For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
-
JOHN 3:16
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,
all things have become new.
-
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
I
am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
-
JOHN 8:12
Suppose you
ask your good friend, “What is the biggest decision you will ever make?” What do you think they would say? For some I suppose it might be what college
they decide to attend, where they choose to work their first job or even who
they will marry. I wonder what you would
say has been the biggest decision in your life.
For me, it has been accepting my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, into my
life. It is a decision so powerful and
moving that it not only has earthly ramifications but also determines your
eternal fate.
This decision
completely changes your outlook on life as you know it, and lets you see the
world through the eyes of Christ. It is
a world that for the most part is living in the darkness of time, while the
light of the world shines in a select few.
It does not take much more than turning on your television to see how
far our society has come to take away the “shock and awe” factor that existed
when I was growing up in the 80’s. The
sad thing about our society today is that there are few things that really
shock us anymore. Topics like sex and
homosexuality were rarely discussed and now programs centered on these matters
can be found on your television 24/7.
The latest and greatest reality shows like “The Bachelor” or “Joe
Millionaire” are centered on sexual innuendos, while watching an episode of
“Will & Grace” or “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” will expose you to more
homosexuality than you can stand.
Some of you have
no idea what I am talking about while others are completely tuned in to every
word I say. My goal is for everyone
reading this book to know the steps that need to be taken to be able to receive
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
From there, it is solely your decision to make. In the previous chapter, we discussed
different ways to juggle academics, athletics and a social life. Having Jesus Christ in your life is by far
the most important part of finding a balance in college life. He not only grounds us, but lets us know the
difference between right and wrong. Make
no mistake that Jesus is the solid rock on which we all should stand in our
lives. Any foundation other than Jesus
is just unstable ground.
So maybe you are
asking yourself, “Why did he not bring this up in the previous chapter?” That is a very valid question. The truth is that I did not receive Jesus
into my life until the spring of my redshirt freshman year in college. Prior to that, I thought I had it all figured
out, but before we go into the specifics of the most important decision I have
ever made, we first have to go back to the beginning.
TO BE OR NOT TO BE RELIGIOUS?
THAT IS THE QUESTION.
Not long after I was born on February 4, 1976,
my parents had me baptized at our local church.
As long as I can remember during my childhood, every Sunday, my brother
and I attended church with our parents.
After service, we would get to go to the convenient store and pick out
either a pack of baseball cards, football cards or some type of sugary, sweet
candy. There was nothing wrong with a
little reward for behaving well at church!
In the first grade, I received the “Bread of Life” for the first time
and took required religious classes at the private school we attended. The reason I am telling you all of this is
because what I am about to tell you is coming from a person who grew up in the
church.
Looking back on
my time spent in our local church, there were many good memories. I enjoyed getting to hear God’s word from the
Bible with my parents and brother. The
time spent at our private school provided me with a disciplined way of life,
which helped me decipher the difference between right and wrong. It also provided me with some excellent
penmanship skills. The area of concern I
have with the church we attended was the blurred and unstable presentation of
the gospel on Sundays, and I had no idea of what it meant to be saved. Those are two pretty enormous negatives, when
you consider not being saved translates into an eternity spent away from
heaven. The meaning of a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ was foreign to me and utilizing the gift of the
Holy Spirit was relatively unknown and unspoken of in our church.
Our congregation
believed you get to heaven by being a good, moral person. It was okay to merely know who Jesus Christ
was and the thought of inviting Him into your life was not discussed or
encouraged. This is a tough, rugged
world we live in, and I want to be frank with you about this topic. After all, it is dealing with your eternal
life after your physical life on this earth comes to an end. The devil and his demonic angels go to church
and know who the Son of God is, but the Holy Bible does not say anything about
their going to heaven anytime soon. As a
matter of fact, in the end the Lord will ultimately defeat them because he is
the “Alpha and Omega.”
If a person
agrees good works is all that is required to enter heaven, they would also have
to agree the Bible is not 100% accurate.
The reason I say this is because Ephesians 2:8-9 contradicts that
assumption when it says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast.” The
very grace of God is what allows us to be saved. There is nothing we can do to earn it because
the price has already been paid on the cross.
Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
The God we
worship is the God of second, third and fourth chances. All sins are forgiven when you accept Jesus
Christ as your personal Savior; however, the Bible tells us there is one
“Unpardonable Sin.” Jesus tells us in
Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” What is Jesus trying to tell us here? If the only way we can receive the Holy
Spirit is to receive Christ, then by not professing Christ as your personal
Savior, you are denying the Holy Spirit.
The one unforgiving sin is not receiving Jesus into your life.
The religious
frame of mind is exactly where I was when I first started college as I was
praying the Lord’s Prayer every night before I went to bed. I even read the Bible and prayed to God
everyday. The problem was that I had a
religion instead of being a Christian.
You might be asking yourself what the difference is between being
religious and being a Christian? I wonder
how many people think those two things go hand and hand. In the world we live in, it seems like just
about everyone in college says something like “You must be religious if you
don’t drink beer.”
There are about
as many different religions out there as there are flavors of ice cream and
many of them are worshipping false gods.
Christianity separates itself from any other religion because of one
simple truth. In Billy Graham’s daily
devotional titled “Unto the Hills”, he says, “Christianity is not a
religion. It is a relationship with a
living God. Jesus, Son of God the Father
and Second Person of the Trinity, is the central figure of our evangelistic
message.” This personal relationship is
what differentiates the life of a Christian from someone who is merely immersed
in religion and not carrying on a personal relationship with their Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. “For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all
who call upon Him. For whoever calls on
the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-13).
TAKING SALVATION PERSONALLY
As I was getting acclimated to the college
environment my first two years on campus, I was also getting involved in
different organizations outside of football.
It was nice interacting with the players on the team, but I also wanted
to mingle with the student life. During
one of my many classes at UK, a student invited me to attend an evening meeting
with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. This is a Christian outreach organization led
for the most part by the students on college campuses across the United
States. They are committed to reaching
students with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is also an excellent way to meet and have fellowship with Christians
on campus.
When I first
started attending these meetings, it was a little strange to see how happy
everyone was acting. I did not consider
myself a “kill-joy,” but I also
did not walk around with a smile on my face from ear to ear for no reason at
all. Besides, I was a football player
and we were supposed to be tough, right?
The meetings I attended on Wednesday evenings had a live band that sang
Christian songs, involved skits with students who dealt with college life
situations, and included a message from the gospel given by the speaker. Reflecting back on this time, it was very
uplifting and encouraging being around other Christians with the same ideals,
who wanted to live a life that was pleasing to Jesus Christ.
From the time I
attended these meeting from my freshman year in college to my redshirt freshman
year, I heard the sinner’s prayer at every meeting. I watched countless students say that prayer
to receive Jesus Christ in their lives.
That is not only a praise to Campus Crusade for Christ for their
ministry but a bigger praise to Jesus for reaching lost students through this
organization. It was in the spring of my
redshirt freshman year that the very essence of the sinner’s prayer touched my
soul. One night the light bulb in my
head finally turned on during one of those Campus Crusade for Christ meetings,
and I realized what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. As I went back to my dorm room,
I pondered my salvation, realizing that I had never prayed that prayer. As soon as the door closed in my dorm room, I
was down on my knees on the side of my bed, praying that Jesus would come into
my life.
That night I
proclaimed to Jesus that I believe He is the one and only Son of the Almighty
God. I affirmed that Jesus was born of
the Virgin Mary through holy conception and that he lived a flawless life on
this earth, not committing even one sin.
Not only did I acknowledge that he died on the cross so that my sins in
the past, present and future would be forgiven, but that through my belief in
Him, I would be promised eternal salvation in heaven when my life on this earth
comes to an end. What a wonderful
feeling it was to know that I now had a personal relationship with my
Savior! All my sins had been forgiven,
and my eternal fate was sealed and secure in heaven. That was the day my name was written in the
Book of Life in heaven because I made the decision to accept and give my life
to Jesus Christ.
Have you ever
prayed this prayer? If you haven’t I
encourage you to pray it right now. If
there is one thing in life that I want to be 100% certain about it is my
eternal salvation. This prayer is so
easy to say, but so many people are not willing to give their lives to
Christ. I think the reason something so
simple can be so complicated for many people is because the last thing the
Devil wants you to do is receive Jesus in your life. Once you make that personal decision, you are
entitled to a first- class ticket to heaven instead of riding in coach to
hell. Many people think they can push
this decision off until they feel like they are at the right place in their
lives. The problem with this type of
thinking is that no one ever promises us another day on this earth. Who says we’ll even wake up tomorrow morning
or not catch some kind of sickness in the blink of an eye? Our health is something a lot of us take for
granted. We live in a society where we
think we can handle things on our own, but in the end, we always fall flat on
our faces. The truth is that everyone
needs Jesus Christ in their lives. That
might not be what some of you want to hear at this stage in your life, but it
is what you need to hear.
