Unusual Suspect: One Man’s Calling to Help a Team Embroiled in Controversy

What is the Christian life supposed to look like?

This is perhaps the most asked question in Christianity with answers that vary as much as New England weather. Some feel the Christian life should look, well, Christian. Moral people who help others and go to Bible College and are employed in full-time ministry. Others would say it is less about degrees and church membership and more about an attitude of forgiveness and benevolence toward others. Treat others like you want to be treated, right?

What if a great example of the Christian life took place within the walls of Gillette stadium? Yes, Gillette stadium. The home field of the New England Patriots who are not only current Super Bowl champions but entangled in a ball deflation controversy stemming from their footballs being under the league required air pressure range during the American Football Conference Championship game played on January 18. A game in which they won incidentally 45-7.

With a blowout win in hand and a trip to the Super Bowl on the horizon, surely no one would care about football air pressure? That might have been true if these same New England Patriots had not been caught illegally videotaping opponents defensive signals in 2007. A rule violation in which the league handed out its harshest penalty ever, fining owner Robert Kraft $250,000 and head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and docking the team a first round draft pick.

It would seem that if this football deflation controversy proved to be true than the New England Patriots would be as synonymous with winning championships as they are with being habitual cheaters. An image and a brand that would be tough to swallow for management and its players.

Enter Jack Easterby – a lanky and balding former college basketball player and golfer with a thick Southern accent. Easterby was hired by the Patriots in July 2013 as the team’s chaplain.

According to Seth Wickersham, a writer for ESPN The Magazine who profiled Easterby just prior to the Super Bowl, Easterby’s first words to the team were, “Tonight, my goal is that you will never be the same.” Wickersham goes on to say that Easterby says that often in his devotionals, with the swagger of a hitter calling his shot. It's an invitation, and dozens of athletes and coaches – from Tom Brady to Brady Quinn, from Bill Belichick to South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley – have accepted it. They don't always buy into Easterby's gospel, but they buy into Easterby himself. His job is to be trustworthy, and it doesn't help him earn trust if he's out there talking about it, which is why he politely declined to speak to Wickersham for his story. "He's just a great person and friend," Brady says. "You feel a special connection with him and with his genuine caring for all the people in his life."

The typical team chaplain, Wickersham explains, is a pastor at a local church who volunteers to host Saturday chapel for 10 or so players who attend and is compensated with cash in a collection plate. In New England, Easterby has an office – and it's near Belichick's. He is a classic Belichick hire: The more he can do, the more he does. He hosts Bible study, works coaches' hours in his office counseling players and their wives, throws passes in practice to Darrelle Revis and sometimes even jumps in on scout-team drills. When he's not listening, he's texting. When he's not texting, he's writing players and coaches individual notes, recapping their personal goals and reminding them of how thankful he is to know them.

Like Belichick and Brady, says Wickersham, Easterby is obsessed with process – only his process is self-actualization. He challenges those he counsels to be better people the way coaches challenge them to be better players. He's written a devotion called the Competitor's Creed – I am a Competitor now and forever. I am made to strive, to strain, to stretch and to succeed in the arena of competition. ... My attitude on and off the field is above reproach, my conduct beyond criticism. Whether I am preparing, practicing or playing, I submit to God's authority and those He has put over me. I respect my coaches, officials, teammates and competitors out of respect for the Lord.

Many Patriot coaches and players credit Easterby and his presence as one of the reasons the team won the championship this season. High praise for a man teaching his listeners about the higher power found in Christ and his gospel message.

Often we think of the Christian life being spent on the mission fields of Africa or India not on the football field. But here is Easterby, at Gillette stadium, the home of the NFL's most notorious cheaters or so the narrative goes but make no mistake, if the Patriots are exonerated from this latest football deflation controversy, he will have helped them weather the storm. If not, he will embrace the chance to help them learn from it, underscoring that life and its ups and downs are temporal but eternal life is offered to anyone who comes to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. In short, Easterby will be ready to serve.

Thou Shalt Not …

Aaron Hernandez makes us feel better about ourselves.

Despite the fact that he has not been tried yet for the gruesome death of Odin Lloyd, the court of public opinion has rendered him a cold blooded killer along the lines of Dirty Harry.

