celebrity lineup (program #18)
ALBERT PUJOLS
In 1998 I met my beautiful wife Deidre and then one Sunday she just invited me to church and she just walked with me and told me how much Jesus love me and about two weeks after that I gave my life to Christ. And I can tell you something, guys. That was the best moment of my life, best decision that I made in my life. I wish I would have made it 18 years prior to that. But since then the Lord's blessed me and my family not just here in baseball but in the city of St. Louis and you know I just live for him. All those home runs, bases, all that, I give all the credit to the Lord because he's the one who gave me all the power and the strength to perform for you guys. …For those who haven't found the Lord, don't wait 19 years like I did. Make your decision today, and I promise you that that's going to be the best decision of your life. |
EMILY COPELAND
I was born in Denver, CO and I grew up in a loving Christian home. My parents taught me at a young age about Jesus and I accepted him into my heart at the age of 4. I attended a Christian school from K - 8th grade and it was very easy to be a Christian. There weren't very many pressures of any kind in my life and I was surrounded by godly friends and teachers, which was such a blessing. In 1998, I was 14 at the time I decided that I wanted to pursue wakeboarding more seriously. So in order to keep up with the competition I had to move to Florida for the cold winter months in Colorado. I started home schooling and made the move to FL, with my older brother, who coached me at the time. Wakeboarding is a"good" sport, but at the same time there is a lot of partying that goes on in this sport. So at the age of 14-15 I really had to make a decision to live my life for the Lord or for the World. I had always been a Christian, but I knew that if I didn't make a strong stand in my faith that I would fall into the "pattern of the world". So at that age I really began to see my=2 0relationship with the Lord flourish. I still was not perfect and I stumbled here and there, but God really watched over me and kept me on the right path. One of my favorite verses in the Bible especially at this transition time in my life was Romans 12:2 " Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will." Now, God is using wakeboarding as a platform for ministry and it is so great to be a tool for him. My advice to kids today is to challenge them to "make your faith your own." Life is going to come at you with temptations and enticements, but if you are grounded in the Word of God and if you know what you believe, you will be able to withstand every temptation. I couldn't keep living my faith through my parents or my teachers, I had to decide to pursue Jesus on my own. And He is with you every step of the way. |
TAO BERMAN
One of the things I attribute my success to is not giving up. I’ve never taken no for an answer. Every time I’ve been successful there were many obstacles which would have given me good reasons to quit. I also surround myself with positive group of friends who encourage me, as opposed to telling me why something couldn’t be done. Finally, I always set goals and create a plan to achieve those goals. My advice to kids today is to make sure to surround yourself with people who are a positive influence. Also, find something to be passionate about. It’s very difficult to be successful if you hate what you’re doing. Check out Tao’s new book, “Going Vertical: The Life of an Extreme Kayaker.”
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Click on an episode to learn more about our celebrities.
Program 1: Stacy Dragila, Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Downing view »
Program 2: Kevin Windham, Amanda Borden, John Smoltz view »
Program 3: Dale Jarrett, Mary Joe Fernandez, Darren Henry view »
Program 4: Gail Devers, Mike Jackson, Ruthie Bolton-Holifield view »
Program 5: Kirk Franklin, Ericka Dunlap, Mercy Me view »
Program 6: Mike Vallely, Cat Reddick, Tom Lehman view »
Program 7: Red Cloud, Jenny Johnson Jordan, Rulon Gardner view »
Program 8: Patty Wagstaff, Barb Linquist, Mrs. Kathy Keating view »
Program 9: Don Gay, Steven Lopez, Stu Grimson view »
Program 10: Evander Holyfield, Norm Miller, Bonnie Blair view »
Program 11: General John Shalikashvili, Dr. Shannon Lucid, Jeff Gordon view »
Program 12: Mike Clark, Shaun Murray, Laura Wilkinson view »
Program 13: Jennie Finch, Tim Curran, Michael Weiss view »
Program 14: David Tyree, Ashley Bauer, David Reutimann view »
Program 15: Lindsay Tarpley, Chris Lieto, Martina McBride view »
Program 16: Kelly Clark, Ruth Riley, Chris Garrity view »
Program 17: Tucker Hibbert, Juan Pierre, John Velazquez view »
Program 18: Albert Pujols, Emily Copeland, Tao Berman view »
Program 19: Jarome Iginla, Bryan Clay, K.J Choi view »
Program 20: CJ & Damien Hobgood, Misty May-Treanor, Dwight Howard view »
Program 21: Blaine Wilson, Allison Shreeve, Diego Gutierrez view »
Program 22: Phil Pfister, Ross Anderson, Sheila Taormina view »
Program 23: Josh Davis, Paige McPherson, David Ragan view »
Program 24: Muhsin Muhammad, Apolo Ohno, Donny Robinson view »
Program 25: Bobby Mote, Allyson Felix, Matt Hughes view »