Romans 3:23 says
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Just like when God created Adam and Eve and
walked with them in the Garden of Eden, we all need to personally walk with
Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 goes on to say
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” He is the only bridge
to our Heavenly Father in heaven.
It should be
crystal clear in 1 John 1:9 when John says, “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness”, that Jesus wants us to come just as we are. He desires to have a personal relationship
with you and has the power to forgive you of all your sins. You could not ask for a better friend. Regardless of who you think will never let
you down in life, there is only one person that can hold up to that promise and
that is Jesus Christ.
Coming to the
Lord with all of my imperfections was exactly what I did that night in my dorm
room. Some of you might be thinking,
“How can Jesus possibly forgive me for the sins I have committed in the past?” That very question was answered for every
sinner when Jesus died on the cross for our personal sins. He was the ultimate sacrifice so that we
would be saved. As we examine who Jesus
claimed to be, there can only be one right answer. He was either the Son of God as he
proclaimed, or he was simply one confused individual. The problem with our society is that too many
people want to say that Jesus was a good, moral prophet who sort of fits in
between the two scenarios like a piece of turkey between two slices of bread,
but not the Son of God. How can you
proclaim to be the Son of God if you are not and be a good and moral person
with such an outlandish claim? Jesus
above all proved who he was by rising on the third day to defeat and conquer
death.
When I think of
my belief in Jesus Christ without seeing what the apostles saw, I always think
of what Jesus said to the doubting Thomas.
The other disciples saw Jesus before Thomas after He rose from the
grave. Thomas simply did not believe
them, and said he would not unless he could see Jesus for himself and
physically feel the nail marks in his hands and the hole in his side from the
spear that pierced Him. I wonder how
many people reading this book feel like Thomas that they need more proof that
Jesus is truly the Son of God. Eight
days passed after Thomas’s remarks, and Jesus appeared before the disciples and
Thomas. Jesus told Thomas, “Reach your
finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my
side. Do not be unbelieving, but
believing” (John 20:27). Thomas simply
did all he could do at that point and said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John
20:28). The part that comes next is what
keeps my faith stronger than ever. After
Thomas’s acknowledgement that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus says, “Thomas,
because you have seen Me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John
20:29). Blessings are certainly abundant
for those of us who believe in the Son of God without seeing the miracles he
performed with the apostles and his triumphant victory over death. The sad thing is that the very people who saw
Him in person are the same people who had Him crucified on the cross, instead
of choosing a common thief.
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The testimonies
of those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior are all unique and
different. Many people make radical
lifestyle changes because they realize that what they were doing in the past
was not pleasing and respectful to God.
The lifestyle of others may not have been as extreme prior to receiving
Christ in their life, but waking up every morning still takes on a whole new
meaning when you know you have secured a first-class ticket to heaven. If we look in the New Testament, there are
countless examples of people who changed their ways after making that personal
decision. The person who has always
stuck out in my mind was Paul, formerly known as Saul.
If ever a person
in the New Testament despised Christians, Saul was definitely that
someone. It says in Acts 9:1-2, “Saul
still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to
the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that
if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them
bound to Jerusalem.” Saul not only did
not like the Lord’s disciples; he despised them so much that given the chance,
he would kill them. Out of all the
people Jesus could have chosen to spread the gospel, He chose someone who
persecuted and killed Christians. The
very reason I think He chose Saul is because He wanted to show us how having
Jesus in our lives can transform and change even the darkest villain.
The story of
Saul’s conversion took place as he was walking on a road to Damascus on a
journey to persecute Christians. As he
was approaching Damascus, thinking about what he was going to do to those
Christians that he so much despised, Acts 9:3 says, “Suddenly a light shone
around him from heaven.” At that very
moment Saul fell to the ground and was blinded by the light. That light that shined so brightly that day
was the very light of Jesus Christ. In
Acts 9:4, Jesus says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” After Saul inquired as to whom this blinding
light was that caused him to fall down, Jesus told Saul that it was the very
person he was persecuting. Blinded and
afraid, Saul asked the Lord what it was that He wanted him to do. Jesus then told him to go into the city,
where everything he needed to know would be told to him.
Saul was blind
for three days and without food or water before a disciple called Ananias was
chosen by Jesus to visit Saul. The
purpose of the visit was to accomplish three things. Ananias was to restore Saul’s sight, allow
Saul to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and finally, to baptize him. Once these three things were completed, Saul
almost immediately became an unstoppable force, preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ everywhere he went. Today the New
Testament is filled with stories about Paul (formerly known as Saul) and his
God-inspired writings, which continue to encourage fellow Christian believers
all over the world.
