Catching Up With Christians
Catching Up With Christians
Catching Up with Christians: EP 6 - Joey Cunha, CEO and MLB Hitting Consultant
Ever wondered what it takes to transform from a local coach to a major league consultant? Meet Joey, our extraordinary guest who wears many hats—an MLB hitting consultant, CEO, and a devoted servant leader. Joey's journey is nothing short of inspiring, from establishing a top-notch training facility in Las Vegas to coaching athletes of all ages and calibers. Joey's dedication to servant leadership and the profound impact of his faith are central to his success. Learn how he, along with his committed team members like Cody and Taylor, creates an environment that fosters growth and faith.
In this episode, we unravel the biblical story of David and its relevance to modern life and business. Discover how Joey draws parallels between David's overlooked beginnings and his own journey, emphasizing that true greatness comes from God. We dive into the importance of supportive relationships, highlighting the contributions of key team members who bring unique skills and unwavering faith to the table. From personal anecdotes to reflective discussions, Joey makes a compelling case for building a business environment rooted in faith and mutual respect.
Lastly, we explore the deeper aspects of trusting God's plan and recognizing everything we have as blessings from Him. Joey shares valuable insights on managing worldly attachments, drawing from Michael Todd's teachings and his own experiences. We discuss the significance of spiritual growth and endurance over material success, offering practical ways to integrate faith into daily life and business. Tune in for a powerful episode filled with faith, love, and testimonies that will inspire you to embrace your purpose and trust in God's provision.
What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Catching Up With Christians. I'm your host, coach McCarty, alongside a close friend of mine. We haven't known each other too long, but it's one of those friendships that God puts in your life. You know they're going to be around forever. And my boy, joey? How are you doing, joey?
Speaker 2:Good, how are you doing, man? Thanks for having me on, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, man. It's been an incredible time knowing you. If you wouldn't mind just kind of telling people who you are, what you do and maybe kind of how you got there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, first off, I'm a son of God. All right, let's start there. But no, yeah, I think I'm a lot of things you know. I'm a MLB, a hitting consultant, I'm a CEO, I'm a son, I'm a brother, I'm a best friend. I'm a lot of things you know and I tried, you know.
Speaker 2:I think in, especially in the context of this, is that reminding all the time. I think everybody wants to know about your worldly, like accomplishments, and I get asked, asked about them, a ton, and they want to identify or those other things. But I'm also very, even nowadays, very mindful of how I define myself and where I give myself identity. I think is very huge. But, yeah, no, I have a facility out here in Las Vegas.
Speaker 2:We train players all the way from, you know, nine years old all the way up to the big leagues. You know all the guys you're seeing on TV and doing the thing. And then also, you know, with that as well, you know we have, you know we have a membership and we do, you know, remote training, we have products. We train players from across the country, across the world and other. You know other countries as well, you know, and so we've been really blessed from that other way. And so, yeah, we do. We do a bunch of things and you know it's been a dream and prayers that have been answered to get to here too.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Hey, I remember the first time being there I already knew you guys were the real deal. I was sitting down to this dad and you were working with his daughter and I was like, okay, so you guys local, where you from.
Speaker 1:They're like no, we flew in, I think like from Texas or something we're just here for like two lessons and we're flying back and I'm like dang bro, like he really knows.
Speaker 1:You know, it's the type of work and the knowledge that you have that the lord has gifted you with, and your passion for the game and just how you work with the, with the players, um, male and female, is just incredible and and that's a testament to that right there, like someone's willing to fly. Literally they were in town for a day, work with you for like three hours and then took the plane back. So to everybody out there, I mean, he really knows his stuff and, like he said, he worked with nine-year-olds all the way up to you know, guys in the bigs. And I think that reminds us of being that servant leadership, right, because it's like if you're not too big for anybody and you're not too small, right, you're not too big for anybody and you're, you're, you're not too small, right. So it's kind of one of those things where meeting people where they're at, regardless of their age, and you're passionate about helping them, you know, hit bombs. So I think that's pretty incredible man yeah, and and and and too.
Speaker 2:You know, giving context too, is I. I want to give you know some context too, as well as, like you know, again, like we wouldn't be able to do everything that we do without like Cody, for example. Like Cody, our hitting coordinator, right, like he trains, like 98% of all of our clients. Now, right, and it's not as you mentioned, right, it's not a place of like not wanting to serve, I just serve in a different capacity. Right, as the business has grown, I've served in different capacities, and one of those capacities is making sure that those nine-year-olds have a building that they can come and hit in, and so that always is different. Sometimes, I think, where we're called to serve, we think it's going to be that same place all the time and that same capacity and that same way, where, in this season, right, there's a season for everything. And again, along with that, right, like, yeah, we do have groups that come in every day, and Cody, primarily, and Nicole primarily and Steve primarily, are the ones that are out there, you know, and as the trainers are in their everyday lives, but at the same time, like, I'm still interacting with them, right, like I have relationships with our players. I have, you know, inside jokes. I have all these other things and while they might not train intimately with me, um, every single day, with every, every one of our groups, like you said, I do have players, you know again, that fly across the country or do other things and so, uh, that's just really changed over the years and uh, yeah, just, uh, just context there as well, it's like, you know, there's everything in between and there's not one way to serve.
