Zach McAnulty's Adidas tennis shoes are his favorite pair. He loves them. They're not dirty, not even a little. He keeps them clean and shows them off any chance he gets, including to a crowd of nearly 3,500 at Wednesday's 10th Annual Fields of Faith gathering at Mules Stadium.
But what happens if one night McAnulty goes outside, traipses around in the dark, and once back in the light, discovers his glorious shoes are covered in mud?
"It would be terrible, but would I throw them away because they're dirty," he asked during his message. "No. Instead of throwing them away, I'll go find some cleaner. I'll wash it off. "
McAnulty's favorite shoes helped illustrate a point he was making about condemnation, which actually had nothing to do with footwear. He told the crowd, mostly comprised of high school and college students, instead of condemning a person who doesn't look or act a certain way, to instead wrap them in God's love.
"When you show people love, you're not supposed to throw them away and make them feel less significant than who they are," he said. "You have purpose, you have life. You were worth Jesus coming down from Heaven and dying on the cross because he loved you so much... he was cool with it."
Fields of Faith is a national movement sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that brings people together to read scripture and share their personal experiences about what led them to Christ. Instead of hosting a "well-known" speaker or evangelist, the event highlights members of the community, local athletes and students.
Organizers said the event held in Poplar Bluff is the largest in the state and has been for the last 10 years bringing in students from all over Southeast Missouri.
Three Rivers FCA Area Representative Josh Mills, who took over for Bill Ray after his summer retirement, said the turnout was greater than anticipated.
"For 3,000 or more people to show up on a Wednesday night is amazing," he said.
Mills has been working behind the scenes to organize this year's event since August. He said being the first time it was held in Mules Stadium, since last year's event was moved indoors due to inclement weather, presented unique challenges.
"I owe a lot of thanks to the school administration, security team, custodial staff and the athletic director (Kent Keith)," Mills said. "Going in, we really didn't know how this would look. This year was a new step for everybody."
But as the crowd swayed back and forth during worship songs and heard testimonies from their peers, it looked as if the evening was a success.
Three Rivers College basketball player Chris Stocks was the first to speak. After graduating from Poplar Bluff High School in 2015, he said his life was perfect. He'd been invited to play Division I basketball and when he left for college, he'd never felt better.
"But when I left for school, I went from my highest high, to my lowest low," he said.
Family troubles, the change in environment and isolation he felt at his new school, plus an injury putting the future of his basketball career in jeopardy, all added to his grief. But raised in a Christian household, Stocks said he turned to God.
"At this point, I started to pray," he said. "I listened to scripture online. Slowly, things were starting to get better. My spirituality was growing."
Stocks said he set goals for himself to do things like read his Bible every day and as he did this, again, things continued to improve.
"I was selfish before this," he said. "I'd ask God for things and promise to live a better life if he gave them to me... I needed to be humbled."
Though Stocks' spoke of his lifelong journey with Christ, Boone Vandover's message was a little different. The Poplar Bluff High School senior and football player said life was going good until he had the worst seven days he could have imagined.
"About a year ago, my Grandpa Ernie died," he said. "That was really hard and I realized how much I loved him... My relationship fell apart and my truck literally broke in half, so I couldn't even drive anywhere to get things off my mind. Oh yeah, this all happened the same week."
Vandover said the series of events led him to strengthen his relationship with the Lord. He told the crowd that just because "God created us doesn't mean He doesn't understand pain."
"There is no greater reward than waiting," he said, a message which also held true during the next speaker's testimony.
"When I was going into middle school, I found out I was adopted," said Alex Kohler, a member of the TRC Lady Raiders basketball team.
She said meeting her biological parents who had started families of their own in her hometown threw her into a downward spiral.
"I felt unwanted. I had a chip on my shoulder to show them that I was good enough," she said.
Kohler put her efforts into playing basketball and scored a Division I scholarship, but before she ever made it to a practice, she found out she needed surgery.
"I lost faith in God. I quit going to church. I had the same questions I did when I was a little kid; why me," she said.
In the midst of her slump, Kohler's high school basketball coach invited her to church. She said that's when she realized she "needed a love nobody on this earth was capable of giving me." Two years and three hip surgeries later, Kohler has dedicated her life to God.
"Whatever you're struggling with, give it to God," she said.
For more information on Fields of Faith and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visit MissouriFCA.org.