- [Gordon] He weighed nearly 800 pounds.

- Food made me feed accepted.

Food made me feel good.

It made me feel likeeverything else didn't matter.

It felt like it loved me.

- [Gordon] Until hesurrendered his identity.

- [Interviewee] I had areverence, a fear of the Lord,

because he created my body.

He made it.

- Find out how he lost nearly 600 pounds,

plus, she's the widow of theAmerican Sniper, Chris Kyle.

Taya Kyle is here to discusshow she overcomes grief

and her plan to help othersfind purpose and passion

on today's 700 club Interactive.

Well welcome to the show.

- The Charlotte Hornets, James Borrego,

was the first Hispanic head coach

in the NBA's 72-year history,

and he was hired by oneof his childhood idols.

- That childhood idol?

Well none other than teamowner Michael Jordan.

Recently, the coach sat downwith our sports reporter,

Tom Buehring, to talk about what it's like

to work for one of basketball'sall time greatest players.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] In a game of rebounds,

James Borrego has theknack for bouncing back.

His resiliency andpersistence turned heads.

After long success and two championships

as the San Antonio's first assistant,

the Charlotte Hornets hired him,

and he became the NBA'sfirst Hispanic head coach.

But the three-time head coaching finalist

had to wait his turn.

- When was the weight most difficult?

- Believing I was the next guy

being turned down for the finalist again.

Two jobs, two nos.

But I kept being persistent,

finding resilience to keep moving forward.

Being an NBA assistantcoach for 15-16 years,

the wait was long,

but I knew if I continuedto put my work in,

that opportunity would come again,

and I'm thankful for it.

- How do you fuel yourdisappointment rather than resenting?

- Well I think you lookat it as an opportunity.

Through disappointments in life,

and it's on the court,in practice, in games,

as long as you're learning from it,

I think you get better along the way.

I found a spirit of resiliencyreflected in my mother

that she could get upand she could keep going

through the ups and the downs of life,

and I was given that gift in an early age,

and moving forward, andseeing that example.

- Well an owner is an ownerunless you're wearing it, right?

So you come here under the evaluation

of Hornets owner, Michael Jordan.

So what made that memorable for you?

- First of all, I never met him.

Obviously one of thegreatest players of all time,

someone I grew up watching,admiring from afar.

To walk in his home and be interviewed

and spend time withhim was surreal for me.

Someone that knows basketballat extremely high level,

he was interested inme, to hear my vision,

what I could help bring hiscompany, his organization.

It was a wonderful conversationof basketball, life,

moving this team forward.

We spent a lot of timewatching a basketball game,

talking X's and O's.

But he's been a wonderful owner,

someone that brings greatvalue, someone who I trust,

and someone who I know believesin me and this entire group.

- Is there a favorite question he asked?

- Who'd you grow up rooting for?

(laughing)

- Your mandate was Bulls.

- Bulls all the way.(laughing)

He didn't know I wasreally a Laker fan, but.

- [Tom] Talent aside, what'sat the core of a champion?

- There's a lot there.

It's effort and your consistency,

effort and your discipline,effort to stay resilient.

If you have those threethings you got a shot.

People look at NBA champions,

and they think it justhappens 'cause they're talent,

or coaching, or you add this play or that.

You have to put the time in.

You have to put the effort in every day,

and that's the challenge.

- [Tom] What is about JB thatmakes him unique as a coach?

- Well first off, he's a great guy.

He's helping me think a lot about the game

and about different situationsand things of that nature.

So, I think that's what'sdifferent about him.

He's real open-minded.

- We have a great relationship

'cause he's been with me10 years in San Antonio,

and we trust each other.

So when he asked me tocome here and help him out,

I was just happy about the opportunity,

and I knew that I could trust him.

- [Tom] Today's NBA playersare getting younger.

They're global.

What is a must have to earn their trust?

- They are getting global.

It's becoming more andmore of a challenge.

You have to be authentic.

Players today, they'llsee right through you,

and you won't earn their trust,

and I think that's whatChrist is looking for in us,

to be authentic and real.

And that's really whatelevates an organization,

when there's real authenticconnection or relationship,

and I think that's whatplayers are looking for.

- [Tom] What hasmulticultural friendships,

teaming taught you?

- Growing up in Mexico,Hispanic background,

it's about family, thatwe pull for each other.

We're there for each otherjust as the church should be.

There's room to disagree.

