I was brought up as a Baptist. I was sprinkled in Baptism at seven. As an eight year old, I was told that God built the earth and everything on it in six days and rested on the seventh day. I was also told that I was just like God. I looked around and knew that I could not repeat God’s miracle. Next I was told that if I sinned that I would burn in hell. I had probably already stolen some bubble gum. I figured that I was damaged goods. I never understood salvation.

I walked on the edge most of my life. I never broke any of man’s laws. I never served time. I was in many fight situations as a teenager. I had a learning disability in the forties, fifties and sixties before dyslexia was understood.

Athletics kept me in school and close to the right road. I have had many blessings and I now truly believe that our God had a plan for me. Negatives have seemed to always turn into positives for me.

Athletics opened the doors of opportunity at Michigan State University for us. I was married to Pat and the father of Felicia as I entered M.S.U. in the spring of 1956. Between Roy Niemeyer, my enrollment officer, and my wife, Pat, I was able to earn my Bachelor of Science degree.

Teaching and coaching was a great opportunity to reach out to so many people. Not just students but parents and others in the coaching profession. I was not yet prepared to give the real message.

Wrestling put me in front of millions. Again I took to the fast track and did not understand how good God had been to me and my family. I was so self centered that it is now embarrassing.

It took ten years of a life-threatening disease to get my attention. The support of my wife, family and so many others was critical, but I still did not really get it. I did a 911 and shut down in the hospital. I truly believe that God had bigger plans for me. That is why I have been cured from Crohn’s (which Modern medicine says there is no cure for) and now have great health.

I received an e-mail from a wrestling fan, Todd Curcio. To this day I can not believe how simple it was. Todd simply asked me if I had accepted THE LORD JESUS CHRIST as my savior. I said no and Todd asked me if I would mind if he sent me a couple of books to read. About the the same time out of the blue, John Randolph, a minister in our family sent me a book to read. I finally started to get what I had missed as an eight year old.

I said to Pat “let’s go church shopping”. We decided to start at a Baptist Church to eliminate it and move on. God was there to show me that the church was not the problem but that I was.

The day that we visited the First Baptist Church Merritt Island we were surprised to see so many young people. That was good; we both like to be around young people. We also really liked the minister. There just happened to be a young gospel singer from Australia giving her testimony that morning and a concert in the evening.

The following Tuesday was 9/11/01. After crying with the rest of the nation, it was back to the First Baptist Church Merritt Island. What happened there just blew our mind. We live in Cocoa Beach, Florida, commonly referred to as the Space Coast. The First Baptist Church Merritt Island was filled and many were in the military. What a powerful day in my life.