicago allows for more players leading. “What I saw was a bunch of young guys that are just starting their faith walk,” Daniel said. “So it’s a different season than what we may have been in in Philadelphia, or New Orleans when I was there. [I] took it, as, ‘Hey, we have to pour into these guys that are young and that are yearning for this help … Let’s just stay super basic and just introduce Jesus to these guys.’” Amukamara, for one, loved the leadership. “I tell everybody, this was the most in my life as a Christian — and I’ve been a Christian since I was 15 — this was the most that I’ve read the Bible and prayed,” he said. Taking advantage of free and easy resources, they’d often go through YouVersion Bible app lesson plans together, “doing them in real life amongst each other. So you saw management in [the studies], you saw the trainer there, you saw the nutritionist, just everybody. It really felt like we were family. And I think it trickled down to on the field because that brought us closer,” Amukamara said. That was apparent in the aftermath of Parkey’s blocked kick. Numerous teammates gave him a loving pat on the back or helmet, or put their arm around him before he even left the field. They continued defending their teammate with the media in the locker room, as many mentioned the big kicks he hit all season (including that playoff game), and Amukamara pointed out numerous other lapses the team had, all of which contributed to the loss. Amukamara felt compelled to stand up for Parkey because he had bonded with the kicker all year at team Bible studies. “He’s our brother,” Amukamara said. www.sportsspectrum.com

“Hey, we have to pour into these guys that are young and that are yearning for this help.” — Chase Daniel #4

little more than a month after the season ended that chilly January night at Soldier Field, 13 Bears players and their wives gathered one last time before splitting for the offseason. They met up at a resort in the Florida Keys for a conference run by Pro Athletes Outreach. Nearly every team in the NFL had at least one player attend the fourday event, but none had more players than Chicago. On the final night in Florida, at least two of the Bears couples were baptized. And then they scattered to their offseason homes across the country. The guys stayed in contact here and there, and saw each other again for OTAs, but the lively group text chain they had going during the season was pretty silent. As summer wound down, though, and the much-anticipated kickoff to a new season drew near, the Bears gathered again in Bourbonnais, Ill., for training camp. They got out of the city and away from families to focus on football again, to build on the strong foundation laid in 2018. Same for the ministry within the team as

well. “It’s one of those things where not only are you getting right for football, but you’re getting your mind right for God as well,” Daniel says. The training camp gatherings and Bible studies are typically kept short, maybe only 15-20 minutes long, but the players and staff who attend find it worth the time. It sets a foundation and rhythm for the season. Both on the field and in the Word, Daniel says, “It’s a good thing for guys to jump back in and then once season comes, we’re hitting our stride.” SPORTS SPECTRUM

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Saints ladies after the 2019 NFC Championship Game

BECKY YORK 34 34

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Behind the men playing on Sundays are often wives living the same transient life. Many of those women are building community through a Bible study distributed across much of the NFL. TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

Photos courtesy of Erica Carr & Tamela Davis

NFL WIVES WORD

amela Davis can’t wait for her eighth season as an NFL wife to begin. She’s coming off a strong 2018 season, hoping to build on the momentum gained last year. And it has nothing to do with the stellar season her husband’s team recorded in 2018. The mother of four is married to New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis, and also a leader within the Saints’ wives Bible study group. She’s taken part in a Bible study through each of her husband’s three teams over those eight years, and has loved meeting and connecting with women who are all walking the unique lifestyle of an NFL wife together. But last year’s study was the most life-changing one she’s experienced. “We had women from different denominations and parts of the world come together and build relationships with each other,” Tamela said. “Women who wouldn’t read out loud or talk at all in Week 1 were opening up and engaging by Week 5! They were able to say, ‘Yes, this is out of my comfort zone, but it’s been so different from anything I’ve ever been a part of. So, yes, I’ll present this week.’” The driving factor behind the impactful group, Tamela says, was the book guiding them. Technically, that book was the Bible, but more specifically it was a study guide centered on the book of Colossians. The resource was produced by Pro Athletes Outreach specifically with NFL wives in mind. PAO is a ministry that exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. Its women’s ministry team felt there was a need for such a resource and began offering it to the NFL wives with which it had a relationship. Before long, 22 of the 32 NFL wives Bible study groups were engaged in the study, along with five groups of NFL coaches’ wives. From September through December, these wives dove into the study, which was broken down chapter by chapter, each week ending with questions uniquely designed to address the needs and happenings of an NFL wife. “What I really loved about this study was that it wasn’t just based on opinion or interpretation,” Tamela said. “It forced us to get into the Word to figure out how to apply it for ourselves. It was one of the best studies I’ve ever done and I think it’s because it didn’t just teach us about the book of Colossians, it taught us how to teach ourselves.” In the Saints’ study group, each session yielded at least 20 wives in attendance. A different woman presented the material to the group each week as they pushed each

Saints ladies praying together after the 2019 NFC Championship Game www.sportsspectrum.com

Morgan Mahnesmith (left), fiance of Saints tight end Dan Arnold, and Erica Carr

Tamela and Demario Davis

“What I really loved about this study was that it wasn’t just based on opinion or interpretation. It forced us to get into the Word to figure out how to apply it for ourselves." — TA M E L A DAV I S

other to dig deeper into the Word of God and grow more faithful in prayer. “Reading the Bible is so life-changing and brings so much clarity,” said Erica Carr, wife of Saints wide receiver Austin Carr. “To know we have a place and a time each week to be transparent and yet private, sharing with each other, [is great]. We have so much going on with family life and the general push and pull of people’s expectations just because your significant other is in the NFL. But we have the Spirit in that room and inside of us, leading us to give comfort and wisdom to the woman who is hurting.” NFL teams comprise a wide variety of players from different states, nations, backgrounds and walks of life. As these wives join together, they have been able to learn from each other, as well as break down any barriers for community. “Everybody was realizing that we’re all in the same place when it comes to the NFL world, but we’re also in the same place when it comes to working out our spiritual

relationship with Christ,” Tamela said. “Women started to break down barriers, open up and encourage each other. Everyone who was a part of it grew in their faith.” It’s been said the NFL stands for “Not For Long,” meaning players don’t always stay in one place for very long — leading many wives to be unsure of their status and security within their husband’s team. For Erica, whose husband is still in his rookie contract with the Saints, she’s keeping her heart and mind open to transitioning to a new community. If or when she does move, she’ll bring what she’s learned from her current community to her new one. “The environment of transparency and privacy, while going to Scripture for the truth, creates closeness,” she said. “We’re becoming closer in what is true. I hope to see this every year and with every team.” New for 2019 is a study of 1 John, also from Pro Athletes Outreach. The Saints’ wives, along with many other teams, have already committed. SPORTS SPECTRUM

AGE: 25 HEIGHT: 5-FOOT-9 HOMETOWN: HAMPTON, GA. COLLEGE: VANDERBILT & FLORIDA STATE NWSL DRAFT: 2016 1ST ROUND (7TH OVERALL), WASHINGTON POSITION: FORWARD FAMILY: HUSBAND JORDAN (49ERS WR), 1-YEAR-OLD SON JOSIAH

CONTENT IN

CHAOS

THE

BY JOSHUA PEASE

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

She’s a professional soccer player, an NFL wife, and a new mother. As long as she’s centered on Christ, Cheyna Matthews has learned to love her family’s life on the go.

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heyna Matthews stared out at the brightly lit pitch of the Stade de Alpes, and felt the thrumming, buzzing excitement of the 20,000-plus fans, dressed in their country’s colors. Somewhere out there sat her husband, Jordan, and son, Josiah. She tried to slow down and take in the moment. She had made the starting 11 for the national team. She was in France, competing in the Women’s World Cup, and about to start in her second game, this time against Australia. She had dreamed about playing on women’s soccer’s biggest stage ever since she was a little girl outside of Atlanta. Well, the dream wasn’t quite like this. She hadn’t known that Jordan, the boy who had shyly flirted with her during her freshman year of college, would be her husband. Or that she would have to undergo a grueling training regimen post-childbirth to get her body into game shape. And Cheyna, who was born and raised in the United States, certainly didn’t dream that the team she would be representing in the World Cup would be Jamaica. Life was good, but hadn’t always gone according to plan. “From what I’ve read and prayed on in the Bible,” the 25-year-old says, “life won’t look the way we want it to. There are things Jesus would have liked to happen differently … Throughout my career, I have hung on to this thought: If I was to stop being blessed today, the Lord has done more than enough for me.”

Cheyna, Jordan & Josiah at 49ers training camp

Top and bottom: Courtesy of the Matthews family; Middle: Photo courtesy of Kelley Piper

Cheyna with the Washington Spirit

heyna remembers two things about her church near Atlanta — it’s where she gave her life to Christ when she was 12 years old, and it’s where she joined a basketball league she now describes as “one of the most fun things ever.” She grew up the fourth of five kids — she has two brothers and two sisters — with a father who taught the kids that if they were going to do something, do it the right way. “I was honestly the only one [of my siblings] who took soccer seriously, right from the beginning,” Matthews (née Williams) remembers. “I always loved running around and being outside. I enjoyed spending time with my brother who was close to my age. But I always had a competitive edge.” She competed in soccer, basketball and gymnastics, but eventually replaced the latter with taekwondo, earning a green belt. “My other brothers and sisters, they liked sports, but not enough to inconvenience everything else they wanted to do. They each have their things, but mine was sports.”

www.sportsspectrum.com

Cheyna surrounded by family and friends at the Women’s World Cup in France

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“Throughout my career, I have hung on to this thought: If I was to stop being blessed today, the Lord has done more than enough for me.” — Cheyna Matthews

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Kendra (Cheyna’s teammate), you guys wanna get some food? Oh and by the way, I’m Jordan.’ And then over dinner he talks to me the whole time and ignores Kendra!” Jordan and Cheyna became friends but didn’t date at the time; Cheyna was ready for a serious relationship, Jordan was not. Then Cheyna transferred to Florida State, and while she stayed in touch with Jordan occasionally, they both moved on. Cheyna went from a small school surrounded by friends to a giant university where she knew no one. She lived in an apartment, didn’t have a car, and felt completely alone. “Leaving Vanderbilt was a tough decision not only because I was starting over, but also because of the unknown,” Cheyna said. “I wasn’t sure if I was good enough to go pro. I knew my goals were to … reach the pinnacle of soccer, to play in the World Cup, the Olympics, and going to FSU was a chance to put myself on that professional level. I grew so much as a soccer player at FSU, but I also grew in my faith. I had to figure out who I was.” Cheyna continued to excel in soccer. She contributed to the Seminoles’ championship run her junior year, scoring the second-most goals on the team. As a senior, she finished second in the ACC for total points with 10 goals and 7 assists. TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

Foto Arena LTDA/Alamy Live News

Cheyna chose to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., out of high school, seeing it as the best next step. The smaller size created a more built-in community. It had an excellent soccer program with a coach she really liked. And the school’s educational prestige would look good on a résumé if a career in soccer didn’t work out. It seemed like the perfect plan — until the coach she felt so connected with resigned two weeks before her first preseason practice. Cheyna spent two years at Vanderbilt, struggling with a coach she didn’t fit well with, at a school she no longer was sure could be her home, uncertain about what would come next. She thrived both years on the pitch — six goals and six assists in 17 appearances as a freshman, 16 goals and five assists in 18 appearances her sophomore year — but increasingly feared she was wasting her time at the school. What she didn’t realize is that one of the biggest elements of her future was standing right in front of her. “I’m grateful for my time at Vanderbilt. I got what I needed from my time there. I made some wonderful friends, and of course I met my husband there, so there’s that,” Cheyna says, laughing. “Jordan used one of my friends to get close to me. He is casually walking past the two of us and was like, ‘Oh hey,

The Washington Spirit selected Cheyna seventh overall in the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League Draft. And it turned out that Washington, D.C. was less than three hours south of Philadelphia, where a certain boy she knew from college had been playing professional football for the Eagles.

