Tag: Faith

Paul Simon: The Psalmist and the Song

Paul Simon is one of the most celebrated contemporary artists in the history of American music. The acclaimed singer-songwriter has won sixteen Grammy Awards and is also a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Simon’s decades-long musical journey had its beginnings in a pairing up with a schoolmate named Art Garfunkel. The two formed a duo, aptly named Simon & Garfunkel.

The combined efforts of the two generated a soundtrack that through melody and lyrics was able to capture and reflect back the thoughts and emotions of a nation in the midst of a cultural shift.

A musical pioneer, the group exquisitely melded the genres of folk and rock. Its success was remarkable as evidenced by massive record sales as well as accolades, including being ranked among Rolling Stone magazine’s “Greatest Duos of All Time.”

In his solo career, which launched in the 1970s, Simon would continue his eclectic musical and lyrical exploration, this time combining reggae, soul, and indigenous styles.

Simon’s dad Louis provided his son with an early musical head start. In addition to being a college professor, Louis was a bass player and bandleader, performing under the name Lee Sims. Mom Belle taught elementary school.

Simon’s latest work is a 33-minute suite, titled “7 Psalms.” The project came to the iconic poet-wordsmith in a compelling dream, which has evidently reshaped his life’s work.

Spiritual language and imagery has long been a trademark of his inimitable songwriting. Simon wrote the timeless inspirational hymn “Bridge over Troubled Water,” which he and Garfunkel performed to the adulation of audiences around the globe.

He is able to make his religious visions uniquely relatable, as he did in his 2012 album “So Beautiful or So What,” which was so filled with faith-based references it surprised even him. The song lyrics feature poetry about God, angels, creation, prayer, and the afterlife.

While discussing the spiritual nature of his art during an interview with the PBS program “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly,” he noted that “for somebody who is not a religious person, God comes up a lot in my songs.”

“I think it’s a part of my thoughts on a fairly regular basis,” he said. “I think of it more as spiritual feeling. It’s something that I recognize in myself and that I enjoy, and I don’t quite understand it.”

Although his music is cherished by people of all faiths, he was actually raised in the Jewish tradition. Regarding his Jewish roots, he explains, “I was raised to a degree enough to be bar mitzvahed and have that much Jewish education…”

With fans of every spiritual persuasion, Christians appear to be especially appreciative for his Christmas song additions. In “So Beautiful or So What” he includes the Christmas tune “Getting Ready for Christmas Day.” In another song called “Love and Hard Times,” he includes the gentle line: “God and His only son paid a courtesy call on Earth one Sunday morning.”

In the song “The Afterlife,” he imagines waiting in a line similar to the Department of Motor Vehicles. But his poetic description of life after death is anything but ordinary. Rather, it is a word picture describing the awesomeness of God.

“Face-to-face in the vastness of space

Your words disappear

And you feel like you’re swimming in an ocean of love

And the current is strong.”

“By the time you get up to speak to God, and you actually get there, there’s no question that you could possibly have that could have any relevance,” he explained.

Simon has been artistically attempting to deal with the power of the visionary dream he experienced in 2019. It is from this dream that his latest album “7 Psalms” originated.

He revealed the project on a video trailer that he released.

“On Jan. 15, 2019, I had a dream that said, ‘You’re working on a piece called 7 Psalms,’” he revealed. “The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down, but I had no idea what that meant.”

As Simon describes it, after the dream episode, segments of “7 Psalms” gradually came. “I would start to wake up two or three times a week between 3:30 and 5 in the morning and words would come. I’d write them down, then start to put it together.”

In his spiritual search for truth, he asked probing questions.

“This is a journey, for me, to complete,” he shared. “This whole piece is really an argument I am having with myself about belief, or not.”

His lyrics in one of the tunes ask:

“Is sorrow a beautiful song,

lives in the heart and sings for all?

Your forgiveness.”

