Latest / 307 Faithful / College Football Player Refuses to Compromise His Christianity | Paxton Yeates

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College Football Player Refuses to Compromise His Christianity | Paxton Yeates · 307 Faithful

• Devin Davis: All right, welcome back to the three seven Faithful podcast. this is your host, Devin Davis. And finally, after how many months, I don't know, it he actually decides to show up now that he's almost a college athlete. come back and you know, grace you with one more appearance. That's right, right. This will be the most watched episode ever. let's hope so. Everybody's just tired of me, but no, we have I I d I don't know if I'm the founder, he's the co-founder. And so would like to welcome back Paxton Yates. Paxton helped me get this off the ground and did a lot of work when things started and then high school got busy being a senior and everything. So we haven't had Paxton on for a while. So tell everybody, let know kind of life update where you're at and what you've been doing. I mean it's been it's been great, you know. Graduated high school, thank goodness, you know, barely made it, but you know, my grades got up at the last minute. But no, it's wait a minute. You procrastinated? you know me. I never do that. But no, it's yeah, I did. And but I don't know, it was great. Graduated, played some baseball this summer, that was a blast. Unfortunately had to leave a little early to go down to Alamosas start training with the football team and that's where I've been up until yesterday at one o'clock and came back just to kind of get loaded up to go back and actually start start the season, really, right? Yeah. Had to come get the rest of my stuff because I'm finally getting moving in the dorms this Sunday. So wow. Yeah, it's gonna be good. It's it's it's kicking off. It's legit now. Is when does ever when's kind of official is that r official reporting date for everybody? No, so I'm I'm s I'll still be there a week early, but I'd like to like to get a jump on things. But official reporting day is August first. That's when our fall camp starts. Cool. So so yeah, now that you've been down in Alamosa at Adams State for like almost the past month, haven't hasn't it been pretty close in a way? Down there July sixth. Okay. And how what's life like out of that out of the house and Living on your own with with teammates, but how how's that experience been? I have loved it actually. I've loved it down there. I'm having a blast. you know, my days consist of waking up, working out, going to conditioning, and then that's all done by usually 10 a.m. and then I make some food and sleep, hang out, play some spike ball with the fellas all day. It's been it's been great. Yeah. I've loved it. No wonder. Holy cow, man. So I'll tell you what, when I tell you I'm probably better at spike ball than I am at football by now, I'm not lying. That's a good a good skill to have, right? As you Yeah, you know, it's you know, good hand eye coordination. So I I out of, you know, all the kids, however many players there are on Adams State, you know, how many do you think teammates do you have down there like right now in in kind of that preseason training? right now I believe we're missing 14 of our freshmen. So we have the majority. We had a pretty big signing class. We had thirty-three guys signed this year. And so it's a pretty big class, but for the most part, guys are down there and it's been good. Good. Still still waiting on a couple more linebackers. So it's interesting to meet those guys. Yeah. And have you do you have you met some pretty big dudes? Do you have any big dudes on your your team? I'm the smallest guy in the linebacker. Core right now. Really? 190 pounds. Wow. So the my roommate who's the who was a starter last year, he weighs in at 230 pounds. Yeah. That guy's a he's a he's a bowling ball. He's very rec stuff. Well, with you being able to to do all that, I mean hardcore or lift, workout, condition, have you put on any weight? I haven't put on weight, but I believe I've it's been more of a body recomposition. I've lost a lot of fat and I've gotten a lot stronger, but I haven't been able to put on much wages because buying groceries sucks. And cooking for yourself kinda sucks. That's the only bad part, right? Yeah. Although I my my roommate this season, he's a freshman. my other roommate in the apartments, he's a pretty good cook. So he's been you know, it's been all right. So I just have to buy the chicken. You you can't bribe Lawson into going down to college with you and being your personal chef. You know, if I asked, she might go, but I don't know if I want her there. Yeah. No, okay. Definitely not Tennessee, right? mm-hmm. She's she's staying. It's been great. That's been probably my favorite part of coming back and to see my sisters. It's been a while. Yeah, kind of a weird feeling, isn't it? It is. So well, before we're gonna kick in, obviously, to kind of talking about God and and but I we got this really cool book at FCA camp. and it's just called that question book. and during our coach's Bible studies, we always brought this out just to kind of facilitate some some fun question-answer kind of things. So it's team sports edition. So you have to pick a number between one and like three hundred and fifty. Okay. I'll go with number forty-four. Okay. So forty-four. that's a good question. So these are all questions just to kind of help stimulate some conversation with your teammates and everything. But forty four is what's something you're glad you quit. Ooh. What's something I'm glad? You know, it's not as much of a habit as it is just as it is just a mental thing, but I've really quit like worrying and procrastinating mainly. You know, it's been good. I've gotten better about that. So that's a good high quit. Good. Is there is there anything else? I mean, have you like in your younger days, was there anything that you that you remember quitting? swimming. I I swimming. Swimming. You know. I I was a I was a decent little swimmer, but It's like cross country in a pool. Yeah. It's harder. Yeah. Yeah. Swimmers are just a different mold, really. yeah. To be in the water for you have to be you have to be a weapon. yeah. I I'm glad I never started swimming, let's put it that way. Yeah. So quitting quitting procrastinating, quitting swimming. I don't know, man. For me, that that's interesting because it's like It like quitting could be a habit, right? I mean quitting a habit, maybe something you were doing. So like for me, probably really glad that I quit chewing. I chewed tobacco for a long time. And that was really took took several tries. but now it's been years before I chewed. And I think overall that's w was a good thing. It's a good habit to quit. Yeah. It's terrible for you. And so that was and sports wise, I I don't know, I I hate to say 'cause I'm not a quitter. I d I mean, you know, usually we make kids we make our kids, you know, if you go out for something, you just have to finish it, right? Yeah, that's not my first one. I I I quit basketball in