Without a Doubt—Revisited!
Join us for an inspirational re-posting of a blog from the archives–a vivid reminder of the faithful God who blesses those who strive to honor Him, as told by Carl Kerby.
I’m going to tell you a true story that I’m praying one day becomes a movie. This isn’t like the movies you see that have, “Based on a true story,” at the beginning. This IS a true story. Now please use your imagination to visualize the following “scene.”
Imagine a drone video shot over the ocean headed inland toward the western side of the island of Oahu, specifically in a small town named Waianae. As it heads inland, it approaches the Pu’u Kahea Conference Center Plantation House in between the royal palms stretching the length of the front yard on either side.
Pu'u Kahea Conference Center Plantation House
The scene continues through the front door, through the building, and out the back door where a large tent is set up, filled with almost 200 youth and adults who are sitting and listening to Coach David answer a question he’d been asked during a Q&A session after his talk.
Carl: “Are there any more questions for Coach David?”
John: “I saw the game that got you into the playoffs. That was
unbelievable! How did you feel after the game?”
Coach David: “I’m so glad that you asked that question because there’s a
lot more to the story. Let me tell you what happened that night.”
Before I tell you what was said, let me give you some background....
David Tautofi was raised in Hawaii and attended Kaimuki High School, where he played football. As a matter of fact, he was a very successful football player there, and after high school, he played for UCLA.
Following college, he got a variety of jobs, from working as a rigger for different bands to fire dancing at the show Ka in Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, David found out that his younger brother was having challenges in high school. Gang activity and school violence in his brother’s school was very common, so David made a decision to have his brother move to Las Vegas to live with him. He also paid for him to attend a Christian school.
In order to spend more time with his brother, David started helping with the high school football team, eventually becoming the head coach. He was VERY successful as a coach—so successful, in fact, that a LARGE school in Boston saw his potential and offered him a full-time coaching job with a six-figure income!
He’d made it! His brother had graduated from high school, he had his dream job, and he was going nowhere but up! Because David’s move to Boston was going to make it much more difficult to visit Hawaii in the future, he went back home to spend some time with his family to prepare for the long separation.
While there, however, his heart broke. He saw the impact that gangs, drugs, and the breakdown of families was having on his high school. He was torn and didn’t know what he could do to make a difference.
A short time later, he received a call that changed everything. It was the principal from his alma mater in Hawaii telling him that the football coach had resigned and asking him if he would come home and take over as coach.
Again, he was torn—the school in Boston was the dream job with the dream salary, and Kaimuki High School couldn’t come close to Boston’s offer. Not only that, but Kaimuki had won only three games in the previous three seasons—a program that was definitely in trouble! In contrast, the situation in Boston looked better than good.
To make a long story short, Coach David chose to return to Hawaii, and he immediately made some changes to the football program! The Kaimuki Bulldogs went 1-3 in the first 4 games. After the slow start, things came together, and they won four games straight.
The game that John had asked about was the last game of the season against Nanakuli High School. Nanakuli had beaten Kaimuki 41-6 when they played the first time that season. In this last game of the season, they were matched up again, and the winner of this game would be in the playoffs.
The game was absolutely one made for movies. Kaimuki was winning most of the night. With just 13.3 seconds left in the game, Kaimuki was up by one point, 21-20. Nanakuli decided to go for the two-point conversion, and was successful. Nanakuli took the lead 22-21. That was when things got very interesting. Coach Tautofi shared that as he turned around, he saw the fans on the verge of rioting. His team was crying and had given up. On the inside, he’s wondering:
“God, I don’t understand. This isn’t what you showed me. What’s going on? This isn’t why I came back here!”
Coach David looked to his left and just happened to see one of the seniors, Andrew, on his knees, hands clasped—obviously in prayer.
Coach David then yelled to the assistant coach, “Get Andrew!”
(You need to know a little background on Andrew. He had been a punt and kick-off return player for the first three games of the season. He was as fast as lightning, but small. Consequently, every time he got hit, he was knocked back five yards. In order to protect him, Coach David moved him to a different position.)
Andrew ran up to Coach David.
Coach David: “Can you do it?”
Andrew: “I can do it, Coach. I’ve been praying. I believe in what God is
doing here.”
Coach David: “Do it!”
(Retold by Coach David as if in real time)
“Nanakuli kicks off. A flag is thrown. They have to kick off again. Nanakuli kicks off for the second time. Andrew scoops the ball up and runs 84 yards for the game winning touchdown—with no time left on the clock! The team goes wild! The fans go nuts!"
Coach David is crying.
“Nanakuli kicks off. A flag is thrown. They have to kick off again. Nanakuli kicks off for the second time. Andrew scoops the ball up and runs 84 yards for the game winning touchdown—with no time left on the clock! The team goes wild! The fans go nuts!"
Coach David is crying.
FLASHBACK TO THE CAMP
(Now visualize Coach David as he finishes telling the story to the campers.)
(Now visualize Coach David as he finishes telling the story to the campers.)
“I wasn’t crying because we had won the game. I was crying because I had doubted God! He had already shown me what He was going to do, but I doubted.”
Where is your faith today? Are you, like me, saying, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!” Or do you have everything under control and know exactly what you need to do and how you’re going to do it? Or maybe, you just don’t have a clue!
Until fall of 2021, Coach David Tautofi was still pouring into the young men at Kaimuki High School. It’s now a much different environment than the one he initially came into. By the grace of God, each of us can and should also be making a difference wherever the Lord has placed us.
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Please pray that Coach David’s story can be used to reach many others who are struggling to see God in the midst of the darkness.
Stay Bold!
Stay Bold!
To learn more about our Founder and President, Carl Kerby, or to book him as a speaker, please click HERE.
Read Carl’s testimony and his heart for ministry in his book, Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life. Available HERE at our Reasons for Hope Store.
We also encourage you to purchase our newest ministry book, Did Jesus Commit Suicide? And 27 Other Questions That Teens Have About the Bible (that adults want to know, too) to help you answer questions from a biblical worldview that teens are asking today. Click HERE.
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