Christian: Not A Primary Reason To Win Super Bowl

But is ... to win in life and eternity.

No, I'm not watching the Super Bowl and haven't watched any of the games this season. What is interesting to me is a comparison of
the quarterbacks, as men. I don't think the God of the universe has any interest in who wins the Superbowl, or any other game, but I know He has a great interest in the people involved. Who wins will nearly always be the team and quarterback best prepared, with few exceptions. In today's Super Bowl, that would probably be the Patriots. But God may have His own reasons to turn the tables on New England and Tom Brady in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles and backup quarterback Nick Foles.  I have lost interest in the NFL and don't care who wins this game today, but I like both of these quarterbacks. Whether he wins or not, I have more interest in Foles future as a Pastor than in Brady's as a possible Congressman. Here is background on both of these Men ... RB
_____________________
Eagles QB Has a Dream Bigger Than the Super Bowl: 'I Want to Be a Pastor'
From CBN News.Com

Christian players expressing their faith isn't new in the NFL – it's the revival sweeping through the Eagles locker room that people can't stop talking about.

In March, tight end Zach Ertz, committed his life to Christ.

"I was baptized in March, got married the next day. Our marriage has been built on that foundation from the Word and Jesus and it's changed my life. And just to have these guys hold me accountable on a daily basis has been phenomenal," Ertz told CBN Sports Reporter Shawn Brown.

Only a few months later wide receiver Marcus Johnson was baptized in a North Carolina swimming pool ahead of a game against the Carolina Panthers.

Five teammates — linebackers Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks and Kamu Grugier-Hill, and wide receivers Paul Turner and David Watford — were baptized in the Philadelphia Eagles' recovery pool late last year, according to reports.

In an interview on The CBN News Daily Rundown podcast, Brown told host Caitlin Burke, that the strong Christian leadership of quarterback Carson Wentz has made a huge difference for this team that's now known as one of the most spiritual in the league.

"They talked and said, 'Hey we want to provide an opportunity for players to be baptized,' and they started off their season doing that," Brown said.

Wentz isn't playing in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots because of a torn ACL in Week 14, but his backup quarterback Nick Foles shares his solid faith and has made sure his brothers-in-Christ continue to make faith the focus.

"My faith in the Lord means everything. I'm a believer in Jesus Christ and that's first and foremost. That's everything. I wouldn't be able to do this game without Him, because I don't have the strength to go out and do this. This is supernatural," Foles told Brown.

"Here's a guy who, at the beginning of the season, didn't know where he was going to end up," Brown said during his podcast interview.

"He was going to quit the game, he was going to leave the game and get into something else. And the Lord's like, 'No, I've got something else for you.' He ends up going to the Eagles, he's all, 'OK I'm on the Eagles but I'm still a backup. Carson's here, Carson's great,' at a team that he used to play for, a team that he used to start for, he's back with this team again, they have a new starter who's rocking it out there and he has to wonder, 'Lord, what's the purpose for me here,'" Brown said.

But Foles stayed ready, and the tables turned when Wentz was injured.

"The Lord gave him a second chance saying, 'Hey I'm going to put you on display here so you can show the world what you have, how I've blessed you," Brown continued.

Foles says that in the future he plans to hang up his cleats and focus more on sharing his faith.

"I want to be a pastor in a high school," Foles said Thursday. "It's on my heart. I took a leap of faith last year and signed up to take classes at seminary. I wanted to continue to learn and challenge my faith. It's a 

challenge because you are writing papers that are biblically correct. You want to impact people's hearts."

"When I speak to (students), that's such a time of young men and young women's lives that there's a lot of things that are thrown at them. So much temptation in this world, so much going on with social media and the internet that you want to talk to them and address it and share all the weaknesses I have because I've fallen many times," Foles said. "It's something I want to do. I can't play football forever. I've been blessed with an amazing platform and it's just a door God has opened, but I still have a lot of school left and a long journey."

_______________________________

One reason I like Tom Brady is because so many people, without good reason, hate him. RB

Why Do People Hate Patriot's Q.B. Tom Brady So Much?

From MSN Sports News

Tom Brady embodies the American Dream. He has tirelessly worked to reach the mountaintop in life. He is respectful, gracious, humble and kind. He has found balance with his family and work. He has excelled at his chosen profession through dedication, mental strength and a relentless drive to be the best. So, why do people hate him so much?

The rampant jealousy surrounding the Patriots quarterback’s success for the better part of two decades is pathetic on myriad fronts. He should be lauded for his competitiveness and commended for his accomplishments, including a third NFL MVP award earned Saturday night. Instead, folks are gulping pitchers of Haterade.

Philadelphians obviously want to crush Brady’s hopes of winning an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl Sunday night, but what’s everyone else’s excuse?

