My mother and grandmother named me Michael Anthony after one of America’s most popular television programs of the 1950s and early 1960s, The Millionaire.
Every week, millions of viewers tuned in as the mysterious millionaire, John Beresford Tipton, selected an ordinary person whose life was about to change. His trusted representative, Michael Anthony, was the man who delivered the news and, with it, an opportunity that could alter a family’s future forever.
My mother and grandmother could not have known all that my own life would eventually become when they gave me that name. But looking back over my journey, I believe they gave me more than a name. They spoke a destiny.
As I have grown older, even the meaning of my name has taken on greater significance. Michael comes from the Hebrew name meaning “Who is like God?” It is a name that points to the incomparable greatness of God. Anthony has long been associated with being invaluable, priceless, and praiseworthy.
Looking back over my life, I have been blessed to see the meaning of that name reflected in my journey, not because of who I am alone, but because of what God has done through my life.
My Mother My mother gave me life. She prayed for me. She believed in me. Her prayers and faith became part of the foundation upon which my life would eventually be built.
My Grandmother My grandmother helped give me my name and prayed that my life would open doors of opportunity. Neither she nor my mother could have imagined where the journey would lead or the people I would one day be called to serve. Yet long before I understood purpose for myself, two women were already praying, believing, and speaking into my future. They gave me a name. God gave that name a purpose.
I WAS BORN FIGHTING
My story did not begin with success, influence, ministry, or opportunity. I entered this world fighting. During my birth, forceps were used, and my skull was severely injured. The circumstances surrounding my delivery were traumatic, and there were questions about whether I would survive.
There was something else about my birth that I would not discover until much later in life. I was born with my heart functioning at only 60 percent. I lived my life without knowing it. I grew up, worked, served, traveled, built, dreamed, faced challenges, overcame obstacles, and continued moving forward, never knowing that my heart had been functioning at only 60 percent from the beginning.
It was not until later in life, after suffering a heart attack, that the condition was discovered. When I learned the truth, I could look back over all the years of my life and see something I had never been able to see before. I had been living a miracle without even knowing it.
All those years, I did not know. But God knew. He knew what my body was carrying. He knew what my heart was doing. He knew every place I would go, every challenge I would face, and every assignment I would fulfill.
The miracle was not simply that I survived my birth. The miracle was that God sustained me through an entire lifetime while I did not even know there was something I was surviving. But my story did not end where it began. God had another plan. What could have become the final chapter of my life became the opening chapter of a much greater story.
For sixty-eight years, through victories, disappointments, opportunities, setbacks, lessons, and unexpected turns, I believe God has been preparing me for this season. I survived for a reason. And now the fight that began with my own life has become a fight for the lives and futures of others.
FROM SURVIVAL TO PURPOSE
Today, my mission is bigger than telling people what I survived. It is about helping others discover what they were born to do.
Through The Michael Anthony Experience, I use the lessons, wisdom, relationships, and experiences gathered throughout my journey to help people discover their purpose, recognize opportunity, build legacy, and change the trajectory of their lives and families. The name my mother and grandmother gave me has taken on a meaning they could not have fully understood at the time.
The Michael Anthony on television arrived carrying an opportunity that could change someone’s future. Today, I want my life to do the same. I entered this world fighting. By God’s grace, I never stopped. Now I fight with others, helping them discover purpose, recognize opportunity, and build a legacy that can outlive them.
