The quiet faith of LeBron James
By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS - December 15, 2015)
-- The clues about his Christian faith are given out sparingly, but
with the same assurance that has propelled the basketball superstar into
a legendary status among his fans.
At
a post-game appearance with reporters on December 4th, James was asked
if the return of two injured players would help his team, the Cleveland
Cavaliers.
To the surprise of some who have questioned his faith, James’ response lifted up the name of Jesus:
“I
hope we don’t think that way. It’s never that way,” he said. “When you
get your guys back, you prepare just as you prepare before. There’s only
one guy ever in the world that everything will be all right when He
comes back and that’s Jesus Christ. Other than that, you can’t bank on
nobody being OK.”
Not
only did James invoke his confidence in the name of Jesus, he went
beyond where most of only nominal faith will tread, by announcing his
certainty in the return of Jesus, which will bring lasting peace and
justice to the earth.
James
was born and raised in Akron, Ohio and first gained national attention
playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary Catholic High School, from which he was
immediately drafted into the NBA upon graduation. At home and at
school, he had Christian influences that appear to have made a lasting
impression.
While
he is less demonstrative about his spiritual leanings than some sports
figures, he’s made public appearances in church and attended church
charity basketball games near Cleveland.
In
2010, James watched as fellow-player Rodney Stuckey suffered a seizure
on the court and was taken to Cleveland Clinic Hospital. James responded
by calling the players together into a prayer circle, where he prayed
to “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” for healing, he told reporters
afterward.
Photo captions: 1) LeBron with his wife, Savannah.2) Mark Ellis
About the writer: Mark Ellis is senior correspondent for the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net) and also founder of www.Godreports.com, a
website that shares stories and testimonies and videos from the church
around the world. He is also the co-host for "Windows on the World" with
ANS Founder, Dan Wooding, on the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network (http://hsbn.tv).
** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).
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