No matter if I'm Hispanic,white, black, Asian,

we're just a family,

and I think that's what Christwould want us to represent

and to be about.

That's something I value at my core

and something that I wannabe known for long-term.

- You're doing your doctorate now,

but you have your Master's in leadership.

What do you think is most undervalued

when it comes to moving people forward?

- One of the things I'velearned over the years

watching great leadersand studying leadership

is listening to people,understanding people,

empathizing with people.

You can help move them forward,

but you gotta understand people

and where they're at to do that.

Sometimes it's a little messy,

and I think it's about listening.

When you listen to 'em you value them,

and when people feel valuedthey'll keep coming back to you.

- [Tom] So you werebrought in to help change,

redefine the culture of this organization,

but over your broadexperience with coaching,

what about the pushbackthat comes from leadership

at times where it's like,we don't wanna change?

What's your advice?

- Get over yourself.

We're not in it for the ego.

Not standing up on a perch thinking

that I got everything figured out.

It's stepping in the muckand the fire in the arena,

put ourselves in the battlefield together,

pull out the best in people,see what they do well,

and maximize it.

The good leaders I've beenaround, they go tap into that.

- Coach at the church,evaluate their mission,

their game plan.

What would your encouragementbe to them to finish strong?

- Probably tell 'em somethingI tell my players often.

As they exit a huddle, exit a halftime,

stay the course, stay together.

This is a long game.

This is a long season.

We need each other.

Stay together, stay thecourse, keep pulling,

and ultimately communicate.

It's talking, but it's also listening.

- [Tom] What do you borrowfrom Christ's example

when leading and coaching a team?

- I think of two things.

Sacrifice and resiliency.

He was the ultimate example of that.

The ultimate sacrificefor us, never giving in,

always getting backup, always being there.

Just realizing youcan't do it on your own,

that you need a partner.

He's the ultimate partner.

- He is the ultimate partner,

but you can pick up a lotof wisdom just from James

in that little short piece,

and the biggest one is,

don't look at failure as anythingother than opportunities.

If you're disappointed,

if you're not getting what you think,

well then, okay, where'sthe opportunity here?

What a great piece of wisdom.

- It takes it all to make it work, right?

Well up next, she's thewife to the late Chris Kyle,

better known as the American Sniper.

Taya Kyle is here to tell us

how she's continuing her husband'slegacy, right after this.

(inspirational music)

How do you deal with grief?

The Bible tells us that Godcomforts us in our sorrows

so that we're betterprepared to comfort others.

Well, sometimes hearing stories of triumph

encourages those of us who aredealing with life's trials.

Taya Kyle has experienced despair.

Now she's helping othersone life at a time.

Take a look.

- [Narrator] Taya Kyle is a

New York Times best selling author

and the widow of AmericanSniper, Chris Kyle.

Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield

were cruelly murdered by aman they were trying to help.

In Chris' honor, Taya has founded

the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation,

which focuses onstrengthening the marriages

of military spouses and first responders.

After her husband's death,people shared their own stories

of tragedy and triumph with Taya.

She highlighted over30 of them in her book,

'American Spirit.'

Taya Kyle joins us now.

Welcome, it's so nice to have you with us.

- Thank you, it's nice to be here.

- You've called the 'American Spirit'

a love letter to the country.

What do you mean by that, Taya?

- I just think it's when yousee someone hurting or angry,

and you think there's more to them,

and you try to reach theirsoul, and get past the anger,

and I feel like that's wherewe are in this country.

It feels very divisive and polarized,

and I see this countrystill having a soul,

and I think that's the healing process.

We need to get to the soul.

And remember that justbecause we hear loud extremes,

that's not the majority ofwhat's happening in this country.

The majority of what's happeningis people loving each other

and lifting each otherup without any knowledge

of the other person's politics.

- And sometimes, that spirit can spread--

- Yes.- Like wildfire.

- Yes.- And we all need to,

like learn to take three deep breaths,

think a little bit while we're doing that,

and then come at it froma different perspective.

Talk about the pioneeringspirit that built America,

and I mean, our countryis really founded on that

and great because of that.

- Right.- Discuss that a little bit.

- It's interesting becauseI know a lot of times

people get frustrated if wetalk about the founding fathers,

and there's a mix of what they wanted,

which was border control,and currency, railroads,

and that's about it, right?

The Federal Government'sdesigned to not do much,

and I think that was brilliant there

because it allowed peopleto help each other out.

