Doug Greengard never set out to be a man of faith, but that's the way he thinks of himself these days — a secular man of faith.

This former New Orleans Saints chaplain says he never aspired to the position.

"I've never ever pursued ministry," Greengard says. "It has pursued me."

At the top of his list of current missions is "Heroes of Faith — Volume II," a small paperback volume, its barely 100 pages filled with inspirational stories from 28 athletes across the sports spectrum. That includes NASCAR, soccer, golf, even hockey in addition to the big three of football, basketball and baseball.

Of his subjects, Greengard says, "These are regular people who happen to be sports figures ... highly successful people who have the American dream of fame and fortune, but the most important thing to them is their relationship with the Creator."

Here is testimony from some of the athletes he interviewed for the book:

Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee: "Sports gives us such a great platform. I'm glad that I can do my part, and I wish other guys would step up and do the same thing."

Matt Jordan, Colorado Rapids goalkeeper: "I really believe that being a leader by example is the best way for me to show my faith. ... That's how I can best reach people."

Catherine "Cat" Reddick, U.S. Olympic soccer defender: "I keep trying to stay focused on being humble toward Him, because ... there have been disappointments, and I've wanted what I didn't get. He's taught me to be humble."

Paul Byrd, Cleveland Indians pitcher: "The only thing I'm sure of is my son-ship to God ... His love for me is amazing, and I depend on it every day."

Curtis Martin, New York Jets running back: "The relationship I've come to have with Him, the intimacy that I have means more than anything. ... Football, fame, money, all that, it's all so minute compared to the peace and happiness I have inside."

Greengard's personal journey began in his native Southern California where, he says, he grew up with a decidedly negative perspective on Christianity. His childhood and youth were happy enough, simply not faith-focused.

He chose a career path at school, achieved his goal of becoming a sports broadcast journalist and pursued that career for more than a decade before "I made a heartfelt confession of faith in 1995."

It wasn't exactly a Saul-on-the-road-to-Damascus moment, but close, he says.

"On a much smaller scale, I had been experiencing a lot of the things professional athletes experience. I was a sportscaster in New Orleans, and I had gotten myself into a position (where) others might have envied me."

He drove a nice car, had a pretty wife, "But all that stuff was like a roller-coaster ride," he says. "One day you're up. The next you're down.

"I finally came to the understanding that the ups and downs will never go away. You'll have good days and bad days," but survival depends on finding a solid place to anchor yourself, and for Greengard, it was faith, the word of God.

"I'm not the Bible answer man," he says. "But I've learned that His love is unconditional, and that's something I just try to share with people."

He likes to say that he never intended to start a ministry, it just happened: "He just called me."

"I was out at the Saints practice facility a few years ago doing interviews for Christian Sports Minute (a radio feature he created), and they asked me if I would like to lead a chapel service. They were looking for a chaplain, I interviewed, and my wife, Debbie, and I served from 2001 to 2005," right through Hurricane Katrina.