The story of Paul
has always been encouraging to me because the day I received Christ in my life,
I spent the next month reading completely through the New Testament. It was there that I really started to
understand how Jesus can use anyone to spread the gospel. If he completely changed the life of a
villain who killed Christians, how much more can He change our lives? You see, Jesus doesn’t go out and look for
the qualified to do His work, because everyone falls short of His glory. He takes the unqualified and through His
grace, makes them qualified.
As I was
beginning to understand my new faith in Jesus, I started to learn about the
gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us after we receive Christ in our
lives. The Holy Spirit is what helps us
to really decipher between right and wrong.
Just because you become a Christian doesn’t mean that everyday is going
to be sunny and bright. It also doesn’t
mean that we are going to live perfect lives from here on out. I think a general misconception of
unbelievers is that they think Christians live perfect lives and never do
anything wrong. To clear up that
misconception the only perfect person to live on this earth was Jesus
Christ. Besides, it was Jesus that told
Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that “My grace is sufficient for you, for My
strength is made perfect in weakness.”
My journey in
faith brought me a greater understanding of taking care of my body as I read 1
Corinthians 3:16 that says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Although I didn’t indulge in alcohol before becoming a Christian, I
became more aware of how I was taking care of my body spiritually, mentally,
physically and nutritionally. After all,
with the Spirit of God taking residence inside of me, I wanted to live a life
that was respectful and responsible to my Heavenly Father. This is always a challenge when living in a
college environment, and it proved to be wise to spend my free time with other
Christian friends.
SPRING BREAK VS SPRING BALL
If I had to choose whether I liked spring break
or spring ball more in college, I would have to say spring break. There is no comparison between tackling grown
men wearing football equipment and lying on the beach, soaking up warm
rays. The latter is definitely more
relaxing while the tackling is just plain exhausting, but extremely fun in its
own sort of macho way. The first trip I
took in college for spring break was with Campus Crusade for Christ. It was a mission called “Outreach on the
Beach” in Daytona Beach, FL. I remember
a long van ride from Lexington, KY to Daytona, but it was well worth the
trip. There is something special about
the beach. The ocean breeze gently
whistles past you as you walk in the sand, and the smell of the beach makes you
want to stay out all day long.
Although it was
spring break in Daytona, students from all over the country involved with
Campus Crusade for Christ were meeting at a fellowship hall every morning and
worshiping the Lord together. It was a
special time, seeing so many students with the same belief as I have in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Our mission on this
trip was to evangelize to the lost on the beaches of Daytona. There was a small pamphlet that we read from
to explain to others about the price that Jesus paid on the cross so that our
sins would be forgiven and that we would be able to spend eternity, with Him in
heaven. I’m embarrassed to say that I
did not share the gospel with more than two or three people that week. It was not an easy task for me, because
although I recently received Christ into my life, it was difficult to talk to
strangers about Him. It felt awkward and
it was probably the unknown reactions from sharing the gospel that scared me
the most. What should have scared me
more was missing opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with
unbelievers. Looking back, I cannot
think of anything scarier than spending an eternity separated from God. The reason I’m sharing this is because I
think that as you progress in your faith, sharing the gospel becomes easier to do. Besides, you’re really just telling people
about your new best friend in Jesus Christ.
The trip to
Daytona lasted a week, but the memories of the fellowship with other Christian
believers will last a lifetime. It was a
great experience that prepared me to take a leap of faith. I was ready to be a shining light to others
in college and motivated to tell football players and friends alike about the
personal relationship I enjoyed with Jesus Christ. More importantly, I really wanted to tell
them the steps they could take to enjoy the same type of relationship and
firmly secure a place in heaven. It felt
like God brought me to Kentucky for a reason, and while I was there, I needed
to tell my teammates about the love Jesus had for them.
Once we got back
from spring break, it was morning runs all over again at 6 a.m. I made it a point to run when I was on spring
break so that when I got back to Kentucky for spring conditioning, I wouldn’t
have heavy lungs. The extra work paid
off, and after morning runs were complete, I felt more than ready to get it
going on the football field. During the
spring of ’96, I felt like a new man. My
love for football seemed to grow stronger than ever because of my relationship
with Jesus Christ. After all, everything that I did from here on out was going
to be solely to glorify Him. It was
Philippians 4:13 that I took with me into spring ball, “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.” That
was my battle cry that spring, and I knew that with God for me, there was no
one I could possibly fear.
During our
allotted number of spring practices, I continued to learn and excel in every
practice. There was one spring practice
in particular that I remember. I knocked
an offensive center on his back during one on one drills while Coach Curry
watched close by. Later, in the same
practice, I picked off three passes from our two quarterbacks as they were
trying to complete passes in skeleton drills.
