Faith, Grit and Goals with Paul Henderson | Trinity Talks Podcast

Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode

of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla, and I am so

excited to be sitting down here with Paul Henderson.

Paul has worked for 18 years, I think, as a professional

hockey player and does some leadership work now,

but is also a well -loved member of our Trinity

family here. And so I'm excited to get to hear

your story, Paul. Well, my name is Paul Henderson.

I started coming to this church in 1991. OK.

And it was one of the best things that ever happened

to me. And we are so fortunate today that we

have Rob. He is one of the most creative speakers

I've ever heard of my life. But I did play professional

hockey as a kid growing up by practicing. I practice

my started practicing my autograph when I was

in grade five. OK, because I wanted to be an

NHL hockey player and I wanted to. have a legible

autograph. And so that was my dream. And I was

able to do it. I played junior hockey and then

I made the Detroit Red Wings. I played six years

there. I was traded the Toronto Maple Leafs and

played there until I got tired of Harold Ballard,

who had our team. And I think that's why the

Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since. But anyway,

and when I retired, Well, I didn't become a Christian

until I was 32. And Mel Stevens from Teen Ranch

was a guy that spent a lot of time to lead me

to the Lord. And so in March of 75, I became

a Christian. And then next year, I jumped to

the WHA and we went to Birmingham, Alabama. And

I got down there and I got a mentor. And I met

with this guy. He was this nine of us. And we

met from six thirty to eight o 'clock on Monday

mornings. And this guy modeled for me what it

was to love the Lord and put him in the center

of your life. And so that changed my life incredibly.

And then after three years from my mentor and

the pastor came to me and said, we've got some

new people in church and we want you to lead

them. become the leader. I can't do that. I've

only been a Christian for three years. And sometimes

it's people that have more confidence in yourself

than you do. And so they talked me into doing

it. And I loved it. Yeah. And I just tried to

replicate what John Bradford taught me. And he

gave me great advice. He says, Paul, our personalities

are so different. Don't lead like I do. You are

very passionate. You're disciplined in that.

be yourself and obviously challenge them. And

he said, really, for the last six months, he

says, with your discipline, your passion, you've

been really leading it. So you're going to have

no problem. Sure. And so anyway, that was really

good advice. Yeah. So anyway, here I am. And

then came back to Canada. And then I really felt

that God was saying to me, Paul, I want you to

reach out to Paul Henderson, the guys that are

probably successful and. and know the, you know,

fears and all that kind of stuff. And so I decided

I wanted to go over the business and professional.

And I wanted to raise up leadership. And I want

to develop leaders that would in turn create

leaders. And that's the thing I love about this

church. We got these groups, because everybody

needs a group that you can get together, talk

about it. And so I figured if I, I really wanted

to get a movement going. I thought, if I get

25 men's groups going, I'll have a movement.

Well, I got cancer in 2009, and by that time

we had 80 groups going. OK, wow. And so I'm not

a very good visionary. But I knew I had to get

some other people to take over because they told

me I might have like five years. OK. And but

anyway, we did. And we got some people that were

strategists. And now it's just exploded around

the world. I ran a pretty good mum and pop shop.

But now I don't have to go in a meeting, so I

just need to pray for people, meet them and try

to be a disciple maker. Yeah, that's awesome.

Yeah. So you said, you know, starting maybe even

grade five, maybe before you really wanted to

be a hockey player. So what what sort of fueled

that passion for you? Why did you want that as

a career? Well, this is not very good, but I

grew up very poor. I was the oldest of five kids.

Yeah. And I never got a pair of skates. I was

nine. Like we never went to a restaurant and

everything like that. And I just hated being

poor. And I thought, well, one of the ways you

can make a lot of money or good money early,

be a professional hockey player. And I was a

good athlete. I was quick on that kind of stuff.

And so I said, this is where I want to get to.

And so that really drove me. But the other side

of the coin, I wanted to prove to my buddies

that I could be successful. It was very important

for me. to be successful. And unfortunately,

I didn't have a spiritual side to my life, so

it's all about me. And that's what I was after,

making money, being successful. Okay. Okay. And

then partway through your hockey career, you

come to learn about and to choose to follow Jesus.

So how did that happen? Well, in 1972, we played

the Russians and I scored a goal in the last

34 seconds to win the series. I scored the winning

goal in game six, seven and eight. Yes, I heard

that. And became the sports moment of the last

century. And Mel Stevens, who ran Teen Manch

runs up in Oakville or Orangeville area. He came

to me, knocked on my door, never met him before.

