To God be the Glory

     I have been a Christian all of my life... I grew up in a family that went to church almost every Sunday and both of my grandparents were church goers. We attended First Christian Church in Stephenville and had chosen this location because of close family friends that also went there.  We were the average American family. We went to church because it was the right thing to do...but even as a kid i knew that was not enough. I would fight going to church sometimes because I knew we were not doing it for the right reasons. I believed in God and Jesus, but other than that I had very little knowledge. I knew the main concepts, but had read little of the bible and understood even less. When I was still young, me and two friends decided to get baptised. I remember thinking i would come out of the water and be magically feel like a new person with a different outlook on life! I failed to recognize the symbolic nature of baptism, but i knew i believed in Jesus and had a lot to learn.   I knew i was missing something, and not giving it my all. This type of passive religion was very frustrating, but yet I never did anything to change it... until now.

     Steve Grant is our team chaplain and he gave us a message one night before a game and a quote that has really stuck with me. "To God be the Glory!" he said, and as simple a message as it was it really inspired me to start truly living for God. Steve Grant and Bobby Dagnel, the team pastor, have really helped myself and the whole team along this journey. Having them around the team helping, praying, and giving devotionals has given us players a sense of direction and a resource for those who wants to partake. With this support, I have started to consistently attend Bobby's church at First Baptist in Lubbock. Ashley, my fiancee, and I are also going to a engaged/newlywed bible study. This church support has given me help with a better understanding of the bible and my expectations as an active Christian. I also have set a goal to read the New Testament by the end of the year as shown in my post "New Years Resolutions." I am inspired to do everything I can to be a better Christian in all aspects of my life including football. In this way I hope to be a good role model for future athletes and to show that you can do the right thing and still be successful. I am on the right path of Faith and can't wait to see what God has in store for me next! My testimony is not extreme and i am not perfect... I still have a lot to learn, questions to face, and tribulations to overcome... I'm just a student of this game they call life!

-"To God be the Glory!"