100th Post at Living Up to my Name!!

Well, football season has come and gone,  the combine has happened and the draft chatter has begun for next season.  Football is never far from the consciousness of the North American sports fan.  And of course football players and teams continue to make headlines for many of the wrong reasons.  In an effort to encourage us to keep the positive stories in front of us,  I would like to invite you to read back through my now completed series on Christians in the NFL.

I chose the story of one player from each of the 32 NFL teams and over the past 6 months, I have re-told their stories and added some personal lessons/applications from their stories for my own life.  I hope you enjoy them,  here they are in the order that I posted them, starting with the first one I wrote, last August.

Living Up to my Name reaches the century mark!  This is the 100th post that I have written since starting this blog a year ago.  It has been great looking into the stories of these pro athletes, and sharing them with you.

I'd love to hear any feedback that you may have.  I'd also like to invite you to come over and check out my new home for "Living Up to my Name.  I will be switching my blog to that site, so soon, all new posts will appear exclusively there very soon, we are just tweaking some last details.  But it is up and running so feel free to stop on by if you can forgive the few final details that are still being worked out.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'd love to hear any feedback that you have on any of these posts.  And a special thanks to all the resources and writers whose articles and interviews I have drawn on to create these posts.
Keep checking back for more stories of athletes who are living to proclaim the name of Jesus through their words and their lives!

Chris

Andy Dalton - Cincinnati Bengals
Troy Polamalu - Pittsburgh Steelers
Colt McCoy - Cleveland Browns
Matt Birk - Baltimore Ravens
Devin Hester - Chicago Bears
Calvin Johnson - Detroit Lions
Donald Driver - Green Bay Packers
Jared Allen - Minnesota Vikings
Ryan Succop - Kansas City Chiefs
Tim Tebow - Denver Broncos
Aaron Curry - Oakland Raiders
Jacques Cesaire - San Diego Chargers
Justin Forsett - Seattle Seahawks

Sam Acho - Arizona Cardinals

James Laurainitis - St. Louis Rams

David Akers - San Francisco 49ers

Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints
Gerald McCoy - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers
Reggie Kelly - Atlanta Falcons
Danny Woodhead - New England Patriots
Mike DeVito - New York Jets
Chris Kelsay - Buffalo Bills
Davone Bess - Miami Dolphins
Jeff Saturday -Indianapolis Colts

Matt Hasselbeck - Tennessee Titans

Aaron Kampman - Jacksonville Jaguars

Hakeem Nicks, Chase Blackburn, Matthew Slater, Deion Branch -  New York Giants and New England Patriots - Super Bowl

Oshiomogho Atogwe - Washington Redskins
Jason Witten - Dallas Cowboys
Michael Vick - Philadelphia Eagles
Matt Turk - Houston Texans

Christians in the NFL - Lessons Learned from Matt Turk - Houston Texans

This is the 32nd and final installment in my blog series focusing on Christians in the NFL and I will end it up with a very moving story. It is an amazing story that I am glad that I came across. It is the story of Matt Turk - punter for the Houston Texans.

Matt Turk is the oldest player in the NFL - He is one of only 2 current players that were born before 1970. (Saints Kicker John Kasay is the other one)  He has played for 7 1/2 different teams (the half is because he played for both the St. Louis AND the Los Angeles Rams). He graduated from College before many of his colleagues were out of elementary school, and yet he remains in the league, carving out a career that has seen him punt the ball over 1,100 times for a total distance of just less than 27 1/2 miles. He has been to the Pro Bowl 3 times and was an All Pro each of those years as well.

Turk tells the story in this article from The Houston Chronicle about the good things and the hard things that life has brought his way.  The prayers that were answered and the ones that were not answered the way he hoped they would be.  He shares of growing up with his 5 brothers raised by his mom, a single parent that waited tables and washed floors to support them all.  He shares about his older brother, Dan, who also played in the NFL and was Turk's teammate for a couple of years and lost his battle with cancer a couple years ago.  Dan was the big brother, the father figure and although known for a mean streak, he became a Christian and drastic changes were evident.  Matt noticed the change in Dan's life and sought what it was all about.  Matt gave his life to Christ as a senior in College.

He is still going on his NFL career, and as you can read in this article from The Florida Times-Union he is not ready to have his career end yet, even though some of his teammates are closer in age to his kids then they are to Him.

