Kay Coles James

She is a graduate of Hampton University and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, including the Doctor of Laws Degree from Pepperdine University. In 2003, she was named the 2003 Distinguished Christian Statesman by Dr. D. James Kennedy, in which she was described as a Christian statesman who “makes it clear that the only way to transform any culture is from the inside out and that ‘the children of God will be called upon to lead the way.’” She is a wife, mother of three children, and grandmother of five.

She committed her life to following Jesus Christ while watching Billy Graham on television before entering college. She said that it was while sitting with other students at an InterVarsity Fall Conference in Virginia, that she heard the conference speaker describe the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross and realized that God had a calling for her life. She said it was then that she told God, ‘God, I am available to be used by you. Here I am.’ She said, “I did not have a plan beyond ‘What is the next opportunity to serve?’ I will tell others, if you’re willing to do that and really mean it, hold on, because you don’t have a clue as to where your life is going.” Her name is Kay Coles James.

Robert Griffin III

He is the new NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He was selected by the Redskins in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football for Baylor University, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011. Hailing from a military family, with a strong, strict father, he began college at 17 years old. With dedication and hard work, he graduated in 3 years with a degree in political science, and a 3.67 GPA, all while appearing on the Dean’s List two times. He is currently studying for a Masters degree in Communications. He won the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year award, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, and the Consensus All-American award in 2011.

He said of his faith, ‘I was heavily influenced by my parents to learn discipline. But my relationship with God was my most important influence…I’ve been in the church since I was 7. My parents didn’t push it on us but they made sure we grew up in the church, so that’s all we know, that’s what we do.’ He went further to say, ‘Whenever you can be a Christian and come to a Christian university like Baylor and make a difference like this whole football team has, it’s great. [God] gives you the stage to make a difference and not to just talk about yourself, but lift Him up. There are a lot of different types of Christians everywhere, but my biggest thing is it’s not our job to judge; it’s just our job to go out, praise Him, let people know what He’s doing, and let people follow if they want to. So I praise God, I thank him for everything. Purposefully, you live every day for Him, and when He gives you the opportunity to speak up for Him or to do something in His name, you do it.” The young man that I am talking about is Robert Griffin III, better known as RG3.


He is a bestselling author, actor, television and radio personality, entertainer, and comedian. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of only four comedians featured in the Spike Lee joint “The Original Kings of Comedy.” He currently hosts the nationally syndicated radio program “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” as well as the television game show “Family Feud.” In 2007, he won the Syndicated Personality/Show of the Year Award by Radio & Records Magazine. He is the author of two books, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” and “Straight Talk, No Chaser”. The movie, “Think Like a Man” is based upon his bestseller, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” and was released on April 20, 2012. Within a few days it became the #1 movie in America.

At a Morehouse College event, he told the audience of how he became a “new Christian”. And every day, he opens his radio show talking about his faith and in his own way, encouraging others to follow Christ and serve God as well. He said in an interview regarding his second divorce, ‘It was honestly the toughest period ever in my entire life. But it highlighted my need to be a better Christian.’ Along with talking about his faith often, he hosts the annual BET “Celebration of Gospel” event which features a who’s who of Gospel singers and performers. His name is Steve Harvey.

Chuck Colson

He was a former Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973. Once known as the “hatchet man” for President Nixon he came to prominence at the height of the Watergate scandal when he was named one of the Watergate Seven. He compiled the notorious “enemies list” of politicians, journalists and activists who were perceived as threats to the White House. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for seeking to discredit former Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg. He served seven months in the federal Maxwell Prison in Alabama as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges.

A year before going to prison, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. His biographer, Jonathan Aitken, said, “He transferred his huge drive, intellect and maniacal energy from the service of Richard Nixon to the service of Jesus Christ.” After his release from prison, he founded Prison Fellowship which today is “the nation’s largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families”. He worked tirelessly to promote prison reform and prisoner rehabilitation. He later founded Justice Fellowship where he used his influence in conservative political circles to push for reforms in the U.S. criminal justice system.

His autobiography “Born Again,” has sold millions of copies and in 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize, worth more than $1 million, which is given each year to the person who has done the most to advance the cause of religion. He has received honorary doctorates from various colleges and universities. And in 2008, he was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.

He said of his hope in Christ, “Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. And that’s where our hope is in life.” He went home to be with Jesus on April 21, 2012. His name is Chuck Colson.

Bubba Watson

He is a professional golfer who won the 2012 Masters Tournament. He is one of the few players who can hit a ball over 350 yards capable of generating a ball speed up to 194 miles per hour. His Masters win elevated him to a career high number four in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has also won the Travelers Championship in 2010, the Farmer’s Insurance Open in 2011 and the Zurich Classic in 2011.

