Thank God it went smoothly! In a tough sports town, baptisms and Bible studies fuel many of the Eagles’ stars By Bob Smietana Acts of Faith February 4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-of-the-eagles-stars/?utm_term=.dc1b61e7bcb8 Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz throws before the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Carson Wentz, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, wants you to tune in on Super Bowl Sunday. Before that, he’d like to visit your church. “If you are a pastor anywhere in the world who’s looking to impact the people in your community, please consider inviting me and other NFL players into your church this Super Bowl weekend,” Wentz says in a promotional video for Football Sunday, a national faith-based outreach effort. “I promise it will be something God uses to transform the people you are called to serve. And I believe for all eternity.” Wentz, Nick Foles and several members of the Eagles are among a number of NFL players appearing in the video. It is scheduled to be shown in thousands in churches on Sunday, the day the Eagles face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. It’s the latest step of faith for the Eagles, who have won over one of the toughest sports towns in the United States. Philadelphia is a place where fans are known for not being forgiving. Or easily impressed, says Anthea Butler, associate professor of religion at the University of Pennsylvania and an avid Eagles fan. “We booed Santa Claus,” Butler said. [For Tom Brady, football has become religion. No, really.] But the injured star Wentz and his backup, Foles, have breathed life into a franchise that had been down on its luck after a pair of losing seasons and a tumultuous divorce from former coach Chip Kelly. “No sane person thought the Eagles would be in the Super Bowl at the beginning of the year,” Butler said. The team — whose coach, Doug Pederson, a former NFL quarterback, started his post-playing days with a Baptist high school team — has made believers out of fans. So if they want to use their success to spread the gospel, that’s okay with local fans. In fact, earnestness seems to be part of the team’s charm. Eagles defensive end Chris Long, for example, is donating his salary this season to educational causes. “They seem like a really decent group of people,” Butler said. The team produced a video — separate from the one being shown on Super Bowl Sunday — highlighting faith as a binding force in the team locker room. Eagles players even held baptisms in the team’s cold tub and at a hotel pool. About 30,000 people have viewed a Bible study that features the Eagles and other NFL players. Frank Reich, the offensive coordinator for the Eagles, spent time in the ministry after his NFL career was over — serving as a pastor and seminary professor before becoming a coach. The team’s quarterbacks are spiritual leaders off the field. Wentz, who was an MVP candidate before his season was cut short by a knee injury, is known for his “Audience of One” (AO1) foundation and off-season preaching gigs. Foles, whose Twitter bio describes him as a “Believer in Jesus Christ, husband, father, son, brother,” almost quit football after losing his job as the Eagles’ quarterback in 2016 and being released by the St. Louis Rams a year later. “I wanted to retire from the NFL, and I really struggled,” he said in a devotional for YouVersion, the popular Bible study app. “I couldn’t pick up a football for about eight months. I had no love for the game, and it was tough.” A Bible verse reminded him that God was still working in his life, even in failure, he said. That verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, includes the phrase, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Derwin Gray, a former NFL player-turned-pastor, said he has been impressed that the Eagles players are outspoken about their faith, even when times are bad. “That speaks volumes,” said Gray, who became a Christian in the 1990s, after a fellow player on the Indianapolis Colts evangelized to him. Gray said conversations about faith take place throughout NFL locker rooms. Sometimes star players do the talking. Other times, it’s role players, like Matthew Slater, the special teams maven for the New England Patriots. Either way, if a player doesn’t work hard or do his job, his message may not be heard by players and fans. “If I am not working with integrity, if my words don’t match my action, and if my life doesn’t show fundamental kindness, no one will care,” said Gray, pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, S.C. Steve Stenstrom, a former NFL quarterback, who runs Pro Athletes Outreach, which sponsors Football Sunday and the Increase, a website where pro athletes talk about faith, has been impressed by the way players on both Super Bowl teams live out their faith. Footage of interviews this week with members of both teams will be shown at churches on Sunday. In the video, Wentz also talks about how faith helped him cope with his season-ending injury. “There’s disappointment,” Stenstrom said. “But he’s a guy who is always looking at the bigger picture and the more important things in life.” Still, if a player or the team isn’t winning, coaches may have less tolerance talking about religion. “If we lose, they’ll say — stop praying and start playing,” Gray said. For now, all is good with the Eagles, said the Rev. Leslie Callahan, Eagles fan and pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Philadelphia. “Right now, Carson Wentz and Nick Foles can do no wrong in the city of Philadelphia,” she said. And the vibe around the Eagles is different, she said, than that around the New England Patriots. The Patriots have a diverse faith mix: some outspoken Christians, a pastor-turned-character coach, a number of Jewish players and then Tom Brady, who promotes a controversial health/lifestyle/spiritual brand known as the TB12 method. Brady is featured in a Super Bowl week video titled “Tom vs. Time.” Callahan jokes that spiritual forces of a different kind may be at work among the Patriots, who are gunning for their sixth Super Bowl title. Something crazy always seems to happen in their games, she said. And, like the truck rule, a remarkable comeback in last year’s Super Bowl or a game-saving interception by an undrafted rookie in 2015, those crazy plays have helped the Patriots. “It feels like there is some kind of ‘angels in the outfield’ working for them,” she joked. “Except that it doesn’t feel like angels.” ________ https://www.newsday.com/sports/foot...p-after-leading-game-winning-drive-1.16548492 “That was a moment in my life where I thought about it and I prayed about,” he [Nick Foles - MVP] said of retirement. “I’m grateful that I made the decision to come back and play. I wouldn’t be out here without God, without Jesus in my life. I can tell you that first and foremost.” http://www.philly.com/philly/sports...effrey-lurie-celebration-quotes-20180204.html Doug Pederson ... "I can only give the praise to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity..." Zach Ertz ... "...glory to God first and foremost..."
