“They put the gun to my mom's head first, and they said, "If you don't give us the drugs and the money, we're going to kill your wife." He pushed one of them, they turned around, and they shot my father. My dad died instantly at that moment,” said Patti Romereo. Her father did whatever he could to provide for his family of eight, including selling drugs. When she was 15, he was beaten and murdered by a group of young men.  She continues, “I remember running and hugging my sister, and just crying and crying and crying uncontrollably, and not understanding why did our dad have to leave.”

Her father’s killer, Audi, a 17-year-old, was arrested and sentenced to prison. Patti was filled with anger towards the young man for taking her dad and ruining her life.
Patti recalls, “I think all of my brothers and sisters were really angry, because we were like, "Now we're going to be stuck with our mom." And our mom was abusive to us when we were little, and growing up. And my dad didn't know it because he was always going out of town. And so, I thought love was abuse, so I stayed in an abusive relationship after my dad was murdered, thinking that that was love. Then I was a single mother at 16. At 18, you know, I had already dropped out of high school, I ended up becoming a stripper. I just got lost in the drugs, in the alcohol. And I don't think I ever really dealt with my father's trauma, what I had went through, because I was in survival mode.”

Deeply wounded and lacking any hope, Patty responded to a fellow stripper’s invitation to go to church. “My experience at church was definitely shocking, because everybody around me was happy and joyful and just clapping. But I didn't feel that. I felt confusion. I felt like this has to be fake. This can't be real, because all around me, I grew up with nothing but dysfunction, nothing but hurt, nothing but pain .”

Her friend then showed Patti a video that mirrored her own life. “In the video, it showed a girl that was dancing and partying and drinking. And she died that day, and she went to hell. And it really spoke to me, because I was like, "Wow, that's my life. If I die, I'm going to hell." So, you know, the Bible does say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And I feel like that day, God really showed me, like, "This is real. You need to make a decision."

Patti continues, “I started to really have a desire to know God, to read His Word, to stay in His presence, to put Him first. He just started to take people out of my life and started putting the right people in my path, the right friends.”
As she grew in her faith, Patti began to work through her past pain, writing a letter she one day hoped to give to Audi, her father’s killer. After more than 20 years, he was released from prison.

“I knew Deep inside, I had to forgive everybody that ever hurt me, said Patti. “But it wasn't until my sister found Adi on Facebook and said, "Hey, the guy that killed our father is out." I remember that day, just crying out to God and just saying, "Lord, I don't want to hold any of this, anything that's in my heart against this man." God was like, "When you talk to him, you need to show him grace. You need to show him mercy. You need to show him compassion. You need to show him that you don't just forgive him with your mouth, but with your heart." I said, "God, I need you to help me." I spent hours just there crying in the presence of the Lord.”

Patti desired to show that she had truly forgiven Audi and asked to meet him in person. Still remorseful for his actions, he silently listened as she read her letter to him.

“When I saw him face to face, I had nothing but grace and compassion towards him because I realized that we kind of had the same story. He was brought up in a home where his father beat him, and his father instilled murder inside of him. He was dealing with the same anger that I had been dealing with all of my life through my abuse. So, it made me have compassion on him.”

At the end of their meeting, she gave Audi the letter.

“It's made me realize that we truly can do all things through Christ, who gives us the power and who gives us the strength, because I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would see this man face to face. It's also shown me that my pain really did have purpose, that God was with me then, and He's with me now.”
Forgiveness given and received has set Patti free from the wounds of her past. 
Patti concludes, “It's important to forgive, and not just forgive, but to go the extra mile and to show the people that hurt you that, "Hey, I really do forgive you, and I love you in the love of Christ through the power of God."

Tristan said, “I was a Buddhist.  I used to pray with my dad, mom, and older brother. We usually offered food and burned incense when we prayed. I didn’t understand what we were supposed to pray.” 

Even though 8-year-old Tristan was a Buddhist, a friend invited him to go to Sunday School in Indonesia, where they live. There, they watched an episode of CBN’s SuperBook about Jesus dying on the cross.

Tristan explained, “When I watched the crucifixion of Jesus, I remember the soldiers put a small board above His head that said, ‘Jesus, the King of the Jews.’”

He told us that afterwards his teacher explained why Jesus died. 

“Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, to redeem us from our sins,” said Tristan.

Tristan prayed to become Christian that day.

“I said, ‘Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to You. I want to be Your child.’ I felt happy and relieved after I prayed.”

Tristan continued to learn more about the Bible from SuperBook, and he shared those stories with his family. Now, they have all become Christians and go to church together.

Tristan said, “I want to thank those who support SuperBook. Thank you, and Jesus bless you.”

Give to Superbook

In addition to a baseball mound, Logan Gilbert knows where he stands! ¬ The Seattle Mariners All-Star right-hander is baseball’s most efficient pitcher, minimizing opponent’s at-bats per inning, efficient enough to even know himself and know the source of his deep convictions.

Question: “Tie your profession as a player with who you are as a person and how the two emerge together on that every fifth day of your rotation out there.”                                                                                        

Logan Gilbert: “It can be so competitive and fierce and in the Bible you see Old Testament people going to war like Joshua a lot – and do not fear, be strong and courageous. That stuff really resonates with me when I’m out there, this supernatural peace that will find you in really tough situations and circumstances. So I’ll pray before the games and then when I get out there I’m completely in the moment, completely competitive. The two come together every single time - this eternal connection with God. Have a really good sense of your identity and where that comes from is the most important thing for me.”                                                                  

Question: “At what point do you known you have it?”

Logan Gilbert: “Ah, usually right before I start my bullpen. I’ll pray out there for a minute of two. I do all my warm-ups, running around and then that’s when I take like a second to be still for a couple moments. That’s when I think it clicks for me. And then of course I’ll be nervous right before the game and then when I go out there it’s where I feel most comfortable”.  

Question: “So Logan you’ll know you have it here before you actually throw a pitch?”

Logan Gilbert: “Yeah, it’s pretty deep too – at a soul level. You don’t necessarily know that things are going to go perfect. But you know regardless how things go that you’ll be okay because you have something so much greater. You have eternal significance and security from God that’s its not proving yourself in some way.”  

Question: ”Does it make it a pitch by pitch account for you every game?”

Logan Gilbert: “It’s almost like draining at times. Because every single pitch you go through the same commitment, mental process and it happens every 15 seconds or whatever. But you throw a pitch, execute, learn for it and then completely forget about it. In a way! And go on to the next one. And do that over and over completely committed to your process.”

Question: “How do you walk that balance of trying to perfect as you go along, in the game - every pitch you are yielding and surrendering to things that you cannot control?”

Logan Gilbert: “Right. It’s tough. Um, trying to be perfect was – ‘help me get here’. So I had to learn how to walk that line and how to do it in a healthy and sustainable way. I kind of gave up trying to be perfect, controlling results. I don’t really have as much control as I think. I so grateful I can surrender that to somebody that is in control – and there’s so much hope in that.”

Question: “All-Star Logan, what’s the common denominator for excellence?”

Logan Gilbert: “Really knowing yourself and than after that just being yourself – genuinely – and not trying to be something more than yourself, on the mound as a pitcher, as a person.”¬

Question: “That’s for all of us. (“oh, everybody, yeah”) How freeing is that for you?”

Logan Gilbert: “Oh yeah, you hit it on the head right there! The freedom that comes with it ‘cuz I’ve been out there pitching games and it can go great but almost felt tight like – ‘oh no at any second something could go wrong’. But if you’re being yourself, have that freedom that comes with it, that freedom is ultimately what you were called to live in, now you’re enjoying the moment, you’re enjoying what you were made to do.”

Question: “Unconditional love of a father, our creator. (‘Yeah’). How does that look to you?”

Logan Gilbert: “There’s just so much anxiety, like everybody, even I at times face it. When you have that unconditional love or you know the source that gives that to you. There’s so much peace in that. Nothing I could do could change that. It’s like you don’t have this mask on, you’re not trying to preform in a certain way to hold up a trophy and say, ‘look at me’. I’m already known by God and that can’t be taken away.”    

Question: “Have you found by taking that mask off about yourself that your sightline to Him becomes that much clearer to Him, too?”

Logan Gilbert: “That’s a good way to put it, for sure. I think I’ve felt that at times. I don’t think I’ve understood it as well as you’ve just said it, honestly, but once you say that – He wants to know the real you, right? Just like we want to know Him as you experience Him. God knows us better than we know ourselves so its like, why would we pretend to be anything else?”¬

Question: “How has your Christ-following and this specific profession for you, allowed you to be able to walk through all of these uncertainties?”

Logan Gilbert: “For me, I get caught up in the same traps as everybody else. And there’s always something bigger and better. And then you’re comparing yourself to people around you and they have a little bit more.  I mean there’s important stuff here, right? But it’s like what is one more whatever it is, going to relate to be eternally being loved by God who made you, who already says – ‘you’re enough.’”

Question: “So Logan in your game, scouts were looking, searching for you, what do you think people are most searching for now?”

Logan Gilbert: “People, I feel like everyone, whether they know it or not is searching for that fulfillment, looking for it in different ways, unfortunately not finding it anywhere else. And I’ve experienced that myself in this game or a ton of other things. But the love of Jesus, being known by Him, knowing Him - when you know the hole in your heart that’s meant for Jesus and ultimately you feel that when you know Him – that’s the fulfillment that we’re made for.”

GROWING UP IN ZIMBABWE

Reward grew up in Zimbabwe, the eleventh of thirteen children. He is from the Ndebele tribe, an offshoot of the Zulu nation in South Africa. His childhood consisted of hand me downs in clothes and toys, but also belief systems and philosophies. His father was a farmer and a no-nonsense disciplinarian. Due to his authoritarian culture, Reward’s upbringing did not allow for understanding and questions, but rather blind obedience and duty. Fasting was a part of his culture whether you were religious or not. The practice was hardwired in his mother socially and she instilled this discipline in her children. Before she became a Christian, her purpose for this discipline was to help maintain connection to the spirit realm and keep her family healthy. 

