Faith and Sport

Mark Blythe – My Story

I was born in Adelaide, Australia when my English Parents spent a few years out there, I tended to be Australian during the cricket season & English at other times! I have a wife, Lesley, three sons, two step-sons, one step-daughter, a son in-law, a daughter in-law and 2 grandchildren - just awesome, what a blessing!

At age 2 my parents escaped Australia & I was raised near Middlesbrough in the North East. I was a sport fanatic, represented my school at everything & the County at swimming, basketball and football. I was a Middlesbrough season ticket holder and had 3 football matches some weekends, what a life! I went regularly to Church, well every Christmas Eve to keep Mother company after parents divorced! That was it.

I moved to College in London at 18 to do a PE degree, coached soccer in the States and did the first London Marathon in 1981. Met Catholic wife and married in a RC Church when 24. I fought against attending Church throughout a difficult ten-year marriage that ended in divorce, mainly due to my selfishness I have to admit.

I was happily single, when met a gorgeous woman. I soon learnt that this woman, Lesley, was a Christian (I was disappointed about that I have to confess!) and I started asking questions about her faith. She didn’t push it on me as we stated a relationship.
On a business trip to Australia, some friends invited me to their Church, they couldn’t believe it when I said I would go, and I was equally surprised! I didn’t know why all of a sudden I wanted to go but I just felt drawn. During the meeting the leader invited new people down to the front, for some reason I went. There was a reading on a big overhead screen, I started reading it and for some reason my eyes filled up with tears. Being a tough northerner I tried to stem the flow but couldn’t, fortunately I was facing the front wall! I felt an amazing warm sensation inside that I now know to be the Holy Spirit, along with the shock of finding that God really existed and could be felt in a tangible way, I had an amazing inner peace. To make it so I had to believe God told my son that Dad had become a Christian. So when I rang England from Australia they already knew!! Wow, that made me think that maybe there was something real about this!

The spirit changed my life dramatically, I no longer do absolutely anything to earn a quid and surprisingly my finances have never been better. The saddest thing about becoming a Christian late was realising that I wasted 35 years not listening to all the people who tried to tell me how great it was, the people I labelled “Boring Bible Bashers” as I went off to play football or for a run. One of the best things was finding sporty Christians and realising that I could still love my football, support Middlesbrough, run marathons and be a Christian! I was amazed that it doesn’t hurt and that there are only benefits plus I am just so grateful that I found all this out before it was too late!

Since that day, God has healed my back and answered many prayers. I want to spend eternity in heaven with my friends and I want them to experience God’s Love that is freely available to them. If everyone actually did an Alpha course or quizzed a Christian friend with all their thoughts I am convinced that they would choose to follow Jesus. Historians don’t deny that Jesus existed and did his miracles so why should you? And if he did exist and was who he claimed to be, maybe it’s worth looking into? Happiness depends upon it…. A well known company said "Just do it" - I couldn't agree more.

“Will the Road you are on get you to my place?” - God