Our Connection to Pro Football

Paul and Heath Evans at the 2007 Next Level Weekend in Mobile

I played park league football at Crawford Park in the late fifties and early sixties. I was fast and could catch most any pass thrown in my direction. I loved the game and thought about playing high school, but I discovered girls and they did not bruise me as badly as defensive players did (or at least I thought so at the time).

I remember the Houston Oilers coming to Crawford Park to practice. They were the size of Goliath and about as mean and ugly. I did not know people could throw or kick a ball so far. I went home that night and dreamed of playing in the pro ranks. As I already told you, girls interrupted that vision.

Later in life, I have befriended several prominent pro football players because of my connection with Christ. Six players now know me personally and I know them and I especially know their heart for the Lord.

Myron King, cornerback for the Cincinatti Bengals, was one of my former paramedic students and also worked for me as a paramedic for a medical services contract I had with DuPont in north Mobile County. Myron is one of the most awesome guys you'll ever meet. He is humble. In fact, he is so humble, I didn't even know he played pro football until after he graduated from my paramedic class. I wish I had that humility. If I was Myron, I would still be paying for a billboard reminding people of my glory days. If I had been David and slew Goliath, Psalms 1 would have be titled "How to select smooth stones to kill giants in your life." Psalms 2 would have been "Slingshot your way to glory." I tell you the truth, humility is not my best characteristic.

My pastor at Cottage Hill Baptist Church came to us from West Plam Beach. While there, he pastored a young man named Heath Evans. Heath went on to play at Auburn, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots. He shared the backfield in Seattle with one of my all time Alabama favorites, Shaun Alexander. Pastor Thomas encourage them to put on a football camp for our little players here in Mobile and to share the good news of Jesus Christ along the way. I remember nearly two hundred kids raising their hands accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior after Heath, Shaun, and Pator Keith gave the invitation. Health and Shaun preached our Sunday service that week. It truly was a "Next Level Weekend" as the event was called.

Hurricane Katrina caused the event to be cancelled the following year as Shaun and Heath could not fly in due to the weather. I felt sure Satan knew the impact these two guys are having on the kingdom and did all he could to keep them away. They did make it again last year.

Shaun asked the kids during lunch and after a hard workout at Ladd-Peeples stadium all morning how many times they thought he kissed his wife before they got married? They jumped up and shouted 10, 100, 1,000s of times. Shaun replied, “None!” I punched Dennis Hayford, our Minister of Sports Outreach and said, “Wow, I can’t touch that!” Dennis nodded, “Me neither.” Shaun told these kids that it was more important to him to be obedient to God than to satisfy his fleshly desires. When the pastor said, “You may kiss the bride,” that was the first time Shaun had ever kissed his wife. Now that is a man of integrity.

Later that Saturday evening Sharon and I got to sit on a couch at pastor’s house and talk one-on-one with Shaun and Heath. Both of these guys are spiritually bigger than they are physically big on the football field, and they are huge in that arena. Shaun has a joy about him that surpasses money and fame. If he had been the rich ruler Jesus asked to sell all you have and give it to the poor and follow me, Shaun would have been that camel that went through the eye of the needle. He would choose being poor here on earth to store his treasure in heaven. What is phenomenal is the Shaun’s diet is basically Doritos’s and coke. He is truly gifted.

Heath, on the other hand, worked very hard to get to the pros and maintains that ethic to stay in the pros. He was extremely disappointed by having to leave Shaun to go to Miami. God moved him from Miami to New England and he is making an impact on and off the field.

I got to play golf with Heath and Alex Lincoln (San Francisco 49’s) last year. That was a sight seeing these muscle bound guys swatting at a golf ball. When they did hit it, they hurt it. Even in the midst of frustration with a silly game, never once did Heath or Alex lose sight of the presence of a holy God in their life. I truly experienced the truth that Jesus was the most important person in their lives.

This year our camp changed to a “Seven on Seven” event for high school athletes from the Gulf Coast. We had teams from Mississippi and Mobile. We are loaded with talent in Mobile and the surrounding areas. Shaun decided to stay home this Summer and give all of his time to his family. Once again, he shows great integrity.

Heath once again shared his faith with these young men and 224 of them accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Halleluiah! I talked at length with Heath about his foundation that will impact the lives of many children and families who are being affected by sexual abuse. He has the call from God to make a difference in this arena too. I’ve added a link to Heath’s foundation. Please support it and get involved too. More than likely there is a child in our neighborhood being abused right now. That child may think there is no hope. We know better (Jeremiah 29:11).

Now we have a new connection to the Green Bay Packers and Defensive End Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (KGB) via the Leap of Faith-Lambeau event on 7-7-2007 at Lambeau Field. Kabeer is a walking testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is only 4.5 sacks away from breaking Reggie White's record for most sacks. Reggie was quite the man, but now Kabeer is God's man in Green Bay.

