For the Win! | Spark Talks Week 1

Even though sports have mostly disappeared, they still have some lessons to teach us, even in the middle of a pandemic. Today we’ll hear from leaders and legends in the NFL who are embracing the grind of 2020 and letting God take themselves and their teams to new places.

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    Hey, everyone, and welcome to Crossroads Church.
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    My name is Hannah Shepherd
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    and I am so glad that you joined us today.
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    Wherever you are on your spiritual journey and adventure,
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    we believe Crossroads is here to equip you.
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    Well, speaking of adventures, we're kind of all on one
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    that we've been opted into, whether we wanted to or not,
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    and that adventure is COVID-19,
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    because like most people, 2020 has felt a little canceled.
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    Well, what if there's a bright side?
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    What if there's some good that could come out of the bad?
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    Today, we're starting a series which we do every year
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    called Spark Talks.
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    But this year's a little bit different.
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    We're going to hear from speakers about
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    how they haven't just been living but thriving during COVID-19.
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    And you might just hear something
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    that sparks something in you and ignites your life.
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    - We've all been forced to pause, reset,
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    and reclaim our futures in light of the chaos of 2020.
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    There's always darkness in adventure
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    when you're not sure where you're going.
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    Join us for Crossroads Weekend Spark Talks
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    and hear from people who will challenge you
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    with new ideas to ignite your life.
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    - Hi, I'm Brian Tome, Senior Pastor at Crossroads.
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    All of us have lives that are disheveled,
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    things that are out of order,
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    or at least we're not getting things we'd like to have,
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    like sports. Can we all say, I want a Final Four?
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    Can we all say, I'm bummed about
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    the changing in schedules with baseball and football
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    and just all across the whole thing.
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    Sports are actually an incredibly important part of our life.
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    It's not just a way for us to detach.
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    Believe it or not, there's actually spiritual truths
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    contained in athleticism.
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    There's athletic metaphors in the New Testament.
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    And when we engaged in athletic pursuits,
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    we're actually engaged in things that mirror
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    the spiritual pursuits of our normal day to day lives.
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    I think we're so inspired by sports, not just because
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    it allows us to get away from our normal, same old, same old,
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    but it also helps us to understand spiritual realities.
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    There's things that take place in athletics
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    that mirror the spiritual realm.
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    Today, we're going to talk to some professional athletes
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    who are at the top of their game
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    and they got to the top of their game,
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    whether it was physical or spiritual,
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    because of certain attitudes and certain disciplines they had.
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    And these attitudes or mindsets are seen in the Bible
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    again and again, things like delaying gratification.
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    I could enjoy something now,
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    but I'm not going to enjoy it now.
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    I'm going to do something else now,
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    because if I delay the gratification,
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    later on I'm going to have more gratification.
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    Other ideas like sacrificing for the team,
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    understanding I'm part of a collective whole unit
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    and we all have to win.
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    If we all don't win, then I don't win.
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    In the book of Galatians 6:9-10 it talks about this when it says:
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    We're just not seeing that kind of selflessness
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    in our culture today and maybe that's why we're not winning.
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    Maybe that's why we're at each other's throats all the time.
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    Maybe that's why we're frustrated
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    and we're just not going forward because every man,
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    every woman for himself
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    and no one's sacrificing for the team,
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    for the culture, for society.
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    If you're a believer and you're aligning yourself with God,
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    this is going to be something you're going to do,
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    you want to grow into.
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    It's something athletes understand.
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    It's something people who are getting closer to God understand.
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    And then also just the good old fashioned hard work,
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    just not having faith, but having your faith in action.
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    The Book of James is all about faith that takes action.
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    It says this:
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    Every professional athlete goes into a competition
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    knowing that they can win,
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    but if all they had was faith, that wouldn't do it.
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    They have faith and an attitude
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    that things are going to go their way,
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    but they've also put in the hours in the weight room.
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    They've also had the chalk talks.
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    They also have their ten thousand hours of reps.
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    You can't self talk yourself to winning.
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    Well, why don't we hear from some professional athletes?
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    Because this isn't theoretical for them.
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    This is something they have lived.
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    This is something that they are living.
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    They can actually teach us something about the spiritual realm,
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    not just life, but they could teach us something about God
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    and how God works with His people.
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    I believe they're going to spark something inside of us today.
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    - Hello, my name is Anthony Munoz
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    and I'm a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1998.
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    Most of you would probably agree that
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    the last four or five months have been a little difficult
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    with COVID-19 and having to make some adjustments
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    in our routines and being able to do this and not that.
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    And I've been right there with you,
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    so I've had to step back, reevaluate my routines,
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    how can I make adjustments?
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    How have I been able to make those adjustments?
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    And it takes me back to my athletic years
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    and I think about training.
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    Training, because I needed to be prepared to make those adjustments.
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    I think about the 4 years of high school football that I trained,
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    the 4 years of college football that I trained,
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    the 13 years in the NFL that I trained.
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    It was not easy training those 20 plus years.
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    And we look at life. Life is not easy.
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    Life has not been easy for me.
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    And I'm sure you can say the same thing.
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    It's been tough.
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    But I truly believe that the training I went through
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    in preparation for sports, it's given me the mindset
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    to be able to prepare and make adjustments.
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    I look at my spiritual life.
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    We have to study God's Word and move into Bible studies,
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    not only in topics of things that we're going through,
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    but let's get out of our comfort zone
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    and learn things that we might not be going through.
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    But let's train and be prepared.
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    I look at what God allowed me to study with my wife
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    and other couples prior to COVID-19:
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    Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.
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    Oh my goodness, what a great book.
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    Not only have I read it two or three times
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    with my wife and I alone,
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    but we've gone through Bible studies with it.
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    Or Put on the Armor by Chuck Lawless.
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    I've been reading all that and all of a sudden
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    I'm faced with all this adversity and all these readjustments.
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    So spiritually, we have to be able to train,
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    continue to train regardless good times, bad times
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    to be ready for those adjustments.
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    With our relationships, we have to be willing to train
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    and lay it out on the line,
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    just like I did in the weight room.
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    I've got to be able to to converse with my wife.
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    Forty two years we've been married.
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    I've learned how to talk through the different things,
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    we've been praying together in the morning, Bible studies.
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    Training, preparation with your spouse,
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    with your siblings, with your family, with your friends.
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    Train and be prepared in your relationships.
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    Lastly, when I think about training,
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    I think about physical training.
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    I'm old, but I think I can still get in the weight room
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    and in the exercise room and still do a pretty good job.
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    Maybe not as long as I used to,
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    maybe not as many pounds lifting, but I can still get it done.
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    It's something that I've continue to do.
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    As I talked about high school, college, and pros,
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    training has allowed me to keep a clear mind,
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    to stay physically fit
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    and to have confidence that I can make those adjustments in life.
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    Same thing when you find adversity, injury.
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    You might not be able to train your left shoulder
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    if it's hurt, but train the rest of your body.
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    If you're going through some adversity in your life,
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    heal yourself up in that area, but continue to train.
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    Counseling, studying the Word, Bible studies,
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    and get well in that one area.
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    And that's what I would encourage you to do,
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    continue to look at ways you can train to be prepared
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    so when those times come, you can make the adjustments.
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    Thank you and God bless you.
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    - I'm back here with Anthony Munoz, a legend in football,
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    arguably the greatest offensive lineman of all time,
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    and where I am here in Cincinnati, just a legend.
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    This training, I'm really hit hard by this because
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    we can't try our way to a deeper walk with God.
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    Personally, in the midst of this COVID-19 thing,
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    my training regimens are off.
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    So do you have anything for us as far as
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    how to start new rhythms, how to start new training,
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    how to start new things?
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    - I think it's just being creative.
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    I think it's, you know, really there's a lot of times
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    I'm sure you think outside the box.
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    I think that has to be the case with training.
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    And one thing I learned in training,
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    I don't have to have a full workout room
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    with all kinds of weights, is body weight, dumbbells.
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    - So you had a shoulder injury.
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    Have you ever had like a pinky injury?
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    Has that ever happened to you?
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    - Well, why would you ask?
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    - Oh, my gosh.
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    - I mean, like, seriously.
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    (indiscernible)
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    - I know. I know. People say mine's gross.
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    I say, "You should see Anthony's." Oh, my gosh.
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    - It's close, it's close.
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    - It doesn't hurt, so that's good.
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    - Well, the physical stuff,
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    the training stuff physically seems to be straightforward.
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    But we're I'm challenged by what you said
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    is the training in marriage,
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    having a workout that you're doing in your marriage
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    or your relationships.
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    Do you look at every sector of your life
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    and do you see something you want to train
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    in every area of your life?
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    - I do. I try to.
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    Now physical training, my training with my spouse
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    are probably the two easiest for me
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    to really focus and get after it.
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    I'm sure a lot of you probably agree,
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    the spiritual part is the toughest being consistent.
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    - Let's say somebody would say to themselves,
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    "I'm not a very disciplined person."
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    I hear a lot of people say that.
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    How would you see someone get started in any area?
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    - Well, when I talk, I talk about choices.
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    There's things that we have to do
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    that we might not want to do or feel like doing,
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    but we know in order to be excellent or to get it,
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    we have to do them.
