Our founder, Rodrick Walters, became a Christian in the early 1990s during his studies in the business school at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with a degree in Accounting in May 1993, he began his career with the Big 4 accounting firm, Deloitte &Touche LLP in Houston, Texas. He became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1994.
Having overcome many obstacles– like stuttering, low self-esteem, poor scholastic performance – he realized that it was the power of God that had transformed his life. He asked God to give him a platform so that he could share with others how He can take someone with little to offer and use him or her to do great things. He sought God through prayer and fasting for His life’s work, even beyond the accounting he was already doing.
In early 1995, he had a life-changing experience where he felt a strong urging by God to go into the ministry, yet remain in the corporate world. This initially seemed to confuse him as he always thought of each of these callings as being mutually exclusive. He relocated to Florida in 1996 and continued seeking God for the direction of his life. As time transpired, he began to understand that his call was like that of any believer – to be a witness for the Kingdom of God every day, whether in the church or in the marketplace.
Throughout his life, he always had difficulty in reconciling how many Christians knew the scriptures and lived lives pleasing to God, yet had difficulties in overcoming everyday challenges. He could not reconcile why, even though the Bible says in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,” God would allow His children to live in poverty and barely get by, waiting for their “mansion in the sky.” He could not understand why many Christians had committed prayer lives, yet never seemed to have enough to pay their bills and live comfortably.
Yet at the same time, he witnessed many Christians and non-Christians who applied Biblical principles to their lives and were reaping the rewards. He saw men and women of vision take concrete steps to bring to reality that which they envisioned. He saw many who grew up in poverty embrace some timeless, life-changing principles and act upon them and saw their lives revolutionized in a positive way.
It was then that he felt led to start an organization through which he would teach Christians the practical application of some basic Biblical principles. Through this organization, he would lead seminars, workshops, and other such programs, teaching these life-changing principles. He would also train and develop seminar leaders to do likewise, in their own areas of expertise. Program attendees would then be empowered to put their faith in God into action, thus leading fulfilling and prosperous lives.
Since then Rodrick has spoken at different events throughout the United States and overseas. Because of his training and experience in the business world, he speaks to both Christian and non-Christian audiences, sharing the same principles that transformed his life. He contracted with an international seminar company through which he conducted seminars and spoke at conferences.
Then, through his own organization, he learned how to further develop and customize messages to be delivered to audiences of various types and sizes. At times, he speaks before business audiences and speaks on business matters; at times, before Christian audiences on Biblical matters. Then at other times, before general audiences on matters relevant to the specific occasion.
The one common theme that is consistently at work whenever he speaks before any audience is the timeless message of empowerment, hope and inspiration. It’s the message that transformed his life and he knows that it can also revolutionize the life of any person who embraces it. He says, “Whether or not I am quoting the Bible, the principles remain the same. The Word of God transforms lives and whenever God opens doors, He gives me the words to say and He always makes a meaningful impact on those who receive it.”
At his church, Cooper City Church of God in South Florida, he writes the curriculum and teaches the class, Changing Your World with the Word. Through Word Life Connection, Inc. he envisions sharing this transformative message with an even wider audience – the world. Rodrick resides in Miami, Florida with his wife, Dinley, and children.