Maybe I should have focused on football instead of girls, but hey that is water under a very old bridge. The good news is God got me closer than I thought I could ever get to pro football. It is encouraging to see these fine young men represent Christ in a very dark arena. Please pray for all of them!

Why I Golf

If one does not play the game, then golf appears to be a stupid game that maybe should not even be listed as a sport. Again, that is for those that don’t play the game. As for the rest of the world, golf is a marvelous sport that one never masters.

I first started golfing because I was getting too old for softball and other action sports that could leave you with at least a sprained ankle. Many guys my age opt for fishing. Here is how I fish. I drive to Pensacola and visit Joe Patti’s Seafood Market. I always catch grouper, pompano, dolphin (mahi mahi), and other delicacies that slept in the Gulf of Mexico last night. They are cleaned, filleted, and wrapped in white paper. I don’t have a boat payment, huge gas bill to fill the boat, and a lot of “friends” who go fishing on the boat I don’t have. I get my shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat from my brother-in-law Greg at Lad and Dad’s Meat and Seafood Market here in Mobile (best ever). So much for my adventures in fishing (plus I am usually the guy “chumming” as I get nauseated when deep sea fishing.

Sharon had to attend a medical conference at Doral while Paul HAD TO PLAY GOLF on the Blue Monster. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Golf is incredibly challenging. You hit a small hard ball with a club ill designed to do so from a tee box 400+ yards from a hole in the ground a little bit larger than a coffee cup. You have four shots to make it in par. Last Thursday I make it in 2 shots. My second shot was with a 7-wood from 187 yards out. At that instant, I made all the proper moves and loaded up my backswing like Tiger Woods and unleashed a line drive that found the cup like a heat-seeking missile finds its target. Of course, the next hole was an awakening as I knew Tiger’s number one world ranking was not in jeopardy, even though I almost birdied that par five hole.

Paul's tee shot on #9 hole of the Blue Monster at Doral CC in Miami. So close to a hole-in-one.

I played many sports and I have to say golf is the best game I ever played. As great as a game golf is, it is not the reason I love it so much. I have deeper reasons.

I gave my granddaughter Payton Brooke Fulford a set of junior golf clubs two years ago for Christmas. They sat in her room untouched until this year when she said, “Grand Paul, I think I would like to learn how to play golf.” She had to say no more.

I set up her first lesson with Duke, the head pro at Spring Hill College Golf Course. Duke was amazed at Payton’s natural posture and ability to hit a draw the first time she ever hit a golf ball. He seriously believes if she dedicates herself to the game, we could be watching her on Sundays at the LPGA. Now that cranks my tractor!

I befriending Chad Applin and volunteered to assist him with the golf team at Cottage Hill Christian Academy. Payton made the team and we had a marvelous time practicing and playing. We continue to take lessons and Duke believes in her more each time she hits the ball. I do too. She is a natural. We go out and play and I don’t give her anything as it won’t be long before she will be beating me like a drum.

The great news is that a female athlete in high school can get a free ride to college if they can consistently shoot in the low eighties. If they can shot in the low seventies, they can name the college they want to play for and get a college education at no cost. That is good news for her mom and me.

God is so good. He put me in a position where I am now also assisting another golf coach, this time on the college level. I am now working with Steve Hodges at Spring Hill College. I will be the assistant coach for the men’s team. Could it be that God already knows Payton Brooke will be a big time college star and he is preparing me to be her guide? I pray so as she is such a great kid and the world needs to see how wonderful she is too (even though I love hogging her for myself).

2006-2007 Middle School Team Members

The following are the CHBS Middle School students which are on the CHCA Golf Team:
Joshua Bethea, Grant Davis, TJ Dressler, Payton-Brooke Fulford, Tre' Larsen, Gabi Oubre', Adam Spiller.

Gospel Outreach League Fellowship (G.O.L.F.)

God laid this title on my heart in 2003. That fall, I started a golf league through Cottage Hill Baptist Church as an outreach ministry. Sharon and I felt it would honor God if we gave away one of our timeshare weeks to our condo located in Maui on Kapalua Golf Course. The winner each year gets that one-week vaction as the grand prize.

We tee off at 8:00 AM on the last Friday of each month at Spring Hill College Golf Course. We play the 36-Point System where we subtract a player's handicap from 36 to determine how many "points" he or she must pull to breakeven. Players get four points for a birdie, two points for a par,and one point for a bogey. Usually a player has excess points (around plus 4 to 8) and becomes the winner for the month. After play, we have a badger burger and hot dogs for lunch while either I or one of our staff at CHBC shares our testimony and the good news about Jesus Christ.

