Tonight at church we were SO BLESSED with the opportunity to watch the following four men be BAPTIZED by their team chaplain:
Walter McFadden
Antonio Coleman
Eltoro Freeman
T'Sharvan Bell
Recognize those names? Yeah. It was awesome. He had a hard time lifting some of them out of the water, they weigh three times as much as he does! Yet with tears in their eyes and soft hearts as big as the room, they stood in front of hundreds and confessed their faith in Christ.
Following them was a steady stream of high school boys who looked like miniature versions of them, big shoulders, dread locks, goofy grins... following in their footsteps, committing their lives to Christ, choosing to stand up for Christ in their schools despite their less-than-ideal backgrounds... it was so cool.
It was such a fresh reminder of how active our God is in Auburn and how capable He is of moving mountains. I underestimate Him and put Him in a box far too often! God allowed those boys to come to Auburn to play football here with this very purpose in mind, and don't you know He was celebrating with His angels tonight as they professed their love for Him?
This is such a huge part of why I love it here! This is what happens when you routinely hire a Christian crew of coaches for our football team. This is what God can do in the lives of those men who, outside of football, often have nothing else to hope in. This is just the beginning of what He is capable of on our campus, and it is so exciting.
Antonio Coleman finished out the service by telling us his story and had the whole place in tears. He finished by saying, "Auburn is a special place, it is such a special place", and I couldn't agree more. Auburn IS a special place. God is moving here. Next time you see them on TV, just smile and know that they are living for so much more than football.
2 year old update!
6 hours ago
8 comments:
WAR EAGLE
this just made my night.
That is so awesome! Thanks for sharing
That is so wonderful! How great is our God!
Krisan, this story is going around among the AU family as an email forward. My uncle sent it to my Mom (not sure who sent it to him) and she sent it to me. Of course I told her I know the author! This story is impacting far more people than you realize. Thanks for sharing it with us all!
What a great story! Thanks so much for sharing. An added bonus is that now the article is making te rounds on the internet! Yes, we love Auburn, and another rason why! War Wagle!!
Krisan,
I had this forwarded to me today. As Auburn alums, it is often difficult for my wife and I to relate to non-Auburn alums just what a special place Auburn is. Auburn is about so much more than football or even an academic education; it is about people's lives being changed for the good forever.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. What an awesome God we serve!
By the way, my wife and I met at Auburn and our relationship was shaped within the halls of FBC-Opelika. My parents were married there nearly 50 years ago, and my aunt is the financial secretary there!
War Eagle!
Doug & Leigh
BSChE '95 & Pharm '96
Hi -- just wanted to say how much I loved reading this, and how much I've loved reading it again as at least three different people (none of whom know you) have sent it to me in the last few weeks. Just one of the long list of reason why we all love Auburn so much!
We could have gone 12-0 this year and it would not to compare to this story. Best football related story this year. I am so proud of these guys.
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