(This week features five observations from 30 years in an NFL locker room.)

God has given athletes an incredible platform for influence. It is not dependent on the prominence of your name or your game. You know hard work, sacrifice, courage and endurance, things that translate into influence. 

I took three NFL players to a small city to speak in schools for two days. They also shared their testimonies at a home for boys from troubled families. After a sleepless night, one of the players announced at breakfast that God convicted him to turn his family farm into a home for teens. Thirty years later he still oversees two homes for boys. 

A running back and his wife took in three abandoned teenage girls to be part of their family.

One of the team’s orthopedic doctors joined us for a trip to Guatemala to teach their sports doctors how to diagnose elbow and knee injuries. He added his testimony to the sessions.

The most introverted player on the team stepped up to share his faith in an assembly of 2,000 high school students. His teammates were speechless by his boldness.

A wide receiver collected $20,000 from teammates at Christmas, rented a U-Haul and bargained with a local Kmart to give him $40,000 of toys and winter clothes for $20,000. He connected with an urban ministry to unload the goods as they shared Christ with kids. 

You can buy a Chinese translation of the Bible for $1. One hundred people will read it. 

God will use us on several levels. We can give people resources that will change their circumstances, create opportunities that will change the direction of their lives and give them Jesus who will change their eternity.

Don’t get caught up on being famous to have an impact. It is really about Who you know—Jesus. Jesus not only opens opportunities, He opens our eyes to them.

Begin to ask God what, how, when, where and with whom.

Tom Petersburg  | www.catapultministries.org