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    And that's -- I know it sounds easy, but it is tough.
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    And the one thing I share is when I got here,
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    I moved here from Southern California.
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    Running was a big part of my regimen.
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    If I felt like being excellent and I woke up
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    and it was 35 degrees, I feel cold, I feel tired,
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    or I'm going to choose to be excellent
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    I'm going to put --
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    we didn't have all that nice cold weather stuff
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    back when I was playing.
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    - Back in my day we had cotton.
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    Back in my day we had a scarf that my mother wove for me
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    out of weeds in the backyard.
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    - So it's funny you mention.
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    I would take a towel and put elastic in it
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    and that would be my face--
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    But I would go out and I would not cut any of my running out
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    because it was too cold.
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    So that's what I share with people.
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    I mean, that's the only way I know
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    is that I could have felt like getting out of my environment,
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    single parent home, not having a whole lot,
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    or I could have I chose to get out of that environment.
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    - Is there any area of your life that you find
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    specifically difficult to train in?
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    That you just feel like it's hard for me
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    to get traction on this one?
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    It's not like falling off a log.
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    - Easy one: self talk.
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    People think you accomplish this, you're doing this,
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    you must be so confident. You must be --
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    My self talk, I mean, and I ask for forgiveness all the time.
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    It is not the best self talk.
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    I mean, I tear myself down.
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    I -- I don't feel -- and it is just one of those things.
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    I don't know if -- I'm still trying to figure out,
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    is that the way I motivate myself?
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    But it's not good. It's not good.
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    I mean it's -- that -- it's easy for me to say,
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    I -- my self talk to myself is just the worst.
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    I really at my age, I need to really work on that.
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    - Do you have a training regimen to overcome that?
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    - I try. I mean, it's something that I work on and --
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    - Try how?
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    - Well, I mean, I have a whole sheet of self-esteem scripture's.
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    - OK.
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    - And it's like, why-- why can't -- I mean --
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    - That's great.
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    - So you look at that.
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    - You look at that and internalize it?
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    - Yeah, I look at them and I mean the fact that
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    we're God's children and I mean created in His image.
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    I mean, just, you know, all the scriptures of --
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    - There's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
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    - Yeah. And that -- and it just --
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    I can tell you that that is one area
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    that I am so inconsistent in
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    and I need really to work on.
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    - Thanks for your vulnerability.
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    I mean, I feel that.
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    I was a literal orphan. I'm adopted. I was --
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    And part of the orphan mentality is
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    you're only as good as your last accomplishment.
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    You're afraid someone is going to reject you.
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    You -- no one gives you, you've got to go, go, go, go, go.
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    And it -- Yeah, I'm -- I'm --
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    I'm regularly feeling awful about myself
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    or feeling I don't measure up to somebody
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    and it doesn't end for me.
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    I'm just -- I'm the same way with you, Anthony.
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    It doesn't end with me.
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    Crossroads could be going great.
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    but I hear about somebody who's doing something better
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    or something I haven't thought of,
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    and I immediately feel like, "I'm a loser. What is my problem?"
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    Any moments I can just be put in a tailspin
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    because I feel like I don't measure up.
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    And yeah, that's why I'm asking.
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    If you've got tips for that, I'll take more.
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    I think the scriptures are good.
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    - Yeah, I -- I can't -- I can say probably honestly
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    that it's not -- I don't look at somebody like,
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    you know, he's faster, stronger
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    and I don't feel like I measure up because I'm not that.
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    It's just an internal thing with myself.
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    - Yes.
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    - It's just a constant battle.
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    I mean, you know, it's kind of like, you know,
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    it's not like, "Well, he accomplished this, I didn't.
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    It's almost like I didn't do it for myself, you know,
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    it's just it's really hard to explain.
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    - Well, it may be hard to explain,
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    because I have a feeling this is a very common thing
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    with with people right now.
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    I think this is a normal thing.
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    It's just -- it's like a curse that we live under.
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    I don't know if it's our culture
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    or if it's our humanity, but just great, great insights.
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    Hey, Anthony, thanks for being with us today.
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    I mean, having a Hall of Fame,
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    arguably the greatest offensive lineman ever.
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    And actually where I am right now in Cincinnati,
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    one of the most respected, most honored people in our city.
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    It's really an honor to be with you today.
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    It humbles me to hear those words
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    and it's great being with you always.
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    - You know, I used to play football and I was going to go pro,
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    but then I decided to become a pastor instead.
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    No, I could barely get out of varsity.
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    Yeah. Hey, one thing I do know for sure I'm not lying about
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    is God is faithful.
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    And one of the commitments I've made and many of us have made
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    is whenever God increases something for us financially,
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    whether it's our paycheck or whatever else,
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    He will get a set percentage back.