“ t was the biggest deal for us – our faith,” Cheyna recalls about the early days of dating Jordan. “And it still is. It’s what we built our relationship on from the beginning. People are always asking what’s so different about us, and it’s that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do. We seek the same Source.” Cheyna and Jordan’s relationship came easy. They were engaged within six months of dating and married in June of 2017 (with the offiical reception in February 2018). On the professional front, however, Cheyna was having a more difficult transition. She appeared in 17 games, started eight, and scored three goals her rookie season, but found herself in a hypercompetitive clubhouse, on a championshipcaliber team, and for the first time Cheyna struggled to find her role. In 2017, Matthews played in 21 games, started 16, and contributed five goals, settling into life in the NWSL. Her 2018 season was shaping up to be a good one. And then Cheyna got pregnant. There’s not enough talk about the unique challenge female athletes face: having to choose between starting a family or having a professional career. Matthews not only sat out a pivotal year in her career, she also had to face the very real reality of what childbirth would do to her body. At times she wondered whether she would ever be the same athlete. There was no guarantee she could win back her spot on the Spirit when she returned. It was in the middle of this uncertainty that the Jamaican national team came calling.

“People are always asking what’s so different about us, and it’s that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do. We seek the same Source.” — Cheyna Matthews

www.sportsspectrum.com

Jamaica first approached Cheyna, whose mom is 100 percent Jamaican, in college. At the time, Cheyna dreamed of playing for the United States, a dream that came tantalizingly close when she was called to try out for the U-23 national team, the level right below the senior national team. The day before she flew out to Spain for her tryout, she suffered what she thought was a sprained ankle. When she returned home, she learned she’d done her tryout on a broken ankle. Cheyna was not chosen for the team, and never recruited again. Meanwhile, the Jamaican women’s national team was being reestablished

after having its funding removed by the government, and — as it happened — was still very interested in Cheyna. There was no way she’d be recovered from childbirth to join the team for World Cup qualification games. She would have to train harder than she ever had, while taking care of her newborn son, and hope the Jamaican women made the World Cup. They did, Matthews made the team, and she began showing up to practice with her breastfeeding son in tow. The Jamaican women were the lowestranked team in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, but played admirably in their opener against Brazil, despite losing 3-0. Just being in the World Cup was a win for the women, whose own country had shown a painful amount of disloyalty toward them by removing their funding. Just being there sent a message to both their country and the world. When midfielder Havana Solaun scored Jamaica’s first-ever World Cup goal against Australia in the third pool match, Cheyna was one of the first women to reach her and celebrate.

oming out of their recent wedding anniversary, Jordan (now with the San Francisco 49ers) and Cheyna decided to begin reading the New Testament together as a couple. It’s the only way they know how to keep themselves, both as individuals and as a couple, rooted and centered in the middle of a crazy life. “People ask me, ‘How are you able to play soccer and have a baby, and go home and make a meal and be up at night [with Josiah]?’ And honestly, I don’t even think about it,” Cheyna says. “I’m so centered, so rooted, it doesn’t overwhelm me. So many things have been thrown at me the last year or two that it seems like a natural thing to have [my life be] organized chaos. I am content if things don’t turn out the way I plan. I don’t see myself as a perfectionist. Being open to growth is so important, but if you are a perfectionist, it might be easy to slip into the thought that you have it all figured out. “Truth is, we are imperfect humans and need Jesus. It’s the most beautiful thing about the Gospel to me.”

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201 6O lym pics

“I love wrestling, it’s a big part of my life, but I’m not defined by the sport. I’m defined by my faith in Jesus.” — Kyle Snyder

U.S. wrestler Kyle Snyder is not defined by wins or losses, but some significant defeats have shaped him into the man he is: an Olympic and world champion fully committed to Christ

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dubbed it the “Match of the Century.” Snyder was the reigning world and Olympic champion at 97kg, while Sadulaev was the reigning world and Olympic champion at 86kg. Snyder stunned Sadulaev in the championship match, 6-5, overcoming a two-point deficit in the final minute — the first senior level defeat for the “Russian Tank” in almost four years. As the wrestling world had hoped, the foes faced off again one year later in the 2018 Worlds 97kg final in Budapest. Some called it the “Rematch of the Century.” Sadulaev pinned the American just 68 seconds in, handing a 22-year-old Snyder his first setback on the global championship stage. And not only

was it a defeat, it was a loss in the most crushing of fashions. Following the match, Snyder met with the media. He was asked, “Champions are often defined not by wins but by losses. How is this loss going to define you?” Snyder’s response came calm, cool and with great perspective. “Wins or losses don’t define me,” he said. “I mean, I love wrestling, it’s a big part of my life, but I’m not defined by the sport. I’m defined by my faith in Jesus. So no matter what happens to me on the mat, nothing really changes. Whether I win or whether I lose, there’s not a big change in my life, the way that I view myself, the way that I TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971

Right: AP Photo/Christophe Ena

ussian Abdulrashid Sadulaev was lauded by many as the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world following his march to Olympic gold in the 86kg (189 lbs.) freestyle class at the 2016 Rio Games. He was 20 years old and hadn’t lost since 2013. The champion one weight class up wasn’t too bad either. Kyle Snyder, also 20, became the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestling champion ever when he claimed gold at 97kg (213 lbs.). Within the previous year, he had also captured a world championship gold medal and NCAA title. So when Sadulaev moved up a class and squared off with Snyder a year later at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, many

Left: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

BY BECKY YORK

view other people.” Immediately, Snyder was applauded for accepting such a tough loss with grace and dignity, and rightfully so. But few knew such a response was actually a byproduct of another significant defeat, one he experienced early in his collegiate career, and one that changed the trajectory of his life — eternally. “My freshman year of college I was pinned in the NCAA finals,” Snyder told Sports Spectrum this summer. “That was really difficult for me. I was still in the process of learning about Christ, but I hadn’t committed my life to Christ fully. I wasn’t there yet; I still found my identity in wrestling. I wanted to be a four-time NCAA champion really badly. [The loss] hurt but that’s what triggered me to commit my whole life to Christ.”

AGE: 23

rowing up in the rural community of Woodbine, Md., Snyder poured himself into the sport of wrestling as if it was his only aim in life. He first showed athletic promise at 5 years of age when his parents recognized his aggressive nature. They signed him up to join a local wrestling club so he could have an outlet to release this pent-up energy, not knowing the mat would soon become his favorite place to be. When he reached his senior year of high school, Snyder moved from his small town to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to further train before college. It was there that a couple coaches introduced him to a deeper, more rich existence. One of the trainers was Brandon Slay, gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (76kg freestyle), during which his motto was, “Do your best and let God take care of the rest.” Slay invited Snyder to a weekly Bible study. “I think at first it was out of curiosity,” Slay said about Snyder’s attendance, “but over time I think it became a strong hunger to learn.” Confirming Slay’s assumption, Snyder said, “That was the first time I actually enjoyed learning about the Bible.”

HEIGHT: 5-FOOT-11 HOMETOWN: WOODBINE, MD. COLLEGE: OHIO STATE DISCIPLINE: FREESTYLE WRESTLING (97 KG/213 LBS.) HONORS: 2016 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION (2015, 2017), THREE-TIME NCAA CHAMPION (2016-2018)

Though he had grown up in church and even attended a Catholic high school, Snyder admittedly did not pay attention to Christianity, nor had he ever read the Bible for himself. And though he continued to attend the study groups and church on a regular basis, Snyder found his lifestyle didn’t reflect any growth. “My behavior wasn’t changing,” he said. “I was just learning. The Bible says whoever loves his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will find it (John 12:25). I wasn’t fully committed to losing my life yet. I knew what commitment was, having trained at such a high level, but I wasn’t committed to my faith and spiritual growth in the same way I was with other things in my life, such as wrestling.” Two years later, Snyder realized he needed a more solid foundation in his life. Experiencing the major loss on the mat, he immediately recognized the vital importance of giving his life fully to Christ and finding his worth in Him alone. From that point on, he continued to train as hard as he possibly could, but for a different purpose — a higher purpose. “My faith plays a huge role in how I act, compete and think,” Snyder says. “I know I wouldn’t have won any matches nor would I have the ability, strength or feel for wrestling if God hadn’t given them to me. The only reason He wants me here is so that I can learn more about Him and learn more about myself in order to become like Him.”

“There are a lot of people who aren’t worth looking up to. Kyle is one of the best role models any young adult could have — not just wrestlers, but anyone who is looking to accomplish great things in life.” — Coach Brandon Slay

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Colossians 1:29 has become a key reminder for Snyder as he travels and competes all over the world: “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” “This reminds me that it’s all by God’s energy and power,” Snyder says. “I’m not working to do any of this on my own. I don’t deserve any credit for it; He’s the one doing it. I’m just submitting … and that’s humbling. Before Christ, I was defined by my wins and losses, but through the revelation He’s given me, that life is gone. I no longer live that life. The life I’m now living and pursuing is the life of Christ. He’s given me His Spirit who lives inside me so I can live this way. Any accolades I acquire in this life are meaningless, but the growth I experience spiritually is what means the most.”

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hould the wrestling world get its way again, Snyder and Sadulaev will meet in September at the 2019 World Championships in Kazakhstan, and then again on wrestling’s biggest stage at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Surely each man would like another shot at his chief rival. But that’s not Snyder’s focus. “I just try to train as hard as I possibly can and improve to the best of my ability, not just so that I can be the best wrestler, but because of what the sport teaches me in regards to growing and maturing in my faith in Jesus Christ,” he says. “The sport is just a sport, and I won’t be able to do it forever, but with whatever I do with my life, I try to do it as best as I can so I can learn all the things God wants me to learn during it.

