A Christian Warrior: John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves

"It doesn't really matter what I gain or lose on this earth because nothing compares to this promise He has given me. I am experiencing the sheer pleasure of once being lost and now being found." - John Smoltz

Normally, when someone asks you to name your favorite athlete, celebrity or Christian role model; you give three different answers. I have only one answer.

When I was old enough to follow sports and know what was going on and why, John Smoltz was beginning his baseball career with the Atlanta Braves. In 1989, the team was awful. Smoltz, in only his second season at the age of 22, was the team's lone bright spot.

I remember walking down the driveway of our home in Winder, GA to get the newspaper and reading how he had made the All-Star Team. In the years that followed, the team got better and became a dynasty. As I grew older, my love for the game grew as well. I followed the team religiously. Players came and went, but Smoltz remained a constant.

In high school, I found out he was a Christian. After that point, my admiration for him reached a new level. Smoltz did not fit the profile the world typically associates with a "Christian." He was fiery, competitive, intense. He never backed down, and he had no problems letting an umpire know if he should be publicly flogged for making an idiotic call.

He had to be the best at everything - whether it was playing golf, a video game, or a contest to see who could blow the biggest bubble of chewing gum. The radio and TV announcers for the Braves have commented on several occasions over the years after Smoltz, a pitcher with mediocre hitting abilities, would get a base hit that the plane ride home would be a long one. They knew John would be talking about his hit the entire trip. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy tells a story of the time he invited the competitive Smoltz over to his house to play a Nintendo baseball game: