{"id":31794,"date":"2024-01-17T09:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T14:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=31794"},"modified":"2024-01-17T09:38:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T14:38:02","slug":"baltimore-ravens-chaplain-johnny-shelton-shares-how-faith-shapes-the-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2024\/01\/baltimore-ravens-chaplain-johnny-shelton-shares-how-faith-shapes-the-team.html","title":{"rendered":"Baltimore Ravens Chaplain Johnny Shelton Shares How Faith Shapes the Team"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today \/ YouTube | Inset: HTGanzo \/ Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Johnny Shelton, chaplain to the Baltimore Ravens, gets to combine his two great loves: faith and football. According to his <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>, Shelton moved around a lot in the Midwest, but \u201cthere were two things that were consistent in my life; \u2018SPORTS\u2019 and \u2018CHURCH.\u2019\u201d A self-described \u201clate bloomer,\u201d while his athletic abilities improved through high school and college, he realized his faith was far more shallow. However, by his junior year in college, when his \u201clife spiraled out of control,\u201d he decided to make Jesus the Lord of his life. After graduating, he played in the NFL as an undrafted free agent for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49er\u2019s, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Raiders. After his time in the NFL, he worked in the corporate arena and then answered the call to serve in ministry by working for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). After serving some time with the FCA, he eventually found his way to the Ravens in 2013. \u201cThough my days as an athlete have passed, my passion to pour into the hearts of coaches and athletes so that they can be their very best has not. I enjoy being able to share the Love of Christ with them and also being able to look them in the eye and tell them what they NEED to hear instead of what they WANT to hear,\u201d he wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking on the \u201c<\/span>Today<\/span><\/a>\u201d show, he shared about how he does a prayer walk before every practice. \u201cI pray for [the team’s] safety, for their minds, their hearts to be clear, to be able to focus on the task at hand,\u201d he said. He hosts Bible studies for coaches and players and extends his help for counseling. \u201cLife is hard enough, and at the flip side of that, football is hard enough. So, when you put those two together, it\u2019s just crazy,\u201d he said. He also shared that he speaks to anyone, even those outside the Christian faith. \u201cI\u2019m here to love all. We\u2019re not going to disciple everybody. We\u2019re here to love them.,\u201d he said. He also gets support from the other league chaplains, who meet on Zoom to discuss their needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s\u201d Savannah Sellers also spoke with two members of the team about their experiences with Shelton. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey shared that he doesn\u2019t often speak about football. \u201cFootball comes up occasionally, but it\u2019s mainly just life\u2026Even sometimes when it\u2019s football, it\u2019s more so just how could you have more of a leadership role,\u201d he said. Assistant coach Anthony Weaver, who formerly played for the Ravens, stressed the importance of seeking help. \u201cWe\u2019re football players. We assume we\u2019re alphas. We can solve and figure out everything. And it\u2019s not natural to turn to somebody for help and for guidance. [Shelton] makes that easy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Johnny Shelton, chaplain to the Baltimore Ravens, gets to combine his two great loves: faith and football. According to his website, Shelton moved around a lot in the Midwest, but \u201cthere were two things that were consistent in my life; \u2018SPORTS\u2019 and \u2018CHURCH.\u2019\u201d A self-described \u201clate bloomer,\u201d while his athletic abilities improved through high school…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":31800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nBaltimore Ravens Chaplain Johnny Shelton Shares How Faith Shapes the Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Johnny Shelton, chaplain to the Baltimore Ravens, gets to combine his two great loves: faith and football.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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