On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Fresno Convention Center hosted an all-day event called Life Surge.
There were many familiar faces present as guest speakers at the event. This includes former Bulldog Derek Carr, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, evangelist and motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, real estate entrepreneurs and former Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players the Benham brothers and many more, but these are just the few to highlight.
The purpose of the event was to offer biblical guidance and wisdom to all attendees by the sharing of testimonies, experiences, sessions of worship and also to weigh in on the aspect of Kingdom wealth.
A lot of Christians are afraid of the idea of being wealthy. Work is in one hand and worship to the Lord is in the other hand. However, who ever said those two things need to be separate? For Christians, a key takeaway point Life Surge taught is that the greatest version of worship one can offer to God is their work. The purpose of Life Surge is to teach the kingdom of God how to surge your life God’s way; from finances, to marriage, to family, to serving in the Kingdom, God’s way is the best way.
Ivonne Salvador, an HR analyst from Madera, offered some insight into what she thought about the event.
“This was my first experience with Life Surge and I have to say it was a great experience,” Salvador said. “The overall message I received from everyone is just saying yes to God, saying yes to Jesus and saying yes on a daily basis. I came to this event and I can leave with the emotion, but then we have to take it out there into our everyday life, speaking to everyone about God every opportunity we get.”
Benham Brothers
The Benham Brothers, after minutes of poking fun at each other because they are identical twins, started off by discussing their stance on biblical wealth. Not only were they both players in the MiLB, but they became entrepreneurs very early on in their lives, establishing themselves in the real estate business. From writing books, to flipping houses, to their own TV show, the brothers never lost sight of what was most important to them. Their faith.
The brothers endured trials and tribulations, mountains of death threats and online bullying because of the way they stood up for their faith in Christ. It was an inspiring thing to see; these men who appear to have everything, their own reality show, wealth, etc., were willing to give it all up for God. The way they defended their faith almost cost them everything they had worked for, but faithfulness to God never comes without reward. Now they have more success than they could have ever imagined.
Nick Vujicic
If you know anything about Vujicic, then you know that he was born in Australia with a rare condition called Tetra-amelia syndrome causing him to be born without any limbs. Growing up with such a rare disorder never stopped Vujicic from pursuing his faith and having a glass half full type of mentality. He was a firm believer that God can take anything bad and use it for good.
Vujicic is a world-renowned motivational speaker, evangelist and entrepreneur who has impacted millions with his message of faith, perseverance and hope. Through his ministry, Life Without Limbs, he travels globally, preaching the gospel and inspiring people to trust in God despite adversity. As an entrepreneur, he has founded organizations like Attitude Is Altitude, empowering individuals in leadership and personal growth. His books, speeches and social media presence continue to influence countless lives, demonstrating that faith and determination can turn any obstacle into an opportunity.
During his time of speaking at Life Surge, he spoke about the importance and truth of building wealth within the Kingdom of God, having good mentors in your life and having a victory mentality rather than a victim mentality. He talked about work and worship being in the same hand; to dedicate your talents and treasures for the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth and not limiting God to only church on Sundays.
A big point in Vujicic’s segment was the question of “what are you waiting for?” So many Chrisitians stay stagnant in their faith, not doing things to advance the kingdom. This is partially out of fear, but this is also partially out of a preventative mindset if all of their life cards aren’t perfectly aligned. Christians will utilize excuses, instances where if God gave them a miracle then they would be able to do such and such for the Kingdom. Look at Vujicic. He is a miracle. He mentioned how he prayed for arms and legs, how he greatly would’ve loved to have limbs, but this wasn’t the plan for him. Some people simply aren’t meant to get a miracle, they are meant to be a miracle. Vujicic didn’t experience a miracle, so he became one. This really stuck with me.
Kayleigh McEnany
McEnany served as the White House Press Secretary for President Trump’s first term in office. McEnany, being both a Christian and a member of the Republican party, faced a lot of backlash and negativity. It was her faith that helped her endure through the process of coming face to face with people that not only didn’t agree with her or her beliefs, but didn’t care about remaining civil or respectful towards her. The heights of hatred she experienced in her time serving was not for the weak and she definitely didn’t handle it weakly.
