It was August 1984, at Alamo Heights High School. I burst into the middle of the locker room and yelled, “Who are we going to beat this week?” The room erupted and players and coaches celebrated like we had just won the championship, before we had even played a game! During that excitement my life changed direction. Louie Reiniger, one of our players, got in my face and yelled, “Coach, will you come to FCA tonight?”

God had waited 36 years for this moment, using Louie as a gap soldier to help an old, broken, lost coach find his way home. A gap soldier was a well-trained soldier, who, during an attack, would walk through a break in the castle wall and battle the enemy as they tried to rush in. The bad news for the gap soldier was that while he fought the enemy, preventing them from storming the castle, fellow soldiers were sealing the gap while he fought outside. Now that is unconditional commitment—the kind God desires from us.

That night at FCA, twelve athletes showed compassion and courage, talking about their enemies, how they needed to love, forgive, and befriend them. I had huge voids in my life. I went home that night, got on my knees, and asked Christ into my life. Now, each morning I ask God to use me, as He used Louie, in the lives of those with whom I come in contact.