Stinchcomb (left) and Wright (center) with FCA's Kevin Burrell

As Jason Wright and Matt Stinchcomb fielded questions from Kevin Burrell, Atlanta FCA area representative, they tried  to imagine what message their hearts would need to  receive if they were the high school athletes who ultimately would view the DVD Burrell was recording.

They tried to imagine being 17 years old. They tried to imagine worrying about what  others were thinking and the paralysis that develops when your identity is lost. They tried to imagine the pressure of being accepted and the lure of drugs. They tried to imagine the temptation of taking steroids to artificially enhance performance.

It wasn’t that difficult. Wright is a second-year running back for the Atlanta Falcons, and Stinchcomb is a seventh-year offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn’t that long ago that they faced the same feelings.

“When I was sitting there answering questions, God was giving me the heart to say, ‘What would you need to hear?’” Wright said. “I know the right words at the right time would’ve made a big difference to me. I feel like I would have come to a true and loving relationship with Christ quicker if I had heard exactly what I was going through.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of kids watching this who have been in church their whole  lives, but it’s their parents’ faith they’re living and not their own. This will be a time to hear the truth from guys who understand and aren’t the preacher they’re used to. You get an instant connection being an NFL player. Otherwise it takes time to earn trust at the relational level. Their hearts are ready to receive, where they might not be otherwise.”

The 30-minute DVD, recorded on April 27 at Crossroads Church in Newnan, Ga., will be viewed by 1,500 players and coaches at the 2005 FCA High School Football Kickoff dinners on Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 in the south Atlanta area. Burrell, who covers six counties with area director Randy Bruno, can envision a day when this DVD is used at FCA  Camps all over America.

“God was the One who inspired it,” said Burrell, a former professional baseball player  and national scouting supervisor for the Houston Astros. “We didn’t go looking for it. Jason and Matt were brought together.”

Jere Johnson, an FCA staff member and chaplain at Northwestern University, Wright’s alma mater, delivered Wright. Paul Snellings, who played at the University of Georgia, delivered his former teammate, Stinchcomb. As they got to know the FCA staff, they were asked about collaborating on a project, and both were excited.