champion life magazine summer 2011
DESCRIPTION
CLM's Purpose is to Equip People To Live Successful Christian Lives. The Summer 2011 issue features: Building Momentum - by Kevin Gerald, The Road to 25 Years - by Kevin & Sheila Gerald, The Power of Focus - by Kong Hee, Get In The Game - by Kevin Gerald, Champions Foundation Update by Theresa Sutherland, and Real Life Champions - Steven & Autumn Wright and Ed & Sandy Ellis.TRANSCRIPT
SPRING/SUMMER 2011M A G A Z I N E
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Champion Life Magazine
purposes to equip
people to live successful
Christian lives.
ABOUT US
The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following.
— Proverbs 14:28
8 Momentum by Kevin Gerald
1 4 The Road to 25 Years by Kevin & Sheila Gerald
2 4 The Power of Focus by Kong Hee
I N T H E K N O W
6 Champions Foundation Update
1 1 Real Life Application
2 2 Champions Centre College
I N E V E R Y I S S U E
3 Let’s Talk
4 You to Us
2 0 Champion Finds
2 9 Real Life Champions
3 2 k. Wise
FE
AT
UR
ES
Spring-Summer 2011 | 1
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHERS
Kevin Gerald & Sheila Gerald
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jodi Gerald-Cameron
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Jen Mueller
ART DIRECTOR Heather Stajgr, Hemisphere Design
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Abbie Buck, Corianne Burton,
Andrea Dashiell, Kim Ludwick, Stephanie Jannsen, Raelynn Poulin,
Leslie Powell, Elizabeth Woody, Judi Shackett, Mark Stewart
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY J. Hobson Photography
CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC DESIGN Venessa Koehn & Mickey Elliott
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kevin Gerald, Jodi Gerald-Cameron,
Samuel Deuth & Todd Griggs
DISTRIBUTION Kim Ludwick
PRODUCER Champion Life Magazine is produced by Kevin Gerald
Communications (KGC). KGC is a department of Champions
Centre in Tacoma | Bellevue, WA, a non-profit organization.
TO SUBSCRIBE
www.championscentre.com
Phone: (toll-free) 888-935-6914
TO SPONSOR If you are a business who would like to partner with
our magazine through distribution or sponsorship please contact
us at: 253-475-6454 x361
QUESTIONS / COMMENTS / IDEAS Let us know. We welcome your
feedback. Please write us at: [email protected]
Champion Life Editorial
1819 E. 72nd St.
Tacoma, WA 98404
Produced by Champions Centre Publishing © 2011. All Rights
Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without expressed
written permission is prohibited and a violation of applicable laws.
2011 copyright
Printed by Capitol City Press
148th Ave.coffee shop
N O W O P E NShort walk from Bellevue College
(Entrance of college, Landerholm & 148th Ave)
Follow us on
LET’S TALK
In the Pacific Northwest, we had the longest winter that most of us can remember. Well, it appears that summer is
finally here! Now that the sun is back and the long, bright days are ahead of us, it’s not time to forget about God
and the priorities in our life. It’s time to get out into the community and make God famous through our relationships,
actions, and service, because “the best we have done is not the best we will do!”
In our past 25 years in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve done some fun—even some great—things. It’s not about getting
caught up in the past, but instead, using it as a platform to propel us into the future.
We feel like the future is alive with possibilities, and we are calling that into your
life as well. We hope the rest of this year is the best of this year for you!
We have a new friend joining us this issue, and he will also be a guest with
us during our summer TC 2011 Conference, coming this August. Kong Hee
tells us about the “Power of Focus” on page 24. Through good times and
tough times, the power of focus can take you to the next level.
Take a look at some of the journey Champions Centre has taken over
the last 25 years, and where we’re looking to go (page 14). The road
of 25 years has been full of great things, lessons learned, and lives
changed. Something we’ve learned along the way, is that building
and riding momentum is a huge part of success. I wrote
about some of what we’ve learned on page 8.
Also, something that our team has been made
aware of in the past year is the reality of Human
Trafficking around the world, and on American
soil. Our Champions Foundation team lays
out some of the alarming statistics for you,
including what we can all do about it on
page 6. Plus, hear about some Real Life
Champions who have overcome adversity
in their own lives (page 29).
Make the most of the next few months!
Step out of the box, encourage
someone in your life daily, think big,
and imagine the possibilities! There
is greatness in you! It’s time to do
something new and fresh, and
continue to make God famous!
P.S. Throughout the different CLM
Issues this year, we invite you to let us know
how you have been encouraged, inspired and
challenged through this ministry by emailing
Spring-Summer 2011 | 3
Do you have feedback or a story to share? CLM welcomes your comments. We want to hear from you!
Please write us at: championlife@
championscentre.com Mail:
Champion Life Editorial, 1819 E. 72nd
St., Tacoma, WA 98404
YOU to US
Our internal fire of passion
and purpose doesn’t burn
strong within us if it’s not fed
fueled and stoked. Feel the
fire! —@kevingerald
Team player? One of the great
keys to success is to help others
to succeed. When you do that,
you can’t help but succeed
yourself. —@sheilagerald
Feels good to be in the house
of God this morning at @
CCTacoma – I'm needin some
rejuvenation this morning.
—@djphinisey
If you don't already, do
yourself a favor and follow
my Pastor @kevingerald. 18+
years under his leadership has
changed my life!
—@brandonmstewart
Vision is like a magnet.
Everyday let it keep you going
toward your destiny.
—@sheilagerald
Up early watching @
KevinGerald speaking in
@SheilaGerald Women's
Conference. Am I jet lagged or
in need of a t-booster? Great
Job, BTW! —@terrycrist
How you treat small
opportunities will determine if
you get bigger ones.
—@kevingerald
Jesus showed up @CCBellevue
like he does every week. If you
were expecting him to come he
did. He will be here next week
too. —@Jakesutherland
It’s quicker and less painful to
learn from advice then from
experience. —@kevingerald
Congratulations on the 5 year
anniversary! Your magazine is such an
inspiration to me and so many readers.
I want to thank you for always being so
relevant. I love reading every issue and
every article. Great work! —Jake A.
Thanks to your magazine I was
introduced to Pastor Kevin’s podcasts. I
recently started listening to them on my
drive to work. They’ve been so helpful
and uplifting—a positive way to start
my day. I’m looking forward to future
downloads. —Mark K.
Check out Kevin Gerald’s podcast now available through iTunes. Search for “Kevin Gerald” or “Champions Centre” in the iTunes Store. Video streaming and MP3 downloads are also available on kevingerald.tv.
