Leaving a Legacy of Enduring Faith

You would think being drafted as a quarterback into the NFL meant that your life was headed in a good direction, but it didn't take Dan Orlovsky long to recognize that although his football career was looking promising.

The rest of his life wasn't. I was heading down a path of becoming everything I did not want to become when it comes to being a husband and being a dad. I was going to cheat on my wife at some point, whoever that wife was going to be. I was gonna cut my kids down and belittled them and intimidate them and kind of become this this version of myself that was my greatest fear. This is family life today. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. I'm vomiting can find us online@familylifetoday.com where to hear from Dan Orlovsky today and teammates John Kidner and Josh McCown about how God do the work in all of their lives. A lot of their teammates lives back in 2006. Stay with us and welcome to family like today. Thanks for joining us.

Does it matter to you, who is in the opening game of the season whether you like these teams or care about the teams and are you just gonna watch the first game of the season about about football. You don't get started here. What does it matter what two teams are playing or will you just be there no matter what.

I'll be there no matter what SQL plants exciting and again I'm not the guy that sits on the couch and watch as every NFL game, but I do like to watch an occasional game and I get excited you get your Diet Coke and you jump over on the couch again. I'm a guy that for 33 seasons was on the sideline and never got to do this and I didn't realize how wonderful it is to lay on a couch watch the replay at the screen.

None of that I could do was so surprised that you liked it because I had all this is going be so hard for you to transition out your learning yet I was never a fan run down the fan because before you're there you you can experience with the typical fan experiences and I think it's fun. What about like wings or particular food that you can have pretzels are all born guy really fan pretzels and wings well what were talking about football because football is been a big part of your life.

33 years. You were the chaplain for the Detroit Lions.

You played college football at Ball State you were up college All-Star playing football Hall of Famer hands right as you honey, thanks for donating and you in in your years as chaplain you still God do some great things employers lives, but we been looking this week at the 2006 2007 season for the Detroit Lions which was a remarkable year, a year of spiritual renewal and revival in the locker room that really centered around as we've already heard this week to guys who came into the team already sold out for Jesus right that's John Kidner and Josh McCown right and then there was 1/3 guy who shows up who's a quarterback and he wasn't. She wasn't in the same place for now I and it's you know on a football team. There's different positions and they really spend a lot of time in this position. So there's the quarterback room which had a quarterback coach, John the starter Josh the backup and Dan, the third string so the rookies really in the second year, but there spent a lot of time together. It becomes a small group in a sense, and so Dan is watching John who's this on fire strong man of God, and Josh the same thing and I've never seen that in all my time in Detroit. These two quarterbacks who had not only these unique walks with God, but they also understood were not here just one football games here were here to win a locker room to Jesus and so they had. They were on mission and Dan got to watch them and Dan started to ask questions like what is this faith that you guys half. I think you seem to you may be listening to this thinking I'm not can it listen to this because it's about football that we all interact with people in our workplace as moms may be here at school functions and wanting your kids didn't think we all are on a mission this foot box and this story really isn't about football. This is a better story and we had a chance recently to get these three guys together, John Kidner, Josh McCown, Dan Orlovsky and revisit what happened in Detroit in 2006 2007 and the transformation that was just about to Take Pl. in Dan Orlovsky's life. I would get back to Dan story little bit because Josh and John.

You came to me. I think one Saturday midseason. Dan would know for sure, but you said amen. I think if you share the gospel tonight.

A chapel stands ready before the Green Bay game. Karen and I was just like wow so that means not only are you guys you know Brian and Sharon with Dan in the locker room and is a quarterback room, but you're seeing some movement so I share the gospel that night and I didn't always have a you know invitation a chapel but I did. I close it and said hey tonight your night.

Give your lifeguards.

I hear nothing at all you guys go to meetings I go home next day. I'm on the on the sideline out of your nervous but kit you're running over to go onto the field after upon offense, take the field I'm standing there dance get the headset.

Josh is up there and you literally run by me. Can't you remember this again and asked Dan what happened last night. Some few run on the field. I like thinking about this and recognize how it NFL game arrived I was doing when I walk over to standard a timeout and I do what at my study was due to game I like to Christ. I'll tell you later, so Dan talk us through this. What happened to go back in time a little bit because we talked about you know meeting, Josh and John and then their kind initial dive into the locker room and so I'm watching them and my thoughts are starting to. You know, kind of figure out like okay there's something different about them. Some start I start ask them questions about the way they live their life and why they live their life, and you know they're both incredibly open and transparent about it all and so on that annoying young player that I'm asking more nonfootball questions than football questions really and so you know they really both just as I did like insert inviting me into their lives and start kind answering the questions with actions and kit kinda takes me under his wing of discipleship and I start going to Kidner's house like a couple times a week, correct me from wrong hours like 5 AM or something like that. And so it's 5 o'clock in the morning I'm going to kids house and he starts me off. Remember the first time we ditties that I want to read first John chapter 1 summer I wear his first John know so getting so I was kind on the street. I didn't want to believe in Christianity struggle because like the quarterbacks of my team didn't you know I thought that was my way to play in the NFL for a long time and so I asked a lot of unique and difficult questions and I kinda really dove into the study and because I like unlike you will soon in many ways skeptical and in it and try to find prove people wrong type thing and so read first John and Kidner. As you know, discipling me through it and then he has me right now, you're going to read acts and so I read acts and so were going on this journey month after month.

Me, while sprinkling in Bible study on Thursdays and the couple study me as a single person on Monday nights so I'm going to all the studies kit is discipling me one-on-one in the mornings and then obviously worried with each other almost every single day were playing golf with each other all the time were playing hoops with each other all the time and so men in many ways they were discipling me with the actual Bible and then they were discipling me with their actions and their words in their everyday life and so on that September 23, 2006 is my second year and I'm pretty into. I'm on fire. At this point and pretty into my discipleship and whatnot and it's wearing chapel that night and I'm sitting somewhere in the middle of the room and I just remember you going like guys, I don't normally do this but it's put in my heart that I should give some of the opportunity or anybody the opportunity except Christ and I and I remember sitting there and going. No way I think… Talking to me like not to say anything so he's a guy you know if close your eyes and repeat after me and I'm just looking around and no one is doing anything and I'm repeating the prayer like I feel like this is strictly to me like I'm getting these nudge in my back to actually say something unlike no one's touching me. I feel like you starkly so I you know that is the night in the process of me.

You know, given my life to Christ and I tell anybody that night and I woke up the next morning and I remember running around the field and pregame and just having this freedom, this like a weight lifted off my shoulders this joy and remember kit coming up to me and being like supper you man and I'll be in the house like nothing and I was a good nine-year-old who just got some kind of cool video games on the method and you go through a couple minutes of conversation and I told him that I had given my life to Christ and him and Josh actually both got me this Bible, you probably can't see it, but yeah so archaeological but I will never forget that you guys gave me this Bible shortly thereafter and wrote like personalized notes in it to me for brothers in Christ are born in Christ and and really cool stuff is pretty cool the other day Dan, your text to John and Josh and I the group text was if you had been drafted somewhere else. You don't know who you are today with the what did that mean I was heading down a path of becoming everything I did not want to become when it comes to being a husband and being a dad. I don't think I would've been bad at it but I knew I was going to become what I didn't want to become.

With it I was going to cheat on my wife at some point, whoever that wife was going to be.

I was going to cut my kids down and belittle them and intimidate them and kind of become this this version of myself that was my greatest fear and would you look back at like and why did you get drafted by the Lions in 2005 and the weather stinks and our team stunk then as I went through this process with you guys with Josh and Dave.

You know what I realized was like I never went to the Lions for football if I had gotten drafted by the bearers of the Chargers or someone else. I more than likely would have ended up being exactly what I didn't want to end up being but because somehow God decided to put me in Detroit and kit in Detroit, Josh in Detroit in the Wilson's were there. He just changed my life changed my kids lives is my wife's life that I don't know where it goes from there.

But I just know if it wasn't for that. If it was to 31 other teams I'd be a loser. Did you know in many ways it is hard for me to try to put into words on a daily basis like how thankful I am that I went to Detroit because of that time I didn't become what was my biggest fear of becoming here. You share your heart and God knew exactly what he was doing. Obviously, he always does, but to put Josh and I there at the same time because Dan was skeptical and Dan likes to argue and Dan likes to bring up stuff like before. He was saved he would.

He was really trying to like stop you the questions and I'm a black and white person like dishes like an a lot of times that would cause Dan I would be you know, kind of going at each other little bit and Josh was always right there to kinda catacomb and soften the blow for Dan, but then also grab me behind closed doors at think you are wrong or I think you're approaching this totally wrong and like it was literally Paul and Barnabas type stuff like watching it happen in living it in like knowing that Jott it's like Proverbs of wounds from wounds from Frank and be trusted like that's what he was and is like to like it wasn't just Dan.

There was multiple guys in a locker like that the Josh of you like look when you don't lose him. Your same truth, but the way you're saying that you're gonna lose him and Josh was so good at that. That you know that just really making sure he had the hut, the year he was very in tune with the pulse of guys in the locker room collectively and individually, and knows Josh's idea. Like hey let's let's carpool with Trey blind on Viola and you know like stuff like that. He was just unbelievable that we had never seen it and got a house at the end of my run, but it was just it was amazing to see how God orchestrated that yeah I just think it speaks to community and while were supposed to do life and community because we all have different skills and as believers obviously have different gifts and those things are needed so that God can draw people to himself and that's what for me that year, more than anything, just like art. I think some of the things that I saw in John like I admire like he was.

He was so formal things and could and I was on wanted to hurt me. My feelings and you know me and so those are things that I walked away from that your like getting better at knowing growing as a man I met in that regard and understanding that, but there was always a need to bring it together and it was just the combination. I think allowed us to to be able to use each other's strengths and gifts for God, amplify our gifts and glorify himself.

So that's great to think and I know you guys know the word so well in John talks about Jesus coming in grace and truth. And that's what I watched you model there was a truth that was Furman's strong and there was a grace and I'm not kidding.

I rarely seen the kind of joy and laughter and acceptance that was in that locker room with you guys at the same time there was no compromise in the truth. But there was that's why said the locker room leaned toward him either playing cards over by you guys are they in play. The other side like really play by because it really is contagion only is contagious and they wanted to be around Josh's joy had laughter and kits truth that it was just the gifting of the body of Christ was so real that he drew Dan and others and think about this. I mean, I know you know this but the legacy of you guys. I me.

I watched you now is husbands as fathers with your sons and daughters each have an amazing life to be like your wives are incredible yeah and so I mean I would just say for Anna, and I don't know if we ever said this to you privately, but we love you guys and we thank you for that year it was 33 seasons.

One of the best if not the best year of our lives watching you guys do the ministry was Armand used God's ministry through you. We call it the year of Jubilee year of Jubilee because we ended up with a car at the end of the year.

That was pretty special to the whole time.

You guys were talking I was thinking in Matthew 514 because you guys and your wives word this to the Detroit Lions that year. You are the light of the world city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand against light all in the house in the same way, let your's light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I don't I've ever seen that lived out so well as all of you and you're still doing.

I think it's that's like perfectly timed and because one of the most appealing things through all of it for all of us that were part of that was Josh and John never wavered in the midst of absolute darkness when it comes to like our everyday life. When what we were doing with our jobs. It was a struggle. There were multiple opportunities for those guys to waiver or chink in the armor to be exposed and for to look fake.

There was never a wavering of Josh's joy.

We practice as hard as we possibly could and we lost 35 to 14 or something like that, never wavering with Josh's joy or practices hard as we can and we get beat by whatever, never wavering a kittenish truth, it was never this circumstantial thing dependent on if we were playing good. If we are winning every game that was like for I think so many of us certainly for myself like that was such a defining aspect if it of it was. That's when it was real when everything pointed for you not to be that way you guys were that way you know it will. It was hard to be that way. I would imagine, given the circumstances we rent. That's what was the craziest thing to me at that time was how that circumstances of what we were going through had no impact on your foundation for you were the thing that and I tell this all the time. Such a part of my testimony in the Lord, which is, it was literally like watching the Bible just come to life. Dan said for years I was his four years my two years in four games. Inside of that and Josh's one year you say that in the reverberation effect of what happened there. They view said 25 I think it was somewhere around 25 that one year I was at PAO three years after that and a teammate that was in Detroit that I'd never had one conversation with comes up. I want you to baptize my wife and I like that stuff like the last I counted was 39 people that got really baptized because of what happened that year in again. It was it was just so fun because it was it was God right like Dan said for years for him you three years. Basically for me 10 games we want 10 games in three years. By all accounts it's a complete disaster.

I'm not speaking for Josh, but I'm pretty sure Josh came there and was lied to why he signed there. I'm almost positive he's we've never even talked about that, but I'm pretty sure Josh was lied to, but God got in there somehow because God choose the foolish things to shame the wise and the we transitioned like he just he did that 39 people are getting baptized and then that's not talking about like Dan said, his family and his wife and his kids and you know what that mean you watch what Josh is doing to me it's like it's freaking Jesus is walking in the NFL. Like wherever Josh goes like and I'll add this I mean we talked about the legacy but what John and Josh you guys don't know is when Dan you know goes away from the liens traded and then comes back, years later, Dan.

It wasn't before he came back five years. Six years, yet he comes back six years later and guess what he is and that locker.

He's now John and Josh, and he led like you guys led to this guy who didn't know Christ now comes back in.

You know, leads a revival in a different way.

In a smaller way but in the same way hosted Bible study at his house, but in the John you go on to coach high school football you're impacting kids around the country and you can continue to do that through your own family and others and judge asking to play football. Tillie, 60, and then maybe he'll coach eyes go full but I don't know but anyway your legacy is continuing and it's it's it's the way God designed us to do life. We are called to make a dent were were sent. It was just tell you such a like Dave, you are like the perfect person because you dislike creating the space for us to come to my church know would like preach like. Of course Josh. I would like absolutely let's do it.

You know you guys are coveted in chapel. You're given as opportunities to leading a Bible study and like your given us this incredible stuff. The real man's stuff like my whole coaching careers based on that those four pillars of manhood end and you know what you meant. My wife and how we would just show up at your guys house on Friday night for date night and just sit on your couch and still to this day, but the that the space you created not just for us but for how many years were you there 50 years. I am the losing this chaplain and the that's been that's been clarified by data. People are people.

I did say though they can I ask you all through you guys to talk the mom with a 13-year-old son who loves football and can't wait to play in the junior high games and she is scared to death of her baby and she's worried about CTE. She's thinking this is just not where my son ought to be.

Is it legitimate for them to be concerned about their kids playing football.

I think it's absolutely legitimate is fair concern but ironically enough, I just look at where the game is come at the highest level and how aware we are head injury and how were handling from safety equipment to you in game itself. I think it's more light years ahead of what we were. And because of that they can know that is safe and look at the wildcard game not playing this year were Carson Wentz comes on the game becomes out because of a head injury and it was just the protocol and I think everything that he went through in the steps in the process was what the league is looking for stars be able to identify and keep the game safe.

So I absolutely think the game is safe and I think there's no nothing to worry about. Think there was a few years there were in the dark and didn't have enough information, but they were gather more information on making the game safer so I don't think there's anything to worry about Dan.

You're on the sidelines with these guys, now is a is a reporter for ESPN. I'm watching Brian Gumbel on HBO real sports and it sounds like nobody should play football anymore.

Yeah, I mean the last thing that ever try to confuse myself of as is a doctor or you know someone that has any kind of history in the medical field and I know this at the Josh's point of how far the league has come I've been adamant for the last years that the NFL changed its rulings not necessarily protect the players that are in the NFL right now, but to make mom and dad feel secure about their kids playing football.

The NFL place.

The long game as good as anybody. They know that the eight-year-old that falls in love with football. I'm is going to create more of their friends that fall in love with football near the 30-year-old that ends up watching it and spending money on it 22 years later and so you know I believe that that was a big part of the rule change this and I think that it we have to be very careful ripping away the passions of our children. You know if my child is super passionate about something like that. I think it's more important, not necessarily the game but who we allow our children to play the game for the parent has to go watch the practice and watch the coach and see how the coach does things and no that coaches doing the right stuff know their teaching the right fundamentals there handling these situations the right way or no that that coaches cut from the cloth where I don't feel comfortable with the head injury situation.

So I think that if the parent pays attention to the coach and has it that you know of open dialogue with the coach and watches and understands what they should be looking for then. Football is an incredibly safe game where it is. In 2020 and beyond. John your eyes go coach what you think. Yeah, this is my world and I agree 100% would Dan just said I did that with my own son, and you know he's I think fifth grade and I went to practice. He been price for couple weeks and I went to practice and I solid they're doing like you done it's about the people and now they've established these norms that if you're going to coach you football all the way up through high school you have to go through tackling training the safe tackling stuff and you really redefining what tackling is and how to do it and it's not. I don't really feel like it's making the game any less attractive is just making a better it's making you know more palatable and guys are smarter things been eliminated from the NFL on down in the way that he gets coached is everybody on board know but it's getting there. And kids can get hurt doing anything and I understand like a way football happens more.

You're probably right, but more people are playing football and and there's more opportunity. That way, but I have three sons there all plan well played quarterback and we is just one of the inherent risks that we know.

But if if we see something that isn't right now we put into it for us individually, but then also as a coach you know that I'm trying to train up coaches. What did you see that caused you to say I'm: Mike my kid from his fifth grade football game. What should parents be looking for.

It wasn't a game and was practicing it was just unsafe practices and putting unrealistic expectations on kids like they would run. They literally would run for 45 minutes with no water like that's not even football were not. This is not the military were not here to like you know what we doing and then they would finish that in the dead tired and they lay them on the ground and they would reward kids that came in heads down and crashing its week they would reward that and they would ridicule the kid who shied away from that. That's not football but it takes a while for it to trickle down but it's get it. I I've watched it personally. From the time that I retired Reno eight years ago to now where its use like dance. It is light years different from where. Where was and is only card I think Josh at work were getting better and it's getting better is becoming a less dangerous game and a more enjoyable game guys dancing each have four kids. They've all been involved in sports. Can there ever be a time where sports we had too many sports too many activities in our families, absolutely. I know it's probably one of the main epidemics going on in our country right now and I think it could be one of the benefits that comes out of this horrible tragic situation.

I went with the pandemic is hopefully some of it forces some leaders and some parents to take a step back and be like oh we don't need 17 travel baseball league's you know in and the parents don't have to force it upon their child to compete you will play in all these different sports and how know then having the opportunity to be kids is important and then having the opportunity to breathe is important and feel valued outside of their sports is important and so yeah I think we have to listen, you know, I think that's one of the great things that I've certainly learned in this know pandemic is apparent is like just listening to our children. My wife is significantly better at it. Sometimes Tiffany, my wife will come to me.

A day later and Dave Hunter said this yesterday and this is what it means I'm looking I like what are you talking about and I'll sit out there. How does she know this stuff and I just you and I think that like yes we can have too many sports. I think there's a benefit to playing in the backyard rather than having to plan the second baseball team of the third basketball team for the football team. Well we been listing to three old friends as you said, it's just nice to hear their marriage license yeah John Kettner who was the starter for the Detroit Lions in 2006, who is now a high school coach in Texas and Josh McCown who were not sure if you'll play this year or not they probably will end up playing again like season number 18 are some pretty amazing and then Dan Orlovsky, who we watch on ESPN. All three of them were part of the Detroit Lions team in 2006 2007, when God did a really remarkable thing in their lives in a remarkable thing on that team during that season and there is something about sport and about team and about camaraderie that comes with that that is fertile soil for the gospel seeds to be planted and forgot to do work, yet it is pretty amazing.

Even now, years later to hear Dan cry and tear up when he thinks what if I had been on a different team. He doesn't even know if he's the man he is today. But God's providence is real in his life and thrill in your life which is in our life here that decision to follow Jesus is affected his life and his legacy his marriage.

Everything is different. Because of that decision. Everything about that we you know we said in Hershey Pennsylvania couple years ago with Dan and Tiffany having dinner Saturday night at a weekend, remember there's something we can rendering them while they drove over to and all this started because he was a Detroit lion and now he's impacting and John is and Josh and their families. It's it's really a picture of how God works and wants to not just do something in us but through us to impact the neighborhoods he puts us in if you know somebody who's an NFL fan or a Detroit Lions fan to go to our website family like today.com and send them a link to the podcasts we've done of these programs can we been able to include additional content as a part of the podcast that we could not feature on error so go to family life today.com download the podcasts. All of our programs are available for free@familylifetoday.com anytime there's a subject that you're wondering, I wonder if they have anything to offer on improving communication in marriage or conflict resolution or what you do if you have a wayward child or what about anxiety or depression any of these subjects you can go to family like today.com and download podcasts of past programs on these subjects.

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Pastor Scott Salz is going to join us tomorrow. I hope you can be with us as well.

Think our engineer today.

Keith Lynch along with our entire broadcast team on behalf of our hosts Dave and Anna Wilson about the peen. See you back next time for another edition of family life today. Family life to a is a production of family life of Little Rock, Arkansas crew ministry help for today hope for tomorrow