Here are some lessons I take from Turk's story:
1- When Prayers seem Unanswered - They are not.  We have our idea of how we want God to answer our prayers, and sometimes, that is how it works out.  But sometimes, it doesn't work out that way.  Turk lost his brother, Dan, despite his fervent prayers that he be healed.  That is a common one, and I don't know why God restores some to health here and calls others home.   But I do agree with Turk's take.  When your prayers don't get answered the way you want, you have 2 choices.  Draw closer to God, or push God away.  Turk wanted to be angry and bitter and give up on God, but he knew that it meant denying God, or admitting that God is still in control.  He chose the second, and knows that he is stronger because of the struggles that he has gone through.  God is able to teach us, and to show us his strength, faithfulness and love even in these hard times.  It is impossible to completely learn this lesson.  We will always have to continuously and intentionally give up our anger, bitterness and confusion and trust that God's plan and way is the best.  It is hard to understand sometimes, but that is where our faith has a chance to grow stronger.

2- Be willing to Give and Serve -  Turk grew up in a fatherless home.  He is very close to his brothers and his mom, and the closeness of the family is evident as you read how he took in a niece and a nephew to live with him and his family to give them a new environment.  They did fine and Turk talks emotionally about how great it was to have them there.  His niece graduated from High School and college on a full scholarship, and his nephew, Ben,  learned how to punt and is now the punter for the Notre Dame fighting Irish.  God calls us to serve other, to be generous and giving of what he has given to us.  And like Turk mentioned, when we do, not only do those we serve get the benefit, but as we serve, we learn so much about God and his heart for others, and often, we come away feeling like we are better off for having served.

Turk's story is very encouraging.  Stick with God even in hard times, no other choice makes sense.

Christians in the NFL - Lessons Learned from Michael Vick - Philadelphia Eagles.

This is the 31st installment in my series on Christians in the NFL.  Today, we will look at the well known story of Michael Vick.  The story is well known, but it is truly a remarkable story that in some ways, we all can relate to.

Vick was a star quarterback coming out of Virginia Tech.  He was the first player drafted in the 2001 draft coming out of college after his sophomore season.  Always considered an incredible athlete, he was also drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round of the MLB draft.  But football is where he turned his attention.  And what a career so far.  He has played in 4 Pro Bowls, set the record for most rushing yards by a QB in a single game (173) and in a career, and led the Atlanta Falcons to playoff wins in 2002 and 2004.  He had become a star in the NFL, and promised to continue leading the Falcons to successful seasons posting career highs in passing TD's and rushing yards in 2006.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Vick was arrested and charged with a number charges.  He plead guilty and was sentenced to what amounted to 2 years of incarceration, mostly at Leavenworth Maximum  Security prison in Kansas.  He admitted that he had been involved in illegal dog-fighting, gambling and in his own words "cruel and reprehensible behaviors".  He even tested positive for marijuana use.

You can read about his life and career at JockBio.com

He found himself in prison, unemployed and owing the Falcons almost $20 million and banks another $4 million on loan payments. His future was bleak,  his name and reputation were destroyed, fans and  animal rights groups were ripping him.  Late night talk shows made him the brunt of their one-liners. There was even an auction on Ebay of Vick football cards that were chewed up by the seller's dog.  Vick had reached rock bottom.

But in prison, Vick reached out to God.  As you can read in this Baptist Press Article, Tony Dungy was brought in as a mentor and helped Vick get his life his relationship with God and even his career back on track.  He had become a Christian in High School, but success and fame had pulled him away from letting God lead him and guide his decisions.  It was time to turn back to God.

He is thriving in his second chance, going to a Pro Bowl and winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.  But he has changed the way he approaches the game.  He is learning from the mistakes that led him into trouble, and he is fighting hard each day to keep God at the center of his life.  He is telling others what God has done in his life and honoring God with his second chance in his career.  It is an amazing story, and as hard as it is for a Saints fan to cheer for anyone affiliated with the Falcons, it is even more exciting to celebrate a lost life turned around.



Check out this video of Vick sharing his story and challenging the youth that are listening to make "Every Decision Count".


