WHOA That's Good Podcast - Who I Really Am

Episode Date: March 10, 2021

Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow get candid with Sadie about life after pro sports and Miss Universe. Tim talks about one of the greatest tragedies that can happen in our lives and how to be relentless about avoiding it. He also shares a powerful story about his friendship with a "cursed" boy in the Philippines. Demi talks about how she stopped washing her confidence off with her makeup. And they discuss their relentless fight against human trafficking and the work they do with Night to Shine. Tim's new children's book is called "Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember." Sadie and Christian close it out with encouragement for a young believer who didn't grow up in the church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're welcome to the WoW That's Good Podcast. So excited to have you two on. You guys are incredible humans and we haven't got to spend too much time together but we always kind of like our paths have crossed a lot. So we'll have a time. Well thank you so much for having us. Thank you. We're so happy to be here and just to have a great conversation.

And congratulations to you on everything that you have going and the way you're making an impact all over the world through this, but through your speaking, through your family, through your heart. Thank you guys. We love watching it from afar, so we're grateful for it. You're so encouraging. Thank you. That's a great inspiration to not just me,

but I know so many young women. So thank you just for everything that you stand for and after you. It's just so for me to leave in. That means so much. Seriously, thank you all. And thank you for all the things that you all do. I was trying to study for this podcast

and I was like, man, they are doing so much and it all is just for the betterment of the world. And so thank you for living such humble lives and just furthering the kingdom, it's incredible. So I can't wait to chat before we get into more questions we have to start with the question of the world that's good podcast. What is the best piece of advice that you've ever been given? Which I know is kind of a loaded question. I love it. You want to go first? Sure. Well, knowing that was the question and kind of mean you think a little bit

Sadie and I think it's such a great conversation to have and I think there's a lot of pieces of advice that, you know, I've received through so many people in my life that has spoken into my life in various times of my life, but I think one thing that's been very prevalent specifically in my life and just with my background and things that I've been so grateful to have had the opportunity to do is not just to focus on having self confidence, but to turn that self confidence into God confidence. And once we really have God confidence, that's when we can truly have self confidence and know our self worth and fully love ourselves because we know the one that loves us the most, the one that created us perfectly, that made us fearfully. And how cool is it that we can have full confidence in knowing that, that knowing that he literally knit us together in our mother's womb.

And you know all about that right now. No. That's so good. You're listening to that. So just to know that he so detailed and perfectly made us for a perfect plan and I think only ones I fully really comprehended that that's that's the first time that I could really say that I've been able to have full self confidence. Well that's so good. It's so cool that you said that because yesterday I shared a message and it was about

comparison and stuff and I read songs 139 and I was like literally every time I read it since I've been pregnant it makes me cry because it's just so cool because I've read that so many times with the perspective of almost like trying to believe that for myself like you knit me together my mother's womb. You form me wonderfully and beautifully and fearfully made and all those different things. I praise you. And it's always been kind of like a hard thing for me to believe. I feel like it is for a lot of girls. But as soon as I got pregnant and found out it was a girl, that's like the easiest first to believe because it's so obvious that God has knit her together. Like she started out this little poppy seed and now when we see older sound, she has like

a nose and eyes in a face and she's the perfect little baby. And I'm like, I didn't have anything to do with knitting you together. Like I've just been chilling, I've been like eating a lot, sleeping, puking every now and then, but God has knit her together. And it's so easy to praise him for that. And so that verse has been so heavy in my heart. So I love that you shared that. And actually Tim, before we get to your best piece of advice, I actually had a question

for you and Demi and this goes exactly what you were just saying. So you were Miss Universe, which, by the way, that's so cool. Like, I'm just saying that in like dang, that is really cool. So congratulations on that and like dang that is really cool so congratulations on that but you know I think in the pageant world it's so tempting to compare yourself to other people and not just the pageant world that's every girl in the world and so how did you or maybe when was it that you kind of busted through that comparison thing and finally we're just like you know what this is who I am and I'm gonna tell you that. I love that you asked that Sadie because I feel like you know winning was universe obviously

took some confidence right and and maybe in my case it was a whole lot of self confidence because I feel like ever since winning that title I've been able to grow so much more and thinking back now over the past three, four years. You know, sometimes I just think and it makes me so sad because I know that the hair, the clothes, the shoes, the events, the glamour, the glitters, the excitement of traveling all over the world, you know. And once I had it over that title, Sadie, you know, it just all ended. It all ended. And I wasn't as universe the next day. And it really just made me kind of, you know, just stand still and go and reevaluate, well hang on, I'm not Miss Universe, I'm Damien actually, and who is Damien? And it just made me to asking so many questions, lots of tears, lots of just praying, and you know, I think it's for young girls, I just want them to know that it's okay to

to seek that person, to see who you are, to see. And for me where I found that was just spending more time in God's word, in His presence, praising and worshiping, and it's different for each of us to find a way to get to that point. But it was a great, I feel like it's just a continual journey. It's not like you just wake up the one day and you're perfect and you feel great. You still have sucky days, I still have pimples and breakouts. And, you know, but that's not the things that we can put our confidence in. I can't remember where I read this, but someone once wrote, having full confidence is having confidence in who God says I am.

And like you read stuff so many times, just like you were saying you read so much about Psalm 39, but it sometimes, you know, it just takes a specific moment for that to click. And I feel like just, you know, just spending more time in God's word and his presence and just really letting go and letting God has kind of brought me to that point. It's so good. I love that. I think that's good. I encourage so many girls because obviously not everyone is misuniverse but everybody has gone through that struggle of like trying to find confidence in what other people say that they are, the achievements that they've done, or the thing that people know them as.

But you're right, like those things fade, like the filters don't go with you in your everyday life. You don't get to like caption your day exactly how you want to form it. You don't get to always look the way that maybe you think is at your best. And so it's in those moments that you ask yourself You know who am I and cannot be confident and who I originally was created to be and so I love that I know that's gonna help so many girls All right Tim what's the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?

That's a really really good question. I would say The best piece of advice would be formed around the idea of this is not our home. You know, Philippians tells us that we're citizens of heaven, heaven is our ultimate home. So why spend a life building up for a place that we're going to leave. But I would rather spend a life building up for the place that we're going to go to. the spend-to-life building up for the place that we're going to go to. Right? All my stuff, I want it to be there. You know, I can't... There's no U-Halls behind the earth, you know? So, yes, well, we can't take it with us. So, you know what? I'd rather spend the life of building up there, building God's kingdom,

sharing the good news of the gospel, spending a life built on eternity, the things that are gonna last forever. And in my opinion, the things that are gonna last forever from this earth, or God, his word, people and rewards. And so we better spend a life focus on things that are gonna last for eternity. When I'm spending time with God, that's gonna last for eternity.

When I'm his word, his word is gonna last for eternity. When we're loving, helping, caring, serving people, that going to last for eternity. When I'm his word, his word is going to last for eternity. When we're loving, helping, caring, serving people, that's going to last for eternity. And what we do for him in the rewards, that's going to last for eternity. The Bible is clear in so many different ways. And I think the greatest form of a reward is hopefully that moment where we get a well done, my good and faithful servant. but I think it's going to be just so much more intimate than that. And so that would be the best piece of advice kind of all. Some definitely one is let's live for our ultimate home, not just our temporary home. I love that. That is so good. Y'all are preachers. Y'all are both like motivational speaker preachers. I can't wait, um, which no rush, but whenever y' all have kids just to see their little confidence because they're gonna have two parents who are like so motivating, but it's funny because we have a mutual friend, the gig lios and whenever we were planning passion last year, it was just so awesome how Louie talks about you and he was like, man, I mean, we just put him anywhere and he's just gonna preach. I mean, it's just so in him and it's true. And I remember I said, um, that's one day it was like, man mean we just put him anywhere and he's just gonna preach I mean it's just so in him and it's true and I remember I said um as time one day it was like man we need some

more girls up there and I was like I don't I'm actually never even spoken to Demi I was like but does she preach and we were like I don't know and now I'm like yes you do and so your next time you need to be up there um Oh, you're close to me. But I love that advice and you can see that played out in your life with everything that you'll do. I was writing down some of the stuff that I collected that you'll do, but I think there's so much more Tim. I know that you're a pro athlete, you're a preacher, I'll speak. You do night to shine, you'll help in slavery through your foundation.