The effort and results on the field were being noticed by the coaches
and by the end of spring ball, it earned me the number two spot on the depth
chart at middle linebacker. I was behind
the junior starter from the previous season, but that spring I graded out the
highest of all the linebackers. Our
linebacker group that year went by the name of “Old School LB’s”. We were leading the way to bring together the
“Big Time D-Line” and “The Old Dirty DB’s” to form a ferocious, tenacious and
relentless defense that wanted to make a name for itself. The future looked bright and I gave all the
glory to my Heavenly Father.
THE POWER TEAM PACKS A HEARTY PUNCH
It was during the spring that a Christian
strength group called the Power Team made their way to a church in Lexington,
KY for three days of bone crushing feats of strength. My roommate, Big Mike, heard about them
coming to town on the radio, and we decided to go check them out. It only took one trip to realize that these
guys were the “real deal.” Sure, they
did the usual things like rip phone books, tear license plates in half and
break Louisville Slugger baseball bats over their knees (which Big Mike tried
to master after attending each show), but they also performed other feats of
strength you would have to see to believe.
Some
of these amazing feats of strength included running shoulder first through
several blocks of ice and breaking cinder blocks that were on fire with nothing
but a small towel wrapped around the striker’s hand. My personal favorite was
when a member of the Power Team ran full speed down the church aisle before
smashing into a 2 x 4 chest first, which resulted in the wood exploding into
several pieces.
So you
are probably asking yourself, “Why in the world would these grown men subject
themselves to such punishment?” That is
an excellent question. The answer is
simply because they were doing it to give all the glory and honor to their
personal Savior, Jesus Christ. You see,
after these feats of strength were performed, they would explain where they got
their strength from and the relationship each of them enjoyed with God’s
perfect Son. Before the show was
complete, they asked everyone to bow their heads and if someone never accepted
Jesus into their life and wanted to make that decision, all they had to do was
raise their hand. After Big Mike and I attended the first
show, we vowed to gather together as many football players as we could find to
watch the Power Team the following night.
The next day came and despite sharing our enthusiasm with the other
players, we were able to get only two teammates to join us. As we watched the show, it was just as
amazing and incredible as the night before, but what happened next still
vividly lives within my memory. The
speaker once again asked everyone to bow their heads and asked if anyone wanted
to invite Jesus into their heart. As our
eyes were shut, little did I know that the two players we invited both raised
their hands to receive the gift of eternal salvation. As I raised my head and opened my eyes, I suddenly
felt the power of the Holy Spirit tug at my heart, and a couple of joyful tears
streamed down the side of my face. To my
surprise, I was watching my first roommate at the University of Kentucky walk
down the church aisle to talk to the counselors about the decision he had just
made to receive Christ into his life
Later
that night I talked to him about the decision he made and told him how happy I
was for him. He asked me if I wanted to
know why he had made that decision at the end of the show, and I certainly was
interested to find out. He told me that
when the speaker asked if anyone wanted to receive Jesus, he looked over to me
to see if I had my hand raised. He knew
the life that I lived and because I did not raise my hand, he wanted to experience
the same relationship with Christ that I enjoyed.
The
reason I wanted to share this story is because you can never assume that your
friends are not watching you closely. I
tried to be a shining light to my first roommate, and to God’s glory, a seed
planted early in his college career was watered that night and sprouted a brand
new Christian. Needless to say, the
Power Team was an unforgettable and memorable ministry to witness in person
that spring.
LEAVING IT ON THE PRACTICE FIELD
The successful completion of my sophomore year
at college was followed by a month of much needed rest and relaxation at casa
de Viera. There is no place like home
when you are living in a dorm room. Home
cooked meals and nothing to do but exercise was just what the doctor
ordered. After getting to spend a month
with my parents in Cleveland, it was back to the University of Kentucky to take
two classes for an 8-week session of summer school. One of the major benefits of taking summer
school classes while staying in an apartment by campus is that classes are not
only free, but you also get the monthly stipend for living expenses. I figured taking two classes would be better
and easier on the body than working a summer job and then having to do summer
conditioning and lifting.
There was a good
turnout of players who stayed for the summer and completed the scheduled
workouts and conditioning drills. You
can always tell that a player is serious about the upcoming college football
season when he makes the commitment to stay at college for the summer. Knowing that I finished spring ball at the #2
spot at middle linebacker, it was time to kick it up a notch and make great
strides in my strength gains over the summer.
