Growing up in Pennsylvania, my grandmother raised me to go to church. I did all the normal Christian things like go to Sunday school, sing in the choir and participate in our group of junior missionaries. Obviously, by the time I got to college, I knew who God was. I could tell you all the Bible stories and knew about Jesus, but it all was a very premature version of knowing Him. I didn't really recognize Christ as my Lord and Savior or have a personal relationship with Him.

Believe me, I realize how blessed my life has been. My parents are strong Christians who raised my brother and me to go to church every Sunday and develop a relationship with God. My brother, Luke, who played basketball at the University of Notre Dame, was very influential in my spiritual growth. We were both in small groups while in high school, and we learned a lot about the Lord during that time.

Los Angeles has so many potential distractions and pitfalls for young kids growing up there. But, in my own life, because God had blessed me with a solid faith in Him through the instruction of my mother, I was able to avoid most of them.

“The difference between champions and near champions is the ability to play for something outside of self.” – Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame football coach

What comes first, success or confidence? For most of us, we are confident when we are successful, but how do we get that initial confidence? Can we be confident without the evidence of success? It’s like the old question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” We want to believe we can succeed, but we need proof. We think we have to actually see David defeat Goliath before we believe it’s possible.