Skip to content Salt & Light: Developing a Lifestyle of Faithfulness with Team Chaplain & Life Coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Johnny Shelton, Ep. 211 Feb 4 · 46 min ...more
Salt & Light: Developing a Lifestyle of Faithfulness with Team Chaplain & Life Coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Johnny Shelton, Ep. 211
February 4, 2025 · 46 min
With Super Bowl weekend right around the corner, we wanted to bless all you NFL fans with an incredible guest who not only understands the ins and outs of what it takes to get to and to play in the NFL, but also a man who now gets to shepherd and steward the spiritual growth and development of many NFL players. Our guest today is Johnny Shelton! Johnny is a husband, father, minister, sports chaplain, and life coach with an extraordinary desire to encourage and challenge the hearts of God’s people! He has served in various ministry roles throughout his career including the team chaplain at Elon University, the chaplain of the Virginia Tech Football Team, and now serving as the Team Chaplain and Life Coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 2013! This is a man who understands the process of spiritual growth and development and the significance of fellowship and discipleship in our journey throughout this life. Listen in to this compelling conversation that will challenge and encourage you in your pursuit of more fully knowing God and making His name known! Johnny’s Website: https://johnnyshelton.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Series The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton February 4, 2025 · 46 min · The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton
With Super Bowl weekend right around the corner, we wanted to bless all you NFL fans with an incredible guest who not only understands the ins and outs of what it takes to get to and to play in the NFL, but also a man who now gets to shepherd and steward the spiritual growth and development of many NFL players. Our guest today is Johnny Shelton! Johnny is a husband, father, minister, sports chaplain, and life coach with an extraordinary desire to encourage and challenge the hearts of God’s people! He has served in various ministry roles throughout his career including the team chaplain at Elon University, the chaplain of the Virginia Tech Football Team, and now serving as the Team Chaplain and Life Coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 2013! This is a man who understands the process of spiritual growth and development and the significance of fellowship and discipleship in our journey throughout this life. Listen in to this compelling conversation that will challenge and encourage you in your pursuit of more fully knowing God and making His name known! Johnny’s Website: https://johnnyshelton.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us. ...more Show the full description Show less With Super Bowl weekend right around the corner, we wanted to bless all you NFL fans with an incredible guest who not only understands the ins and outs of what it takes to get to and to play in the NFL, but also a man who now gets to shepherd and steward the spiritual growth and development of many NFL players. Our guest today is Johnny Shelton! Johnny is a husband, father, minister, sports chaplain, and life coach with an extraordinary desire to encourage and challenge the hearts of God’s people! He has served in various ministry roles throughout his career including the team chaplain at Elon University, the chaplain of the Virginia Tech Football Team, and now serving as the Team Chaplain and Life Coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 2013! This is a man who understands the process of spiritual growth and development and the significance of fellowship and discipleship in our journey throughout this life. Listen in to this compelling conversation that will challenge and encourage you in your pursuit of more fully knowing God and making His name known! Johnny’s Website: https://johnnyshelton.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Series The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton
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M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. Host of ‘The Built Different Podcast’ with guests like Kirk Cousins, Albert
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0:02 Life audio. Build different is a production of the American Association of Christian Counselors. To support this podcast and learn how you can help us to promote all our biblical content, spread the gospel, gospel, and0:12 provide mental health resources and training to people everywhere, just go to a a c c foundation dot o r g. Again, that's a a c c foundation dot org.0:23 Have you ever felt like you're behind in life? Like you should be further along or that things don't turn out the way that you hoped? Tanner Olsen's new book, Getting Through What You're Going Through, is a reminder that0:35 you're not behind. You're right where you're meant to be. This heartfelt collection of over 100 poems and reflections invites you to slow down, breathe, and find hope in life's0:47 ordinary moments, a warm cup of coffee, a walk with a friend, even a simple pancake. Tanner reminds us that God is present in both the highs and the lows and that hope is0:59 always within reach. Preorder your copy of Getting Through What You're Going Through Wherever Books Are Sold.1:09 Need a daily spark of hope and direction? Let the daily bible app from Salem Media be that spark. This free Android app delivers an uplifting verse each morning, plus reading plans, devotions, and trusted1:20 podcasts from leaders like Joyce Meyer and Rick Warren. Prefer to listen instead? The daily bible app reads verses, reading plans, and chapters aloud, handy for the headphones moment of your day. Choose from versions1:31 like ESV, NIV, KJV, and more, and bookmark favorites to revisit later. Share inspiring messages with loved ones right from the app. Feel God's presence in every notification. Search for Daily Bible
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1:49 Welcome to Built Different. I'm Zach Clinton, your host. And each week, I come to you exclusively on the Life Audio Podcast Network. I'm proud to partner with Life Audio and bring you entertaining, life changing, family
2:00 friendly podcasts for a new generation. At Built Different, our mission is to provide encouragement, hope, and challenge to help push you past your limits and reach goals you never thought possible. Colossians 2 verse 6
2:11 says, so then just as you received Christ Jesus as lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him. Amen? Now let's roll.