seventh grade. So I wonder why. Yeah. Yeah. That was not you weren't the hooper. You weren't the big guy in the paint. Could at at that young of an age I could see there was no future in basketball. You know, even though I was only twelve years old, you know, knew Devin Davis wasn't gonna be a starter. Uh-huh. Not the next Michael Jordan. Yeah, exactly. No matter how hard I worked at it. So I hate I hate to say that. So that's that's that's fun. It's a good good question book. So that was good. so I I think like just talking about kind of faith and I was just thinking about that and just knowing you you know, f since I've moved here and And just seeing your growth. I mean, what what would you, you know, if you kinda had to give your your testimony of you know, really how you came to faith and I I guess everything involved in that, of just becoming a Christian. What you know, where would you go back to? What story would you tell? What things would be involved in that? truthfully, the like I've always kind of known about, you know, faith, about the gospel, about God. but I'd never really paid it much mind up until I lost my grandpa, my grandpa Ron, and my grandma, my great grandma in the same year. After that, I was kinda you know, I was a little hurt and I was spending a lot of time with my cousin Grady, who was big in the faith. He still is, and like He's a man that I aspire to be like. But he taught me a lot and showed me a lot. And truthfully, I don't know if I would be who I am today if it weren't for him telling me more about God and, you know, getting me getting me to start reading the Bible. so he's he's the real reason I started growing in my faith. But then I kinda as I after I moved back to Riverton, I kinda, you know, I let my habits slip and reading my Bibles a lot more a lot. So like I wasn't reading as much. And then one day I got a text from Coach Henry Lynn saying you needed leaders for FCA. And that's kind of like where reignited my passion for God because it just reminded me of what this is all about and why we do this. So well what year was that when Coach Lynn was that your junior year? That was my sophomore year. Sophomore year. And then I'd been coming I went to FCA my freshman year, but you know, it wasn't it wasn't the same as how it is now. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I c I kinda remember that a little bit. And so he kind of set your mind on really more earnestly following Jesus. And so then kinda how did things go? What what would you say, you know, over the last, you know, couple years of your your high school career, how did how did your path go? during that time as far as your faith goes? especially my junior, my my sophomore and junior year, and then a little bit into my senior year, I struggle a lot with integrity in my faith, like being who I said I was. acting the same way I act acted the same way everywhere as I acted, you know, in FCA. Like just kicking little habits I had, like I was cursing a bunch. I, you know, just You know, struggles that a lot of high schoolers go through, but it that was really eating at me between being a leader in FCA and, you know, living how I was. So up until about the end of my senior year, I struggled a ton with integrity. But I'm so glad that I've been able to straighten that out with the help of God. Yeah. Just be who I am. Amen. and and I I mean I kind of remember I that must have probably been your junior year. when we we talked a little bit and I I I remember a little bit of your frustration in the fact that, you know, you were figuring out who God was and what Jesus did and you were trying to live for him, but then when you would when you would share that with your friends, you were kind of getting rejected a little bit. Do you remember that at all? I remember y you were saying, you know, hey, I I'm trying to invite my friends or I want them to come to FCA and and I want them to see, you know, basically who Jesus is and and they just kind of gave you a little hard time, I think, at that time or or rejected that. It wasn't as much like it was it was it wasn't like they were rejected and it was just like, you know, it just it meant a lot to me and I really want them to come see and they They wouldn't, which is, you know, okay 'cause different paths for everybody. But at the time I was frustrated 'cause I wanted everybody else to see what I was seeing. Yeah. But it wasn't as much as them rejecting me as they just, you know, they you know, it just wasn't for them. Yeah. Maybe it's not for them and maybe it is now, but Yeah, that's I mean, it that's that's a hard thing to to go through is when like you're you know, that that Jesus changes your heart and you know you know, you you know how that feels and how it's changed you and you want to share that with everybody, right? And and yeah, there are some people that are going to listen. but there are plenty who are gonna say, nah, that's you know, that's like you said, not for me or I don't really believe in that or whatever. And but that's hard not to take that, I think, personal. Yeah. Well and then the other part of that is like I saw it a lot more with my family and some of my closer friends. It's just some of the what some of people who have that faith, but we see things differently. Yeah. Yeah, that's that's one of the that's I think that's the one of the hardest struggles that I've had to overcome is like while we do believe the same thing, we believe differently or we have different opinions on what we think the scripture says about certain topics. So that's yeah that's one of the ones that's been hard for me. Yeah no I don't think that ever gets easy for sure. I just You know, we've talked about that in that you know the the core the core belief to anybody who says they're a Christian or claims to be a Christ follower is I mean the gospel is that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and and willingly went to the cross and was crucified, a horrible death, and then he was resurrected three days later and Now he I mean he you know, he that that's the that's a there's so much, you know, a lot of people say, Well, I you know, how do you believe that? Well, they mean the Bible and the Bible says that there were five hundred witnesses to his resurrection and that he stayed on earth for forty days afterwards. So, but that I mean that's the core belief. And that's and then there are other s things outside of that. Start to get a little gray on there, but I think that's the way it's supposed to be like some of these things are Like they're meant to be interpreted differently, but we're still supposed to have faith. Yeah. What it says. Yeah. And I think that's the other thing too is like just thinking about that is like that's why we had different denominations. Mm-hmm. Right. We have different opinions on different things. And so and but the hard part about that is you know, is that like you said, I mean that it comes it comes down to that core. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't have a relationship with other you know Christians, because maybe they believe in whatever it is, and that's not what we believe, but at at the core they're they're still following Jesus, kind of thing. So you know, one of my best friends, he's very devout Catholic, and you know, it I s I still truly believe like he is saved. He believes in the core, the same core that we believe in. The but the way we go about worship or praise and some of our other beliefs are different. Yep. But yeah. I still believe like I still believe he's saved at the end of the day. Yeah. No, and that's I mean I I remember pretty deep conversation here. But I I I just remember a podcast I was listening to and I mean y you know the point they made is there there are saved born again Christ followers in every church. But there's a lot of people who who are there and don't know Jesus too. So that doesn't matter. You know, it doesn't matter if it's a it's a Methodist church or a Catholic church, you know, or a Protestant, any kind of a Bible church, non-denominational, you know. I mean those people in every church. Yeah. So it's just what, you know, I mean, I think you can handle what you can handle, right? I mean, that's that's up to you and and being able to share your faith for sure. So yeah, that that's a good one. And so then kind of your senior year. I mean, I think we had a a great year. I mean, there's always challenges with FCA, but had a super awesome leadership team of which you were one. How do you think FCA, your faith impacted your your senior year? You know, when you look back over at over football and and everything else that you participated in, what what impact do you feel it had? I feel like it had an impact on everything, really, especially in football. Like I that was the best football team Riperton has seen in many years. And I think the majority of our success comes down to just we were a lot of us were on the same page. Like we're not playing for ourselves. Yeah. We're playing for something bigger than us. We're playing for someone greater. And that's why we came together as a team. And before every practice, we'd pray before every game, we pray before every warm up at halftime after the game. You know, we were always praying, just giving thanks for the opportunity to be out there. And I think part like that mental like like that mental recognition of we're out here for something bigger than us. So it'd be a shame to not give our full effort. I think that's kind of what brought a lot of that fire that that team had. Really motivated a lot of yeah, it was a it was a great season. And I I mean, I would I would agree with that is just seeing a higher greater purpose, and which there is in sports, you know. I mean, it's it's there's playing sports is awesome, but it's not about the wins and it's not about the losses. I l I loved a shirt. I mentioned this on one of the other podcasts I need to get it. our speaker at FCA camp, he is the ch he was the chaplain, he works for FCA, was the chaplain for Utah State, and he is going to be the chaplain for the Michigan Wolfereen football team. Really. Yeah. So and he it was really awesome. But he came out one night and wearing a shirt and on on the t it had process and then it had a line and then underneath it was outcome. so just saying the process is greater than the outcome. Yes. You know, and and that's what I I mean the that's that's the biggest message in sports, whether it's football or wrestling, is Yeah. You you know, you set your mind. I mean, you do have goals, right? You you you know, this or that or whatever. But if you don't invest yourself in the process, and and fully buy into that. Yeah, exactly. It's that it's one of the biggest reasons like sports are so important because you know, while the wins on the stat sheet are amazing and the you know, the touchdowns you score, the plays you make, those are all great. But it what it's really about is growing as humans and you know, being able to go through hard things and keep going. Right. That's like that's what that was Len Hart's big philosophy. And it's something that I couldn't agree with more is like, yeah, winning is great and we want to win all the time. But more important than that is, you know, helping young men grow into, you know, men. Yeah. Yeah. And that's I mean, and you know, just all those lessons that are life lessons, right? Is learning how to be on a team. And work with people that you might not really like. Yeah. You know? Sometimes it's super hard to work with people. I mean, anybody on the team could attest to like you know, I'd I'd fight with guys all the time at practice and guys would fight with me and guys would fight between each other all the time. Yeah. But learning how to work through that and still share a common goal, that was what it was about. Yeah. And that's I mean, and the and the translation then is that that's just naturally you know, kind of the process we go through as as followers of Jesus, right? We we may be changed like instantly, you know, because when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you go from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. And so now you're, you know, you're a member of God's kingdom. That happens instantly. You have the Holy Spirit and you're changed, but that doesn't mean that's where you stop. And that's that's that's the thing that that's that's what I really what I like to do is to try to, you know, come alongside people who put their faith in Jesus and try to help them grow. That's you know, in discipleship. We had Bible studies and you know, we would pray together and and FCA and everything like that is because you have to have somebody beside you to help you grow. It's hard to do it. You have to have your own discipline. You have to be disciplined and you have to be consistent. but it makes it a lot easier if you have somebody who is gonna be there holding you accountable. I agree. You know, so I think that's the important part about sports. Yeah, it was a really cool season. So I'll be curious, I mean, we really haven't s obviously started yet. I mean it's hard to believe it's not too far away, but do you y you know, do you think that will carry on with Riverton High School football. now that, you know, you lost a pretty good senior class last year, do you think that will will carry on? You know, I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know. That's really it's up to them. Yeah. Yeah. And I know that I think I I you know, a lot of me b I believe so simply because we have the same coaching staff. Yeah. And and I know that those coaches like you said, believe that It's greater than the game of football and it's greater than the the losses and the wins at the end of the season. It's what kind of what kind of young men are they producing from from there? So and it's probably a little bit early for you, but now that you're on a college campus and soon to be officially a college athlete, have you I mean what What kind of have you been wrestling with anything at all? Kind of in these early stages or thinking, you know, about what what it's everything is gonna be