Speaker 2:I said this the other day I think you'll like this, dan is a day at Bible study. I said I think I think most of us would like to be exalted like King David, but would have a hard time being exalted like Jesus, being exalted like Jesus, and everybody wants to be the king and have God lift them like that and in this physical world and live by our flesh right Of like, oh, king, sounds so good Having all this money, having multiple wives, having all this, this, this, all these things are amazing, right. But then Jesus who, again, you know, lost relationships and also to a lot of the disciples that lost relationships, not only with their family, their friends. They lost their jobs, they lost their status, they lost all these things that were worldly right that we look at them and we hold them in high regard now, but at the time, um, people didn't hold them in high regard. If anything, they actually wanted to kill them and most of them did end up getting killed.
Speaker 2:Or, you know, take John the Baptist, for example, who was, you know, again preparing the way for Jesus in the first place. Like my man lost his head, like you know, a lot of times we have this perspective that, like this service, or like God is to serve me in this way, to exalt me in this earthly perspective, right, like you don't need to have your own facility and I didn't have my own facility and all these other things, uh, like I was coaching high school baseball, for I was paying to coach, you know less than like years ago.
Speaker 2:You get what I'm saying Like six, seven years ago, like I was paying so that I could coach, and now people are flying across the country. I, you know, we got people flying in from Japan, like you said, right, people flying in from Japan being here like pro organizations. Fly here, sit down with us for a couple hours and fly back to Japan.
Speaker 2:Right, like it's just like that's crazy, right, but again, like that's what God can do and I think that that's, you know, a big piece, and like one of the things and I'm sorry, dan, I'm over here going on.
Speaker 1:I love it, dude, I can't wait to hear this stuff.
Speaker 2:I love it dude, I want you to hear this stuff. Well, one of the things I've been thinking a lot about David and this is an insight that God helped me with the other night, so I haven't even said this on our own podcast or anything One of the things I think is interesting is how the world saw David, compared to how God saw David, so even his own father, when they showed up to find the next king that God said was going to be the saw David, so even his own father, right when, when they showed up to find the next King, right, that God said it was going to be the next King, when they showed up, david wasn't even in. David was out in the field. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:So, so, so, then his own dad. They're like okay, well, one of your son is going to be King, right, you want to get? Like, let's go, and he goes, he goes, he goes. Oh, he grabs his big, mighty oldest son, right, he's like all right, it must be this one. And and he's like no, not this one goes to the next one.
Speaker 2:No, no no, and then the dad doesn't even bring up david. Yeah, they're sitting there, right. And then the guy goes well, do you have any other sons? And he goes, oh, yeah, david, right. And then here comes the smallest dainty, the all this other thing. Right, he comes in right and um, and he's like, yeah, like this is the one, right, this is the one. So if you think about that and if I can encourage you with anything, right, like again I, and we'll get into my story, right of like, I really connect with that David story is like the world saw me very different than how God saw me and the reason, everything that makes me great. Just like David. Right, david shows up to give his brothers lunch. Right, they're going. David and Goliath story right, they got both armies on side. You got one of the greatest warriors of all time standing there, goliath Right. And then you got.
Speaker 2:Saul, a conqueror, who's conquered kingdoms and has all these other things, right. And so he's afraid of Goliath, right. And then you got David rolling up with this little slingshot whipping that thing around and again, what made David if it was the one, that was okay. So goliath was the biggest, the strongest, he had this, he had the stature, he had all the experience, he had all these things going from earthly. Nobody wanted to battle him. David right with his faith and him showing him rolling up. It wasn't. What made david great was that he had all these skills and he was so prepared and all these other things. What made David great was God, right.
Speaker 2:And so that's where I think, as well as like I take that into my own story and I remind myself of that all the time. It's like it's not about what skills I have or all these other things. God can take the smallest of things and make it into the greatest of things, right. And so, um, yeah, just a reminder from that way, just like encouraging, something that's been on my heart lately is like I really connect that with, like David. It's like again, where we're called to serve and all those other things. It doesn't matter what outwardly it looks like you know optimistic optimism. You know optimism and faith being different things. It's not about being optimistic, right? Like I have faith that God can use anything, the smallest of things, the smallest, you know. Again, it's about him, right.
Speaker 1:It's not about me you know, I love that, I love that. So a lot to unpack in that because it's super powerful. But before we dive into that, give a quick shout out to some of the you know, the people that help you operate the farm. Man, I know you have some really great coworkers and, um, you know, I've had a chance to meet several of them. But just give them a quick shout out man, they're they're incredible and great people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, no, um, I well, I call us like a family. So, like again, I literally have had two of my best friends that I've had for you know, uh, again, taylor, uh, taylor's a director of ops, like she's been my best friend for over 15 years now, right. So, like, again, she's a director of ops. She like first person everybody talks to when they come in and she's like you know, the heart, she's the extension of, like seeing the farm come from nothing, literally before the farm, all the way through. Right, so he just embodies that so much.