“He’s given me His Spirit who lives inside me so I can live this way. Any accolades I acquire in this life are meaningless, but the growth I experience spiritually is what means the most.” — Kyle Snyder

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“One of the big things that separates him from other athletes is he doesn’t worship winning. He trains to be the best in the world and wants to be an Olympic champ again, but he doesn’t make that his everything.” — Coach Brandon Slay

Left: AP Photo/ Balazs Czagany & Julio Cortez

“Having a rival is a great way to push myself; he’s a great competitor. But my faith is the most important part.” Snyder trains daily with his collegiate coach, Tervel Dlagnev, a fellow Christ-follower, at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, often wrestling and training with college athletes. And every month for one week, Snyder travels to Philadelphia to train with Slay. “It’s refreshing and rewarding for me,” Slay says of his time with Snyder. “One of the big things that separates him from other athletes is he doesn’t worship winning. He trains to be the best in the world and wants to be an Olympic champ again, but he doesn’t make that his everything.” Snyder aims to keep his training regimen the same as he approaches major competitions such as the world championships or Olympics, but he also makes time to hone areas he feels need improvement — whether that’s the way he moves his hands, his body language, or just

Right: AP Photo/David Dermer

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finishing matches better. He continually chases excellence in his craft, but does so for the greater purposes of God, not for his own glory. “I’d like to compete as long as I possibly can,” Snyder says. “I love wrestling. If I can compete until I’m 40, and if God is still telling me to do that, then I will. I don’t look too far into the future because you never know what could happen. I try to have loose hands on everything I do. If God tells me to stop, I have to be willing to stop and move on. Even if I’d like to go longer, I have to be ready to let go and move forward. I can look back and see Him working in my life, so I can be confident that He’s going to continue to work if I choose to obey and follow His lead.” This unshakeable eternal mindset is what sets Snyder apart. “In this day and age, there are a lot of people who aren’t worth looking up to,” Slay says. “Kyle is one of the best role models any young adult could have — not just wrestlers, but anyone who is looking to accomplish great things in life.” SPORTS SPECTRUM

DEVOTIONALS Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Like the Psalmist says, it’s important for us as Christians to know God’s Word so that we stave off sin in our lives. But the Bible also has many other vital benefits. As Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

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These devotionals come directly from The Increase, a community of athletes all pressing toward the goal found in John 3:30: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” For more first-person testimonies and stories from the lives of Christian athletes, visit TheIncrease.com.

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INCREASEDEVOTIONALS

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The Power To Transform The Word of God has the power to transform lives. If I truly believe this, I need to be in it, reading it, every day I’m alive! If I am aiming to share the Gospel with others around me, telling them that God’s truth has the power to save and transform their life, I need to know it. I need to know exactly what it’s saying and why. If I don’t study the Bible, how will I know what is truth and what isn’t? And how will I be able to share that with others? The Word of God has been gradually sharpening my mind and heart for years. What amazes me about these truths is that I can read one passage, and then years later read the same passage with new insight and revelation. It’s the same Word, with the same meaning, but by the Holy Spirit, I gain a new outlook. When you reach a different stage of life and spiritual maturity, God reveals more of Himself to you. My wife and I are working on being in the Word more together. We have spiritual coaches in our lives who are helping guide us to be able to read and pray more as a couple. While we might not be able to do this every day, we are finding time throughout the week to prioritize this practice. We are careful not to be too rigid in our practice that we treat our time in the Word as a law or pointless religion. We want to spend quality time with God, not just quantity time. That’s not what God intended it to be. Sometimes our kids will walk into the room while we are either praying or reading the Bible, but instead of stopping to answer their request, we tell them they can either join us or wait. We want them to know that what their mom and dad are doing is important. Most of the time, they want to jump right in and pray with us. I think when a child can walk into a room and see their parents spending time with God together, it can have a great impact on them. Any time we are talking about the Word around our kids or bringing them to church with us, even if they can’t yet fully comprehend the truth being shared, they observe the behavior of living a faith-based life. They are able to see what it means to prioritize God over all else in life. God’s Word is a way to understand and get to know God more — His characteristics, attributes and the history of His people. In these pages we can experience His grace, mercy, love and forgiveness toward us as humans. The Bible is the blueprint of who God is and who we are as His people. In it there are laws and commands to live our lives by, so that we can become more like Him and please Him.

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TUESDAY Victory [Open with 1 John 2:13]

The most popular sports brand in the

world is Nike. Founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon, which was later changed to Nike in 1971, the brand has had a great impact on the sports world. Most of us have owned at least one pair of Nike shoes. And Nike’s financial profit margin over competitors is not even close. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lebron James are just a few who are paid to wear the famous swoosh symbol.

will of God, and He demonstrated His love for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Without a doubt, He is the only superstar, and history is truly “His story.” He is the superglue that holds this world order together.

THURSDAY Sprint

Only three out of 10,000 male or female high school basketball players will be drafted by an NBA or WNBA team, but when you believe in Jesus Christ, you have been drafted by the Creator of the universe to be on His undefeated team for all eternity. The next time you put on your Nike shoes or shirt, remember whose team you really are on.

WEDNESDAY MVP [Open with Philippians 2]

Muhammad Ali called himself “the greatest” — a title which was a great public relations strategy. Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time, but he did lose five fights. In sports, running backs fumble, batters strike out, and shooters miss free throws. In life, we all sin. But Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is perfect and is the MVP of all human history. His Name is above every name; He is the only one who can call Himself “the greatest.” Jesus Christ left Heaven and voluntarily became a man. He lived a perfect life on earth. He never did anything outside the www.sportsspectrum.com

[Open with Matthew 5:16]

There’s nothing like having teammates whom you get along with. Not only do you wear the same uniform and battle against When someone is inducted into the Hall the same opponents, but you also spend of Fame, it is proper protocol for the crowd time together talking, laughing and having to give him or her a standing ovation when meals. This type of camaraderie improves team chemistry and can be the difference introduced. When Jesus Christ returns to in winning a championship. But we also earth at His second coming, He will not receive a standing ovation, but every knee know there can be personality conflicts that disrupt or ruin a team. (believers and unbelievers) will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your The disciples asked this amazing question about Jesus: “Who is this man?” good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16). (Mark 4:31). Those who follow Him know

Nike is named after the Greek goddess, and the English translation means “victory.” So when you wear Nike, you are putting on “victory.” The New Testament was written in the answer: He is the greatest. Greek and any time you read in your English Bible the word “victory” or “overcome,” it is the translation of the Greek word “nike” (1 John 2:13; 5:4; 1 Corinthians 15:57). Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection defeated sin more than 2,000 years ago on the cross, and His followers have been spreading that victorious message ever since. When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are putting on victory (nike) and now share in the celebration of obtaining eternal life.

FRIDAY Light

[Open with 1 Corinthians 10:14]

Everyone enjoys watching the Olympics’ 100-meter track race. The winner is declared the “fastest man alive.” Bob Hayes, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt are a few who have held such a title. There is a particular fascination with the runners who are considered the fastest. And every athlete’s workout regimen includes sprinting because it is one of the most complete muscle-training exercises. To experience victory in the Christian life, we need to learn how to sprint. The Bible tells us there are times when you have to learn to flee or run from a situation. Removing yourself from a specific location as fast as you can will save you from many self-inflicted defeats. “Flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14) and “Flee from youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22) are just a couple of the things we are commanded to sprint away from. Don’t try to resist (that’s a different message) but flee.

I can remember times when the electricity would go out at my house. Total darkness would surround me until I lit a match. That tiny matchstick would shine through a lot of darkness and I could see well enough to find the candles to light. A little bit of light in a lot of darkness goes a long way. Playing organized sports brings all types of people together with different beliefs, values, morals and personalities. A believer in Jesus Christ is called to represent Him in such a setting. There will be challenges, struggles and even darkness, but you can try to be light. “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). It is easy to be a thermometer around teammates — all you have to do is record the temperature in the room. But when you are a thermostat around teammates, you literally change the temperature and atmosphere around you.

WEEKEND Continue reading about being a source of light:

Matthew 5 & Mark 4;

We all recognize that sexual Matthew 6 & Mark 5 temptations are prevalent in today’s society. Too many Christian warriors have fallen into sexual sin because they did not physically run from the situation. We can learn many truths from the life of Joseph (Genesis 39:12), who literally “ran out of the house” when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife. There are times to quote Bible verses and to stand firm. But remember, there is also a time to sprint!

Sam Johnson San Antonio Spurs chaplain

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MONDAY

Set Apart As Different I recently went to Abundant Life Church here in California, where Bryan Loritts is the pastor. He was talking about being on assignment from the Lord. “If God’s brought you to the Bay Area, where only 3 percent of the people follow Christ, you’re not just here to make money or have a good time,” he began. Wow ... it was as if he was speaking directly to me. God is not calling me here for a contract, but to pour into others. My first week with the team, one of my teammates came up to me and asked when I was starting a Bible study. Me? Then another one came up to me and said, “Hey J-Matt, when are you going to start a Bible study?” That couldn’t have been by accident. I’m on assignment; I’m here to pour into these guys and love on them. I want to be a light in this locker room. But the only way I can do this effectively is to be constantly filling myself with Christ. My outpouring is a direct result of what I take in. If I’m going to be pushing others toward Christ, I have to seriously step up my time alone with Him. And I’m excited to see what the Spirit will do as we dive into a book of the Bible together. A couple of my fraternity friends and I were recently reading through 1 Timothy together. In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” This is our aim. Yes, in California it appears that everyone is happy all the time. But the joy the world gives is vastly different from the joy we gain from the Lord. So what does it mean to live in Santa Clara and play in the NFL while having a good conscience? It means I’m not hiding stuff; I’m watching my life to make sure it points toward Christ at all times. If I’m not living the life I’m pointing others to, how effective will my message be? If I’m reading the Word with my teammates one hour in a day and then living my own life the other 23, what does that say? I have to be intentional. This is spiritual warfare; I’m on the battlefield. I need to arm myself daily with the armor of God, filling myself up with His truth. Only then will others see that I am different. I’m not going to get caught up in starting a football game or not. I won’t be upset in the training room if I get injured. I want to talk to younger players who are vying for my position, helping them become the best player they can be. Why? Because I want to set myself apart as different, representing Christ any chance I get. 48

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• SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WIDE RECEIVER

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TUESDAY Christ Our Credential [Open with Luke 18:1-5]

ourselves to the denial of self. We are no longer to live in order to satisfy ourselves; we are to live in order to serve Christ.