Here are the lessons that reading Vick's story brought to mind.
1- Prodigal Son.  It is a story that Jesus told, and this is the part of the Vick story that we can relate to.  We all turn our backs on God and try to go out on our own.  We all reap the consequences of our poor choices.  And while we may not all find ourselves in a Max. Security prison, we all find ourselves lost and hopeless.  With the Vick story - money and success brought means to do whatever he wanted to do.  But bad choices and poor decisions took all of it away from him.  He wound up broke, broken, and without any other options.  He turned back to God and straightened out some of the things in his life that were leading him to destruction instead of on his knees eating pig slop, he was in a prison cell.  He knew that he needed to change some things, not just for his career - that may never happen again, but for his life, for his family (children) and his future.  He "returned home" and God welcomed him back.

2- Redemption is possible - God can restore us, and often will restore to us more than we can imagine. God didn't need to bring Vick back to the NFL.  He could have worked it out in countless ways to restore Vick and use him to draw others to God.  But God chose to give Vick a platform that would speak to millions at a time.  He brought Vick back to the NFL and Vick is using that fame and spotlight to tell others about the change that God has made in his life.  It reminds me of the story of Josh Hamilton.  In both cases, God is using these men, their stories, their flawed choices and the consequences of them to talk about God's love, grace, forgiveness and faithfulness.  And these men are quick to understand and share that the reason that they are in the opportunities that they are in is because God is gracious and deserving of all the attention that is being placed on them.

4- Hard Times - We learn a lot about ourselves and our need for God when we find ourselves in hard situations.  Even if those choices are brought along by our own sin.  For some reason, we pay a lot more attention to what is going on and learn a lot quicker when hard things are happening.  Oh that we would be paying attention early enough to avoid the hard things!  But that is not generally how we are wired.  I am so thankful that God is big enough to handle my hardest situation, and loving enough to gently teach me through it.  As Vick says in the Video above, "every decision counts".  Good decisions that we make count because they can keep us from harm, or hard consequences.  Bad decisions can lead to hard consequences, but those bad decisions can count for good too, if we learn from them and use them to understand how desperately we need a Savior. And of course, the most important decision that we can make is to follow Christ.  To chose every day to live for Him and not for ourselves.

Christians in the NFL - Lessons Learned from Jason Witten - Dallas Cowboys

This is the 30th entry in my blog series on Christ-followers in the NFL.  Today, our focus falls to Jason Witten - 7 time pro bowl selection and 3 time all-pro.  He currently sits at #3 on the all-time list of receptions by a Tight End.  He just completed his 9th season in the NFL - all spent with the Dallas Cowboys.

In an era when Tight Ends are becoming vital weapons in the arsenals of the most dynamic offenses, Witten has remained comfortably at the top of the league in most Tight End offensive numbers since he entered the NFL in 2003.  He owns many team and league records for receptions by a Tight End and has carved out a name for himself as an elite player in the NFL.

Last time, in the article that I wrote about Oshiomigho Atogwe, I wrote about Atogwe's father and the sacrifices he made to bring his young family to Canada from Nigeria.  This time around, we see a less happy portrayal of a father/son relationship.  As you can read in this article from Sports Spectrum Magazine, Witten had a troubled childhood, in large part due to his father's absenteeism, and when his father was around, a whole different set of troubles and difficulties came with it.  It was a difficult home situation that eventually led Witten's mom to move her young family (3 sons and her) back to her parents home in Elizabethton, Tennessee.  There, Witten's grandfather, Dave Rider, poured in to his young grandson's life, the things that are important: like how to treat others (women included), how to play football, and most importantly, having a relationship with God.

You can check out the story as it was featured on the "Today Show" in this video.



Also in the video, you get to see the other passion that Witten has, helping out kids who have similar upbringing to his.  He started the SCORE foundation (Support, Community, Overcome, Rebuild, Educate)  in December 2007 to assist several nonprofit organizations in Texas and Tennessee in preventing domestic abuse and helping victims recover.


The SCORE foundation has expanded its work into other areas of influence, too.  They have programs like the "Coaching Boys into Men" program that works with coaches in high schools teaching their players about the dangers of dating violence.  He has helped set up and open recording studios at a couple of Boys and Girls clubs in Dallas TX, and Elizabethton TN.  He also runs a free, hugely popular football camp. 


Read and learn more about what Jason Witten is up to here, at his website 
You can also read about him and his role on the 15th anniversary honorary committee of the National Domestic Violence Hotline here.


Elite on the field, and motivated off the field to have an impact on the lives that know the hardships that he grew up with.  And all of it, used so God can be glorified and made known as you can see in his video from "I am Second".  



Here are some thoughts I take away from Jason Witten's story.