Speaker 2:And then, obviously, you know, drell's been with me just for years now. And also, you know we met originally when we were regional managers at Planet Fitness, like back in the day. And you know again our business. You know, again I wouldn't be able to make decisions, I wouldn't be able to do majority of these things that I'm able to do and I'm able to run around and be free just because the business knowledge and the things I can lean on for him to help me, you know, reflect and just bounce decisions off of like, hey, is this a good move right now? Am I missing things right now? And then also, too, obviously, faith wise, both of them are huge. And then you know Cody, like I said, trains 98 percent of all of our players and, like you know again, he's, you know, like a protege, you know like he just like again, and how the humbleness of his heart and just who he is as a person and all these things like he feeds my faith.
Speaker 2:And then you know again, you got Steve and Nicole and, like Steve, you know, came from MLB. He was the MLB strength coach for the assistant, a big league strength coach for the athletics. So we've known for years of consulted the other things and now he's in house and he's been a major impact here in the last like six months since we've hired him. And then also, too, on top of that as well, we got Nicole, who coached at Nicole Parnell, who coached at Texas before she came here and also has done a lot of other things in the softball world, and she's just, you know, so great at creating, you know, just, content and educating and like getting information out to people and really help, support, like the whole staff and everybody, so that we can also do our own talents and our own things.
Speaker 2:She has her own giftings, like she does things that none of us can do, right, and and and she just supports all of us, kind of like it's a rising tide there. And also to her skill with slappers and other things. Right, like me and Cody are like yo, not our world never slapped before, not a, not a baseball thing. She's really again like that's a passion. She has her own heart and adds us some depth as well within it. Right, and so you know, and again, yeah, I can't.
Speaker 2:I can go on and on and on about all the other people that have impacted or worked here at one point at Fed or you know, or work for us off our accountants, our CPAs are, you know, like all these other people that are in a mix, right, you know my business partner, right, like again, like so deep in his faith and guides me so much and has put so much wisdom and maturity into my faith, and just like how I've walked through business and helping me make big decisions, like again, like we wouldn't be here and we wouldn't have what we have without all of those people for sure.
Speaker 1:That's incredible man, so powerful. I think a couple of things that you hit on there. One thing that I've always like turned on myself is like we all have different gifts, right, like you're aware that people on your staff like you. They can elevate, you know, your company, you as a person, your faith, and I think it's so important to the listeners. It's like who you surround yourself with is like who you become and I think like that's you know people hear that and they're like, oh, that's cheesy. But I believe that, like you're trying to grow in your faith and you're trying to grow your business, or you're trying to become a better person or become a better leader, whatever the people who you surround yourself with are going to dictate the way things you know turn out, are going to dictate the way things you know turn out, and so I think you're a great testament again to you. You surround yourself with faith based individuals. Um, surround yourself people with amazing experience but aspirations and desires to want to help people and want to.
Speaker 1:It's not about. You know, every time I've been in there, I've never heard one person be like bro, I know X, y and Z. That's why I'm like that, you know, that's all. It's always like man, I'm just trying to help the next person. How can we help this person that's coming in here? Can we do this evaluation? You know you take the nice time and you're not trying to get to the next client to make some more money. It's you really treat each individual you know as they should, and so I really admire that about all of you. That's why I wanted to mess up. Bring that up, because it really is special to have a whole staff, not just one person on staff. That is really bought into the vision.
Speaker 2:That's helping you grow as an individual, in your faith and on the business side of things too so, um, yeah, it's, it's big for me too, because, broad, brad, dan, you know me, I'll close this business tomorrow. I don't, the business itself doesn't mean anything to me in the sense of that, right, it's a tool, it's a pathway, it's great and all those things, but like the relationships, and, again, like I said, like the family, like we build a family, like when I'm away from our staff that's why it makes it hard for me to train, like, leave and go places is because and I do, I do it a lot right, I travel a lot Right, but when I'm away, I'm reminded about how surrounded I am by the relationships and by these people that pour into me every day and how they keep me sharp. And again, like, uh, it's like the difference, like the world values performance over relationships, right, and like, again, god's opposite way, like value and relationships and relationships lead to, you know, performance, or whatever your definition of that is. And so, again, I feel like I'm already, I've already, you know, won in the same thing. Right, it's like I already.
Speaker 2:I remind myself all the time of how I'm living in a dream and you know, again, just the people that I have around me every day. It's not about the building. The dream is not the building status, all these other things, right, that, a lot of like. The dream is that, the relationships that I have. You know what I feel in my heart, right, like you know the contentment that I have, even while I am chasing things down, right, I'm not complacent, I'm content, right, and I'm out of worship out of worship.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Out of out of worship. Um, I I work hard at a worship, I still try for it out of worship. I continue to serve out of worship all those other things. So that big difference between you know, like, obviously, um, contentment and uh and complacency, and I think that that's a big thing as well and like, and it's a way of, with God, you can have both. You can be content while you're still chasing these other things. Now, you know.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like in the Bible, right. It talks about like you submit to the Lord, he will, you know, give you the desires of your heart, right. And so I think that's it's so important in that. But this is the second time we've done a podcast together. I was on his podcast, the Farm. It was an amazing episode, it was awesome.
Speaker 1:But the reason I mentioned that was because you said something on here that you just said in that episode, well, which is so powerful and I think people could really take something from this said like, if god is telling you to shut the door tomorrow, and because that's not your, your will for your life anymore, you're willing to do that now. How many other people out there are are willing to do that? And I said this yesterday I was in young adults group and we're doing a um head central and we're doing a series. Our, our pastor, a young adult pastor, was doing a series on like relationships, because it's you know, uh, you know valentine's day was just happening and I dropped the question in there. That stunned people, because this is something I prayed about like a long time ago.
