The term "empowerment" is derived from an Old French and Latin terminology that may be best translated as "into strength." The prefix and its root describe a process of leading one into a position of strength. How fitting it is that the Lord tells his people ten times in Scripture, "Be strong and courageous." As believers we know our strength comes not from our own power but from the Lord. Walking with Christ, He leads us through a process of strengthening--though I am weak, He is strong!
My journey with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been part of God's process of strengthening and empowering me to walk closer and deeper with Him. As a teacher, coach, athletic director, and principal for 25 years, I have seen the darkness and destruction in the lives of both students and educators. Failed marriages, broken families, alcohol and drug abuse, unwanted pregnancies, and most recently, the suicide of a 12-year-old-boy. Yet at each school I served, there has been a shining light of hope on every campus. Brave teachers and coaches who meet weekly to share the timeless message of faith and redemption through Jesus Christ at an FCA Huddle. Even as a principal, I co-sponsored these huddles with amazing men and women and little did they know that so many times the message delivered by a student, coach, or guest speaker was for me! So many times I questioned, "Is this worth it? Are we making any difference?" And at just the right moment on a Thursday morning or Wednesday afternoon, the answer would come loud and clear--it is worth it! No matter the cost.
Years ago at a local junior high we encountered a female student who was homeless and living with her drug-addicted mother in a car. Earlier in her life, her father had committed suicide and this young lady had quickly become one of the most incorrigible students on our entire campus. She regularly sent teachers home in tears. One of our coaches invited her to attend an FCA huddle and to everyone's surprise she showed up! As the young lady continued to attend, the strengthening process continued. She began to open up and share her wounds and eventually found healing in the arms of Jesus Christ! Years later she sent me a photograph of herself on a mission trip, gently kissing the cheek of a young orphan girl in Haiti. It is the most incredible and beautiful picture of empowerment and healing I have ever seen. I immediately had the picture framed, and it has followed me to every school, every turn, and now into full-time ministry with FCA and the First Family student ministry.
After serving 25 years in the public, private and charter schools, I "retired" to follow a calling that the Lord placed on my heart years earlier. The thousands of lives I witnessed be healed, changed, and empowered through Jesus Christ in the ministry of FCA, leading so many to healthy relationships with Him and the local church, inspired me to begin my own journey to "Fulfill the Vision." I am honored and humbled to join FCA as a Field Ambassador in Clay County, Florida to carry out the ministry by using the methods of engaging, equipping, and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same. Jesus's last command to His followers before He ascended into Heaven was, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." FCA has empowered me to live this commission and for that I am thankful.