If you’re 40 or older, you should appreciate that someone your age is still thriving in a sport reserved for younger, faster and stronger humans. Brady celebrated his fifth decade on this planet by passing for a NFL-best 4,577 yards this season. Yeah! Take that, millennials!
Give it up for the geezer.

If you’re a grinder, you should embrace Brady’s incredible discipline and work ethic. It’s not easy living on water and organic fruits and vegetables every single day. That’s dedication, people.

If you root for the underdog, you should embrace the 199th overall pick of the 2000 NFL draft that made himself into the greatest football player of all time.

“What are you willing to give up to be the best you can be?” Brady said in the opening moments of his Facebook docu-series "Tom vs Time." “You only have so much energy and the clock’s ticking on all of us…. If you’re going to compete against me, you better be willing to give up your life. Because I’m giving up mine.”

Brady has thrived after missing a season due to a torn ACL in the prime of his career. He has eluded Father Time’s relentless pass rush with a maniacal training routine that has drawn the ire of skeptical, mostly out-of-shape pundits. He has faced endless doubters and criticism from those who simply cannot believe how he continues to excel.

He is a fearless, classy leader.
“I have a healthy respect for my teammates,” Brady said. “Everyone’s trying to achieve. You’re all trying to climb the same mountain.… I show up to work every day just like them trying to do the same thing. We have the same goals… but my connection with them is through joy and love. It’s not through fear. It’s not through insults. That’s not how I lead.”

Oh, sure, I’ve taken some good-natured shots at Brady’s devastating good-looks (the square jaw and perfect teeth are especially annoying), but they were for entertainment purposes only.
I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Brady’s accomplishments that include four Super Bowl MVPS (entering Super Bowl LII) and the most passing yards, touchdowns and game-winning drives in the history of the big game.

But Brady’s success has fueled spite from the masses.
How can you not admire someone with the most regular-season and playoff wins in the history of the game? How can you not appreciate that Brady has gone to twice as many Super Bowls as the immortal Joe Montana? (Montana, by the way, won his fourth and final Super Bowl at age 33. Brady has gone to four Super Bowls since turning 34). Brady has a passion that we should all have in our own lives.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that loves to do something as much as he loves football,” his wife, Gisele, said.

The Negative Nellies can’t accept his greatness. Memo to the clueless: If you think Brady was aware of any videotaping shenanigans all those years ago, you’re not that bright.
Some critics looking for gotcha moments and unwilling to give him his just due will hold firm to Brady’s purported cheating in DeflateGate as evidence of a tainted career.
Real talk: Brady probably was aware of the reduction of air pressure in game-used footballs.
Realer talk: He wasn’t the only quarterback to take a few puffs out of the pigskin.
Realest talk: PSI levels had very little to do with Brady’s brilliance. (Just ask the Seahawks that got torched in Super Bowl XLIX).
Through it all, Brady has found perspective.
“The games are what they are,” Brady said. “But the season is also your life. And I think it’s hard to just stop your life for the season… because you’re still living and your kids are still growing. They’re getting to an age where they’re just more fun than they’ve ever been. Their personalities are just blossoming. To still be playing football and winning and having fun… then I have this beautiful family with these kids that bring me so much joy. I think I’m the luckiest man on Earth.”
Seriously… how can you not love that?

_________________________________________

Tom Brady was raised in a devout Catholic family and married in a Catholic Ceremony.

The Religious And Political Views Of Tom Brady

From The Hollowverse:

Tom Brady was raised in a devout Catholic family and married in a Catholic Ceremony.

But apparently, Brady isn’t devout enough for his father, who used his son’s fame to gain some celebrity himself in the Catholic community. Tom Brady, Sr. spoke at a Catholic gathering called the Worcester Diocesan Men’s Conference in Massachusetts. During his speech, Brady, Sr. professed his devotion to Catholicism while backhandedly chastising his son for not being all the Catholic he can be. (Tom is the father of a baby born out of wedlock before his marriage to another woman).

It might be safe to say that Brady is not a devout Catholic. He’s more concerned with winning Super Bowls and having children with extremely beautiful women. In other words, he’s no Tim Tebow. 

As a result, Brady came under quite a bit of political scrutiny, with some news organizations  going so far as to try to trace his voting record across numerous addresses and states. They didn’t find much. Some argued that Brady was merely an unwilling pawn in the grand chess game of election year politics.  And when Brady appeared on “60 Minutes” and was directly asked: Republican or Democrat? He remained a mystery, saying:

"You know, I’m actually Independent, actually an Independent and I have been for some time. But there’s no doubt this world needs a lot of help"

But analysts have largely come to the conclusion that if Brady had to choose, he’d be a Republican. Not only because he attended Bush’s State of the Union, but also because he said that the person he most enjoyed meeting was former Republican president Gerald Ford. Beyond that, Brady has expressed a desire to run for a Senate seat, probably in California, saying politics is his “craziest ambition.” Why not? Schwarzenegger did it and Brady certainly has the charisma and the money...
______________________________________