2:20 What's going on everybody? Welcome back in to this week's edition of the built different podcast. I'll be your host, Zach Clinton. And as always,
2:31 I I hope and pray each and every 1 of you had an incredible weekend and having a great start to your week. K. We're coming out of Pro Bowl week going into Super Bowl weekend. I don't know about you, but as an NFL and a
2:40 football fan, I am excited to watch the Chiefs take on the Eagles. Let me tell you something. As a Steeler fan, I would like to keep it in state here. I'm kinda pulling for the Eagles, but at the same time, man, it would
2:52 be cool to witness history, see back to back to back championships by the Chiefs. I know a lot of people don't like them. I know some people think it's Riggs. Some people think the refs are all against them. But, man,
3:02 Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, some of those guys, Andy Reid, just an incredible dynasty that they built there in Kansas City. So I'm looking forward to a great game. I just hope it's a close score, and I'm looking
3:12 forward to some good food. I don't know about you, but I like some wings and some pizza and some nachos and dip like that. Man, it sounds pretty nice right about now. But I hope and pray you guys would have an incredible
3:23 Super Bowl weekend. Again, for those of you that are fans of football, fans of sports, fans of the NFL, sometimes I wonder, you know, as these guys are on these incredible pedestals and platforms that I think
3:35 so many of us put them on in culture and society today, I wonder who is investing into their life? Who are they going to in times of need? Who are they going to for growth and development? Well, if you're
3:47 asking that question, you're in for a treat today. As joining us today is a man who not only understands the ins and outs of what it takes to get to and play in the NFL at the highest level, but also a man who now gets
3:56 to shepherd and steward the spiritual growth and development of many NFL players. His name is Johnny Shelton. Johnny is a husband, a father, a minister, a sports chaplain, and a life coach with an
4:08 extraordinary desire to encourage and challenge the hearts of God's people. He has served in various ministry roles throughout his career, including the team chaplain at Elon University, the chaplain of the Virginia Tech
4:19 football team, and now serves as the team chaplain and life coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 20 13. I know that hurt me to say. I'll say this as a Steeler fan. It hurt me. It hurt me to say he's with the Ravens, but,
4:31 man, I can't deny what an incredible man that he is and the impact that he's having on the lives of those athletes that are competing at the highest level. Johnny is, really, he's become just a quick friend.
4:43 Someone that I just look up to and I respect his work so much. I have a lot of mutual friendships with different people in the field, and no 1 has anything but the highest regards and the highest things to say about who
4:54 Johnny Shelton is. This is a man who, again, understands the process of spiritual growth and development and the significance of fellowship and discipleship in our journey throughout this life. We truly are blessed to
5:05 have him here with us today. Johnny, my friend, thank you so much for joining us.
5:09 Brother Zach, man, thanks for having me.
5:11 I'm really looking forward to this conversation, but let me say upfront for our audience, they know this. I'm a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, Johnny. But for you, I'll go ahead and open the conversation and say I'm an AFC
5:21 North fan. So, hey, watching watching you guys, the Ravens, you did my Steelers dirty a couple of times this season, but you guys had an incredible run. You had a great year. I just wanna ask upfront, what are some
5:33 highlights from this past season from you and your role serving as the chaplain and life coach of the team?
5:38 Well well, brother Zach, first of all, I'm just saying, you know, to to know that you to hear that you are a Steelers fan, I'm I'm sorry for that, but but I do I do understand
5:50 that it's a it's a great organization. Yeah. Great people there. And and I have a lot of lot of friends over there. So Yeah. It it's a it's a blessing, man, to be able to serve with with those
6:02 guys. I know the team chaplain very well there, brother Kent. Yes. And it's a blessing to be able to just go to battle with those guys 2 time 2 times a year, 2 times a season,
6:14 and this year, actually, 3 times. So so it's really fun, but but I'm a tell you, man, it it's it's so awesome to be able to be used,
6:26 you know, in in this capacity. You know? God's really moving moving on the hearts of men and women, and and and god god is definitely getting the glory.
6:36 Amen. It's amazing what is happening. I feel like there's a stirring going on, especially in athletics. I mean, what we saw in college football, especially even with Ohio State and Notre Dame, players just coming out
6:47 professing their faith in Christ, giving him all the honor and the glory at the NFL level. It's amazing what people like you and Kent and so many others are doing. You get the opportunity of doing this full time. But
6:57 before we dive into a deeper conversation, I gotta ask predictions up front. We're going into AFC championship, NFC championship weekend. We got the Bills versus the Chiefs. We got the Commanders versus the Eagles. Who
7:09 do you have coming out of those 2 games, and who do you ultimately predict is gonna win the Super Bowl, Johnny?
7:15 Well, you know, you you can't you can't go against Patrick Mahomes in the in the the Chiefs. I mean, until until they are knocked out, I
7:27 predict that they will win it again. I I want them them to win it because we played them, as you know, beginning of the season, and they beat it. So I wanna be
7:39 able to say we lost to a Super Bowl champion.
7:41 That's right.
7:42 But at the same time, I grew up with an underdog mentality, and and I am rooting for the commanders.
7:52 Come on. I am too.
7:53 I'm rooting I'm rooting for them. I'm rooting for the the the the commanders. I have I have friends on that coaching staff. There's players that I that I know there who's played through there, and
8:05 and I and I wanna see a rookie, dude, win that thing.
8:10 So I do too.
8:12 But I predict the Chiefs.
8:14 Yeah. No. I hear that. Predicting the Chiefs, but I'm pulling for the Commanders as well. Look at you staying true to the DMV in your blood. I like that, my friend.
8:21 Got
8:21 you. I like that. You. Johnny, something that you mentioned in the work that you get to do. I follow you on social media for quite some time, and I picked up quickly on the theme for this year, right, to be the salt
8:33 and light. You really are referencing Matthew chapter 5 verses 13 to 16 and that's our duty. That's our opportunity. That's our responsibility as followers of Christ to be the salt and the light, to live in the world but
8:44 not of the world. Speak to our audience today. Just what's at the core of that message, and what were you really trying to infuse into the entire Baltimore Ravens organization throughout this entire year?
8:55 Yeah. Thanks. That's that's a great question, man, and I appreciate that question. If if you read that scripture, you know, 1 thing that Jesus is telling them is that is that we are salt
9:08 of the we're we're salt of the earth. We are light of the world. So he's basically telling us our value in terms of what we bring to the kingdom of God. And
9:20 1 thing that I wanted to to bring home this season as we as we taught it all year long was it it actually comes down to our lifestyle.
9:30 Mhmm.
9:30 And and throughout the whole season, from from training camp all the way to this last game, chapel by chapel, through bible studies every week, we were able to hit
9:42 on a topic and challenge each other on our lifestyle. What as a believer, as a as a person who God has sent into a
9:54 decaying, dying world Yeah. Are do our lifestyle line up with who Jesus say that we actually are? And so there was an
10:06 acronym that I used all season long for lifestyle. You know? And so the the l, real quickly, the l is leading a life that's worthy of of the calling. Mhmm. The I
10:17 was the identity. What is your identity in Christ? The f was having a fruitful foundation based on the fruits of the spirit. Do all those
10:29 fruits in your life, those 9 fruits, are they projected? Are they a reflection up to those people that god has entrusted to you? The e is endurance. You know,
10:41 trials and tribulations are gonna come. How do we endure those things? Are we allowing god to work through us through those trials and trials and tribulations?
10:53 And so that that's the life. And then the style, we went we went right on into stewardship. Are you a good steward of what god is is what god is actually giving you? And then
11:04 t, temptations. You know, we talked about temptations. And then the y is yielding to those temptations. Yes. And then
11:16 the l, legacy. What type of legacy are you leaving behind? And then the the last e was being a everyday
11:28 example. And so we went through those all season long, whether it was in bible study, whether it was in 1 on 1 discipleship, whether it was a whatever it was, that is the
11:40 main message that we were trying to get across, that it's about our life. It's the life that we lead.
11:46 I love that because that's a convicting message that you're going through throughout the entirety of the season. Right? What is the lifestyle that you are ultimately living by? Because we can believe behavior. It's 1
11:57 thing to know about God. It's an entirely other thing to know him personally and to live a life that is honoring and glorifying of him. You brought up a word that I wanna touch on though because athletics, it's a big
12:08 thing. I get the opportunity of serving kind of that sports psychology, sports counseling space where I'm working with athletes like yourself. And identity is huge, Johnny, because it's so hard. It's easy to say.
12:20 It's so hard to do to be able to separate your worth, your value, your identity from your performance. Right? I know a lot of athletes who ride the high highs when it's a great game and then the low lows when it's a bad
12:31 1, but then they're only as good as their last game. How do you help athletes? I'm thinking specifically here, me and you talking a guy like Mark Andrews, right, who maybe didn't have his best game and maybe hanging his
12:42 head and maybe sulking a little bit. How do you speak into the life of somebody like that who is an unbelievable athlete, an unbelievable man, an unbelievable servant, but at the same time is struggling to
12:54 differentiate who they are from what they do? How do you how do you do that?
12:59 Well, you know, it starts really, really earlier early on, and and the and what I love about my position and my role is that I get a chance to build relationships with
13:11 these guys.
13:12 Yes.
13:12 So it comes down to 2 things. 1 of it is relational, but then the other thing is repetition. And so if you think about it in life and in and especially in sports
13:24 as athletes, 1 thing that we thrive on as athletes is repetition. You're always constantly getting reps to do things, but but but
13:36 isn't that like it in life? Like, how many reps in prayer are we doing? Right. How many reps of Proverbs of the of the
13:48 gospels are we reading? And so it comes down to repetition and consistency. It's really I tell people all the time, brother brother Zach, is that we kinda
14:00 make this harder than it really is Yeah. Because of the flesh the the fleshly desires and because of all of those things that that come forth, but we make it kinda hard, but it
14:12 actually is simple. Of course, it's not easy, but it's simple. And so it comes down to the reps, the repetitiveness, the consistency. So when it comes to our identity
14:24 and and and and athletes, we we have a double whammy. We're we're athletes, and then we're men.
14:32 Yeah.
14:32 So so so that that that brings on makes things a little bit tougher because of the pride factor and and how we wanna take control of things. But it ultimately comes down to that, man. You
14:44 know, Mark Mark is gonna be okay. You know? Able to speak speak into his life to to to make him understand that he gives us adversity for food. This is
14:56 scripture. Like, he tells us. Right? A cup of affliction, water for affliction, and and those things is part of us. And so just competitiveness and and using the relationship that
15:08 I have with them to just be able to wrap my arms around them, man, and say, hey. This this is coming straight from heaven, man. You know? And and and hug them or or whatever it is, the word that god gives
15:19 me to get to them.
