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Super bowl champion and St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner hasn't always had a glamorous life. Drafted and then cut from the NFL in 1994, Kurt supported himself by stocking shelves at a local grocery store. After his supermarket days, Kurt played arena football and in the NFL Europe, where he fully committed his life to Christ.
After that decision, things began to change. In 1997, Kurt married his wife, Brenda, and adopted her children from a previous marriage, Zachary, now 13, and Jesse, now 10. The couple also has two kids of their own, Kade, 4, and Jada, almost 2. Also in '97, Kurt was signed by the St. Louis Rams. In 1999, when the Rams' starting quarterback got injured, Kurt took his place and led the Rams to win the Super Bowl.
While Kurt loves football, he has an even greater heart for people. The Warners established the First Things First Foundation (www.kurtwarner.org) in 2001 to promote Christian values and bless the lives of those less fortunate. The foundation does things such as sponsor Disney World trips for ill kids, fund scholarships, and build recreation centers in children's hospitals, always promoting Kurt's life theme: Faith and family come first. TCW asked Kurt how he keeps his faith a priority.
How do you handle the pressure of being a Christian in the NFL?
Actually, right now it's not that tough. But when I played in the NFL Europe, I was sent to Amsterdam. There God taught me about how to handle temptation. I had to make a choice to follow Christ instead of the world, and by God's grace, as a new believer, I chose Christ.
I've been a Christian in the public eye for so long now, the publicity helps keep me accountable. I know I have a responsibility to live up to Christ's standards on the field and off.
With all the publicity, does ego ever become a problem?
When I was cut from the NFL and worked in a grocery store to make ends meet, I learned about finding my identity in Christ. That's helped me remember everything I have is a gift from God.
How do you continually keep your standards high?
We have a group of guys on the team who are believers. We regularly meet for Bible study, accountability, and prayer before games. We hope to show some of the younger guys on the team who are seeking "religion" that Christ's available to them, too.
I also make sure my family gets to church weekly. These things remind me no matter what I do, if I make mistakes or fumble things in life, God's always there for me.
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NFL Quarterback |
Copyright 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian Woman magazine.
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