By the end of the 8-week training regimen for the football players, I
was weighing about 225 lbs, tripled 385 lbs on the bench, squatted 475 lbs four
times and power cleaned around 285 lbs.
It was the strongest I had ever been, and the Holy Spirit inside of me
was alive and kicking. Notice I said,
“Holy Spirit,” and not “Steroids.” I
have seen players travel down that dark road, which has always resulted in
broken promises and unfulfilled expectations.
Steroids are best known for wreaking havoc on the well-being of the
human body. It is in essence short-term
gains for long-term side effects. I
encourage you to feed off the Holy Spirit for long-term gains and eternal
well-being.
Now I was licking
my chops to get a shot at banging helmets with the Louisville Cardinals for the
first game of the season, but there was a small thing called doubles to take
care of. This doubles was very different
from any other I had participated in during my college career, mostly because I
was getting a huge amount of reps during practice and my fair share of practice
time with the first team defense. It was
another hot summer, and when you are hot and tired, you sometimes do crazy
things. One thing I remember vividly
during those couple weeks of intensely hot practices is that the portable john
was located on the other side of the practice field. With all the water we were drinking just to
try to stay hydrated, it wasn’t uncommon to make a trip over there two to three
times during practice. There is nothing
worse than being hot and sweaty while having to try to bypass your practice
pants, girdle and jock strap just to go to the bathroom.
During one
doubles practice that was almost hotter than you could stand, one of the
defensive lineman let me in on a little secret.
The theory behind the secret was that with all the water we were
drinking, it was almost as clear coming out.
This led us to the assumption that when our bodies were ready to dispose
of the water, the pee was more like water with a little sodium. As we kneeled on the sidelines, waiting to
get called into action, we did our business right there on the side of the
practice field. The usual course it took
was right down the leg and into the old football shoe. The funny thing was that we were so sweaty
you couldn’t even tell. I guess it was
just one of those things that you have to experience for yourself to
understand. To this day, my wife never
lets me forget that I used to pee in my football pants in college.
THE CARDINALS COME TO TOWN
After an exhausting doubles prior to college
classes starting, it seemed like everyone on the team was just plain worn out
and tired. We had the Louisville
Cardinals in less than a week but I knew my body didn’t feel as good as I hoped
it would before the first game of the season.
I knew that doubles were not supposed to be easy, but it would have been
nice to have had a few practices with just our helmets and shoulder pads to
help rejuvenate our bodies. There is a
fine line during doubles when it comes to excessive full contact
practices. Coaches want to make sure
that their team is sharp and prepared for opening day, but also rugged and
tough enough to physically dominate their opponents. That summer, our team seemed to be teetering
on that fine line.
The night finally
came at Commonwealth Stadium, and there was not an empty seat in the
house. The game was broadcasted on ESPN,
and that definitely added to the excitement.
I was on just about every special team and number two on the depth chart
behind the senior starting linebacker.
The butterflies were churning in my stomach that evening during the
whole first half of the game. My parents
and head football coach from high school were in the stands waiting for me to
get my big chance. I got on the field
for special teams, which was nice, but I knew the real action was at
linebacker. I was excited and nervously
waiting for the linebackers’ coach to call my name, but before I knew it, the
first half was over, and we were headed to the locker room.
I can’t recall
the score at halftime, but I can honestly say that I will never forget what
happened on the field during the first play of the second half. The Wildcats were receiving the ball, and I
was on the kick-off return team. As the
ball was being kicked off to our returner, I ran back to form a wedge with some
other players to offer protection for our return specialist. Before I even got the opportunity to block
one of the opposing players, one of our Wildcats drove one of the Cardinals
right into my left knee. The force was
so great that it knocked me to the ground, and to my surprise I felt an
immediate loosening of my left knee like a rubber band snapping. As I got up to run off the field, there was
definitely something wrong with my left knee.
I could still jog but something just didn’t feel quite right.
As I approached
the sidelines, I went directly over to the bench. After I flagged down the head trainer, he
took a look at my left knee. He lifted
my knee pad and proceeded to put one hand on my knee and the other on my
calf. As he moved my knee to the left
something very strange happened. My knee
would not lock when he pushed it to the left.
It simply kept bending sideways.
It was an easy diagnosis, and I was told that it appeared to be a 3rd
degree tear of my Medial Crucial Ligament (MCL). I remember asking him how long I was going to
be out, thinking it could not be more than a couple of weeks. When he said at least 8 weeks, for a second,
I thought it was all just a bad dream.