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    We're a tithing church, many of us tithe.
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    10 percent, goes back to God, goes back to our church,
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    or many of us are beyond 10 percent,
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    or some of us are working our way to 10 percent.
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    But we want to be faithful.
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    And whether you have a job right now
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    or you don't have a job right now,
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    I hope we can all remember that God is faithful
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    to do for me things I couldn't do for ourselves.
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    So we're going to recognize that right now.
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    For those of us who are going to be givers,
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    you can go to Crossroads.net/give
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    or you can text Crossroads to 313131.
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    Next up, we get to hear from an NFL running back.
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    We got to spend some time together
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    and I ended up teaching him a few of my moves.
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    - What's up, everybody? My name is Boston Scott.
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    I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
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    and I play for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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    I'm a running back.
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    2020 has definitely been an interesting year, to say the least.
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    And I know there's been a lot of ups and downs,
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    has been frustrations, there's been a lot of circumstances.
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    But I hope that by sharing my story,
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    I'm able to encourage you a little bit
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    about how God has changed my mindset and my perspective.
  • 00:16:53
    And I hope that it encourages and motivates you.
  • 00:16:57
    My mom made sure that I was in the church,
  • 00:17:00
    in the church is just how we say it down in the south.
  • 00:17:02
    During that time I had a great understanding
  • 00:17:05
    of Jesus being my Savior.
  • 00:17:08
    Great idea, but not so much Jesus being my Lord.
  • 00:17:12
    And so playing football,
  • 00:17:14
    I started playing football in seventh and eighth grade
  • 00:17:16
    and my identity was in football.
  • 00:17:18
    It dictated my actions, it dictated my mood.
  • 00:17:20
    If I was doing well, I would feel good.
  • 00:17:23
    If I wasn't doing well, I'd be down in the dumps.
  • 00:17:26
    And what I was trying to do was I was trying
  • 00:17:29
    to fill the hole in my heart with with football
  • 00:17:32
    when it was a Jesus sized hole.
  • 00:17:33
    And so whenever I hit rock bottom, I was feeling empty,
  • 00:17:37
    I was feeling a lost, I was feeling frustrated.
  • 00:17:40
    I realized that nothing that this world has to offer
  • 00:17:42
    can fulfill me in the way that that God can.
  • 00:17:44
    And so I made the decision to commit my life to Christ
  • 00:17:47
    at 16 years old.
  • 00:17:49
    From there, my mindset kind of shifted.
  • 00:17:52
    It kind of shifted because I knew that
  • 00:17:54
    nothing could pluck me from His hand.
  • 00:17:56
    It was all about faith, you know,
  • 00:17:58
    and in a world full of inconsistency,
  • 00:18:01
    He was the only consistent.
  • 00:18:03
    And so now I started to view these circumstances
  • 00:18:07
    and these frustrations as opportunities to grow,
  • 00:18:13
    opportunities to share His love.
  • 00:18:15
    And so fast forward, I went to Louisiana Tech University
  • 00:18:19
    in ole Ruston, Louisiana.
  • 00:18:22
    From there I walked on and I had the opportunity
  • 00:18:24
    to play for four years
  • 00:18:26
    and I ended up earning my scholarship.
  • 00:18:29
    And I became one of the only ones in my class to get drafted.
  • 00:18:34
    I got drafted by the New Orleans Saints.
  • 00:18:36
    I get to New Orleans and your boy hits another obstacle.
  • 00:18:42
    I get assigned to the practice squad.
  • 00:18:47
    It's pretty frustrating, you know, because you believe
  • 00:18:49
    that the coaches don't believe in you,
  • 00:18:51
    the organization doesn't believe in you.
  • 00:18:53
    You're a hometown guy and in Louisiana
  • 00:18:56
    and you're on the practice squad.
  • 00:18:58
    I mean, what going on, man?
  • 00:18:59
    At least show your boy some hometown love.
  • 00:19:03
    Give you a boy shot.
  • 00:19:04
    It didn't happen.
  • 00:19:05
    Again, I was able to view this as an opportunity
  • 00:19:09
    to work on my craft, to get some work in
  • 00:19:11
    against one of the most stingy run defenses
  • 00:19:14
    in the league at the time.
  • 00:19:16
    And then 2020 -- later that year, Philly comes knocking.
  • 00:19:21
    Philly comes knocking on the door, finally my time,
  • 00:19:25
    finally my time to shine.
  • 00:19:27
    So I get out there, I get my opportunity and I'm able
  • 00:19:29
    to contribute to the team and everything's going well.
