LaDainian (LT) Tomlinson is a running back for the San Diego Chargers. He has won the most valuable player award, holds the all time NFL record for single season touchdowns (31 in one season) and he holds the NFL record for the most points scored in a single season. His mother Loreane has written a book entitled, LT and Me: What raising a champion taught me about life, faith and listening to your dream. Today, Sheila Schuller Coleman (SSC) interviews LT and his mother. They are here to share their story of what God has done and is doing in their life.

SSC: It has been a wonderful, wonderful Sunday morning here in Crystal Cathedral. And now I have the distinct honor and the pleasure of being able to interview two amazing guests. We are privileged to have LT Tomlinson, as he's known to his fans, but he's known by his mom as LaDainian. His mother, Loreane, has written this book and I have loved reading every word of it: LT and Me: What raising a champion taught me about life, faith and listening to your dream.

His statistics speak for themselves. He is a running back with the San Diego Chargers and has won the coveted, most valuable player award. Go Chargers! He holds the all time NFL record for single season touchdowns (31 in one season), and he holds the all time NFL record for the most points scored in a single season. Unbelievable. I'm so impressed but best of all, wait till you see what an amazing young man of God he is and hear the story of his mother and what God has done and is doing in their lives. Welcome with me now, LT, LaDainian Tomlinson and Loreane Tomlinson. Come on up.

LT: Thank you.

SSC: God bless you.

LT: Thank you.

SSC: This is such an honor, such..

LOREANE: Thank you, thank you for having us.

SSC: ..a privilege. I'll tell you, your book really touched my heart as mom to mom. And I have to say it was scary when my sons played sports. I was scared, I watched them..

LOREANE: Oh yes.

SSC: ..they didn't play football, in fact when my oldest son played basketball, I thought good, its not football! So how was that as a mom, watching your son, your baby, they're always your baby aren't they?

LOREANE: ..of course they are.

SSC: Yes, what was it like for you?

LOREANE: It's a tense time but it's also a rewarding time because knowing the way that he is, that's what he always loved. I mean he loved it from the time he was three or four years old and he never strayed from that love. So it was just so much a part of him that you just go along with them. Whatever God puts in him, you just go along with them and nurture it.

SSC: That's a good point.

LOREANE: It'll be okay.

SSC: That's a good point. You make a point of that in your book on how to raise a champion is looking for their dreams..

LOREANE: Right.

SSC: And looking..

LOREANE: Nurturing.

SSC: ..and nurturing.

LOREANE: Nurturing those dreams.

SSC: But that's hard isn't it?

LOREANE: Well, if you defer from that, you're actually taking away what God has put in them, and you don't want to do that. God said a perfect gift He has put in them and He's well able to see it through. And so if we change that, we're actually changing the plan that God has for them. And I think that's when they fall away because it's already in them; they love it and they will do well with it.

SSC: That's a good point. And LaDainian, you knew you loved football at the ripe old age of..

LT: Three, four, five years old.

SSC: ..wow, that's so amazing. And your mom tells stories about you in the book. Have you had a chance to read..

LT: Yes.

SSC: ..the book? Did you learn things about yourself as you read the book?

LT: Absolutely because when you're very young, you really don't realize all the things that you've done. At three years old there's not much I remember. Maybe at age four or some of the things that my mom tells me, I can recall sometimes doing some of those things. So you do learn a lot about yourself and what you were like as a young kid.

SSC: Well one of the things your mom talks about is how that football never left your side.

LT: Yes, you know it was just kind of something that as my mom says I loved it very much. I was very passionate about football at a young age, so much so that I slept with my football.

SSC: You slept with your football?

LT: Yes, yes it helped me fall asleep at night..

SSC: Really?

LT: ..because before I went to sleep I would throw the football up in the air as I went to sleep..

SSC: Okay.

LT: ..until I kind of just got tired and finally I'd fall asleep. So that's kind of my reasoning in sleeping with my football.