Yesterday was our second service at
Champions Centre and we loved it!
Thank you for making our family's
transition from Michigan a bit
smoother! —Amber M.
I loved the Lion-Like article about how we
view Jesus. Gives different perspective
than how I viewed Him growing up in
Sunday school. After reading this article,
I’m more inspired to go after God’s plan
for my life. —Steven S.
I particularly enjoyed reading The
Marriage Mirror from Ed and Lisa. They
were so great at MESH Conference.
I love how real they are. Not every
relationship is ‘happily ever after’. But
there is hope and we’re working on our
fairy tale ending. —Nat W.
Champions Centre Tweets
Here are some of the recent online tweets
we’ve seen about Champions
Centre in 140 characters or less. Join the
conversation at twitter.com.
Comments from Fall 2010 Issue
4 | Champion Life Magazine
worth your time.
Relationship Conference
Feb 8-9, 2012
Women’s ConferenceCelebrating 10 YearsMay 17-18, 2012
Summer Conferencefor EVERYONE
Aug 1-3, 2011
Men’s Conference
Oct 6-7, 2011
www.championscentre.com/conferences
See back page for more info on TC 2011
1.An estimated 27 Million people (mostly women and children) are in modern day slavery across the world
2.There are approximately 100K-300K victims in the United States alone
3.Every year, 1 million children (girls and boys) are exploited by the global sex trade
4.The average age of a child who is forced into prostitution is 13 years old
5.Victims are forced to sleep with up to 40 buyers a day
6.Human trafficking generates $32 Billion a year
7.The Northwest (basically my back yard!) is one of the highest trafficking areas in the United States.
My jaw dropped as I sat there that night. How could this still
be happening? I thought this only happened in movies or the
history books... It was almost one year ago now, I was listening
to Christine Caine (one of our guest speakers at Oxygen
Conference). I heard stories of young girls being kidnapped or
sold by family members. She told us that many of the victims
were raped, beaten violently, humiliated and sometimes even
murdered. Unfortunately, she also said that only a few of the
victims were ever rescued. It’s an industry that is more lucrative
than drug trafficking—it is human trafficking—the buying and
selling of men, women, boys and girls.
Feelings of disbelief, anger, helplessness and sadness
overwhelmed me. In the midst of such a great conference my
world was rocked by what I was hearing. I really felt a tug on
my heart to do something... but I just kept thinking to myself,
“what can I do?”
Over the next few months I began to research and what I
found was beyond anything I could ever imagine. Here’s just
a snapshot:
6 | Champion Life Magazine
Shared Hope InternationalHuman Trafficking tip hotline:
1-888-373-7888
RED VEWITH
I was astonished! For many nights I went to bed sick to my stomach.
The weight of this issue was so heavy on my heart. My husband was
taking notice, and after a couple months of me feeling overwhelmed
by this issue he said, “do something or stop researching!”
So I decided to do something. I attended an awareness event where
I met Former Congress Woman and President of Shared Hope
International Linda Smith. From there I began to attend other events,
talk to friends and family, and do my part to eradicate this injustice.
This opened the door for Jake and I to become Ambassadors of
Hope for Shared Hope International.
We realize that through awareness many young people can avoid
becoming victims. This crime grows in the dark and awareness
brings light to this issue. Many of the teen girls who are trafficked
from our area are scouted out by local pimps in malls or even
schools. We hope to get the word out so that parents, teens and
young adults know what to look for and what to do about suspicious
circumstances.
Also, we see the importance of Safe Homes, where rescued trafficked
victims can receive the desperately needed treatment after their
traumatic exploitation. They are a place that is safe from the threat
of their trafficker, and a place where these beautiful children, women
and men can be restored.
There are many ways in which we all can combat this issue.
Here are just a few: (It’s where I started)
» Pray
» Become aware
» Tell someone
» Give financially
We have a lot of ground to cover but together we can make an
incredible difference. It’s time to be bold and courageous. It’s time
to be the church!
www.championsfoundation.com
Spring-Summer 2011 | 7
8 | Champion Life Magazine
Spring-Summer 2011 | 9
10 | Champion Life Magazine
Spring-Summer 2011 | 11
12 | Champion Life Magazine
Take a WalkDownMemory Lane
Looking back helps us to dream and look to the future. This year we celebrate 25 years of ministry in the Northwest with Pastors Kevin and Sheila Gerald. Not only are we celebrating victories we have achieved along the way, we are also looking ahead to the next 25 years.
THE ROAD TO
25 YEARSQ & A with
Kevin and Sheila
14 | Champion Life Magazine
Peoples Church builds a church with wooden dome inspired by the Tacoma Dome.
1981 1982 1986Jesus of Nazareth, a major outdoor tourist attraction in the NW for over 22 years begins during the summer months. Scrooge the Musical begins in the winter at People’s Church.
Kevin and Sheila Gerald move to the Northwest to pastor Meridian Christian Ministries in Puyallup. The congregation began with 70 people.
MCM hosted Jesus of Nazareth Production on site.
Champion Life Magazine had a chance to sit down with Pastors Kevin & Sheila to talk about their first 25 years of ministry in the Pacific Northwest, how they got here, and where they see Cham-pions Centre going.
Champion Life: What brought you to the NW?
Kevin: We started coming to the Northwest
from St. Louis, MO to be part of the Jesus
of Nazareth (J.O.N) Passion Play in the early
1980s, when we were in our twenties. The
Passion Play, which was written by Sheila’s
brother Steve Munsey, became a major out-
door tourist attraction in the summer months
for over 20 years in Puyallup, WA. We would
come in the late spring to be part of rehears-
als and help out through the summer months
with the production.
Sheila: Honestly, I just came along for the ride.
The summer before we would end up moving
here, I jumped in at seven months pregnant
with Jodi. With my stomach in the way, I made
up for the production!
Champion Life: When did you become a pas-tor in the NW?
Kevin: We came to help the church that had
been partnering with the Passion Play in
Puyallup locate and name a pastor. I trav-
eled alone back and forth from St. Louis
to Puyallup for a few months preaching on
weekends for the church and working with
the church board because the church was in
significant debt. After a couple months, we re-
ally felt God calling us to stay in the Northwest
and I was voted in to become the pastor. That
was the summer of 1986.
