Mike Chgo area
Well-known member
Manning the Helm
Long before his Super Bowl 50 win, Peyton Manning wrote this: "Like my dad, I make it a point when I speak to groups to talk about priorities, and when it's schoolkids, I rank those priorities as: faith, family, and education, then football. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: "If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you'd go to heaven?" Cooper was there and Eli (Peyton's two brothers), but it didn't hit them at the time the way it did me. It was a big church and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding. And from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front.
But I got up and did it. And I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since. Some players get more vocal about it...and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games. I have no problem with that. But I don't do it and don't think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don't want to be more of a target for criticism than I already am.
My faith doesn't make me perfect, it makes me forgiven and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago. I've been blessed, having so little go wrong in my life and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don't talk about it or brag about it because that's between God and me. I'm no better than anybody else in God's sight.
But I consider myself fortunate to be able to go to Him for guidance, and I hope (and pray) I don't do too many things that displease Him before I get to Heaven myself. I have spoken to church youth groups and at Christian high schools. And then simply as a Christian, and not as good a one as I'd like to be.
Do I "pray for victory?" No, except as a generic thing. I pray to keep both teams injury free, and personally, that I use whatever talent I have to the best of my ability.
I do feel this way about it. Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. And I'm a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is (Manning, pp. 362-364).
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Mt. 5:16).
By the Way: If you want to score big in life, put your faith in God first in everything you do...and then you will understand who really is "manning the helm."
Long before his Super Bowl 50 win, Peyton Manning wrote this: "Like my dad, I make it a point when I speak to groups to talk about priorities, and when it's schoolkids, I rank those priorities as: faith, family, and education, then football. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: "If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you'd go to heaven?" Cooper was there and Eli (Peyton's two brothers), but it didn't hit them at the time the way it did me. It was a big church and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding. And from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front.
But I got up and did it. And I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since. Some players get more vocal about it...and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games. I have no problem with that. But I don't do it and don't think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don't want to be more of a target for criticism than I already am.
My faith doesn't make me perfect, it makes me forgiven and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago. I've been blessed, having so little go wrong in my life and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don't talk about it or brag about it because that's between God and me. I'm no better than anybody else in God's sight.
But I consider myself fortunate to be able to go to Him for guidance, and I hope (and pray) I don't do too many things that displease Him before I get to Heaven myself. I have spoken to church youth groups and at Christian high schools. And then simply as a Christian, and not as good a one as I'd like to be.
Do I "pray for victory?" No, except as a generic thing. I pray to keep both teams injury free, and personally, that I use whatever talent I have to the best of my ability.
I do feel this way about it. Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. And I'm a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is (Manning, pp. 362-364).
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Mt. 5:16).
By the Way: If you want to score big in life, put your faith in God first in everything you do...and then you will understand who really is "manning the helm."