Speaker 1:I heard a sermon and I said I heard a sermon one time. I said, and you'll see why I mentioned this if it's in your will to be single for the rest of your life, how would you feel? Like, well, what if God tells you like you're not meant to have a family, or you know you're, you're meant to serve me my whole life? Well, where are you at? Are you so devoted to God and your relationship with God, or do you want these worldly things?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm not saying that's going to happen for everybody or anybody necessarily, but Paul, you can go through it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, yeah.
Speaker 1:So so my point is saying that is it's the same thing with your business. Are you so devoted in your relationship with God that you're willing to sacrifice everything because it's no longer his will for your life, or you realize something later on down the road is where God's calling you and leading you. So I'd love for you to unpack that a little bit. I know you didn't just wake up one day and be like, oh yeah, that's the way I believe, what I believe. How did you get to that point? That's a really devoted feeling, and to be able to have it's actually pretty interesting To me.
Speaker 2:It doesn't feel like devotion To me, it doesn't feel like a sacrifice. It feels like common sense. If that makes sense, right, it's only common because of what god's done in my heart, if that makes sense right. So you're right. Like years ago, I could have never like, I would have never felt that way. If I would have said it, it would have not been real, like it's not how I really felt, um, where, again, I connect a lot with david there, where david, at one point, you know, falls short and he feels separated from God, right, and he tells God like you can take back everything you've blessed me with. You can have all of this back. You can be, you can take all my riches. You can take, you know me as a, you know my kingdom, right, all the status, like, all the things that you've given me. Like you could have it all back, like I just want you, you know. And so when, also when Paul mentions later on too, where he's like I've learned to be content, um, in any circumstance, no matter what the external circumstance, I've learned to be content and find um and have peace and joy and all these things right, no matter what the circumstances are right, because it's an internal condition, not an out, you know, internal, uh circumstance Right, internal circumstance right. So I think for me, like on the same way, is I because I've experienced, not just read, and I have grace, and I hope I encourage you in the same way within your relationship with God, because it would have never been like this if I hadn't experienced it myself. I didn't just read about what God does, I didn't just hear about what God does, but I've experienced what God does. And because I've experienced what God has done, I've heard about what he's done and I've also seen. I've seen what he's done and all that wrapped together and read about what he's done all around. The better I understand who God is one, the better I understand who God is one, the better I understand who I am. And then two on top of that as well, it detaches me when I know who I am. It detaches me from all the things of this world, which includes my business. It also includes the things that we hold closest right, the things we idolize right. So, like most people, it's it.
Speaker 2:Um, I think we talked about it in our podcast too, which was getting bamboozled by the blessing right, and that's a Michael Todd thing right, don't get bamboozled by the blessing. And so sometimes, a lot of times, we end up God blesses us with something that we love so much. Right, it could be our kids, our family, our job, our whatever right, something that we hold so near and dear our wife, our, you know what, you know whatever that is Right, and we start to hold it so near and dear that we start to put it above God, and it was something that he blessed us with in the first place. Right, and a big one that we do is life right, like pride of life. Right, and so we hold onto our lives. Right, because we're like God, you can have everything.
Speaker 2:The thing when you say again, when you ask yourself go through the things that are most important in your life, and would you be willing for God to take them away I'm not saying it wouldn't be painful, I'm not saying you know it couldn't be the same, but would you, if God asked you for it, could you hand it to him? Right, and and if you could it, that's something to start talking to him about and wrestling about. Right, because we've started in some way in our heart. We started to place that above him, because we know we know who God is right, if we know that God is for us right. We know that, we know that he knows. You know again, he can't lie and he he's faithful and he comes through on all of his promises. Right.
Speaker 2:And then we also trust his character and who he is and how he moves and all those other things, and we know that his ways are higher than ours. Right Is that when we have that faith and all those things going forward, like whatever he asked of us, right, even when he asked us to step out of the boat onto the ocean right, right into the sea, right, and get asked to to him, or he asked us to take our son to the top of the hill, like Abraham, or whatever. Right, if you trust God and you have that devotion, right. You know that, like you know again, it's not. You don't need to understand, right, and I think I told you that of my favorite line from the matrix that's big for me in my, in my faith, is is again the, the in the matrix. At one point you know the, the, the machines are coming to attack them, right. And there's the captain. He's sitting in front of the wisdom council and the wisdom council is saying, hey, this is what we're going to do, and the captain's like I disagree, I disagree, I think we should do this, or this is going to lead us to destruction, all these other things, right. And then the wisdom council comes back to him and they say comprehension isn't a prerequisite for cooperation. My counsel, right, when I have faith and trust in my counsel, I don't need to understand to cooperate. Right, I understand. I know from a bigger picture God, look, my brain's too small, my consciousness is too small. I don't have Christ consciousness. My consciousness is too small for him to explain to me, right, where I can wrap my head around God and what he's doing. I don't know. All right, I might get glimpses. He might bless me with some insight or a vision or something like that. Amazing. But also too, even if not, I gotta, I gotta be able to trust what he's doing. So if he again, the only reason I have all of this is because of him, the only reason that all of this is his, I'm just managing it. You get what I'm saying, so to to, it's like again, I think about that.