Sheila: Kevin came out before me to help
the church, preach on Sundays and get the
Amphitheatre summer season on course. I
missed him and so did our daughter Jodi,
then, 3 and 1/2 years old. I was not even
thinking about staying when we came out
to visit. I was there to support Kevin. We are
both preacher's kids, so I was just focused on
my future with Kevin as eventually being the
lead Pastor at His father's church in Missouri.
I was ready to head back home to the easy
road where “Everyone knows my name!" I just
thought that was God's plan for our future. So
anything different than that was beyond what
I ever imagined.
After being here for a couple of months, one
day my husband out of the blue says, "I think
God has called us here." Of course, the first
thing that came out of my mouth was some-
thing like I hadn't got the update from God. I
remember he very calmly asked, "Did you pray
about this?" It was hard to admit anything
in that moment, but I can truly say that God
has you in mind and will let you know the next
move if you listen.
The
Grea
t Northwest Passion P
lay
Spring-Summer 2011 | 15
1991 1992 1998Meridian Christian Ministries grows from 70 to over 1600 in 5 years. Looking to expand the campus, but the county denies progress because of water problems.
Meridian Christian Ministries merges with the People’s Church in a unique “marriage” of two congregations to become Covenant Celebration Church.
Wisdom for Life Leadership School is established and classes begin for people looking for relevant leadership development.
THE ROAD TO
25 YEARSQ & A with
Kevin and Sheila
Champion Life: What were some of the chal-lenges that you faced in the beginning?
Kevin: One of the biggest challenges we faced
was the church was thousands of dollars in
debt with no strategy to recover until we
stepped in. The first year we were here we
took our very first “Liberty Offering”... at that
point it was call “Debt Destruction Offering” or
something like that, and we brought in around
$7000. It was enough to pay for 13 or 14 bills.
So our church of 70 people or so rallied to-
gether, paid off some bills and burned the bills
as a monument! Another challenge was obvi-
ously that we moved our family of three more
than 2500 miles away from any family or
friends. That was a huge personal challenge.
Sheila: It was a challenge for me as a woman
feeling a loss of security financially; plus, as
a young mom with no family support to help
me, and as a young leader, I felt very alone.
Financially we walked by faith. We didn't have
a church supporting us as a planting church.
There wasn’t even money to afford a moving
truck to move our belongings from our home
in the Midwest to the Northwest (or even to
bring our cars)! That really limited me from
having my familiar surroundings and getting
around to do things. Kevin had challenges in
getting the church back on track and up on its
feet. I really challenged myself to not com-
plain and to keep his spirit lifted. Many times
I would make it a big deal doing small things
with all three of us as a family.
Champion Life: What were some of the steps you took to grow the church and get to a place of security?
Kevin: We made a plan, we had some bold
conversations with lenders, and we continued
to manage Jesus of Nazareth production and
saw thousands of people pray a life changing
prayer of salvation at the end of each show.
For the next five years we saw our church
attendance grow from 70 people in to more
than 1500 people in a very unchurched part of
our nation. We encouraged our church fam-
ily to invite and bring people to church with
them. Word of mouth is a powerful tool of
church growth.
Sheila: Although I knew that I married an
amazing man, I just have to say I really saw
Kevin walk in a higher level of confidence and
wisdom when we moved to the Northwest.
Champion Life: After five years of growth, what happened?
16 | Champion Life Magazine
1999 2001 2002Project 2000 is launched to raise funds to expand the children’s and youth departments in a major capital campaign. Several million dollars are raised over a couple of years.
Champions Centre addition has grand opening in the fall with beautiful classrooms, play zone, youth auditorium, game zones, offices, bookstore and more.
The Coffee Shop opens daily proudly serving Starbucks Coffee.
First Women’s Conference.
Covenant Celebration Church changes its name to Champions Centre.
First Team Church Conference.
Kevin: We were looking to expand the cam-
pus, but the county continued to deny any
structural expansion because of water prob-
lems. So, we were faced with the decision of
what to do and where to go. I have to admit,
I wondered if it was some kind of a sign that
I was supposed to move back to where my
dad was a pastor, but I was committed to
the Northwest and we really felt like God had
called us to this region. So we were in a bit of
a holding pattern.
Sheila: I remember one night, Kevin was
talking to me and saying that maybe this
was a sign for us to go back home to the
Midwest. Doors seemed to be closing with
the county to further build. He knew what
God had put inside him and the next phase
for growth was put on hold. After about 30
days of prayers other doors began to open. It
was a move—but it was just eight miles down
the road.
Champion Life: So, you feel like you were taking laps around a mountain, and then there was an opportunity that opened up, what was it?
Kevin: In 1991, a few months after we had
given up on expanding our Puyallup campus,
we were contacted by People’s Church in Ta-
coma. They were in some financial difficulty
and since we had a track record of financial
turnaround—and because I believe we had
positioned ourselves in a way that always
honored Pastor Owen Shackett and his min-
istry at People’s Church—they approached
me about merging the churches together
and making Sheila and I the senior pastors.
Champion Life: Was it an easy decision?
Kevin: I don’t know that it was easy. But,
after a lot of prayer and counsel we took
on the challenge of merging two different
churches and began the process of bringing
another impossible financial situation to a
worth your time.
Relationship Conference
Feb 9-10
Women’s Conference
May 19-20
Summer Conferencefor EVERYONE
Aug 1-3
Men’s Conference
Oct 6-7
www.championscentre.com/conferences
Pastor Owen & Betty Shackett,
Founders of Peoples Church
Spring-Summer 2011 | 17
2005 2006 2007Champions Centre records their first worship CD, Because of You.
Champion Life Magazine is launched.
First ever— Men’s Conference is launched.
Champions Foundation begins.
A second location is added at an elementary school in Bellevue, WA and plans begin to look for a permanent location.
THE ROAD TO
25 YEARSQ & A with
Kevin and Sheila
strategic plan of success and faith. It took a lot
of faith in that transition.
Sheila: I was happy that we weren’t moving
out of state, I had just begun to feel more con-
nected in this area—so when we felt like we
were in a holding pattern and wondering what
was next I didn’t want to pick up and move far
away. At the same time, I knew the pressure
and stress that taking a church out of financial
debt brought on Kevin and knew it was going
to be a challenge. The first day we were senior
pastors we had to let more than 15 staff go
between both of our churches!
Champion Life: Church merges hadn’t really been talked about, were there things in the transition that stood out?
Kevin: It was tough, right after we merged
we had a natural influx of the two churches
coming together as well as new people walk-
ing through the doors for the first time, but
we also had plenty of people walking out the
door because the church they had known was
changing—and a lot of people are resistant to
change. We had a lot of transition going on in
our teams, in our budgets, in our membership.