And he asked me if I could. I would really like

you to come to our hockey school. We teach kids

hockey school and I'd like you to, you know,

come. So I said, well, what do you pay? He said,

well, we're a Christian organization and we don't

have any money. We ask you to donate the time.

I see. And I looked at him like, do you not know

who you're talking to? Right. Yes. So anyway,

he just seemed like a great guy. We get into

a conversation. And he said, you know, Paul,

I see you interviewed on television and I've

done a little background work there. I know you've

got a good marriage and family near the toast

of Canada. And to me, you've got everything.

But when I see you interviewed, you seem to got

an edge to yourself. And to me, you seem like

you're not a very satisfied person. And I looked

at him and like, am I wearing a sign? Because

after we got all that nonsense of Becoming a

sort of a hero for a little while here. I said

to Eleanor, my wife, who is the greatest wife

in the world, I tell you. I said, no, there's

something missing. And she said, Paul, relax.

We got a great marriage. Just enjoy your right.

And I said, I just have a sense. So anyway, Mel

says to me, Paul, you can learn to live freely

and lightly and you don't need it. But you got

to look at the spiritual side of life. And I

said, I don't talk about politics and I don't

get into religion, because they're just arguments,

you know. So anyway, the guy had patience. He

said, Paul, and I said, I've tried to read the

Bible, but it doesn't make any sense to me. Unfortunately,

I started on the Old Testament. Anyway, when

you start out as a skeptic, it's a slow turn.

And he got me a Bible and he would meet with

me almost... at least every two weeks. And I

got to be, I could speak to you very intelligently

about the epistles and everything like that.

And so one morning it was March 12th and that

was his birthday. I didn't know it. But I got

up this morning and he had taught me to get up

in the morning, start the day with the Lord and

read. And so I got up and I was sitting there

having a quiet time and I said to the Lord, There's

so many things about you that I don't understand.

Yeah. But I really believe you are who you say

you are. And Mel tells me that you will wipe

the slate clean. And I had a lot of things in

my life that I needed forgiveness for. And so

I said to him, Lord, I want you to be my Lord

and Savior. And I said like this with everything.

Don't you ever expect me to tell anybody about

this because I'm going to be a secret service.

Sure. There was only one guy that knew that I

was like Ronnie Ellis, one of my best buddies

and teammate of mine. He was the only guy that

I knew that I was looking at. And we would go

on the road. And I would take a magazine and

I would put my Bible in the magazine. I see.

Lean against the window so nobody knew that I

was reading the Bible. That's how fearful it

was because I didn't know any Christian hockey

players then. But anyway, I gave my life to the

Lord and the best is to be. It took me three

days to get Eleanor was she grew up going to

church, but you don't get radical about it. You'd

be a good person. You go to church, but we didn't

read the Bible or anything in my house. And and

I'm a pretty passionate guy. And and Mel says,

Paul, don't try to preach at Eleanor. And I told

her she was. And she told me later. When I was,

Mel would come to the house and that and she

didn't want any part of it. And she told me later,

she said, I was so worried if you become a Christian,

you either do something well or you don't do

it. She says, I was worried you're going to give

all our money away and go want to live in a tent

in Africa or something. So I sat her down and

we're at the kitchen table. We've been married

for 12 years and my heart was pounding. My armpits

were soaked. And I said, yeah, I become a Christian.

And she looked at me and she said, Oh, wonderful.

And got up and walked out. And that's why she

was in. So anyway, I told Mel and then we went

for there and started. Well, I met with Mel and

then I started to understand why. But one of

the things that is God shows up every once in

a while and about two weeks. after I gave my

life to the Lord. Everybody, especially hockey

players, read Playboy back in those days and

had a prescription for it. And so anyway, I knew

it was coming and I went down that morning to

went to the mailbox and it was there and I picked

it up and I said, I am not supposed to do this.

And I took it and I threw it in the garbage can.

I went upstairs and I had about 10 of my favorite

playboys from the last time, threw them in the

garbage. And I just knew God says, you don't

ever do this again. And I'm so thankful I can

say that I've never looked at one since. And

that was one of the signs that God says, I'll

change it from the inside out. And He's been

doing that since 1975 and still got a lot of

work to do. And that's why I've come here every

Sunday to learn more about the Lord. Sure, yeah.

Yeah, it's so interesting to hear that that sort

of progression because, you know, you started

saying, I don't want to talk about this stuff

at all. And then then you learn a little bit,

but you say, I'm not going to talk about it with

other people at all. But now part of what you

do is go and talk to other people about Jesus.

So how did you sort of get from that place of

I'm going to keep this a secret to this is What

I want to do for my work now. Well, as I thought

about it, the two people that I was most appreciative

of in the world, Mel Sieve was the guy that led

me to them, John Bradford, my matter down there.

Yeah. And I said, goodness gracious, they changed

my life. And I really felt God was saying, now,

Paul, like I said before, I want you to go and

do the same thing to others. And that's why I

came back to Canada. And I started with three

men downtown Toronto in a group. After a while,

I asked them, do you have any friends that are

sort of out to lunch spiritually? And we'll have

a breakfast with them and I'll share my testimony

and you two of you tell them why you're in the

group. And so we got about 18 guys come out.

OK. And then we got we ended up with 12 in our

group. Right. And I said, well, that's the way

to do it. And then just took it from there. Did

the same thing. Just get to lead a guy to the

Lord. Usually they have a lot of non -Christian

friends. Sure. And then we just share very gently

what it means to follow Jesus as a husband, a

father and all that kind of stuff. OK, very cool.

So in what ways has your faith then really influenced?

the the work that you're doing now. Yeah. How

how has that led you into into this work and

how do you sort of see it continuing? Well, I

just like I just said to you this. I learned

from other people and I replicated. We memorize

scripture. John will even then get up in the

morning, start the day with the Lord and which

I do. And then you develop things along the way.

And then John Bradford was big on memorizing

scripture. OK. And we did the two verses every

week. And and and you get it into that. And the

one of my good friends, actually the first guy,

Ronnie Ellis, a teammate of mine at Christmas

gave me a hymn book. He was he was a good singer.

And there it's there's 30, 365 hymns. OK. And

I started. memorizing hymns. OK. And I do it

to this day. And I get up soon as I wake up,

I start singing hymns or some of the Psalms,

Psalms one. Yeah. You know, and and that shapes

what you do. And and so obviously that influenced

everything. And even being a hockey player. In

fact, when I was looking, I didn't think he could

be a Christian and be a hockey player. OK. OK.

But I became a better hockey player after I became

a Christian. OK. Because I knew I had a responsibility

to God to go out there and play every shift the

best way you could, whether you're losing by

five goals or you're winning by five goals and

to and learn to not beat yourself up. Like I

used to get down on myself so bad. Make a dumb

play. We lose the game. God says, nobody's perfect.

Give yourself a shake. Yeah. You know, just don't

make the same mistake again. And so I learned

so many things from the wisdom of the Bible is

where you go for everything. And of course, it

takes a while to get there. And like I said before,

no one ever gets to be perfect. Sure. But everybody,

I don't care who you are, you can always go deeper

with the Lord. And so. And I've learned over

the years to set up boundaries and those things.

And one day, John Bradford told us in the group,

he says, why don't you go to your funeral and

sit down and what do you want your wife to say

about you, truthfully say about you, your children,

your friends? Yeah, that's a great idea. And

so and then he said. Another good thing you need

to do is write a purpose statement for yourself.

What are the character qualities that you want

to develop in that? And so I spent a lot of time

thinking about that. But like for Eleanor, I

wanted to know, I sat down and thought, I want

to know that she is loved and I'm going to tell

her every day. And there's never a day go by

that I don't tell her. I want her to feel cherished

also. I want her to feel respected and I want

her to feel protected. And so I wrote those things

down. And so you get them. OK, Lord. And I get

up every morning, Lord, you know, I pray this

to Lord. There's two people. There's two things

I need protection. I need protection from the

devil and I need protection from myself. Yeah.