Speaker 2:Pastor Judd said this before, but I've literally thought about this. You, you go by, you know, you go buy your kids some food and he's sitting in the back, Right, and he and you ask him for a French fry and you're like no, like kids, like no, you ain't getting my French fries. Like, bro, I just bought you that French fry. So if, to me, this is God's business, right. So? So when he asked me to close the door, it's just like, if. It's just like. If I told these guys I was closing the door, right, they'd be like, well, it's your business, you can do whatever you want with it, right? So it's like for me in the same way, right, it's like this isn't my business. Like, if anything.
Speaker 2:Honestly, he's probably going to laugh. He's probably hearing me on the other side of the wall right now and I'm like you know, it's hard for me because I, a lot of times, I don't feel that way. You know what I'm saying Like and and like I've still had to have a hard time wrapping my head. And not even a hard time. It's, I think, what a lot of people feel as imposter syndrome. For me is separate, as being like well, but it's not mine, right. Like I didn't deserve this. Like I didn't.
Speaker 2:Yes, I made, I worked and yes, I did other things, but great. But there's, there's a lot of people that work. There's a lot of people that sacrifice. There's a lot of people that have come from deeper and stronger, even though I didn't have, I had humble beginnings. There's people that have much humbler beginnings. Some people are living in Cuba right now and trying to.
Speaker 2:You know like, you know what I'm saying. Like it's just, it's just again. Along with it, a lot of people go like I don't, I don't deserve anything. Right, like I deserve, well, I deserve death. Right, for for what? For what? And the mistakes I've made, and the spiritual death, all these other things, god, everything God gives me is a blessing. Right, this is, these are all things that I'm not entitled to. This is something that he has blessed me with, and because of that I'm willing to give it back to him. You know what I'm saying, not just a piece of it either. Right, like you can have all of it. Like, and also, too, I trust it in your hands better than mine, I trust you.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying Like you got me, you got me, you got me here in the first place, not the building. It's what you did. In my heart, that's the real blessing. This building can come and go. Whatever you can take this, you know what I'm saying. It could, covid, you could take the whole thing right. What he's done in my heart is the real blessing. This is just a physical representation of his greatness. That's great, but again, what he's done in my heart is the real prize.
Speaker 1:I love that out of my heart is like the real, the real prize. You know I love that. A couple things too. Like I wanted to touch up on here was one thing you know, you, you mentioned, like pastor judd's message and and remember in this similar message or a couple weeks, maybe it was the same message, but let's talk about when you realize that, like everything on this earth is is god, then you worry. You realize why are you worried, why are you fearful? Because he's going to come through, he's the one providing for you and not at all it might it might not always be the way you envision or the way you hope, but he will provide in that way. So I think that's an important thing to remind people. It's like when you realize nothing on this earth is god's like. I mean, nothing on your earth is yours and it's all god's like. If you believe in jesus I should say I should rephrase that all together if you are a follower of jesus and you believe in god and you submit your life, therefore you believe everything is god's, then that should just lift the ultimate burden off and you'd be like you know what? Why am I stressing about these certain things? Because god will provide um, and I think that's such an important aspect. You know um, to to really wrap your head around and um.
Speaker 1:Another thing I wanted to mention, too, is just talk a little bit about. You know, if you wouldn't mind just talking a little bit about, uh, what exactly you guys do at the farm. If anybody doesn't really know, I'm sure a handful of the listeners will just kind of, what is the farm? Um, and then just talk about, uh, spiral that into. You guys are outwardly christian, like you. You post on the farm page faith-based content. You are a development uh, baseball development facility. I'll let you dive in more specifically on what. But you navigate this scene while still being outward about your faith. How do other? This is a multifaceted question, but are other facilities or organizations don't mess with you because of that? Do you have people that kind of are like the worldly perspective or what is it like navigating a business?
Speaker 2:but being so outward about your faith. Yeah, no, yeah, I mean I think just kind of, you know, starting from the get-go is right. It's like, again, we, we train right we, we, we train at like not we, we obviously have private sessions. We also have group sessions. We train at like not we, we obviously have private sessions, we also have group sessions. We also do. Primarily, we just do hitting right.
Speaker 2:We also have strength, obviously as well, and then also on top of that as well, like again, we have products and we have consulting services that we offer the MLB organizations and, you know, colleges around the nation, and you know we have remote training and we have, uh, I'm going through all the all these things that we do, right, All these things that that come along with it. But again, these are all just tools to reach people, like it's not um, and, and to help people and to serve people Like it's not, it's not necessarily um, you know it's, it's something that we do, and at the business. Every year, those things have changed. We do, we do podcasts, we do all these different things where we just serve and get out information and and, and you know, and and and just try to help With. That being said, though, is, like you said, there's a lot of people in the space that do similar. You know that rundown similar paths are in the same industry, or things like that as well, and you know you're right, like, again, a lot of people are even worried. I think even, too, we've even had internal business conversations when the business was coming up as well.
Speaker 2:Right, like, there's been times where there've been disagreements, just even, too, from like you know, like a founding, you know agree, you know, like, again, like understanding between, like founders. Right, like, do we talk about faith or do we not? Like you know is, is this, do they need to be kept separate? Right, and the business is about this, and like, okay, we can just talk about this on your own page, but, like the, the company itself doesn't represent this and all those things, which is also different. And also, too, just to put some more pressure on my boy, Jarrell, cause he's working on it right now we have clothing that's coming out, that's going to be talking, you know, like god, you know apparel, like streetwear, and like things are the things that we're going to push from that side and that makes you toddler size like a rocket. I got you boy, and uh, we also think. I think I'm going to get some for tank too. You know, I'm saying that's our goal.
Speaker 2:We're going to run around I can fit in, still be good yeah, you're a buddy for that um, but no, yeah, so then, um, um, yeah, so that's been um. You know, again, like we are very outward, obviously, as you know, like you said, I I post content that literally is like I I literally have content from like the chosen that I've posted I mean I've, I've it's not just, you know, just an audio or other things.
Speaker 2:Like I've, obviously, you know, even on my, my twitter like I'm talking about god, I've gone, I've written threads about god. I've done other, you know, even on my, my Twitter like I'm I'm talking about God, I've gone, I've written threads about God, I've done other things. You know about that stuff. And very outward in that same way For me, I think it's interesting and I don't want to discourage anyone that isn't so extroverted like I am, like I'm very like, I have no problem, like sharing and a lot of that. And it's been a life. Like you know, I'm very outward when I process. I'm very outward with a lot of that Right, but I also don't think that you don't need to be like that Right To be very faithful to God, right, and so for me, I think it would be very unauthentic to be so outward with everything else, but then my faith I'm quiet about. You know what I'm saying, right, so, so, so for me, like it's like, and also, too, to be fair, from what God's done in my life, how could I not talk about him?
Speaker 2:Like I, just I don't know I literally somebody asked me one time like I sat down, I was at a lunch and they asked me and they're like man, like you know, like you talk about, like you talk about God a lot, um, and they weren't a believer, right, and they were like you, you know, you talk about God a lot. And I was like well, you talk about your husband a lot.
Speaker 2:You know, you talk about your brother a lot. You talk about your family a lot, you talk about your. And then also too, I think a lot of times people miss that, like a lot of people talk about their God. Quote unquote right when I was just reading Galatians last night, where he's talking about, like you know, the gods you serve that are not real gods. Right, it's just like again and not to be so controversial, but my point is is that everybody, unknowingly or knowingly, is talking about what they believe in and their foundation by how they live their life, what they believe in and their foundation by how they live their life and how they present it. Right, I'm just doing the same thing.
Speaker 2:It just happens to may possibly not be aligned with yours, and or maybe it is, and that's cool too, right, but it's not about like it's not. I'm not worried about and this was a big one that helped me a lot too is I only have an audience of one, like God's my audience, like I, it it. It doesn't really every single person that saw the video didn't like it, right, and I pray God that I have this faith and that if ever happened, right, that I would still on the same side of that right, continue over and over again right To, to, to take those steps forward and be like my relationship with him, right. So I think that that's a big thing for me and like, yeah, you're right. Like, there's been plenty of times where I've obviously posted and people have not liked it. I've talked to our staff about before too. Our growth as a company at times has stuttered. I feel like, again, I've lost followers.
Speaker 2:I've done other things because I'm especially when times when I'm talking about God a lot, um, I can see follower accounts go up and down and also too, but I don't want to paint this problem either where, like, companies are like oh well, see, this is why we don't talk about faith, like, okay, hold, on other side of this, the other side of this is what it's done for our business too.
Speaker 2:On the other side, right, and this is what I mean. Not because, um, not because like, oh, we found this niche. And I know some people think like business-wise, like oh, it's this niche, and like religious and all these things. Like no, no, no, no, because of that, what it's done to our staff, what it's done to how we coach, what it's done to our hearts, what it's done from like what's important to us as a company, what our culture is like, how we are our athletes see all of our posts and so that opens up and plant seeds in their heart and make sure questions about what you posted this right, Like Cody's posting this and Nicole's posting this, and we're doing podcasts about faith and we're doing all these things and I thought about doing a separate podcast just about God.
Speaker 2:Right, and I said, no, we're going to do it inside of our podcast, we'll call them just faith episodes. But no, they're in there, right, like it's all intermeshed. And if I really want to help you be successful and I, if I really want you to have the foundation of where I coach from, and you want to duplicate results and the things that we've had, if I took God out of it, I don't even know what I'm talking to you about. You know, like, like I, it doesn't, it doesn't matter. You could be Goliath, right, like you could be all of the other things Like great, Like we talked about, like you could be all that stuff, but again, like it's like telling david's story and taking god out of it, it's just, it's just that you're missing such the biggest part of the story, right?
Speaker 2:So I think that that's the big thing for me is like when we're doing that, right, and I'm coaching, it's not about that, just these x's and o's and oh, like you know, just do this, just do this, and all of a sudden, this guy's gonna get results, like, no, a big part of how we get results is the relationships that we have with athletes and what we developed, and also to teaching them how to perform at a really high level. And it's not just how I move is, yes, that's a big piece of it, but also, too, how I move is also connected to what's going on in my spiritual life, what's's going on in my mental life, like all of these things interwrapping Right. So I think that's a big thing. Is like we do with athletes is like, look like even the best in the world struggle, even the even you know again, you could be making $30 million a year. You could be making, you could be making, you know, $0 a year.