He then candidly sings:

“And I, the last in the line,

hoping the gates won’t be closed before Your forgiveness.”

In a song recorded in a church with wife Edie Brickell, his words hearken back to the Old Testament.

“The sacred harp, that David played

to make his songs of praise,

we long to hear those strings,

that set His heart ablaze.”

According to the video, the album release is set to have a companion documentary, titled “In Restless Dreams,” which is directed by Alex Gibney.

In his PBS interview, he expressed his deeply thought out concept of the Creator.

“When you’re looking to be thankful at the highest level, you need a specific and that specific is God,” he said.

Like a lot of us, Simon derives profound inspiration and gratitude from the beauty of the universe and the gift of life.

“How was all of this created?” he asked.

“If the answer to that question is God created everything, there was a creator, than I say, Great! What a great job,” he said.

He and the psalmist David may have more in common than Simon could ever imagine.

Scott Baio and Wife Renee’s Reliance on Faith

Through the decades of the seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond, Scott Baio was riding the wave of fame in the TV and film world.

His Hollywood journey began when he landed the title character role in the children’s movie musical “Bugsy Malone,” which co-starred Jodie Foster.

But his career really caught fire in 1976. The then-16-year-old actor snagged the coveted role of Fonzie’s cousin Chachi Arcola on the blockbuster sitcom hit “Happy Days.”

Scott’s television run would continue on in the “Happy Days” spin-off “Joanie Loves Chachi,” and in yet another successful sitcom “Charles in Charge.”

The 1990s saw him portraying a doctor in the medical mystery drama series “Diagnosis: Murder,” as well as a young prosecutor in a classic made-for-TV “Perry Mason” movie.

In between takes, he guested on numerous other popular television shows including “Full House,” “Touched by an Angel,” and “The Nanny.”

In 2005 his career came full circle when he played lawyer Bob Loblaw in the TV series “Arrested Development,” a role that passed to him when Henry “Fonzie” Winkler bowed out. It also had “Happy Days” lead star Ron Howard at its helm as executive producer and narrator.

From 2012 to 2015, he starred in the Nickelodeon sitcom “See Dad Run.”

His charmed Hollywood path continues to this day. Present times find him touring the country with his one-man show, titled “How Did I Get Here?”

Interestingly, his most challenging role is one that has been playing out in real life – that of being an immensely devoted husband and father trying to cope with suffering that is being endured by those he loves the most.

Recently, Scott took to Twitter to share details of a personal struggle that he and his wife Renee have been forced to deal with.

Renee has to undergo a brain tumor scan every year. This is because after already having dealt with breast cancer a few years back, she then began to suffer from painful migraines.

Her doctors initially blamed the headaches on changes in hormone levels. But further tests sadly revealed that she had three meningioma brain tumors.

Fortunately, the tumors turned out not to be malignant. But despite their benign nature, they are nevertheless categorized as “tumors that grow on the outer casing of the brain.”

Scott explained that such tumors “can cause serious problems depending on the size of the tumor and the location.”

As a result of the medical condition, Renee has to see her neurologist regularly for anti-seizure and pain management medication, and for the monitoring of her health situation via regular MRI scans.

Like so many others who have faced similar circumstances, Scott instinctively knew that he would have to rise to the occasion in order to provide the much-needed strength and support his family required.

It was faith in God that allowed both Scott and Renee to deal with the extremely difficult situation.

On the day they received news of Renee’s diagnosis, Scott posted the following on Facebook:

“Renee has been down some rough roads in her life, yet each time with her strong faith in God, she comes through a better and stronger person. During this time we ask for your prayers and support. My wife is my rock. She refuses to even shed one tear, nor will she question God’s will. Renee, Bailey and I will get through this. . .”

The two are fully united in their faith. Renee beautifully demonstrated how to “walk the walk” and provided words of advice on where to turn when help is needed the most.

“I will tell you my faith in God is greater than the fear of the unknown,” she said.

