WEBVTT 00:00:03.199 --> 00:00:05.780 Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:09.099 of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla, and I am so 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:11.500 excited to be sitting down here with Paul Henderson. 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:17.059 Paul has worked for 18 years, I think, as a professional 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:20.239 hockey player and does some leadership work now, 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:23.579 but is also a well -loved member of our Trinity 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.140 family here. And so I'm excited to get to hear 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:29.940 your story, Paul. Well, my name is Paul Henderson. 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:33.929 I started coming to this church in 1991. OK. 00:00:34.070 --> 00:00:35.729 And it was one of the best things that ever happened 00:00:35.729 --> 00:00:39.009 to me. And we are so fortunate today that we 00:00:39.009 --> 00:00:41.909 have Rob. He is one of the most creative speakers 00:00:41.909 --> 00:00:44.950 I've ever heard of my life. But I did play professional 00:00:44.950 --> 00:00:49.530 hockey as a kid growing up by practicing. I practice 00:00:49.530 --> 00:00:52.170 my started practicing my autograph when I was 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:55.070 in grade five. OK, because I wanted to be an 00:00:55.070 --> 00:00:58.950 NHL hockey player and I wanted to. have a legible 00:00:58.950 --> 00:01:01.990 autograph. And so that was my dream. And I was 00:01:01.990 --> 00:01:05.189 able to do it. I played junior hockey and then 00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:08.230 I made the Detroit Red Wings. I played six years 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:10.810 there. I was traded the Toronto Maple Leafs and 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:15.670 played there until I got tired of Harold Ballard, 00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:19.409 who had our team. And I think that's why the 00:01:19.409 --> 00:01:24.349 Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since. But anyway, 00:01:25.530 --> 00:01:28.609 and when I retired, Well, I didn't become a Christian 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:33.709 until I was 32. And Mel Stevens from Teen Ranch 00:01:33.709 --> 00:01:36.590 was a guy that spent a lot of time to lead me 00:01:36.590 --> 00:01:39.930 to the Lord. And so in March of 75, I became 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:43.069 a Christian. And then next year, I jumped to 00:01:43.069 --> 00:01:45.950 the WHA and we went to Birmingham, Alabama. And 00:01:45.950 --> 00:01:50.079 I got down there and I got a mentor. And I met 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:52.719 with this guy. He was this nine of us. And we 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:56.099 met from six thirty to eight o 'clock on Monday 00:01:56.099 --> 00:02:00.120 mornings. And this guy modeled for me what it 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:03.760 was to love the Lord and put him in the center 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:07.599 of your life. And so that changed my life incredibly. 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:10.280 And then after three years from my mentor and 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.280 the pastor came to me and said, we've got some 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:14.919 new people in church and we want you to lead 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:18.039 them. become the leader. I can't do that. I've 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:20.979 only been a Christian for three years. And sometimes 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:23.620 it's people that have more confidence in yourself 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:26.180 than you do. And so they talked me into doing 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:29.199 it. And I loved it. Yeah. And I just tried to 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:32.520 replicate what John Bradford taught me. And he 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:35.479 gave me great advice. He says, Paul, our personalities 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.560 are so different. Don't lead like I do. You are 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:42.060 very passionate. You're disciplined in that. 00:02:42.469 --> 00:02:46.490 be yourself and obviously challenge them. And 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:48.629 he said, really, for the last six months, he 00:02:48.629 --> 00:02:51.870 says, with your discipline, your passion, you've 00:02:51.870 --> 00:02:53.490 been really leading it. So you're going to have 00:02:53.490 --> 00:02:56.469 no problem. Sure. And so anyway, that was really 00:02:56.469 --> 00:02:59.330 good advice. Yeah. So anyway, here I am. And 00:02:59.330 --> 00:03:02.610 then came back to Canada. And then I really felt 00:03:02.610 --> 00:03:04.849 that God was saying to me, Paul, I want you to 00:03:04.849 --> 00:03:08.129 reach out to Paul Henderson, the guys that are 00:03:08.129 --> 00:03:12.909 probably successful and. and know the, you know, 00:03:13.210 --> 00:03:15.770 fears and all that kind of stuff. And so I decided 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:17.949 I wanted to go over the business and professional. 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:21.810 And I wanted to raise up leadership. And I want 00:03:21.810 --> 00:03:24.150 to develop leaders that would in turn create 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:26.590 leaders. And that's the thing I love about this 00:03:26.590 --> 00:03:28.810 church. We got these groups, because everybody 00:03:28.810 --> 00:03:31.169 needs a group that you can get together, talk 00:03:31.169 --> 00:03:34.550 about it. And so I figured if I, I really wanted 00:03:34.550 --> 00:03:37.990 to get a movement going. I thought, if I get 00:03:37.990 --> 00:03:40.909 25 men's groups going, I'll have a movement. 