Speaker 2:No-transcript. It's like, yeah, and also too, I just for me personally, uh, being authentic is like really important to me. It's like for my heart, when I'm not being authentic and I'm like hiding parts of me or whatever that is, and I can you know, obviously my relationship with God like just wouldn't be possible.
Speaker 1:Amen. I love that. A couple of things I wanted to mention for the listeners is, like you know, romans 1 16, my favorite Bible verse, right, it's like. Well, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, right, so like to me, it's like if, like you said, if you're being outward about everything else but not your faith, then are you really unashamed? Are you really, you know, believe what you believe?
Speaker 1:And I'm in, you know, a ministry course right now to get my certificate in ministry, and we watched this video that I watched years ago, but it's from Penn and Teller.
Speaker 1:I believe it was Penn and it's about this story, basically how I don't know if people know this, but Penn's a pretty strong atheist. I don't know if people know this, but Penn's a pretty strong atheist and it's basically a story about one of his shows. He was handed a little Bible. It was a tiny Bible and it basically goes on this little rant and he says like, although I don't believe in God, he said I admired that person giving me this and taught me. That person giving me this and taught me because he said, if you believe something so strong, if you believe people aren't going to be saved and have a possibility of these things happening right of, of going to hell or whatever you believe, then why aren't you going to spread the news like what? That makes you even worse of a person than someone who doesn't believe anything at all so that can make it be hard, because I've never been the person They'll really shove my faith down people's throats and I probably never will be.
Speaker 1:But I have become more open and identifying who I am in Christ, because I do care about people and I want them to to experience the same love that I've experienced through Jesus Christ. And it's like, therefore, you have to be bold and let people know the good news, and I think that really opened my eyes because it's like, if you really believe it and you really read the word and what the word says, we need to do a better job of going outwardly about that, right, and it kind of goes on to what you're saying and about your company. It's like that's really who you are business and who you if, if you believe your business is god's, therefore, it should be wrapped together and and it is clearly with you all, which is, which is awesome. Um, and I mean they're, for the listeners that don't know this like they have a gratitude wall. You know, I know, uh, they're inside their, their building as well, as sometimes when guys and gals come in, they don't even get hit.
Speaker 1:If they're really struggling with something spiritually, emotionally, whatever, they'll just sit there and chat, make sure, in the right frame of mind to really attack that day. So I think that's so important to the listeners. Guys, it's like you don't necessarily need to get caught up. You don't need to get caught up in what the world, these things, go after, what you believe, live by it and and god ultimately will, you know, uh, reward you. You know a lot in the long run, with eternal life and all these other amazing things that we get by being a follower of jesus. But it starts with giving back and living our true selves through j Christ we call ourselves followers of Jesus.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amen, yeah, no, I. And I think the other thing for me is like, like you said, there's so many times I can't tell you how many nights, and the staff knows this too because there's so many nights where I'm just on the phone with one of our athletes and I'm talking to him. I just the other night I was talking to one of our athletes for like three hours on the phone and just talking about, like, what's going on in their life and mentoring and and I, I, instead of the difference of looking at it, like you said, like hitting somebody over the head with the Bible, which is like more in my head, the distinction between sharing your faith and hitting somebody over the head with your Bible. Right Is like turn or burn. Right, like you know, like come to God or you're going to, and like just like repent for your sin. Right, like like this, that that kind of approach right, which is like guilt, shame, condemnation, and like trying to shame people to come to God, comparatively to, I think, god's way. Right.
Speaker 2:And also, sharing the good news right If it doesn't sound like the good news. Right, sharing the good news. Right. If it doesn't sound like the good news, right. Good news right. That is probably not the good news, cause this is for me. It's more from a place, and I love this analogy I've heard this before is, like yo, I'm just one beggar that knows where the food is and I'm just trying to help you. You know, like yo, if I come around the corner and you're over here starving for food and I know that there's food around the corner that feeds me every day and all these things like I, it's not about me and I don't need you to believe for me. I don't need like yo, I'm going to keep going back and get my food. We good.
Speaker 1:I'm saying I'm going to live.
Speaker 2:I'm just telling you, like yo, if you go around the corner, take a left at the light, go past the stop sign in the tree, the guy sitting over there, he gonna give you some food. You know what I'm saying. Like it was like so, like that's kind of more how I feel when I'm sharing the gospel. It's like I'm not, like I don't need you to believe, right, I don't, I don't, I don't need you to interact, like again my but, but I will also say this too to also encourage somebody.
Speaker 2:I can't tell you how many times that one or three or four people or whatever, will write me and be like man, I really needed to hear that right now. Or I can't tell you how many people I mean I'm like I'll start crying if I start talking about, like the stories that I've heard of people, like listening to certain things that I've shared, because this is the problem. This is a problem, like, again, like I know people that were going to take their lives that you know, like, like just just crazy things, right, that that, again, along with it, you don't know how God is using what you're doing and also, too, this tears away the stereotype, or the world's flip on its head it's. We do all these things for views and likes and shares and all these other things. Okay, but how much is that one person's life worth that?
