To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Jimmy Graham, from U of Miami to N.O. Saints: the Power of the Church on an Abused and Neglected Teen"Graham gained a foundation through his weekly visits to the church. He discovered fellowship, a pastor who would become his high school basketball coach, a guardian who gave him stability in an unstable life, and a congregation joyful with encouragement." In the 3rd round of this year's NFL Draft, a dream, and perseverance came to fruition for Jimmy Graham, who was a wide receiver/tight end, for the University of Miami. An article on NewOrleansProFootball.com described it this way… "The Saints wrapped up Friday night with towering converted hoops player Jimmy Graham from the University of Miami (Florida). Graham, a hard-knocks youth from Goldsboro, N.C., was a four-year basketball player for the Hurricanes at forward, winning team Outstanding Defender honors. He played high school football defensive end and receiver and when he exhausted his basketball eligibility, head football coach Randy Shannon recruited him to play tight end. Showed courage with an ambitious double major and a great story." Jimmy Graham does have a great story, here's a little piece of it… Abundant Life Church is the place where the University of Miami's tight end, Jimmy Graham—a poor teenager basically raising himself at the time—found food, shelter, hope, and a new home. "It was like everybody there believed in me,'' Graham said. "My whole life, I always felt different and out of place, and I finally felt like people cared about me and people wanted me to succeed. They told me I was too smart and too talented. It was like that entire church believed in me. They used to tell me every day, 'You're going to do great things in this community and in this world,' and that support meant everything.'' Carlos Peralta, the pastor of Abundant Life, was quoted as saying the first time he interacted with Graham it was like a "neon sign hovered above his head asking for help." "He was abandoned and a very angry young man, as you can imagine,'' said Peralta. According to the report, it was church member Becky Vinson, a Gulf War veteran, single mom and nursing student, who volunteered to become Graham's legal guardian before his sophomore year of high school, despite her own struggle to pay bills. If you'd like to look back at Jimmy's incredibly uplifting [pre-NFL draft] story in its entirety, including how Graham forgave his mother and the road that led him to play football at the University of Miami, just click on the link provided.
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News 'Just a Disaster': Biden's Title IX Rule Empowers LGBTQ Movement, Erases Women and Justice United For Israel March Happening on the Columbia University Campus, April 25th As Anti-Israel Activists Vandalize Texas Congressman's Office, He 'Stands With Israel' Did Letitia James Accidentally Reveal the Real Reason for Her Trump Witch Hunt? Report: the WHO Makes Major Changes to the Pandemic Treaty, and They're Good Ones; But Will It Last? Israelis Remember Hostages, Fallen Soldiers, Terror Victims as Passover Begins She Survived a Death Camp. Facing Biden DOJ Charges, She Is Prepared to Die in Prison Planned Parenthood Committed 392,712 Abortions, Received $699.3 Million in Taxpayer Funding in 2023 Student Loan Forgiveness: Morally Reprehensible and Legally Invalid Columbia Classes Go Virtual Before Passover Amid Protests Hundreds Accept Jesus Christ in Poland at Franklin Graham Rally Grammy-Winning Christian Artist Mandisa Has Died: Report How You Can Send Letters of Encouragement to Jailed Pro-Life Heroes Illegal Immigrants Being Moved into Soldiers' Home Where Veterans Must Pay to Stay House Democrats Vow to Codify 'Rights' to Trans Surgeries, Hormones, Puberty Blockers Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |