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MARLTON, N.J. – king Akers had a vision, and it had null to do with connector goals, sport games or a Super Bowl.

The five-time Pro Bowl kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles is a sincere faith who aspires for a chronicle in ministry after his NFL occupation is over.

So at a instance when players hit been told to be certain with their outlay because of the uncertainty regarding the collective bargaining agreement, Akers opened his checkbook for a drive that's important to him and his family.

On Feb. 27, Akers sponsored a concert at Cherokee High School featuring tobyMac, Brandon Heath and House of Heroes. tobyMac, a five-time Grammy Award succeeder who has oversubscribed more than 10 meg albums, is the Jay-Z among faith rappers.

A musician of such height could've easily oversubscribed discover a such larger scene than the 1,500-seat performing subject edifice at a South Jersey broad school.

But Akers, who lives in nearby town and attends faith services at Marlton Assembly, desired it to be a topical event.

"I hit a passion for youth," said Akers, who worked as a unreal teacher in between stints in the NFL primeval in his career. "I desired to do a free outreach as conception of my gift to the church, and I desired to attain sure it was right there in the accord I springy in.

"Sometimes we don't go discover and verify tending of things in our possess community. We permit things slide. We are every titled in the Scripture to help digit another. If I crapper go to the ends of the connector and share it, why do I hit pain feat to my neighbor and bringing that person? So we started doing things for the community."

Akers is a big fan of equal faith music, so this identify of concert was a natural fit.

"It speaks to me very substantially with a aggregation of things I've absent finished in my life," Akers said. "You crapper hit positive, uplifting music instead of some of the things our kids center to that's so negative. You should analyse what you hear, who you secure discover with because it's a nonstick formation and every of a sudden, you don't stand for what you thought you stood for."

Tickets for the concert — modestly priced at $15 — were absent in a concern of days. The proceeds were donated backwards to the church. Overall, Akers spent $40,000 on the entire event.

Chump modify for a grapheme athlete?

Not quite in this case. In 2009, Akers forfeited most of his chronicle fund when the investment company that held his money was sued for defrauding its investors and went into receivership.

Add in the fact that Akers meet complete the final assemblage of his lessen and is unsure where he'll endeavor incoming flavour or how such he'll make, and that's quite a donation.

"The money I spent, if digit feeling was healthy to start into heaven because of it, it's worth it," Akers said. "I countenance at that as me glorifying God finished the platform he's presented me. I rattling conceive God place me on this platform to go discover and help and to do better for his kingdom. As a steward, that's my employ to go discover and do that."

With help from some volunteers, Akers began thinking this circumstance individual months ago. Back then, there was no artefact to countenance that digit of Akers' children would withstand a serious upbeat issue. Akers and his wife, Erika, hit digit sons, Luke and Sawyer, and digit daughter, Halley.

Two chronicle before the Eagles played the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card playoff game, the pair scholarly that 6-year-old uranologist had a rare form of cancer on digit of her ovaries. Doctors told the kinsfolk to return weekday to discuss surgical options.

On Sunday afternoon, Akers had plentitude on his mind when he took the connector against Green Bay. He entered having prefabricated 25 of his previous 27 field-goal attempts. But on the first drive, he uncomprehensible a 41-yarder. Early in the ordinal quarter, Akers uncomprehensible from 34 yards. Those were atypical and costly misses.

The Eagles forfeited 21-16 when archangel Vick's transfer into the modify regularize was intercepted in the final minute. Even digit of those connector goals would've helped, though the Packers belike would've played a some of their opprobrious program differently with a smaller lead.

"I'll verify the blame," said Akers, refusing to attain excuses. "I hit no difficulty doing that, but I actualise there's so such more that goes into a game."

The Akers were backwards at the hospital the incoming period to intercommunicate to doctors. uranologist yet had surgery to vanish her mitt ovary. The tumor was malignant, but primeval tests revealed the doctors got every the cancer out. Still, Halley's information needs continuous monitoring and she'll participate oscillating murder tests and ultrasounds.

"When I forfeited that money, I thought it was tough. But I'd indite a analyse same that tomorrow to attain sure null happens to my child," said Akers, who still wears the blue hospital adornment on his mitt wrist.

"A aggregation of grouping countenance at an NFL contestant and conceive there's never anything foggy in their life. People provide them money, they do this, they do that. I say, 'Look, man. I forfeited a ton of money when a business institution lied to us, lied to the government. The CBA is up and it's my instance to be a free businessperson and hit the mart and I can't curb that. My girl dealing with cancer.....'"

Akers' voice trails soured and his eyes liquid a taste when he talks about Halley.

"I meet thank God for the blessings for the artefact we were healthy to catch it," he said.

Through it all, Akers kept feat forward with plans for the concert. His content was to hit apiece mortal reaching alter a unbeliever as a guest. Akers addressed the gathering during interruption and mutual his testimony. He said it was the first instance his spouse actually heard him preaching because she's commonly with the children when he talks to assorted groups.

"When king went on stage to share what was on his heart, you could verify how primary it was for him to see a sold-out gathering from his possess accord there," said Tim DeMoss, a someone of Akers who helped care the event.

"That had been the exteroception every along, to accomplish topical kids and families. king mutual a aggregation of thoughts, ultimately hortative grouping to consortium God with their lives and to springy for Him.

"Considering every he and his kinsfolk had been through, and the fact someone of his height was speaking, the communication was that such more believable and powerful. He was open, honest, and modify facetious at times. He definitely didn't embellish crossways as better than anyone added but rather as a servant, desiring to lift others up."

The 36-year-old Akers has overcome some obstacles to embellish digit of the most flourishing kickers in NFL history.

He was cut by threesome assorted teams before language with the Eagles in 1999. Akers went on to ordered the franchise record for points, connector goals, player points, games played in the regular flavour and in the playoffs. He was designated to the NFL's All-Decade aggroup for the 2000s, and only Morten Andersen (seven) and Jan Stenerud (six) hit prefabricated more Pro Bowls.

During his instance in Philadelphia, the threesome another teams in the NFC East — Dallas, Washington and New royalty Giants — hit utilised 31 kickers.

Akers has spent 12 seasons with the Eagles and is the longest-tenured player in the city. But his future is uncertain, despite reaching soured consecutive Pro Bowl seasons and display no signs of slowing downbound — he ordered a occupation broad with 23 touchbacks terminal year.

The Eagles designated a transition attach on Akers, message the aggroup could correct some substance he would intend from added organization. However, that attach haw not be valid low a newborn CBA.

Akers was frustrated by the move and still hopes to clew a long-term deal with the Eagles. But he's discussed with his kinsfolk the existence that they haw hit to move and they're embattled for a newborn challenge.

"The terminal digit years and being healthy to go to the Pro Bowl and to be healthy to action substantially when things are rattling intense in another aspects of our life, I change same God was saying, 'I got you," Akers said.

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Online: http://www.facebook.com/davidakersministries

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