Andy Merrick writes a letter to the editor to express his feelings of love for his God, and people mock him. Not so much for who Andy is as a person, but for what he believes. His God is ignorant and non-compassionate, and He definitely did not create the Universe. In a football stadium in Iowa City, J.J. Moses creeps, sneaks, zooms, and spins past defenders to the thrill and delight of ISU students everywhere. He drops to a knee after an electrifying touchdown run and raises a finger to the heavens. A sign that Iowa State is number one? Not quite. He is giving credit where it is due. If everyone knew J.J.’s heart, they wouldn’t be quite so quick to jump on his bandwagon and cheer for him while jeering someone like Andy Merrick, because at the heart of the matter they are the exact same person. They are both Christians who share a common belief that there is more to this life than going to classes and scoring touchdowns. They are both striving to follow Jesus’ command to “Go and make disciples of all men:,” and to do this is to talk about their faith. The Bible on J.J.’s dresser shows signs of determination. A determination to understand. Tattered pages and earmarked corners show evidence this book has been read a lot. He is all the way through Isaiah now, quite a distance from Genesis. He reads for knowledge, and he reads for guidance, both of which he could use ample helpings of in his days here at Iowa State. I have always been convinced that a true sign of what guides your life is reflected in the way you act. If this is true, then the main driving force behind J.J.’s life is his relationship with Jesus Christ. J.J. is an excellent football player for sure, but if you asked him what it is like to be the “great J.J. Moses” he would give you the raised eyebrow, what-are-you-talking-about look. He signs an occasional autograph, and he does the interviews, but he is grounded in the reality that the only thing that separates him from everyone reading this column is that he happens to play football one afternoon a week. In fact, he says that he doesn’t even get recognized on campus very much. Would you recognize him? If you do happen to see him someday, don’t hesitate to say hello or ask him how his day is going. For being a “big time” athlete he is the most down-to-earth person I have ever met. In fact, he wanted me to include his e-mail address in this column so people could write to him if they had questions about his faith. I find that refreshing in this day and age of hot-dog sports stars. I have begun to paint a picture of J.J. Moses that may be surprising to some. It is not my intention to make him out to be a square. On the contrary really. J.J. likes to party and have a good time, except his image of what that scene is all about has again been altered by his ever-present faith in God. Alcohol and other physical abuses have never really been a problem for J.J., but temptation has. Who among us hasn’t struggled with temptation in some form or another? The key in those situations is to recognize those struggles and flee from them, and that is exactly what J.J. did. This brings me back to that beloved Bible in his room. J.J. looks at the that book as the “final answer.” There is no question in his mind that the Bible is the Word of God, and it is 100% true. The Bible is what helps J.J. in those times when the world is yanking him in one direction and he needs to hightail it the other way. The Bible is his backup and his confirmation of a job well done. Nowadays, J.J. looks at the party scene a little differently. He could probably throw the party in his bedroom. To put it mildly, it appears upon entering his room that a leopard has just up-chucked all over the place. There is a chair, a bedspread, a rug, slippers and an ironing board all covered in Cheetah print. And when he really wants to set the mood he turns on the disco ball. Yes, J.J. has a disco ball dangling from his ceiling, and better yet he has a multitude of different lights and designs aimed at it, so when the lights go off you’ve got Saturday night cheetah fever. Nobody ever said reading the Bible in your room had to be boring. J.J.’s faith has never been a secret. He leads the team in a pregame prayer, and he is known by most of the team as a guy who is striving to do the right thing. He rooms with his locker neighbor, tight-end Mike Banks, because they share the same beliefs. I asked him if he minded me taking a spiritual approach to my interview with him, and he had no qualms about it. I didn’t record many quotations as I was spending the evening with him, but one I did grab was “God has blessed me, and I want to talk about Him.” I am merely supplying the stage. Iowa State is rolling these days. They are about to go 4-0, and things are really looking like they are turning a corner for Mac’s boys, but J.J. doesn’t want to be talking about destiny or the future too quickly. Although he would like very much for this year’s team to go a bowl game, he understands that God works in His time and not ours. In the meantime, J.J. will keep giving thanks and praise no matter what the outcome of a football game. J.J. would talk to you if you wanted him to. He is that kind of person. A true Christian has Christian love for people and longs for them to come to the same understanding and acceptance of God’s gift to us as they have. J.J. is not a big football star. Just ask him. He is a regular Joe who was given a gift by his creator, and he is using it to the best of his ability. He is a great guy who really wouldn’t mind talking with you. Don’t put him on a pedestal. He doesn’t belong there. As I was leaving his apartment I asked, “If you could only have one sentence to convey your thoughts to these readers, what would you say?” J.J. responded without hesitation, “Seek God. Find God. God is real.”