SSC: Well your mom said you were told you have to protect the football..

LOREANE: At all times.

SSC & LT: At all times.

LT: Yes, that was..

LOREANE: Yes, and know where it is.

SSC: And know where it is.

LT: Being a football player, that was something you learn at a young age. That ball is very important to you and losing that ball is not good. So that was a way of me learning to hold onto it and making sure I never lost it.

SSC: I was so intrigued in hearing about your roots, Tomlinson Hill. And what I found intriguing was the name Tomlinson really came from the slave owner, right?

LOREANE: Right.

SSC: Because Tomlinson Hill was a community; they were originally the slaves of this man Tomlinson. And I just find it so beautiful how God has taken you LaDainian and you Loreane, how He has raised you two up from this hill..

LOREANE: Right, right.

SSC: ..and brought you forth to be a powerful witness and testimony so it doesn't matter where you've come from..

LOREANE: No it doesn't.

SSC: ..it matters where you go..

LOREANE: Right.

SSC: ..from where you've come from, and I saw this recurring theme in your life, LaDainian about Tomlinson Hill. That's where your daddy came from. But I also understand you have a mountain that you use in your backyard, right?

LT: Yes.

LOREANE: A hill, yes.

LT: It's a hill that I use to help me prepare for the season and training. I run up and down a hill.

SSC: I can't imagine.

LT: But you know it's a great reminder of where I've come from and what it was like growing up. At a very young age, I started running hills and so even though I'm far away from home (being from Texas) in California, I still have that root inside me. And you know sometimes you don't get rid of where you're from and that's the reason in having that hill behind my house.

SSC: Yes but it's such a great metaphor for your training on the mountain. If you can conquer a mountain in training or if you can run up a mountain then you should be able to soar on a field.

LOREANE: Right.

LT: Absolutely.

SSC: Right?

LT: I agree. I agree.

SSC: Well you and your mom really have mountain moving faith, and you know as moms, we really want to be proud of our children. You said in your book you carry a note with you..

LOREANE: Right.

SSC: ..everywhere. Do you have it on you, Loreane?

LOREANE: I do, I do.

SSC: You do?

LOREANE: As a matter of fact, I do.

SSC: Do you want to share..

LOREANE: I don't leave home without it.

SSC: Can you share the story behind it and read it..

LOREANE: Oh sure.

SSC: ..for us? That would be awesome.

LOREANE: I hope I can get through it without tearing up. This note says:
Hello mom. How are you doing? I guess you're wondering why I'm writing you a letter when I can talk to you on the phone or face to face. The reason is I want this letter kept until I fulfill my goals and when I am feeling low, I want to look at this letter and remember what I said on this letter. Mom, I love you so much that every time I say it or write it, it brings tears to my eyes. One day you will be the proudest mom in the whole world because I'm going to go to college and graduate, and if God is willing, go on to play pro football and be the best person I can because that's how you raised me, mom. I thank you so much for everything you have and are still doing for me because it is hard not having a father around who I could talk to and get advice from. You did the very best. Sorry so sloppy, kept crying, love LaDainian.

SSC: It just shows the love that the two of you have for each other. Can you talk about your faith, LaDainian?

LT: Absolutely.

SSC: Your mom has but I'd love to hear it from you.

LT: Well, my faith is obviously my foundation. In the midst of everything that goes on in the world, and for myself traveling, my career, and finding the time with my family and friends, through all of that, my faith is the foundation. Whenever you're building a house, you have to have a foundation first, and that's how I always look at my life. Without that foundation, I would crumble and fall. And so my faith allows me to stay strong in times where I need God so that's how I explain it. That's why its faith first; faith before anything and then obviously family and then my profession and football.

SSC: But you haven't stopped with football because you've gone on and you're giving back to others through your foundation. Do you want to share a little bit about that?