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:43.689 Well, I got cancer in 2009, and by that time 00:03:43.689 --> 00:03:48.250 we had 80 groups going. OK, wow. And so I'm not 00:03:48.250 --> 00:03:52.110 a very good visionary. But I knew I had to get 00:03:52.110 --> 00:03:54.009 some other people to take over because they told 00:03:54.009 --> 00:03:58.110 me I might have like five years. OK. And but 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:00.930 anyway, we did. And we got some people that were 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:03.770 strategists. And now it's just exploded around 00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:06.509 the world. I ran a pretty good mum and pop shop. 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:09.080 But now I don't have to go in a meeting, so I 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:12.240 just need to pray for people, meet them and try 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:14.919 to be a disciple maker. Yeah, that's awesome. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:18.959 Yeah. So you said, you know, starting maybe even 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:21.259 grade five, maybe before you really wanted to 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:24.819 be a hockey player. So what what sort of fueled 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:27.519 that passion for you? Why did you want that as 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.180 a career? Well, this is not very good, but I 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:33.740 grew up very poor. I was the oldest of five kids. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:36.300 Yeah. And I never got a pair of skates. I was 00:04:36.300 --> 00:04:39.040 nine. Like we never went to a restaurant and 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:41.660 everything like that. And I just hated being 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:45.300 poor. And I thought, well, one of the ways you 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:47.740 can make a lot of money or good money early, 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:49.959 be a professional hockey player. And I was a 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:52.579 good athlete. I was quick on that kind of stuff. 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:55.420 And so I said, this is where I want to get to. 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:58.600 And so that really drove me. But the other side 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:00.819 of the coin, I wanted to prove to my buddies 00:05:00.819 --> 00:05:03.540 that I could be successful. It was very important 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:07.300 for me. to be successful. And unfortunately, 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.540 I didn't have a spiritual side to my life, so 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:13.779 it's all about me. And that's what I was after, 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:17.740 making money, being successful. Okay. Okay. And 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:20.600 then partway through your hockey career, you 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:23.620 come to learn about and to choose to follow Jesus. 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:28.740 So how did that happen? Well, in 1972, we played 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:32.819 the Russians and I scored a goal in the last 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:35.920 34 seconds to win the series. I scored the winning 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.379 goal in game six, seven and eight. Yes, I heard 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.079 that. And became the sports moment of the last 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.740 century. And Mel Stevens, who ran Teen Manch 00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:50.480 runs up in Oakville or Orangeville area. He came 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:52.839 to me, knocked on my door, never met him before. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.699 And he asked me if I could. I would really like 00:05:56.699 --> 00:06:00.120 you to come to our hockey school. We teach kids 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:02.740 hockey school and I'd like you to, you know, 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:07.879 come. So I said, well, what do you pay? He said, 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:10.519 well, we're a Christian organization and we don't 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:12.740 have any money. We ask you to donate the time. 00:06:12.899 --> 00:06:16.160 I see. And I looked at him like, do you not know 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.420 who you're talking to? Right. Yes. So anyway, 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:22.259 he just seemed like a great guy. We get into 00:06:22.259 --> 00:06:24.920 a conversation. And he said, you know, Paul, 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.899 I see you interviewed on television and I've 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:30.019 done a little background work there. I know you've 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:32.920 got a good marriage and family near the toast 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:35.500 of Canada. And to me, you've got everything. 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.120 But when I see you interviewed, you seem to got 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.939 an edge to yourself. And to me, you seem like 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:45.600 you're not a very satisfied person. And I looked 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:50.319 at him and like, am I wearing a sign? Because 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:54.410 after we got all that nonsense of Becoming a 00:06:54.410 --> 00:06:56.470 sort of a hero for a little while here. I said 00:06:56.470 --> 00:06:59.410 to Eleanor, my wife, who is the greatest wife 00:06:59.410 --> 00:07:02.769 in the world, I tell you. I said, no, there's 00:07:02.769 --> 00:07:06.569 something missing. And she said, Paul, relax. 00:07:06.730 --> 00:07:09.250 We got a great marriage. Just enjoy your right. 00:07:09.329 --> 00:07:12.829 And I said, I just have a sense. So anyway, Mel 00:07:12.829 --> 00:07:15.350 says to me, Paul, you can learn to live freely 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:18.589 and lightly and you don't need it. But you got 00:07:18.589 --> 00:07:21.100 to look at the spiritual side of life. And I 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:23.259 said, I don't talk about politics and I don't 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:26.100 get into religion, because they're just arguments, 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:30.519 you know. So anyway, the guy had patience. He 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:32.959 said, Paul, and I said, I've tried to read the 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.699 Bible, but it doesn't make any sense to me. Unfortunately, 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:40.620 I started on the Old Testament. Anyway, when 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:43.339 you start out as a skeptic, it's a slow turn. 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.740 And he got me a Bible and he would meet with 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:51.730 me almost... at least every two weeks. And I 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:55.689 got to be, I could speak to you very intelligently 00:07:55.689 --> 00:07:58.470 about the epistles and everything like that. 00:07:59.329 --> 00:08:03.389 And so one morning it was March 12th and that 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:05.689 was his birthday. I didn't know it. But I got 00:08:05.689 --> 00:08:08.009 up this morning and he had taught me to get up 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:09.970 in the morning, start the day with the Lord and 00:08:09.970 --> 00:08:12.829 read. And so I got up and I was sitting there 00:08:12.829 --> 00:08:15.740 having a quiet time and I said to the Lord, There's 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:18.060 so many things about you that I don't understand. 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:20.879 Yeah. But I really believe you are who you say 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:24.100 you are. And Mel tells me that you will wipe 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:27.379 the slate clean. And I had a lot of things in 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:31.079 my life that I needed forgiveness for. And so 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:34.720 I said to him, Lord, I want you to be my Lord 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.820 and Savior. And I said like this with everything. 00:08:39.269 --> 00:08:41.970 Don't you ever expect me to tell anybody about 00:08:41.970 --> 00:08:45.330 this because I'm going to be a secret service. 00:08:45.389 --> 00:08:48.230 Sure. There was only one guy that knew that I 00:08:48.230 --> 00:08:50.250 was like Ronnie Ellis, one of my best buddies 00:08:50.250 --> 00:08:52.929 and teammate of mine. He was the only guy that 00:08:52.929 --> 00:08:56.129 I knew that I was looking at. And we would go 00:08:56.129 --> 00:08:59.960 on the road. And I would take a magazine and 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:02.779 I would put my Bible in the magazine. I see. 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:05.440 Lean against the window so nobody knew that I 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.960 was reading the Bible. That's how fearful it 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:09.779 was because I didn't know any Christian hockey 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:13.539 players then. But anyway, I gave my life to the 00:09:13.539 --> 00:09:17.740 Lord and the best is to be. It took me three 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:21.259 days to get Eleanor was she grew up going to 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:23.980 church, but you don't get radical about it. You'd 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:26.620 be a good person. You go to church, but we didn't 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:30.419 read the Bible or anything in my house. And and 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:34.299 I'm a pretty passionate guy. And and Mel says, 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:37.200 Paul, don't try to preach at Eleanor. And I told 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.779 her she was. And she told me later. When I was, 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:42.860 Mel would come to the house and that and she 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:45.659 didn't want any part of it. And she told me later, 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:48.240 she said, I was so worried if you become a Christian, 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.659 you either do something well or you don't do 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:52.100 it. She says, I was worried you're going to give 00:09:52.100 --> 00:09:54.940 all our money away and go want to live in a tent 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:59.519 in Africa or something. So I sat her down and 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:01.480 we're at the kitchen table. We've been married 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:06.039 for 12 years and my heart was pounding. My armpits 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:11.920 were soaked. And I said, yeah, I become a Christian. 00:10:11.920 --> 00:10:15.080 And she looked at me and she said, Oh, wonderful. 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:20.600 And got up and walked out. And that's why she 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:24.759 was in. So anyway, I told Mel and then we went 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:29.500 for there and started. Well, I met with Mel and 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.980 then I started to understand why. But one of 00:10:32.980 --> 00:10:35.460 the things that is God shows up every once in 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:39.460 a while and about two weeks. after I gave my 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:42.419 life to the Lord. Everybody, especially hockey 00:10:42.419 --> 00:10:44.519 players, read Playboy back in those days and 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:47.700 had a prescription for it. And so anyway, I knew 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:50.240 it was coming and I went down that morning to 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:54.100 went to the mailbox and it was there and I picked 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:58.879 it up and I said, I am not supposed to do this. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:03.220 And I took it and I threw it in the garbage can. 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.360 I went upstairs and I had about 10 of my favorite 00:11:08.009 --> 00:11:10.529 playboys from the last time, threw them in the 00:11:10.529 --> 00:11:14.110 garbage. And I just knew God says, you don't 00:11:14.110 --> 00:11:16.710 ever do this again. And I'm so thankful I can 00:11:16.710 --> 00:11:19.009 say that I've never looked at one since. And 00:11:19.009 --> 00:11:21.690 that was one of the signs that God says, I'll 00:11:21.690 --> 00:11:24.450 change it from the inside out. And He's been 00:11:24.450 --> 00:11:29.529 doing that since 1975 and still got a lot of 00:11:29.529 --> 00:11:33.169 work to do. And that's why I've come here every 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:36.370 Sunday to learn more about the Lord. Sure, yeah. 00:11:36.730 --> 00:11:39.889 Yeah, it's so interesting to hear that that sort 00:11:39.889 --> 00:11:42.370 of progression because, you know, you started 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:44.210 saying, I don't want to talk about this stuff 00:11:44.210 --> 00:11:46.269 at all. And then then you learn a little bit, 00:11:46.269 --> 00:11:47.809 but you say, I'm not going to talk about it with 00:11:47.809 --> 00:11:51.049 other people at all. But now part of what you 00:11:51.049 --> 00:11:54.110 do is go and talk to other people about Jesus. 00:11:54.149 --> 00:11:56.750 So how did you sort of get from that place of 00:11:56.750 --> 00:12:00.320 I'm going to keep this a secret to this is What 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:04.320 I want to do for my work now. Well, as I thought 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:07.159 about it, the two people that I was most appreciative 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:08.840 of in the world, Mel Sieve was the guy that led 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.159 me to them, John Bradford, my matter down there. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:14.980 Yeah. And I said, goodness gracious, they changed 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:17.960 my life. And I really felt God was saying, now, 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:20.480 Paul, like I said before, I want you to go and 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:22.860 do the same thing to others. And that's why I 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:25.179 came back to Canada. And I started with three 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:29.679 men downtown Toronto in a group. After a while, 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:31.460 I asked them, do you have any friends that are 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:34.419 sort of out to lunch spiritually? And we'll have 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:36.720 a breakfast with them and I'll share my testimony 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.320 and you two of you tell them why you're in the 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.419 group. And so we got about 18 guys come out. 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:45.500 OK. And then we got we ended up with 12 in our 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:47.700 group. Right. And I said, well, that's the way 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:50.480 to do it. And then just took it from there. Did 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:53.340 the same thing. Just get to lead a guy to the 00:12:53.340 --> 00:12:56.000 Lord. Usually they have a lot of non -Christian 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:59.179 friends. Sure. And then we just share very gently 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:02.539 what it means to follow Jesus as a husband, a 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:05.200 father and all that kind of stuff. OK, very cool. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:13.340 So in what ways has your faith then really influenced? 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:17.409 the the work that you're doing now. Yeah. How 00:13:17.409 --> 00:13:20.149 how has that led you into into this work and 00:13:20.149 --> 00:13:22.169 how do you sort of see it continuing? Well, I 00:13:22.169 --> 00:13:24.970 just like I just said to you this. I learned 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.409 from other people and I replicated. We memorize 00:13:28.409 --> 00:13:31.389 scripture. John will even then get up in the 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:34.710 morning, start the day with the Lord and which 00:13:34.710 --> 00:13:37.629 I do. And then you develop things along the way. 00:13:37.690 --> 00:13:40.809 And then John Bradford was big on memorizing 00:13:40.809 --> 00:13:43.940 scripture. OK. And we did the two verses every 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:49.139 week. And and and you get it into that. And the 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:52.440 one of my good friends, actually the first guy, 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:55.200 Ronnie Ellis, a teammate of mine at Christmas 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:59.100 gave me a hymn book. He was he was a good singer. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:05.419 And there it's there's 30, 365 hymns. OK. And 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:09.730 I started. memorizing hymns. OK. And I do it 00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:12.269 to this day. And I get up soon as I wake up, 00:14:12.669 --> 00:14:17.129 I start singing hymns or some of the Psalms, 00:14:17.129 --> 00:14:22.490 Psalms one. Yeah. You know, and and that shapes 00:14:22.490 --> 00:14:28.129 what you do. And and so obviously that influenced 00:14:28.129 --> 00:14:31.450 everything. And even being a hockey player. In 00:14:31.450 --> 00:14:33.350 fact, when I was looking, I didn't think he could 00:14:33.350 --> 00:14:36.429 be a Christian and be a hockey player. OK. OK. 00:14:36.610 --> 00:14:40.330 But I became a better hockey player after I became 00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:44.230 a Christian. OK. Because I knew I had a responsibility 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:47.110 to God to go out there and play every shift the 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:49.389 best way you could, whether you're losing by 00:14:49.389 --> 00:14:52.509 five goals or you're winning by five goals and 00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:55.110 to and learn to not beat yourself up. Like I 00:14:55.110 --> 00:14:58.809 used to get down on myself so bad. Make a dumb 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:03.139 play. We lose the game. God says, nobody's perfect. 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.279 Give yourself a shake. Yeah. You know, just don't 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:08.720 make the same mistake again. And so I learned 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.399 so many things from the wisdom of the Bible is 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:15.980 where you go for everything. And of course, it 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:18.220 takes a while to get there. And like I said before, 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:22.399 no one ever gets to be perfect. Sure. But everybody, 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:25.580 I don't care who you are, you can always go deeper 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:28.840 with the Lord. And so. And I've learned over 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:31.820 the years to set up boundaries and those things. 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:34.639 And one day, John Bradford told us in the group, 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:37.639 he says, why don't you go to your funeral and 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:40.000 sit down and what do you want your wife to say 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.440 about you, truthfully say about you, your children, 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:47.620 your friends? Yeah, that's a great idea. And 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:51.549 so and then he said. Another good thing you need 00:15:51.549 --> 00:15:53.690 to do is write a purpose statement for yourself. 00:15:54.409 --> 00:15:56.570 What are the character qualities that you want 00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:00.649 to develop in that? And so I spent a lot of time 00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:04.830 thinking about that. But like for Eleanor, I 00:16:04.830 --> 00:16:07.149 wanted to know, I sat down and thought, I want 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:09.509 to know that she is loved and I'm going to tell 00:16:09.509 --> 00:16:12.309 her every day. And there's never a day go by 00:16:12.309 --> 00:16:15.210 that I don't tell her. I want her to feel cherished 00:16:15.210 --> 00:16:18.679 also. I want her to feel respected and I want 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.519 her to feel protected. And so I wrote those things 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.659 down. And so you get them. OK, Lord. And I get 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:29.600 up every morning, Lord, you know, I pray this 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:32.460 to Lord. There's two people. There's two things 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:34.740 I need protection. I need protection from the 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.419 devil and I need protection from myself. Yeah. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.399 And so, you know, and my thoughts, my words, 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:45.759 my deeds would be pleasing to him. Yeah. But 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:48.779 I have some days that, oh, my gracious Paul, 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:52.919 give yourself a shake. And you know, but God 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:55.299 loves me like I have three daughters. None of 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:58.440 them were perfect. No, but they were mine and 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:01.740 I love them. Yeah. And that's the love I remind 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:04.799 myself that God has for me. There is therefore 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.859 now no condemnation for those who are in Christ 00:17:07.859 --> 00:17:10.869 Jesus. And all you've got to do is come back 00:17:10.869 --> 00:17:13.490 and confess the thing that you're embarrassed 00:17:13.490 --> 00:17:16.190 about or whatever it would be. And God looks 00:17:16.190 --> 00:17:19.029 at me the way that I look at my daughters. Now 00:17:19.029 --> 00:17:21.690 my grandchildren. You know, I had three daughters 00:17:21.690 --> 00:17:24.089 and none of them were perfect. Now I've got grandchildren 00:17:24.089 --> 00:17:25.890 and they're all perfect. It's unbelievable. Oh, 00:17:26.049 --> 00:17:33.180 OK. Wow. So when you think about, like you talked 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:35.960 about, you know, before coming to know Jesus, 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:38.700 there was that sense of you were living for, 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.640 you know, you wanted some riches, you wanted 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:44.380 a sense of security and feeling like you were 00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:49.440 successful versus, you know, now your life goals 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:52.839 are a little bit different, I think. Totally 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:57.680 