By Charles Braddix

JOHANNESBURG – “My faith is obviously very important to me,” U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard recently said in interview with World Soccer Journeys staff. “I make no secrets of that.”

Howard is participating in his second FIFA World Cup™. Previously he served as backup goalie for the U.S. squad in 2006. Now he’s the starting goalie. “I’m delighted to be here,” he said.

Howard, an outspoken Christian, isn’t shy about discussing his faith. “I’m certainly just a vehicle for Christ,” he said, “and He moves me and the Spirit moves me in miraculous ways – that’s from dealing with Tourette’s syndrome to the pressures playing on a level like this and in England in the Premiere League. I just try to rely on faith.

“I’m not perfect,” Howard continued. “I’m far from it and that is the reason I do need Jesus. I try to live it. … I stumble, as many people do, but always in the belief that I’m loved and that I’m meaningful.”

Howard wants to be known as someone who tries to live for Christ and be a beacon of light for Him. In an audio interview released by sports ministry 2KPlus, Howard said he wants people to see Christ when they see him. “That’s important,” he said, “because I think people are going to see your stumbles, people are going to see your triumphs, and I want people to know that everyday I tried to live for Christ.”

For the first ten years of his life, Howard suffered with an undiagnosed case of Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by physical and verbal tics.

“I did not experience peace,” he said in a testimony published by Athletes in Action. “But even though my life often seemed chaotic, I knew I could always count on at least one person to provide calm and stability: my grandmother.”

Howard said his grandmother’s sense of peace was so powerful because it came from her faith in the Lord. “Through her, God revealed His love for me as well,” he said. “It wasn’t long before I was following in her footsteps. I wanted the same kind of faith and peace she had, and that is exactly what God gave me.”

Howard said living with Tourette’s is not easy. “But God has blessed me with the gift of athleticism as well,” he shared. “He has done some powerful things in my life through the combination of these two gifts. … He also has shown me ways to use my position as a professional athlete to encourage others with Tourette’s syndrome.”

In 2001, at the age of 22, Howard became the youngest winner of U.S. Major League Soccer’s “Goalkeeper of the Year” award. Two years later he was signed by Manchester United in the English Premiere League. He now plays for Everton in the same league.

“Today, I am blessed to be living a dream,” Howard said. “And yet, if it all went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that’s the kind of peace Christ gives. It is rooted in His love, and it surpasses all understanding.”