  • 00:19:32
    You know? And now fast forward to where I am today,
  • 00:19:35
    I'm sitting in a pretty good situation, you know,
  • 00:19:38
    going into probably one of my biggest years
  • 00:19:40
    in my NFL career, 2020 come knocking on the door.
  • 00:19:45
    "How you doing?" Not good.
  • 00:19:49
    And so, you know, it's been frustrating at times,
  • 00:19:55
    but I've been able to focus on these times as opportunities.
  • 00:20:02
    My father had a stroke back in 2018 and it's hard.
  • 00:20:08
    It's not easy going through what he did
  • 00:20:11
    and then also the process of getting better,
  • 00:20:14
    the process of returning to normalcy, you know?
  • 00:20:18
    And with everything shutting down,
  • 00:20:19
    he's not able to have access to some of the therapy
  • 00:20:22
    that he was able to have access to before COVID happened.
  • 00:20:26
    And so now I'm doing speech therapy with my pops.
  • 00:20:29
    2020 has definitely been crazy.
  • 00:20:31
    I don't know about ya'll,
  • 00:20:32
    but your boy is ready to get back on the field
  • 00:20:34
    and I'm choosing to have hope.
  • 00:20:37
    I'm not going to view my circumstances as obstacles.
  • 00:20:40
    I'm going to view these as opportunities to grow
  • 00:20:44
    and become who God is call for me to be.
  • 00:20:47
    And I hope that you do the same thing too.
  • 00:21:00
    - You know, very few people reach the upper echelons
  • 00:21:03
    of the National Football League,
  • 00:21:06
    let alone win a Super Bowl as a player and a coach,
  • 00:21:10
    let alone get to talk to such a person.
  • 00:21:13
    Well, today, we're talking about legends.
  • 00:21:16
    Legends like Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tony Dungy,
  • 00:21:21
    and our guests today,
  • 00:21:23
    current head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson.
  • 00:21:27
    Doug spent the majority of his professional career
  • 00:21:29
    playing with the Green Bay Packers, winning Super Bowl XXXI.
  • 00:22:03
    Anybody who beats the New England Patriots is a friend of mine.
  • 00:22:07
    He has plenty to teach us about perseverance, hard work,
  • 00:22:09
    and what it takes to get the best out of others.
  • 00:22:12
    I'm beyond excited to welcome Coach Doug Pederson.
  • 00:22:15
    Welcome to The Aggressive Life, Coach.
  • 00:22:17
    -Hey, Brian, thank you so much for having me on.
  • 00:22:19
    That's -- that's a lot of energy right there for that intro.
  • 00:22:21
    I do appreciate it.
  • 00:22:23
    - How are you doing with the whole COVID stuff,
  • 00:22:25
    and as a relational guy,
  • 00:22:28
    probably having to be a lot less relational?
  • 00:22:30
    - Yeah, you are.
  • 00:22:31
    And that's the part that has been probably
  • 00:22:33
    the hardest to get used to, you know, because
  • 00:22:36
    we missed an entire off season with our players
  • 00:22:39
    being in our building, being in our facility.
  • 00:22:41
    We did a lot of these, you know, Zoom or Microsoft teams meetings.
  • 00:22:45
    You know, that's the part I miss.
  • 00:22:46
    I miss being around the players this spring and my coaches.
  • 00:22:49
    And I think that's where you start --
  • 00:22:51
    that's where you really begin laying the foundation
  • 00:22:54
    for your football team and you start building
  • 00:22:56
    and cultivating those relationships in the spring.
  • 00:22:59
    And we missed all of that.
  • 00:23:00
    But I'm going to tell you something.
  • 00:23:01
    My hat goes off to to my staff and our trainers
  • 00:23:05
    and our sports nutrition people and sports science people,
  • 00:23:11
    and sports performance people.
  • 00:23:14
    What a great job they did,
  • 00:23:16
    continuing to cultivate and build relationships,
  • 00:23:18
    even though we were doing it like this, you know,
  • 00:23:21
    through a computer screen.
  • 00:23:22
    And, you know, it's just something I just can't wait
  • 00:23:26
    to get back into the building,
  • 00:23:27
    can't wait to get back around the players.
  • 00:23:28
    And, you know, it's something that we'll learn from
  • 00:23:32
    as we move forward, even even after, you know,
  • 00:23:35
    after these next few months pass.
  • 00:23:37
    - Everyone wants to be led and led well, don't they?
  • 00:23:40
    Whether you're a high school athlete, professional athlete.
  • 00:23:43
    I find my kids, I keep thinking I'm done leading them.
  • 00:23:46
    I keep thinking I'm done parenting them.
  • 00:23:48
    But no, it never ends, man, they want dad on his game.
