How Faith Takes Priority for Soccer Star Cal Jennings
By Movieguide® Staff
Major League Soccer player Cal Jennings, 24, may be a star on the field, but his faith off the field is just as impressive.
In May 2019, Jennings announced that he would take an indefinite break from social media.
“Here are some of my favorite photos from the past year. It’s been full of team and individuals accolades, opportunities to grow and learn, trials and tribulations to be made stronger by and understand my purpose, and memories I’m going to keep with me for the rest of my life,” he wrote in the caption. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of people who love and support me through the struggles and the triumphs!
“This being said this will be my last social media post (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter) for the foreseeable future and possibly forever,” he continued. “Over the past few years I’ve taken notice at just how much social media and technology have consumed my time and my life. I feel like as humans we are trending towards being the consumed rather than the consumer when it comes to technology.”
Jennings said that his reason for logging off was not a publicity stunt but for a purpose.
“With the time I get back from getting off social media I plan to invest it more in my friends & family, my beautiful girlfriend, my faith and relationship with Jesus, and experiencing the beauty that this world has to offer,” Jennings wrote. “I love you all and hope you take the time to evaluate the positives and negatives of your social media and technology consumption in your own lives and whether it is allowing you to thrive or stunting your growth. If anyone wants to get in contact with me feel free to text, call, FaceTime, WhatsApp or email and if you don’t have any of those I’m sure someone close to me would happily share it. Much love to you all!”
Jennings later discussed his decision with Baptist Press.
“You can get caught up in this online world and it can be overwhelming,” he said. “It can foster comparisons with others and bring anxiety and depression. You start to wonder why someone else’s life is going so well and yours isn’t.
“There are positives to social media, but it was good for me [to stop] and could be very good for others, even if they just limit their time on it. You can use the platforms, but we need to also consider if they’re taking up too much in our lives.”
Jennings, who grew up in a Christian home, said that it took some time to understand what a relationship with Jesus meant.
“I don’t think I fully grasped what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus,” he said. “I went to youth group and Sunday School, but wasn’t making much of an effort to invest in my relationship with Christ outside of that.”
After FC Dallas drafted Jennings in 2020, the young athlete invested more in using his love for soccer as a catalyst to share the Gospel.
Baptist Press reported:
At UCF he also became involved in AIA camps, working with students to develop not only their soccer skills but also their faith in Christ. Not long after joining LAFC he was visiting his parents in Roswell and took the opportunity to co-lead a Bible study for teenagers alongside Robert Turnbull, First Baptist’s minister to students.
Jennings said that the decision to leave social media just made for more time to share the good news of Christ.
“A lot of my reasoning was to invest more in my relationship with Christ but also to share the Gospel more with others,” Jennings said. “It’s led me to ‘get out there’ and be able to do things like lead the Bible study at my home church. It was pretty awesome to see students grow and help high schoolers face challenges that I faced in high school. I really enjoyed that opportunity to encourage them to start growing early in their faith.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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