My Story
I love Jesus, I love my wife, and I love my children. That’s the most important thing I can say about myself. My life’s mission is to prioritize those 3 things. How can I live out God’s plan for me? How can I provide for my wife mentally and physically? And how can I give my kids the best possible lives for themselves? Every day I wake up I have to answer those 3 questions. I think if someone asked me what a “full” life looks like for me, it’s doing those things well.
Occupationally, I am currently a pastor at Springfield Bible Church in Illinois. I’m in year 1 of the job. Previously I was a high school teacher and basketball coach. As a teacher I taught Special Education and Biology. As a coach I did it all; assistant, university manager, freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity. By the grade of God I was able to find success. I left coaching with 2 coach of the year awards as well as several school wins records.
What sparked the change? Why leave a successful career to start over? That’s a great question. In life we have a purpose (your identity in Christ), calling (what God made you good at), and an assignment (where God has you working). Your purpose should never change. Your calling might change. Your assignment probably will change. And quite simply, God changed my calling and assignment. I felt a strong conviction to trust him and leave my career. I had no idea where it would take me. But I did know that it was God’s command. In order to avoid being swallowed by a fish Jonah style, I listened. Do I miss coaching? Yes. Do I regret my decision? No. I feel God’s favor and presence in this career change. I’ve met many friends, learned a lot, and seen my kids flourish in their new community.
When people ask me the popular “If you could go back in time, what would you have done differently?”, other than bet large sums of money on the 2011 Green Bay Packers (just kidding), I always respond by saying that I wish I would’ve gone into podcasting in college. It’s not a “never would’ve happened anyways” situation. I was so close to doing it. I told the guys who I considered doing it with that I was thinking about starting it, but never had the guts to pull the trigger. It was right at the beginning of the podcast boom. There is no doubt that it would’ve been a huge upside decision and something that I love doing. So then moving out of coaching and into ministry, I had an itch I wanted scratch. Now that I had some free time back in my life not spending long hours in a gym, it was time to circle back to my original dream of podcasting. The last time I just didn’t pull the trigger. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. With the podcast well under way, I am now expanding to more content in the form of a website and blog. So here we are.
When I was a coach, I saw a glaring need for high school coach coverage. Almost every podcast was NBA or NCAA related. Although entertaining, I just couldn’t apply those things to my job. I couldn’t relate to those experiences. My first podcast topic was easy and evident: high school coaching. My deep connections with tons of coaches from all over was the perfect ingredient for launching a podcast. I had a different coach on every week and just let them share their story. The more I did it, the more coaches reached out thanking me for giving a passed over group a needed spotlight. Then there was one thing missing. I needed to represent God in this endeavor. I had another easy and evident solution. I asked my colleague and good friend to do a weekly Christian living series. We learned a lot. We kept improving. And now this is a staple of the podcast. Those 2 topics will stay the themes of the podcast content.
What’s next? This. I want to put what I’m learning from all of these amazing people in writing. I want to be able to reach more people. Quite honestly, I am trying to listen as the Holy Spirit guides me. I’ve learned to be flexible and open to the Spirit’s call.
None of this happens without my wife Natalie. When I nervously asked her about starting all of this she immediately said, “Do it!”, which is everything I needed. Her support gets me through the doubts. She keeps me steady. She went from coach’s wife to pastor’s wife. Two very challenging roles. And she keeps supporting me and my dreams. Find someone who fights for you and with you.
The verse that frequently popped into my head during all of this: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
I hope if anything, you’re inspired to follow God’s plans regardless of how frightening they might be. The key to the Proverb above is, “not on your own understanding”. That phrase infers that we need to die to ourselves in order to live a Christ-centered life.
Hunter Price
