A Lamp Unto My Cleats

One of the most spoken about storylines of the 2023 NFL season centered around something that happened far off the field.  It involved a relationship between a certain pop star and a Kansas Chiefs Tight End.  Before I write the names – you likely know exactly who I’m talking about.  Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

There is, however, a different Chiefs Tight End who has some important relationships worth taking note of: Travis’ Kelce’s backup, Noah Gray.

The story of relationships begins in Gardner, Massachusetts, where Noah grew up.  Noah’s mother attended a church where she got to know a young woman named Leigh-Ann McCarty.  The two went to church together for quite a few years. Eventually, Leigh-Ann married a man named Troy Campbell.  Troy became a pastor and the couple moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Troy would serve at New Life City Church.

The relationship between Leigh-Ann and Noah Gray’s mother would bear eternal fruit!

As Troy and Leigh-Ann were beginning their ministry, Noah Gray was focused on football.  He attended Duke University where he was a star Tight End with a very real possibility of going pro. One day, however, he received news that put his future in jeopardy.  After his freshman season, Noah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.  He didn’t know much about the disease and didn’t know where to start researching.  All he really knew about it was that there was a kid in his high school named Parker Dinsmore who suffered from the same disease.  The two were not particularly close and had lost touch after High School.  Not knowing what else to do, Noah made a phone call.  Though it had been several years since the two had spoken, Parker gladly returned the call.  He talked Noah through everything and helped him figure out how to move forward with his life and pursue his dreams.

In 2021, Noah Gray was selected in the 5^th round of the NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.  Though he had grown up in the church, his faith had taken a backseat to football.  So his mother made some phone calls.  She called both Leigh-Ann Campbell and Noah and encouraged them to reconnect with one another.  They agreed.  The meeting took place at New Life City Church.

It was there at church that another important relationship formed: one between Noah Gray and Leigh-Ann’s husband, Pastor Troy.  The very first time they met Pastor Troy invited Noah over for dinner.  As the two got to know each other better, Noah was moved by the selfless kindness he saw in Troy.  He was touched by how he treated his children and in the way he lived out his faith.  Over the next several months, the two began to meet regularly to discuss the Scriptures. He continued to attend New Life City Church and met other individuals who lived out their faith.  This inspired Noah Gray to do the same.  Noah had never been baptized, so he became baptized into the Christian faith in what he calls “legit, the best day of my life!”

That great day was soon succeeded by another.  Noah’s wedding day soon followed, in which he married a wonderful woman named Mary Elise.  Mary came from a family that was very strong in their faith – a faith that remains strong to this day.  Noah told Noah Moon on the Real People, Real Faith podcast that she keeps him grounded and reminds him “of what the Lord has done and what He says in the Bible about certain things we should be doing in our lives.”

Noah Gray doesn’t believe that any of this was an accident.  He firmly believes that God put Parker, Leigh-Ann, Pastor Troy, Mary, and others into his life to help lead him to Jesus. 

In the game of football, the entire team needs to work together to have success.  Our life here in this sinful world works the same way.  God lovingly puts believers into each others lives to help one another make it through the challenges and trials of life.  The Bible Verse that comes to Noah’s mind in relation to this topic is Romans 8:31.  The Apostle Paul writes: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” It’s the plural “us” that gets Noah’s attention.  When we are met by the challenges of life in this world, it’s important for us to come together to help, encourage, and rebuke each other.   

Noah was brought to the faith through relationships that he had with other Christians.  He credits those relationships with helping him stay strong in his own faith to this day.

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