In speaking so openly, the couple hopes to spread knowledge about the medical condition and also provide assistance to those seeking help from a higher power.

“God does not challenge weak people – he has laid this upon me, and I’m not going to question it. If I can save one person along the way, I’m okay,” Renee said.

Scott shared that the hardest part of his wife’s diagnosis was trying to figure out how to break the news to their daughter.

“It was all about our kid,” Scott said, “…because she’s everything to us…”

Memories of their child’s medical history were front and center in Scott and Renee’s minds.

In 2007 Bailey came into the world five weeks premature. During a newborn screening test, she came up positive for a potentially deadly metabolic disorder called glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA-1).

The two thought they were going to lose their new little baby girl.

“Every time [Scott] would see a child, see a baby, he would just break down,” Renee said. “He’s a first-time father. He didn’t grow up with younger siblings. And it would just break him down…break us down. It was so tough to go through the holidays, our wedding…all the while knowing, our kid may die.”

Blessed news would be on the horizon. Further testing on baby Bailey revealed that the initial result had been a false positive.

The couple later started the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation to raise funds and awareness for children with metabolic disorders.

You can hear a lot more Scott stories and life lessons when you catch his one-man show “How Did I Get Here?” at a venue near you.

Should make for some Happy Days for attendees.

Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Supernatural Assist

Most folks know Duane Chapman by his stage name, Dog the Bounty Hunter. He worked as a professional bounty hunter in the past, and he’s still at it.

Duane was ultimately able to parlay his work experience into TV stardom through a realty show based on his unique creds.

He became an international news item in 2003, when he apprehended Max Factor heir Andrew Luster. The keen interest and revved up publicity in the Luster story paved the way for his first reality series “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” which ran for eight years on the A&E network.

After the show completed its run, Duane jumped into another reality show, along with his wife Alice Elizabeth, best known as “Beth.” The show, “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” was part of the CMT lineup. Another series, “Dog’s Most Wanted,” aired on WGN America.

In a sad turn of events, Beth lost her battle with throat cancer in 2019. Her health struggles were chronicled in an A&E series titled “Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives.”

Most recently, Duane appeared, via a vocal performance, on the hit television show “The Masked Singer.” Dressed in gold armadillo attire, he presented The Clash’s “I Fought The Law.”

Although voted off the show, he didn’t skip a beat. He immediately moved on to his next task, which involved a manhunt over a reported double murder in Moab, Utah.

Duane knows exactly what it’s like to be on the opposite side of the law. At age 15, he ran away from home and joined a biker gang. It was back in the 1970s, when he was manning a getaway car, that his friend shot and killed a man during a struggle that involved an illegal marijuana buy.

Convicted of first degree murder, Duane was sentenced to five years in a Texas prison and wound up serving 18 months at the State Penitentiary. Through it all, the future bounty hunter was guided to a deeper relationship with God.

In a recent appearance on “The Prodigal Stories Podcast,” he revealed some of the details of his faith journey. Duane’s mother was an Assemblies of God minister who believed in the power of prayer.

“She was a pastor. My mother … all day long, her whole life, all she did was pray for us,” he said.

Going to church was a routine part of his early life.

“We had to go to church,” he shared.

If he didn’t, his mom would take away the keys to his wheels.

Like many who are raised in a faith-filled home, at one point he fell away from his faith. It happened during his youthful tumultuous years.

Rationalizing, he thought, “[God is] not going to care really what I do as long as I say the blessing and keep God kind of first.”

Soon he discovered that trying to fool yourself about your relationship with your Maker can lead you down a very dark path. In Duane’s case, it was a crime-ridden one.

“After going to prison in the ‘70s in Texas for 18 months, I realized right then that, at the end of this rainbow of crime and all that, is not a bucket of gold, it’s a cell,” he said.

Despite his criminal conviction and prison sentence, Duane’s mother never gave up on improving her son’s spiritual standing. After serving his time and being released from jail, his mom found a way to minister to him during his sleeping hours.