The list goes on. Dimmie, you've done all those things with him plus so much more. I know you are doing something with altered state now and you look so cute. You'll just do so much. And maybe what you just said is the answer to this question, but what keeps you all motivated and what keeps that drive going to just keep starting new things and putting out new things? You're going to just keep starting new things and putting out new things. To me, that answer is pretty easy, Sadie, is that we only have one life, one chance, and I'm not talking about Eminem song, right? We only have one opportunity, right? And I love Hamilton,

opportunity, right? And I love Hamilton, you know, how he talks about nonstop, how he was so motivated for an incredible cause of defending the US Constitution, right? And I remember we were together on a date watching Hamilton, and I just started to cry watching the play. And I'd seen it already two times before we went, and I was crying because you know what they were talking about Hamilton, like he needed tomorrow to arrive because he was so passionate about what he did. Well, you see what he did was, it was awesome, it was, no, what's cool, it's a good thing.

But what we get to do is so much better than what he did. What we get to do is we get to bring the good news of great joy, that's for all the people. We get to share the good news of the gospel, we get to live the good news of the gospel, we get to present it. We get to share it. We get to go be co-laborers with the God of this universe. Like that's crazy. And so, but we only have however many days, and we don't know how many days, but he does. And so, you know what, every one of those days, I want it to count. I don't want to waste my days. I don't want to waste my time because I think

say to you one of the greatest forms of tragedy is when we look back and we say you know what we were successful in all the ways that don't matter Well, and I don't want to be successful in things that don't matter I want to be significant in things that do matter it's good and I want to Have as a relentless effort and focus for the things that really matter and the people that matter which is all people because the Bible is very clear it's good news of great joy that should be for all the people and you know what we don't get to play God we get to serve God and we believe God loves all people all

humanity all the time no matter what and we should too. That's so good. I love it. Sadie I'm specifically just very passionate about the fight against human trafficking and that's been something that Tim and I have been able to really work together on, which has been awesome and actually COVID really led to us getting way deeper into it. Way deeper into the fight. Yeah, way more time. Yeah. And also because COVID was COVID, just so many cases just spiked so many. Especially like online sexual

exploitation of children. Because the children are trapped with their traffickers, the people are trapped with their traffickers. It was so much harder for anyone to get saved or escape or, you know, and that's just really lead, we knew that if we're going to make any dent in this crazy evil, which we believe is one of the greatest evils that we face in our world today, is that we're going to need hands to people to jump into the fight with us, to take hands, to stand together, and just to join forces because there's an estimated 40.3 million people trapped in traffic right now. And you know, Sadie sometimes... And it's only going up.

It's only going up. There's a $150 billion estimated in the street. Annually. Annually. Well, it's crazy. I mean, the stats are just so, so, so heart-ranging. But you know, it sometimes gets so overwhelming because you look at this big picture and you realize it's 40.3 million people estimated trapped and trafficking.

How am I going to make a difference? Well you guess what? You know what really keeps me going, it's knowing that even helping one woman get saved, one child gets saved, one man get saved is worth it because that one person is worth it because they are part of God's creation and I believe that it's our job to help give them the opportunity to be a part of God's kingdom. And I think one of the things that it's overwhelming for a lot of people when you hear about it, you look at it, you say, oh my gosh, what can I do? I'm not a Navy SEAL, how can I go rescue? You know, I'm not a green beret, what can I do?

I'm not, you know, but we all have a part to play and we all can make a difference and we all have something, people don't realize. So much of it is familiar, meaning coming from your family. We all can be taught and learn what to look for, how to help. With you know safe homes you know for us it's three different parts. It's you know phase one is supporting strong families so when families are looking

like they could be trafficking one of their family members then we want to be able to help to before that even happens. And phase two is is the rescue. Whether that's here in the state or it's around the world in other countries, this to rescue as many as possible, bring them to a safe location. Then phase three is long-term restoration as we want to be able to put a support staff and team and counselors and prayer warriors around all of these girls

to be able to love them. And sometimes it takes a really, really long time. And it's hard because there are so much, so many wounds and hurts and scars. But we know that our God is a really big God. And you know what? This is a, I really do believe this is the greatest form of evil in the world today. And but we also have a big God. And we also know that he overcame the world.

And you know know he can do amazing things and so we do believe that when we rally together as an army of people that stand for doing good, that stand for people, that stand for God's words, that stand up for him, that you know what God can come through and we can't have some victories against this horrible evil. That we know our biggest enemy, the devil, is definitely for. You know what? And he's working behind the scenes, and so we need to know that we have an enemy in this. And he's working, and you know what? He doesn't want us to band together.

He doesn't want the 300,000 churches in the US to work together. Could you imagine if that happened? If we put down the banner of this denomination or this denomination or the banner of, come on. You know what, we were ties and you don't wear ties or you know, we're from Florida, you're from Louisiana and so we can't work together. But what if we put down that banner

and we put up a banner that said Jesus and people and that's what our focus was and we rallied together? That would be pretty crazy. But it would also be pretty amazing, DM Pat. Yeah, come on. And I think you mentioned that, say, to one of the girls that is a survivor and that was able to, you know, go through the whole restoration process,

she actually was identified as a trafficking victim by a hospital. And today, she works as a nurse and that same well. How amazing is that? and today she works as a nurse in that same well. Oh, I think it's that. Just hearing so many stories of hope and restoration. Really, it just makes you so encouraged. You can go on turn away from that. And there's another amazing young girl

that just started seminary. Yeah, come on. It's so awesome. So it's just so many stories that you just, that's incredible. you just You know it can be so encouraging and inspiring to go on. That's incredible Well, thank you all for sharing that because I know a lot of people need to be educated on that Including myself and then also sharing the hope that you'll see to just motivate people that what y'all are doing and Things like the organizations that you have, like that's truly making a difference. Like that truly is changing things. And so I

think sometimes it's so easy to look at such a big problem. Like you said, be like, how can I help? What could I do to change that? But it really does take people believing that what they could do, what they could bring is actually going to create change. is actually going to create change. [♪ music playing in background, playing in background, playing can't I just join forces with them? And it was this beautiful moment of him realizing, like, I can just collaborate. Like the kingdom of God is so big.

Like God created this like that, like as a family, as a body. And so we can help one another and it was really inspiring. And so for our listeners, we have a significant amount of listeners. What is something practically that we can do to help what you are doing today? Like, is there some a place we can go to online and give or what's the best way that we can support what you are doing? Well, the easiest way to be able to first of all, there's a lot of amazing organizations, nonprofits,

teams that people could join. So we never really say you need to join ours. If you want to, that's amazing. We'd love it, but there's a lot of great ones. And so we would just say, we would encourage people to be involved in something. It doesn't ask you to be with us, but you be involved in something. You go do something.

And if you really want to be involved with us, there are three easy ways that you could get involved. One or all three and one of them is being a prayer warrior. So we call it lifting. Well, backtrack, you can sign up to be a part of the race two team. Yes. And the race two team consists of being one a prayer warrior. One is a prayer warrior. We don't think it's our last defense. It's our first defense. And we send out pay, there's rescue taking place. There's girls that are hurting here. Will you be praying? And obviously we don't give them away too much information, but we want to

give just a way enough so people can know what's involved. And so they can be praying specifically for certain things without putting anybody at risk. And number two would be to be an advocate. without putting anybody at risk. And number two would be to be an advocate to we say speak up for. And so we would share materials, information, what's happening, you know, stats and really be able to give you enough information. So you feel knowledgeable and be educated.

So then you can be an advocate first get your family together, then maybe your school, then maybe your team or community, and then you can start educating them so you can be an advocate to really speak up for, to use your voice to make other people aware. And then the third one is to be a defender, to really stand up for. And that will be ones when there's, hey, there's rescues. And we got, you know, 13 girls and we need some beds and mattresses and socks and shoes and and hair ties and toothbrush and and so many different things that that you know are essential and a lot of people don't think about that

as a rescue but there's you have to have everything on the back end already planned and ready for the beds ready, the toothbrushes, the dentist appointments, all these other things to be able. And so that is something that we share with the team, the defenders, to say, hey, could you help with XYZ, you know, and maybe they're connected to people that, hey, they can get toothbrushes, they can get hair ties, they can get whatever and they can find ways to get it donated. So those are three very easy practical ways of being a prayer warrior, being an advocate, being a defender. And and maybe

you want to be all three, maybe you want to be lifting up, speaking up and standing up for, which is what we want to do as well. I saw some. I love that. Thank you for sharing that because I think people want to help. I just don't know that people know how to help. And so that is so helpful. And also just everything of already said leading up to this point about like making your life