And so, you know, and my thoughts, my words,

my deeds would be pleasing to him. Yeah. But

I have some days that, oh, my gracious Paul,

give yourself a shake. And you know, but God

loves me like I have three daughters. None of

them were perfect. No, but they were mine and

I love them. Yeah. And that's the love I remind

myself that God has for me. There is therefore

now no condemnation for those who are in Christ

Jesus. And all you've got to do is come back

and confess the thing that you're embarrassed

about or whatever it would be. And God looks

at me the way that I look at my daughters. Now

my grandchildren. You know, I had three daughters

and none of them were perfect. Now I've got grandchildren

and they're all perfect. It's unbelievable. Oh,

OK. Wow. So when you think about, like you talked

about, you know, before coming to know Jesus,

there was that sense of you were living for,

you know, you wanted some riches, you wanted

a sense of security and feeling like you were

successful versus, you know, now your life goals

are a little bit different, I think. Totally

different. Yeah. Excuse me. But you don't know

it. What hurts you is you don't know what you

don't know. Sure. But God's way is always the

way. Like Jesus says in John 12, he said, I am

the light of the world. Whoever follows me will

not walk in darkness, but will have the light

of life. And every department of your life, there's

wisdom there. Yeah. And so you don't have to

be fearful. I think it's 365 days. God says,

don't be fearful. Like I used to. Oh, gosh, what

if my wife dies or, you know, what if I get injured

badly and can't play hockey? Yeah. Worry doesn't

do you one iota of good. Trust in the Lord with

all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding.

Yeah. And there's difficult times. Sure. Like

I got cancer in 09 and I was some like I worked

out. And the same way that I played hockey today

and lived a good and Eleanor's really good with

good food and everything like that. And how can

that be? But the reality is I don't fear dying.

And I said, Lord, I'm fully convinced that I

will not live a day longer than the Lord wants

me to or a day less. And so I get up. OK, Lord.

And every morning, Lord, I need help. Yeah. You

know, yeah. And I rely on the Holy Spirit. Like

before I come over here today, I said, Eleanor,

you need to pray for us. And so I get in my car.

I never turn on the radio. I'm in my car. I'm

thinking of people. I'm praying for people. And

but everybody's different, Kayla. And you find

out what don't ever try to be like me. Sure.

And my wife, we're totally different how we do

things. What you find out. what works for you.

And I believe God made me the way He wanted me.

Like I'm very open, which makes it easy for talk

about my faith and that kind of stuff. But but

I've learned. It was really when I when I first

became a Christian and I jumped to the WHA and

I was really zealous about like I knew God had

changed my life. One of the players on the team

come up to me and he said, you know, Paul, he

says, you're really a good guy, but you're getting

to be a pain in the rear end talking, talking

about this spirituality stuff. Right. And then

there's a time and a place to do everything.

Sure. And you got it. And so over the years,

I've learned. And I can honestly tell you, some

of my best friends in the world today are people

that I've influenced to come to know the Lord

personally. And I'm going to do that like I'm

never going to retire. I have no desire to get

up. I'd be so bored. In fact, my wife would say,

get out of here. Oh, man. So then what does your

sort of work and life look like right now? What

is God calling you to do in this season? Same

thing I've been doing for 40 years. OK. Get up

in the morning, start the day with him, ask him

who, where and what I should do that day and

have a sense of it. But. I have always been in

a men's group, always will have a men's group

because you need community. And Rob really talks

about that at this church, too, which I love

about. And so I do a lot of praying. I start

the day and I'm really fortunate. I'm a morning

person. I get up very early and Eleanor doesn't

come down usually to well, because she's fighting

that long covid and that kind of stuff. And so

I have usually an hour and a half with the Lord

and then write some things down. OK, who do I

need to talk about or? and I have a long prayer

list. In fact, I've got them all alphabets now.

And so I just whatever. But I have a lot of things

like I'm doing two more podcasts after this one

the next two weeks. And I do a lot. You know,

I get involved in charities like different things

and cancer and all that kind of stuff. So it's

just amazing what happens. The phone calls and

I've had to. Like last night, they wanted me

to go down to the Leaf game and be a part of

dropping the puck. Uh huh. And and I said, I

can't do it because I've got an appointment with

some people and sure. And I can't make it. And

so didn't do it. So but one day at a time. Yeah,

totally. And but the goodness about it, I don't

have to go to any strategy meetings anymore with

the ministry. I'm still with Leader Impact. Yeah,

I founded it back there and. Obviously, it's

thriving and we got some very, very gifted people.

And the neat thing about it, I've raised up people

that are better leaders than I am. And when you

look over your shoulder and you can see some

fruit, God's, you know. Yeah, that's good. You

know, we're supposed to bear fruit and prove

yourself to be. But some of my, like I said,

some of my best friends in the world today are

guys that were just like me. Didn't grow up as

Christians, but now the Lord is the center of

their lives. Right. Yeah. Very cool. So you've

alluded a couple of times to this the season

of dealing with cancer in your life. So how did

you see God present with you in that really challenging

moment? Well, obviously, I have CLL, I have Lymphoma

and leukemia. And what did biopsies and they

told me who I've got and then the doctor told

me with CLL early treatment doesn't help any.