different. Yeah. Excuse me. But you don't know 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.759 it. What hurts you is you don't know what you 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.259 don't know. Sure. But God's way is always the 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:07.220 way. Like Jesus says in John 12, he said, I am 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:10.940 the light of the world. Whoever follows me will 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:13.759 not walk in darkness, but will have the light 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:18.559 of life. And every department of your life, there's 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.240 wisdom there. Yeah. And so you don't have to 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:25.049 be fearful. I think it's 365 days. God says, 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:27.769 don't be fearful. Like I used to. Oh, gosh, what 00:18:27.769 --> 00:18:32.289 if my wife dies or, you know, what if I get injured 00:18:32.289 --> 00:18:36.150 badly and can't play hockey? Yeah. Worry doesn't 00:18:36.150 --> 00:18:39.650 do you one iota of good. Trust in the Lord with 00:18:39.650 --> 00:18:42.670 all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. 00:18:42.930 --> 00:18:45.430 Yeah. And there's difficult times. Sure. Like 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:49.250 I got cancer in 09 and I was some like I worked 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:52.509 out. And the same way that I played hockey today 00:18:52.509 --> 00:18:55.390 and lived a good and Eleanor's really good with 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:57.970 good food and everything like that. And how can 00:18:57.970 --> 00:19:01.890 that be? But the reality is I don't fear dying. 00:19:02.529 --> 00:19:06.329 And I said, Lord, I'm fully convinced that I 00:19:06.329 --> 00:19:09.349 will not live a day longer than the Lord wants 00:19:09.349 --> 00:19:12.349 me to or a day less. And so I get up. OK, Lord. 00:19:12.769 --> 00:19:15.410 And every morning, Lord, I need help. Yeah. You 00:19:15.410 --> 00:19:19.190 know, yeah. And I rely on the Holy Spirit. Like 00:19:19.190 --> 00:19:21.289 before I come over here today, I said, Eleanor, 00:19:21.329 --> 00:19:24.970 you need to pray for us. And so I get in my car. 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:28.910 I never turn on the radio. I'm in my car. I'm 00:19:28.910 --> 00:19:31.490 thinking of people. I'm praying for people. And 00:19:31.490 --> 00:19:34.890 but everybody's different, Kayla. And you find 00:19:34.890 --> 00:19:38.029 out what don't ever try to be like me. Sure. 00:19:38.150 --> 00:19:40.950 And my wife, we're totally different how we do 00:19:40.950 --> 00:19:45.579 things. What you find out. what works for you. 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:48.819 And I believe God made me the way He wanted me. 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:52.700 Like I'm very open, which makes it easy for talk 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:55.720 about my faith and that kind of stuff. But but 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:58.960 I've learned. It was really when I when I first 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:02.640 became a Christian and I jumped to the WHA and 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.220 I was really zealous about like I knew God had 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:07.930 changed my life. One of the players on the team 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:09.910 come up to me and he said, you know, Paul, he 00:20:09.910 --> 00:20:11.809 says, you're really a good guy, but you're getting 00:20:11.809 --> 00:20:15.410 to be a pain in the rear end talking, talking 00:20:15.410 --> 00:20:19.269 about this spirituality stuff. Right. And then 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:21.849 there's a time and a place to do everything. 00:20:21.849 --> 00:20:24.670 Sure. And you got it. And so over the years, 00:20:24.690 --> 00:20:27.329 I've learned. And I can honestly tell you, some 00:20:27.329 --> 00:20:29.809 of my best friends in the world today are people 00:20:29.809 --> 00:20:32.029 that I've influenced to come to know the Lord 00:20:32.029 --> 00:20:33.769 personally. And I'm going to do that like I'm 00:20:33.769 --> 00:20:37.019 never going to retire. I have no desire to get 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:40.319 up. I'd be so bored. In fact, my wife would say, 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:47.720 get out of here. Oh, man. So then what does your 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.220 sort of work and life look like right now? What 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.039 is God calling you to do in this season? Same 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.619 thing I've been doing for 40 years. OK. Get up 00:20:55.619 --> 00:20:58.519 in the morning, start the day with him, ask him 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.599 who, where and what I should do that day and 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:05.160 have a sense of it. But. I have always been in 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:07.460 a men's group, always will have a men's group 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:09.799 because you need community. And Rob really talks 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:11.579 about that at this church, too, which I love 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:14.839 about. And so I do a lot of praying. I start 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.359 the day and I'm really fortunate. I'm a morning 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:19.619 person. I get up very early and Eleanor doesn't 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:22.559 come down usually to well, because she's fighting 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.940 that long covid and that kind of stuff. And so 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:27.819 I have usually an hour and a half with the Lord 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:30.839 and then write some things down. OK, who do I 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:34.220 need to talk about or? and I have a long prayer 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:37.559 list. In fact, I've got them all alphabets now. 