The Man Who Inspired "The Hill" Calls His Difficult Life Journey "Ordained"

The film stars Christian actor Colin Ford and Dennis Quaid and it hits theaters this week.

Colin Ford and Siena Bjornerud appear in a scene from "The Hill." Image: Briarcliff Entertainment.

Based on actual events, The Hill tells the story of a baseball phenom from Texas named Rickey Hill. Born with a degenerative spinal condition that made it painful just to walk, he was nonetheless determined from childhood to make it to the professional ranks.

Now 67 years old, Hill is a committed Believer who says that despite the physical limitations that forced him into leg braces in his early years, he knew he would "make it, somehow, someway." In an interview with Faithwire, he shares an episode that reveals the unwavering determination the helped him on his challenging path through life.

"One day, at eight years old, I busted those braces off...I never put 'em back on."

He is quick to add that his courage "came straight from God Himself," as no doubt did his gift for hitting a baseball, which ultimately led to some success in the minor leagues back in the 1970s.

Hill is portrayed in the movie by Christian actor Colin Ford, while Dennis Quaid plays his Baptist preacher father, who feared for his son's safety and wanted him to go into the ministry instead of baseball. The native Texan, of course, choose his own way and has endured a life of pain and numerous operations on both his spine and his legs. He is sure, however, that there a was divinely inspired purpose to it all.

"Because of what I went through, it brings me closer to Jesus Christ, because I know that this story was ordained before I was even in my mother’s womb."

The Hill releases in theaters tomorrow - Friday, August 25th. In the meantime, the trailer below will give you a better sense of what to expect.