It’s all about follow through.

“From your toes to your wrist gets the ball there,” world free-throw record holder Jeff Liles said. “And from your wrist to your fingertip gets the ball in.”

Following his own advice, Liles makes it look easy flicking his wrist with one shot after another falling in rapid succession through the hoop.

Lead pastor of Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene and assistant basketball coach at Dover Public School, Liles recently set a new world record making 100,000 free throws (1,000 a day) in 100 consecutive days in 45 minutes or less each day (with 94 percent accuracy).

Liles completed the challenge Nov. 8 at the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene gym where he shot baskets most days.

He also entertained students with his free-throw shooting quest at Waukomis High School one day and completed another day at Kingfisher Federated Church.

Coming as no surprise to those who know him best, Liles has been setting goals and making world records (11 Guinness and 10 other world records) for decades.

It all began 35 years ago when Liles, a former Bethany High School standout athlete and Southern Nazarene University graduate, was serving as a youth pastor in Lakeland, Fla. and looking for a way to inspire and encourage his youth group.

“I had about 30 kids in my youth group and wanted to do something to get them excited about coming to church,” Liles said.

Searching Guinness world records, he told the kids he found a free throw record of 12,874 shots made in 24 hours and he thought he could beat it.

After figuring how many shots he would need to make per hour, Liles said at the end of youth service that night in his prayer to God he promised to make 15,000 shots in 24 hours.

He practiced for six months and the challenge began at 4 p.m. on April 5, 1986.

Well into the challenge with four hours still remaining, Liles broke the record. He had made almost 13,000 free throws in 20 consecutive hours (with occasional five minute breaks).

Only another 2,000 to go to hit 15,000.

“When I broke the record,” Liles said, “I felt this sudden sickness and exhaustion come over me and, after a five-minute break, I couldn’t go on.”

“‘I quit,’” Liles told those around him, who informed his pastor, Keith Maule.

Maule’s reply to Liles was: “Then quit, people break promises to God every day.”

Four hours later and 15,138 shots made, Liles not only crushed the previous record, but kept his promise to God.

In the ensuing years, Liles would set new goals and eclipse old records, including his own.

He has set records for free throws made in one hour, 10 minutes, five minutes, one minute, from seven positions in one minute and underhanded in one minute, one hour and 24 hours.

He’s even set the record for free throws made blindfolded in one hour and free throws in one minute by a pair with Bob Fisher (another free throw world record holder), as well as other categories.

Working as a youth pastor for over seven years, Liles said he decided to go back to SNU to add a bachelor’s degree in elementary education to his psychology degree. While attending, he said he performed the halftime show, unofficially breaking five and 10-minute free throw records and sinking trick shots around the basketball court.

Liles began to take his skills to high school assemblies around the United States encouraging students to set goals and use their God-given talents.

“I’ve had the opportunity to talk to over 500,000 students about how God has helped me develop my talent and encourage them to set goals and see what they can accomplish,” Liles said.

He calls his ministry “Goal-Maker” and the motto he shares with the students is: “The little things make the big things happen.”

“I tell them, every big thing is made up of a lot of little things, so focus on the little things and the big thing can be accomplished.”

After teaching elementary education, Liles returned to work as a youth pastor and eventually completed the requirements to become an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. That led to a senior pastor position at Watonga Church of the Nazarene, followed by the same position in Kingfisher, which he has held for 11 years.

Married for 37 years, his wife, Carole, teaches second grade at Dover and they have two grown children, son, Brady, and daughter, Jennie Tucker and husband, Nick.

“It’s been an interesting journey,” Carole said. “Jeff’s dedication is amazing and God has opened a lot of doors for him to interact and share his story with others.”

Liles said people often ask the question, “Why?”

Looking back on that first challenge and the promise he made to God, he said, “I realize why I hold 21 world records.”

“God honors the promises that we keep to him. I feel like God has helped me develop my talent and I’ve had the opportunity to talk about how great God is to students all over the United States.”

When will it be enough?

“I’ll probably keep on as long as I’m able,” Liles said.

A testament to his dedication, the day after Liles completed his 100,000 free throw challenge earlier this month, he set out to make 900,000 more free throws over the next 60 weeks.

That’s 1 million free throws.

Starting at the age of 60, he said he will complete the challenge at the age of 62.

Every morning he will hit the gym from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. with the goal of making 2,000 free throws and an extra 1,000 on weekends for a total of 15,000 a week…and that’s all before many people go to work.

“The first record was the hardest and all the others have been physically hard, but mentally easy,” Liles said.

Some people think they could never do something like he does, but maybe they just haven’t tried, he said.

“When you think ‘I just have to do a little bit at a time,’ it makes it easier to accomplish the goal,” Liles said.

“To do something nobody else has ever done, especially in basketball, is a good feeling.”