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I Am Second

David And Tamela Mann Reveal Their Secret For a Lasting Marriage

by GOD TV November 15, 2018

written by GOD TV

David and Tamela Mann are known for their entertainment labels. Tamela was part of the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family, collaborated with artists like Yolanda Adams, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, Celine Dion and Bono, and acted in many Tyler Perry productions both in film and on stage. David is stage and film actor, gospel singer, and stand up-comedian. But apart from these multiple successes, there’s something in this couple that makes them unique and unbelievably inspiring, and that’s their great faith for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The couple shared their wonderful testimony about how God helped them to build a lasting marriage. But before getting to the topic of marriage, the couple first shared their painful past.

David became so emotional when he started sharing about his childhood. He grew up seeing his mom getting abused and because of that, he learned to fight at a very young age. Tamela on the other hand, grew-up without seeing her father and that made her feel rejected. Both of them experienced a tragic past.

And putting all the baggage that they are carrying under one roof is a challenging thing to do for them.
Not until they started to pray and both encountered God. They began to hear God’s voice and it completely changed their lives.

David experienced true deliverance in the presence of God, and that’s when God started to heal Him. He and Tamela decided to look to Jesus to lead their lives and marriage. They swallowed their pride and rededicated their commitments.

“We don’t have a perfect marriage,” David said.

Their marriage is a work in progress. But the God-fearing couple is proud to say that God’s grace helped them. They wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for their foundation, and that’s their faith in God. Everything leads back to Jesus. They put Him at the top of their marriage, and it works.

So if you are struggling with your marriage life right now, take this excellent advice from The Manns: Put Jesus first, and everything else will follow. Make Him the foundation of your lives and you will be amazed by how it shapes your marriage.

Watch and be inspired with The Manns testimony:

Credits: I Am Second

This article was written by Kriza Jo L. Tanduyan.

November 15, 2018 0 comment

Faith Video

Mike Fisher, NHL Hockey Star and Husband of Country Superstar Carrie Underwood, Dishes About His Faith

by GOD TV June 15, 2017

written by GOD TV

Mike Fisher, NHL Hockey Star and Husband of Country Superstar Carrie Underwood, Dishes About His Faith

In a recent I Am Second video, Mike Fisher came clean about his past struggles and his deep need for Jesus. After reaching the pinnacle of his dreams at the ripe young age of 19, Mike quickly realized that this feat wasn’t as fulfilling as he had imagined; the void in his heart still remained. Read on and check out this video to get up close and personal with this decorated athlete’s inspiring faith journey.

Childhood Dream Come True

Growing up in the hockey-obsessed Peterborough, Ontario, the young Mike Fisher dreamed of proudly representing his family and community in the NHL. Although hockey was his priority, he tried to perform both on and off the ice, balancing his school, church, and family commitments. According to Mike, “Hockey is stats-related and performance-based. That [mindset] carried over into just trying to be a good kid.”

But there was something empty and soul-sucking about crossing his T’s and dotting his I’s. No matter how well he performed, he continued to restlessly search for more instead of rest in contentment and satisfaction.

This seemingly inexplicable void became even more obvious when Mike was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League and left home at age 17. When he left the warmth and security of his home, he flailed. He tried to fit in, and in doing so, resented his commitment to the long list of “no’s” that accompanied the commitment he had made to Christ at age 6. Overlooking the importance of a love relationship with Christ, Mike let hockey consume his life.

His overwhelming drive to succeed on the ice seemed to pay off when he was drafted into the NHL two years later, at age 19. From the outside, his life looked like smooth sailing – a high salary, fame, and a job he loved. But on the inside, things were “not good at all.” He frequently got drunk, let people down, let God down, and tried to hide. Although he still went to church, he felt as though he had constructed a facade.

Taking Up The Cross

It was during this desperate time in Mike’s life that he began a bible study with his cousin. Through this bible study he discovered Jesus’s call to action in Luke 9:23-25:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Mike couldn’t help but ask himself this question over and over again. After all, he had gained the whole world – or at least the a little part of it over which he had proudly staked his claim. But in the process, he had lost himself. This verse is as convicting as it is instructive; even though it drew attention to the gaps in Mike’s faith life, it provided a clear (though not easy) answer: take up the cross daily and follow Jesus.

Fisher continues, “I’d reached my dreams, I had money, everything. It just wasn’t working. I hadn’t been looking in the right places. Through praying and getting in the word, my life was changed.” No longer was Christianity the faith of his parents or the stuff of some ancient book. It was a personal relationship between Mike and Jesus. “It became real to me,” Mike added.

Radical Change

Although the change didn’t happen over night, Mike noticed God stirring his soul. As he confessed his sins, God released them so that he no longer had to shoulder the burden on his own. As he shifted his all-consuming focus from the puck to the passion of Christ, he forged a notable, lengthy career in the NHL, playing 14 seasons and earning the 2012 NHL Foundation Player Award. But all the while, he basked in the great love of God rather than human accolades.