If Jesus is Lord and Master, then He How often do we overlook the is the One who sets the agenda for our incredible privilege of having access to the lives. There are no grounds for negotiating Almighty God of the universe and being with Him. The second someone attempts able to come to Him with all our cares and to negotiate the authority of a king, concerns through prayer? that person is no longer respecting or recognizing the authority of that king. In one of His teachings on prayer, Jesus Taking up our cross means dying to our likened prayer to a woman who would not self-seeking pursuits, dying to our desire stop bothering a local judge for justice for control, and dying to our efforts to against her adversary until he finally gave use God for our own agendas. Following in and gave it to her. Just like the woman Jesus requires turning from self-rule and in this parable, we’ve been given an open submitting to Jesus. invitation to bother God with our prayers. Persistence in prayer pleases God, and it May we come to Him and announce honors Him as the ultimate authority over with integrity, “Yours is the Kingdom, the all things. power and the glory forever.” However, in our persistence, we must remember whom we are speaking to and approach Him appropriately. How many of us go to God too casually out of a false sense of feeling that we deserve His attention? Have we ever subtly assumed that we are entitled to God’s ear because of our own goodness?

THURSDAY Two Kingdoms [Open with Matthew 6:24]

In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples the principles of living the Kingdom way of life. We often try to divide our everyday life into spiritual Our access to God never depends on our and material aspects, but Jesus never made résumé, but rather, access is granted because that kind of distinction. Citizens of God’s of Christ’s résumé. Christ is the required Kingdom recognize Jesus’ authority over credential for entering into the presence all things in life and use all things in life for of God. Therefore, may we approach God His glory and for the advancement of His persistently with a humble confidence that Kingdom. And Jesus makes it clear that this recognizes the reason we are allowed to pray includes the way we handle our money. in the first place. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). In his best-selling book “Radical,” author David Platt declares that “we stand May we come to our Father in Heaven amid an American dream dominated by often, and may we do so out of a heart self-advancement, self-esteem, and that’s clinging to the name of Christ. self-sufficiency.”

WEDNESDAY Who Sets The Agenda?

FRIDAY More Than You Think

[Open with Mark 2:9-12]

Many people throughout history have been fine acknowledging Jesus as a great teacher or an incredible healer and miracle worker. It’s the Jesus who claims to be the Lord and Master of the universe that people have found unacceptable. There’s a famous story in Mark’s gospel where Jesus heals a disabled man but claims to forgive the man of his sins first. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day are really bothered by what Jesus is claiming when He declares to be able to forgive the man of his sins. Jesus demonstrates His authority to do so by pointing out that the visible miracle of actually healing the man of his disability would obviously appear to be a more difficult thing to do than the invisible miracle of claiming to forgive him of his sins. And so, as a testimony to His authority to do the invisible miracle of forgiving the man of his sin, Jesus performs the visible miracle of healing the man physically. This healing was obviously an intentional teaching moment in the ministry of Jesus, and one we can still learn from today. For the person who comes to Jesus in faith looking for relief and getting redemption in the process, Jesus’ message is clear: “You need much more from Me than you think.” And for the religious person among the crowd who simply admires Jesus’ teaching, compassion and way of life, Jesus’ message is clear: “I am much more than you think I am.”

WEEKEND Continue reading about God’s authority:

Romans 13 & Acts 5:29; The tragic reality facing many of us Romans 14 & 1 Peter 2:13-14 today is our own obliviousness to the poor investment of primarily investing in [Open with Mark 8:34-35] ourselves. Many of us casually wander down the path of self-advancement and seeking to Following Jesus requires a willingness to use the resources we accumulate along the sacrifice. We must beware of any teaching way for the establishment of our own minithat disregards this reality. Therefore, we kingdoms where we are the ones in control. would be wise to examine ourselves and The tragedy of this mindset is that our safety, ask, “What has my commitment to Jesus security and satisfaction become misplaced cost me? And what are some things in my in a temporary self-made kingdom that will life that could hold me back from truly inevitably not last. following Jesus with everything I’ve got?” In what ways do you find yourself trying In preparing His disciples for what they to promote your own mini-kingdom? As would face down the road, Jesus instructed followers of Jesus and citizens of God’s them with these words, “If anyone would Kingdom, our allegiance cannot be divided come after Me, let him deny himself and between two kingdoms. Our love for Jesus Terry Evans Atlanta Braves chaplain take up his cross and follow Me.” The should lead us to invest our time, energy command was shocking but clear. If we and resources in promoting and advancing want to follow Jesus, we have to devote His Kingdom over our own. www.sportsspectrum.com

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MONDAY

Rest, Rejuvenation & Reliance On God The hardest component of baseball for a pitcher is being able to focus on every single pitch. As a starting pitcher, you pitch every five days for a two-hour-plus span. You don’t even play every day, but for the time you’re out there, there’s such a heavy physical load as you try to throw the ball with 100 percent intent, over and over again. But the mental game is just as taxing, as you think about what pitch you can beat your opponent with, how you can set him up with the next pitch, and how to approach that player in his next at-bat. This cycle of thinking is exhausting. After a game, it’s hard to unwind. Whether it’s a good or rough game, I find myself so mentally drained, yet unable to calm down my mind and relax. It’s often the middle of the night when I fight to put away the hours of trying to defeat my opponent from my mind so I can sleep. There’s a phrase in baseball which goes, “Don’t let the game speed up on you.” When your mind starts to race and your heart matches it, you have to slow down to control the moment. You need to be able to think clearly to not allow your mental, emotional or physical game go astray. You’re battling against the hitter, but you’re also battling against yourself. You must win the internal battle in order to have the chance to defeat the player at bat. After each inning, I take a moment to go to the bench and thank God for allowing me to get through that inning, whether or not it was one of my better times on the mound. I pray for peace of mind to allow His thoughts to be my thoughts. This is just a game. Knowing God is in control of it all helps relieve me of the pressure of performance. This truth allows me to reboot after each inning and refocus my thoughts on what counts. There’s a peace knowing He’s guiding me. Without Him, this would be impossible. There is also a confidence found in the time and preparation you put into your craft. This confidence is based on the hard work you put into where you’ve come. You can’t neglect the work and expect good results; that’s not how it works. It takes four intense days of preparation, training and rest to be able to pitch your best on your start day. We are called to prepare our lives, watering and seeding the field so that God can come in and bring the produce. Knowing God is ultimately the One who brings about the results offers me a place where I can find rest. While the pursuit of your dream takes hard work and perseverance, it cannot be your all. Along with the everyday pursuit should come rest, rejuvenation and reliance on the God of it all, who’s in control every moment. 50

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The desire for notoriety, fame or fortune became the driving force for him instead Spiritual Training of making Jesus known. The game, as the [Open with Hebrews 10:23-24] verse Jonah 2:8 suggests, became an “idol” [Open with 2 Timothy 3:16-17] we pursued. And for periods of time, we Pitching, hitting, fielding or any other MLB players can make the most difficult forsook our faithfulness to Christ. skill required to play the game of baseball plays on the field look easy. Many don’t well requires focus. In order to attain to If you are a businessman, teacher, coach, realize the amount of preparation these peak performance, an athlete must train athletes go through to perform at the parent, student-athlete or anything else, it himself to eliminate all distractions so he can happen to you. The pursuit of things of highest level. Most arrive at the stadium can focus on the task at hand. Each player this world in order to gain significance will around 1 p.m. for a 7 o’clock game. on the diamond has to fulfill his role in Their routines consist of stretching, lifting only lead to a feeling of emptiness. Those order for the team to be successful and weights, getting treatment from the trainer, things on which we thought we had a grip have an opportunity to win the game. As eating, throwing, batting practice, ground will only serve to put a chokehold on our I do my job to the best of my ability on a balls, interviews, more hitting in the batting spiritual lives and cause us to “forsake our given day, I am then able to encourage my faithfulness.” cage, and eating again. They train their teammates to do their best. bodies to be prepared for whatever will Pursue Jesus and He will keep everything take place on the field. In Hebrews 10:23-24, we are in its proper perspective. encouraged to “consider how to stimulate Training is hard work, but it’s necessary one another to love and good deeds.” in order to be prepared for whatever may The word “consider” means “to think come our way at any time. Just as elite upon or meditate.” We need to take time athletes train hard physically, so we all Maintaining Purpose to think of ways we can encourage and must train spiritually. We need to develop a [Open with Philippians 2:2] build up our teammates to help them be spiritual routine so that we will be prepared prepared for their assignments. If they are This past offseason, Luke Weaver to honor our Lord Jesus with our lives. discouraged, then I need to think of ways I was traded to the Diamondbacks as a can encourage them. If they are successful, centerpiece in the Paul Goldschmidt trade God’s Word has been given to us to then I need to rejoice with them, even if we to St. Louis. For both of these Christhelp us train spiritually. D.L. Moody once play the same position and their success said, “The Bible will keep you from sin followers, it meant a fresh start and new means less playing time for me. beginnings in different environments. New or sin will keep you from the Bible.” That cities, clubhouses, teammates and routines statement is certainly true, but the Bible Wins and losses will come and go, is so much more. It is a living and active can actually add new life to a ball player’s but relationships can last a lifetime and career. There’s a freshness to learning new tool the Lord has graciously placed in our beyond. Your teammates will remember teammates even if you have played against hands so we can know Him and understand you more for the way you encouraged what He desires for our lives. Our daily them for a while. Now you’re going to and built them up than they will for how battle with this group of men in the pursuit routine should consist of time reading and you helped them win a game or even meditating on His Word. When we have of a championship. a championship. a spiritual routine centered on His Word, we will be “adequate, equipped for every Though these men have switched good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). clubhouses, their purpose remains the same. The Apostle Paul states in What Has A Grip On You? Philippians 2:2 that his joy is made [Open with Jonah 2:8] complete when the believers are united with the same mind, love, spirit and A pitcher has a variety of different grips Continue reading about focusing on Christ: purpose. As Christ-followers, we need to depending on which pitch he’s attempting 1 Corinthians 10 & John 17; think like Jesus thinks. We need to love to execute. There is a four-seam fastball John 13 & Psalm 90 like He loves us. Jesus prayed in John 17 grip and a two-seam fastball grip. There is that we would be as one just as He and the a different grip for the curveball than for a Father are one. Our purpose in whatever slider. Players have a multitude of different we do is to bring glory to God. grips for the changeup or the splitter. But no matter which pitch is being thrown, all To bring “glory to God” actually means pitchers would agree that you must have a “to make much of” or “lift up” the name solid grip on the ball in order to execute the of Jesus in our lives. How we handle desired pitch. success, failure or adversity reflects upon our relationship with Christ. Our attitude Most every follower of Jesus in the major toward others, especially difficult people leagues would tell you that at some point in in our lives, can lift up or tear down God’s his career he lost his grip on the importance name. Am I loving toward other believers of the game of baseball in his life. Whether in my life? in the minors or while in the majors, baseball gained a grip on him. Mickey Weston

