The Final Game
by
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Jaxon continued. “My first priority isn’t to be in the NFL, but that is a high one. Above all else, I want to serve my God to the best of my ability. I want everyone to come to know and love God as I do. I want everyone to experience a life in heaven with Jesus. I want to be known as a godly man, not just as a great ballplayer.”
Phoenix assured him, “Bruh, I know all that. We been living together all this time. Trust me, I know. Everyone knows. You’re the best dude any of us know or ever met. What you did today ain’t gonna change that. I’m acting like I know that stuff you been preachin’ all this time better than you. Believe it or not, all that holy mess you tell everyone, I hear some of it too. You thought you were gonna be some kind of Reggie White on the field, but I bet ol Reggie did some damage in his day. You know what? Maybe I need to be a preacher.”
Jaxon couldn’t help but laugh about Phoenix’s version of encouragement, but he wasn’t letting himself completely off the hook. He told Phoenix, “You are my brother, no matter what. I will always be your brother. You know how I feel about this, because we have talked about it many times before. What I want most for you is for you to know Jesus. You know I want you in heaven with me, bruh. I have never pressured you about it, but I have always done my best to be a good example. I don’t wanna let you or anyone else down. You know?”
Phoenix stood up, grabbed a football, and started tossing it from one hand to the other. “Bruh, we talked about this before. You know I don’t believe in that stuff. You know I drink, I cuss, I fight. And for the life of me, I don’t understand you not gettin with all these girls that want you. One thing I do know is that you love that God of yours. I don’t know what He’s done to convince you He’s real, but if He does that for me, I’m all in. I promise! And I’ll give you all the credit.”
Jaxon started laughing and then paused before he spoke. “I’m serious, bruh. I don’t want the credit. You give it to the One who deserves it.” As he pointed to heaven. “Since you seem like you’d now be open to it, what would it take to convince you He’s real?”
Because it was their junior season, they were both eligible to go pro. Because of Jaxon’s accomplishments and versatility, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he would be the first pick in the draft, regardless of the needs of the team who received the first pick. Phoenix was a definite first rounder, but he was predicted to go in the middle of the first round to a few different potential teams in need of a linebacker.
Phoenix thought for a moment and sarcastically dropped to his knees, raising his hands toward the sky as he said, “If I go ahead of you in the draft, that will prove to me that God exists. I will drop to my knees at that very moment and give my life to your God.” He started laughing as he playfully looked toward the sky. He then lowered his arms and continued tossing the football from one hand to the other as he looked back at Jaxon with a devious smile.
“Done!” Jaxon said with lots of confidence.
“How’s that?” Phoenix replied. Jaxon knew Phoenix was ready to go pro and was planning to leave school early. “Based on everything that every single draft expert, coach, fan, or idiot with an opinion says, there ain’t no way I’m going ahead of you. Nobody is.”
Phoenix was very confident in his skills, but he knew a team would pick him based on their need at the linebacker position. He also knew any team would pick Jaxon because he would be a valuable bargaining chip for trades because he would be the best player in the draft. Any team that drafted Jaxon would more than likely keep him, because they could use him just about anywhere on the field.
Jaxon said, “You’re entering the draft. I’m not going to. You’ll definitely go way ahead of me if you go this year and I go next year. You’ll beat me by a whole year.”
“What are you talking about? You ain’t going pro this year?” Phoenix aggressively asked as he climbed back to his feet. “We’re going pro together. That’s what we been dreaming about. Don’t mess this up.”
“I know. We have. I’ve been praying about it and giving it a lot of thought, but I have more to do here. I ain’t done yet. I started here, and I’m gonna finish here. I believe God is doing some amazing things here, and He’s got something big planned before I leave. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.”
Phoenix, voicing his frustrations, began quickly and repeatedly pointing at his own head. “Bruh, I ain’t believing this. You need to get your mind right.”
Phoenix started walking away from Jaxon and sharply spun back around as he loudly continued, “You gotta think about your future. You gonna be the first pick. You don’t wait for next year, when you’re the first pick. You could be throwin’ away millions. You ain’t movin’ up from the first pick. It don’t get no better than that.”
Jaxon just flashed his big smile. “You’ll see.”
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About the Book
The Final Game will win your heart over to superstar athlete, Jaxon Bull and his support system. With P.S. Harper’s vivid descriptions, he allows you to walk hand in hand alongside the life journey of college football’s most dominant and decorated athlete ever. As his story unfolds, you feel and experience Jaxon’s amazing, godly impact on others. After suffering an injury in his final college football game, Jaxon reminisces about his family and friends’ influence on his life. Watching him lie helplessly on the ground, his teammates and loved ones find their faith tested and revealed.
About the Author
P.S. Harper writes from the heart and experiences of being raised in a small southern town. A Mississippi native, he grew up poor in an unstable environment, not knowing his father until he was in his 30’s. The only father figure he knew was the alcoholic stepfather that married his encouraging mother, who was in and out of their lives until he was 15 years old. After developing a relationship with Christ as a young adult, Harper completely supported himself through college. With his love of sports and recreation, he earned a master’s degree from Ole Miss in 2004. Upon graduating, Harper worked for the University of Alabama for six years; mentoring, teaching, and developing students. He currently works at Auburn University serving one of the premier Campus Recreation departments in the country. Harper has spent his entire life attempting to be a blessing to others.