A Lamp Unto My Cleats

When you think of Biblical male names, which ones come to mind first?  Noah?  David?  Jonah?  Abraham?  Joshua?  Daniel?  Elijah?   There are many to choose from.  But what about the name “Oren?”  We find a man with such name in 1 Chronicles 2:25: The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.  We know nothing about Oren in the Bible other than what we read here.  While not a common name these days, there’s an “Oren” in the NFL; San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, Oren Burkes.

Oren Burks is from Alexandria, Virginia, and played college football at Vanderbilt University.  Burks wasn’t exactly the typical college student.  Instead of focusing on partying and the typical things that college students focus on, Burks was striving to make life better for the people around him.  He co-founded a campus group named REVAMP, which stood for Revitalizing and Empowering Vanderbilt’s African-American Male Population, which worked towards creating a safe and encouraging space for Black men on campus in order to uplift their community at large.  The organization helped groups like Soles4Souls, which aims to fights poverty through the distribution of shoes.  Burk’s care for other people made him stand out from the crowd.  In 2017, his teammates voted to award him the “Mr. Commodore” Award, which is an honor given to the student who best represents their sport, Vanderbilt student-athletes and the campus community.

Burks’ desire wasn’t to fit in.  He told College Christian Connection: “Peer-pressure hinders people.  Being what’s considered ‘cool’ or fitting in with in-crowd.  Walking with Christ, you’re not gonna be in the in-crowd, that’s one thing I realized pretty quickly.  You’re gonna be considered weird, because that’s not what’s considered cool or whatever else.  The quicker you let that go, the better your relationship with Christ will be.  You’’’ see that the goals you’re trying to reach, whatever your passions are, they’ll come to fruiting.  You’ll have clearer vision once you walk into that faith.”

After graduating from Vanderbilt, Burks was selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 88^th selection of the 2018 NFL Draft.  He played 4 seasons in Green Bay.  In 2022, he signed as a free agent with the 49ers.  In San Francisco, he has been a blessing on the field and off.  Burks has continued his philanthropic work in San Francisco through programs like the “Inspire Change Initiative,” in which the 49ers invited formerly incarcerated men to Levi’s Stadium and visited San Quentin State Prison to hold valuable discussions on social justice and continue to learn how the team can better “inspire change.”

Whether or not the name “Oren Burks” goes down in history, or whether or not he becomes the most popular player on the 49ers, Burks has strived to give glory and honor to God’s Name and to make the world a better place.