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As Derek Carr’s NFL career evolves, so too does his preaching

Updated February 28, 2022 - 10:15 am

It’s Friday night in Las Vegas, and Derek Carr is exactly where he wants to be. And really, where he believes he’s supposed to be and needs to be.

He’s come to Calvary Chapel Church to spread the word about the Men’s Alter Conference he is hosting next month at the Thomas & Mack Center. Not as the Raiders quarterback or a high profile professional athlete, but simply Derek, who is just as comfortable preaching the gospel as he is directing a fourth-quarter comeback win.

His name obviously adds a spotlight element to the event. It’s one of the reasons some of the worshipers who joined him Friday came dressed in Raiders gear.

But what he does as an NFL quarterback has never defined him as a man, husband or father. That is one of the many messages he hopes to deliver on April 8th and 9th when he welcomes more than 15,000 men from across the country to the Thomas & Mack Center for a weekend of teaching and fellowship.

“There’s so much that I can keep going into, that I will continue to go into as the weeks get closer, that we can help these men with, these young men, finding out who they are,” said Carr. “Not only in their family dynamic but in their workplace. That’s not who you are. That’s what you do.”

For Carr, that starts with a faith-based foundation that he leans on through times of distress and celebration. It’s one he continually turned to during a tumultuous Raiders season defined by trying times, tragedy, and ultimately, a rising to the occasion that pushed the Raiders to their second playoff appearance in 19 years.

Overcoming adversity

In a span of four weeks, the Raiders suffered a one-two punch that nearly derailed their season. First, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was forced to resign after a slew of disparaging emails he wrote over the years were made public.

Then star wide receiver Henry Ruggs was involved in a fiery car crash that took the life of 23-year-old Tina Tintor. Ruggs is accused of driving 156 mph with a blood-alcohol level twice the Nevada legal limit and faces several felony charges that could put him in prison for up to 50 years.

The second-year wide receiver was immediately released by the Raiders, who had to carry on without their young star but also try to deal with an incredibly tragic situation while remaining focused on the season.

For Carr, that meant turning to his faith.

“I try my best to keep that firm foundation,” Carr said. “It was hard this year because it was tragedy. There were lives changing, lives lost, family dynamics changing. It felt like one after another. It was just a wave of emotion that I really didn’t get to process during the season. If I didn’t have my faith, I honestly don’t know how we would have accomplished what we accomplished.”

Defining manhood

Carr’s focus at the moment is helping men better define what it means to be a man. Especially in a time where young men are being pulled in various different directions. The challenge they face will be a big theme at his upcoming conference.

“For young men they’re fighting, who are they? They’re trying to figure out who they are,” Carr said. “Who’s telling them who they are? Is it culture? Is it the media? Is it Fox News, is it CNN? Who’s telling them who to be?

“Is it Instagram? If I don’t look like ‘that’ then I’m not worth anything? Is it the people at school, is that who tells you your worth? For young men, it’s trying to help them find who they truly are.”

While Carr believes his celebrity and well-known faith can help in that pursuit, he also believes the position he comes from as a husband and father can have just as big an impact.

“From a dad and husband standpoint, really calling men out of complacency,” Carr said. “You’re not just the authority. Meaning whatever you say goes. This is a partnership with your wife. And that’s God’s daughter and you should treat her as such. And loving her the way she’s intended to be loved.

“And I think being a dad, being selfless. I’m tired too. I get beat up for a living. And I gotta come home and I gotta be dad. And I’ve got the play with my kids.

“There’s times when I’m like, OK I’ll play with you, but I’m going to lay on the floor, you guys just climb on me. But just spending that time with them, and pouring into their lives and being there for your children. Taking the responsibility as a man and saying, you know what, I’m going to raise my family. I’m not going to let culture do it for me.”

Finding balance

For as long as Carr can remember, he envisioned two things about his future.

“I was going to preach the gospel and I was going to play football,” Carr said.

There were times along the way when his two callings created conflict. In particular, his rookie season when he came close to retiring from football to devote all of his focus to preaching.

“I almost walked away from the game because I knew (preaching) was such a calling on my life,” Carr said.

But as the years passed, he’s been able to find the necessary balance to carry out both passions. As his football career has blossomed, it’s created a sturdier foundation for his preaching.

In that way, neither calling takes away from the other. In fact, he’s grown as a preacher just as much as he has a quarterback.

“I’m seeing this platform develop. I’m seeing that God is really calling me into this, and I’m stepping into this,” Carr said. “And I’m just seeing such a response, just on my life. And it wasn’t because someone put a microphone in my face. It’s just because I seek Him every day. I’m praying, I’m reading and I’m just trying to be closer and better as I can every day. I just try and share that with everybody that I get to share it with.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.

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