September 15. Derwin Gray. Gray played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 1993 after practice, Gray noticed a linebacker who showered, wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed his bible, and walked through the locker room “like a 1970’s pimp.” He strode up to guys and asked, “Do you know Jesus?”
They called him the Naked Preacher, and it took five years since that first nudge for Gray to see the truth. Now he declares: “I am a follower of Jesus whose sole purpose of existence is to love God with all that is within me, love myself in light of how God loves me, and love my fellow human beings compassionately … .”
Nowadays he is lead Pastor of a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped church in South Carolina. On this date in 2015, Gray published his book: The High Definition Leader.
The void of the absent father is filled by the man who steps up.
From his first middle-school touchdown to his first day on the AstroTurf as defensive back for the Colts, Gray never saw his dad in the stands. Or anywhere in his life. But God sent coaches.
“I don’t want to imagine life without the coaches I had growing up,” Gray said.
His high-school Defensive-back Coach Mike Sullivan was most influential in Gray’s life. Coach Sullivan pushed Gray to limits he hadn’t known he could reach. This was no easy job. Coach Sullivan worked to develop Gray’s character and demanded his best—regardless of the strain it put on their relationship.
When Coach Sullivan named Gray team captain, it went to his head a bit, and Gray decided he could skip a practice.
So, the next day, when he showed up for practice, he discovered he had lost his starting position and his chance to play the next several games. Coach Sullivan was more concerned about Gray’s character than winning the game.
Coach and Gray sat and had ‘the talk.’ As tears welled in Coach Sullivan’s eyes, he reminded Gray of the greatness Coach had seen in him. Speaking like a father, Coach explained that for Gray to reach his potential as a young man, he had to demand the best of himself every day. The best of himself as a football player. And the best of himself as a man of true character.
After that hard conversation, something in Gray shifted. He had a new sense of excitement. And not just for football, but for life. He realized Coach Sullivan had seen who Gray could be, and he was committed to bringing it into existence.
At a future game, Gray sat on the sidelines, watching the team from the bench, when he heard Coach Sullivan shout, “Dewey, get in!” Gray jumped up and shot onto the field like a rocket. And Coach’s call to put him in at that moment carried their team to victory.
Gray had learned that team leaders must lead by example and not from an attitude of privilege. That high-school team, and every team Gray played on afterward, counted on him to be an example of commitment, excellence, and character.
“Coach Sullivan was like a second father to me. He saw the greatness that was buried deep down within me, and he called it out of me by challenging me to step up and be a man,” Gray said.
“For I, as an honest judge, helped the poor in their need and the fatherless who had no one to help them,” (Job 29:12 TLB).
Be on the lookout today for someone you can encourage to reach for their best life. The void of the absent father is filled by the man who steps up.
Grey, Derwin. “Limitless Life.” Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013. p. 77
Story read by: Nathan Walker
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Story written by: Shelli Mandeville, https://worthy.life/
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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