I had to fly to Wisconsin to meet with a board
of lenders and boldly negotiate a miracle—we
got close to $1 million dollars written off of
the People’s Church debt and laid out our
plan of action. There were difficult times, but
our team worked hard and God always came
through. God always provided.
Champion Life: How did your faith keep you steady through those first few years of transi-tion?
Sheila: I think us both being PK’s (preacher’s
kids) helped out a lot because we knew God
would provide. We believed that He wouldn’t
call us to something and then let us down.
There were plenty of days and nights when
I could see the pressures of church weigh-
ing Kevin down, but I did my best to keep
our home life fun and light. I tried to keep a
positive attitude with Jodi, because it was
important to us that she grew up loving the
house of God and not despising it. I “faithed it
‘til I made it” plenty of days.
Champion Life: What are some things that stand out in the past few years of Champions Centre?
Champion Life
Magazine is now
available online
championscentre.com
M A G A Z I N E
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worth your time.
Relationship Conference
Feb 9-10
Women’s Conference
May 19-20
Summer Conferencefor EVERYONE
Aug 1-3
Men’s Conference
Oct 6-7
www.championscentre.com/conferences
The second CD recording, Nothing Compares, is produced.
Building begins in Bellevue of the new Champions Centre location.
Champions Forever Home opens in Johannesburg, South Africa for orphans of the AIDS epidemic.
18 | Champion Life Magazine
2008 2009 2011First Relationship Conference.
Celebrate Recovery begins meeting on Tuesday nights in Champs Auditorium.
148th Coffee Shop is opened in Bellevue attracting local businesses and Bellevue College students.
The first ever Easter 3D is filmed marking the largest attended weekend in Champions Centre history.
WFL becomes Champions Centre College.
Celebrating 25 years of ministry, the church looks to the future with great expectations.
Kevin: Wow, the last five years we’ve started
a new campus in Bellevue, we started a new
relationship conference called MESH and we
had our first men’s conference just a couple
years ago. In 2007, we launched Champi-
ons Foundation so that we could continue
to reach our community under an umbrella
that the corporate world could back and get
behind instead of relying solely on the church.
(Sheila: And, we opened our first Champions
Forever Home in Johannesburg, South Africa
for children affected by the AIDS epidemic).
Just this year, we opened 148th Ave Coffee
Shop at our Bellevue Campus during the week
to reach out to the college students and busi-
ness community in that area.
Sheila: Church life is always busy around
Champions Centre—but we wouldn’t have it
any other way!
Champion Life: You’ve been in ministry in
the Northwest for 25 years now, what does that mean to you?
Kevin: We feel like there has been a good
foundation laid, and now we can launch into
even bigger and greater things because of the
groundwork that is there. Most pastors only
stay at a church for three years on average,
so we feel blessed and also proud that we’ve
pushed through tough times and capitalized
on good times and made it this far. But we’re
not done!
Champion Life: What is ahead?
Kevin: It would be easy to just sort of coast
through from here and live on past accom-
plishments, but we’re committed to continue
to take risks, push our faith to the limits and
believe God will do big things! It’s a privilege
to be pastoring in such a great part of the
country. We feel like the best is yet to come.
Honestly. There are things we are doing right
now that are causing us to rediscover the raw
faith that we had when we began. We know
that God has to show up to make it success-
ful. We’ll continue to step out—We see great
things ahead!
worth your time.
Relationship Conference
Feb 9-10
Women’s Conference
May 19-20
Summer Conferencefor EVERYONE
Aug 1-3
Men’s Conference
Oct 6-7
www.championscentre.com/conferences
Bellevue building is dedicated, and Champions Centre is now officially one church with two locations.
Spring-Summer 2011 | 19
Waiting onCoffee Image
CHAMPION FINDS
Walking The Path
(2 CDs; DVD)
Everyone is on a path
going somewhere, but
not everyone is on
the path God has for
them. In this message,
you will learn how to
get on, and stay on the
path God intended us
to be on.
Forces That Form
Your Future
(Book; 3 CDs)
The will of God is not
"whatever happens"
and "whatever hap-
pens" is not neces-
sarily the will of God.
There are nine forces
at work in your life
that are forming your
future. In this powerful
series, Kevin Gerald
shows how you can
choose to use these
forces to your ad-
vantage and create
opportunities of a
lifetime.
Honor Revolution
(2 CDs; DVD)
God called His people
to lead a revolution of
honor—beginning with,
and flowing from the
house of God. You too,
can be a carrier and
communicator of honor:
Honor up, honor down
and honor all around!
First Love
(4 CDs; DVD)
Have you lost your
first love? Love has a
tendency to grow cold.
This can happen in any
relationship, it can hap-
pen in your relationship
with God, it happens
with church, or in your
marriage. Falling in
love is the easy part,
staying in love is the
challenge! Whatever
your situation is, return
to your first love.
20 | Champion Life Magazine
Waiting onCoffee Image
253.475.6454 ext. 361888.935.6914kevingerald.tv
Resource yourself at kevingerald.tvGo online to find a wealth of resources, including free wisdom tips from Kevin Gerald and mp3s of messages.
The Proving Ground
(Book; 4 CDs)
God will require
each of us to prove
our potential at one
level before being
promoted to the next.
In this book (and audio
series) from Kevin Ger-
ald, discover the nine
tests that prove your
personal potential.
Favor Forever
(3 CDs; DVD)
You can’t grasp the
extent of God’s favor
or understand its
magnitude. Favor is
full of grace, never
ending, and lasts
forever. Learn how to
unleash the favor of
God in your life.
The Big Life
(4 CDs; DVD)
This series is all
about living BIG!
We serve a big God,
who wants to do big
things, has big plans
for His Kingdom, and
calls us to think big
along with Him.
Follow
(1 CD; DVD)
Jesus was consistently
calling people to
leave the bleachers
of observation. He
wasn’t trying to win
a popularity contest
and He wasn’t worried
about being politically
correct. Jesus is
calling you to step out
and follow Him.
Spring-Summer 2011 | 21
Somewhere along the line, though,
there’s a change. Somewhere along the
day, some people stay at being good
and others propel into greatness. What’s
the difference in the life of someone
we admire and look to? What makes
them great? Is it something like luck
or natural born talent? Is it years and
years of studying and multiple degrees?
Actually, it’s not that complicated. It’s
really quite simple.
