These words borrowed from the well-known medical doctor Parch Adams, demonstrate the revolutionary spirit of this book, Dante Gebel is known throughout much of the Hispanic world as an excellent speaker who is able to immerse his audience in the most fascinating stories and guide them through emotional labyrinths ranging from laughter to tears. Tens of thousands are inspired through his television and radio shows, his lectures and messages in his international tours, always having a full house everywhere he goes, plus his books, that usually are bestsellers. He is presently pastoring River Church, a Spanish church that has seen an astonishing growth in a short time. Gebel reaches a huge audience through his shows in more than 75 countries. The shows are aired by several television networks in Latin America, with his weekly show called Dante Gebel Live, broadcast live in different places of the globe, plus his messages, sent from the Anaheim Convention Center. The Dante Gebel Live program is aired every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. through Telemundo and seven times per week in Los Angeles through Enlace TBN, besides been broadcast to sixty different nations through thirteen satellites. Dante Gebel is acknowledged as one of the Hispanic bestselling authors. He has written several books with Vida Zondervan: El código del campeón, Pasión de multitudes, Las arenas del alma, Monólogos de Dante Gebel, Monólogos II, La leyenda continúa, Destinado al éxito, and Los mejores mensajes de Dante Gebel, the most recent one, besides having performed in several films for the company. Dante Gebel has held several mass shows in different Stadiums all around America. He has given these shows the name of “Súper Clásicos de la Juventud”. Dante is famous in the Hispanic world as one of the most extraordinary public speakers to address youth and family subjects, able to lead the public through most fascinating stories that can take you from laughter to tears. Dante is presently residing in Orange, California with his wife Liliana. They have four children: Brian, Kevin, Jason, and Megan. Visit his official website at: www.dantegebel.com THE CHAMPION'S CODE By Dante Gebel Zondervan Copyright © 2011 Dante Gebel All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8297-5822-1 Contents DEDICATION.........................................................5ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................7INTRODUCTION.......................................................9CHAPTER 1: Heart of a Nobleman.....................................15CHAPTER 2: The Big Leagues.........................................27CHAPTER 3: The Champion's Fist.....................................39CHAPTER 4: The Quick Wipe-out......................................55CHAPTER 5: The Unique Squadron.....................................71CHAPTER 6: Determined, Committed, Enthusiastic.....................85CHAPTER 7: That Strange Race of Visionaries........................103CHAPTER 8: Men in Black............................................119CHAPTER 9: The Divine Showman......................................133CHAPTER 10: The Amazing Story of the Cohens........................155EPILOGUE: The Dissident............................................173ABOUT THE AUTHOR...................................................183 Chapter One HEART OF A NOBLEMAN "Boy, God will never use a person like you." The man was furious, evincing no pity as he pointed at me with his bony finger. The words were harsh as a stone, cutting, categorical. His German accent was heavier than usual, perhaps because his anxiety was deeply rooted. The pastor was angry and his condemnation would handicap my life for a long time. A phrase like that makes a 15-year-old boy feel like failure defines him. In essence, this is a book of secret codes — of those things that you had always wanted to ask but never dared. Perhaps you came to believe that you are the only one with this hidden syndrome. Do you want to know what happens in the heart of a young person with this type of complex? Follow the example of myself, your servant, and observe me at the tender age of fifteen. What that German patriarch said had some truth to it — I was not behaving as a member of God's great team. From the age of twelve I had a problem getting enough to eat, along with the inevitable growth spurt that happens during a boy's adolescence. I was taking a variety of vitamin pills, but nothing helped me gain even one miserable pound of weight. My skinny legs literally looked like those of an ostrich, my knees like knobs sticking out of my short pants. A rather prominent nose and protruding eyes were also among the physical characteristics that, together, made me a very introverted person whose inner world was in chaos. Do not discount what I am trying to say. Only those who have walked this path in their own lives can fully understand and look back with a wry smile. Those horrifying gaffes that mad