MY 500 DAYS OF FAITH, FORGIVENESS, & FIGHTING BACK
STEVE ZAKUANI
Rise Above: My 500 Days of Faith, Forgiveness, and Fighting Back
Copyright 2018 Steve Zakuani
Kirkdale Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Kirkdale Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.
This book is a revised edition of 500 Days: What I Learned from the Moment that Changed Everything (copyright 2015, Steve Zakuani LLC).
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Print ISBN 9781683590422
Digital ISBN 9781683590439
Kirkdale Editorial Team: Justin Marr, Lynnea Smoyer, Abigail Stocker, Danielle Thevenaz
Cover Design: Bryan Hintz
This book is for anyone who has ever been to rock bottom. I hope this story will inspire you to keep on fighting.
This book is for every fan who supported me during my career—through the good times and bad. Your support, cheers, and words of encouragement gave me strength to keep going even when I wanted to give up. I also thank you all for your generous support that made the writing of this book possible—with special thanks to Ryan Snyder.
SPECIAL DEDICATION
As you read this book, you will see the name Myles Munroe show up throughout my story. He was my mentor, a father figure, and a great source of inspiration to me over the years. He passed away as I was working on this book and so I dedicate the finished product to his memory.
Foreword by Caleb Porter
Foreword by Darlington Nagbe
Foreword by Sigi Schmid
Chapter 4: Mopeds and Bad Decisions
Chapter 5: A Teacher from Jamaica
Chapter 7: Reorienting around Hope
Chapter 11: New Dreams and Kingdom Hope
Chapter 12: Keep On Keeping On
By Caleb Porter
I’ll never forget when Steve Zakuani arrived on campus and strapped on his boots for the first time. My assistant coach had scouted him live over in London and was convinced he would be the best player in college soccer. I can’t say I believed him fully until that first practice. My jaw dropped when he literally dribbled our current captain in circles so badly that he fell on the ground. From that day on, I knew we had a truly special talent on our hands in Steve Zakuani.
He went on to turn college soccer on its head for two years, and the rest is history. He was our program’s first number-one draft pick, and he quickly transitioned into one of the most dynamic wingers in Major League Soccer.
Steve Zakuani deserves a lot of credit for transforming the Akron soccer program into what ...
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About Rise Above: My 500 Days of Faith, Forgiveness, & Fighting BackA broken leg nearly ended Steve Zakuani’s career. But he came back stronger than ever. Before joining the Seattle Sounders, Steve Zakuani grew up in one of London’s toughest neighborhoods. He battled injury, apathy, and alienation along the way, but through the help of a mentor he found purpose and God’s call on his life. Yet his early challenges began to look small when Steve suffered an even more severe injury that shattered his leg—and, it seemed, his career. That injury—and his 500 long days of recovery—forced him to grapple with who he was when his identity in soccer and his personal goals were taken out of his hands. This book, drawn from journals written during his recovery, will give you a raw, honest look into Steve’s story. Let him coach you on how to face tragedy with a positive mindset, how to set goals that are bigger than your adversity, how to remain hopeful in your darkest moments, and how to help others in your life overcome their own greatest challenges. Rise Above: My 500 Days of Faith, Forgiveness, and Fighting Back includes a study guide for personal reflection or group discussion. |
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