TUESDAY Focus On What Matters Most

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

WEEKEND

Chicago White Sox chaplain

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INCREASEDEVOTIONALS

MONDAY

Changing Habits To Make God First So far, my rugby career has not turned out the way I would have planned or expected, nor in the timing I would have chosen. But God’s continually pushing me toward His divine plan. I first learned the game at the age of 11 from my dad and his rugby teammates. Having played a number of sports throughout high school and college, rugby is what ended up sticking with me. Always being super competitive, I had big plans for myself. I worked really hard at my sport and my education so I could one day play professionally and represent my country internationally. Professional rugby in America has only been in place for about two years now. And though I had the desire to play overseas, I wasn’t receiving any invitations from teams, so I moved out to New York and began playing with a club team. I eventually worked my way to signing a fulltime contract with the U.S. national rugby sevens team in 2015. And by 2018, I signed a contract with the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby. But that year, I experienced one of the hardest times in my career. Undergoing two knee surgeries, I missed out on the USA camp and many games. Though these were difficult to miss, this time brought me closer in my relationship with God. As I look back over my career, I realize that it was always in the challenging moments — preparing for the Olympics, heading into a tough game, or battling an injury — when I felt myself leaning on God more. When I had to have knee surgery, I decided to take a bigger step in my faith — I chose to trust God and let my faith in Him go to work. I always liked going to church, but often I let other things get in the way of my attendance. When I was out with the injury, I decided I wasn’t going to put it off anymore. Now, nothing gets in my way of spending time in God’s house. I have also started a Bible study with my teammates and a weekly WhatsApp call with a few friends, where we read the Word, pray for each other and pray for others together. And I’ve made it a habit to listen to worship music when I’m driving to and from work or the gym each day. This changes where my mind goes and keeps me focused on God. Changing my habits to make God first and focus my eyes on Him has transformed my faith and helped me to trust in His timing and His plan. Now that my heart is in a good place, I also play rugby better, treat my teammates better and find a greater purpose for my life. I want to be remembered as a man of God — someone who is full of love and kindness and a good example of Jesus. I want people to ask, “Why is he like that?” and then realize it’s because he follows God. 52

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• USA RUGBY AND SAN DIEGO LEGION PLAYER

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TUESDAY Perspective Is Everything [Open with Isaiah 43:19]

In February, SportsSpectrum.com

published an inspiring article about the Harrison Barnes trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Sacramento Kings. Barnes actually was informed of the trade during a game! The story read, “Whereas many players would have left the arena upon hearing such news, Barnes chose to stay on the bench with his teammates. ‘He’s a better man than me, for sure,’ veteran Dirk Nowitzki told ESPN. ‘Everybody else would have bounced. He’s just a generally good dude.’” Barnes later posted a message on social media thanking the fans of Dallas, and at the end he wrote, “Isaiah 43:19.” That verse reads, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” What a great perspective! It’s been said that your quality of life is made up of 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you respond. When you view your circumstances from the Lord’s perspective, you gain the spiritual insight necessary to not only maintain your sanity, but more importantly to respond with grace and wisdom, bringing glory to God for the world to see.

pressure to perform constantly challenges us to learn how to overcome adversity while building Godly character. How we cope with the trials of life drives the type of person we are becoming. The Bible is God’s weight room. As you understand and repeatedly apply its truth, you strengthen your moral character. Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes habits. Strong Godly character of high moral virtue doesn’t come about simply because you want it to. You must intentionally train yourself to be Godly, by building the habit of responding to your circumstances in God-honoring ways. Ask the Lord to show you an area of your life that needs focused, intentional training to be more Godly. Are you going to work on it in God’s weight room? Remember: God is always more concerned with who you are becoming than what you are accomplishing.

THURSDAY Haters Gonna Hate [Open with Proverbs 26:4]

Years ago I met a well-known local news anchor. I told him about an amateur broadcast news critic. He responded, “Don’t worry, most critics are amateurs!”

You don’t have to be in the public eye to have your detractors, but it doesn’t help. Like most sin, over-the-top criticism Do you feel betrayed, rejected or is driven by selfishness, pride, jealousy and disappointed by the decisions of others? greed. Too many critics are uniformed, Stay encouraged. Keep trusting the Lord; He’s doing a new thing in your life! “Forget misinformed or not fully informed. They should be gently corrected for the glory the former things; do not dwell on the of God. past” (Isaiah 43:18).

WEDNESDAY God’s Training Camp [Open with 1 Timothy 4:7]

James Jones was one of NBA’s alltime sharpshooters, a three-time NBA champion, and winner of the 2011 AllStar 3-Point Shootout. I had a chance to ask him what it takes to become an elite shooter in the NBA and J.J. responded, “It’s not just hard work and dedication, it’s about repetition — regularly and consistently practicing the same shot the correct way hundreds and thousands of times.”

Responding with truth and love allows us to be like Jesus, and this is what everyone — especially ill-motivated critics — needs to see more than anything else. We are instructed to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our job as Christfollowers is to build up and not tear down, even in the face of unjust criticism. The best way to deal with open criticism, even if it’s justifiable, is to respond with honesty and humility. As Ernest Hemingway put it, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

It takes the same kind of effort in becoming an effective disciple for Christ. Life itself is God’s training camp. Persevering “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” — Proverbs 15:1 through all the frustration, failure and www.sportsspectrum.com

FRIDAY DUI — Deciding Under The Influence [Open with 1 Corinthians 15:33]

Who or what influences you the most? What drives your thinking and your choices? If you claim to be a follower of Christ, then He must be your greatest influence regarding your thoughts, your actions and your hopes and dreams. We are taught in Ephesians 5:15, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise…” Eternal truth and wisdom come from the Lord alone: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). The opposite of wisdom in the Bible is often referred to as “folly.” We don’t use the word much these days, but it basically means foolishness. We can all be foolish when we make decisions without first considering what the Lord has to say about the situation and what He wants us to do. Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” And in Proverbs 19:3 we read, “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” It is vitally important who we allow to influence us. That’s why we have to be careful how we live. Many times it only takes one bad choice to destroy a whole lot of good. “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” — Ecclesiastes 10:1

WEEKEND Continue reading about following God’s plan:

Isaiah 40 & Proverbs 14; Isaiah 43 & Proverbs 15

Jerry Birch Cleveland Cavaliers chaplain

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MONDAY Taming Triggers

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is one of my favorite verses. Right before this line, Jesus is talking about all the things that really mattered to His audience — food, clothes, comfort, etc. What are “these” for you? What are the things you deeply care about? For me, that would be my wife, my kids and who I am as a man. I want to be the kind of guy people look up to and trust. I want to seek God first and involve Him in every area of my life. After 29 years of living, I have yet to find any other thing outside of Jesus that can bring the type of abundance and joy He offers. So any time I’m feeling triggered, discouraged or discontent, I go to this verse for some encouragement. If I can control what I can control and trust Him to work in my heart and life, He never lets me down. In fact, He comes through better than I ever could imagine! But we do have triggers in our life that tempt us to step away. Our triggers will always be there. They will sneak up on us when we are at our weakest. So what do we do to guard against the battles we will face? I’ve found that when I have a steady relationship with other Christ-followers around me, whom I can go through life with, I’m not as tempted by the triggers. Yes, they are still there, but if I’m consistently in the Word, reading and praying with my friends, my men’s group, and my wife, and if I’m staying up on my Bible plan and daily time with God, the triggers are not as powerful. But if I do fall short in what God is calling me to do, anything and everything could be a trigger. We are called to be uncommon in the world we live in. If I stay connected with Him, I’m motivated to be the man He’s calling me to be. I need to arm myself and fight with the sword (the Word of God) He’s equipped me with. During my first couple years in the NFL, I felt very alone. This wasn’t due to anyone else but myself. My wife was still in nursing school in Oklahoma and I was away from my family, flying by the seat of my pants. Football was the big thing in my life, not just a part of my life. I wasn’t letting God influence every area of my life and I wasn’t allowing anyone to speak into my life on a regular basis. I was complacent. But once I decided I needed more — I wanted more — I started reaching out to others I could grow with. My moment of recognition led to a moment of action and my life hasn’t been complacent since.

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• WASHINGTON REDSKINS PUNTER

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TUESDAY Only Christ Is Life

The one who came to deliver opened all my doors for me.

[Open with Colossians 3:4]

I was reminded of Jesus Christ’s words to the Church at Philadelphia in I can still remember sitting in the office Revelation 3:8. He told them He had opened a door for them. In the Bible, a of a college volleyball coach with my door is a picture of an opportunity. The younger daughter. The coach gave her a Christians at Philadelphia had followed recruiting pitch and was excited that she Jesus and obeyed His commands. Jesus, might be joining their team. I was excited because my older daughter’s college team the One who came to deliver, had played in the same conference as the team opened a door of opportunity for the recruiting my younger daughter. I was also Christians at Philadelphia. glad because based on her grades, SAT Many of us are trying to open doors score and athletic ability, she’d get a fullfor ourselves (or even kick down doors). ride scholarship. We are trying to create opportunities at school, work, in ministry or on our sports But here’s where my role as her dad teams. But if we faithfully follow Jesus, came in. I had to ask, “Will this college He’ll open doors for us. He’ll provide help my daughter get to where she wants to be in her calling and career?” Facing the opportunities other people can’t shut down. All we have to do is follow the facts, that college would not. One who came to deliver. Ultimately, though my daughter had several offers to play volleyball in college, she turned down the offers and decided to focus on academics at one of the Face To Face top universities in America. Many of her [Open with 2 John 1:12] teammates and coaches thought she was crazy for turning down college offers. Social media, texting and email are great. All three allow me to communicate with Sadly, there are so many high school many people at once. I can share verses, athletes, parents and coaches who live prayer requests or sermon excerpts with for the college offer. Getting an offer or many people in a very short amount of time. playing in college has become their life. We can also stay connected with people all around the world through social media. But we’ve taught our daughters that only Jesus Christ is life (Colossians 3:4). Recently, I was texting back and forth Contrary to the popular expression, ball with a chaplain from another NBA team. is not life. Our younger daughter enjoys Near the end of our text “conversation,” he volleyball, but it’s not her life. Remember, only Christ is life and having Him as our life texted that he and his wife would like to visit us in Houston later this year. We text quite frees us from trying to find life in sports, a bit and comment on one another’s social scholarships or success. media posts, but both of those are nothing like seeing one another face to face.