It all comes down to the daily choices
we make. You see, we choose to stay
up late and then hit the snooze button
5 times. We choose to watch a TV show
rather than workout. We choose to pay
attention to the gossip and negativity at
work. Those types of things will not bring
greatness in our lives. There are many
small windows of opportunities that
present themselves throughout the day
that can allow us to become great. Are
we taking advantage of them?
Everyday 6.8 billion people wake up and for
a split second, everyone is on a level playing
field. You have people in Manhattan like Donald
Trump who takes his elevator from his condo
up to his office, to the farmer in Nebraska
who greets the sun as it rises from his fields,
to a sports star like Tom Brady who wakes up
on a Monday battered and bruised from the
previous days’ game. Then there’s the single
mom who wakes her kids to get them ready
for school and the roofer in Texas battling the
110-degree heat to the man standing at the
end of a freeway exit with a cardboard sign.
From billionaires like Bill Gates to sports stars
like Kobe Bryant to everyday Joe’s, the moment
we wake up, we all have the same opportunity.
SIMPLY GREAT
MASTERING THE FUNDAMENTALS
B Y S A M U E L D E U T H – D I R E C T O R O F C H A M P I O N S C E N T R E C O L L E G EIn a nutshell, what separates those who
are great from those who are good?
Those who are great learn to do the
simple things really well. They master
the small things in order to conquer
the big things. Believe it or not, going
to the next level in your life, becoming
great, is rarely found in the big events.
The big events come few and far
between. It’s what you do in between
those events that determine if you will
be ready for them. Greatness is found
in the everyday small things that
happen. Most of these things we don’t
even notice because we are either: too
busy, don’t care, or are on autopilot
and miss them. It’s in the small things,
the everyday occurrences, and the
choices we make on a daily basis that
will propel us into a greater future.
Great people master the fundamentals
1. LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE
“‘Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' This is the first
and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments."
– Matthew 22:37-40
22 | Champion Life Magazine
Somewhere along the line, though,
there’s a change. Somewhere along the
day, some people stay at being good
and others propel into greatness. What’s
the difference in the life of someone
we admire and look to? What makes
them great? Is it something like luck
or natural born talent? Is it years and
years of studying and multiple degrees?
Actually, it’s not that complicated. It’s
really quite simple.
It all comes down to the daily choices
we make. You see, we choose to stay
up late and then hit the snooze button
5 times. We choose to watch a TV show
rather than workout. We choose to pay
attention to the gossip and negativity at
work. Those types of things will not bring
greatness in our lives. There are many
small windows of opportunities that
present themselves throughout the day
that can allow us to become great. Are
we taking advantage of them?
MASTERING THE FUNDAMENTALS
B Y S A M U E L D E U T H – D I R E C T O R O F C H A M P I O N S C E N T R E C O L L E G EIn a nutshell, what separates those who
are great from those who are good?
Those who are great learn to do the
simple things really well. They master
the small things in order to conquer
the big things. Believe it or not, going
to the next level in your life, becoming
great, is rarely found in the big events.
The big events come few and far
between. It’s what you do in between
those events that determine if you will
be ready for them. Greatness is found
in the everyday small things that
happen. Most of these things we don’t
even notice because we are either: too
busy, don’t care, or are on autopilot
and miss them. It’s in the small things,
the everyday occurrences, and the
choices we make on a daily basis that
will propel us into a greater future.
Great people master the fundamentals
1. LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE
“‘Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' This is the first
and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments."
– Matthew 22:37-40
I know this two-part fundamental can
seem like the obvious no-brainer, but
that’s exactly why it’s a fundamental,
and why its so key that first, we never
move away from keeping a passionate
hot-heart for God. Great leaders,
lead from the strength of a vibrant
relationship with God. How is your
relationship with Him?
For most of us the reason why we
got into leadership was because
we had a certain desire to impact
people for the positive. Go back to
that, keep that fresh in your heart, its
all about people!
2. ASK THE CLARITY QUESTION
Truly effective people are that way
because they have taken the time
to be very clear with themselves
and those who are around them.
The fundamental here is taking the
time to get down to the core of what
you really want so that you can take
steps forward.
Here’s a great practice. When you get
the goal or vision written down that
you want to go toward, ask yourself
this question “How can I make this
more specific?” Then once you’ve
added clarity, ask yourself the same
question until you have laser clarity!
3. PREPARE WEEKLY & DAILY
Many people have the habit of getting
up in the morning and turning on the
autopilot switch and going throughout
the day. The alarm goes off in the
morning and their day begins with little
to no thought about it, and by the end
of the day it was all a blur and little got
accomplished. A simple way to avoid
getting on autopilot and losing out on
opportunities throughout the day is to
spend five minutes the night before to
plan the day, and a few minutes before
each week begins. Taking five minutes
a day for intentional planning is a very
small but practical step in getting to
the next level in your life.
There are others, but by the above
examples you see that I’m not talking
about rocket-science, we’re talking
about the fundamentals.
I encourage you to approach this
next season of life with a renewed
dedication to brush-up and master
the fundamentals, it’s in this effort
that you will see greatness emerge in
your life.
“Let us not become weary in doing
good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up.” –
Galatians 6:9
HAVE A GREAT ONE!
WWW.CHAMPIONSCENTRECOLLEGE.COM
SAMUEL DEUTH,
Director Of
Champions Centre
College
Spring-Summer 2011 | 23
FocusA double-minded person
constantly swings between
conflicting choices in his
life, achieving nothing but
confusion and disarray.
Discover the power of focus
and let God’s creative glory
bring energy and power to
everything you do.
By Rev. Kong Hee
of
ThePower
As a young boy, I loved scouting. I was enthralled
with my magnifying glass. Often I would focus sun-
light through my magnifying glass onto a match-
stick, or a bunch of leaves, to see how long it would
take to start a small fire. My mother would get very
upset with me for playing with fire; but I did learn
something as a little boy: focused light has tremen-
dous power! On the other hand, diffused light, or
scattered light, has very little power. Noted pastor-
philosopher, Rev. Dr. A.R. Bernard, defines focus as
“the center-point of attention.”
24 | Champion Life Magazine
In Luke 11:34 (KJV), Jesus teaches, “The light of the
body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single,
thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine
eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” By talk-
ing about the need for singleness of vision, Jesus was
advocating the power of focus. When you are sin-
gle-minded, you are focused. When you are double-
minded, you are constantly vacillating between two
opinions. Double-mindedness will make you a very
unstable person (James 1:7-8). But through mental
and intellectual focus, the glory of creativity will be
released inside of you.
