Ex-NFL star and soccer analyst David Pollack is on a mission to encourage youngsters and households to share hope and reality, revealing how his personal path to religion was sparked by curiosity and others’ sacrificial sharing of the Gospel message.
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Pollack, who was a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, has a brand new Courageous Books venture, “The Received’t Stop Child,” a e-book motivated by his quest to show youngsters vital life values.
“It’s not about efficiency,” he mentioned, noting that he set out in writing the e-book to show youngsters methods to navigate powerful circumstances.
Pollack mentioned youngsters can be taught fairly a bit about life by weathering life’s storms.
“A lot these days, you see a lot clearing obstacles and laborious issues out of the way in which for youths,” he mentioned. “They want that to develop to who God’s gonna make them, to construct their character, and strengthen them down the street.”
Pollack additionally mentioned his personal path to religion, noting he didn’t develop up Christian however that sure occasions his senior 12 months of highschool helped change his coronary heart and thoughts. Particularly, he was invited to a “lockout” the place he and fellow younger individuals stayed inside a church, performed sports activities, and frolicked.
That occasion ended up introducing Pollack to Jesus.
“That was the primary time that I’d ever heard [about] Jesus,” he mentioned. “I’m certain there have been those who had mentioned stuff, however by no means actually considered it, heard about it, been in church.”
Pollack additionally had a physics instructor who had a Jesus sticker and listened to reward and worship music. The then-student would jokingly name him a “Jesus freak.” Over time, the 2 cast a relationship, which additional sparked Pollack’s intrigue.
Between the lockout and his physics instructor, Pollack was intrigued and determined to learn the Bible for an English project. However his English instructor initially pushed again.
“My English instructor mentioned, ‘No,’” Pollack mentioned. “She mentioned, ‘I don’t know the Bible. I can’t test to ensure you learn it.’”
However Pollack urged his physics instructor — a person who clearly knew the Scriptures nicely — would assist guarantee he learn the project. The lecturers agreed, and Pollack discovered himself exploring the Gospels, the backgrounds of the disciples, and Jesus’ life.
“And man, oh man, was my life ceaselessly rocked and altered,” he mentioned. “And I used to be identical to, ‘I wish to know extra,’ and I began studying increasingly more, after which I began going to church.”
Pollack continued, “I accepted Christ and had the nice fortune of getting a coach in school who was residing for Jesus.”
In the end, Pollack’s religion grew through the years. Like many, he has confronted challenges, together with a career-ending damage to his neck.
The previous NFL participant defined how he has dealt with these oftentimes faith-rocking experiences.
“There’s at all times the 2 choices, you both run in the direction of God or away from God,” he mentioned. “However I rapidly realized that it’s actually, actually superior, as a result of I assumed I used to be on this path, and I used to be going to the NFL, and I used to be going to Professional Bowls — and that is the way in which I used to be gonna go. After which, rapidly, it’s a detour and and I break my neck, which isn’t enjoyable.”
Pollack mentioned his damage put every little thing into perspective, expressing gratitude for attending to reside out his goals even when they didn’t conclude in the way in which he had hoped.
“I received to reside out my dream — that was my dream since I used to be six years outdated … to play within the NFL,” he mentioned. “And did it go the way in which I wished to? Completely not. And I bear in mind my spouse, I used to be like, ‘I can’t think about what’s subsequent, babe, as a result of this has been wonderful. … I simply know that God’s going to offer one thing else that will get us excited.’”
It was a faith-defining second that led Pollack deeper into his relationship with the Lord.
“God began to develop me, and I’m a greater partner, I’m a greater dad … I wouldn’t have skilled so a lot of this stuff that I received to undergo, and I’m excited, and I’d not change it,” he mentioned. “These issues made me precisely who I’m, and I wanted these issues to wake me up and present me what actual religion was, to indicate me what grace was, to indicate me what it’s prefer to cope with actually, actually laborious issues.”
Now he’s working to imbue these classes on youngsters and households by “The Received’t Stop Child.” Pollack is hoping to assist construct resilience and encourage youngsters to develop of their lives.
I don’t share a lot of my private life on social media however in the present day is gonna be completely different. If you’re the praying sort please carry up my spouse Lindsey. She has mind most cancers and surgical procedure is Wednesday at Duke. So grateful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) March 10, 2025
Please additionally take a second to hope for Pollack and his spouse, Lindsey, as she has been battling mind most cancers and has been recovering from surgical procedure.
“If you’re the praying sort please carry up my spouse Lindsey,” he wrote on X again in March. “She has mind most cancers and surgical procedure is Wednesday at Duke. So grateful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!”
We’ll depart you with video of Lindsey praising the Lord after her surgical procedure:
