Wilcox hopes that it's his heart that has made the difference, specifically his love for the principles he's teaching and the youths who are listening.

"I've learned that you have to be willing to speak and teach with passion," he said. "It has to be something that you care about. I speak about things that matter to me because I feel like they are important."

Wilcox feels that what he does following a talk is more important than what he says at the pulpit.

"If a speaker speaks and walks off, the walking away cancels out everything he's talked about," he said. "That's what we've got to communicate. They don't remember the words that were said. They haven't read my book. They don't know exactly what topic I spoke on. But they remembered that I paid attention to them and learned their name ... That's something that I value."

And above all, he's more than willing to tell the kids that they are loved.

"I try to say it for all the parents who just can't quite say it or for all the church leaders who feel it's not there place to say it," he said. "I'm going to say it for them, and I'm going to stand with them and I'm going to tell those kids that they are loved."

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E-mail: ashill@desnews.com