Sunlight Versus Laser Light
Take the sun for instance. The sun is a
powerful source of energy. Every hour,
the sun washes the earth with billions of
kilowatts of energy. The temperature of
the outer, visible part of the sun is nearly
5,500 degrees Celsius. With some sun-
block lotion, you can easily sunbathe for
one to two hours without any problem.
On the other hand, a laser is a relatively weaker source
of energy. A laser focuses a few watts of energy to
form a coherent stream of light. Yet, with laser en-
ergy, you can drill a hole into a diamond, cut through
steel beams, or wipe out cancer in a human body. In
fact, you can focus that little laser energy into tem-
peratures that exceed 5,500 degrees Celsius—hotter
than the surface of the sun! Focused light has tre-
mendous power!
As such, what Jesus teaches about focus is very im-
portant to us all, "You are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:14,16).
Focus can bring energy and power to whatever you
do. Churches with focus will make impact in their cit-
ies. The future of your business or career depends on
the focus you put into it. Remember the old adage:
If you are a Jack of all trades, you become a master
of none!
The Great Cola War
One of the greatest illustrations of the
power of focus is the "Great Cola War"
between Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola. In
the mid-1980s, the market shares of Pep-
si Cola and Coca Cola were about even.
Pepsi then started buying Frito-Lay—the maker of
"Lay's Potato Chips"— the world's largest snack
food company. Pepsi then bought Pizza Hut, Taco
Bell, and KFC, which were the world’s largest piz-
za, Mexican and chicken fast food chains respec-
tively. In addition to that, Pepsi also owns Hot n'
Now, Chevys, Californian Pizza Kitchen, DÌAngelo
Sandwich Shop, and East Side Mario’s. Altogether
Pepsi owns 24,000 restaurants, making it the larg-
est restaurant owner in the world. In comparison,
McDonald’s has only 14,000 restaurants.
In the drink’s department, Pepsi owns Pepsi Cola,
Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Pepsi XL, Mountain Dew, 7-Up,
Slice, All Sport, and even Lipton Tea. And just for
kicks, Pepsi also sells Russian vodka in the US.
Focus
Spring-Summer 2011 | 25
When you look at the parent company PepsiCo, it is
very impressive. It has a much bigger spread than Co-
ca-Cola. After all, Coca-Cola is only a beverage com-
pany, period. But while PepsiCo is worth US$44 billion,
Coca-Cola is worth twice as much at US$93 billion. Per
dollar of sales, Coca-Cola is worth almost four times as
much as PepsiCo!
Pepsi's philosophy is to be all over the world as
quickly as possible. Coca-Cola has a simpler, more
focused mission: To be number one in America. First,
America, and only then, the whole world. That is the
power of focus.
Let us look at another comparison. While Pepsi owns
24,000 restaurants, McDonald's only owns 14,000 res-
taurants. But Pepsi's restaurants make only US$400
million in annual profit, whereas McDonald’s restau-
rants make US$1.1 billion in annual profit. The 24,000
restaurants that Pepsi owns have an estimated com-
bined value of US$10 billion. In comparison, the 14,000
restaurants that McDonald’s owns are worth US$31 bil-
lion. The smaller, more focused company is worth three
times as much as the larger, less focused company.
Success Is Not Hocus Pocus
Success is all about focus. Your vision
is what you focus on; vision is what you
see. Focus a camera on a flower and take
a picture. The photograph will not show
a tree, it will show a flower. Your vision
must be a picture of what you choose to
focus on. You will not experience success
in life if you focus on anything other than
the source of Life—Jesus Christ. No won-
der the great apostle Paul says,
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind and reaching forward to those things which are
ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the up-
ward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)
Paul took all the energy he could muster to focus on
the purpose God had put in front of him.
When you read about our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gos-
pels, you will find that He was the most focused person in
the world. He was always focusing on His Father’s work.
Even at a tender age of 12, Jesus was already about His
"Father's business" (Luke 2:49). Jesus never did or said
anything that wasn't first initiated by His Father.
In Luke 9:51-53, we read that Jesus was so focused
on what He needed to do—going to Jerusalem, going
to Calvary, going to the cross—that He could not be
distracted. Three times in that passage, the Scripture
describes that Jesus was so resolute, the intensity of
His focus was evident all over "His face" and posture.
He was 100 percent single-minded to be the Savior of
the world.
Jesus ran His entire life according to God's purpose
for Him. He fully concentrated on His life assignment.
While He healed all who came to Him, He didn't heal
every sick person wherever He went. While He deliv-
ered the oppressed who came to Him, He didn't cast
out every demon in every town.
When He was at the pool of Bethesda, there was a
great multitude of sick, blind, lame and paralyzed. Je-
sus only healed one man who had an infirmity for 38
years. Only one! Why didn't He heal the rest of the sick
at the pool? It was not His heavenly Father’s assign-
ment for Him that day.
26 | Champion Life Magazine
Countless times when Jesus went up to the Jerusalem
temple to pray, He would have passed by a lame man
by the Gate Beautiful. But not once did He stop to heal
him. Again, it was not God's assignment for Him. It was
a task meant later on for Peter and John after the Day
of Pentecost. As far as Jesus was concerned, He had to
stay completely focused on His purpose.
Establishing Your Purpose
The Hebrew word for purpose is
chephets, which means to "pleasure" or
"delight." That which gives pleasure or
delight to God is achieved on-purpose.
That which focuses on what "God wants"
and not what "we want" establishes His
purpose on which we must focus, in or-
der to know success in life.
To establish His purpose as your focus, you must do
three things:
1. Build on your strength. Ask yourself: "What are my
natural talents, gifts and abilities?"
All Olympic champions have one thing in common—
they spend most of their time focusing their strength
on what they are naturally good at. They are athletic
champions because they are naturally good at running.
They are swimming champions because they are natu-
rally good at swimming. They are gymnastic champi-
ons because they are naturally good at gymnastics.
2. Build on your distinctive. Ask yourself: "What is my
uniqueness?"
We can all probably do many things but if we are hon-
est to ourselves, there are only a few things we do really
well. So what are the few things that you are brilliant at?
What do most people find difficult to do that you find
easy, and get fantastic results when you do it? That is
your God-given talent; your special gift from God.
When you do things that you have a natural talent for
and you are gifted in, you will stay excited, passionate
and energetic. Even if it is hard work, you will enjoy it
because it will be like "play" to you. All successful peo-
ple discover their strength and distinctive, and spend
their entire life practicing those skills, honing them and
becoming excellent.
