Miles McPherson was a cocaine-using NFL player; now he's a pastor who's telling people how he was changed

Miles McPherson, pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, was once an NFL player who used cocaine and partied — but an encounter with God early one morning sent his life on a totally different trajectory.

"I was using cocaine my first few years in the NFL and one morning, 5 o'clock a.m., I gave my life to Christ," McPherson said on "The Pure Flix Podcast." "[I] recommitted my life to Christ — and stopped doing cocaine that day."

(Read also: The 9 Christian Values That Change Lives)

The preacher, author of " The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation," had first accepted Christ five years before that life-altering moment, but his faith hadn't taken root, and he soon found himself living life on his own terms.

Despite falling into drugs and partying, he felt God prompting him over the years and he finally listened that fateful morning. From there, his teammates started sharing their faith and McPherson soon found God leading him down a path toward ministry.

Listen to McPherson share his story at the 27:30-mark:

"I started sharing in schools and prisons and realized that I loved to speak publicly and then started a Bible study at my house with the kids in the neighborhood," he said. "[I] just continued pursuing what I saw God doing in my life."

(Read also: 25 Bible Verses About Loving Others)

Flashforward and McPherson is now a well-known Christian pastor with a passion for the Bible — a preacher who wants to see people "honor one another" regardless of their disagreements or differences.

"When you see somebody, you have more in common with them than you have differences," he said. "If you can honor what you have in common, you can discover fascinating things about people."

(Read also: 'I Committed Murder': How a Violent Gang Member Found Jesus)

In "The Third Option," the preacher is hoping to help bridge the divide on racial reconciliation.

The description reads, in part, "McPherson argues that we must rise above the issues that divide us and be part of something bigger. The Third Option challenges both believers and seekers to fully embrace God's goodness and power." Check out " The Third Option."

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.