like. And like I said, again, you haven't all been in the locker room together as a team. So a little bit of this is early, but have you do you have any thoughts on that? You know, I've just obviously it's gonna depend on what I see when I get there, but I I mean, I'm not gonna change. I'm So I'll still be out there for every game and whoever joins me joins me and whoever or maybe I go join somebody else. Maybe there's a group of them that do it already, but like I don't know. I I haven't wrestled with it because I know that it's not gonna change for me. Yeah. Yeah. Take a stand, right? I mean, and that's what I think the other thing too is funny that I've been kind of reading it, had a Bible study the other day and one in our coaches' study is Mike Tomlin. always basically when he coached the Steelers, the standard is the standard. like we're not gonna compromise. This is the way we're gonna, you know, we're gonna practice and we're gonna compete. And there there's no compromising at all. And that's kind of sounds like what you're saying too, right? Mm-hmm. I agree. I don't, you know, it's not it's not worth changing. I mean, why would I why would I change for something temporary like well, why would I stop praying? Because you know, maybe other guys on the team don't pray, but why would I stop having that Faith publicly because, you know, other guys don't respect it. Yeah. I got the end of the day, like this is a temporary time in my life, whereas the kingdom of heaven is forever. Right. Amen to that. Do you c at this stage in your life, two are you're eighteen now, correct? Yeah. And about ready to start college, what does what challenges or kind of obstacles are there th in you know, kind of maybe to hold you back in your faith. Are are there any battles there at all that you're experiencing that you want to share at all? I mean that's can can be pretty personal, but yeah, I mean like everybody else, I'm not perfect and I'm fighting my own battles, but you know, it's just one of my biggest ones is just like, you know, be like the integrity battle, being who I say I am. You know, I say I'm a Christian, but you know, I've gone out hung out with the teammates and you know, some things aren't always very Christ focused. Yeah. With on a college roster. So I don't know, being just being able to s be who I say I am and stand up against that. That's something I've been wrestling with a lot still because it is hard. I don't like I really don't know anybody there. Mm-hmm. So I I guess trying not to try not to conform to who they want. me to be or who I think they want me to be and just being myself. Yeah. Like that's that's one of the big ones. And then yeah, there's just there's lots of temptations at college. Yes, you know, you know, everybody who's been to college or is going to col I I mean, everybody knows like even the people who aren't in college, like we always say like the temptation is real and it's heavy, but you don't really know until you get there. And being there, I've like I it's harder than I thought it would be. Yeah. Yeah, you don't really know until you're there until you're there. You don't know until you're there. And and you experience those temptations that You probably haven't before, as as we talked about, especially in the state of Colorado. yeah. I'll tell you what it is. It's crazy. That is that, you know, the marijuana that's been easy to avoid though. It's it's never been who I am. And I've never really had the ambition to try it. So awesome. Yeah, that's and it stinks too. it does. It's it smells terrible. We have there's some guys that are a couple Or so they're not on the team, but I'll tell you what, every night you can smell it. But yeah. I so when I went to when I was in optometry school, we had there was several Hawaiians on campus and the Hawaiian people were really nice, but they they like to s to smoke and I was wise enough. The only reason that I hung out with them is not to smoke it is because I knew they'd get really, really hungry after they We're done smoking it. And so then they always order Chinese and that. So I don't I don't I don't want to advise that, but that was the only thing marijuana was any good for for me. So you know, and and and kind of like I said, with those disciplines, you mean you're you're disciplined now because you work out and you condition and you know, you're trying to eat right and that kind of thing. Spiritually what do you feel like Paxton Yates needs to to work on to to be grounded and disciplined from a spiritual perspective as well? The big thing I need to keep making a priority is definitely just staying in my Bible every day. You know, it doesn't it doesn't take long. It's something I encourage for everybody, just, you know, give ten minutes of your time to your Bible. Pray. You know, to God, you know, pray and then, you know, dive into his word 'cause Yeah, that's how that's how he speaks. He breaks words. So, you know, you even just giving that ten minutes a day, I mean, it just it makes you feel better. Yeah. Keeps you gets you a a different perspective on, you know, a heavenly perspective, than looking at it from a worldly point. And it makes it so much easier to avoid temptation when you're in your Bible. I like when like when I was out of my Bible, that's when I was like most tempted all the time to, you know, flee from God or But when you're really in you know, into the word and praying all the time and reading all the time, I mean I it just keeps it really does just keep you grounded. It makes a world of difference. Yeah. And it's you know, it's it's frustrating for me. I d understand that reading the Bible is hard. I mean, I think everybody, if you're listening to this, you know, I I I think everybody struggles with being consistent and and reading, but Especially with all the dis all the distractions. Yeah, exactly. You know, you just have to kind of make that time. I think that's the important thing is like when is my time for reading the Bible when there's the least number of distractions around me. and one of the hard things for me is is this is, you know, I I hate I mean, I I use it 'cause I don't have a clock. I mean, but I hate it because a notification will come up or whatever and it like It it it draws your attention. Yeah. It does its job. It does what it's supposed to do. Yeah. Or like that's one of my big things. Structure that is for most people. Like I have I when I do have time to go read the Bible. I mean, oftentimes I'm spending it scrolling on my phone. Yeah. And I feel like that's something a lot of people yeah admit to. One hundred percent with that. So but no, that's I think that's the hardest thing. And then and it's just like I I don't know, just reading the bird. the Bible. And I I think the important thing that I've stressed to you and you probably remember is Ann is that we need to pray for God's help in reading the word before we read the word. yeah. So the I mean that's that's I've given you that advice. I give you guys that advice is if you want to know God's word, then you a have to ask for God's help. to to to be able to see that and be able To to have wisdom and understanding when we read it. And so that's that's one key thing. It just a few few minutes short prayer, God, especially like I read mine early in the Bible, like help wake me up and I'm already like thinking of what I'm gonna do that day. You know how your brain's full of stuff like that? And it's like, shut that off and help me just for a little bit. Focus on you. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. That's huge. The other thing is. Like getting to church. I don't know if it's this way for you, but I swear every time I go to church, the message seems to be directed at exactly what I'm going through. I don't know, you know, that maybe that maybe it's that way for everybody. Maybe it's just, you know, the Holy Spirit, or maybe I'm delusional, but every time I go to church, I swear the message is meant for me. never. yeah. Yeah. I mean, and and not just like one time. I mean, it's funny because the the kind of theme message for FCA sports camp this year for any of the camps is John fifteen eight and it talks about being you know proving to be his proven to be his disciples the word is proven and it seems like every time I turn around I I'm hearing some type of teaching or message from John fifteen about be abiding in divine and And and that he'll prune you and that you need to produce fruit and that just keeps hitting me over and over and over and or music, like there's a really good song, Abide. and like every time I turn on Christian radio, th that that abide comes on. So I mean it's just like, okay, what's what what are you trying to teach me here, you know? So that's that's God's way of speaking to you. And sometimes you may not want to hear it, but But yeah, yeah, I exactly. But It's I don't know, I just I think it's crazy how every every time I, you know, I'll hit shuffle on my playlist and a song will come on that seems to reflect exactly what's going on in my life. Or I'll go to church and the message will be about something that I've been struggling with. Yeah. It's just like wow. Yeah. Yeah. He does he does that, man. Yeah. And it's like, okay, we know that nothing in in God's kingdom is coincident. Yeah. Right. It it happens since there's no luck. Yeah. Everything that happens happens for a purpose. Yep. And so that's and I and I think, you know, one of the good things when school cause it's kind of hard right now, right? School hasn't started or anything like that. I think once college starts, I mean, I I think that's when you hopefully can find like a student ministry that maybe you can plug into. Obviously they're not going on right now, but I'm excited to go check those out. Yeah. Cause you can you can you can we have a branch of FC Fell. I I'll have to check on that. But like I know like you know Parker Paxton. we had him on and just saying how important it was to find your your people. it really is because it ties back into like it ties back into what you were saying earlier about how it's so much easier to stay committed when you have another person there with you. Yeah. You know, it's like it's kind of like working out, like how Why we all go to the weight room together? Because working hard and pushing ourselves, like yeah, we can push ourselves by ourselves, but it's a lot easier to push yourself when you see the guy next to you moving more weight. Yeah. Because you don't want to be the odd one out. Yeah, exactly. So you put more on than you would have done by yourself. Exactly. Or you do another rep. And that's the that's the other part too, right? Especially like why having somebody else to be able to spot you, you are gonna try that extra rep and which you wouldn't have. 'Cause you're like, okay, I'm not getting this off my chest. Yeah, you know, if I do this. So they're they're there. You have to live up to them and they're there to help you. So it just kinda help helps all the way around. You know, so that's that's the I don't know if I I'm looking this up here. So I'll have to find that out if there is yeah, it says that the FCA is an active ministry and student group at Adams State. Perfect. So it features a campus huddle. So that that would be pretty cool to to connect with them, hopefully. So that that would be good. Because like you just th like like you said, always that group of people that you know you can go out with and you're not gonna be doing anything stupid. Bad decisions, yeah. You know. So that's probably the most important part is is putting people around yourself. And then people that like can get your butt up in the morning go to church, you know, is like I know I'm meeting s them at church at nine thirty in the morning and so if I'm not there, I'm gonna get a text. Yeah, exactly. Or in my case, they're gonna show up at the dorm and gonna be a fiasco. Yeah, it's it's just a really pivotal time in your life and we've talked about that a really pivotal time because you, you know, I mean, you're you're at home and y your mom and dad are kind of still in control of everything and you know, the your your actions you we I think in high school kinda still try to please people. Yeah. No, no doubt. But the difference is in and I I actually think it's the same way in college. Like in high school I'm trying to please my parents, please, you know, teachers around me, you know. But when I I go to college and when people go to college, we're still trying to please people. I mean, we still want to be the guy that everybody likes. Yeah. The guy that everybody invites everywhere and you know. So I think but the way we go about it is different. Yeah. And that's and that's a hard part. I mean the battle always is I I mean we like to be liked and and we and we like to be recognized. It feels great when, you know, everybody likes you. Yeah. But you know, that the there's still one relationship that's above all, you know, what people think of you and that's what God thinks of you. And that's that's what I've always struggled with is being, you know, n primarily a God pleaser and not a people pleaser and and that the Bible warns us about that. Paul warns us about that in Galatians. So Yeah. 'Cause it it is, it's hard because you know, when you're a people pleaser, it feels very instant like that gratitude, like instant gratitude. You know, the same way like when you scroll on your phone and you find a funny video, you know, it's instant you know instant gratitude. You feel great. But when you try to please God, I feel like it's a lot harder because you don't have that instant gratitude. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he's not I mean, you feel his presence and and his spirit is working in you. but it's yeah, that's so much deeper than that. That's where you show your faith is like, no, Lord, I want to do this for you. and I I'm trying to live for you because I know that's the right way. And sometimes, you know, you pray and you don't get an answer right away, and sometimes the answer's no, but you just have faith that he's working all the details out. According to your to your plan to his plan for your life really. And sometimes that's not how we want it to go, but that's that's the hard part about it really. So wha do you I mean kinda off track a little bit here, do you are you just gonna take some, you know, kind of prerequisites and generals and stuff like that, or do have anything are you gonna declare a major right now? I actually I have. Okay. I was Fortunate enough to get the majority of my general classes out of the way in high school because of CWC. And I'm gonna go right into kinesiology department. Okay. So I'm taking a lot of kinesiology based classes, kinesiology one on one, bunch of other ones. I've I've looked at my schedule, kind of drain looking at my schedule. I'm taking a lot of classes and they're all pretty early. They all start at like nine. But I'm taking three classes a day, five days a week. It's kinda it's gonna be a little eye opener for you. Yeah, I was gonna feel like high school again. So yeah, a little harder than high school. Yeah, it's like no. But you know, I was talking about how I was so excited to get to college and you know, my schedule's gonna be lighter, I'll have less classes in a day. Which I do have less classes in a day, they just take a lot more time. Yeah, that's exactly right. d so with kinesiology Do you have an idea of like where you want to take that? Yeah. So after I finish up with my bachelor's in kinesiology, I will go on to pursue my doctorate in physical therapy. Cool. And then with that I will plan to, you know, work in physical therapy for a while. But I eventually want to open my own practice and work with athletes. That'd be awesome. You know, athlete focused. Yeah. Because you know, don't get me wrong. Being a, you know, regular physical therapist would be great, you know, helping people relearn how to walk and be able to s stand up off the toilet. Yeah. When they're older. But there's just I don't know. I'm just so drawn to athletics. I'm like help these athletes be better, faster, stronger. Yeah. And one of the great things in physical therapy school, I mean you'll be exposed to to all of that obviously. And so You know, that might be your your goal right now and who knows, that might change. But I I can s I mean, you know, w once you're an athlete, you you want to stay around athletics. Yeah. for sure. Really. But you know, I actually I was torn for a minute. I was thinking about switching my major to English. What? Yeah, English. An English degree is I mean I guess there's probably a lot you can do with it. I'm sure there is, but I don't know. I just I love reading. I thought I was gonna write a book. I I was gonna say, yeah, you know what I think you'd be good at? I think you'd be good in communications. I feel like my mom's told me that because I talk a lot. yeah. But I feel like most of the time when she tells me it's meant as like I think you'd be really good in in like sports information. See, I was that was also something I was looking at like going in maybe trying to become like a a sports broadcaster. Yeah. Be down down field and that would be fun too. Or you know, or another thing because you I mean, you know, you are in lifting so much going to be a strength and conditioning coach. that's that's my fallback. That's that's why kinesiology is great. Like if I decide I really want to go pursue physical therapy, I can. But if not, that also opens up the door to being able to work for a school or privately as a strength condition coach. Yeah. Which strength like being a You know, personal trainer is something that I am going to do, whether it's as a side hustle or Yeah. It's just it's something I love. Like I love the weight room. I love being on the field. Yeah. I yeah, that's one of the things I look back on my life and I I like what I do. I I I probably if I had to choose again I might go I would rather probably go into strength and conditioning, but that's easy to say what I wish I would have done. But er you know, God gives us the passion. to do, you know, like you said, sports, the body, those kind of things. And and then we just have to trust him with wherever he takes us. It's not an accident. Yeah. Right. And so that's pretty amazing really. So good. I mean anything like is it feel weird not being a not preparing for high school football or for being a senior like you were last year? Is there anything that you kind of miss or Can't help but kind of reminisce about. No. I am super excited for this next chapter. Like I mean, I guess it's a little strange not being at home all the time, but same time I'm loving it. Yeah. but no, I'm super excited for this new chapter. I'm excited again the, you know, things I really want to study. And with not being around high school football, like high school football is great, but I got college football now. Yeah. And with two days right around the corner, I I've never been more excited to go play. Tell us about I like you said you still I haven't really explored it too much. What's what's going on in the Alamos area? Like what have you f found out about that? What do you like about it? What do you want to explore? I really I'm actually really liking Alamosa. Like it's small, it's very similar to Riverton, you know, population of ten thousand. There's not much going on, but it's also not it's not tiny, so that's a that hopes. But I'm really excited to go out and explore like the wilderness around it. Like we're surrounded by mountains on all sides and we have the Great Sand Dunes National Park. A couple of my friends went there the other day. They went like they went boarding down the sand dunes and that looked awesome. I wish I could have gone, but I wasn't feeling very good, so I stayed home. I thought I think you posted a picture on Yeah, of my kicker, Landon Bobo. Yeah. That guy that guy's awesome. Yeah. Where's he from? He's from Alaska. Huh? he's a he's you know, he's definitely he's a different guy. But I like him, he's pretty cool. Good. That's awesome. Yeah. I think there's a lot to do around there. I think that's a great size town to be in. So 'cause it's not, you know, it's not too big to where, you know, it spills overwhelming. Yeah. But it's also not tiny where I feel like there's, you know, nothing. You'll get go you know, that's the nice part in in having lived in Shadow and you're gonna get a lot of support from the community, you know, and the and they they, you know, they support like Shadow and does. They love having a campus. right there and and being able to support the college and the athletics. I've been talking to my teammates and like the home opener is usually always like plum full with people because people come from all over that valley. Yeah. Yeah. It's I say value and you know, I hate to admit it, it's a lot like Star Valley where it's a bunch of, you know, smaller communities in one area that, you know, come together. Mm-hmm. That's and you know, and I say I hate to admit it 'cause I don't like Star Valley. Yeah. But No, sorry that. Think of a better it's the only one I can think of. No, it's like that. So people come from all over the ba valley to come watch football and to come see the other athletics and you know it's it's gonna be good. That's awesome. yeah, I just I'm glad that you called me and we weren't able to do it before you left and that and that's and that's okay. But I mean I just wanted to kind of do a a wrap as you head off to school. What Have you like what's your experience been with the 307 Faithful podcast? Like our guests, what do you remember? What did you take away? I guess just your thoughts about the the episodes that you were able to be involved with? you know, I I've I loved everyone that could be in. You know, I've I've loved getting to hear people's testimonies and getting to hear people's life stories. I think I still very vividly remember being I think it was the first podcast we did. The guy we had on told us he ate like raw animal hearts and livers and stuff. I r I remember that. Okay. that's one of my most vivid memories. But no, I've I've loved being getting to be a part of this. Yeah. And meet just like minded people from around the state. I I it's it's a bummer that you're not gonna be able to do that. But if you're home Yeah, maybe you're always welcome back. I'll make a guest appearance. Yeah, that's exactly right. You'll have a long break over Christmas and so maybe we can record an episode or or two over that. So doors always open to come back because you know we want your viewership to go up and yeah. That seems to happen when I come back. That's why I had you on. It's kinda slowed down a little bit lately. So no, this is you're you're gonna be amazed. I looked a d a day or two ago and we've had close to two thousand five hundred streams of the three seven faithful. Really yeah. So that's all I mean you remember like back in the day it was like yes but I I had a hundred. We got a hundred, you know. Yeah it was it was amazing. You know, a hundred people would listen it'd be great. We were we thought we were kings of the world. Yeah now this is just it's unreal and it's amazing to see. I I I like my favorite thing to do is like think about that. I envision that many people in one room like in this room listen to us talk. Yeah. I mean that's that's exactly what's like like w how else would you have be able to have an audience like that? Yeah. I I don't know. That's and that's that's that's insane. Yeah, and that's kind of why we wanted to start this, right? Is to be able, like you said, you love their testimonies and to be able to share that with as many people as we possibly could. And because they're all it kind of like you kind of you take home something from every single yeah, every every episode every person I met, I can confidently say I have taken home like little bits of info of what they said or like little th habits they do and I've been able to incorporate them into my life and be better. Yeah. So yeah. I've learned something from everybody. It's it's great. And it's amazing the number of people that have told me that I did not expect said, Golly, I love your your your podcast. It's like you listen? Yeah. You know? You were listening to that? Yeah. You actually listened? No, I'm just kidding. But coach, you know, one of the ones I've told you that before, but one of the ones that listens faithfully is Coach Nyberg. Coach Nyberg, who's not coaching anymore, but he's in and he retired and he's driving truck for FedEx. So he's able to to listen to the podcast while he's driving. So Nyberg is great. he was probably one of, if not my favorite coach in high school. I remember I remember I was Guarding him, yeah. We were running routes, and for some reason he decided he was gonna hop in and run a route. I was playing defense. I was I was a linebacker at the time before I got switched to DN. Now I'm back to linebacker, but I was guarding Nyberg and I remember like tripping and falling over top of him when he and I thought I I don't know, he went down. I thought I was like, no, I just heard coach. I'm gonna be running, but no, it was great. Nyberg is awesome. He's no he's been massive. We'll have to hear his. We'll have to hear his version of that story. I I really do. No, I remember watching him fall and then falling over top of him. I was like, no I just called nine one one. Yeah. I just ran over my coach. man. So you know my favorite guys. Yeah, but I'm just like I I mean I just remember back to getting this set up and you know how we I mean, you got a lot of it done plugging it in with YouTube and coming up with a name and a logo and all all of that so it's it's just been a blast i think this is like episode 24 i think that's crazy yeah i mean that's i i just love doing it again just a passion to be able to share christ with every you know that's one of the things is one of the the goals the mission of of fca is to share jesus christ with every athlete and coach and so Mean this is a great way to to to do that. So I appreciate your help with that and it with this and like I said, you're welcome back. So we gotta we'll pray. like remember we said we do that after every one and then we forgot. Yeah, we forgot multiple times. Yeah. Cause we got so excited about the interview that we just had. And we f we I would forget. We'd always kick ourselves right after the camera set up. Yeah, I know. So we we will pray here in a minute, but we've gotta answer one more question just because we have to make this as entertaining as possible. Yeah we just so pick pick a number. okay let me think. let's go two hundred and thirty four. Okay. Thirty four. Two three four. What's your what's your number do you think gonna be in college? I put in for a couple different numbers. Funny story, I didn't realize this at the time, but my first choice of number was actually retired. so they wouldn't bring it out of retirement. For you? I know for me. I know. Like if you're bringing out for anybody, it's gotta be me, right? Yeah, you were like, they're like, no, it's retired. Yeah. But but I'm Paxton Yates. I am the co-host of 307 Faithful. So I think I'm gonna I think I'm gonna be wearing number 44 this year. Okay. Which is good. That was my second choice. What what was your first one? Nine. Nine, okay. I don't I thought nine looked cool. I wonder. Do you know who who wore that and why it was retired? Nope. Huh. You'll have to find out the history on that. Yeah. So well for so look for number 44 in the program. And hopefully on the field, but you know, if not, I'll look good on the sidelines. That's right. It'll look really good in 44 44. So all right. Two thirty-four question. this is a hard one. What's something you you've been wrong about? Safe to say I'm never wrong. Can I say that? No. and you're such a humble person. I'm so humble. no, but I think you know, my mom and dad can attest to this. I am constantly wrong about dates and and times on when I have to be places and where. And so that's something I can say I have been wrong on quite a bit. So then you just don't show up or are late? Later fashionably late. Or I show up and there's nothing going on. You know, that's happened too. Well, you better not get dates and times