  • 00:23:52
    - Right. Being around my players and my guys,
  • 00:23:55
    they want to see authentic, real, transparent guys.
  • 00:24:01
    It's the same way with parenting, with --
  • 00:24:04
    I have three boy,s and my wife and I,
  • 00:24:06
    they want to see the authenticity,
  • 00:24:08
    they want to see transparency.
  • 00:24:10
    They want to see that were real.
  • 00:24:12
    And, you know, even though as dads sometimes
  • 00:24:15
    we try to walk around and we have the the supermen mentality,
  • 00:24:20
    like we can do everything
  • 00:24:21
    and we will do anything and everything for our kids.
  • 00:24:24
    It's OK to to say, "Hey, let's let's figure this out together.
  • 00:24:27
    I don't have all the answers."
  • 00:24:28
    And that's what these players really want.
  • 00:24:30
    - Another thing that's interesting about your reputation
  • 00:24:34
    is I remember before I knew you
  • 00:24:38
    and just watching pregame for that the Super Bowl victory
  • 00:24:42
    that you had as a coach and reading stuff beforehand,
  • 00:24:45
    there was quite a bit of buzz around the faith component
  • 00:24:51
    in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room.
  • 00:24:55
    Is that something that's normative for other NFL teams
  • 00:24:58
    or is there something unique that's happening
  • 00:25:01
    with you and the Eagles?
  • 00:25:03
    - You know, it's hard to speak for other teams,
  • 00:25:05
    but I would say for me and for the Eagles,
  • 00:25:09
    it's how I want to lead the football team.
  • 00:25:11
    You know, I think my faith is first and foremost.
  • 00:25:15
    I wouldn't be sitting here today, obviously, you know,
  • 00:25:20
    without my relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • 00:25:23
    And I, you know, I'm not ashamed to say that.
  • 00:25:26
    And I even said that on the podium after the Super Bowl,
  • 00:25:29
    that, you know, that all of the success is because of Him.
  • 00:25:33
    And I continue to lead my team based on, you know,
  • 00:25:37
    my relationship with Christ
  • 00:25:39
    and how He instructs me on a daily basis.
  • 00:25:41
    - In leading an organization where obviously
  • 00:25:44
    not everybody in the locker room is a person of faith
  • 00:25:47
    or has interest in it, are there things
  • 00:25:48
    that you do as a leader of faith,
  • 00:25:51
    that you think people in the boardroom
  • 00:25:53
    or in their own businesses could do with with people
  • 00:25:56
    who report to them that don't share their faith?
  • 00:25:58
    Any secrets you've learned?
  • 00:25:59
    - I do a coaches Bible study that, you know,
  • 00:26:02
    just invite the coaches if they want to come in
  • 00:26:06
    on a Friday morning, you know, during the season
  • 00:26:09
    and spend 30 minutes in the Word, you know, great.
  • 00:26:12
    I encourage the players.
  • 00:26:14
    The players have Bible studies during the week.
  • 00:26:17
    And you're absolutely right, and everybody's different,
  • 00:26:20
    everybody's level of faith is different.
  • 00:26:25
    Not everybody is a believer.
  • 00:26:26
    But for me, it's taking what I've read that day
  • 00:26:31
    and being able to sort of intertwine that
  • 00:26:34
    into my message to the team.
  • 00:26:36
    - COVID-19, it's upended much of our world.
  • 00:26:40
    It's upended our sports.
  • 00:26:41
    My gosh, how good was it when you could actually
  • 00:26:45
    go to a stadium and you could scream and drink beer?
  • 00:26:49
    And it's mind blowing that us as leaders
  • 00:26:51
    have had to learn new skills
  • 00:26:53
    that we never thought that we would learn.
  • 00:26:55
    I haven't been in the room, in a room with our staff,
  • 00:26:59
    all our staff in a room for, what, four months now?
  • 00:27:03
    I tell you what, there is vision drift
  • 00:27:05
    when a leader can't get with his folks.
  • 00:27:07
    We're doing the Zoom calls and all that stuff,
  • 00:27:08
    but it's just -- it's just tough.
  • 00:27:11
    How are you leading during the COVID-19?
  • 00:27:13
    How are you -- How are you -- How have you adapted?
  • 00:27:17
    - At first I really didn't know.
  • 00:27:45
    I mean, you know, you learn how to do things
  • 00:27:48
    and be creative, whether it's, you know, having
  • 00:27:53
    virtual workouts from our strength and conditioning staff,
  • 00:27:56
    to have virtual workouts with our players
  • 00:27:58
    and be able to put them in pods.
  • 00:28:00
    And they're all over the country, but yet
  • 00:28:02
    they can still workout virtually,
  • 00:28:04
    bringing in guest speakers to speak to the team.