So you've probably got a couple of years and

then your blood will tell us when we have to

start chemo. And the only thing they offered

me in Canada was chemotherapy. And I know my

body well as an athlete. And I said, I'm not

going to do this. So we got on the Internet and

we got and I really believe long story short,

I got into a clinical trial in Bethesda, Maryland

and National Institutes of Health down there.

And I was in bad shape. I'd lost 30 pounds by

this time. Cancer was taken over. But I really

believe God opened the door for me. And and through

some contacts and that. And you got a really

bad shape to get into a clinical trial. Sure.

And I was one of the last to get in it. And I

had to go to it was an experimental drug. The

oncologist I had at the time, he said, it's too

experimental. Don't do it. But we really felt

the Lord was telling us to do it. So we went

down and I had to fly down there every two months

for the first six months and then every three

months. And it wasn't bad to start with, but

the older I got. getting on a plane and snow,

you have to stay over and everything. But just

as COVID hit, I was the last one to get it. They

knew it was only going to last so long, but it

gives you more time. And I was the last of the

57. I lasted longer than anybody. And when my

blood work went crazy, it was just the start

of COVID. And my doctor over and One of my doctors

at Juravinsky, I told him and he said, we've

got a new drug out, Paul. OK. And so we went

over and I had to get used to that. But I don't

have near the side effects with this drug as

I did with the other one. So I'm able to play

golf. I can walk. And and so, like I said, but

when you're not a fear of dying, you're not a

fear of anything. And, you know, you can enjoy

life. Because you only got today and I pray a

lot of mornings. I did this morning, though,

but Lord, this would be a good day for you to

come back. Yeah, yeah. But I do have one fear,

Kayla. I got to tell you a serious fear. Fear.

I fear the only fear I have is that what Eleanor

would die before me. I would just be distraught.

She will make a lot. She will make out a lot

better without me than I will without her. And

I actually pray that to the Lord. Please, please

let me die before her. Wow. Yeah. Yeah, that's

that's a it's a heavy thing that to, you know,

figure out how we walk through life without that

fear. But then, yeah, there's still those things

that plague us. Yeah. Well, I know that I would

survive, but I mean, that's but yeah, you know,

to not want to go through it. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. Yeah, for sure. So when you think about

this sort of next phase of your life, what are

you hoping to see God do in you or as a legacy

that you leave? I want to finish well. Yeah.

When I started the ministry way back, I sat down

and I thought about I want to start small. Yeah.

I want to get one or two groups going to see

if I can raise up leaders, start small. OK. And

then let it expand from there. Without good leadership,

nobody's going to fall. Sure. And then I go deep.

Yeah. Take them deep, get them memorizing scripture,

get them spending time with the Lord every morning.

The challenge of it turns to be the husband,

the father's that they need to be. And then I

thought, think big. So I came up with 25 groups.

If I could get 25, I got a movement going. You

know, start small, go deep, think big, finish

well. And I don't want to be a casualty. Yeah.

You know, and so how you live your life every

day will determine. And so that's what I want

to do. Yeah. And. Start small, go deep, think

big, finish well. That sounds like a good strategy.

Well, this worked for 40 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, that's awesome. Well, thank you so much,

Paul. It's been so good to hear a bit of your

story and really to hear how God has been so

faithful to you and in the work that you're doing.

And then, of course, by extension, how God has

been faithful to the people that you are leading.

to all of us, because that's just who God is.

Right. God is faithful to you. And as we hear

that, we remember that God is faithful to us.

You got that. And I tell people, I can't think

of anybody in the world more fortunate than I

am. I wouldn't change places. Anybody in the

world. I tell Ellen, don't ever in a moment of

weakness, buy a lottery ticket. The worst thing

could happen to you would be that. And so I got

today. Yeah. Down the road we go. Okay, good.

Well, thank you so much. And thank you for tuning

in to this week's episode of Trinity Talks. I

hope that through Paul's story, you have been

able to hear a little bit of God's work in his

life, but also God's work in all of our lives,

and how regardless of the situation that we find

ourselves in, whether we're... in hockey or in

business or just in life and family that God

meets us there and is calling us to go deeper,

to think bigger, and to finish well. And we'll

see you again next week.