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY The One Who Delivers

FRIDAY He Paid Our Debts

[Open with Ephesians 1:7]

Recently, billionaire Robert F. Smith spoke at the commencement for Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. During his speech, he announced that he would pay the student loans for every graduate in the class of 2019. The crowd erupted in celebration upon hearing the offer. A sense of relief was on every graduate’s face. It is estimated that Smith would pay off nearly $40 million in student loan debt. Amazing as Smith’s generous offer was, Jesus Christ made a far greater offer. As the classic hymn “He Paid A Debt” says, “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sin away. And now I sing that brand new song: Amazing Grace. For Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.” Ephesians 1:7 says that our salvation and forgiveness was paid for by Jesus Christ. And Christ’s offer is made available to all. We must simply acknowledge that we have a debt because of our sin and place our faith in Christ as the One who paid our debt. Isn’t that good news? If you’ve trusted Jesus Christ, aren’t you relieved that you won’t have to pay the debt you owe because of your sin? Well, we have a message to share: Our sin has caused us to be in debt to God, but Jesus Christ offers to pay for our debts so we can be right with God. Trust Jesus today!

WEEKEND Continue reading about following Christ:

The Apostle John says the same in two 3 John 1 & Ephesians 1; of his letters. In 2 John 1:12 and 3 John 2 John 1 & Ephesians 2 1:13-14, he says that though he could [Open with Revelation 3:8] write more letters, he would prefer to see them face to face. John reminds us of The team chaplains for the Rockets meet once a month at a college in Houston the value of face-to-face interaction and community. Texting and social media are where one of the chaplains is employed. good at conveying information, but not so As I walked toward the building we held good in conveying intimacy. I’ll text back our monthly meeting in, a delivery man was right in front of me heading toward the and forth with college and professional athletes, but there is nothing like getting same building carrying some packages. I to see them face to face. I love sitting followed behind. As he approached the down with them and hearing their stories, front door, he pushed the large, silver struggles and successes. button with the wheelchair symbol and the doors automatically opened. The next So make it a point to regularly put down set of doors automatically opened too. I arrived to my destination without having to your phone and sit down with friends and Ikki Soma Houston Rockets chaplain family, and engage with them. open a single door.

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MONDAY We Won’t Be Stopped

The pressures that come in this game can really get to us when we allow them. There’s always a temptation to dwell on performance when you’re in the spotlight and you know people are looking up to you. The anxieties, insecurities and worry that result in players’ hearts can be toxic. A lot of guys struggle with this daily; I’ve been there before. The thought of your performance going up and down and then back up and back down, the fear of being sent down to the minors or losing your job … it’s not easy. Whether those thoughts are justified or not, they can be really difficult to suppress. But I know that win, lose or draw, God is going to bring the best out of any and every situation. And in that I find peace. I know God has perfected me for this moment. He’s laid out the plans for me and they are perfect. When my heart is aligned with His, I’m right where I’m supposed to be. There’s a clear difference when I’m striving on my own or walking in line with God and His will. The peace and clarity He offers when I’m in step with Him surpasses anything I could ever describe or understand. On the flip side, when I try to control my life, I feel the stress and pressures rise. By letting go and letting God take control, I’m amazed by what He does for me. Soon I see that this becomes more than I could have ever thought or imagined my life to be. Recently I’ve been going through the book of Acts, reading about the life and ministry of Paul — where God had him for that time. In Acts 20, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, on his way to die for the sake of the Gospel. Paul knew what his calling was; he knew his mission and he was ready and excited to finish the race God had set out for him. He wasn’t about to be stopped with what God was calling him to; he knew his mission and was carrying it out. It’s our job to seek out the opportunities and calling God has for us every day. Only then will we be amazed at the ways He’s going to use us to relentlessly spread the Gospel. If we are aligned with Him, we will not be stopped. If God was able to bring Paul out of chains to do His will, He can do even more for us when we choose to walk in step with Him.

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• DETROIT TIGERS PITCHER

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TUESDAY Our Time With God

worthy for Christ. Eventually I said “yes” to the call and accepted God’s invitation to live out my life for Him. But many times I [Open with Psalm 5] still found myself not living consistently for Him. I finally had to come to terms of how Time is something we wish we had to live my life in a way that was worthy of more of. We live with such busy schedules, the calling I had. it’s hard to find the time to do the things we want to do. One of those things as This term “worthy” has the meaning followers of Christ is spending time with “equal weight,” meaning we need to hold God. But one of the greatest privileges we equal weight to the confession we made to have is that we can have fellowship with the invitation (calling) from God. I realized our God through prayer. my life didn’t match up to my mouth, and this brought me back to the cross, to my In Psalm 5, we watch as King David knees, and ready to live my life in the way takes his pleas and concerns to God in God had summoned me to. times of danger. Here, we can find great insight on how to come before God: Our goal is to look like one, even though we are many, and live like the One • Make prayer a priority (vv. 1-3) — (Jesus) by God’s grace and Christ’s love David prays in the morning and then working in us. Will you join me? watches what God will do. • Take a proper posture toward God (vv. 4-7) — David has profound respect as he goes before God in prayer. Three Goals To Strive For • Put God in charge of the problem [Open with Matthew 28:18-20] (vv. 8-10) — David understands God The majority of athletes want to reach is in control of the situation and of the highest level of competition they can. him also. Something inside them drives them to go • Praise God because He protects (vv. 11-12) — David rests in God’s care farther, want more and be the best they can be. I was no different. But once I was in the and rejoices. minor leagues, my three goals were to make it to the majors, to stay in the majors, and It may be hard to find the time to pray, but our God is with us always. In Matthew to have an impact in the majors. My life was about being part of something big. 6:6, Jesus told us to find time to go “into

THURSDAY

your inner room” and pray. Let’s get excited to put our prayers before God in the morning and watch expectantly to see how He answers. As Andrew Murray said in his book, “With Christ in the School of Prayer,” “To be alone in secret with the Father should be your highest joy.”

FRIDAY Condition Of The Heart

[Open with Philippians 2:3-11]

Every baseball player understands the importance of breaking in a new glove. The leather on the glove is hard and it takes time to soften so it fits your hand the way you want. But there are few things that feel better than a glove fitting perfectly on your hand. Spiritually, our hearts are like that brandnew glove: hard and needing to be broken in. It’s going to take someone willing to spend intentional time to soften us so we can be used for what we were designed. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure…” This is the natural heart inside us. It’s only through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that hearts can change. Second Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!” We now have the new heart to live for Him. But the ongoing heart is what we are supposed to have — the same one Jesus exhibited in Philippians 2, which is one of humility, having the same obedient attitude as Christ had, living for God and serving others until our final day here on earth.

There is no better feeling than to be There could be three similar goals for used how God created us to be used, as those who follow Jesus: to be with Jesus, to we allow Him to work out the hardness of become like Jesus, and to partner with Jesus. our hearts.

What are some practical ways we can allow these goals to play out in our lives? To be with Jesus is cultivating a Continue reading about the heart of Christ: relationship with God through the activities Philippians 2 & Colossians 1; we saw Jesus do. These are what we call Philippians 3 & Colossians 2 the “spiritual disciplines” — prayer, service, worship, fasting, solitude and reading Responding To God’s Summon Scripture. To become like Jesus is how we [Open with Ephesians 4:1-6] allow the Spirit of God to transform us as we participate in those spiritual disciplines. In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul emphatically Finally, the main way we partner with Jesus challenges believers to live their lives in a is by doing what He commanded us to do manner “worthy of the calling” they have in Christ. Not only does he challenge them in Matthew 28:18-20. individually, he reminds the Church of Ephesus that they need to be on the same My prayer is that this, like the sport you play, drives you to go farther in your walk page and direction for life since they all with Christ, to want more of what Christ have one Lord, who is over all. In verse 1, wants for you, and lastly, to be used by Him Paul says, “I urge you to live a life worthy to impact others in order to do the same. of the calling you have received.” What are you striving for?

WEEKEND

WEDNESDAY

Before I surrendered my life to Christ, I didn’t want to live my life in a manner

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Eddie Taubensee Director of Increase Baseball

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MONDAY The Next Level

During my 2018 season, I was able to take my game to the next level. I finally felt like I had a grasp on how to pass block. I was working hard to up my game and began praying, “Lord, I need my body to move exactly in this way. I need to distribute weight in this particular fashion, in this direction, to get to the point where I can do what I need to do.” When I started praying very specific prayers, I noticed my actions started changing on the field. “I need You to help me keep this hip at a 45-degree angle for three more plays.” Never had I prayed such specific prayers about my sport before. Many times I had asked the Lord to help me play my best, but not in this way. I needed fine tuning and I turned to the One I knew could get it done. And knowing my heart was to please and honor Him with my game, He did it. Nothing is too small an ask to take to the Lord. Nothing is too minute to pray for. Sometimes we think a certain prayer might be too small a thing for God to care about, or we simply don’t think to ask Him. But I try to pray about everything I do, that it would bring about its God-given purpose. Before I send an email, I’ll pray for God to bless it. Before I shoot a text to a friend, I pray God’s blessing on it. Nothing is too insignificant for our God. My whole career has taken a lot of faith. I was a seventh-round draft pick. For the entirety of my career I’ve been one of the smallest offensive tackles in the league (both in height and weight). The only way I’ve been able to last as long as I have is through prayer and making God first in my life. There’s no other way I could possibly be here. God continues to shower down His supernatural favor on my life and my career. I can’t take any of the credit. Even when I was hurt, I played not by my own strength. I couldn’t! It was by His supernatural strength that I was able to compete. In Revelation 3:7, we read, “What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts, no one can open.” The doors that God opens in our lives, no one else can open or close. Those that He closes, we have no power to open. Whatever His will is for me next, whatever this next season holds, I have to be cool with that. Knowing He has my best interest — and the best interest of His Kingdom — in mind, I can truly trust in Him. Whatever God has for me, He will make a way.

