{"id":6195,"date":"2018-03-03T13:06:02","date_gmt":"2018-03-03T19:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=6195"},"modified":"2018-03-03T13:06:02","modified_gmt":"2018-03-03T19:06:02","slug":"conversion-story-scott-evans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/03\/03\/conversion-story-scott-evans\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversion Story: Scott Evans"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Scott Evans<\/strong>
\nAfter graduating and finishing my football career for the University of Oklahoma, in 1991, I spent the next year and a half pursuing NFL opportunities.\u00a0I spent the majority of my rookie year with the Phoenix Cardinals, and I finished that year with the Green Bay Packers. I signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons the following year, but my love for the game, the training, and the lifestyle that is so prevalent among athletes was eroding fast. It was during this time that I realized there was more to life, and that there was something missing from mine. After returning to Norman, Oklahoma, I began searching. Since I was raised in the Catholic church, I started attending mass and reading my Bible. It was during this period of time that I met Willie Franklin. I had gone to a friend\u2019s house to pick up a pair of stereo speakers that he borrowed and never seemed to have the time to return. This same friend had informed me a few weeks before that he had been studying the Bible with some men and had been baptized shortly thereafter. One of those men was Willie, and he was there the day I went to pick up my speakers. It did not take him long.\u00a0After the introductions and a conversation about playing football at OU and the NFL, Willie started asking questions about my faith and religious background. I told him I was raised a Catholic and felt pretty confident in my understanding of the Bible and in my salvation. The further we examined God\u2019s Word the more I realized that my Catholic training was not consistent with the Word of God. Every question I asked was answered when I read for myself \u2013\u2013book, chapter, and verse. All the answers I thought I had where corrected in the same manner. The traditions of man could not stand against the Word of God. Six hours later I excused myself, went to the bathroom, and found myself staring into the mirror wondering what just happened. After a minute or so, convicted of my sin and the state of my soul, I simply said to myself, \u201cLets go.\u201d Walking back into the study, I told Willie and the others that it was time for me to be baptized into the Lord\u2019s church.
\nLooking back, I realize that the timing of our meeting and the person I met that day were right for me. It was no coincidence. I was searching and God answered. Had I walked into this study two or three years before, I would have walked out. I was not living right and had no desire to change. If it would have been anybody else besides Willie, I do not believe I would have given him the time of day. He knew where I was personally, emotionally, and spiritually because there was a day he had walked in the same shoes. Our connection started with the shared experiences of our past and continues today with our love for God and a desire to be with him in Heaven.
\nI try to use the same approach today that Willie used with me. Find that common interest, or history in order to develop a personal relationship. Through that relationship, you will learn about their faith, so be prepared in season and out to share yours. Let our lifestyle be our witness.
\nJust a few months ago, my wife and I were fortunate enough to work with another Christian couple as we took the same approach with our daughter\u2019s basketball coach and his wife. A common interest, a personal relationship, a few cookouts, a couple Bible studies, and two more souls were added to the Lord\u2019s church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Scott Evans After graduating and finishing my football career for the University of Oklahoma, in 1991, I spent the next year and a half pursuing NFL opportunities.\u00a0I spent the majority of my rookie year with the Phoenix Cardinals, and I finished that year with the Green Bay Packers. I signed a contract with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1405,329,168,1051,1409],"class_list":["post-6195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-think-excerpts","tag-august-2013","tag-bible-study-2","tag-conversion","tag-feature","tag-scott-evans","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nConversion Story: Scott Evans - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/03\/03\/conversion-story-scott-evans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conversion Story: Scott Evans - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Scott Evans After graduating and finishing my football career for the University of Oklahoma, in 1991, I spent the next year and a half pursuing NFL opportunities.\u00a0I spent the majority of my rookie year with the Phoenix Cardinals, and I finished that year with the Green Bay Packers. 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