LT: Absolutely. My foundation is basically designed to promote social and culture awareness to families through education and uplifting communities in any way we can. So we participate in a number of programs throughout the year. We help families eat by feeding them, we give out scholarships to graduating seniors, we give out toys at Christmastime to children's hospitals and we bring different organizations to the football games every week. These are kids that normally don't get a chance to go to a football game; most of the time they've never been, and so these are some of the things that we do through our foundation to help better the community. And that giving comes from my mother. I will say I remember being a young kid and my mom used to take in other kids so that's where that comes from. If someone didn't have a place to stay, they were always welcome at our house.

SSC: Wow, that's awesome.

LT: And we took them in like a brother or sister, so that giving back and helping really comes from my mother. I'm here to help somebody else become a better person or become a better Christian and in the end, I feel like He has the plan.

SSC: Wow. That positive faith has really carried you through, and it shows. And God has honored you because of it.

LOREANE: Right. But you know you see the results of the hard work in the..

SSC: The child's hard work.

LOREANE: ..and the true relations. If you read the book, you will know that we had some very, very lean times. Sometimes I didn't know how the bills were going to be paid. When my husband left and my youngest son and I were still at home, we survived off of $326 a month, his dad's social security. I have no idea how we did it, absolutely no idea. I had a house note, both of the boys were on the insurance and then he had a truck, I mean it was only by the grace of God.

SSC: And that's something I really wanted you to have a chance to share, Loreane, and you too LaDainian because when I pray for people here at the end of the church service, many, many times people come up and they'll say 'I've lost my job, pray for a job, I don't know how I'm going to make my house payment this month' or 'I'm facing foreclosure' and as I read your book, I thought you went through real similar tough..

LOREANE: Really, really.

SSC: ..tough times.

LOREANE: Yes, I did.

SSC: Today there are people watching this who are really in dire straits financially or physically with health issues. What would you say to them because you have a message for them, I know you do.

LOREANE: Right, and if you look at the situation, yes it looks bad, it really looks impossible, but when you think about who we belong to, He has give us a guarantee that He will always be with us. He will never forsake us. And the one thing that I really know without any doubt in my mind is that God knew it before it even started. He knew what was going to happen. He's able to pull us out of it. He pulled us out of it, LaDainian and I.

But when you don't know which way to turn, when you put your eyes on God, He has that plan. We may not see it and it doesn't matter how bad it looks. It doesn't matter how bad it seems, we have to know that He will bring us out of it. He has that plan, and He says He's able to see us through.

SSC: That's right, that's right. You sound just like you've been watching the Hour of Power! Have you ever seen our program?

LOREANE: Of course! Of course! Forever and ever as long as I can remember..

SSC: Oh really?

LOREANE: ..I've seen pastor Schuller. I have seen him on TV..

SSC: That will warm his heart. That will warm his heart.

LOREANE: ..he's so consistent in his faith and that speaks a lot in today's time, it really speaks a lot. So we can't help but to honor a man like that who is so true to his faith. And he gives so many people hope through the words that he preaches and through everything that he's done because he's so consistent.

SSC: Well I want to thank you for being here today. Can I have a prayer of blessing for the two of you?

LOREANE: Well thank you! Sure!

SSC: Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for this beautiful woman of God, this mother who raised a champion for You. She raised not only a champion on the football field, but most of all, she raised a spiritual champion and a powerful man of God who is a testimony to You, oh Lord.

Thank You for LaDainian, thank You for calling him, thank You that he is Your dream, Your idea. Thank You for raising him up knowing that he would be faithful and that he would use this platform for You to bring others to You. Thank You for this time together. I ask for continued blessings on them, blessings beyond measure, and that You will continue to use them for years and years to come. God bless you. Thank You Lord for them, Amen.

LOREANE: Thank you, Lord.

LT: Amen.

LOREANE: Amen and thank you.

SSC: Thank you Loreane.

LOREANE: God bless you.

SSC: God bless you, thank you.

© Copyright Hour of Power 2009. This interview was conducted by Robert H. Schuller from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral and aired on the Hour of Power September 13, 2009.