The believer's life is a marathon; a race run not in cities on paved roads, but through sweltering jungles, over jagged cliffs and in lifeless deserts. Falling is likely, stumbling is certain. The winner is not the one with the quickest burst out of the gates, but the one who gets up when everyone else has given up. We who are running can learn from those who have finished. Some runners show us how to choose the right path, and others show us how to keep going after everyone has written us off as a failure. In this seven message series, Stephen examines six men who faltered...failed...but did not give up. Let these Portraits of Biblical Failures be an example as you move closer to the finish line!

The biography of David is one of those rare, real-life stories that convicts as much as it entertains. It has everything: an unlikely hero, a secret alliance, forbidden romance, self-sacrificing friendship, narrow escapes, enemy giants, Messianic prophecies, and much more. But beneath the absorbing plot twists and rich character development, we are faced with the simple yet profound reminder that at the heart of every man’s story… is the story of his heart.

His name is synonymous with heroic stories and daring escapes. He was the one who slew the bear and the lion with his own hands—the teenager who became a giant killer, an articulate poet, and the greatest king ever to sit on an Israelite throne. Yet David's secret was not his military genius, creative spirit, or physical strength; it was not lessons learned in prestigious academies or royal courts. His secret came from time spent alone in green pastures with the Great Shepherd.  Let his example teach you more about the God who made a great king out of a Little Shepherd Boy.