Gibbs expounds on faith

About 900 people -- a capacity crowd -- filled the ballroom at the Charleston Area Convention Center Wednesday morning in Christian fellowship to hear from football legend Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs, a NASCAR team owner and former coach of the Washington Redskins, told the group that "life is a game, God is the head coach, you and I are the players and we're playing the biggest game of all."

Like a good coach, God cares about his team enough to sacrifice his son, Gibbs said. And he has a game plan.

"There are only two teams in the game of life," he said. "You're either on God's team or you play against him forever."

The prayer breakfast was organized by the Charleston Leadership Foundation. Since 2002, it has been inviting prominent speakers, such as evangelist Tony Campolo, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Andrew Young and J.C. Watts.

This year the convention center ballroom was set up with 90 tables that each sat 10. Local organizations paid $300 for a table; individuals paid $35.

The money raised helps to fund Charleston Leadership Foundation programs and affiliates, such as the Be a Mentor initiative, Lowcountry Orphan Relief and Lifeworks, which "encourages business professionals to apply their faith to the marketplace."

Regular sponsors of the annual prayer breakfast are Charleston Southern University, the GEL Group and South Carolina Federal Credit Union.

Before Gibbs' keynote speech, the Lucas Sisters sang a gospel song, Mayors Joe Riley and Keith Summey addressed the gathering and the Rev. Jimmy Gallant offered a prayer for the Charleston community.

Riley thanked CFL founder Jerry Young and said the event was an occasion to bring people together and emphasize a sense of community.

"When we (pray) collectively, it helps us move beyond our personal petitions, which are important, to our collective ones," he said.

Summey referred to the community's obligation to help others in need, citing Matthew 5:13-16 -- "You are the salt of the earth. ..."

"Sometimes I think God puts 'test' in front of you to see how you respond," Summey said.

Gallant noted that the country was divided politically but that God doesn't care about labels. Calling for unity, he stressed the power of prayer and asked everyone to hold hands.

"This ain't no mamby-pamby breakfast we do each year, somebody's life is in the balance!" he said. "If we are the salt of the earth, we gotta come out of the shaker!"

Then Gibbs was introduced by Clemson alumnus and former NFL defensive tackle Jim Stuckey.

Gibbs described his embrace of Christianity and early financial challenges. Bad real estate investments nearly caused him to declare bankruptcy, he said. But faith saw him through the difficulty.

"When you're on God's team, nothing is too big for him," he said.

His new book, "Game Plan for Life," addresses three big questions: Can the Bible, an intimidating book with strange language, be accessible to average people? Can a book that's 2,000 years old still be meaningful? Does the Bible include lessons that can be applied to today's concerns?

The book includes results from a survey asking Americans what they are most concerned about and how they hope to achieve success. Eleven prime concerns were identified: finances, health, relationships, vocation, the Bible, God, creation, sin and addiction, salvation, purpose and heaven.

Gibbs said that personal achievement is much less important than the way in which one influences others. He credited his wife, who took the lead in raising their two sons while Gibbs coached the Redskins, with the harder job.

"The clock is ticking," he said. "We do not want to lose this game with the clock ticking."