But aside from that, we had this spirit

of helping one another getacross the mountain passes,

and if they were sick,you helped your neighbor.

Who else was there, right?

And the blessing wasthat people figured out

the kinda grit they had.

They figured out what it took

and what the purposewas kind of in the pain

when they came together.

And I think that part ofour spirit's alive and well.

- Well, and there is abig core of your book

is about the fact thatthere is purpose in pain.

- Really, yeah.

- That sometimes whenyou're going through it,

as I'm sure you foundyourself very difficult to see

or even to hang onto.- Right.

- How did you get to that place?

- Well it's interestingbecause I find that

sometimes it feels impossible,

right, when you're going through it,

and I think the more perspective you have,

the more experience youhave getting through things,

the more you start tosee the beauty in it,

and you have faith that it's okay.

So I definitely see thewisdom in God's plan

because I think it's sort of like,

if you knew your child wasgonna have an amputation,

you would prepare them ahead of time,

and then you would be with them there,

and you would take care of them afterward.

And I see that as what God did with me.

I was prepared a littlebit before the amputation,

having Chris' life taken.

- Jerked out of your life.- Right.

And there are ways thatI see he prepared me

to be able to withstand that

and put people in place to help me.

But there's a story in here.

Can I take a minute--- [Terry] Please.

- And tell you about it?

There's a story in here that I really,

I kinda had a moment where I felt God

in the green room backthere kinda talking,

saying talk about this one.

Solutions for change, Ihaven't talked about it

on any other show.

But Chris Megison's, his story is amazing.

He starts out as a Marine

who loses a volunteer contest, right?

Just little things add up.

You think, oh, that's too bad.

You didn't get what you wanted.

That puts him into a placewhere he had to volunteer.

Where he volunteers he sees a guy

who has fought drugaddiction, and is miserable,

and death of loved ones, and he's hurting,

and he's in this homeless shelter,

and he doesn't talk to anybody.

That pain is used for good, right?

So the two of them meet,and then they connect,

and that puts Chris on this different path

where now he not only helps people,

but he does the whole biblical thing of

teaching a man to fish, right?

And the cool thing is,

the guy who's fought all these addictions,

and had all this trouble, andis homeless, he doesn't want.

I mean, he appreciates the factthat he has food and money,

but he doesn't want just that, right?

He wants his life back.

He wants somebody to see him as a person.

And so, Chris goes and creates

a two and a half year program for people.

There's a story inthere of how it happens,

but where people actually changetheir lives for the better.

So, I take that and I think,one little thing at a time

that we would see as horrible,

actually ended up beingthe most amazing blessing

for all of these families

who now have a totallydifferent trajectory.

It's powerful stuff.- That wouldn't of happened

had he gotten what he wanted--- Right.

- In the first place.- That's exactly right.

- It's a Romans 8:28 moment.- Yeah, yeah.

- God takes sometimes what the enemy

has planned for you that's not good

and turns it into somethingthat's a blessing for many.

- I think he does that every time.

We just have to be wise enough to see it,

and we have to be open enough

and not have fear rule our lives.

And sometimes my life has been a journey

of turning fear into faith.

I was very afraid of a lot of things,

and the longer I live I see,

if God can get me through the worst,

he can get me through the littlest.

And at one point I would of thought

he wouldn't care about the little things.

And I think the beauty of this book

and why I had to share the story is,

he does care about the little things.

Like how magnificent isGod that he can care about

the little things in all of our lives?

That is mind-blowing.

- Speaking of caring about little things,

how have you helped yourchildren through all of this?

- Yeah, it's fascinating to me too,

and that's another part of mylearning experience with God

is I see that peoplesay kids are resilient,

but what I see is theirsouls have been changed

in a way that is positive,

and that should not have happened, right,

because my biggest fearwas telling my kids

that their father had died.

And when I actually had to do it

it was one of the worst thingsI've ever done in my life.

He was an amazing father.

And then I look at it and see,they are soulful, faithful.

They're strong.

They have a different perspective.

You wanna talk about a bad day?

I mean, I remember my daughtertelling me at one point,

Momma, sometimes I would ofthought of this as a bad day,

but my dad didn't die today.

So really.

- [Terry] Yeah.

- And it kinda took my breath away.

- Puts it all in perspective.

- Yeah, and I thought, that'sa lot for a little person.

And she was very young at the time,

and I just see them as somuch smarter and stronger

and more compassionate.

