It’s February 1998. I’m a pharmaceutical sales rep living in a Texas college town — driving county roads, calling on doctors’ offices. I love my wife, Margaret. We just bought our first house. We’re expecting our first child — our daughter, Claire. I go to church on Sundays. I pray.

I have growing concerns about the direction of our country … but I have absolutely no idea what to do.

I’m not a pastor. Not a politician. I’m not a leader of anything. So I try to push my concerns aside.

One morning, I’m sitting at our kitchen table with a cup of coffee, opening the local newspaper. And there it is, in black and white on the front page: Planned Parenthood is planning to open an abortion center in our community.

My heart sinks. The coffee goes cold.

This isn’t a headline from somewhere far away. This is our town. Our neighbors. Our schools. Women and children will be at risk on our watch.

And Margaret is pregnant with our daughter.

The news breaks something open inside me — a feeling I can’t push down or rationalize away. But knowing something is wrong and knowing what to do about it are two very different things. I’m just a drug rep. I have no platform, no credentials, no leadership experience, and no plan. I feel powerless.

My fear is real. Not the dramatic, made-for-movie kind. The quieter kind. The kind that whispers at 2 a.m.: You’re not the right person for this. You’re not enough.

But beneath the fear, there’s something I almost forgot was there.

As a kid, growing up in Pittsburgh, I’m at a different kitchen table, in a different season of life. My parents are the kind of people who don’t just believe in God on Sundays. They live out their faith every day.

I watch my dad, a former pastor, step forward in faith and lead through his selfless example, and I watch my mom pray through things she can’t solve on her own, including her fight with cancer.

The lesson they teach me — not in a sermon, but in the way they live — is simple: Trust God, and put your faith into action — even when you can’t see the next step.

It goes in so deep I forget it’s there.

My fear is real. Not the dramatic, made-for-movie kind. The quieter kind. The kind that whispers at 2 a.m.: You’re not the right person for this. You’re not enough.

But beneath the fear, there’s something I almost forgot was there.

As a kid, growing up in Pittsburgh, I’m at a different kitchen table, in a different season of life. My parents are the kind of people who don’t just believe in God on Sundays. They live out their faith every day.

None of this was my plan. However, I’ve been blessed to have a front row seat watching ordinary people — people who feel just as unqualified as I did — discover that they are capable of extraordinary things when they trust God and take that first step. The same pattern repeats itself in city after city, nation after nation: someone who thinks they aren’t enough says yes anyway. And God does the rest.

I didn’t believe that about myself — until God proved it true.

Today, I’m dedicating my life to planting that same seed in others — raising up a generation of Christ-centered leaders to transform our culture for GOOD.

Because I’ve seen what God can accomplish through faithful people who trust Him, put their faith into action … and lead the change that our world needs now.

David Bereit is one of the most respected and sought-after voices in the movement for faith, life, and cultural transformation. As the founder of 40 Days for Life — the largest coordinated grassroots pro-life mobilization in world history — he has helped rally more than 750,000 volunteers across 650 cities in all 50 states and over 40 nations.

Under his leadership, the 40 Days for Life movement has been credited with saving more than 14,000 lives, helping 143 abortion workers leave the industry, and closing 83 abortion facilities. David has personally raised over $100 million for faith-based causes and has spoken in more than 550 cities worldwide.

A gifted communicator known for his ability to inspire action, David brings a rare combination of prophetic vision and battle-tested strategy to everything he does. He doesn’t just talk about cultural change — he has spent three decades building the movements that achieve it.

Today, David’s mission is focused on the next frontier: raising up a new generation of Christ-centered leaders equipped to transform the culture. Through the Life Leadership Conference, strategic consulting, and direct mentorship, he helps emerging leaders discover their God-given purpose, build their platforms, and multiply their impact.

David and his wife Margaret live in Texas, where they are raising their family and continuing the work they started together at that kitchen table in 1998.