1- God can use our pain to help others - Jason Witten battled through a hard time in his youth.  God uses anything that we go through to help others that are dealing with something similar.  The biblical story of Job shows that hard times happen even to those that are living righteous lives.  Jason Witten's past has motivated him to help people in similar situations.  His place as a pro football player has given him the means and popularity to impact the lives of these people.  His faith in God drives him to impact and change lives for an eternal purpose.


2- The Legacy we leave - Witten's life shows that while the on the field stuff is great, what he really cares most about is changing lives.  That is the privilege that we have as Christ followers.  We can play a role in changing lives - not just bettering the quality of life (or at least giving effective coping strategies) here, but instilling a hope that will never end.  We do this, not for our name or renown, but for the glory of the God that can do the impossible - like taking a sad, hopeless situation (whatever hard things life is bringing our way) and turn it into an amazing connection with our creator, and a means to show love to others.


3- Changing the Legacy - God can redeem the hard things in our life.  He can change us and make us want to see others and not dwell in our misery.  One of the most heart-warming parts of this story for me, is to read what he says about being a dad.  He wants to give a better situation and life, not only to those that he has a chance to impact through his foundation, but also his own 2 sons, C.J. and Cooper. Life gets busy, but when kids enter the picture, the priorities change, too. He sees fatherhood as his most important job, and the most important task of that job, is being the spiritual leader of his family so that his own sons will see God's love at work every day, and see healthy relationships modeled for them as well.  


4- Forgetting the Past - Philippians 3.13 talks about forgetting the past and moving on to the purpose God has for you.  When hard things happen, it is easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for ourselves, or simply checking out and withdrawing.   But God calls us to move forward and continue to go after the purpose he has for us.  The article said that Witten has reestablished relationship with his Dad.  One way that we can get out of our self-pity or our checking out is to forgive those who have hurt us - regardless of whether they ask for it or not.  Forgiveness is important -  It is another way that we can take the focus off of us, and keep our eyes looking to Jesus.  We have been forgiven for a lot of things.  We are called to be people who forgive as we have been forgiven.  It is good to read that there is hope and rebuilding of Witten's relationship with his dad.

God has an amazing plan for each of us.  The lives that we live and the things we go through are a demonstration of God's faithfulness.  Let's continue to draw close to Him and allow Him to use us, scars and imperfections too, to share His love to those that are lost and on the road to destruction.

Christians in the NFL - Lessons learned from Oshiomogho Atogwe - Washington Redskins

This is the 29th installment in my blog series on Christians in the NFL.  Today, we will look at the story of Oshiomogho Atogwe, Defensive Back for the Washington Redskins.  

My wife and I have been married for over 7 years now, and I still remember talking to her dad for the first time.  She kind of sprung it on me.  We were at a training program in Florida, and he was in Minnesota, where she is from.  She was talking to him on the phone, and I was in the room with a group of others and she just passed me the phone.   We had a nice conversation about the training program and my favorite football team and a few other topics.  And then, a month later, I met him in person for the first time.  I was a nervous to meet him because I knew that it was important that I win him over and show that I was a good match for his daughter.  I didn't know much about him but I was coming in as his daughter's boyfriend so I was intimidated and anxious coming in to that first meeting.   I feel that the meeting went well, and quickly, I knew that he had accepted me as part of his daughter's life at that point, and as part of the family soon after, when we were married.  

Now, as a dad myself, I know the standards that I have in my mind for whoever will date my daughters (they are still very young, so I have some time to prepare myself for that inevitable moment).  I hope and pray even now, that the men who marry my daughters will be men who love God, and will love her and treat her with a loving, servant heart - as Christ served the church.  

What does this have to do with the NFL and Oshiomogho Atogwe?  Well, I was intimidated to meet my father-in-law who, (sorry Mark),  is not a very intimidating presence - at least he is not as intimidating a presence as Atogwe's father-in-law.  Atogwe's wife Jill is a daughter of NFL hall of fame linebacker Mike Singletary - known for his punishing tackles and intimidating stare.  

Here is a Washington Post article about Atogwe, and the first time he met Mike Singletary.  

So to win over a father-in-law-to-be can be tough, but Atogwe's father etched a history of taking "tough" head-on.    His father, Aigbomoidi, left a life of farming in the small village of Ayogwiri, Nigeria in search of life and success in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  It was a lot of hard work at multiple jobs for low income to earn enough to live on and any extra went to bring the rest of his young family over to join him in Canada. It was a long process, but eventually, Aigbomoidi was able to bring over his wife and their young family.  

Atogwe Interception

Oshiomogho is appreciative of the sacrifice that his dad made for his family.  He also sees the work ethic his father had to make working multiple jobs and saving most of your money to emigrate to a new country and bring the rest of the family in, too.  He has taken this work ethic to heart as he looks to make himself better as an NFL player.  This means long hours of practice and working out, learning and studying from former NFLers Aeneas Williams and Corey Chavous as he has done for 3 years now.  He has also completed his biological science degree from Stanford and even at Stanford, was outspoken about his faith in God.  Check out his bio from gostanford.com. 

But he is not all business.  He also has an affinity for comic books - his favorite is "the Incredible Hulk". As you can read in this article from Fredericksburg.com's Redskins Journal, he draws comparisons to the Hulk, and how he wants to play on the field - different in "real life" then on the field. Within the geeky, mild mannered scientist is a beast with an uncontrollable rage.  That is how he wants to play.  He is a collector of comic books, and sports many Hulk figurines and posters around his locker.   


Here are some things his story brought to my mind.
1- a) The Strength in us all.  There are 2 ways I can go with this analogy.  Let's start with the positive.  We are very limited in what we can do with our own strength (trust me - this will be a positive).  But when we yield control of our life to God, we will see a strength rise up within us (all coming from Him) that will allow us to do far more then we ever could have imagined.  However unlike in the comics, that strength is not something that only needs to surface when the times and situations call for it.  It is something that can guide our life all the time - we just need allow God to have control.

1- b) The beast in us all - And now, for the other side of the this analogy.  We also can look at the Hulk thing as a battle that we all face against our sin-nature. In some of the Hulk stories, Bruce Banner struggles constantly to keep the destructive beast within him under wraps.  Inevitably, though, he surfaces and wreaks some havoc.  We all have this beast in us that we try (and fail) to control. We were born as sinners and we will battle against sin in our daily lives for as long as we are on this earth  In the Hulk story, the beast, though is ultimately a good thing - a Super Hero.  Sin is far from that in our lives.  The only control over it that we have is to realize that we have no control apart from a relationship with Jesus.  
2- What's in a Name - Since this blog is called "Living Up to my Name" I do like to find out the meanings of other people's names.  We considered the meanings of the names we gave our daughters, and I really like the meanings of my own names.  Sometimes, they are not names that you can look up (like Oshiomogho) so I am glad that he shared the meaning of his name "God knows the Day, God knows tomorrow".  He does know all about us, and has a plan for us.  He can do far more than we can ask, think or imagine.  There is great comfort in knowing that He is in control, not just of right of all the tomorrows.  He is in control of what is happening and what will happen.  The one thing that he chooses not to control is how we interact with Him and His control.  Will you allow God to guide you and all your tomorrows?

Mark & Sherrill - My Amazing
and not-so-intimidating
In-laws!

3- Marriage is really cool.  I like the story of Atogwe meeting Singletary.  I love being married and I love the family that I married into as I do the family I grew up in.  I know and believe that God brought my wife and I together and I am so blessed to be a part of not only her life, but her family, too.  And I know that my family loves her as one of their own as well.  It is amazing to see how God designed for us to work through this life, and marriage and all that comes with it plays a significant role in what "life" looks like for me.  I learn a lot about God from my marriage and am thankful for a godly family of in-laws that have enhanced my life greatly.  

Lin-Sanity - The New Household Name of Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks

I still have a few more entries to make in my series on Christians in the NFL, but I thought I would take a little break today, and look at the name that is currently dominating the world of Sports.  New York Knicks guard - Jeremy Lin.

With the football season over, and baseball spring training still a few days away.  The majority of sports fans in North America are catching their breath from football playoffs, before the rush of basketball playoffs (and for us Canadians and Northern USers the hockey playoffs too).  But for these 6 weeks starting at the Super Bowl, the intense playoff atmosphere takes a short break before March Madness kicks it all off again.  So how cool is it that in the midst of that time, a story like Jeremy Lin comes along. 



In case you have missed it, Lin is the starting point guard for the New York Knicks.  He has been playing big minutes for the past 6 or 7 games - all wins by the Knicks.  He has scored tons of points, hit key game winning shots, put up back to back double doubles, and captured the attention of the Knicks fans, NBA fans and the sporting world in general.  It is quite an underdog story.   He has drawn comparisons to Tim Tebow, and there is something to be said about how "all he does is win" which was bandied about in description of Tebow throughout the NFL season.

But if we are looking at good comparisons, I think Kurt Warner is more accurate.  Tebow was a college star in a huge NCAA football program.  He was a first round draft pick - which always carries expectations and the fact that Tebow's wins and successes seemed rooted in improbability, he was at least on the radar of the fans and pundits - the former loved him and cheered him on through all the improbable wins that he lead the Broncos to this year.  The latter watched with equal interest and "I told you so" grins at the ready. 

Warner was undrafted, cut, worked through some developmental leagues (NFL-Europe, Arena Football) and came to the NFL with little fanfare, then when given the chance because of injuries, led his team on an amazing run - leading to a championship in his first significant season (he was 4 of 11 for 39 yards in his first season).

Lin was undrafted out of Harvard (great school - not known for basketball although he did set some school records there).  He signed with the Golden State Warriors and played summer league basketball with the Dallas Mavericks organization.  He was cut by the warriors and picked up by the Houston Rockets during the pre-season.  He played in a couple of pre-season games before they cut him too.  The Knicks picked him up, but he was buried deep on the bench, playing sparingly.  They assigned him to the D-League.  They recalled him because of injuries, and again, he played little (55 total minutes in 23 games).  They talked about releasing him, but one more set back to an injured player gave Lin some minutes - and he lit it up with 25 points coming off the bench.  That earned Lin his first start, and he scored 28 points.

Here is what Lin did in his first 5 starts, according to Wikipedia.

 Lin scored 89 and 109 points in his first three and four career starts, respectively, the most by any player since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA in 1976–77.
He is the first NBA player with at least 20 points and seven assists in his first four starts.
Lin was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals in those four starts with the Knicks going undefeated.
On February 14, Lin scored a game-winning three-pointer in Toronto with less than a second remaining in a game where he surpassed Shaquille O'Neal's league record for the most points in his first five games as a starter


We have only 5 games to gauge Lin on so far, so I am not buying my Knicks championship gear yet, but he has brought energy to the New Yorkers and has dominated the sports landscape for the past 2 weeks.  And the numbers are very impressive.  And he knows that all that has happened and is happening is God's doing. 

Read more about his story in this article from Gospel Herald

I like this quote of his. 

"I've surrendered [needing to prove himself] to God," he told the San Jose Mercury News. "I'm not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore."

This is great truth.  God is who we are living for and all that we do in our life is to be for Him.  When we lose sight of this, we can shift the focus back on ourselves very easily.  May all we say and do be for the glory of God and may we always keep our efforts striving for His purposes. 

As a casual NBA fan with no real team loyalties, this story has captured my attention, too.  I have  become a fan of Jeremy Lin, and am excited to see what God can do through his improbable story.  To God be the Glory!

Christians in the NFL - prayer request for Tommie Harris - San Diego Chargers

 Tommie Harris is a Defensive Tackle for the San Diego Chargers.  He was an immediate starter for the Chicago Bears after they used the #14 overall pick on him in 2004.  He started regularly for 6 years.  Last season, he started only 6 of the 15 games he played in and was released by the Bears.  After being invited to the Colts training camp, and being cut before the season, he caught on with the Chargers and played a reserve role with them this year, recording 3 sacks.

As you can read in this article from Assemblies of God's website, God has been working in his life.  His dad was a pastor, and like many pastor's kids, he rebelled as a youth.  He got caught up in a gang, and got kicked out of school.
At the age of 16, he decided to give God a chance and God brought him out of the dangerous lifestyle he was living, and has given him an opportunity to share God's love with others as a professional football player.

What I read over and over again in the article is how his faith in God is vital, not just to his career as an NFL player, but to his life.  It helps him with discipline, focus and humility.  And he will be leaning on this faith a great deal in the days to come.  I write this blog post with a heavy heart, not to exploit, but rather to bring to the attention of prayerful fellow believers.  I read this article from the Chicago Sun-Times, that shared that Harris' 29 year old wife is battling for her life right now, the victim of a brain aneurysm or stroke.  Please be in prayer for Tommy, his wife and their 2 children, the youngest of whom is 4 months old.  God is able to do more then we can imagine, and I know that God will work all things our for good in this difficult time.  Whatever happens, I pray for peace and comfort for this young family, and God's faithfulness to shine through for all to see.