15:22 That's the blessing of suffering. Right? I ultimately believe that, you know, the price is easy when the promise is clear. I think of James chapter 1 verses 2 to 4. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever
15:32 you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith goes on to produce perseverance, so let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, complete, lacking nothing. It's this idea that we
15:42 don't consider it joy because of the suffering, but we can consider joy in spite of the suffering because of what it might produce in and through us if we allow God to let it. That's the opportunity that you get to
15:54 do, doing life with these athletes, with these men. And I want to speak to that for a moment because some of the audience out there might be thinking, man, that's a dream gig. Right? I want to be Johnny Shelton. I want
16:06 to be able to walk alongside some of my heroes, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews. But you get to do so much more than just really speaking and leading a chapel once a week. You
16:18 are doing life with these guys, with their wives, with their kids. Speak to all that goes into your role as a life coach as well.
16:26 Man, listen. You you first of all, you have to be careful what you ask for. And and and I think, you know, we look at the glitz and the glamor of of the National Football League,
16:38 professional sports in general, and we look at that. That's the things that they show. They call them highlights for a reason.
16:46 That's right.
16:46 You know?
16:46 That's right.
16:47 Because they the the the the the light is shining on all of the good things. But I had a player that come into my office when I first started this and at not in
16:58 ministry, but this was when I was with the raiders. It was my second year. And he came into my office, man, with tears in his eyes, and he said, I did not dream
17:10 about this part. And the burdens, the downside of the things that are going on in the young man's life, the burdens that that god has
17:22 placed on my heart in terms of the things that I'm seeing, the things that I'm hearing, you you you have to be careful. It's not all glitz and glamor. It's not all it's not about being
17:34 around Lamar Jackson because when I'm around them, the thing about being in sports chaplaincy and and ministry is that we cannot, and I
17:46 reiterate this, cannot be a fan. Mhmm. Amen. It's not possible to be a fan in a effective sports
17:57 chaplain. Those 2 things don't go together.
18:00 Come on.
18:01 You know? It's not about the gear that you get. It's not about none of those things. It's about a a soul. It's about a heart that that's at that's literally life and
18:13 death. Yep. And and that's the approach that I take, so many other sports chaplains take, people like yourself that's working with these athletes that understand that,
18:25 you know, this is what they are gifted to do. It's not who they are.
18:32 That's right. That's right. Because they're not just performers. They're not projects. These are people. You know what mean? Yes. God has gifted them with the unique ability and talent to play whatever sport that
18:44 might be at the highest level, but they still are people that struggle with a lot of the same issues and challenges that everyday people who are watching them play on national foot on national television, the NFL, we
18:55 struggle with the same things. And so we can't treat them any differently. Right? I love that.
19:01 The same things. They are human beings, man. And and the the the NFL locker room is just a microcosm of the world. I mean, it's nothing different. It's just
19:12 magnified.
19:13 It's just magnified. I'm gonna stop this right there and jump in to say, you're listening to Built Different. I'm Zach Clinton. We need to break for a brief message from our sponsors. I'll be back with our guests to keep
19:24 the conversation flowing right after this. You're listening to Life Audio.
19:29 Have you ever felt like you're behind in life? Like, you should be further along or that things don't turn out the way that you hoped? Tanner Olsen's new book, Getting Through What You're Going Through, is a reminder
19:41 that you're not behind. You're right where you're meant to be. This heartfelt collection of over 100 poems and reflections invites you to slow down, breathe, and find hope in
19:52 life's ordinary moments, a warm cup of coffee, a walk with a friend, even a simple pancake. Tanner reminds us that God is present in both the highs and the lows and that hope
20:04 is always within reach. Preorder your copy of Getting Through What You're Going Through Wherever Books Are Sold.
20:15 Marriage was never meant to be effortless, but it was meant to endure. Tried and True is a scripture centered marriage guide for couples who want a marriage shaped by faith, not perfection. I'm
20:27 Dana Shay, the author. In this book, I explore 12 imperfect biblical marriages, stories marked by struggle, waiting, failure, and restoration. Rather than
20:39 offering quick fixes, tried and true helps couples to understand how spiritual intimacy and emotional connection grow through hardship, not the absence of it. With biblical
20:50 insight, reflection, and guided conversation, this book meets couples in the long middle of marriage and points them toward lasting hope. Available now at triedandtruemarriagebook dot
21:02 com or find tried and true everywhere books are sold.