- And I was gonna say,smarter and stronger,

and yet, gentler in a way, morecompassionate, as you said.

- They really are.- That's amazing.

- They look out for other people.

And they don't sit in their grief.

I think that's the other thing.

You think at some point that

when something likethat is taken from them,

I wondered, would theirfoundation ever be okay.

And I've had other men in their lives

who are strong, married, Christian men

who cared enough about our family

to care for my children, right?

They've had people, yeah,

they've had people step in every way.

So, without being married again,

you always wonder, will mykids have an understanding

of what a healthy home looks like,

and they do because they have friends

who have healthy marriages and homes,

and they get it.

- And isn't that reallythe message of your book

that all around us life is happening,

and we need to step in.

We need to step into the moment.

We need to step up to the plate.

- Right.- We need to be the one.

- Right, and with that,I would suggest this too

is that I remember thinking,I'd hear those things,

and I'd think, there's no way.

I'm a mom.

Like I would love to change the world.

I can't do that, right?

And I think that the powerin this book is you see that

it's actually the small things you do,

and it multiplies.

- [Terry] Every day people.- Yes.

And just taking reallygood care of your kids

and giving them that foundation

ripples out more thanany work you could do

if you were showing up ateven a non-profit every day.

- Yeah, it's a great legacy.- Yeah.

- What you leave with your children.

Well the book is called 'American Spirit.'

It's available wherever books are sold.

It's a wonderful read.

It's a wonderful inspirationand encouragement.

Thank you, Taya.

- Thank you for having me.- It's great to see you again.

- Good to see you.- Gordon?

- Up next, he was a secondgrader who weighed 200 pounds.

Over time, that number nearly quadrupled.

- They would say thingslike, oh, you're fat.

You're ugly.

You waddle.

That stuff would make me wanna go to food

because it just made me feel good.

- [Gordon] Hear how heexperienced a total transformation

after this.

(upbeat music)

Justin Willaby walkedinto the doctor's office

for a routine checkup.

He left in an ambulance.

That's because Justin weighed 799 pounds.

At the hospital, he knewhe needed to lose weight,

and he needed to changemore than just his diet.

- Yeah, when people see picturesof me when I was younger,

and they look back at those pictures,

they really can't believethat's who they're looking at,

that it's me.

- [Narrator] From anearly age, Justin Willaby

had a passion for food.

- Food was like my best friend.

It would comfort me.

I would bring me pleasure.

And it took away the anxiety.

It took away all my emotions for a moment.

It numbed me, if you will.

Hitting second grade, Iwas around 200 pounds.

Going through middle school,

I probably hit around 350, 400, 450.

- [Narrator] As his weight climbed,

the attacks from classmates increased.

- They would say thingslike, oh, you're fat.

YOu're ugly.

You waddle.

Just a bunch of vulgar names.

And then that stuff wouldmake me wanna go to food.

I got a lot of pleasure from it,

a lot of acceptance, becauseit just made me feel good.

My panic attacks started at 14-years old.

The doctors put me on medication.

The medications help in atemporary sense to where

they'd make me feel alittle numb and kinda tired.

- [Narrator] Justin grew more sedentary

and his weight increased,

but nothing freed him fromhis depression and fear.

Around this time, a friend of his mom,

a woman named Marge startedtalking to Justin about Jesus.

- She talked to me abouthow God can help me

through the anxiety attacks and such,

and that he wouldn'tleave me or forsake me,

that he was with me always.

To know that somebodycan love you that much,

and to know that I could be forgiven

of the wrongs that I've done,

of the things I'm not okay with,

the things that wouldhaunt me day and night,

like why did I make this decision,

stuff like that, it attracted me.

- [Narrator] But Justin wasn't willing

to surrender his food addiction.

- Food made me feel accepted.

Food made me feel good.

Food, it made me feel likeeverything else didn't matter.

It felt like it loved meeven though it didn't.

But it just, it made me feelsatisfied and fulfilled.

It was this, this condition I guess I had

that I didn't wanna give up.

So, yeah, there was this battle going on.

- [Narrator] When he was 16,

Justin went to a doctorfor an insurance physical.

- [Justin] And the doctor looked at me,

and he was stunned.

He looked me over, he checked me over,

and he was really anxious.

He was really unsure if I washealthy and if I was okay.

- [Narrator] He was sent by ambulance

to a hospital in Pittsburghfor more testing.

There the seriousness of hismorbid obesity became real.

- I remember my parentsbeing at the foot of the bed,

and they looked at the bed scale.

