When I spoke with Jason Romano on Created in the Image of God, the obvious story was easy to see: after seventeen years at ESPN, he left a dream job to pursue sports ministry.
But that is not the deepest story.
The deeper story is that before Jason changed jobs, his identity changed.
For years, he was, in his own words, an ESPN producer who happened to be a Christian. Over time, that order was reversed. He became a follower of Jesus first, with everything else flowing from that center.
That distinction matters because ESPN was not some dark thing he needed to escape. It was meaningful, exciting, visible work. That is precisely why it could become identity-bearing. The most powerful idols are often not bad things, but good things that quietly begin answering the question, Who am I?
Jason’s testimony is compelling because he does not describe an instant transformation. His faith became real through his brother’s witness, but the reordering of his life took years. Church, Bible study, Christian community—all of that mattered. But eventually he realized Jesus did not want a slice of his life. He wanted the center.
That inward shift then shaped how he approached work.
Jason did not decide that following Christ meant becoming preachy at ESPN or disrespecting the role he had actually been given. He was hired to be a producer, not an evangelist in the narrow sense. But he also knew he represented Christ wherever he went. So his witness became practical: love people well, serve teammates well, do excellent work, carry integrity, and be faithful in the assignment in front of you.
That is one of the strongest takeaways from his story.
Even when he began sensing that God might be leading him somewhere else, he still had to remain fully present where he was. He used the phrase bloom where you’re planted. That is mature faith. Too many people become unfaithful in the present because they are preoccupied with the future. Jason’s example points the other way: do the work in front of you until God actually moves you.
And when that move came, it did not arrive with worldly logic. His transition to Sports Spectrum involved uncertainty, sacrifice, and a substantial pay cut. It was not an obvious career upgrade. It was an act of trust.
That, too, is part of what makes the story resonate.
God’s work in a life is often slow and mostly hidden. Jason’s conversion, his maturing faith, his changed understanding of identity, his departure from ESPN, and now even his more recent move toward Nations of Coaches—all of it reflects a pattern many people know well: the nudge comes before the map. Clarity unfolds gradually. Trust is tested before it is rewarded.
We like dramatic testimonies because they are easy to tell. But most real formation happens beneath the surface.
That is what I took from Jason’s story.
Not simply that he left ESPN.
Not simply that he works in sports ministry now.
But that success stopped being his identity, faithfulness became his practice, and the slow work of God beneath the surface became the real engine of change.
That is not just a sports story.
It is a human one.
And for many of us, the question is not whether we would leave the big platform if God asked. It is whether we are allowing him to reorder us now, quietly, where we already are.
Because if the visible leap ever comes, it will only be sound if the hidden work came first.
Sneak Peek
As always, here’s a quick sneak peek at what’s next on Created in the Image of God. And because these conversations are often pre-recorded and already “in the can” before this article appears, the episodes below may already have aired by the time you read this. If so, they are still worth catching in replay.
On Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 a.m. US Central time, I spoke with Mary Hulst about forming faith in a generation shaped by anxiety, social media, and fractured attention, and about the possibilities for a more honest, engaged, and vibrant Christian life.
Then on Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. Central time, I was joined by Paul Copan to explore some of the hardest moral questions raised by the Old Testament, including divine judgment, wrath, violence, and how to think about God’s justice and love in difficult texts.