He says of his faith, ‘I grew up in Bagdad, Florida, as one of the good guys: “Didn’t cuss, didn’t cheat, didn’t steal, didn’t lie, didn’t drink, didn’t do drugs…I was doing the right things but I didn’t know what that meant.” In his senior year in high school, two twin neighbor girls invited him to their youth group. He went and found a place where he belonged. He said, “The girls asked me to go to church, and after a few times going I realized this is what I wanted to do. This is truth here. And I gave myself to the Lord.” Though he never took a golf lesson in his life, he said “I am grateful for the people around me and the opportunity to live my life for Christ. I’ve really got a good team around me trying to help me succeed, not just in golf, but off the golf course, to be a light for Jesus.” He frequently uses his Twitter account to share Christ with his followers. He said, “For me, it’s just showing the Light. There’s people who want to put down Christians. I try to tell them Jesus loves you.” His name is Bubba Watson.

Thomas Kinkade

He says of his salvation experience and the impact that it had on his work, “I became a Christian in 1980, when I was about 22 years old, and I would say that when I was saved, my art got saved. It was then that a very interesting transition began in my life. I started to see the characteristic of light begin to develop within my work. The darkness was leaving and the light was beginning to break forth. For example, my paintings, prior to that time, were very much self-defining and idiosyncratic. They were very much my own expression. I had little interest in how my art affected other people. In fact, my college professors would constantly make the point that one’s art is all about one’s self. It doesn’t matter if someone else understands or likes it. It doesn’t matter if they purchase it. All that matters is you.’ It was art as self-expression, as opposed to any concern for, or consciousness of an audience, or any desire to impact other people. When I became a Christian, I began to challenge that notion…”

He credited the Lord for both the ability and the inspiration to create his paintings. He says, “My goal is to touch all people, to bring peace and joy into their lives through the images I create and I see my art as a ministry tool to share Jesus Christ with the masses.” His name is Thomas Kinkade.

Ralph David Abernathy

When asked by a college student how he came to know Jesus Christ as his Saviour, he said, “When I was a young boy I went to the altar one Sunday morning in my father’s Baptist church and there I met Jesus Christ. And I’ve never been the same.” He said on another occasion, “Christians should be ready for a change because Jesus was the greatest changer in history.” His name is Ralph David Abernathy, Sr.

Lecrae

Raised by a single mother in Houston, Texas, he moved around a lot in his early years and soon dicovered rap as a way to convey his feelings to others. Before starting college, he was almost arrested for drug possession. When the police officer saw a Bible on the back seat of his car, he asked what it was. He told him, “I know I need to live it.” That night, the officer made a deal with him that if he agreed to live by the Bible, the officer would let him go. Soon after, a Christian leader encouraged him to attend a conference where he heard James G. White speak. From this encounter, he gave his life to Christ and became passionate about Jesus Christ and Christianity. This led him to print his salvation testimony and pass it out across the University of North Texas campus. After graduating from the University of North Texas, he began volunteering at a juvenile detention center and began work on his debut album. In 2005, he co-founded ReachLife Ministries which is a non-profit organization that exists to help equip local Christian leaders with tools and media projects that are culturally relevant and based on the teachings of the Bible.

He says of his faith and his work, “I think every rapper is a preacher, it’s what’s the sermon that they are giving. Every rapper is preaching something. They are either preaching that you can find satisfaction in a million dollars or 50 women, or that you are not a real man unless you are a killer. I just look at myself as another individual who has a different message and a world view that I think is the most beneficial, the most helpful, and I’ll be honest, it’s the right one…I think a Biblical world view is the right world view.” His name is Lecrae Moore.

Martin Bashir

He is a British journalist, news anchor, and media personality. He currently anchors his own afternoon show on MSNBC. He is also a contributor for NBC News’ Dateline program. He was previously an anchor for ABC’s Nightline and is best known for his interview with the late Princess Diana (which remains the only television interview with her) and his well-received documentary on the late king of pop, Michael Jackson. He has won several awards for his work including three British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, five Royal Television Society Awards and two Broadcasting Press Guild awards.

He was born to Christian Indian parents in South London. After he interviewed Pastor Rob Bell regarding his controversial book, “Love Wins”, some began to question whether he was a Christian himself. He clarified in an interview with Paul Edwards that he is a “committed Christian”, married to a Christian wife, and that they attend Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City where Timothy Keller is the pastor. His name is Martin Bashir.

Barry Black

He is the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was elected to this position on June 27, 2003, becoming the first African-American to hold this office. He served for over 27 years as a chaplain in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral and ending his career as the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy, the senior chaplain of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. He officially retired from the Navy on August 15, 2003. He has been honored in many ways for his achievements, including the NAACP’s Renowned Service Award in 1995 and the Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award in 2002.

Growing up in poor, inner-city public housing in Baltimore, Maryland, his mother instilled in him a love for the Bible and made sure that he received a Christian education. His father, who was a truck driver, was rarely home, and when he was home, he drank excessively and spent little time with his children. As he got older, he and his siblings would pray for their father and their father eventually came to Christ. He says of his own salvation experience, “I had no idea that when I was running with gangs that I would find God. He [Jesus] filled the emptiness [in my life]. I’m just a boy from the ‘hood, but I encountered Someone who made a difference in my life. He walks with me. He talks with me. When I wake up in the morning, He’s there. He tells me that He loved me so much that He died a death that no one deserves to die.” His name is Barry Black.