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:41.140 And so I just whatever. But I have a lot of things 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:44.119 like I'm doing two more podcasts after this one 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:47.299 the next two weeks. And I do a lot. You know, 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:51.700 I get involved in charities like different things 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:54.359 and cancer and all that kind of stuff. So it's 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.319 just amazing what happens. The phone calls and 00:21:57.319 --> 00:21:59.750 I've had to. Like last night, they wanted me 00:21:59.750 --> 00:22:02.410 to go down to the Leaf game and be a part of 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:05.990 dropping the puck. Uh huh. And and I said, I 00:22:05.990 --> 00:22:08.470 can't do it because I've got an appointment with 00:22:08.470 --> 00:22:11.589 some people and sure. And I can't make it. And 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:15.789 so didn't do it. So but one day at a time. Yeah, 00:22:15.869 --> 00:22:18.609 totally. And but the goodness about it, I don't 00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:21.170 have to go to any strategy meetings anymore with 00:22:21.170 --> 00:22:23.829 the ministry. I'm still with Leader Impact. Yeah, 00:22:23.910 --> 00:22:26.559 I founded it back there and. Obviously, it's 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:29.140 thriving and we got some very, very gifted people. 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:32.279 And the neat thing about it, I've raised up people 00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:35.019 that are better leaders than I am. And when you 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.440 look over your shoulder and you can see some 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:40.579 fruit, God's, you know. Yeah, that's good. You 00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:42.619 know, we're supposed to bear fruit and prove 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:45.809 yourself to be. But some of my, like I said, 00:22:45.990 --> 00:22:48.029 some of my best friends in the world today are 00:22:48.029 --> 00:22:51.230 guys that were just like me. Didn't grow up as 00:22:51.230 --> 00:22:53.390 Christians, but now the Lord is the center of 00:22:53.390 --> 00:22:57.289 their lives. Right. Yeah. Very cool. So you've 00:22:57.289 --> 00:22:59.470 alluded a couple of times to this the season 00:22:59.470 --> 00:23:02.069 of dealing with cancer in your life. So how did 00:23:02.069 --> 00:23:06.069 you see God present with you in that really challenging 00:23:06.069 --> 00:23:13.039 moment? Well, obviously, I have CLL, I have Lymphoma 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:18.539 and leukemia. And what did biopsies and they 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:21.740 told me who I've got and then the doctor told 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:26.920 me with CLL early treatment doesn't help any. 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:29.420 So you've probably got a couple of years and 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:31.359 then your blood will tell us when we have to 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:34.380 start chemo. And the only thing they offered 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:37.789 me in Canada was chemotherapy. And I know my 00:23:37.789 --> 00:23:40.450 body well as an athlete. And I said, I'm not 00:23:40.450 --> 00:23:42.289 going to do this. So we got on the Internet and 00:23:42.289 --> 00:23:45.549 we got and I really believe long story short, 00:23:45.609 --> 00:23:48.930 I got into a clinical trial in Bethesda, Maryland 00:23:48.930 --> 00:23:52.369 and National Institutes of Health down there. 00:23:52.650 --> 00:23:55.349 And I was in bad shape. I'd lost 30 pounds by 00:23:55.349 --> 00:23:58.750 this time. Cancer was taken over. But I really 00:23:58.750 --> 00:24:02.049 believe God opened the door for me. And and through 00:24:02.049 --> 00:24:05.240 some contacts and that. And you got a really 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:07.480 bad shape to get into a clinical trial. Sure. 00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:10.319 And I was one of the last to get in it. And I 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:14.319 had to go to it was an experimental drug. The 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:17.019 oncologist I had at the time, he said, it's too 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:19.779 experimental. Don't do it. But we really felt 00:24:19.779 --> 00:24:21.700 the Lord was telling us to do it. So we went 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:25.200 down and I had to fly down there every two months 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.400 for the first six months and then every three 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:29.960 months. And it wasn't bad to start with, but 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:34.500 the older I got. getting on a plane and snow, 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:37.880 you have to stay over and everything. But just 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:43.240 as COVID hit, I was the last one to get it. They 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:45.420 knew it was only going to last so long, but it 00:24:45.420 --> 00:24:48.420 gives you more time. And I was the last of the 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:52.480 57. I lasted longer than anybody. And when my 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:54.920 blood work went crazy, it was just the start 00:24:54.920 --> 00:25:00.170 of COVID. And my doctor over and One of my doctors 00:25:00.170 --> 00:25:03.849 at Juravinsky, I told him and he said, we've 00:25:03.849 --> 00:25:07.269 got a new drug out, Paul. OK. And so we went 00:25:07.269 --> 00:25:09.789 over and I had to get used to that. But I don't 00:25:09.789 --> 00:25:13.569 have near the side effects with this drug as 00:25:13.569 --> 00:25:15.470 I did with the other one. So I'm able to play 00:25:15.470 --> 00:25:19.309 golf. I can walk. And and so, like I said, but 00:25:19.309 --> 00:25:22.049 when you're not a fear of dying, you're not a 00:25:22.049 --> 00:25:26.029 fear of anything. And, you know, you can enjoy 00:25:26.029 --> 00:25:29.920 life. Because you only got today and I pray a 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:31.640 lot of mornings. I did this morning, though, 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:34.140 but Lord, this would be a good day for you to 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:38.940 come back. Yeah, yeah. But I do have one fear, 00:25:38.980 --> 00:25:42.240 Kayla. I got to tell you a serious fear. Fear. 