Posted on 02/08/2004 7:51:08 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
It's early in the morning, all quiet and dark. Much of San Antonio is asleep. David Robinson is wide awake. The city's most admired man could be running for mayor. But he is reading from Scripture.
The Texan of the Year could be campaigning for Congress. But he is standing in a sanctuary.
The nation's most respected Admiral could be making plans to reach the White House. But he is trying to reach the hearts of 400 men.
"The Lord is trying to teach us to love his word," Robinson says as the clock ticks past 6 a.m.
Dressed in extra long jeans and a short-sleeved, navy shirt, Robinson cuts a commanding presence. Tall. Handsome. Charismatic. He could pass for royalty, even in blue denim.
Prince David is leading a study about King Solomon, a conflicted Biblical figure who once viewed everything under the sun as "meaningless."
"Solomon and Job talked to God a lot," Robinson says on a recent morning at Oak Hills Church. "They wrestled with tough things; they rejoiced in good things."
Eight months since retiring from the Spurs, Robinson rejoices in a new calling: ministry. A member of the Oak Hills Church staff, Robinson leads a Bible study every Thursday at 6 a.m. for the men of the city. Believers throughout San Antonio attend.
"This is my new locker room," Robinson says of the sanctuary where the weekly studies are held. "What men say in here stays in here."
Ministry is the latest of Robinson's noble pursuits. He not only meets with a large gathering of men on Thursdays, he phones a small group of them once a week, prays with them and takes their calls.
Such hands-on ministry impresses Steve Doss, a 48-year-old Oak Hills member. "He's authentic," Doss says of Robinson. "People appreciate the fact that he could be out making a lot of money, but he has stopped here to do grass-roots ministry."
Robinson devotes most of his time to family, his church and Carver Academy, the East Side school he founded for low-income and minority students.
"David has achieved what we've all hoped our celebrities would achieve," says Oak Hills pastor Max Lucado. "He has a stable marriage, a wonderful wife, great kids and a deep faith. He's a good thinker and loves this country."
In a culture that worships celebrity, Robinson would prefer anonymity. His life in retirement hums quietly below the media's radar.
How do you lead a newscast with a man whose greatest passions are God and family?
When Robinson preached his first sermon at Oak Hills last month, he asked that no newspaper or television cameras be permitted in the sanctuary. He also declined interview requests. The title of his message: "It's Not About Me."
Except for admitting to a little nervousness, Robinson did not talk about himself.
He couldn't be more low key about preaching if he cut off his legs at the knees and walked around as an ordinary 6-footer. Yet this 7-footer could be a giant in so many arenas. Business. Television. Politics.
In a December cover story on Robinson and former teammate Tim Duncan, Sports Illustrated included an eye-opening comment from former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros. Cisneros called Robinson "presidential timber."
Cisneros told me, "I think David would be a force in any level that he chose. Whether that's running locally for mayor, running statewide or, in due, course, running for a national responsibility.
"I don't want to overstate the case and say, 'presidential,' but there are people whose natural talents will allow them to function at that level. If he applied himself in that (political) arena, he would be successful in that arena."
Robinson has said he has no interest in running for political office. He also once said he had no interest in joining the staff at Oak Hills Church. But after much thought and prayer, Robinson assumed a staff role in the fall.
Could prayer change his mind about politics? Lucado says he has never discussed politics with Robinson. "But if he ever decided to run," Lucado says, "I bet he'd win. Don't you?"
-To contact Ken Rodriguez, call (210) 250-3369 or e-mail krodriguez@express-news.net. His column appears on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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