Hernandez was a promising tight end for the New England Patriots who just two years ago was catching passes from Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Now he is sitting in jail with no bail facing a first degree murder charge.

Society can forgive most things. But murder? Not a chance. Even the sixth commandment leaves no wiggle room or loophole. Murder is wrong.

Forget for a moment that we live in a digital age filled with public relations savvy and fleeting fame where image reins over truth in most circumstances. And that the intent of most is to sell oneself to the media as a likeable commodity. None of us know Aaron Hernandez. But yet, we look at him and his arrest for first degree murder and feel pretty good in comparison. After all, most believe hell is reserved solely for the worst of worst. Adolph Hitler. Charles Manson. Jeffrey Dahmer. Certainly not us.

But Jesus has a different view. In the Gospel of Matthew, He threw his audience a curve ball when He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

Jesus is always looking at the heart for it is here that the issues of life spring forth. Anger is the beginning of murder. Many of us only believe our actions are sinful but Jesus backs up the sin problem to our heart. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks, so is he. In other words, we are a product of our thoughts.

Abortion was passed in this country because we changed our thinking about life in the womb. We have told ourselves for decades now that a fetus is not really a life until the third trimester and that a woman has a right to do what she wants to her body. It is this thinking that now has conservative abortion estimates up to 50 million annually. That number is staggering. And it has its roots in wrong thinking.

It is all too easy to look at Aaron Hernandez and excuse ourselves from self-examination but really his arrest should do just the opposite. We should probe deeper and look at our own hearts to see if we have seeds of anger. And not only anger but lust, greed, gluttony, pride, covetousness and envy – all of which are the root of sinful actions.

Jesus came to save sinners. At the cross we find forgiveness and victory over sin. Jesus bids us to come and then beckons us to extend His forgiveness to others.

There is a sin problem. We all have it. And Jesus is the remedy.

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“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’” - Gospel of Matthew 7:1-5

A God of Second Chances

Tebowmania is back.

On June 11 the New England Patriots put smiles on every single ESPN executive when they announced the signing of the most polarizing sports athlete on the face of the planet – Tim Tebow.

You may recall that Tebow spent most of last year anguishing on the New York Jets bench as he watched incumbent QB Mark Sanchez lose game after game while setting the league record for most turnovers.

Tebow was erroneously told when he signed with the Jets that he would have the opportunity to compete for the starting QB job. He never got the chance because of his unorthodox style of play (he is a run first quarterback with below average throwing ability) and was released by the Jets just a few weeks ago.

It was being reported after his release that he assumed his football playing days were over and was considering a career in broadcasting.

A tough place to be for Tebow who as a collegiate player at Florida University won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and the BCS National Championship in 2007 and 2009. It was then that he became known for his Christian faith which permeated his life – he often thanked Jesus Christ after every game, a tradition he continues today. 

After graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. During the 2011 season he was inserted into the Broncos line up and asked to help resurrect a team that began the season 1-4. He won 7 of his first 8 games, many in dramatic fashion and propelled the Broncos to the AFC West division title and a wild card playoff win over the Pittsburg Steelers.

It appeared that Tebow would remain the starter in Denver at season’s end until the Indianapolis Colts decided to release QB Peyton Manning, the league’s only four-time MVP. Denver put its hat into the ring and won the Manning sweepstakes which sent Tebow packing to New York.

After a season to forget in New York, Tebow passed through NFL waivers and was not signed by any team. This prompted Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon to say that Tebow was not only finished playing in the NFL but that he also would not be a fit for the Canadian football league either because of his inability to throw the football at a professional level.  

Just when things looked bleak, his football career seemingly over after just three short seasons, football expert after football expert telling him he can't throw, ESPN talking heads gleefully discussing the demise of his flash pan career –  in walks Tebow’s white horse – Bill Belichick.

Most in the football universe consider New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick to be the best coach of his era with three Super Bowl trophies and the highest winning percentage in the NFL since 2001.

When news of the signing first broke, NFL analysts were shocked. Many thought it was an Internet joke. Not only was Tebow back in the NFL, the Patriots signed him as their third string QB which means he has the chance to compete to back up Tom Brady, the best QB of his generation.

How did all this happen? Many say it was because Belichick likes players who are versatile and can do more than one thing well on the football field. Others believe it was Josh McDaniels, the Patriots Offensive Coordinator who wanted Tebow because he was the one that drafted him in 2010 when he was Head Coach of the Broncos.

While these reasons have merit, I believe Tebow was signed because God gave him a second chance to play the sport he loves.

What is infinitely more interesting about Tebow other than his topsy turvy football career is his faith. Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, to American parents who were serving as Baptist missionaries at the time. He is the youngest of five children, all of whom were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's Christian beliefs along the way.

If you have had a chance to listen to any of Tebow’s interviews you would know that he puts Jesus Christ first in his life. He has become famously known for “Tebowing”, his touchdown celebration in which he kneels to pray after scoring. The NFL became enamored with him because of his unconventional style of play and his beliefs.

Tebow is a Christian first, pro football player second. Not an easy life to balance especially in a society where so many hate the Christian faith and the religious right is clamoring for someone to represent them.

But here is Tebow. On Monday he was out of football. On Tuesday he was signed by the premier  franchise in football. An amazing second chance granted from the God of second chances.

Is your life looking hopeless today? Is everyone calling you a failure?

Don’t believe it.

Take heart in a God that says He knows what you need before you even ask.
Take refuge in a God that whispers, “I will never leave you or forsake you."
Take confidence in a God that promises you a future and a hope.

And know that what is impossible with men IS possible with God.

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"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Is God a Patriots Fan?

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, the issue of whether or not God is rooting for a particular team to win always seems to surface. I find this to be one of the more intriguing questions given that sports entertainment has become more of a religion today than the God of the Bible.

I want to begin addressing this question by mentioning a couple of quotes from Tom Brady, the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback of the New England Patriots. After Brady won his third Super Bowl in 2005 he was asked if he would still have the competitive drive to come back next year and compete for another championship after already winning three at the tender age of 27 (an NFL record). Brady’s response was both intriguing and insightful. He stated that after the initial euphoria wore off from winning his third championship, he asked himself, “Is this it? Surely there has to be more.”

More? Surely Brady was joking. He was at age 27 the epitome of success – three time champion, Brad Pitt type good looks, Hollywood actress girlfriend on his arm, and yet he was unsatisfied. The world would say his answer depicted his competitive spirit of wanting to be the greatest QB ever but I say his response goes much deeper. His response speaks of a spiritual void. You see for every person there is a spiritual void that we try to fill with all sorts of things – work, relationships, kids, hobbies, but yet we find ourselves very unsatisfied. “Because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.” (Romans 8:7)

In his book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, Max Lucado says that when a man knocks on the door of a brothel, he is looking for God. So too with Brady. His question speaks of a void that seems untouched by his unmatched success. Subsequently, when Brady was asked a couple of years ago if he ever considered what God thought of his success, he said that he didn’t believe that “God gave a [expletive] if he could throw a football or not.”

On this account, Brady could not be more wrong and I believe this gets to the crux of our discussion about God’s sports interest. God most certainty does care that Brady can throw a football. He gave him the talent and ability. He also gave Brady a stage unlike anybody else to not only showcase that ability but to glorify God. I know Brady has never claimed to be a Christian but the Bible says God has fearfully and wonderfully made each of us (Psalm 139:13-14) and that our purpose from our birth has always been to serve and glorify Him in all that we do. “All has been heard; the end of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun].” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Winning or losing is not really the point with God. I would suggest that God gets more glory from a Christian who loses a big game and displays graciousness and humbleness than from a multiple champion who only glorifies himself. Rudyard Kipling wrote a wonderful poem called “If” in which he states, “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.” I believe this is God’s view as it relates to his children whether they are athletically gifted or not. He is looking for the individual that seeks to glorify Him on the playing field, at the office building, within the home.

In the end God will hold us all accountable for the talents and abilities we have been given and how we have used them to prosper His gospel. He will not look at Tom Brady any different than me or you as the Bible says God is not a respector of persons (Acts 10:34-35). He will look at how we responded to His revelation of Himself in our lives and how we used the gifts and talents He bestowed upon us for good and Super Bowl rings will be of no consequence.