Named NFL MVP (2005)
Played for the NFL Seattle Seahawks (2000-2007) and Washington Redskins (2008)
National Spokesmen for NCF
Bible Teacher
3-time Bowl selection
University of Alabama, Marketing
Married to Valerie with four children
GUEST
Shaun Alexander: Walking the Walk
By
The 700 Club
Original Air Date: October 12 2010
CBN.com
– Shaun Alexander won the Kentucky “Mr. Football” Award, an honor given to the top high school player in the state. Later, he earned a football scholarship to the University of Alabama. After three impressive seasons, Alexander opted to stay for his senior year rather than signing on with the NFL. He was given Heisman consideration, but due to injuries, the opportunity vanished.
In 2000, he was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks with the 19th pick of the NFL Draft. He became the Seahawks' featured running back in his second season. His talent was showcased in 2003 with a career high of 1,435 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. He also earned his first trip to Honolulu and the Pro Bowl.
In 2005, Alexander became the first player in NFL history to record 19 rushing or receiving touchdowns in 10 games. In 2006, Shaun injured his foot, but two weeks later, the bruise became a fracture, which meant he was out most of the season.
While he stayed off his foot, he read a lot and the Lord began to reveal to him that some things in his life were out of order. Through the remainder of the NFL season, he continued to rehab his injured foot, preparing to return to the game the following season. In the first game of the season, he fell on his arm and broke his left wrist. Additional injuries nagged at him for the remainder of the 2007 season. As spring conditioning camp approached, he received word from the Seahawks’ manager that he was being released from the team. He was out of the NFL. Aside from his desire to love and serve God, football had been the primary focus of his life.
Over the next several months, Alexander wrestled with a new direction for his career and his life. He felt God say to him, “Meet Me at five in the morning. Let’s talk for an hour, every day.” His early prayer regimen continued for 60 days. During this very intimate time, the Holy Spirit began revealing ideas about God’s order of life or the stages through which we grow on the way to spiritual maturity.
“God can and does use anyone for anything at any time,” says Alexander. There is a divinely appointed order in the way God works in the lives of people. If a stage in the maturity process is skipped an error will creep in. Or, things will start to go wrong when people try to get ahead of God, but when God’s order is followed then amazing things happen.
- The Unbeliever is where we all begin our life. You are a Wanderer or Wonderer. A Wanderer drifts from idea to idea. Wonderers approach life with a sense of purpose. They are aware that something is not complete.
- The Believer enters into faith by a simple confession of belief that Jesus is the answer.
- The Example is a Believer that has matured spiritually. The life of an Example reflects more of Christ and less of themselves. They submit their will to the Lord’s will. Their approach to the world changes, their minds are changed and the way they live changes.
- The Teacher is the coach, mentor, the helper, the trainer, the educator. He or she helps you develop and keeps you motivated; giving you the background and the foundation you need to take your life and faith to the next level. The Teacher helps to mold and shape a person into the image of Christ.
- The Imparter is a person that God has poured His anointing on. He uses an Imparter to do His supernatural work.
When Alexander played in the NFL he says his goal each time he touched the ball was to change the pace of the game. He studied films of the opponent’s previous games and noted the timing of everything they did. Paying attention to the details led to some of his biggest games. Shaun says when you follow God’s order you will grow to the full measure of spiritual maturity in each stage. However, if you try to hurry the process you will bring about disorder.
Alexander grew up in Florence, Kentucky. His mom took him and his brother and friends to church every Sunday. At home, she lived the life of a believer in front of her children. Despite the biblical preaching Alexander heard as a child, he says there came a time when he had to say yes to God for himself. He says he came to know the Lord on Easter Sunday when he was ten years old. “God changed my life,” he shares.
“Football has always been important to me, but it has always been second to following the Lord and allowing Him to work His will through me,” says Alexander. In high school he says people began to notice his performance on the field. Local sports reporters picked up on his talent and began following his school games. He remembers his Aunt Gene told him that when he talked to reporters after the next game he should make sure to give God the credit for his athletic ability and the good results on the field. He admits speaking so openly about his faith made him uncomfortable at first, but the more he did it the more eager he became to speak up about what God had done in his life.
When a believer gives testimony to what God is doing, it makes it possible for people to hear about God who otherwise might not have a chance to hear about His power. Alexander says speaking in front of his teammates, friends from school, parents, and the news media so boldly about God stretched him into uncomfortable places and allowed him to move to the next level in spiritual maturity.
Web Exclusive Video
Go behind the scenes of The 700 Club with Shaun Alexander on In The Green Room
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