From Charlie Gray

Bias Disclosure: I’m a huge fan of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. With that clarification on the table, I move forward. Brees played his college football at Purdue where he passed for 10,909 yards and 81 touchdowns. He played for the San Diego Chargers after college where he sustained what was thought to be a career ending injury. He was out of the game for recovery and the Chargers released him to free agency.

When he decided to return, some labeled him as "damaged goods". However, he sparked an interest with both the Miami Dolphins and the Saints. He and his wife visited Miami and loved what they saw. The area was beautiful and full of life. They felt it would be a great place to raise a family and rebuild his career after the injury. They felt, simply out of obligation, to visit New Orleans but they already knew the beauty and excitement of Miami was where they wanted to be.

Sean Peyton, the Saints coach and another favorite of mine, met them at the airport and drove them around the city. He was careful to avoid the rough areas that had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina just years before. The story is told by Bress that coach Peyton got lost and wound up in some of the most devastated areas of the city and surrounding areas. Brees and his wife were unable to believe the devastation they witnessed firsthand. I know that feeling well, I too found myself in that same place just days after the storm.

Coach Peyton just knew he had lost his future quarterback. That night in their hotel room, Brees and his wife were continuing to comprehend the brokenness seen in their tour of New Orleans. With their hearts swollen with compassion, they both knew that New Orleans was the place they were being called to locate. The rest is history. They later created The Brees Dream Foundation donating millions of dollars to aid in the rebuilding of schools, parks and playgrounds in the city. Later that foundation raised over five million dollars for local food banks during the coronavirus epidemic.

The Saints won The Super Bowl in 2010 with Brees named the MVP. Seems the town of New Orleans got much more than a championship quarterback. God calls us to places many times that just don’t make sense at the time based on our worldly criteria. Turns out He eventually reveals His plan if we are obedient and patient.