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• NEW YORK JETS TACKLE

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TUESDAY Easily Distracted

[Open with Colossians 3:1-4]

It’s been said that if you aim at nothing,

Paul’s ministry was taking off and the Lord had been giving him insight and revelations that were divinely communicated from God, through Paul, to the people. But Paul could not handle the torment of this “thorn in his flesh,” and we can sense him clinging in desperation to the words of Jesus: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

FRIDAY Our God Is Higher

[Open with Philippians 2:5-8]

Corporate worship settings are some of my favorite scenes of the week. I love listening, reflecting and singing along with the congregation. There’s one particular song many churches sing during worship services that stirs a plethora of emotions within my soul. The song’s chorus echoes Jesus’ power is made perfect in us the might, majesty and glory of our God, when we consciously take ourselves off and when Christians gather and in unison the throne of our lives and surrender declare the words, “Our God is stronger, that position to the One who sits at the The more and more I see this unfold in our God is greater, God You are higher right hand of the Father. Through Paul’s the lives of athletes, the more I realize it isn’t acknowledgement of his weakness, he than any other,” I can’t help but stand in that they don’t want to make Jesus a priority goes on to let the Church know that he will awe of our great King. in their lives, and it isn’t because they don’t not be silent about his weakness, because love God enough or don’t have enough in God’s upside-down Kingdom, the weak Converting from Islam, I could have faith. They’re just easily distracted. never imagined that the One who created are strong. me and knew me in my mother’s womb We are not strong enough to resist the would be so close to me and love me so distractions of the world with our own much to offer me eternal union with Him. strength, but praise be to Jesus that we Immeasurable Power don’t have to rely on our strength to resist I took a Muslim friend with me to church [Open with 1 Peter 1:3] these distractions! The New Testament one time and the Church was singing this promises that there is a power in us that It isn’t uncommon for Christ-followers to song. At lunch after service, I asked him is stronger than any pull from this world. feel we are lagging behind in our Christian what he thought. He said he couldn’t The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from walk. At church it seems that everyone get over the arrogance of the song at the dead is not only available to us, it’s the beginning. He asked, “Do you really else has it all together. We scroll through already in us. All we must do is surrender our social media feeds and see others who believe that your God is greater than to His power. As we do, we will become any other god?” Without hesitation, I look happier than we ever feel. In a world more capable of fixing our gaze on Jesus replied, “Yes. No other god that humanity where images, videos and posts are in and setting our hearts and minds on things front of us on a moment-by-moment basis, has pursued stepped into creation as a above. And as we do this, we will look past it’s easy to feel discouraged. vulnerable infant and left with holes in his the distractions that hinder us and see our hands and feet.” Lord who embraces us. However, we must remember that our When you consider Jesus, it’s impossible lives cannot be dictated by how we feel. Emotions and feelings are great gifts God not to stand in awe of His majesty, might has given us, but we cannot give them the and power, and realize He chose to step into our lives and save us. power they were never intended to have Contrary To The World over our lives. Nowhere in the Bible are we [Open with 2 Corinthians 12:9] told to trust our emotions. On the contrary, we are reminded to fix our eyes on Jesus, The Kingdom of God is contrary to our Continue reading about the power of God: set our minds on Heavenly things, and world. In God’s Kingdom, those who lose remember exactly who He is and what He Matthew 16 & 2 Samuel 22:33; their lives actually gain them (Matthew Matthew 23 & Romans 1:20 has called us to. 16:25). The servant becomes the greatest (Matthew 23:11), and the one who Even when we don’t feel like it, God’s surrenders actually gains an advantage. immeasurable power is offered to us From our perspective, the Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. We are equipped is an upside-down kingdom. with everything we need to live a Godly life; we lack nothing. None of this is The Apostle Paul understood God’s dependent upon how we feel about Kingdom. He was certain that in times ourselves or our circumstances. God’s of human weakness, his strength came power is in you; you don’t have to wish from a Heavenly place. The upside-down for it or hope it’s sufficient enough to Kingdom is emphasized in Paul’s words pull you through. You are fully equipped to the Corinthian Church. In 2 Corinthians and prepared for what life has to offer, 12, he lets them know about an issue he not because you are strong enough, but has, something that has tormented him because He is. and, in his words, “has kept me from Reza Zadeh Denver Broncos chaplain being conceited.” you’ll hit it every time. In our Christian walk we must have a spiritual focal point, something that will propel us toward Christ. Over the years, I have talked to many athletes who want to walk with Jesus, live empowered and be led by the Holy Spirit. But unfortunately, the things of this world seem to drown out these spiritual desires.

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

WEEKEND

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MONDAY Just Be Real

“If I fail, help me to still give You glory. If I succeed, let me point it to You.” It’s easy to say these things but when the moment actually happens, what do we do? I try to pray these things over my game and my at-bat every time I go up to the plate. I don’t want to be the weird Jesus-girl, but at the same time, I want to honor God and not abandon my witness to others. This balance can definitely be a struggle, but over the past few years I’ve found that as my confidence in the Lord grows, it gets easier. I feel like my heart has grown in a lot of ways to know that my teammates are just in a different place. I can share and whether or not they receive it is not on me, it’s on them. But I’m going to take the opportunities God lays before me and be honest. A lot of us get worried that we’re going to offend people, and that’s something to be aware of, but if I’m just going to be honest with them about how God has worked in my life, someone can’t tell me I’m lying. They can’t tell me that what happened to me didn’t occur. So when people ask me how I got through a certain moment or high-pressure at-bat, I tell them, “I prayed.” It’s very simple to be a witness when you’re just being honest. Not all of my teammates are believers in Christ. There are some who know of the Lord but have not given their lives to Him. One day, after I had made it to second base and pointed up to the Lord to show that it was all Him, one of my teammates came up to me and said, “When you pointed up, I just started crying.” I told her I was praying during my entire atbat. This gave me the opportunity to just be honest with her. People are looking for people to be real; they’re looking for people who are willing to be open and honest with their faith because it’s hard. If they see someone else do it, it gives them the courage to maybe be a little bit more open in their own sphere of influence. I take my social media platform pretty seriously; I want to be real but I also want to use it for a purpose. It’s not just for my own vanity, it’s an opportunity to share just how good God is. Be open, honest and listen to the opportunities that God provides. He uses it all! Whether we think we did a good job or not, God can use it for a purpose to serve Him. “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.” — Psalm 34:3

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• USA SOFTBALL PLAYER

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TUESDAY To God Be The Glory

[Open with Philippians 4:13]

Being black, tall and slim causes

He suffered and then learned from that experience (Jonah 1-4). You may have already charted your career path. You may even think you have achieved the crown jewel of success. If you’re in one of these situations, you might want to ask God where He is in these equations. I learned from my short military experience to first seek and follow God’s plan. You will be astounded to see what God has already planned for you.

some people to ask if I played organized basketball. Most are surprised when I tell them I didn’t. My follow-up is to say God has given me a different platform on which to perform. Five years ago, He made me a powerlifter. Today, at age 72, God has allowed me to hold state, national and international records for my age and weight Jesus taught His disciples to pray for in the United States Powerlifting Association. God’s will in this way: What have you been told that might be keeping you from achieving all God has for you? Have you been told you’re too old or too young? Or that you’re too small or too big? God chose Moses to lead the children of Israel even if he was thought to be too old. And David was supposedly too small to defeat the giant Goliath. God is not finished with you yet. God knows where you are and what He has planned for you. When you think you’re not smart, God will show the world you are a genius. When you think you are old, God will show the world age is just a number. When you think you are too young, God will show the world you are wiser than your years. Boldly go through God’s open doors. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us...” — Ephesians 3:20 (By Harvey Pendleton)

WEDNESDAY Thy Will Be Done [Open with Proverbs 3:5-6]

Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) — that was my ultimate life goal, and I made that goal my god. But a funny thing happened on the way to the top. My career was sidetracked by one unsatisfactory job performance rating — a career killer! Dream over! I wanted to go one way and God showed me He was taking me another direction. He taught me that my priorities in life needed to be Him first, family second and career third.

[Open with Ephesians 1:1-4]

Imagine never having to worry about money. If you hit the lottery, your life would be drastically different. But let me let you in on a secret: You are wealthy! You’re so rich that you make a billionaire look like a pauper. If you are born again in Christ, your life is drastically different. Being in Christ means you are part of the family of God — the King of Kings! You’ve already hit the lottery and are spiritually rich.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven.” — Matthew 6:9-10 (KJV)

Paul’s life was drastically different after his conversion (Acts 9:1-9). Saul, the persecutor, became Paul the apostle, prisoner and writer of our text today to the Ephesian believers directly, and to all saints indirectly.

(By Harvey Pendleton)

We recognize the Church is not the building; it is the “called-out believers” who Paul says are the faithful in Christ. Saints are those who are graciously set apart by God to partake of His spiritual riches. He chose us, He adopted us as sons, and by grace He made us accepted, redeemed and forgiven. He let us in on the secrets of His will vicariously through the finished work of the cross. He gave us an inheritance, and He sealed us with the promised Holy Spirit.

THURSDAY Take Charge [Open with 2 Timothy 1:1-8]

Being able to “take a charge” in the NBA is key for a team to maintain possession of the ball. Former player Shane Battier said there are three things required: 1) Great vision — you must know where the basketball is on the court at all times. 2) Great anticipation — you must know if the offensive player is out of control and your feet are planted outside the restricted area. 3) Great courage — taking a charge is not for the faint at heart; it will hurt. Being able to take a charge is also key for our spiritual life. With the spiritual authority given him by God, Paul, from prison, charged Timothy. With great vision and concern, he charged Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him. With great anticipation of Timothy’s fire for ministry, Paul charged him to fan into flame the gifts of God. If Timothy was willing to take on this charge with great courage, he would find the boldness and strength through the work of the Holy Spirit to face his fears.

Have you taken a charge? Do you have great vision and concern for others? Do you have great anticipation to recognize when your love for the ministry or your spiritual walk is not on fire? In this life, you The prophet Jonah decided to disobey will be hurt from the enemy within and the God. God told him to prophesy in one city, enemy without. Be of good courage. Jesus has overcome the world and will help in but he decided to go to another city. times of fear. (By Elliott Williams)

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FRIDAY Spiritually Rich

The believer’s mindset is concerned about the things that are above — a Kingdom where their riches are. Where are your treasures? Are you in Christ? Is He the object and source of your riches? If so, you are spiritually rich. (By Elliott Williams)

WEEKEND Continue reading about following God’s path:

Jonah 1-2 & Acts 9:1-9; Jonah 3-4 & Proverbs 10:22

Harvey Pendleton & Elliott Williams San Antonio Spurs chaplains

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For more stories from the lives of athletes, all pressing toward the goal found in John 3:30, visit TheIncrease.com.