Jim Carrey is a mega movie star who now commands
US$20 million per movie (US$25 million for Bruce Al-
mighty). But there was a time when Carrey was faced
with many challenges along the road to stardom. As
a young man, he suffered from very low self-esteem.
At one point, Carrey was so depressed that he did
nothing for two whole years. He felt he didn't have the
good looks to be a successful actor. But Carrey real-
ized that he was really unique in doing one thing: he
could twist and contort his face and body into many
funny positions. It is almost like he was born with a
rubber face. So Carrey kept doing impersonations and
performed at small clubs in the comedy circuit. Al-
though he struggled with low self-esteem, Carrey kept
on working hard, practicing and honing his seemingly
bizarre comedy skill.
One day, he was offered a role in a movie called Ace
Ventura—Pet Detective. It had a reasonably good run
at the box office. Shortly after that movie, Jim Carrey
started visualizing himself being even more success-
ful. He wrote himself a check for US$10 million for "ex-
cellent service rendered." And because there was no
money in his bank to cash it, he postdated it. He would
then keep that check neatly in his pocket.
Whenever Carrey felt discouraged, he would sit on a
quiet LA hillside and imagine himself as a movie star.
He would take out the check from his pocket and con-
fess positively to himself—that someday, he would be
a real movie star. Then he would put the check neatly
back into his pocket.
A few years later, Jim Carrey was asked to be the lead
actor of a movie called Mask. For his role, he was paid
more than US$10 million. And the day the money was
banked into his account was almost the exact date as
the one written on the check he kept in his pocket! To-
day, Jim Carry is not just a comedian; he is recognized
as a serious actor who can act in practically any role.
Spring-Summer 2011 | 27
3. Build on your revelation. Ask yourself: "What has
God shown me about my life assignment?"
What are you supposed to do for the Lord in this life?
Once God shows it to you, you must pray for the grace
of God to stay faithful to it.
In Acts 6:4, the apostles in the Early Church made
a decision not to do any more administrative work,
home visitation, counseling, marrying, or burying. In-
stead they were to stay focused on the Word of God,
and to get the mind of the Lord on all future directions
for the Church. In order to do these two things, they
had to free themselves up from other duties.
It is the same with me. Until our congregation hit 3,000
members, I was still doing most of the administrative
work in City Harvest Church. I was the chief editor,
graphic designer, home visitation leader, counselor,
deliverance minister, marriage officiator, janitor, and
building maintainer. But the moment the church grew
to over 3,000 members, I needed to stop. I had to stay
fully focused on my main purpose in the church, which
is to be (1) the Chief Leader, and (2) the Chief Feeder.
If I get distracted from God's assignment for me, then
City Harvest Church would not be a healthy church.
We would stop growing and stop having a positive im-
pact in the city. I need to always build on the revelation
God has given to me, which is:
To build a church with a strong spiritual atmosphere
of faith and purity, where every member is released
into ministry, discipled in the Great Commandment, to
obey the Great Commission.
Every single week, you must invest most of your time
doing what you do best, and let others do what they
do best. When you focus most of your time and energy
building on your strength, distinctive and revelation,
you will become successful in your God-given purpose.
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are help-
ful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
(1 Cor. 10:23)
This is the freedom a believer has. God has given us
the power of choice. But we must exercise that privi-
lege very carefully. The Bible says that not every "good
thing" we do will build up the vision God has entrust-
ed to our care. Life is too short to waste time running
around making the wrong choices. We don't have all
the time in the world to get distracted doing the per-
missive will and miss out on doing God's perfect will
for our lives.
KONG HEE is an anointed church
builder, an effective humanitarian,
a prolific conference speaker and
a successful businessman. He is
lead pastor of City Harvest Church
in Singapore. In 1989, City Harvest
Church was founded with 20 young
people. Today it averages 28,134 in
weekly attendance, and has a total
membership of 32,731. 28 | Champion Life Magazine
Real LifeChampions
REAL LIFE CHAMPIONS
Steven & Autumn WrightSteven grew up as a Pastor’s Kid in
a loving Christian environment, and
I was raised in a broken home with
divorce, abuse, drugs and alcohol
surrounding me. I got married at
a young age to what I thought was
an escape that ended in again an
abusive relationship. As a single
mother of one, I can only say it was
a blessing that us as two complete
opposites found each other and
fell in love. In the spring of 2002
Steven and I had our second son
Gaven. He was a happy baby who
loved life and most of all loved to
eat anything and everything. We
had it all… a wonderful relationship,
careers and a happy family.
The day that dramatically changed
our lives was a beautiful sunny day. I
can remember it as clear as if I were
watching a movie. Steven was at work
and our oldest son Evan was watching
Elmo and I was feeding our happy baby
breakfast when I looked at him and
noticed something very different. It was
as though he wasn’t there anymore, like
he checked out. As with any mother I
felt something inside of me say that
he wasn’t alright. After that day Gaven
stopped talking, eating and wasn’t
happy anymore. We frantically asked
everyone for advice and set up as many
Dr. appointments as possible. We would
go to the grocery store and Gaven would
scream… strangers would come up to us
and tell us that we were horrible parents.
It felt as though we were in a nightmare
and we would never wake up. We even
questioned if God was punishing us for
something in our past.
After almost a whole year of sleepless
nights, force feeding Ensure and endless
temper tantrums, Gaven received his
official diagnoses… it was AUTISM. We
were dumbfounded. What we knew of
Autism was from the movie Rain Man ---
not the child we had. Gaven didn’t repeat
words and count cards, he screamed,
didn’t talk, and most of the time we were
trying to calm him down while getting
bitten, scratched, kicked and punched.
From that point, our marriage felt
nonexistent, all of our time was given to
this little boy. Evan our oldest son was
shipped off to his grandparents most of
the time, I gave up my career to take care
of Gaven and Steven was in denial about
his flesh and blood having flaws.
I cried all the time and fell into a deep
depression. I was now on medication and
felt numb all the time. Where was our
God? Why wasn’t he helping us? Were
we not good enough?
What could we have possibly done to
deserve this?
Where was our God? Why wasn't he helping us? Were we not good enough? What
could we have
possibly done to deserve this?
