Matt Forte: Stay in the Game: Faith, Purpose, and NFL Dreams of a Former Chicago Bear
The Unfolding
Northwestern Media
4.9 • 867 Ratings
🗓️ 31 October 2025
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Matt Forté knew his calling when he was just seven years old- to play in the NFL. What he didn't know was how much faith, perseverance, and surrender it would take to get there. Through injuries, setbacks, and seasons of doubt, Matt discovered that God's purpose was about more than football. It was about shaping his heart, not just his game. In his new book, Stay in the Game, Matt shares the lessons that carried him from a childhood dream to the NFL, and how faith, focus, and purpose can guide anyone through life's highs and lows. Today, the former Chicago Bears running back uses his platform to mentor others and live out his faith beyond the field. Hear how God led Matt from religion to relationship, and from chasing success to finding lasting purpose.
Show Notes:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mforte22/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattforte22/
Sports Spectrum Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/sports_spectrum/?hl=en
The Champion podcast: https://www.myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/the-champion-unlike-any-other/?t=1761583375786
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Page 258 of the unfolding is the story of Matt Forte. |
| 0:04.9 | When I started first playing at seven years old, after the very first practice, I hop in the car, I look at my dad and I'm dead serious. |
| 0:12.4 | And I go, hey, I'm going to be an NFL player. |
| 0:14.6 | Like, I'm going to make it to the NFL. |
| 0:16.3 | And my dad, looking at a seven-year-old, like, you don't really know what you're asking for. |
| 0:21.2 | God's story has been unfolding. |
| 0:24.6 | Since the beginning of time. |
| 0:27.6 | He invites you to be a part of it. |
| 0:33.6 | Another page in the unfolding. |
| 0:37.1 | Hi, this is Meredith Foster. |
| 0:39.4 | I can remember being in college thinking, I have no idea what I'm called to do. |
| 0:45.0 | I think that's common for a lot of us, even into our 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. |
| 0:49.8 | It's one of the reasons I find it so fascinating that Matt Forte knew his calling when he was |
| 0:55.7 | seven years old. |
| 0:57.0 | And it wasn't just to play football. |
| 0:58.9 | It was to play football in the NFL. |
| 1:01.7 | Now at seven, he didn't know about the odds that were stacked against him. |
| 1:05.0 | That out of more than a million high school football players every year, less than 0.03% ever make it to the NFL. Astronomical odds. |
| 1:14.8 | But Matt knew the what, what God was calling him to do. He didn't yet know the how, and it wouldn't |
| 1:21.6 | be until much later, after a journey through injuries, setbacks, and even moments of questioning God, |
| 1:30.2 | that he began to understand the why. |
| 1:32.1 | Why did God give him this passion? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Northwestern Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Northwestern Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.