THE PURSUIT

DROPTHE WEIGHT BY JIMMY PAGE

— PHILIPPIANS 3:13b-14

Back in the 1980s, I discovered a gym that was a forerunner to today’s sports performance training facilities. It was an old Nautilus Gym that required you to schedule a specific time so your trainer would be there ready and waiting for you with your workout card on a clipboard. My first trainer was an absolute beast. He was preparing for a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys, so he was ultra-focused in the gym himself, and he came with an extra dose of intensity and intimidation. One day, I could tell he was in the mood to make me suffer and he informed me that he would be joining me in the training. This was not good. I remember him telling me to stand on the weight stack to give him the extra weight he needed! When the workout was almost over, he said I would finish by strapping on a 40-pound weighted vest and running the stairs. I had done this before, so I knew there was no way out but through. His mission was to make me my best, and adding weight was one way to accelerate that. I still look back with amazement on the gains I made that summer in terms of speed, strength and power. Once I was free from the added weight in my workouts, I could perform at my absolute best. In a similar way, once we are able to shed the “added weight” of burdens in other areas of life, we’re able to live a life of freedom mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Free from the additional weight often caused by negative words, emotions and experiences, we’re able to live and perform at our best. Negative words from others (or even yourself) reinforce your fear and doubts, and can make you want to quit. Negative emotions caused by stress, anxiety and the pressure to perform make you feel like a failure, like you’ll never be good enough, or that the challenges you face are too big to overcome. Negative experiences from the past — if you hold onto them — can lead to a victim mentality where you believe you can do nothing about your choices for today or the direction for your future. All of these additional weights become a kind of “de-motivational” playlist in our minds that discourages us and wears us out. When things don’t go our way, the additional weight leads to excuses and the blame game. We find ourselves looking for reasons to explain not living up to our own expectations. But getting rid of the mental noise, emotional pain and burdens of the past is often an exercise in forgiveness. When Peter asked how many times he should be willing to forgive, Jesus basically said, “Every time.” Jesus knows that holding onto grudges or pain from the past eventually leads to bitterness, which becomes a very destructive burden to carry. It keeps you stuck, preventing you from moving forward and achieving your goals. And, continuing to listen to the negative noise in your head like “I can’t do it,” or “I’m not good enough,” is sure to keep you from fulfilling your potential. So here are three steps to forgiveness you can do right now to “drop the weight” and experience the freedom to be your absolute best:

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“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

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1 FORGIVE OTHERS We all have the power to choose to release others. Forgive those who may have spoken words of defeat and doubt, or criticism and condemnation. Forgive those who planted seeds that you have allowed to limit your progress. We are the ones who suffer from the burden of hanging onto anger, resentment and bitterness.

2 FORGIVE YOURSELF

So many of our burdens are self-imposed. We are often our harshest critics and hold ourselves to impossible standards of perfection. Stop reminding yourself of all the ways you’ve failed or fallen short. Ask God to forgive you and then forgive yourself. The goal is progress, not perfection.

TAKE OWNERSHIP

It’s time to stop playing the blame game and making excuses for why we’re not who we want to be or doing what we want to do. When you forgive others and yourself, you are free to take ownership of your life. Stop listening to the lies and start talking to yourself; control the conversation and focus on what you can do now moving forward. Taking ownership means taking responsibility for every choice you make and trusting God with the outcome. In Matthew 11:28 and 30, Jesus said, “Come to Me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest … for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus came to set us free from the weight of anxiety and worry, our pain and our past, and even sin and death. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Let’s forgive others and ourselves, and start to take ownership of our lives. When we drop the weight and become mentally, emotionally and spiritually free, we’ll become our best in all areas of life. CHALLENGE YOURSELF: Write down 2-3 names of people you need to forgive and release. Write down 2-3 personal failures you need to ask God to forgive you for, and then forgive yourself. Write down one thing you can take ownership of to make progress toward your best future. Jimmy Page serves as the Executive Director of Field Ministry for FCA. He is a competitor, speaker and author of “One Word,” “True Competitor,” “Life Word,” “WisdomWalks” and “Called to Greatness.” He and his wife started a cancer foundation called Believe Big following her victory over cancer. They live with their four children in Colorado. You can reach him at jimmy@fca.org, Twitter @jimmypage37, or www.jimmypage.us.

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BY REZA ZADEH

Spirit...”— EPHESIANS 1:13b

Through the years, athletes have frequently identified motivational phrases that help express their passion for sports and competition. These phrases are written on T-shirts, wristbands, 3x5 cards hanging in lockers, and even tattoos. They serve as an external push that prompts competitors to go beyond their limits or remind them of why they started competing in the first place. These visual focal points can be powerful for athletes during a grueling workout or in the midst of competition. Many Christian athletes have identified phrases that declare spiritual realities while they compete. In the past couple years, “Audience of One” has resurfaced as a key slogan in the world of Christian athletics. The problem is that the phrase has the potential to be misunderstood and can actually cloud the genuineness of the Gospel. I work with college, Olympic and professional athletes for a living. The biggest obstacle I observe them needing to navigate is the myth that everything they do on the field, court, track or swimming pool determines their worth and value to fans, coaches, parents or a particular team/organization. These voices can be deafening. As an NFL chaplain, I see this play out on a weekly basis from the sidelines and locker room. One particular season, we were 3-1 and playing an 0-4 team on Sunday Night Football. Being the only NFL game on TV that night ensured that millions of people would be watching. Before the game, our team took the field as the stadium filled with cheers from the hometown crowd; the energy was electric. Energized by the cheers and support of the fans, the team was confident as the game kicked off. But the certainty and confidence we started the game with quickly took a hit when we found ourselves down 24-0 going into halftime. Then something peculiar happened. The home fans, who just 90 minutes earlier were cheering for their beloved team, sent the players into the locker room with resounding boos. The same people who were cheering for them before the game turned on them because the players’ performance didn’t meet their expectations. There is a valuable lesson in this illustration that I didn’t want our players to miss at our next Bible study session. As humans, we’re all designed with the innate desire to be loved and accepted, but unfortunately we look for love, worth and affirmation in the wrong places. When an athlete ultimately looks to the fans, media and coaches for affirmation and worth, they will be severely disappointed. No person can give us the ultimate affirmation and eternal worth our souls crave. I believe this is why the phrase “Audience of One” (Ao1) resonates with so many athletes. On the surface, this phrase seems to be the antidote to the constant pursuit of affirmation an athlete desires. However, when taken out of context, this phrase can be just as detrimental to an athlete’s psyche and

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spiritual maturity as looking for that affirmation from fans, media and coaches. When an athlete says they are playing for an audience of One, they have the potential to inaccurately perceive God as a substitute for the fans in the stands as they play FOR God. I hear a lot of athletes say they want to play for God rather than things of this world, but nowhere in Scripture do we see that God desires us to play, perform or live for Him. On the contrary, the sealing of every believer with the promised Holy Spirit ensures that we are living, playing and competing WITH God (Ephesians 1:13-14). Playing FOR God suggests that God is in the stands waiting for you to do something spectacular that allows Him to stand up and cheer, which incorrectly implies that God is solely interested in our performance and is only glorified when we perform for Him. On the other hand, playing WITH God puts in practice the truth of the Gospel that reminds athletes they are already fully accepted, affirmed and deemed worthy — regardless of performance. They know God’s affirmation is not something to strive to earn, but that it’s already available to them.

VICTORY BEYOND COMPETITION

WHAT DOES AUDIENCE OF ONE “When you believed, you were marked REALLY MEAN? in Him with a seal, the promised Holy

An athlete has the choice to play FOR God’s attention and affirmation, or FROM God’s attention and affirmation.

A correct understanding of “Ao1” means that your athletic performance cannot impact God’s affection for you; you don’t have to strive FOR it. But when an athlete competes and plays FROM God’s love and affection that they already possess in Christ, they are able to compete free from the pressure of voices that fight for their attention. They are truly free to do what they love to do. When an athlete knows they are already accepted and loved, their level of motivation has the potential to skyrocket because it is not based on fickle opinions of others. Rather, their motivation is an attitude of thankfulness which has the ability to fuel them, no matter the circumstance or scoreboard. An Ao1 athlete does not need to look to outside sources for affirmation, acceptance or love because they already possess an inheritance and future that can never perish, spoil or fade away (1 Peter 1:4). When an athlete surrenders to this reality, they learn to enjoy and excel in competition the way God intended.

Reza Zadeh serves as the Colorado Front Range Director for Athletes in Action, overseeing athletic ministry at six colleges and serving as the Denver Broncos’ team chaplain. As a college athlete, he converted from Islam to Christianity through the ministry of AIA at Colorado State University, and now enjoys training athletes to be athletic disciples who make athletic disciples. Reza, his wife Allyson and their three children live in Colorado.

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You CAN know

PERSONALLY

Our Problem, God’s Solution

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By Randy Alcorn

“God created mankind in His own image … God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:27, 31). God made human beings with personal and relational qualities like His own (Genesis 1:26) and desired to have a delightful relationship with them. But something went terribly wrong. When Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan’s advice in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), sin poisoned the world and now we are all born with the desire to do things our own way, not God’s.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our sins against a good and holy God have distanced us from Him (Isaiah 59:2). God “cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:12). Through sin we forfeit a relationship with God, and along with it our happiness. The result of all this is death. Spiritual death is separation from God in a very real place called hell. Physical death marks the end of our opportunity to enter into a relationship with God and avoid eternal condemnation (Hebrews 9:27).

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). There is absolutely nothing we can do to restore ourselves to God. He is holy, we are not. In fact, He says even our good deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But God loved us so much He sent us His Son Jesus, fully God and fully man, to deliver us from death and give us life (John 3:16). "God demonstrates His own love toward us … while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. He did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. When Jesus died for us, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word translated “it is finished” was written across certificates of debt when they were canceled. It meant “paid in full.” Jesus then rose from the grave, conquering sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

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If these words reflect your heart and you would like to receive salvation through Jesus Christ, say this prayer to God. It's as simple as A-B-C: Admit, Believe, Confess. SPORTS SPECTRUM

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“There is no greater decision in life than that which affects our eternity. A holy, just God in His infinite mercy provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and our relationship with Him to be reconciled through the finished work of His Son. Salvation comes through Christ alone. For a sinful separated man, this is indeed good news!”

NEW COPY BELOW AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s greatest gift is a restored relationship with Himself, delivering us from hell and granting us entry into Heaven (John 3:36). This gift depends not on our merit but solely on Christ’s work of grace for us on the cross (Titus 3:5). He is the one and only way to God. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

“Whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

To be right with God, we must admit our sinful hearts and actions, and ask God’s forgiveness. If we do, He graciously promises full forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Then we are to affirm to others that the resurrected Jesus is our Lord.

The life we long for is freely offered to us in Christ. We can believe His promise and call on Him to save us, humbly accepting His gift of eternal life: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). God’s Holy Spirit indwells us and helps us obey Him (2 Timothy 1:14).

“Dear God, I ADMIT that I’m a sinner and the penalty of my sin is death. I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that He died and rose from the dead for my sin. And I CONFESS Jesus as my Savior. Please forgive me. I repent of my sin and surrender my life to You. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen." — Miles McPherson, senior pastor & former NFL player 3

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