From Football to Farming: How NFL Star Jason Brown Walked In Faith
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former NFL center Jason Brown followed God’s calling when he led him out of football and into agriculture and ministry.
Brown was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He played on the team from 2005-2008.
From 2009-2011, Brown would be traded to the former St. Louis Rams (now Los Angeles Rams), where he would acquire a $37.5 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL.
In 2011, Brown announced his retirement, trading his cleats for work boots as he took on the agricultural life.
Brown knew nothing about managing a farm, but he learned through YouTube videos.
“People tell me I’m crazy, they downright tell me that I’m stupid okay to walk away from millions of dollars. Because if you have the opportunity to play in the NFL, then it’s supposed to be a no-brainer,” he said on Tamron Hall’s show.
But Brown didn’t care about what anybody else thought. He knew God called him to this new career path.
“When I think about a life of greatness, I think about a life of service,” he explained, adding that he doesn’t need to live up to “man’s standards” but only find success “in God’s eyes.”
Brown continued, “I asked Jesus, ‘With all of the gifts, the talents, the resources, all of those blessings that you’ve given me, what can I do more so than anything else to be a blessing to our neighbors?’”
“Jesus said ‘I want you to feed my people,’” he shared.
“I knew nothing about farming and so the leap of faith is saying, ‘All right, God, I’m gonna walk in faith and not by sight. You know everything that you’ve told me to do even though I have no clue how it’s going to be accomplished. I’m going to keep walking in faith every single day,’” Brown added.
Through Brown’s First Fruits Farm, he ministers to and feeds his neighbors. His goal? “To share the love of Christ and aid in hunger relief in eastern North Carolina.”
“Now Brown’s farm and his ministry, Wisdom for Life, give away nearly all the food he grows to people in need. Since 2014, First Fruits Farm has provided more than 1.6 million servings of fresh produce. Brown has just released a new book describing his life and his mission. It’s called ‘Center: Trading Your Plans For A Life That Matters,’” ABC 11 reported.
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