“As I slept, my mom put on a recording of the Bible, and every morning, when I woke up, I’m like, ‘Mom, why did you?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t know who turned that on,’” Duane said.

As time passed, his mother’s efforts and prayers began to produce miraculous results.

“I started acting nice,” he said, understanding that it would be difficult to sustain.

“I’m an Indian outlaw, so I started acting like I wasn’t [nice]. Then I started thinking, ‘What would Jesus do right now?’”

Duane found out that virtue can actually become a habit.

“I started pretending to be good and, all the sudden, I started being good.”

During his long and successful career as a bounty hunter, he has captured thousands of fugitives. The hardships that he suffered enable him to help others in a way that very few can – a vessel of saving grace delivered to a fellow wayward traveler.

“I would capture guys and tell them, ‘Listen, man, I’ve been there, done that … we need supernatural help,’” he said.

The Prodigal Son who shows others how to get back home.

China Cancels Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves had his breakthrough role in 1989, when he starred in the sci-fi comedy “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Two movie sequels and two television series based on the film soon sprang forth.

The more serious side of the actor’s artistry emerged in dramas that included “My Own Private Idaho” and in action films such as “Point Break” and “Speed.”

Keanu, however, was destined for super stardom. He achieved this high watermark when he landed the role of Neo in a film that would ultimately become the “Matrix” franchise series.

In a realm that few celebrities experience, he was able to continue to sustain his fame with yet another cinematic franchise, the “John Wick” film series.

In terms of his ancestry, Keanu is the personification of diversity. His father is Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese. His grandmother on his father’s side is Chinese Hawaiian, a woman who imbued a young Keanu with Chinese culture and philosophy. His mother is from Beirut, Lebanon, the place where the actor was actually born. His father left when Keanu was only three years of age, but a reunion with his dad occurred when he was thirteen. It took place on the island of Kauai.

Despite his Chinese heritage, his years of collaboration with Chinese film entities, and his mega-star status with the Chinese population, Keanu was recently severely censored by Chinese authorities for his participation in a benefit concert for Tibet House, a non-profit organization affiliated with the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Previous entertainment figures that were canceled by communist officials for their expressions of support for Tibet include Richard Gere, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and Brad Pitt, who was canceled and then brought back.

In a predictable development, China’s streaming platforms have now erased almost all of Keanu’s works from their catalogues as well as from search results in the Chinese language that appear under his name. His most well known movies that have been wiped away include “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Speed,” and “The Matrix” films.

Bizarrely, “Toy Story 4,” for which Keanu voiced a character, has been left online. However, the actor’s name has been purged from the credits.

Keanu’s newfound redacted status in China at a time of heightened geopolitical tension is a strong indication that Beijing censors will prohibit his upcoming projects from being distributed.

Unlike a host of other creative artists in Hollywood, Keanu appears to be the complete opposite of a self-centered celeb. Known to be a dedicated team player as well as an individual who actually safeguards his privacy, Time magazine once characterized him as “Hollywood’s ultimate introvert.”

A special part of his appeal is a humility that he exudes when the cameras aren’t rolling. He has demonstrated a genuine goodness in many a real life circumstance. The internet is replete with stories, interviews, and pictures of Keanu in virtuous action.

The first of his good deeds to go viral occurred when video footage emerged of him offering his New York subway seat to a fellow passenger who was carrying a heavy bag.

Another incident that spread like wildfire on social media was one involving a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Bakersfield, California. Keanu spent time reading to fellow passengers, dining with them on fast food, and entertaining them with his country music performances. He generously posed for photos with his traveling companions, took the lead in helping them deal with the stress of an emergency landing, and assisted others in getting to their destination.

Additionally, in an unusual sort of re-negotiation of a contract for the “Matrix” sequels, Keanu took a pay cut so that more money might be available for use on special effects and costumes.

After his sister Kim was diagnosed with leukemia, he reportedly gave 70 percent of his $35 million compensation for the first “Matrix” film to leukemia research.

Every stunt man in “John Wick 3” received a Harley-Davidson motorcycle courtesy of Keanu, following a difficult stunt-oriented filming session.

He told Esquire, “That fight was 17 shooting days. We trained every day for seven hours for three weeks going through all the motions. We learned the term ‘super-perfect.’ You want to go for super-perfect. So, obviously I was getting paid well. And so, you know, just as a thank you to those guys. Got them some gifts.”

After hearing that Al Pacino was not going to be a part of “The Devil’s Advocate” due to a shortfall in the movie’s budget, he took a pay cut to bring the legendary Pacino back in.

More than a billion kids around the globe have benefited from a leading children’s charity that Keanu set up.

Consistent with his low-key persona, he generally keeps his religious convictions under the vest. On one occasion, when an interviewer asked permission to inquire about his religious beliefs, he politely replied, “Please don’t. I think it’s personal and private.”

In a separate interview, when asked whether he was a spiritual person, he revealed that he is indeed very spiritual and a believer in the Almighty.

“Do I believe in God, faith, inner faith, the self, passion, and things? Yes, of course! I’m very spiritual … Supremely spiritual … Bountifully spiritual … Supremely bountiful,” he said.

When it comes to Keanu, in art and in life China’s loss is the rest of the world’s gain.

Corbin Bernsen’s Rebooted Life

Corbin Bernsen was recently blessed with the news of a new acting gig on a project with which he is intimately familiar.

The actor-director is best known for his role as a high-powered lawyer on the iconic Steven Bochco television series “L.A. Law,” which was on the air for eight seasons from 1986 to 1994. It won fifteen Emmys, including four for Outstanding Drama.

The success of the series generated sufficient demand for a movie version in 2002. As in the original show, the film’s stars included Bernsen, Blair Underwood, and Jill Eikenberry.

Like Hollywood loves to do these days, the hit show is being rebooted and will allow fans to watch Bernsen, Underwood, and Eikenberry reunite to star in the newly reconstituted “L.A. Law.”

Bernsen and Underwood will reprise their roles as Arnold Becker and Jonathan Rollins, while Eikenberry will again play her original character of Ann Kelsey in the re-launch.

Kacey Rohl and Juliana Harkavy, best known for The CW series “Arrow,” have also been cast in the reboot.

Bernsen’s career path over the years has positioned him in numerous starring TV roles such as “Psych,” “Cuts,” and “The Dentist,” and film roles that include the “Major League” movies. Currently, he appears as Kyle Nevin on the television series “The Resident.”

As a committed Christian, Bernsen has in more recent times channeled his efforts toward faith-oriented content. To this end, he and collaborator Chris Aronoff have created an independent production company called Home Theater Films, which has released faith-based movies such as “3 Day Test,” “Beyond the Heavens,” “Life with Dog,” and “Mary 4 Mayor.”

In an era when many prominent celebrities are highly vocal about their anti-life positions, Bernsen has been quite public about his pro-life stance.

Following the birth of he and wife Amanda’s first baby, the couple longed for a second child.

“We get pregnant [again], we find out it’s going to be a boy and we name it Henry. We got his room, we’re starting to get all the stuff together…,” Corbin said. However, during the last trimester check-up, the doctor approached the two of them with some dire news.

“We have a little problem, the amniotic fluid is not forming, the kidneys of the baby are disappearing,” the physician informed them.

Following the doctor’s directive, a decision was made to end the pregnancy. Bernsen described that fateful day, when he and his wife were persuaded to have their unborn child’s life ended.

“So we made this choice, we go in for what you can’t possibly tell me was not the worst day of my life and we terminate… You don’t have to use all of the words like ‘abortion’… they have these beautiful words that make it sound like it’s okay, [but] it was the worst day of our life,” Corbin said.

