Former athlete turned actor T.C. Stallings on being an ambassador for Christ

T.C. Stallings was still dreaming of making it into the NFL when he first seriously considered acting as a career.

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At the time, Stallings had played in NFL Europe, the Arena League and the Canadian Football League, but the NFL remained frustratingly out of sight. Then, after landing a few small roles on shows and starting his own physical training business to stay financially afloat, Stallings learned that the Kendrick Brothers, directors behind the movie “Fireproof,” were casting their new movie, “Courageous.”

“I saw [Fireproof] and saw what it could do to people,” Stallings told CBN. “I told my wife before that if I ever decide to pursue an acting career, I’ll have to work with those guys … but I needed to run it through the Lord and see if this is what He wants. And the way to do it was just pray.”

Stallings not only landed a role in “Courageous,” he also landed a starring role in the Kendrick Brothers’ follow-up movie, “War Room,” a film that became a surprise smash hit, grossing more than $67 million on only a $3 million production budget.

These days, Stallings looks for God’s leading and guidance in everything he does. That approach led him to release a self-produced documentary about his faith journey called “24 Counter,” which is available here.

There was a time during Stallings’ college football career when he didn’t fully understand what the Christian faith was about. He spoke about his faith journey on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2017.

“I grew up with a general belief in God, but I did whatever I wanted to do,” Stallings said. “It was my sophomore year I just had this kid challenge me in faith. … He saw me living a double life, going to all the Bible studies, saw me at church on Sundays, but also chasing girls around, taking girls into my room. … All these things didn’t line up with Scripture. … Up until my sophomore year, I was a believer in Jesus, but I became a Christ-following believer then. …  I started letting Him shape my goals and develop me … and that leads me in the role I have now as an ambassador for the Lord.”

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