  • 00:28:07
    We're not making excuses. We're going to embrace it.
  • 00:28:10
    And whatever direction we go in the future,
  • 00:28:14
    we're going to embrace that as a football team
  • 00:28:16
    and as an organization.
  • 00:28:17
    And I think the biggest thing is what it's taught me,
  • 00:28:23
    not only as a coach, but as a leader,
  • 00:28:25
    even the leader of my family, is that it's OK to --
  • 00:28:30
    it's OK to take a step back from life sometimes
  • 00:28:33
    and just kind of hit the pause button
  • 00:28:35
    and just take a deep breath,
  • 00:28:37
    just kind of kind of exhale just a little bit
  • 00:28:40
    and slow down from the fast paced lifestyle
  • 00:28:44
    that we all seem to live.
  • 00:28:47
    = All right. So, Doug, this has been a great time.
  • 00:28:50
    Is there is there any anything else you want to talk about
  • 00:28:53
    that we haven't asked you about
  • 00:28:54
    or anything you want to you want to push that we haven't mentioned?
  • 00:28:58
    This is your time to help people connect
  • 00:29:01
    with whatever you want them to connect with?
  • 00:29:02
    - Well, obviously there is a book, Fearless.
  • 00:29:08
    It's a book I wrote after the Super Bowl.
  • 00:29:11
    It just talks about -- it just talks about
  • 00:29:14
    how an underdog becomes a champion.
  • 00:29:16
    And really, even though you're on top
  • 00:29:43
    that's kind of how I tick, I guess, each and every day.
  • 00:29:44
    - I don't think that message of fearlessness we can hear too much.
  • 00:29:48
    I mean, America is not the land of the free
  • 00:29:50
    or the land of the fear.
  • 00:29:52
    We have more anxieties and stresses and fears,
  • 00:29:56
    more seatbelts, helmets, insurance policies,
  • 00:30:00
    more meds consumed than any culture in the history of the world.
  • 00:30:04
    And I'm not against helmets and safety helmets
  • 00:30:08
    and insurance policies. I have them all.
  • 00:30:10
    I'm not against meds.
  • 00:30:11
    I'm just saying if we take a look at our culture, man,
  • 00:30:14
    we are emotionally sapped as far as creativity,
  • 00:30:20
    because we're just -- we're just crushed with fear.
  • 00:30:22
    And I think it is also part of why COVID-19
  • 00:30:25
    just plays right into where we are,
  • 00:30:26
    we're looking for things to fear. It's not good.
  • 00:30:28
    So any time someone's got a book to help us
  • 00:30:30
    get our hands around that, that's great news.
  • 00:30:33
    - Yep, you're absolutely right.
  • 00:30:34
    And, you know, I just -- I feel for so many people
  • 00:30:39
    who have lost their jobs or have lost loved ones
  • 00:30:42
    through through this pandemic.
  • 00:30:44
    And, you know, but as as we say as a football team
  • 00:30:48
    and we have a phrase that we use a lot
  • 00:30:50
    and it sort of the mantra for
  • 00:30:53
    the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles is stronger together.
  • 00:30:58
    And if we stay united, stay connected, stay grounded,
  • 00:31:01
    stay stronger, we're going to get through anything.
  • 00:31:04
    And our country, our country will get through this as well.
  • 00:31:08
    And, you know, I'm just encouraged by that
  • 00:31:12
    and I wake up every day, you know, seeing where I can make a difference,
  • 00:31:17
    whether it be in our our community or with our team.
  • 00:31:20
    And I truly believe that if we continue to stay strong,
  • 00:31:24
    that we'll get through this.
  • 00:31:25
    We'll get through this together.
  • 00:31:27
    - Doug, it's been an honor and pleasure, brother.
  • 00:31:29
    I'm really thankful for you.
  • 00:31:30
    I can't wait to see you guys winning.
  • 00:31:31
    And I'm hoping to see a face to face again sometime.
  • 00:31:36
    - Yeah, I appreciate it. Thanks again.
  • 00:31:38
    - All right.
  • 00:31:40
    - Well, we've heard from an NFL running back
  • 00:31:42
    who's coming in to the top of his game,
  • 00:31:44
    the greatest NFL lineman maybe in history in Anthony Munoz.
  • 00:31:48
    A lot of stuff today and a lot of depth today
  • 00:31:51
    if we understand the source of what they're talking about.
  • 00:31:56
    Anthony shared with me a page of some of the quotes
  • 00:31:58
    that he looks at that are inspirational for him.
  • 00:32:00
    He also shared me some of the verses that he looks at
  • 00:32:03
    to deal with his spiritual self-esteem that we talked about.
  • 00:32:05
    Here's one of them.