Time passed and the couple eventually sought to bring another child into the world. One day while attending a routine Hollywood meeting, Bernsen received a telephone call from his wife that he will never forget.

“We’re having twins,” “Amanda exclaimed.

“None of us were Christians, none of us believed in God, and we were having twins!” Bernsen remarked. He was stunned because twins did not run in their family.

“When I started finding my faith, I could put it in context that [there was] something much greater, more powerful. It brought me closer to God because I realized that God was in control in that situation,” he said.

Bernsen and his wife have been blessed with four sons. The experience has taught him a priceless lesson. It has even changed the direction of his vocation.

“I realized that God is continuously, wonderfully always in control,” he stated. “Now as I try to design movies I want to put that in there.”

Speaking at a National Religious Broadcasters convention a few years ago, Corbin shared the devastating personal story. But he also let it be known that the worst day is what eventually led him to God.

Cooper Kupp’s Uplifting Presence On and Off the Field

Folks watching the action-packed National Football League playoff games got to see a stellar performance by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

No. 10 and his team are now headed to the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13.

The story of how Kupp got to the point where he’s at is one that inspires all those who dream of achieving greatness.

After graduating from high school, his hopes of receiving a scholarship offer from college football’s top division were shattered. Not a single one came his way.

He opted to continue pursuing the sport he loved at Eastern Washington University, where he worked hard and established himself as a first-rate receiver.

Back when Kupp was still in high school and was about to begin his first year of college, he made a decision to be baptized first.

Carla shared the reasoning of her grandson’s faith priority. “He wanted to make a statement to God about his commitment,” she said.

Prior to the NFL draft that would forever change life’s course for him, Kupp tweeted, “No gift I could give that would be worthy of Him…but I can play. To the very best of the ability He gave me. And He will be well pleased.”

In 2017 Kupp’s dream of getting the chance to play at the top professional level came true. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Rams, just in time for the team’s second season in the City of Angels, having just returned from a multi-year stay as the home team in St. Louis.

The skills and self-discipline that Kupp developed at a smaller university, a division, incidentally, that is often overlooked, quickly catapulted him in the NFL.

He rose to the highest level a wide receiver can attain at the pro level, with the most receptions, most receiving yards, and most receiving touchdowns during a regular season, commonly known as the “triple crown” for those who play this position.

During the playoffs, he set yet another record by becoming the first player to exceed 2,000 yards in pass receptions as well as the first to catch 170 passes.

And he still has another huge game to play. His biggest ever.

Kupp has become a bright light for those who call the Left Coast home.

The most significant factors that relate to his gift of perseverance are expressed on his website in three short words: “Faith, family, and football.”

Kupp’s relatives include two previous generations of athletic prowess. Dad Craig was a quarterback who was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants, and also played for the Phoenix Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

And Grandpa Jake was picked in the ninth round of the draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played as an offensive lineman with the Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints.

However, it is something much greater than sports that binds this family together. All share a genuinely vibrant living faith.

Dad Craig sums it up in a single phrase. “…Our relationship with Jesus is the center of our life,” he says.

Kupp’s life story wouldn’t be complete without talking about his bride Anna. The two met at a track meet when they were seniors in high school. It was the proverbial love at first sight. Kupp knew she was the one he would marry, and told this to his mother on the same day that he and Anna met.

The couple tried a long distance relationship for a brief spell, with Anna going away to the University of Arkansas to compete in track and field. Not being able to withstand being apart, though, Anna soon transferred to Eastern Washington. She lost almost two years of college credits in the process, but at least they were together once again.

Marriage soon followed, and they have been blessed with two beautiful sons. The family lives a God-centered life, which has had a positive influence on other young couples who seek to have the same.

It wasn’t long after Kupp began playing professional football that he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It was Anna who assisted him in his recovery. And, of course, he sought help from above.

“I needed God,” he said in a 2019 interview. “I needed to trust in what my faith was. Just my wife and son, being able to push me through this, teammates, the coaching staff, training staff, strength staff. I just had a team around me that encouraged me. It really showed me how important it was to have the people that God has really placed in my life.”

The wide receiver’s priorities remain clear. His relationship with his Lord and Savior are foremost in his life.

“…If it wasn’t for my faith, if it wasn’t for knowing that Christ has told me who I am in His eyes…He’s bridged every gap,” he said.

Never seeming to shy away from talking about his convictions, Kupp speaks out even in the face of the bright media spotlight that perpetually shines on celebrity athletes.

After his team defeated Tom Brady’s defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kupp shared his faith feelings by sporting a hat from his own apparel line. The attire encouraged, “Do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

These are words that are inspired by the Scripture verse 1 Corinthians 9:25, which reads as follows: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Ben Roethlisberger’s Football and Faith

He knew it and his fans knew it too. Ben Roethlisberger’s time as a professional football player was coming to an end.

At what would be his final home game after 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the star quarterback experienced something most athletes only dream of – the pure unadulterated outpouring of love from fans that had been with him from the start.

Right back at them went the love from Big Ben.

“My family and I are overwhelmed with the love and support we have received around last night’s game. We are truly grateful for every one of you,” he posted on his Twitter account.

It was common knowledge that Ben had restructured his contract before the start of the season in order to remain in the game for one last stretch before his retirement.

It’s official now.

“The time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children,” Ben said in a video posted on Twitter.

“I retire from football a truly grateful man,” he added.

Since being drafted 11th overall in 2004, he remained loyal to the Steelers for his entire career; this in an age of free agency where fans watch players bounce from one team to another.

And what a career he has had.

Ben won the Rookie of the Year award in his first year, made the Pro Bowl six times, and led the Steelers to 165 regular season wins, eight division titles, and three Super Bowls, winning two. That’s Pro Football Hall of Fame level legacy.

After he is retired for the requisite five seasons, he will most likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 2013, after overcoming off-field issues that scuffed up his reputation, Ben had a turn around in which he won the most prestigious honor the NFL bestows, the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which focuses on virtuous activities of players in the league while off the field.

His charitable activities continue to make a difference in his community and the world at large.

He demonstrated for everyone what his priorities are as he walked through the stadium tunnel for the last time, accompanied by his wife Ashley and three children Bodie, Baylee, and Ben Jr.

What everyone saw was a man who is more than a winning athlete. He walks the walk of a truly devoted husband and father.

As he stated in a 2013 interview, “I’m putting all my energy into being the best person, best husband and best father I can be.”

His commitment to family has a great deal to do with his religious faith. After his team’s final game of the season, the AFC’s wildcard playoff game, Ben invoked God in talking about what was to come next in his life.

He said something you don’t hear too often from celebrities or otherwise. He shared that he was going to “try to expand God’s kingdom.”

He grew up in the Christian tradition and in 2017 made a recommitment to his faith.

During a June 2020 ManUp Conference, he explained why he chose to be baptized for a second time.

“I was baptized as a kid; my parents took me as a baby. But I didn’t make that decision. So three years ago now I made the decision to be baptized because I felt like I needed to do that. I wanted to have a closer walk, a better relationship with Jesus, with my wife, with my kids, with my family — become a better person,” Ben said.

He had a message for young athletes about how his religious beliefs fit with his vocation.

“I want that to be known, especially to all you young men out there. It’s cool to be a Christian and be an athlete. Go ahead and be the best athlete you can possibly be, and see if you can be a better Christian,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m trying to be a better Christian than I am athlete and football player.”

Like so many other Christians, he was led back to his faith heritage in the most beautifully mystical way.

“Jesus is the One who brought me back…and I’m so thankful for it because I feel I’m a better Christian, a better husband and a better father today because of His forgiveness of me.”

Seamlessness of faith and action is what makes us winners in life.