wrong in in in college. Nope, that would be a terrible idea. Yeah. That'd be a terrible day. man, what's what you've been wrong about? You know, it's it's it's hard. It's hard. You don't want to say you've been wrong about anything. We can show she'll know. I'm sure your wife will have lots of Yeah. Kim, am I coming in here and answering this one for me? She'll she'll list you've been wrong about this and we'll have to go for another hour. Yeah, we might not leave. Yeah. So I'll pass that and we won't ask her. maybe when you leave we'll ask her, but no, this is this has been been awesome and I I'm glad you were able to get a hold of me when you were home. Do you I you know, and I always ask this, do you have kind of any closing Thoughts or remarks about anything at all? I guess my big one would be like if it's been something I thought about like with this and other things faith space, but if you have an idea or you h wanna try something, just go for it. You know, don't forget about what other people think. Like it would have been easy to like never agree to, you know, help start this up because I You know, I don't want to be embarrassed or I didn't want, you know, people to hate this. So but I say just just go for it. Take the jump and trust in what God has planned for you. Yeah. Amen. I think that's that's you know, that's the cool thing too, is like just I mean, saying yes to being a leader of FCA. I mean, you're kinda putting yourself out there for for people to Well the stand the standards higher once you are a leader, which is something you have been able to call me on multiple times and I didn't live up to that standard. But I mean that's that's what we do. I mean, I you know, and we've talked about that. That's what we do when we love each other, right? Christian love is is being able to be there when when you're struggling, to be there to hold you accountable, to to kind of maybe help you to see things in a little different way. Yeah. so I mean I I appreciate that because that is a hard You know, that is a hard time in in our lives of high school to be able to to to do that and say that and when you do fall because you are, to be able to say, Hey, I messed up. Yeah. You know that's that's like I obviously we all try not to fall and try not to sin, but you know, like I heard this saying, I think it was on TikTok or something. It was I'm Christian, not Christ, you know, I'm gonna fall, you know. You're gonna fall and the important thing is just being a remember like while we don't want to fall and white and why and that's how it is we'll try to make sure we don't fall again. Like when we do it just we're just remembering that. It's a good thing we're not the standard. Yeah. Yeah. Amen to that. And and not being afraid to be able to run towards Jesus and and say, you know, and that's a hard time. I think sometimes when we mess up and Man alive, I I don't know how many times that's happened and it's like, golly God, I'm sorry I did this again. And and you know what he's saying? I love you. Yeah. And and I forgive you, you know. And the Bible talks about forgiving others seventy times seven. Basically, there is there is no limit to to God's forgiveness. But that doesn't mean we could should take advantage of that. yeah. Either, right? That's the other big thing. Yeah, you can't take advantage of it. Yeah. You s like you still have to Work on growing. Yeah. You know, you have to really devout devote everything you have into growing as a Christian. Yep. Doing setting your mind on that and continuing to go through the process. just knowing that the outcome, there is a guaranteed outcome for us. Yeah. and that and that reward is is gonna be living for eternity with Jesus Christ. And so that's what we're ultimately working to, but we'll never get there. in this in this life really, right? But that's still what I I think we should be working towards. So that's I mean, and you and you you you are gonna make mistakes, but if you try to be if you try to be safe, that that also is not utilizing the gifts that God's given you. You don't really know like I I'm just saying that, you know, as far as doing like the podcast or being a leader, you know, the safe thing would be to do, no, I'm not gonna put myself out there. But is that gonna be really give you are you gonna grow at all? Yeah, exactly. You know? So it's when we stretch ourselves. it's it's when we grow really. So I think that's a an important part. But awesome. So we'll go ahead and I'll just pray and we'll finish this. We almost made an hour. That might be one of our longer ones. So yeah I think one I think one I went a little bit longer with the guest when you weren't here but if if people are still listening and not tune us out already because we're so entertaining. we're very entertaining. see that's the bad part when you're not here there's lack of entertainment big time. So glad to hear I'm needed. All right. Father God, we just thank you for this podcast and that you placed this idea. in our hearts and that you made it happen. And I just thank you for all of the people who have listened to one of the episodes that has supported this. It's pretty awesome to to look at that and how it's grown. Father, we just especially cover Paxton with with protection and blessing as he heads back to to college to Alamosa. I just pray that you would just help connect him with other believers, with other ministries, with a church, Father, that he can make his home that he'll feel part of, that will welcome him. Father, I just pray that your spirit would guide him to stand strong against temptation, to be faithful to reading his word, because we know that's you know, how you give us the strength to overcome those temptations. So I just pray for all of that, keep him healthy. Keep him safe. just continue to grow him. And and I just pray that his story has just started and that his his faith will just continue to to grow by leaps and bounds and the person that he is. And just thank you for his friendship and dedication to FCA here at Riverton and to this podcast. We love you. We thank you that Jesus changed his heart, that Jesus changed my heart. I just pray that our listeners listeners are changed as well. By that. There is one truth, and that's that Jesus is the way through who we are saved, and there's no other way. So we glorify you, we thank you, and it's in your mighty and and holy name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Awesome. So thanks again for listening, everybody out in 307 Faithful Land. And just a reminder, I have put a shout out again at just a couple weeks away. We have the FCA. Why FCA Wyoming Wrestling Camp in Lander. and that should be great. It's August 7th and 8th. You can register on FCA Wyoming.org. And we've got three really great clinicians coming and almost 70 kids signed up. So it's going to be a great camp if you haven't done so. Sign up soon. So again, thanks to Paxon for being our guest while he's home. And everybody have a blessed week. This is the 307 Faithful Podcast. And Devin Davis and Paxton Yates. Have a great day.