With only ten games left in the season, I would be lucky to play the
last two against Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
After the
diagnosis of my left knee, I was put on a motorized cart and driven to the
locker room. I remember riding on that
cart, looking over to my teammates on the field, and seeing them raise clenched
fists in the air, as if they were going to continue to battle for me. There was an immense feeling of
disappointment that I experienced; knowing that I could not be with them,
competing for the Governor’s Cup. It was
a humbling and devastating experience, after spending so much time and energy
getting ready for the 1996 football season.
Later during the second half of the game, I came back on the field
sporting crutches and a brace on my left knee.
All I could do was watch the outcome of the game that ended in a score
of 14 points for the Wildcats and 38 points for the Cardinals. The season was just starting, and so was my
road to recovery.
LEARNING TO LEAN ON JESUS
It really is just a matter of time before a
football player experiences an injury either on the football field or on the
practice field. The game is just too
dangerous to stay healthy during your career and that is a risk that all
football players are willing to take. It
is what makes playing football special and why everyone is not willing to
participate. It is not a big secret that
football is a very physical game but sometimes the physical part sneaks up on
you and results in an injury. Players
are taught that every play could be their last and that if they continue to
hustle on the field until the whistle blows, it will help them avoid getting
injured.
The time finally
came in my career to sustain an injury that would temporarily sideline me from
the game that I loved. I have always
tried to be an eternal optimist and try to look at my glass as being half full
instead of half empty. I realized that I
was very fortunate to not have torn my Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) (which
not only would have required surgery, unlike an MCL injury, but also would have
taken at least 6 months of rehabilitation).
The final diagnosis of my injury after a trip to a knee specialist
resulted in six to eight weeks of rehabilitation before suiting up to
practice. The most important thing I had
going for me was that I now had Jesus in my life to lean on for encouragement
and a great family to support me during the next eight challenging weeks of
rehabilitation.
During my knee
rehabilitation, I remember receiving an encouraging card from one of my four
roommates that were living with me in a rental home close to campus. It is hard to remember exactly what that card
said but what I do recall very clearly was this passage from Psalm 23:1-4,
The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me
to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths
of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort, they
comfort me.
It is amazing how
God works in our lives. That was exactly
the passage I needed to hear at that point in my life. There was nothing to fear and I knew that
Jesus was going to take care of me. I
truly believe that Jesus speaks to us through not only reading the Bible,
meditating on His Word and our prayer life, but also through acts of kindness
shown to us by our friends, family and even strangers. Jesus was speaking to me through that
encouraging card and letting me know that if he takes care of all the flowers
of the field and trees of the forest, he would provide for me even more. We were created in God’s likeness and His Son
Jesus desires to have a personal relationship with us. For in Matthew 10:30-31, Jesus says, “But the
very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Who else can love us or know us better than
God? He is so intimately familiar with
us that God knows how many hairs are on our head. What an awesome God!
As I meditated on
Psalm 23, I started to feel comforted and began thinking about the story of Job
in the Old Testament. This story talks
about a man named Job who was very blessed by God. After a debate between God and Satan in
heaven, God decided to test Job’s faith by giving Satan permission to turn his
life upside down as long as he didn’t kill him.
As soon as Satan was given the okay, he didn’t waste much time and Job’s
life almost immediately changed in the blink of an eye. It probably took less than a minute for four
messengers to reach Job almost instantaneously to tell him that all he had had
been destroyed by a series of random events.
That even included losing all his sons and daughters. After hearing the devastating news from the
messengers, it says in Job 1:20, “Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his
head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.”
What a great example of a Godly man.
It didn’t say that he cursed God for losing everything but he merely
fell to his knees and worshipped his Heavenly Father. Job goes on to say in Job 1:21, “Naked I came
from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
This story hit
home for me because Job realized that God was sovereign in his life. He knew that everything that happened to him
was reviewed by God first. This
acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty resulted in Job being blessed with more
than he had before he endured his trials.
I realized that God had a purpose for me injuring my knee and instead of
dwelling on my injury, I needed to start focusing on the recovery.
That is just what
I did week in and week out for the next eight weeks. I was required to stay on crutches for 4
weeks without any knee movement. Even
though I had to crutch to my classes around campus, I was fortunate enough to
get a handicap parking pass. God provided
for me in my time of need and I’m proud to say that I didn’t miss a class
during my rehabilitation process. After
4 weeks of using crutches, it was another four weeks of building the strength
back up in my left knee. I really think
the home-cooked meals provided by my mom on weekends my parents drove down to
visit helped provide my body with the additional nourishment and encouragement
I needed to keep me going strong. The
worst part of the whole process was definitely getting back my flexibility due
to the scar tissue that built up during the healing process. After more trips to the training room than I
can count, it was the week before the last game of the season against Tennessee
before I was given the green light to suit up for the practice field. Eight weeks felt like a long road to
recovery, but I was really grateful that the injury was not as serious as it
could have been.
