Roger Long was born in Effingham, Illinois in 1951 and grew up in the Kankakee area, just a short distance from Chicago. He lived there until 1974 at which time he moved his young family to Phoenix, Arizona.

Although Roger took up the game of pool at the age of 12, he didn't dedicate himself to serious practice until 1978 when he put a pool table in his living room.

By 1981 Roger felt like he was ready to enter tournaments. His first tournament was a tough test. He found himself pitted against some of Phoenix's most experienced league and tournament players, and no one there expected him to do very well. Roger placed second in that event, however, and that was all it took for him to be permanently hooked on pool.

But Roger's instant success at pool also proved to be a major stumbling block. Competitive pool became another addiction for him to add to his already destructive habits of alcohol, marijuana and chemical drug abuse. And by believing that alcohol and marijuana actually helped his game, Roger's dependence on those substances increased. He began spending more time drinking, smoking and playing pool in bars than he did at work or at home taking care of his family.

It was around 1984 when Roger realized that he was caught in a trap. His game wasn't really improving, as he had been fooling himself into believing, and his drug abuse was getting worse all the time. His lifestyle was also causing problems between he and his employer. Even worse, his wife Carolyn was growing weary of tolerating his neglect as a husband and father. She especially hated the terrible example he was setting for their two young children. It was then that Roger promised Carolyn he would change.

About a year later, and after many failed attempts to force changes in his own self, Roger gave up and begged God for forgiveness. The Lord's mercy and grace proved to be all that Roger needed. He was immediately set free from the bondages that had held him captive for so many years. And it was at that point that The Lord began showing Roger what it would take to become a Christian pool player.

In early 1986, The Holy Spirit impressed upon Roger and Carolyn that they should move to Central Florida. Shortly after settling there, Carolyn accepted Jesus as her savior also, and the Longs started attending a local church where their Christian faith would continue to grow and develop.

While living in Florida, Roger's growth and development in the billiard industry continued also. He played in numerous professional tournaments. He met and became friends with other Christian pool players, one of which was professional player Tommy Kennedy, who not only taught him much about good play but also taught him much about being a Christian competitor. He owned and operated a poolroom from 1990 until 1994. He also opened a pro shop where he did cue and table repairs. Plus, he became one of the very first instructors to be certified by the Billiard Congress of America when their certification program began in 1993.

Then in mid-1994, The Lord told the Long family it was time to move again. After eight and one-half years of "training" in Florida, He was sending them home to Arizona. Roger and Carolyn both accepted this news with great joy and anticipation. They were relieved. Although living in Florida had been good for them, they had been feeling oppressed for quite some time by the responsibilities and associations that accompany being poolroom operators.

After returning to Arizona, the Longs settled back into regular jobs and into a small church where Roger immediately began searching for a field of ministry to become involved in. In the meantime, however, some of his old Arizona pool friends, having learned he was back in town, invited him to join their league team.

Roger joined the pool team, but he quickly started feeling oppressed again. There he was, back playing pool in the same bars that he had fled from so many years before. He realized that he didn't want to be there. He had changed. He didn't love playing pool in bars anymore. He didn't want to be in that kind of atmosphere. He wanted to be serving God in a useful ministry.

So Roger started praying that The Lord would deliver him from the bars again and that He would guide him to a field of ministry. Roger's prayers were quickly answered when The Holy Spirit reminded him of the way Jesus answered the Pharisees who had questioned His disciples about their teacher dining with "scum." Jesus' reply was, "Healthy people don't need a doctor - sick people do." It was then that The Holy Spirit revealed to Roger that the pool community is his ministry field. He was not supposed to be running away from pool players, he was supposed to be trying to help them.

So that's where you'll find Roger Long today. He's still in the bars and poolrooms. He's playing pool, giving lessons, doing cue repairs, making friends, witnessing and availing himself to anyone who wants to hear about the good news of Jesus' saving grace. And that's where you'll find him until The Lord tells him it's time to move on.