As a young man, Reward began his American journey with a two-year stint at a Bible seminary in Dallas. The strict rules were something Reward thrived under. However, after graduation, he no longer had communal accountability or strict guidelines to follow. As a result, his faith imploded for a few years as he embraced the party scene. Although he didn’t drink, smoke, or take drugs…he attended those events with a girl he was dating until he became drained from the pointlessness of it all. When he hit rock bottom he was working construction for his uncle during the summer. One day, the song, In the Presence of Jehovah, came on his playlist. It reminded him of the peace and joy that he had previously found in the presence of God. Reward broke down in tears. After that, Reward reached out to a woman who had been praying for him. She introduced him to the pastor of a church who was of Nigerian descent. The pastor encouraged Reward to consecrate himself with a three day fast. The fast helped him to get back in a right relationship with the Lord.

POWER OF FASTING                                        

Many people in the Bible fasted: Moses fasted for forty days and nights twice; Elijah fasted for forty days and nights; the entire city of Nineveh fasted in repentance after Jonah’s preaching, and Jesus fasted for forty days 
and nights in the wilderness. Unfortunately, today many believers have lost touch with the power of fasting. Throughout history this practice has been central to Jewish life in times of crisis. Reward says it is time to return to this discipline. 

In 2019, the Lord called Reward to a twenty-one-day extended fast (usually he fasts for no more than 10 days at a time). Since he had fasted many times before he knew he could do it. He says, “It was an automatic, muscle-memory-induced yes even though I struggled with the inconvenience of it.” At the time, he was traveling a lot preaching and speaking, but God was with him and gave him strength. He thought the Lord was wanting to expand his speaking ministry, but he felt a gentle rebuke and redirection from the Holy Spirit. The Lord brought to his attention James 4:3 which says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” This experience sent Reward on a six-month journey of studying the art of fasting. One of the things he discovered as he researched this topic is how fasting pulls at the heart strings of God. 

In the Bible, Ahab’s sins angered the Lord. Elijah was sent to tell him that his entire bloodline would be annihilated. Ahab laid prostrate before the Lord and fasted. His fast was accepted and the Lord decided not to 

bring calamity on his family because Ahab humbled himself. “Fasting when used with prayer is unstoppable, but even the most ill-intentioned act of fasting from the most unworthy source garners the attention of heaven,” shares Reward. 

THE WHOLE BODY

“Fasting engages the soul, serves the spirit, and benefits the body all for the purpose of sanctification of the whole man in the process of our maturity and growth in conformity to the character of Christ,” reveals Reward. Even Paul references this in Thessalonians 5:23 when he says, “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.    
The three-part makeup of the human being includes: (1) The spirit – God is spirit, and you are made in His image, therefore you are also spirit. All intimacy and communion (prayer) with God happens through the faculty of the spirit. (2) The soul – The center of our self-consciousness (heart, mind, will, emotions, conscience, and volition). Fasting humbles the soul and allows your spirit to connect with God and His Spirit. It helps to remove distractions that might hinder communion with God. He says, “Fasting negates the paralyzing power of our brains overriding what our spirits know to be true.” (3) The body – “Our bodies house our spirits and souls and give us agency in the natural realm,” says Reward.                                   

HOW TO FAST

Whenever the Bible mentions fasting, it is usually referring to not eating and only drinking water. Reward says, “Modified fasts can offer options for solidifying the practice of fasting, but they are not the model of fasting we find in Scripture and are not the fasting we see coupled with prayer.” As Reward points out, “Water fasts beyond a few days should ideally be undertaken with medical supervision to monitor for potential complications and ensure safety.”

When you fast, he suggests keeping the following things in mind:

•    Attitude – Begin your prayer time with Thanksgiving. Thank God for big and small things in your life. 

•    Consecration –Take time to pray and listen to what God is telling you. Fasting is more than abstinence from food, it is a time of setting apart. When you fast, your body is in observance of the Sabbath. 
Be careful not to fill your days with various forms of entertainment (movies, etc.) to distract you from the discomfort of the process…that is a diet, not a fast. “Fasting prepares us for worship, prayer, and drawing near to the presence of God,” reveals Reward. 

•    Contentment – Fasting quiets the soul so you can gain clarity. Reward shares, “When the Price of Peace inhabits the throne of your heart, you become a carrier and a creature of peace.” 

BENEFITS OF FASTING

When you abstain from food completely in a fast there are bodily benefits and regenerative processes that happen. For example, when you fast your body doesn’t get sugar from food, so your insulin level decreases. Fasting can have positive effects on brain health including the growth of new brain cells. With extended fasts, stem cell activity is stimulated and might have positive effects on immune system function. 

** Reward was the TV host of CBN’s Christian music show, One Cubed (English version) in 2008. He says, “That show reached so many people with such great testimonies, so this (being on the 700 Club) is definitely a beautiful full circle moment.” 

To find out more about Reward Sibanda and purchase book How to Fast click the LINK! 

CREDITS

Author, How to Fast, (Waterbrook Publishing, 2025); Teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in California; Senior director of national church engagement and ministry partnerships for one of the largest Christian humanitarian organizations in the world, World Vision; Married to Pam; One son, Silo