Spring-Summer 2011 | 29
Somehow, we still pushed forward. We
were bound and determined to never give
up, like it seemed God did on us. Years
had passed and Gaven had daily therapy
at the local hospital and was integrated
at age 3 into an Autism preschool. It was
very hard work, but again we didn’t give
up. After a few months, he started saying
words. A few months more, he didn’t have
as many episodes. A year later, he was
eating solid foods and after that he was
soaring immensely. We couldn’t believe it.
We were told by all the professionals that
Gaven wasn’t going to be able to adapt
to the real world, that he wasn’t going to
be able to do normal child activities and
here he was shining brighter than the sun.
Steven said it was the work of our living
God and I just laughed. Steven begged for
us to attend church and I continued to
laugh even more. We had gone to a few
services in the past, mainly to please
Stevens’s parents in hopes that they
would babysit again. But this time, Steven
was persistent and I finally caved in to go.
We went a few times and I still felt the
same. Nothing changed in me and I didn’t
see the point of church. One morning we
woke up late and Steven mentioned this
church down the street that had an 11:30
service, I thought here we go again... but
this time it was different.
From the moment we got out of our cars,
we could both feel it. Everyone seemed
to be so nice, especially a gentleman by
the name of Pastor Larry in the Children’s
Department. He was the only one we told
that Gaven had Autism. He assured us
that our both of our boys would be fine
and to enjoy the service. The worship
was amazing and we were completely
blown away by Pastor Kevin’s message.
From that day forward we knew that
Champions Centre was our home. Here,
our family has given their lives to Christ;
been baptized and have been totally
transformed by this life giving church.
I am no longer depressed and on
medication, our marriage is stronger than
ever and our son Gaven has miraculously
transformed. He now is on pace with his
peers and both of our boys have their
hearts on fire for God.
After being on our walk together for a
few years now, we can reflect back on our
lives and have come to realize that God
had never left us; he was always there
right beside us. We just didn’t take the
time to look up. The whole time I was
blaming him, he had his arms wrapped
around us. Sometimes we have to
remember that we might not be able to
see the end of the road, but it’s not our
job to do so.
We would like to say thank you
to all the Champions Centre staff
and volunteers. You are changing
lives and making a difference in the
Northwest.
REAL LIFE CHAMPIONS
I am no longer depressed and on medication, our marriage is stronger than ever...
30 | Champion Life Magazine
I'm always amazed at how God
can take things that are broken
and make something incredible
for his purpose. We are a family
made up of broken pieces that God
supernaturally wove into a whole.
I grew up in a strict house with a father
I couldn’t relate to due to alcohol that
nearly destroyed our family. Only my
mother’s love and “never give up”
attitude held us together. I found
acceptance and success in sports and
music, both of which I excelled at. In
1977, I was the top ranked pole-vaulter
in Washington State, and by 1980 at
WSU, I was on track for the Olympic
trials that year. But it all ended when I
suffered a career ending injury during a
track meet. Everything I had dreamed of
was destroyed in seconds. I was without
direction in life and felt hopeless.
After college I came home, began
working as a building designer and
product development engineer and
have remained in that field to this day. In
1982, I started attending Peoples Church.
In 1985, I met Sandy and by 1986 we
were married and have been for nearly
25 years. She also came from a broken
family and was eventually adopted by her
stepfather into a stable loving home. She
has worked as a Payroll Specialist for
most of her career.
For the next several years we stayed
very active in the church until it split in
the early 90's. Leaving with the Senior
Pastor at the time, we were active in
helping to start a new church and served
several years on the church board as
an overseer. It was during this time that
we decided to try adopting a child. The
Lord gave us our miracle in our first son,
Joel, and a few years later, Jonathan.
Both boys came from broken homes
that had alcohol and drug abuse.
Though we loved our family at the
other church, we began to feel the Lord
speaking to us about change. After more
than a year of prayer, we finally visited
Champions Centre in 2006 and haven't
left. It was like coming home after a long
voyage. Pastor’s messages were fresh,
relevant and for us, life changing. Though
we were already born again, it was as if
life was starting new again. We began to
speak more positively, and live life with a
new purpose. Growth is an expected and
exciting part of our lives now.
We have since developed a true passion
for small groups being both CLG hosts
and coaches and have been blessed by
our involvement in Kingdom Builders,
the Worship team, kids ministries and
the Sound Team. Giving financially
into the ministry is not only easy for us
now, but it is a necessary part of our
lives that fuels our faith. Though we
still have many challenges in life, we
are able to face them with confidence
knowing that the God who saved us and
made a broken family into one will see
us through and make us stronger. I am
reminded daily of one of my favorite
scriptures:
“For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, says the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you
a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
(NKJV)
Ed & Sandy Ellis
Though we still have many challenges in life,
we are able to face them with confidence...
Spring-Summer 2011 | 31
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut? Maybe you’ve felt like
you are failing to move forward in God’s plans for your life? We get
comfortable being spectators and just sitting in the bleachers of life
watching things happen from afar. It may not be intentional, but rather
the result of indecision. Just one decision can set off a chain reaction
that dramatically effects and enriches our lives.
When it comes to relationship with God, everyone spends some time in
the bleachers. The bleachers are a place of comfort and complacency.
There is no push, no advancement and no use of your talent. However,
you can’t fulfill your destiny staying in those seats. A well-known story
of the Bible is the story of Zacchaeus who in one day went from being
just a spectator watching Jesus from the top of a tree to being a
guy who got back in the game. Perhaps many of you can relate to
Zacchaeus who preferred to watch things from afar. Something tells
me that it was not only his shortness that caused him to choose the
tree as an observation deck, but also the safe distance it put between
him and Jesus. Maybe Zacchaeus was more comfortable at a distance,
but that didn’t mean Jesus would leave him there. When Zacchaeus
was spotted by Jesus, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come
down immediately.” Jesus called him out of his very safe and distant
bleacher seat into an up-close, personal, and interactive relationship
with him and his people.
There comes a time when everyone in the bleachers will be called
back into the game just like Zacchaeus. Some of you may already
be believers but you have not been an active part of serving and
giving to your church. The following are four steps to a Pathway of
Purpose that can help advance you forward and get you back in the
game of life:
1. Make Contact and make church attendance a regular part of your life.
2. Get Connected and build some God assigned relationships.
3. Be Committed by getting planted in the House of God.
4. Live in Community by finding a place on a team and being a part of
the life-giving community at Champions Centre or your local church.
k.WISEGet In The Game
"Just one decision can
set off a chain reaction that dramatically effects and
enriches our lives."
32 | Champion Life Magazine
swim with the current;
In matters of
in matters of
stand like a rock.
-Thomas Jefferson