21:12 And our guest is the team chaplain and life coach for the Baltimore Ravens, Johnny Shelton. You know, Johnny, as we're talking about the ministering work that you get the opportunity of doing in the NFL, you're someone
21:23 who can relate to some of the challenges that some of these athletes are going through, especially when it comes to identity and trying to live out that godly lifestyle in the midst of a worldly culture and even sporting
21:33 world. And so for you, I know that you were a prime time athlete. You were a premier guy. Right? You were playing football, running track. Southeast Missouri State University had the opportunity of going on and playing
21:43 some in the NFL as well. Speak to just challenges that maybe you experienced because I've read a little bit about your testimony, and it was in the lowest points of really your collegiate career where you came to
21:55 know God in a more personal and intimate way. So go back in time and just share a little bit more of your testimony with us if you would.
22:02 Yeah, man. It was it was my third year in college, man, and life was good, man. I mean, I was playing good ball, at the beginning of the season, and
22:14 and all of a sudden, a physical challenge came to where I literally started feeling physically feeling bad. And to make a long
22:26 story short, man, what what what happened was is that I was suffering from a bleeding ulcer. Mhmm. And I had lost over 4 pints of
22:37 blood. Wow. And I was literally the doctor told me this. He said he said, man, what is a 21 year old young man? What's
22:49 going on in your in your life, man, that that that's stressing you out in such magnitude? And and I was a typical 21 year old. I said, I'm good. Like, I'm I'm I'm okay.
23:01 Nothing. There there's nothing going on, which it was. It was several things that was going on with me from a football standpoint, a personal standpoint, with with my family back home, just so many things that was
23:13 going on that I was, you know, just depressive. You know? Pressing it down and trying to just get through another and become a the best football player that I can become. But but he told me
23:25 this. He said, you were a dead man walking. Walking. He said that if you wouldn't if you wasn't in such good physical shape, you would be dead.
23:37 Wow. And and I thought about that for a minute, and and then but god went a step further. This doctor, he he he explained to me. He said,
23:49 I I'm not supposed to be telling you this because I can get in trouble. And he said that, but I am a Christian. He said, and and and and I know that there's some things going on in your life,
24:01 and I just wanna let you know that I'm gonna be praying for you. Now Wow. For for a young man who grew up in the church
24:08 Yeah.
24:08 Right, that stuck with me. And so when they released me from the hospital, when I went back to my apartment, I immediately fell to my knees, and I and I and I
24:20 told god, I said, god, if you who my mama say you are, save me. I believe that you died on the cross, and I went through the whole thing, man. But that was the turning point
24:32 in my life in terms of where he went from just just being the the savior Yeah. But he became lord. Mhmm. And at the age of
24:44 21 was the beginning of a journey, man, that that god just and I call it living the the the 3 20 life, the Ephesians 3 20 life where he's just been blowing my mind from
24:56 21 up until today in terms of just this process and this journey that he has has taken me on.
25:04 It's remarkable. You know? And I I've even read in your testimony that, like you said, it wasn't just the God of your mom, the God of your parents, but ultimately, he became your personal lord of your life. I've heard an
25:15 old quote that says, God has no grandchildren. Right? We all have to make him our personal lord and savior in our lives as And so, Johnny, you go on, you have a stint in the NFL, you're playing for multiple different
25:27 teams. What was that experience like by by the way? I mean, playing in the NFL yourself, that's a dream come true.
25:32 Brother, just like the young man that came into my office, I could relate to him when he said, I did not dream that part. Yeah. Let me tell you something. It was
25:44 stressful. If I if I had to use just 1 word
25:48 Yep.
25:48 To to put on that, it was stressful. It was not it was not fun. Yeah. It was not you know, all of these things that you hear and you see,
26:00 it to me, it was just it was stressful because there's so many dynamics, man, that come with playing in the league. So many I mean, because everybody's
26:12 good. Yeah. Is not a thing where, you know, everybody's good. So this is like, you're you're you're there today. You're gone tomorrow, especially when I was playing. You know? They were cutting from day 1,
26:24 and it was more people coming to training camp then. So margin for error, we we literally had guys packing up at night leaving training camp
26:36 Goodness gracious.