My mom walks up to me,

and she says, honey, do youknow how much you weigh?

And I said, no, I don't.

And she goes, you weight 799 pounds.

And I was, I was blown awayand numb at the same time.

I thought things like, who could love me?

I'm so large.

Who would love me?

I don't offer much.

I just sit here and I eat.

And those are real thoughtsthat entered my mind, for sure.

And those thoughts plagued me.

I just, I guess I feltlike I was in a prison

at that moment, just notknowing where to turn next.

- [Narrator] Lying in hisbed, Justin remembered

what his mom's friend Margetold him about Jesus' love,

and he cried out to God for help.

- When I gave my heart toJesus and surrendered over,

there was a peace.

I felt loved, and I felt valuable.

I felt like even if Iwas that much weight,

and wasn't confident,and happy about myself,

I felt like the Lordsaw something different.

Like he saw my identity as his child,

and I allowed God to take a messed up,

broken person that I was,

and I allowed him to changeme from the inside out.

I gave my heart to Jesus in August 2003.

And I realized that I was loved by him,

and that he cared about me,

and I had value and identity.

- [Narrator] With a new identity,

Justin started functioning differently.

He was motivated to eatbetter and started moving.

I would have to startwalking a little bit.

So I remember taking a couple steps,

maybe three, four, five steps,

and then I would have to goback to the bed and sit down.

But that was a milestone for me

because I was able to actually move.

I was able to actually function.

- [Narrator] He wasdischarged after six days.

Once at home, Justin startedworking with a therapist

and a nurse to continuebuilding his strength.

It took him 33 days towalk a total of one mile.

- And then I startedwalking a little bit easier.

It took me less days, 20some days the second time.

I did another mile.

And then less time to do my next mile.

And eventually I startedwalking around stores,

and going out, and actuallybecoming part of society again.

- [Narrator] The first yearJustin dropped 200 pounds

through dietary changes and exercise.

The second year he dropped another 200.

He learned to rely on God

any time he felt like givingin to his food addiction.

- The closer I got to God,

the closer I grew myrelationship with Jesus,

I do believe my body got healthier.

It's because I had areverence, a fear of the Lord,

because he created my body.

He made it.

He created it in such a wayto where it is a temple.

He lives in it.

If God comes to live in you,

if he dwells in your body,if he dwells in a temple,

don't you think that templeshould be taken care of?

- [Narrator] Today, over 10 years later,

Justin remains addictionand panic attack free.

He's married and has sharedhis transformative story

on radio, TV, and church meetings.

As a weight loss coachand motivational speaker,

Justin enjoys pointing others

to the life-changing power of Jesus.

- God made you you,

and he wants you to bethe best version of you,

and that only comes fromsurrendering your life over to him

and allowing him to shape youinto who he wants you to be.

- What he's done forothers, he will do for you.

What Justin said is a great key.

When he was talking about food,

it made me feel like it loved me.

It made me feel that way,even though it didn't

and even though food was killing him.

That act, that eating of itmade him feel like he was loved.

I think that's the key to all addiction

and all compulsive behavior,

and you find it in Josiahwhere God talks about idolatry,

he talks about harlotry,and then he says knew why.

What they do is they enslave the heart,

and when you understand thatyour heart's enslaved to it,

it makes you feel like you're loved

even though it's killing you.

This applies to anything.

And whether you talk aboutfame, or internet addiction,

or video game addiction, or alcoholism,

or drug addiction, or food addiction,

what it means is your heart is enslaved,

and you're doing thingsthat on a repeated pattern

are actually destroying you.

But I've got great news for you.

You can take that love andreplace it for something real,

and that is the love that God has for you,

the dignity that that love gives you,

and then the confidence moving forward,

that you're changed fromyour innermost being.

That what you used to loveto do that destroyed you

can now be changed into love

for the one who loves you infinitely

and wants you to be withhim for all eternity.

If you want to experiencethis, give us a call.

All you have to do is say,I need to find Jesus today.

I need to know that I'm loved.

I need to know that I'm forgiven.

I need to know that I'mgoing to be cared for

for the rest of my lifeand then for all eternity.

We're here for you.

We're not here to judge you.

We're here to set you free

and let you know that God love you.

Call us, 1-800-700-7000.

Here's a word from Psalms.

And those who know your namewill put their trust in you.

For you, Lord, have notforsaken those who seek you.

God bless.

(upbeat music)