I LOVE this. I have been a Pats fan being from NE but I was so impressed the Eagles last night. Especially Nick Foles. There is such clear light coming from him. I’m glad they won! Another “sign”!
Because it may take a little time until release, personally i hope it will take place after the Warning https://movieweb.com/passion-of-the-christ-2-resurrection-story-details-plans/
AED, The Super Bowl was the only NFL game I watched all season because of the controversy over the National Anthem. I am very glad that the Eagles won also and I believe it is a sign. In case you missed the article about Tom Brady which was linked in the article above here it is (it's a little creepy, imho), For Tom Brady, football has become religion. No, really. By Bob Smietana Acts of Faith February 4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...me-religion-no-really/?utm_term=.6c025f4fe585 Tom Brady has a plan for your life. Good health. Joy. Peak performance. And plenty of avocado ice cream. It’s all part of “The TB12 Method,” Brady’s best-selling “athlete’s bible” and lifestyle brand, which he credits with helping him stay at the top of his game at age 40. And it appears to work. Brady and his New England Patriots teammates are favored to win Super Bowl LII, which would be their sixth NFL championship in eight tries under Brady and Coach Bill Belichick. But Brady is after something bigger than football, said his friend Gotham Chopra — something bigger than wins and losses. Brady’s on a spiritual quest. Football has become Brady’s religion, said Chopra, a filmmaker whose latest project is “Tom vs. Time,” a behind-the-scenes documentary series about the quarterback’s preparations for this past NFL season. “What’s really at the epicenter of it is this devotional love for the game,” Chopra said. “It is his vocation — it’s what gives his life meaning and purpose.” The first two episodes of the series, which premiered Jan. 25 on Facebook Watch (the social network’s video platform), look at Brady’s physical and mental preparation. Future episodes will focus on other areas, including his spiritual side. The next one airs Sunday. “I do want to know the whys in life,” Brady said in a version of the spiritual episode, according to the New York Times. “I do want to know why we’re here, where we’re going; trying to find that deeper purpose. To live it, through sports in a very authentic way, makes so much sense to me.” For Chopra, son of best-selling spiritual writer Deepak Chopra and a devoted Boston sports fan, seeing sports as a religion makes sense. Both create community, have saints and rituals, and take place on hallowed ground. And — in a polarized nation — both can unite disparate groups of people, at least for a few hours. Sports might bring people together better than religion, said Daniel Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State University in Kentucky. People who might never talk to one another in real life can bond at a sporting event. “It has the ability to integrate people from an incredibly diverse set of backgrounds,” Wann said. “I don’t know any pastime that does that better than fandom.” The Patriots certainly have a devoted group of fans. They have their own creed: “In Bill We Trust,” a sign of their unshakable faith in Belichick, who has led his teams to more playoff victories than any other coach in NFL history. And Brady has been the chief apostle of the Patriot Way — the team’s combination of intense preparation, relentless focus and ruthless determination to win, summed up by the phrase “Do your job.” Fans have bought in with near-religious devotion, said Chris Beneke, professor of history at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. People invest a lot of hope in the team, Beneke said. And while they trust the coach, known for his gruff demeanor and ragamuffin fashion sense, they adore Brady. “Brady is a kind of messiah figure for a lot of Patriots fans,” Beneke said. “It would be hard to describe Belichick that way. He doesn’t exude any of the qualities that we typically associate with charismatic figures.” Beneke worries that devotion to the Patriots can overshadow other kinds of faith. During the football season, Sundays in New England often are devoted to watching the Patriots and talking about the team, even in church, he said. [The best of Super Bowl LII: Gronkowski good to go for Sunday; Trump passes on traditional interview] Some Patriots have tried to keep the focus on faith in God, rather than the team. The Patriots have a number of spiritual players, including Pro Bowl special teamer Matthew Slater, known for his off-field evangelism. Slater and other Patriots will be featured in Football Sunday, a national church-based outreach event on Super Bowl Sunday. Rick McDaniel, a Patriots fan and the pastor of Richmond Community Church in Glen Allen, Va., says there are faith lessons in Brady’s example — even if you don’t buy his TB12 Method. Brady’s commitment to his craft allowed him to overcome the odds, McDaniel said. Brady began his career as a sixth-round draft pick and now is arguably the best ever at his craft. And he’s shown the ability to rebound from adversity: Last year, the Patriots were down 28 to 3 in the Super Bowl before coming back to win in overtime. “He is a great example of what can happen if you are radically committed,” McDaniel said. McDaniel believes Brady’s commitment to the TB12 Method is sincere. “I think he really believes this stuff,” he said. And just like a preacher who wants to share good news, McDaniel said, “Brady wants to let as many people as possible know about what he believes.” Bob Ryan, a longtime-but-now-retired columnist for the Boston Globe, is more skeptical. He’s fine with the on-field success. And promoting good nutrition and fitness is fine, as is having spiritual beliefs. But spare him the idea of Brady as a spiritual figure. “He’s trying to sell us a bill of goods,” Ryan said. “It’s cultlike. The book, to me, is creepy. And it looks like that’s going to be his life after football.” As for Brady, he appears focused on the big game. And he shows no signs of quitting. “So if you’re going to compete against me, you better be willing to give up your life,” Brady says in the first episode of “Tom vs. Time.” “Because I’m giving up mine.”
