Bryan Schwartz was drafted in the second round in 1995 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. During the first year, Bryan and his wife, Diane, became pregnant with their first child. While he had great success on the field, Bryan struggled in his marriage and had fear of being a dad. But at his wife’s request, he attended a Bible study hosted by the Jaguar’s quarterback. That’s when everything changed.

A ‘Real Divine Setup’

Bryan had a terrible temper. That’s an asset as an NFL linebacker, but not so much as a husband, he said in an interview with The Stream. One day Diane locked herself in the bathroom, nine months pregnant, to escape his anger. She told Bryan she wouldn’t come out unless he agreed to attend a Bible study with her. He agreed, he said, if only to get out of the doghouse. 

The two went together. But Bryan was not prepared to see many of his teammates. “Most of the guys I partied with were all there!” Calling it a “real divine setup,” Bryan said, “It was my first encounter with the true gospel.” When he heard an evangelist preach at quarterback Mark Brunell’s house, Bryan felt deeply convicted but also truly loved. “It messed me up in a good way,” he said. 

Following the service, Bryan spoke to Brunell. “I don’t know about anything else you said, but I need this Jesus you talked about.” He prayed, “Lord, make this so real that I don’t go back.” That night, Bryan stayed up until 3:00 a.m. reading the Bible. “My heart was on fire for who Jesus was,” he recalled. Diane also gave her heart to the Lord that day.

A New Life, a New Family

Two days later, daughter Brynn was born. “We got to start our family from day one with both of us as Christians.” Bryan talked about those early days as “starting over,” but quickly noted that they had spiritual mentors. “We had people showing us how to be parents and spouses, spiritual coaches.” That’s when Bryan and Diane realized there was a real need for spiritual coaching. He later became a pastor and Diane went on to home school the couple’s seven children.

The transition from NFL linebacker to pastor wasn’t as hard as it sounds. After looking through their “lens of faith,” reading scripture and talking to friends, Bryan and Diane made the choice to shift from the NFL lifestyle to a pastorate. He felt a great peace with his decision. “We take the Lord in with us wherever we go,” Bryan said. “Sometimes it requires speaking, other times it’s just living. But it’s all driven from a Biblical Christian worldview.”

God is All About Families

After pastoring the church for a while, Bryan and Diane realized that they were most effective in coaching others. Then the thought hit him — God was all about families. “God started in families,” he said. “He sent a family member to bring us salvation.” He and Diane wanted to help families become healthy and make an impact on others. That’s when they decided to start #FamilyGoals.

#FamilyGoals

#FamilyGoals is a nonprofit organization geared to help families “win at home,” said Bryan. “Our desire is to see families win at home. The family is getting defeated. We’re not afraid to talk about it, but we can’t stay there.” Bryan said he wants to encourage people as well. “I want them to know they’re great and they’ve been created for greatness and they should reach out and make an impact on the world around us and bring glory to God.”

For the past several years, Bryan and Diane’s ministry has been “flying under the radar,” he said. But they’ve been mentoring, coaching and public speaking for individuals and groups. “We’ve always been discreet. But there’s a responsibility to let it be fully in the light. Jesus said ‘You’re a light,’ and we can’t hide it.” They’ve been developing materials that help facilitate spiritual growth.

What’s Next?

The two have written a book called #Family Goals Playbook: A Gameplan for Winning in Marriage & Parenting. The Playbook can be purchased online in a PDF format. Bryan and Diane also offer telephone “coaching calls.” 

Their plans for the near future include hosting seminars at sporting events and a family geared seminar at Ponte Vedra this summer. Over the next few years, Bryan and Diane want to develop “Winning at Home” for marriage and for parenting. They also hope to have a greater voice in the corporate setting. “The Lord wants us to make disciples. That’s the goal. Very real lives need to be touched and changed. We are called to impact the culture.” He plans to do that by harnessing the power of the internet. “We’re going to start doing Facebook Live,” he said, and create blogs. “It’s limitless what we can do with technology.” Their endgame? “We want to see the family win.”

The Schwartz family was recently featured on Dove Channel’s Frankly Faraci!