count. We only have one life, you know, we got to live it to the full. We have to do things that know that this world is not our home, but we have been here, place here for a time, you know, to hopefully make it better. And so all of this is leading to that. And I think that's amazing. I know you have a new kids book out,

which I wanna show everybody, because I'm really excited about this, because I did just get my little library, I'm getting it all set up in her baby room, because I have so many kids books and I love it. But one of the things you talk about is, well, you kind of allude to this is that all of these characters like Bronco

and the rabbit and the bird and the goat, they all have like kind of something a little bit wrong with them. Like Bronco has that vision, the rabbit has long ears, the bird can't fly, the goat has allergies, like everybody kind of has something off. And you guys, of what you care so much for all people, you've said that so many times. It's Jesus and people, it's all people.

It's the people who fill, left out, it's the people who fill, who are enslaved. It's all different types of people. Where did that compassion come from for you to constantly be seeking for that one person who might feel left out, or the one person who might feel different than everybody else? What was that kind of burden on your heart? Where did that come from? Yeah, really good question, Sadie.

It came from, I think I put it in me when I was really young, but I think it really touched my heart for the least the last the lost the throwaways When I was 15 and I was in a remote village in the Philippines and I met a boy in this village who was born with his feet on backwards and The village viewed him as cursed as less than as insignificant and literally they believed the more that you touched him the greater chance of becoming cursed yourself. Wow. And he was literally known as like the throw away.

And I just knew that he wasn't a throw away to God and you couldn't be a throw away to me. Wow. And I fell in love with him and God broke my heart. And I knew driving down that mountain, leaving that village that day, after that boy prayed with me to receive Christ. And I looked at him and said, his name was sure when I don't know if I'll ever see you in America, if you'll ever see me

again in the Philippines, but I totally believe one day, I'll see you in heaven. And he looked at me and he said, kuiyatimuimu which means brother I can't wait to run with you in heaven. Oh. And as a boy who's never walked a day in his life, but I knew getting in the Jeep and driving down that mountain that I love sports and I was passionate about it. But I had a new deeper, more meaningful, more purpose-filled calling now in my life. That was to fight for people that couldn't fight for themselves.

Our mission statement at TTF was really from that encounter to bring Faith Open Love to those needing a brighter Dan or darkest hour of needing to really sum it up. It's to fight for people that can fight for themselves. I want to fight for all people, but specifically, I feel like the big calling on my life is to fight for the least the last the loss, the people that have looked been passed or around the people that so whether that's a special need to see orphan, it's the abandoned, it's the traffic, it is the those with life-threatening illnesses, you know, our heart in my heart, and I believe they're calling on my life is to not just passively do it, but to actively seek and find and love and care for and to share the God-given worth that only

he can give to every single person, especially those that have been forgotten. Well, it's so good. That's so beautiful. And I hope, you know, even as people listen, maybe they haven't had that moment where they've experienced knowing somebody who's got, who has a disability like that. But I hope that even hearing your story would, in light in people's eyes, to see that there are so many people out there who feel less than or feel, you know, even if it's just awkward or don't feel like they fit in

that we can reach out to and extend our heart to. And that's the call of Jesus for our life. And it's so cool because I had this question, I was gonna ask y'all, but it's so irrelevant because it's so obvious what the answer is. I was gonna talk to you about how how you all both experienced so much fame but you've been so grounded in your faith. And you know the question would be how, but the question is so obviously answer about how you

live your life because it's not about you. You've never made it about you. It's always been about God and whenever you come under God, that's what I tell people for me too. It's like you can't even try to make it about you because it's so obviously God that has orchestrated your whole life to get where you are. And so obviously God that you're in the position you are to give back to people who need to grow the kingdom. And you all just do such a beautiful job at that.

So just think of for living your life such an obvious example of what it looks like to just live as humble leaders. Well, I think we're trying, but I'll tell you for me, I feel that that so many times, Sadie, I have got caught up in what I thought at times was everything. I got to have this winner, I got to get this, or I got to do this, or you know, I got caught up and what I thought at times was everything. I got to have this winner. I got to get this or I got to do this. Or, you know, I got to prove the doubters wrong or in whether that's been for a minute,

for five minutes, for a day, for a week, for a year. There's been too many times where I lost track of what's most important. And I'm so grateful for the times like with Sherwin or other times in my life where God's reminded me, hey, I didn't put you here for a game. I didn't put you here to try to win a championship or a trophy.

