Former Southeast football player now serves in ministry

Fans of Southeast Missouri State University football may remember Ryan Taloa for his days on the field. These days, however, Taloa, finds himself working in Texas with Campus Outreach. In this week's Ministry Focus, Taloa tells us what led him to work in the ministry and what opportunities he had to share his faith through football at Southeast.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

A: I am 25 years old and currently work for Campus Outreach at the University of North Texas. I grew up in Yorba Linda, Calif. After high school I attended Fullerton Junior College earning my AA degree. In 2007 I received a football scholarship to Southeast Missouri State University. I graduated in 2010 with a bachelor's in business administration. I was raised in a Christian home; however, I never knew what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ until college. I spent the first 19 years of my life living as a moralistic self-righteous Pharisee, believing I could earn my way to heaven. I attended church every Wednesday and Sunday until I entered college. I could tell you the story of Jesus, quote scripture, did everything that could to make me look like a good Christian boy; and contrary to popular belief, all that was as good as filthy rags in the eyes of God. I soon found out that God was not pleased with my outward appearance, but what he looked at was my heart. The bad news was my heart didn't love him, my heart loved me. My trust and faith was in me. My life was lived for me. I did all that I did so I could be praised. When God revealed my heart to me, and the depth of my sin, it was then that I could really understand the depth of the love Jesus had for me, that even in my sin, he died for me. It was this love that turned my heart from living for self, to living for God. I now live for one all-satisfying, eternal, joyful purpose: to know God and make him known.

Q: How long have you been a member of your faith?

A: I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ in April of 2007. I have been following hard after Jesus for five years.

Q: Were you involved in Campus Outreach while attending Southeast Missouri State University?

A: My first experience with Campus Outreach was at Southeast. Our team chaplain Stewart Childress worked on staff with Campus Outreach. He would do Bible studies for our team. He was very involved in my life and helped me to grow in my relationship with Christ, as well as gave me the opportunity to serve God alongside him; using Campus Outreach as a vehicle to do so. I was heavily involved in Campus Outreach in my time at Southeast. I would help lead Bible studies, emcee weekly meetings, help with the leadership team, and attend and help lead spring retreats, conferences and summer projects.

Q: What is Campus Outreach, and what led you to this particular ministry in Texas?

A: Campus Outreach is an interdenominational ministry that focuses on helping college students in the U.S. and throughout the world come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and raise them up to be laborers for the lost world. The vision of Campus Outreach is to: "Build laborers on the college campus for the lost world." This vision comes from Matthew 9:37 where Jesus says, "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." Campus Outreach is committed to labor on the college campus for the glory of God, with the vision to make disciples and laborers for Christ, because the need is great and the laborers are few. Campus Outreach is on over 60 campuses nationwide, four international, all within over 18 regions.

There are over 2.8 billion people who have never heard of the name of Jesus, and millions, maybe even billions of people who have heard of Jesus either hate Him, deny Him, or accept Him, but their hearts are far from Him. The overwhelming reality that billions of people may spend eternity separated from God has led me to this ministry; Campus Outreach offered me a full-time position to help pioneer a new region in Texas (Dallas/Fort-Worth) starting at the University of North Texas (UNT). I have been working at UNT since June 2011.

Q: What's the greatest challenge you've experienced in the ministry?

A: The greatest challenge is the temptation to trust in myself to do God's work instead of Him. God has given me a compassion for people that comes with a deep sorrow for the one who does not truly know or have a relationship with God through Christ. This often leads me to rely on my personality, presentation, knowledge and efforts for the work only God can do; the transforming of a heart. I want so badly for people to know the great love of Christ that I often put the burden of others' salvation on my shoulders, which is pointless since I am completely unable to reach into a person's heart and change it.

Q: What's your favorite Bible verse and why?

A: Romans 5:6-9: "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die; but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." This is the central message of the Bible. It has nothing to do with how good I am or can do, but everything to do with how good He is and what He has done. I can do nothing to get to God, but God has come down to me through His son. This is the message of the greatest love known to the world. This verse gives eternal hope, satisfaction, joy, purpose and salvation to the world. My life and eternity is secure, because the God of the universe loved me so much that even while I hated Him and lived in sin, He sent His son Jesus to die in my place, removing my sin and giving me His righteousness, and now I am justified and free from God's wrath. There is no greater truth. I live because of this truth.

Q: What opportunities did you have to share your faith with others at Southeast?

A: After I came to Christ in 2007, I had a heart for others to know this love I have come to know. I spent every day with 80 other teammates. I had a vision and heart to help my team know Christ. I led Bible studies for our team and shared with many of my teammates one-on-one every opportunity I got. I would share my faith with them in the cafeteria, locker room, dormitory room, parties, on bus trips, or at home when we were just chillin'. I had many opportunities to share my faith with other students not on the football team as well. We had a Bible study called AIT (Athletes in Training), where multiple athletic teams from SEMO would get together to talk about God. We also had many Bible studies spread throughout the dorms where anyone was welcome to come and hear and talk about God. It is important to note that I say none of these things for my own glory, and I did none of these things to try and force my belief on people. I shared my faith because I could not keep such a message of love and salvation to myself; because I'm commanded to by God, because there is a need to, and because Christ loves compels me to.

Q: As a football player for Southeast, were there any particular teammates who helped you in your walk with God?

A: Kendall Magana, Nick Grassi, Dustin Powell and Abraham Woodard were all teammates who helped me grow in my relationship with Christ. All of us came to Christ at SEMO except Dustin. We all had a vision to help our team know Christ and labored together to do so. All the Bible studies we did on the team were led by all of us. I am very grateful for these men who pushed me toward Christ throughout my time at SEMO. There were also many other people who were not on the football team at SEMO who helped me in my walk with God, whom I am incredibly grateful for.

Q: To any young person considering entering the ministry, what's your advice?

A: Let your focus be to love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. If ministry doesn't lead you to worship God, don't do it. We were created to glorify God. If ministry doesn't lead your heart and your actions to accomplish the purpose of your creation, do something else. However, if it does, don't bear the burden of doing the work only God can do; be faithful to love Jesus, love people, and share the gospel. You will see fruit in your life and ministry when you remain and abide in Jesus.