She spoke to the attendees about how prayer and connecting with the Holy Spirit was a huge part of her learning how to remain calm and composed at some of the most intense moments of her career. Stephanie Grisham was McEnany’s predecessor, yet never held an official press briefing. McEnany held her first official press briefing early into her position, 417 days after the last briefing. She talked about how minutes before the briefing she was feeling so much fear and anxiety, but it was her personal prayers and the prayers of her friends and family from around the nation, texting her letting her know they were praying for her, that caused her to have the overwhelming sense of peace and comfort when she stepped up to the podium.
McEnany also talked about those personal moments she got to have with President Trump during her time as his press secretary. She said that he was more than gracious to her and a big family guy. There was a moment she highlighted. She was about to board onto a private jet headed to an event with the president when he asked her, “What are you doing here?” McEnany, being only in her 20s, started to freak out a bit until he re-stated the question; following with the fact that she could have chosen to send anyone else instead of her on the night of her husband pitching with the Tampa Bay Rays. This showed him her dedication to serving him and his campaign. Not only did he continue to ask about how her husband was doing on the mound all throughout the evening, before and after his event, but told her that next time there is a moment where she needs to decide between work and being there to support her husband, her husband came first.
Many resonated with and admired McEnany because she pursued a career where so many were bound to disagree with her, but she persisted.
Derek Carr
Carr, a former Bulldog and quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, was truly awesome to see at the event.
The stories he shared about how he was a light and a disciple for Christ, both on and off the field, served as inspiration for attendees of the event. Carr was constantly telling people about Jesus. He was a prayer warrior for his team. He had encouraged so many of his teammates to come to Christ and even led one to be so excited about getting baptized that he persisted Carr to baptize him in his bathtub.
Olivia Kenney, wife of pastor Jesse Kenney from Refiner’s Fire in Fresno weighed in about what she felt after attending Life Surge.
“I would say overall it was just so encouraging, to hear all the testimonies, especially the football players,” Kenney said. “Derek Carr praying [over his team], just so encouraging. You could see God’s plan as we learned about finances and other things like that.”
Carr’s faith sprouted from the prayers and leadership of his parents when he was just a young boy. Growing up, Carr remembers leaving his home, hearing his mother praying for him and his safety, coming home and hearing the same thing. Carr emphasized the importance of family; praying for your family, being a light for your family, continuing to teach your family and your kids about the faith so that they may grow up and understand the right path to follow.
Carr shared a story about an encounter he had with a woman in a San Francisco Chipotle. This woman recognized him and built up the courage to talk to Carr and ask him for a photo. While Carr was talking to her, he felt God tell him to share with her that Jesus loves her, He sees her and that she shouldn’t settle for anything less than what God wants for her. Carr hesitated at first because at the moment it seemed like an odd thing to do, but Carr reflected back on when he first made the decision to follow Christ and the promise he made that he would always say yes to God. In a moment like this, despite his discomfort, he said yes to God. This encounter led the woman to give her life to Christ, right there in front of everyone inside this Chipotle.
Tim Tebow
Tebow, a fan favorite, emphasized God-fidence. There was a time years back when he was in Hawaii with his family. They received an emergency alert warning of a ballistic missile threat targeted to Hawaii. This was not a drill. People began to panic, his family members pacing back and forth trying to figure out what to do in such a moment of pure fear. However, Tebow noticed his dad. Even after receiving the amber alert, his father continued to stir his coffee in complete calmness and peace.
Tebow questioned his father. How could he be so calm in a time like this? What was he thinking? Tebow’s father reassured his son. If the missile were to actually strike, they would all simply pass on to be with Jesus in heaven, their forever home with their King. If the missile wasn’t going to strike, that meant God had more in store for them and wasn’t quite done with them yet.
It was a lesson of God-fidence. Tebow’s father raised his son to develop such a confidence that he can carry on to his own family. Tebow now preaches around the nation that regardless of what someone may be going through, they can be confident that God is on their side and on their team. Spiritual confidence is different from self-confidence. Self-confidence can waiver, but when you have a God on your side that is eternal and forever the same, spiritual confidence will take you a lot further.