Today Mike lives free from the pressures of performance, understanding that God’s love is bigger than failures and mistakes. He still gets goosebumps before every game, reflecting his love of the sport. But as he approaches his retirement, he is secure in his identity not as an NHL player, but as a child of God.

It is such a testament of faith to see this battle-scarred athlete be overcome by a toothy, child-like smile at the thought of his Heavenly Father’s love and devotion. Fisher says it best, “It’s a pretty good feeling to know how much he loves me.”

Do you know how much your Father loves you? If you are caught up trying to perform to some impossible standard, shift your focus to the overwhelming and all-consuming love of your Father.

June 15, 2017 0 comment

Video

WATCH: Gymnast Shawn Johnson’s Secret Heartache: Why She Chose Jesus Over Olympic Gold

by GOD TV April 19, 2017

written by GOD TV

Olympic Gold medalist Shawn Johnson: Dealing with Others’ Expectations

At the legendary 2008 Beijing Olympics, 16-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson approached the balance beam with the weight of the world on her shoulders. It seemed that her friends, family, school, and nation expected her to return to the U.S. with nothing less than 4 gold medals. But despite giving it her best effort, she returned with 3 silver medals and 1 gold. She was crushed.

Another Chance?

Four years later, as she prepared for the 2012 London Olympics, she trained longer and harder than ever before–often logging 40 hours per week of intense physical exertion. But she felt empty inside–like she would never be good enough. On June 3, 2012, Shawn retired from gymnastics–less than two months before the London Olympics.

What motivated this abrupt life change, which became the headline of all major new sources? In a recent interview with I Am Second, Shawn told all, revealing the condition of her heart. Here’s her story:

Revisiting the 2008 Olympics

Reminiscing on her experience at the Beijing Olympics, Shawn vividly remembers watching the beautiful, flawless routine of Russian competitor Nastia Liukin, and wondering if she should even try because she clearly wouldn’t get the gold.

When societal expectations were the meter by which she measured her success, she forgot the joy of gymnastics.

She decided to prove to the world that she deserved the gold medal, and gave the best performance of her life, still falling short of the gold. But even today, she can see those 50,000 audience members giving her an enthusiastic standing ovation: “I’ve never felt lighter in my life. I felt like I was on top of the world.”

But that euphoric feeling was short-lived. The official who handed her the silver medal apologized–a validation that she had failed to live up to expectations.

She went on to win two more silvers and one gold–an epic feat for anyone, especially a 16-year-old. But it wasn’t enough. By the time she received her first gold, “It didn’t matter; the damage was done.”

Public Persona versus True Self

After the Beijing Olympics, Shawn returned home and “told everyone that it was the biggest honor of my life, but [in reality] it crushed my heart.” Why? Because “the world saw me as nothing else. If I failed at being a gymnast, I failed at being a human being.”

What’s worse is that despite her “failure,” she was still a newcomer to the world stage. She felt like she was “living in a fishbowl,” having to change what she wore and how she looked. At such a young age, she was highly sensitive to public criticism about her weight, appearance, personality, and character.

Ultimately, Shawn tried to change everything about herself–an exhaustingly impossible, heart-wrenching feat. Shawn said it best, “Feeling like the world doesn’t accept you for who you are, hurts your heart.”

Knee Trouble or a Change of Heart?

As Shawn prepared for a comeback in the 2012 Olympics, her parents implored her to see a psychologist. She wasn’t sleeping, eating enough, or taking care of herself. Shawn had convinced herself that what was good for everyone else–a gold Olympic medal–was good for her.

But one day, she snapped out of her self-sabotaging cycle. As she stood at the edge of the balance beam, she felt God’s presence. In one breath-taking moment, God told Shawn that it would be okay to follow her heart–even if it meant letting others down.

On June 3, 2012, before she could improve on her Olympic performance, Shawn retired from gymnastics.

Publically, she blamed chronic knee trouble, but inwardly, she knew that everything had changed–starting with her heart. Because of the transformative power of God’s love and mercy, the grip of societal expectations had lost its hold on her.

Metal Tarnishes, Human Approval is a Trap

What made Shawn’s decision to follow Jesus out of a pit of desperation easier was her understanding that “the gold medal wasn’t the greatest thing in the world.” Even in 2008, when she received a gold medal, it wasn’t the “end all be all.”

Jesus confirms her gut instinct in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Ultimately, a gold medal is a symbol of secular success and human approval. But what eternal good does that do? Even in this life, it does little good and a lot of bad. According to Proverbs 29:25: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare.” You can’t please everyone–even if you sacrifice your heart and soul trying.

On June 3, 2012, Shawn retired from the endless fight of earning man’s approval and turned to the healing power of God’s freely-given grace and unconditional love.

Today Shawn is second–not to Nastia Liukin–but to God.

April 19, 2017 0 comment