As you might imagine, @vegaioane17 epitomizes every trait an OL coach wants in a player - smart, tough, physical, disciplined, selfless, committed, eager to learn and willing to be coached hard, and a guy who puts the team before himself. Ravens fans should be very happy!
The Washington Post has the best sports section in the country, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. Only a soulless corporate goon would think the paper is better without it. A short-sighted, cowardly decision. Shame is your legacy.
Listen, I don’t know what you guys believe in or what your faith is like but make sure you always stay ready! We were at our church outreach when this guy comes walking… well, stumbling up toward a group of ladies who were setting out some HomeGoods on a table for the event. I was a few feet away from them, and I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head and could immediately tell something was off about his disposition. So as he approached, I started walking toward him positioning myself between him and the ladies. Not out of fear, but as a safety precaution. I could tell he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. But this is what we do—we’re used to this. We embrace all of God’s people, no matter how they come. As he got closer, I reached out to shake his hand and said, “Hey man, what’s going on, bro? How you doing?” Now, standing inches away, I was immediately hit with the strong smell of alcohol and smoke. But that didn’t stop me from embracing him because I could see he was troubled. He looked me in the eye and said, “Not good,” and tears began to swell up. The ladies turned and came closer when they saw he was hurting. I asked what was wrong, and he told us he’d been drinking all night and was having a rough time dealing with some family medical issues. He apologized for showing up like that but said he was familiar with the work our church does and that God led him there anyway. I told him not to worry about that and that he made the right decision by coming. Then one of the ladies asked, “How can we help?” He said he came because he wanted someone to pray for him.
One of the ladies said, “Okay,” but given the situation, she wanted to go get some of the guys as in one of the pastors or male leaders. But in that moment… I was the only guy standing there. We were still setting up for the day. So I placed my hands on his shoulders, consoling him, telling him everything was going to be okay just waiting for one of our leaders to arrive. Now listen I love God. I’ve been in church my whole life. But I’ve always run from open ministry. I’ve never been afraid to share my faith or talk about God, but I never wanted a title or leadership role. I’ve never wanted the spotlight it’s never been about me. So in that moment, I wasn’t even thinking about leading anything. I was like, Yeah, let’s go get one of the guys! I mean, I pray. I do pray for people. Just… not out loud. Not in public. But as I stood there… I could see this man was truly hurting. And then I looked to my left. One of our female ministers, who’s always pushing me and telling me God is waiting on you, looked me dead in my face. Serious. Like a big sister disappointed in her little brother. And she mouthed with a sharp whisper: “What you waiting on, Steve? You can pray.” Man… in that moment I was like OK God, I see how it is. 😂 I took a deep breath, and as I exhaled, it was like my spirit stepped aside and God stepped in. As I began to pray over him, he dropped to his knees, thanking and praising God with tears in his eyes. Long story short I prayed. Out loud. In public. For a complete stranger. And it was the most humbling experience of my life. I don’t fully know what it means yet, but I know God does everything for a reason. And I thank Him for choosing to use me in that moment. With that being said stay in your word. Or study whatever your belief is. Build a real relationship with God. Because when you do, you make yourself available to be used… and you never know when or where that moment is coming. The greatest part of this whole encounter? I know for a fact that wasn’t me speaking.
🙏🏾💯 Amen.