26:38 Saying, I'm out. And so, you know, but but I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't change it for the world. I would not change none of it for the world because it was so many lessons,
26:50 and it was so many people that I met along the way. I met men who were following Christ. Men who were serious about following Christ. I've seen
27:02 them. They were sword and light Yeah. In the locker room. Yeah. And and they were guys, man, who were I mean, stars. Yeah. You know? Guys like a runny lot. Like, come on, man.
27:14 Like, you you are following Christ like that? Yeah. And and so I wouldn't change it for the world because those seeds were planted, man. You know, guys guys coming up to me said not
27:26 asking me do I want to come to bible study. Yeah. They're saying bible study, 7 o'clock. I'll see you there. You know, it was it was it was the accountability, things like that that I
27:37 learned over the years that, you know, that you're not a passive
27:43 Yes.
27:43 Man. Right? Those those those type of things. So I see what God was doing.
27:50 It's remarkable to hear you just saying that there were men in your life that God was surrounding you with, that weren't just supporting you, but they were sharpening you. Right? They were helping you build that
28:01 foundation on the rock, not on the quicksand of life. And, you know, Johnny, something that you and I both know in ministering to men is that sometimes us as men, it's hard for us to ask for help.
28:13 It's hard for us to open up. It's hard for us to be vulnerable. Right? We have this pressure to perform, to provide, to protect, but yet there is comfort in community and there is no
28:25 healing that can be found in hiding. And so speak to the man out there, especially maybe listening today, who maybe feels like they can go at this life on their own, who can just override all of the stress and all of the
28:36 discomfort and all of the pain and all of the challenge and adversity in their life, but speak to why we need really a band of brothers, and we need friends for the fire.
28:47 Man, I'm so glad that you that you mentioned that because we could spend a whole hour talking about the importance of having
28:59 solid men in your life. And and for a guy who grew up without a father Mhmm. You know, it was so impactful for me to to to see
29:10 that there there are men in this world, not just good men, but good godly men. And and what the world, the
29:22 narrative is is that there's not enough good men. See, they leave out the godly peace. Yes. But to have a a good man is great, but to have a good godly man is amazing. And when you
29:34 have that around you, you actually don't have a choice. You do have a choice, but you you see that. And and and from the the heart of god,
29:46 that's what we want because we were made that way. We were made in this image.
29:53 Yes.
29:54 Right? And so for any man that's listening out there who's thinking that you that you can do it alone or you should do it alone because you may have trust issues
30:05 or things like that, trust me on this 1. This is nothing that I read in a book. This is something that I have lived to where surrendering
30:17 the same thing that I did when I surrendered to Christ and made him lord of my life, it just catapulted me, and god ordered my steps into having these godly men
30:29 around me. After that happened, life was not the same. And this was literally because of the men that God placed in my life along the way. Man.
30:41 I do some things right now with the ravens
30:44 Yes.
30:45 As a result of things that I learned when I first started meeting men. Yeah. And I and and I do that to this day.
30:56 Mhmm. You know, Johnny, as you're bringing this up, it it makes me wanna steer this conversation 1000000 different directions. But something that I know in working in the counseling field, working with kids,
31:08 working with young boys who grew up in a fatherless home is the impact that that can have on their life. And what I'm hearing you say is it had an impact on you and now you get the opportunity of going and shepherding
31:20 and stewarding and speaking life into these men because they were godly men in your life that helped you become the man of God that you are today. Speak to the impact of fatherlessness in
31:32 culture and society, but also the significance of how that has rewired you in being able to now invest into guys such as athletes and the coaching staff in the Baltimore Ravens organization.
31:43 Yeah, man. It's it it goes back to the we we talked about the the theme, and the last letter letter e in style was being a
31:55 everyday example.Show more
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Zach Clinton
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