“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Amos 3:3 NLT
Are You In Agreement?
The success of the NFL’s New England Patriots over the past two decades has created a buzz over who is the more influential agent of their success, head coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady. There can be no doubt that each have brought extraordinary talent, intellect and hard work to the overall achievements of the franchise. But one thing is certain: The accomplishments obtained, the championships won and the rings received would not have been possible if Coach Belichick and Brady did not agree on the direction of the team and where they were going.
Christian friend, in what direction is your life going? Are you in agreement with God? In all that you do and plan to do, in all your goals, is God included in your plans? By being included in your plans I mean to be a partner — He’s the senior partner and you’re the junior partner. Are you in agreement with God?
The prophet Jeremiah writes that the Lord says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). The Lord indeed has a successful plan for each of us, successful as He determines it to be.
How will you know God’s plan? First, it starts by knowing His Son, Jesus Christ, and then reading and being obedient to His Word, seeking Him in prayer, listening and being patient, very patient. And while you are waiting, continue what you are doing right where you are, right where God has placed you. Perhaps that is His plan for you, wherever that may be.
We may not like the game plan that our coach (God) has drawn up, concluding we have a better plan. “I would rather do this, I like this better, I want to do it my way and I can make more money another way.” But God wants us to trust Him and follow through with the ability and gifts He has given us to successfully achieve the goals He has set before us, goals that bring Him glory and lead others to His Son, Jesus Christ.
As the New England Patriots have suffered losses on occasion due to various situations, we too suffer defeat from time to time as we deviate from our coach’s game plan. But we never need to worry about the outcome of the game if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ.
Are you in agreement with God?
— Loring Schultz
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Cincinnati Bengals WR Dohnte Meyers, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
One of the more captivating storylines emerging during this year’s NFL preseason has been the rise of Dohnte Meyers. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver had never played a snap of NFL football until this preseason, yet if he continues to impress, he just might make Cincy’s final roster.
Meyers’ latest superb showing came on Saturday in a 27-9 victory against the Chicago Bears in which he was all over the field. He caught five passes (six targets) for 41 yards, rushed once for nine yards, returned two kickoffs for 54 total yards and returned two punts for 34 total yards.
Meyers’ big day against Chicago came after he grabbed three passes (on a team-high four targets) for a team-high 29 yards, ran once for 13 yards, and returned one punt for 11 yards in the Bengals’ 16-14 win against the Detroit Lions in the team’s first preseason game.
“Every day, it’s something I can prove myself and continue to compete,” Meyers told reporters after Saturday’s game about his ever-increasing chances to make the 53-man roster. “Nothing’s set in stone. Nothing’s done. And every day’s an opportunity to get better, so I feel like that’s something that I hold myself to and I feel like that’s what the club expects from me.”
Despite his newness to Cincinnati’s locker room, Meyers is no stranger to high-level football, or to winning.
He played college football for two years at FCS Presbyterian College before entering the transfer portal and winding up at Division-II Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi, ahead of the 2020 season. That season was canceled due to COVID-19, but he played 2021 and 2022 with the team. In 2022, he earned first-team All-Gulf South Conference honors.
After going undrafted in 2023 and an unsuccessful tryout with the hometown Atlanta Falcons, he turned his attention to his body. He knew he needed to get bigger, faster and stronger, and to pay for those long training sessions in the summer of 2023, he worked as a food delivery driver.
A door for Meyers to return to football cracked open when he heard about an open tryout in Atlanta with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He paid $100 to participate.
“I balled out,” Meyers told the Bengals’ team website about that tryout performance, and the Roughriders offered him a futures contract in November 2023. But his 2024 debut was delayed due to a broken hand and ended early due to a separated shoulder, and it seemed like he’d never catch a break. During that time, he sought solace in the presence of God.
“That was the only thing that could really provide some stability,” Meyers told the Bengals. “I’ve got to lean on my faith because there’s no way I could justify what’s going on. I’ve got to lean on God. I have to. He’s my foundation. He’s got to be doing something.”
In particular, the Biblical story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers resonated with Meyers. He has been known to post on Instagram — where he lists the Bible verse Romans 8:28 in his bio — about Joseph.
“I look back at my journey, none of this is supposed to happen. None of this makes sense on paper,” Meyers told the Bengals. “You look at Joseph. … Every step he took felt like he was moving further away from where he was called to be, and that’s how I felt.”