PEYTON AND THE BOYS
The Wildcats had four wins and six losses as we
were getting ready to head into Knoxville to take on Peyton Manning and the
Tennessee Volunteers. Even though our
season record was dismal at best, the game was still a big rivalry. The game was expected to have an attendance
of over 100,000 screaming fans. After a
solid week of practice and getting back into the swing of things with my bulky
knee brace on my left knee, I was excited to travel to Knoxville. I was put back on special teams and with the
game being broadcasted on ABC; it was a great chance for my family to watch me
play on television.
The day of the
game finally came and I still remember stepping into the biggest stadium in the
country at that time. The capacity at
Neyland Stadium in 1996 was 102,544.
That day there were 102,534 fans in attendance. It was incredible to hear the roar of a crowd
that size! Regardless of whether or not
the Wildcats won the coin toss, one thing was for sure that day. After eight weeks of rehabilitating my left
knee, I was going to step on that field with either the kick-off team or the
kick-off return team.
The Wildcats won
the toss and decided to kick the ball off to the Volunteers. As I was getting ready to sprint down the
football field, my nerves seemed to be going everywhere at once. The noise from the sea of orange and white
was almost deafening and as our placekicker kicked the ball off I found myself
running as fast as I could go. It would
be nice to say that I made my first collegiate tackle on that play, but I
didn’t. As a matter of fact, the
returner for the Volunteers was quickly approaching me, and as I committed to
going one way, he simply went the other.
The Tennessee game gave me the opportunity to step on the field plenty
of times, with the Volunteers scoring 56 points to the Wildcats 10. When you are getting beat by more than 40
points, games tend to last longer than if you are the one winning.
It was finally
the last couple of minutes of the game, and my name was called to play middle
linebacker. It was the moment I had been
waiting for since I came to Kentucky. As
I sprinted on the field to play against a young Tee Martin, who would later
lead the Volunteers to a national championship, it was there that I recorded my
first of many collegiate tackles. Our
linebacker coach might as well not even have called any plays from the
sidelines, because my mind was blank as soon as I stepped on that field. I had to rely on my instincts to take me to
the ball. The signals were being called
from the sidelines, and it seemed like it was the first time I was seeing
them. Feeling rushed on the field to get
the defensive linemen in position each play, I blurted out something that might
have sounded like 50 shade, and got ready for the ball to be snapped. It wasn’t my best performance, but a tackle
is a tackle. It might not seem like a
big deal to some people, but for me, it was a monumental stepping stone. It felt like the monkey finally jumped off my
back. After the game was over, the
Wildcats lost, but I felt as if I had achieved something far greater than a
victory that day. I learned to persevere
through a difficult season and end it with a high note. It was one of many tackles that I would make
for Jesus and one of many occasions that I would give him all the glory and
honor.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What is the biggest decision
you will ever make? How can this one decision change your perspective on
life?
2) Can good works get you to
heaven? If someone were to say yes, how does Ephesians 2:8-9 contradict
that assumption?
3) Since it is by grace through
faith we are saved, how can professing and believing Romans 10:9-10 change your
life?
4) What is the only unforgivable
sin?
5) What is the difference between
being religious and being a Christian?
6) Do you remember a specific time
in your life when you professed Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Are you
100% sure you would go to heaven if you died today?
7) Who is the one person in life
that will never let you down and why?
8) How can a new Christian's life
be radically transformed by the following free gifts of salvation: forgiveness
of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of eternity in heaven?
9) Should Christians have a
different view of their time, talents and resources compared to
non-Christians? If so, why?
10) If you are a Christian, do
you utilize the Holy Spirit to discern between right and wrong?
11) Does 1 Corinthians 3:16 give
you a greater understanding of taking care of and respecting your body?
12) Have you ever shared your
faith in Christ with another person? Would you agree that sharing the
gospel becomes easier as you progress in your faith?
13) Do you have a life verse you
would like to share? If so, how has it motivated you to glorify God
through all you do?
14) Do you think enough student athletes
view steroids as short-term gains for long-term side effects? What if
more student athletes utilized the Holy Spirit for long-term gains and eternal
well-being?
15) How can Psalm 23:1-4 be
comforting if you sustain an injury in your sport or are going through a
difficult time in your life?
16) Do you acknowledge that God is sovereign in your
life? How can Job 1:20-21 be an encouragement when going through trials
or tribulations?
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