The Philadelphia Eagles football team players are enjoying a well-deserved rest following their monumental Super Bowl win. But behind the scenes, Joshua Cooley is busy at work on the draft. I’m not talking NFL draft; I am referring to the final draft of his new book The Biggest Win, scheduled to be released July 30th by New Growth Press.
Based on the faith and spiritual disciplines of six players from the world champion Philadelphia Eagles, The Biggest Win is designed to help athletes of all ages keep their focus and priority on their relationship with God. Joshua told me that he wrote this book to “help Christian athletes of all sports glorify God and grow in their faith.”
The New Growth Press website describes The Biggest Win as a book “written with high-school and college-aged athletes in mind,” that “explores how the kingdom of heaven advances in human hearts through athletics, and how, since creation, God’s marvelous plan allows athletic competition—something enjoyed by billions of humans worldwide—to be one of many catalysts for spiritual growth.”
The idea for The Biggest Win grew out of a cover story Joshua wrote for the 2017 November/December issue of Bible Study Magazine. The article provided readers an inside look at the theologically rich Christian fellowship found among a group of Eagles’ players. It wasn’t long into the project before Joshua realized he had more material than one article could hold. After contacting New Growth Press, who agreed to publish his book, Joshua discussed the idea with the players. With their help and support, he began work on the larger project. He never imagined the season would end with him watching the men who became his friends hoisting the Lombardi trophy and giving the glory to God.
But Joshua does remember the high aspirations of Nick Foles. In one of their conversations early in the regular season, Nick said, “If I’m ever fortunate to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, it’s because God gave me the ability to do that and he had a purpose. It wasn’t for me to have that trophy; it was for me to share the gospel.” When Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury it was Nick who finished up the season and led his team to victory. Carson’s godly character shined bright in that moment entrusting events to the sovereign hand of God. Joshua includes Carson’s thoughts in the book’s chapter on enduring athletic trials. Carson told Cooley, “I think he’s going to use that to reach people. I think it’s just going to be a testimony, and at the end of the day, he’s going to get even more praise and more glory.”
I asked Joshua, how he reacted to the Eagles big win. He laughed and said, “When Trey Burton threw the Philly Special to Nick Foles for a touchdown, my daughter and I jumped off the couch and up and down like a kangaroo! These guys took a lifelong Redskins fan and turned me into an Eagles fan—for at least one season anyway.”
Join me in praying for Joshua as he completes his edits and help me get the word out to tell everyone about The Biggest Win. You’ll want to preorder a book for yourself and get a few extra copies to give away.
Leave a Reply