I put you here to help people, to love people. And there's been way too many times in my life that I've lost sight and track of that, but I'm grateful that God has, you know, every time brought someone or something into my path that helped give me that perspective. And that's why I also think that having wise counsel around you and being in God's word is so important because his word is also our direction. And wise counsel can also be that wisdom that helps lead us back to the road that we're supposed to be on. And so I would encourage people, it's, listen, I think it's going to be true for most people is all of a sudden we deviate

a little bit. But then God's word helps us get back to where we're supposed to be. And the wise counsel is so important to help us get back. And so I'd encourage people is don't feel like if you've got off track that you can never get back, right? Let's look at a lot of the heroes in the Bible is I Mean a lot of the the biggest best heroes in the Bible. Some of them got pretty far off track You know, but our God is a God not just of second chances, but a third and fourth and is a God of Correction and discipline and training but also third and a fourth is a God of correction and discipline and training, but also in a loving way is 30 times in Proverbs, there is the Hebrew word Musar that is

used, and it is it's used for correction, for discipline, for training, for instruction, and Proverbs is so clear about it. So it's why it says 30 times is that we should be open to that. We should be open to God's correction and training and discipline and instruction, but also we should seek it. We should seek it from our pastors and friends and wise people and parents and everybody in our lives so that because sometimes we might be

very off track and we're not even, we don't even realize it. So those people can help gears back. And you know, I'm just grateful that God's given me so many chances when I've either, either, you know, just deviated for, you know, whatever, I just get, my perspective gets lost to what is most important. But then most of the time, it's actually meeting other people that bring it back. It's meeting Sherwin. It's

meeting kids with life-threatening illnesses. It's meeting other people in countries that are hurting and it brings me back to think, Jimmy, why are you so stupid? You got caught up in X, Y and Z. But what matters is this. What matters is God. What matters is loving people. What matters is growing closer to Him. And so I'm just grateful that God could even use us after we screw up. What matters is this. What matters is God. What matters is loving people. What matters is growing closer to him. And so I'm just grateful that God could even use us after we screw up. Hey, preach. Everybody needs to hear that because, man, thank God he is not a God that just, you know, one one striking your out, you know, he's such a God of redemption. And that's what repentance is all about. I love that you mentioned wise counsel and one of the things because I know you guys just hung out with my parents

And I was like mom, so tell me about them like what would you learn about them while you're with them? And she was like one of the things that really stuck out to me was how they talked about how they intentionally Stutt out mentors and wise counsel whenever they were dating I thought that was really cool And so did me want to ask you about like y'all's dating life because so many people are lost in the world of dating. How do I date in a godly way? How do I date right? How do I date in an intentional way? And so, what were some of the things as y'all dated that y'all were intentional about that you think led y'all to the point of being able to commit to a lifetime together? Well, say, I think, first of all, how we met was a very integral part of our

relationship and I feel like that kind of just laid down the foundation for our relationship and I don't know if you actually know this but I had a baby sister with with special needs just born without a Sarah Balan once to be shorted your small brain and she passed away in May of 2019, but before about a year before she passed, Tim and I got connected through Night to Shine, which we actually just had a couple of weeks ago as well. Which is supportive of it, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Just put those of the listeners that don't know, it's a worldwide prompt for people with special needs in 2018, and I lived in New York as Miss Universe,

the first night to shine was held in South Africa. The first one that was held in South Africa happened that year. And so my sister got invited. And although she was not physically able to attend, my parents were volunteers. And long story short, we got connected through something that we both deeply care about, that we're both deeply passionate about, and you know my little sister was our matchmaker, but in a big way that really just laid down the foundation for our relationship.