Well this is just creepy!!! I too stopped any NFL support for the same reason but I did watch last night. Very happy for the Eagles!!!
US general: US troops won't withdraw from Syrian city of Manbij Turkey cautions US troops against being targeted in Syria
Yep and a drop in the stock market of 666 on Friday which is no coincidence IMO. I think they tanked it on purpose and exactly to send a message that they control it all. Then today we see another slide ending down 1100. Now, does anyone else remember when Trump was running talking about NOT investing in the stock market but investing in gold and precious metals? I do. He said this several time in fact at his rally's. He knew then and now that they would tank the markets as a weapon against him once the real evidence began seeing the light of day. They control this. The Rothschilds sold off an estate in Austria, one which I am sure has quite the sordid history and they sold off a big stake in Apache holdings. Apache is an onshore oil drilling co that stands to do nothing but make money with energy production in the US. Why would they sell out of their holdings? WAR.
What are the odds that a cnn employee would find these documents? http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/d...ses-were-found-on-an-airplane/article/2648094 Documents detailing Super Bowl bio attack exercises were found on an airplane Documents from the Department of Homeland Security detailing the response to exercises conducted in the event of a biological attack on Super Bowl Sunday were left on a commercial airplane and found by a CNN employee, according to the news outlet. The documents, described as an “after action report” and marked “For Official Use Only,” were dated December 2017 and were related to two drills conducted to measure the coordinated response from public health, law enforcement, and emergency management officials if a biological attack were to occur in Minneapolis on Super Bowl Sunday. According to CNN, a company employee found copies of the report in the seat-back pocket of an airplane. Along with the report, the employee also found the itinerary and boarding pass of the government scientist who serves as the program manager of BioWatch, which conducted the exercise. BioWatch is a Department of Homeland Security program designed to assist communities with preparing a coordinated response to a bioterrorism attack and "provides early detection of" such attacks. A spokesman with the Department of Homeland Security told CNN the drills didn’t stem from a specific threat. “This exercise was a resounding success and was not conducted in response to any specific, credible threat of a bioterrorism attack,” Tyler Q. Houlton said. Two exercises, one in July and another in November, were conducted to evaluate the response to a simulated anthrax attack on Super Bowl Sunday. The after-action report found “some local law enforcement and emergency management agencies possess only a cursory knowledge of the BioWatch program and its mission.” The report also noted there were “differences of opinion” regarding how many people were exposed, “which led to differences of opinion on courses of action.” The document further found local health agencies were confused about the alerts issued during the drills, as well as who to safely share information with during an emergency. This confusion “made it difficult for them to assess whether the city was at risk,” the after-action report stated, according to CNN. A DHS official told CNN that the issues identified in the draft reports were addressed ahead of Super Bowl LII. CNN could not verify who left the report on the plane.
I guess I am a skeptic. These were most conveniently placed and found andCNN??? This is a deliberate thing—to what purpose I don’t know but the deep state is fighting back with every weapon they e got—my take . Who knows? Just really strange and a bit obvious.
AED, I will be praying for your son today and all of Taiwan. Thankfully he is not in the immediate area where the quake hit.
Thank you Carol. He is not in the EQ zone thank God but my daughter in law's sister is so prsyers very much appreciated.
Every large event venue and large agency do these exercises regularly. They do them where I work yearly at least. Sometimes more often. It's ridiculous this made news. Do they not want people overseeing and doing mock drills ever?
Im very skeptical of all this Q stuff. Not saying it cannot be right and legit, just skeptical. But if it is true, these last two messages (694, 695) are scary https://qcodefag.github.io/