  • 00:32:07
    It comes from the the from the book of Ephesians
  • 00:32:09
    and it says this:
  • 00:32:41
    You know what this says, it says that
  • 00:32:44
    you're not who you are based on your beliefs,
  • 00:32:48
    you're not who you are based on your moral choices
  • 00:32:52
    this last week.
  • 00:32:53
    Your beliefs, your moral choices are important.
  • 00:32:55
    But the reason why Anthony meditates on this
  • 00:32:58
    and we all need to is because it says that
  • 00:33:01
    the gospel says who you are, Jesus says who you are,
  • 00:33:06
    and it says God had a thought and a vision for your life
  • 00:33:11
    that you're not here by accident.
  • 00:33:12
    You're not here by random amalgamation of proteins,
  • 00:33:15
    that He knitted you and formed you together
  • 00:33:18
    in your mother's womb, that He's got a purpose for you,
  • 00:33:23
    and that He adopts you into His family.
  • 00:33:25
    I'm physically adopted into the Tome family
  • 00:33:29
    because I was orphaned at birth,
  • 00:33:31
    but I was physically adopted into the Tome family
  • 00:33:34
    and God adopts all children into His family.
  • 00:33:39
    You have been adopted in this family
  • 00:33:41
    and you have a purpose on this earth.
  • 00:33:44
    It doesn't matter what you've done,
  • 00:33:45
    it matters what God is doing in you.
  • 00:33:47
    It matters the purpose He has for you.
  • 00:34:26
    I want us to actually worship together.
  • 00:34:27
    elevates our game. Let's do that together right now.
  • 00:43:28
    Hey, did you catch a spark, a little inspired from today?
  • 00:43:31
    I hope so.
  • 00:43:33
    Every good adventure has a guide
  • 00:43:35
    and I hope you're on a spiritual adventure.
  • 00:43:36
    And we want to be able to guide you and connect you with somebody.
  • 00:43:40
    You can go to Crossroads.net/spark.
  • 00:43:43
    You can click on the chat button.
  • 00:43:45
    Someone will interact with you, help you understand
  • 00:43:47
    what's going on and how you might be able to go to a new place.
  • 00:43:50
    While you're at that part of our website,
  • 00:43:52
    you can also click to receive content from YouTube,
  • 00:43:56
    our app and other places.
  • 00:43:57
    We actually have a customized program for you to grow spiritually.
  • 00:44:02
    You'll get connected with a guide who will get you
  • 00:44:03
    the right stuff at the right time
  • 00:44:05
    and just try to make your life different
  • 00:44:07
    and closer to God over 30 days.
  • 00:44:09
    Why don't you try that out? You've got nothing to lose.
  • 00:44:12
    We have even more Spark Talks.
  • 00:44:14
    If you want to be sparked into action,
  • 00:44:16
    you can go to sparktalks.net.
  • 00:44:25
    to connect with people in your community.
  • 00:44:26
    - You know, Crossroads is a church that is about
  • 00:44:28
    more than just a video a week.
  • 00:44:30
    But we actually want to help you take the next step
  • 00:44:33
    in your spiritual adventure from anywhere you are right now.
  • 00:44:36
    I'm Lena and I'd love to get you connected to community.
  • 00:44:38
    And one of the ways to do that is
  • 00:44:40
    if you chat with us on the Crossroads website.
  • 00:44:42
    Just head to Crossroads.net and click on the chat button
  • 00:44:45
    and we'll chat with you soon.

Process, journal or discuss the themes of this article - here's a few questions to get the ball rolling...

Welcome to the Weekend Follow Up.

  1. Sports have impacted our culture over centuries. Share your favorite sports memory, whether you were the one on the field, in the stands, or watching on TV.

  2. Read 2 Timothy 4:2. No matter what we do we must train to get results. Discuss what healthy training habits may look like right now, whether it’s in your relationships, finances, or spiritual health.

  3. This year has set us all back in one way or another, but perhaps there are hidden opportunities available for us. Take two minutes to think about how you can best take advantage of the opportunity you have in this unique time, then share it with the group.

  4. The choices we make directly impact our life. Sometimes we may not feel like doing the thing that we know is best for us each day — spending time in the Bible, getting that workout in, having the difficult conversation, or even just not hitting snooze. Identify one choice you’ll make this week that will help you train.

  5. Each person identify one thing they’d like prayer for (sad your vacation just got cancelled, not sure what childcare will look like, that step you just said you’re going to take). Share that request with the group, and someone else in the group will pray for you.

More from the Weekend

If you want to be sparked into action check out more at sparktalks.net

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Aug 1, 2020 45 mins 6 sec

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