Joseph eventually rose to become Egypt’s second in command, and Meyers’ CFL rise during the 2025 season was almost as meteoric. He caught 65 passes for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games, earning an All-Star nod and helping Saskatchewan to a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The Roughriders would go on to win the Grey Cup, the CFL’s championship game.
“God works in crazy ways,” Meyers told the Bengals team website.
Meyers parlayed his CFL success into multiple workouts with NFL teams, eventually signing with the Bengals in January. His story got just a little bit crazier a week before training camp, when star QB Joe Burrow asked to throw with him. He agreed, only later revealing that he drove overnight from Atlanta to Cincinnati to make it in time.
“If you achieve something that you can do by yourself, you probably didn’t dream big enough,” Meyers told the Bengals. “This can only happen if God does it, because if not, I can’t do this by myself. … Everything is perfectly and divinely placed by God.”
Just like he did while mired in obscurity and hampered by injuries, Meyers will seek to continue to draw close to God as his dream of being an NFL player draws closer by the day. His last chance to make an impression on Cincinnati’s coaching staff in live game action will come on Friday, when the Bengals finish their preseason slate with a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Seattle Seahawks guard Grey Zabel grew up on a farm in South Dakota. In his teen years, he worked long hours on the family farm helping plant, grow and harvest wheat, soybeans and corn. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bisons and was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. When Seattle won the 2026 Super Bowl, his parents were in attendance. They celebrated this great accomplishment with everyone else and are grateful their son stayed humble thus far, even though he’s already attained a big name.
Though it wasn’t easy for the elder Zabels to let their young son leave, they loved him enough to support his future. Many fans have benefitted from the big hearts of Grey Zabel’s parents, who share him with the public and are living out the Christian love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
When we love as God intended, we give people space to be individuals who make their own decisions, and we avoid harsh judgments, especially when we don’t know the whole story. From beginning to end, the Bible urges us to get rid of our grudges and realize we all mess up. Every person needs some mercy and grace. In fact, the Lord commands us to forgive and treat others the way we want to be treated: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).
The cross is the greatest demonstration of love. It’s surprising for Jesus to allow Himself to be executed for our sins when He was totally innocent. Yet Jesus put aside His personal comfort and allowed cruel men to torture Him in the worst ways. His incredible sacrifice paid the full price for our sins (John 3:16). The love of God for sinners is beyond description — the death of Christ proved His love for us and He calls us to learn to walk in His footsteps by loving others like He does (1 John 3:16).
It’s important for us to do more than just talk about love. We need to prove our love is real by our actions.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
Tennis world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz had a 2025 season for the ages. In 11 months, he amassed two Grand Slam titles, three Masters 1000 titles, three ATP 500 titles, reached 10 finals in his last 11 events, and produced an astonishing 71-9 record on the year. He also made history by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to end a season with more than 12,000 ranking points.
At just 22 years old, it’s safe to say that this young man is putting together a career so far that’s the stuff legends are made of. Anyone who’s watched his matches knows that the sky is truly the limit on his potential, and he’s just getting started. Which, considering how good he already is (sitting at 26 total titles, including seven Grand Slams), is scary.
But he recently revealed a deep insight when asked in an interview what scares him the most. Was it fame? Not reaching his goals? Losing a heartbreaking match? Not ending with the most majors in history? None of those, he said. Instead, it was “living a life I don’t want to live. Being stuck in a loop, living a life doing something I don’t really want to do.”
Above all of the things that could scare him the most, it was living a life he wasn’t meant for — living out a story that isn’t his own. Perhaps that’s why it has bothered him so much when reporters try to compare him to other greats in the sport, past or present. He just wants to live out his own story and do it well.
If we’re honest, how many of us feel pressure to live out a story that’s not our own? I think probably most. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to be somebody we’re not, in order to fit in, succeed and advance. Our culture is built on imitation and comparison, forcing us to live lives that look a certain way so that we rise up the corporate or athletic ladder and reach certain levels of set achievement. Things like social media only make this pressure more accessible and appealing.
But the truth is, God didn’t create us to live our lives centered around imitating others; He made us to be imitators of Him. He formed us in His own image and has plans and purposes for us that are unique to each and every one of us. He doesn’t want us copying somebody else’s blueprint.
See, God loves variety. If He wanted us all to look and act and be the same, He would’ve designed our world that way. But He didn’t. He delights in the individuality each of us expresses as special creations of His. We are reflective of His creativity and variety.
So yes, it should scare us to go chasing a life that’s not the one designed for us and being stuck in a loop doing something we weren’t meant for. Because, in the end, God isn’t about us fitting in. He’s about us being the difference.
Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
When Calais Campbell was presented with the Bart Starr Award in 2019, he thanked his mother, Nateal, for teaching him and his siblings about the Lord.
“Mom, I just appreciate you making sure that we knew Jesus,” he said. “I remember being a little kid and being scared of the dark, or whatever, my mom just told me, ‘Nothing can ever happen to you as long as you’re covered in the blood of Jesus.’ That was real and it’s been with me ever since.”
This week, the longtime NFL veteran spoke with the media for the first time since his mother was murdered on June 30. His brother, Ciarre Campbell, was arrested and charged for the crime. Understandably, the past couple of months have been “pretty tough,” Calais said, as his family navigates the emotions of the tragedy.
“We appreciate all the love and support and prayers that have come from all over the NFL community (and) all the fan bases,” Campbell told reporters. “Continue praying for us because we need it.”
A six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Campbell turns 40 in September and is entering his 19th NFL season after signing with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract. He was asked this week if he considered skipping this season to deal with the tragedy, but instead he decided to play and said this will most likely be his final season.
“I love the game of football a lot. It’s a place (that) brings me joy,” Campbell told reporters. “The training was adjusted a little bit. It was a little harder to train. … I work really hard (and) I feel really good where I’m at. Practices have been going well. I really like where I’m at right now. The coaches did a really good job of letting me ease in and get myself where I need to be.”
The Bart Starr Award is presented annually by Athletes In Action at the Super Bowl Breakfast to “the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.” Campbell was recognized as the winner in 2019 for his community work through running the CRC Foundation, named after his late father, Charles Richard Campbell. The organization’s mission is to teach critical life skills to young people. Through sports, creative talents, vocational skills, financial skills and quality health and nutrition, the CRC Foundation helps young people develop into empowered and self-aware leaders for the future.
In addition to thanking his mother that day, Campbell also thanked his father, who died when Campbell was 17 and taught his son about the value of integrity.
“I believe that integrity really is having faith because a lot of times, people really get in trouble when they start trying to do things for themselves, they feel like they’re missing out on their blessings so they start trying to cut corners and do things to get ahead,” Campbell told the Super Bowl Breakfast audience. “And you lose your integrity and it really just crumbles your foundation.
“So for me, I think that integrity really is just having faith that if you keep doing the little things right and keep working hard and take your time and doing things with love and passion and hope, good things will happen when it’s your time.”
The Bart Starr Award held special significance for him because of the role AIA played in his faith journey during his time in college at Miami.
“For a tall, 6-8, gangly freshman coming all the way across the country from Denver, Colorado, Athletes in Action was at the school. I started going to everywhere they were holding meetings and found myself a home,” Campbell told the 1,400 attendees when accepting the award. “Growing up, my mom made sure that we understood and knew Jesus, and that was a big deal too. You go to college, you’re on your own for the first time, you don’t have your parents to take you to church or nobody to tell you what to do. You have to make a decision for yourself.
“I was trying to find my way and Athletes in Action being there really gave me an opportunity. I don’t even know how many people they affect, but I know it’s a whole lot. I’m just honored to be here and accept the award.”
His work with the CRC Foundation also led to him being named the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year, arguably the most prestigious character-related award in the NFL, given to a player who exhibits commitment to philanthropy and community impact as well as excellence on the field.
“My goal when I give back is to inspire people, to encourage people to believe that dreams are achievable if you put the work in,” Campbell said at the NFL Honors that year. “Everybody, and I mean everybody, can give back. Wherever you are in your life, it doesn’t matter where you are in your life, but reach back and help someone. It’s our duty to help our neighbors. Even if you can only give five minutes to someone in need, give it to them. That one-on-one quality time, that little bit of extra time can make a world of difference. Those five minutes can change a life.”
In his present time of difficulty, Campbell is experiencing the impact of others’ prayers and support.