And speaking of life's counsel, I think, you know, that's just something so important. To be honest, it's really something that I've learned from Tim. Throughout our dating period, if you want to call it that, we've just really tried to, you know, do devotionals together. We did long-distance, so I would go... Most of our dating times, we do that. Yeah. I would, like, go into, like like a bookstore and buy two of the same devotional and like bed exit to him and then I'll have one and every night we'll have date night and we will like have a specific time when I know like his

baseball game would aim at that time whatever and we do devotional stuff. And I think not just that but but you know, getting on phone calls with Pastor, Pastor Louis was a really integral, played a really integral part in our relationship. Just, you know, having that, I guess, courage to ask hard questions to work through things was very important, I think, in our dating and just period. One thing that I really like that we did was we read, we read a lot of books together as well and you know sometimes that really helps you to get a game. I was gonna say get into new conversations. Yeah, because sometimes it might be things that if you're just talking you talk about whatever you

Yeah, whatever pops up, but sometimes new things can oh, I've never thought about it that way and we talk about it I've never heard it that way we talk about it or yeah, yeah, and deeper and so I totally agree I think that not only were I don't actually think the questions that the books let us to were more impactful than the the books actually were. Yeah, that's the better conversations. That's the truth. I learned so much from you and I think you learned so much from me. Yeah, and just oh, what do you think of that? And just brought up really sometimes weird, sometimes awesome, profound, but whatever is just really good. And so that was... I love that.

A placing of dating, you know, and doing it long distance was just that we were forced to just have really good conversation and to learn to communicate efficiently. And I think that was a really big way. But to go back to a part of your question, I do think the Wise Council is, it's something we really rely on, because we don't want to rely on our own wisdom, our own strength, but we want to get wisdom and ask people, do we have a blind spot? Can you see it for us? Can you help us?

Give us wisdom. You know, I want to be not only connected to the source of life in my relationship with God, but I also want to have wise people that I know love him or following him speak into my life. You know, and I want that correction, that discipline, that instruction, that knowledge, you know, so that we can learn and get better. And I think that was very important to us. And I think we've learned so much from that.

But I would also say kind of getting a little bit different to the dating part is so many people, especially early on, they were like, oh, what do y'all have in common? Like, she's been all into pageants and ure all into sports. And I haven't watched a lot of pageants. And she's never seen a baseball or football game. And at that point. At that point. That's amazing.

And so, the one thing that I learned and I really believe is that a strong relationship isn't built on what you have in common, it's built on what you have in purpose. It's good. And we have a lot in purpose. And on the surface, we don't necessarily love a lot of the same things in common. We don't shop at the same stores. Our favorite movies aren't the same. Our favorite foods aren't the same. Our backgrounds and cultures aren't the same. Now I love learning from her and hers and South African culture and for comms culture and awesome. But it does.

It's just, it's surface level. But you know what the things that we really are most passionate about is growing closer to the Lord is how can we help people? How can we help hurting people? Special needs. You know, God called my heart to it. And then you know, God gave her a baby sister with special needs. And so then it was like all of the most important things to us were the same.

And it was like, okay, you're, you know, you watch a page and I'll watch a game. It will sit beside each other. You know, it's so good. That's okay. I didn't need or want to come home and say, you know, hey babe, I went one for three with the walk, you know, and let's talk about your bats, right? You know, and she didn't want to come home and, you know, probably have me and say, oh, what heels did you click tonight? You know? That's so good.

Yeah, it's so cool. Our stories are so similar. Like, Christian and I were long distance. Most of our relationship, actually, yeah, our whole relationship until... Yeah, until we got married. We weren't even together. We got engaged. We were long distance the whole time. And it helped our communication so much. And one of the things we did was like we read through proverbs together and then we read single day engaged married. We read Mingling of Souls. We read all these incredible books and it did. It set us up to not talk about ourself but to really not just talk about ourself but to really talk about what we're learning about God, what we're learning about the world, what we're learning about each other. And yeah, it really did strengthen our relationship so much. And I can't, I mean, attest more to the Wise Council even to this day and our marriage.

That's not just in dating or engagement. Like the other day, Christian, I had this little argument. And then he goes away, he comes back, he's like, oh, I just taught him a pastor about it. And I just feel like I have such a greater perspective. And then we're able to have like a healthy conversation because we have this wise counsel speaking into it So you guys said a great example for that. I'm so glad you shared that because it's so similar to us

One of the things Ben Stewart says in his book as he says you know A marriage on mission is a marriage at last and you're Clearly just on mission together. You'll have so much purpose together And I'm so thankful that it took some time to share your heart with us, to share some of the things you're all doing. I hope and pray that all of our listeners get behind it. And like you said, I love how you said, not just what you're all doing, but just the overall mission of what you're all trying to do and this world's making a better place. So thank you all for who you are, what you're doing. The marriage example that y'all set,