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:47.359 I fear the only fear I have is that what Eleanor 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:51.819 would die before me. I would just be distraught. 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:54.970 She will make a lot. She will make out a lot 00:25:54.970 --> 00:25:58.670 better without me than I will without her. And 00:25:58.670 --> 00:26:01.490 I actually pray that to the Lord. Please, please 00:26:01.490 --> 00:26:07.730 let me die before her. Wow. Yeah. Yeah, that's 00:26:07.730 --> 00:26:11.609 that's a it's a heavy thing that to, you know, 00:26:11.789 --> 00:26:14.490 figure out how we walk through life without that 00:26:14.490 --> 00:26:18.480 fear. But then, yeah, there's still those things 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:21.119 that plague us. Yeah. Well, I know that I would 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:23.500 survive, but I mean, that's but yeah, you know, 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:26.359 to not want to go through it. Yeah, exactly. 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:33.180 Exactly. Yeah, for sure. So when you think about 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:37.240 this sort of next phase of your life, what are 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:41.819 you hoping to see God do in you or as a legacy 00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:44.269 that you leave? I want to finish well. Yeah. 00:26:44.410 --> 00:26:49.049 When I started the ministry way back, I sat down 00:26:49.049 --> 00:26:51.390 and I thought about I want to start small. Yeah. 00:26:51.430 --> 00:26:54.730 I want to get one or two groups going to see 00:26:54.730 --> 00:26:58.549 if I can raise up leaders, start small. OK. And 00:26:58.549 --> 00:27:01.130 then let it expand from there. Without good leadership, 00:27:01.309 --> 00:27:04.630 nobody's going to fall. Sure. And then I go deep. 00:27:04.630 --> 00:27:08.029 Yeah. Take them deep, get them memorizing scripture, 00:27:08.390 --> 00:27:10.750 get them spending time with the Lord every morning. 00:27:10.890 --> 00:27:12.869 The challenge of it turns to be the husband, 00:27:12.950 --> 00:27:17.339 the father's that they need to be. And then I 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:22.259 thought, think big. So I came up with 25 groups. 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:26.380 If I could get 25, I got a movement going. You 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:29.119 know, start small, go deep, think big, finish 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:33.099 well. And I don't want to be a casualty. Yeah. 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:36.819 You know, and so how you live your life every 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:40.279 day will determine. And so that's what I want 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:44.170 to do. Yeah. And. Start small, go deep, think 00:27:44.170 --> 00:27:47.049 big, finish well. That sounds like a good strategy. 00:27:48.309 --> 00:27:51.109 Well, this worked for 40 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:27:51.430 --> 00:27:54.170 Oh, that's awesome. Well, thank you so much, 00:27:54.269 --> 00:27:57.190 Paul. It's been so good to hear a bit of your 00:27:57.190 --> 00:28:00.589 story and really to hear how God has been so 00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:04.190 faithful to you and in the work that you're doing. 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:06.369 And then, of course, by extension, how God has 00:28:06.369 --> 00:28:08.069 been faithful to the people that you are leading. 00:28:09.559 --> 00:28:11.859 to all of us, because that's just who God is. 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:14.079 Right. God is faithful to you. And as we hear 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:16.400 that, we remember that God is faithful to us. 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:19.140 You got that. And I tell people, I can't think 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:22.619 of anybody in the world more fortunate than I 00:28:22.619 --> 00:28:25.440 am. I wouldn't change places. Anybody in the 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.220 world. I tell Ellen, don't ever in a moment of 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:34.000 weakness, buy a lottery ticket. The worst thing 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:38.180 could happen to you would be that. And so I got 00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:41.890 today. Yeah. Down the road we go. Okay, good. 00:28:42.049 --> 00:28:45.049 Well, thank you so much. And thank you for tuning 00:28:45.049 --> 00:28:47.769 in to this week's episode of Trinity Talks. I 00:28:47.769 --> 00:28:50.089 hope that through Paul's story, you have been 00:28:50.089 --> 00:28:53.250 able to hear a little bit of God's work in his 00:28:53.250 --> 00:28:55.809 life, but also God's work in all of our lives, 00:28:56.289 --> 00:28:58.710 and how regardless of the situation that we find 00:28:58.710 --> 00:29:01.490 ourselves in, whether we're... in hockey or in 00:29:01.490 --> 00:29:05.170 business or just in life and family that God 00:29:05.170 --> 00:29:08.690 meets us there and is calling us to go deeper, 00:29:09.170 --> 00:29:11.930 to think bigger, and to finish well. And we'll 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:12.829 see you again next week.