Anyone can play. Just show up between 7:00 - 7:30 AM on the last Friday of the month to get registered. The fee is only $35 and that includes lunch and prizes. We have golfers shooting anywhere from 68 to 108 so come on down and play a round with us.

One must play in eight of the tweleve events to be eligible for the grand prize and other annual awards. Monthly awards are gift certificates in the SHCGC Pro Shop for merchandise.

Now you know why I love golf!

Sharon is Online

Sharon is online every evening and mostly all day on Saturdays. She is not surfing the web or shopping, she is going to school. She completed her first year of online education at USA to be masters prepared in nursing administration.

The ivory tower finally leaned a little in favor of the adult student making it much easier for her to obtain her masters degree. She only goes to campus on a rare occasion she needs a reference book from the library. Most all of her resources are also found online. She has nurses from all over the South enrolled in her classes. Most of her assignments are writing papers. I’ve asked for a corner of her degree as I am suffering too as her face is usually stuck in front of her computer screen.

I am extremely proud of her. She has a 4.0 GPA. Imagine that, great looking and smart too! Not a day passes by that I don’t thank God for blessing me with her. She has completed 5 of the 11 courses required. Please pray for her as she spends many hours at work as the Director of Case Management and then comes home and spend many hours getting her Masters in Nursing Administration.

We pray that we will be able to have a social life after graduation, until then, please understand school takes precedence over most everything except God, family, and career.

Leap of Faith-Lambeau

Lambeau Field was constructed in 1957. They have never allowed a religious event to be held there in the fifty year history of this famous football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sharon and I were a part of the team that conducted the very first faith-based event called "Leap of Faith-Lambeau." We, along with twenty-five other members of Cottage Hill Baptist Church, were missionaries on this incredible event held 7-7-2007. The theme of our event was repentance and the call was for Americans to get back to honoring God in their words, actions, and deeds.

My mentor, Dr. Kerry L. Skinner, was the keynote speaker. Repentance is his life message and if you were to invite him to speak to a group, the message would be just a Jesus’ first message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17. In fact, his doctorate was entitled “The Joy of Repentance.” It is an awesome book that can be purchased at http://www.bcinstitute.com/books.htm I also recommend you get the workbook he coauthored with Dr. Henry Brandt called “The Heart of the Problem.”

One does not have to go far to see the need for repentance. Does Hardees’s really need a woman in a “oh my gosh, hide the kids” sexual TV commercial scene to sell a hamburger? Does Hollywood have any limits to how far the envelope is pushed? Does a man in the most powerful position in the world have to stand up and lie by saying, “I did not have sex with that woman?” Does his wife not divorce him because God helped her forgive him or it would hurt her own political ambitions? How far can we slide down this slippery slope until we cannot turn back?

Over 10,000 people attended the event at Lambeau Field. We made some observations. There is a giant “G” on top of the stadium and scoreboard. Why not a “GB” We believe the “G” stands for God, not Green Bay. Andy Lapins, a young evangelist with Transfired Ministries out of Redford, Michigan gave the Gospel invitation and over 750 people invited Christ to be their personal Savior and Lord. Rodney Mills, his wife and other musical talent from Mobile, Alabama led the inspired music. Although it was a hot day, the sun did not drive anyone away.

We may never know exactly the effects of this event. I had the job of capturing the event with digital photographs. Here are some expressions of people worshipping a God that is truly worthy.


Leap of Faith-Lambeau 1 - Praise God!


Leap of Faith-Lambeau 2 - The Joy of Repentance


Leap of Faith-Lambeau 3 - Best Scoreboard Ever


Leap of Faith-Lambeau 4 - Best Music!


Sharon with few team members from Cottage Hill and "KGB" Muhammed-Kabeer Olarewaju Gbaja-Biamila. He is a former follower of Islam who discover the truth (John 14:6) and now is as solid of a Christian as you will ever meet.


Sitting in a box high above the stadium with Kerry and Elaine Skinner before the event began. They are truly our best friends in Christ!


Sharon never misses an opportunity to shop. This time for a "cheesehead" for her brother Greg.














Asking for forgiveness of sins is common, but repentance is rare. Kerry taught a simple five-step process for repentance:

Step 1 - I confess, "I am wrong. I have sinned."

Step 2 - I say to God, "I am sorry. I have sinned."

Step 3 - I ask, "God, forgive me of my sins."

Step 4 - I ask, "God cleanse me of my sins."

Step 5 - I ask, "God, empower me."

Of course, you may always call on Sharon and me to help you through this process. The first time is like cleaning a house that has dirty dishes everywhere and clothes lying all over the floor, etc. The next time (which will be tomorrow), you may dirty a dish or two and it is much easier to clean your house this time. Remember, it is not a hard job for God to clean your house. If you are worrying if this is too small for God, then ask yourself, "Is anything big to God?"

Please pray that repentance will spread as a result of Leap of Faith-Lambeau!