Christian and I are so for you guys. And thanks for being on the road, that's good podcast. Well, we're so grateful. Well, thank you for having us and again, thank you for everything that you've done. You're going to do. We know that you're going to change so many lives through your life and through what God's gonna do

through you. And we're just so grateful. And we're cheering so grateful and we're cheering you on and we're ruining you on and we're here. We're gonna ever need this. I thought it's me baby girl. I'm so excited baby girl. I guess at the next passion she'll be there but hopefully we get to hang out before that. We actually need to hang out. We would love that. We would love to see you guys. We look forward to it. Come get some good Florida with her anytime. Hey, we just mine. That's tempting. Well again, thank you all so much. All your best. Hello. Hey, hey, is this Emma?

Hello. Hey, hey, is this Emma? It is. What's up, girl? It's Sadie and Christian. Hey, Emma. Oh, I'm so excited. Oh, I'm so excited. How's your day going? You know, I'm studying for a chem test, all the college things. No, that sounds brutal. Nice. What year are you? I'm a freshman this year. Nice. I'm amazing. Awesome. Well, it's so fun to talk to you. What was the question that you sent in? Okay, so for a time to move back around, I went to church and elementary school. Then, like, kind of like my family kind of fell off and I didn't start going again until about halfway through high school. So obviously there's a large chunk of time where I just wasn't learning anything about like the Lord

or the Word. So what is y'all's advice for someone who didn't really grow up in the church and just advice on how they not get frustrated in that lack of knowledge? Yeah, that's so good. Yeah, that's a great question, Emma. And I think too, I think I can relate to that in the sense of I grew up in church,

but there were still so many things that I did not know when I truly had my conversion with the Lord. But something that I can encourage you in, and it is something that I've really grown and kind of since quarantine started is I've just been reading so much and just studying so much and I know that You know being in school and I'm sure all the tests and I'm sure all the stuff you have it can be difficult to To feel like you can can study the Bible that much and dive into it that much.

But just not like because there are a lot of people who did grow up in church, but they don't really know what the stuff means. So just to encourage you of maybe you feel like you lost a few years of where you, that time would have been devoted to the word and would have been devoted to studying. But there's no better time than now. And I just encourage you just to, just to start reading now and start asking questions, find people who, who, who do know things and don't be intimidated by that, but just be encouraged by that and reach out to them for helping advice.

Yeah. And the thing is, like Christian said, the reality is you could have been in church your whole life and still felt like a lack of knowledge because you know Ultimately churches just an hour and a half may have you on a Sunday But it's the rest of the week that we have to truly, you know pursue the Lord and read his word to develop a relationship with him I love church. I think church is amazing, but I'm just saying that's not the end all be all for your relationship with Christ And so one of these I would encourage you with practically is like, if you're like, oh, I don't know all the, you know, stories, I don't know this,

like, honestly get like a children's Bible storybook because they're so easy to read. And that's a great way to learn all the stories. Another great resource is the Bible project. You can go on the Bible project and like, on YouTube. And I watch those all the time. And any chapter of the Bible you. You can go on the Bible project and like, Christian and I watch those all the time. And any chapter of the Bible you can type in, and it'll just teach you in a seven minute video

of like what the context of that book was. And so there are just so many ways that you can learn these days in a really easy but very efficient way. And yeah, Christian and we're both of that we grew up in church, but it wasn't until we started really pursuing the Lord on our own and diving deeper, reading the stories, all those different things that we really had such a relationship with the Lord

and felt more knowledgeable about the scripture. But there's still so many things I don't know. That's what keep, there will always be things that you don't know. That's what will keep you in the Word. So like Krishna said, no matter time, but the present. Now is a great time to start. And you know, it might take you a year

to read the Bible and learn the things, but what's a year and the grand scheme of your life? You know, you're only a freshman in college. 10 years from now, you know, you'll be maybe married, and maybe think about having kids, and you'll have all this wisdom from the years that you started pursuing God. And so you're not far behind, you're not slacking, you're right where

you're supposed to be. And so I hope that encourages you and go get some children's books and get to know the story. And read the Bible, look into the Bible project. Yeah, look into the Bible project. I hope that's helpful Emma. It's been so much. Yeah, so it's so fun to talk to you. Good luck on your campus. You're gonna crush it. We're happy to help you. Bye, bye.

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