Speaker 2:listened to what you said that saved their life, right, that saved their life. Or again, save them from hurting somebody else or save them from you know, whatever that is. How much is that worth for you just to have a little bit of courage, to have a little bit of boldness, to just share right, which, again, you're not pointing to yourself saying, look how great I am, you're pointing to Jesus and be like yo. Let me just tell you about what he did for me, right and so, and so when you, when you do that, um, I think it's a very different heart condition. And like I'm not so worried about if someone reaches out and they're really upset that I said something about God and they're like you know you're, you know you're sky daddy or whatever, whatever, you know you're, whatever, right, like I.
Speaker 2:Again, it's also just another opportunity for me to show them radical grace or radical love or one of those things, right, and so, yeah, I think it deepens my faith when I realize how far other people and how far God has brought me with him. So, yeah, I just think it's another thing, it's just another way to repurpose. A lot of people are thinking about oh, I'm doing'm doing this because, oh, but it doesn't get a bunch of views, it doesn't get a bunch of likes, it's like this isn't my most popular post or whatever, and it's like I don't only post about god, right, like, yeah, I, yeah I'm very outward with my faith compared to other people, but also, too, like I feel like in in general, like if you're actually sitting around here like majority, there's so many companies like it might, I talk about God constantly throughout my entire day, and so, like it's not like something that like comes up and it's like, oh, I didn't know you were a Christian, like you're not going to be around me and not like you know, know that.
Speaker 1:It's just like yeah.
Speaker 2:So so I think that's the thing as well. It's like you know, again, we do do Bible studies, I do my lives, I do other stuff, like you know, with that as well, but also too like I'm also not going to sit here and paint this, like you know, like that stuff feeds me too right.
Speaker 2:Like talking about God feeds my heart, like sharing God's word, being in his word, serving his people, all that stuff like that serves me too. It's not just this purely unselfish thing, like no, selfishly, like yo, it heals my heart. You know what I'm saying. So I love sharing and helping other people. I see somebody suffering over there and they need some food and I help them go get some food.
Speaker 2:Yes, like, while it did serve them, like it also spiritually served me. You know, I think about that all the time too as well. It's like like when you know in Bible it says you know, it's much better to give than receive Right, and I, I think the same thing with that right. It's like spiritual. A lot of times the other person is getting the material blessing, like the physical thing, but for me it's getting me a spiritual blessing. Which the spiritual blessing is is and I cause you mentioned something earlier where you're talking about like God blessing you with like eternal life and all those things, which obviously is the Omega right from the other side like forever and always is a long time. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Forever and always is a long time. Okay, like you know, um, so eternity is forever Right, and so if that's the case, it's huge. But also I don't want to run past that in this life, right when you are right now, the spiritual blessings and the gratitude and what God has gifted me with spiritually, and the peace and the joy and all that I have in my heart, I'm not waiting, I'm waiting for heaven. I'm not waiting, I'm waiting for heaven. I'm waiting for heaven to have that peer in all the time and never have any doubt and never have any fault in all those other things and be interconnected with God. And like, I'm waiting, listen, I tell, I tell Drell all the time.
Speaker 2:I think it's right now I'm ready to rock. You know what I'm saying. But at the same time I don't want to run past that. You know they're just. There's good news here that it is not just waiting and suffering this entire life and you know again, there's nothing you know to be found here and I'm just waiting to die and go to heaven. Like, no, you know what I'm saying. Like, like I, I do, I find purpose in my life. Here I find purpose and, like I, I'm not waiting to die.
Speaker 1:Right, you know what I'm saying, like I got work to do here.
Speaker 2:He's giving me a breath here, right, if I have a breath, he oh, let me tell.
Speaker 2:Oh, dan, let me tell you this story real quick.
Speaker 2:So last night in Bible study, last night in Bible study, one of our guys that works, um, who has had addiction problems and all of this stuff, right, he's working at a call center that sets up for people that are going into surgeries, and so they this lady was getting a stent put in her heart, but after she gets out of the surgery that I think she's doing today, which we should both pray for her is after she gets out of this surgery today, she's going immediately to hospice and is going to die in the next five months.
Speaker 2:So story doesn't end there, right, she's a believer and on the call she was so calm and was so like all these things. But this is what she said when they asked her like why are you so calm, all these other things? She says she has no idea that he's a believer. And on the other side of the call, like she, she's actually talking to one of the other co-workers and she tells the co-workers well, the reason he hasn't taken me yet I'm, I'm looking forward to hospice because that means he has work for me to do.
Speaker 2:There there's people for me to say oh man, I was like, so you going into hospice, which? Is knowing that you are going to die, right this is the last stages before you're going to die, she says. Even in hospice I have purpose.
Speaker 1:Man, that is real. Yeah, I was like.
Speaker 2:I was like whoo, I was like man if she can have purpose in hospice. I can have purpose out here, that's all I'm saying. Man, I gotta have purpose out here so, dude, that is a powerful way to wrap that little segment up right there yeah, and think of and think and think about that right, think about that, that powerful love, hope and all of that spread from someone I have no idea.
Speaker 2:I don't even know her name Dan I don't even know her name Dan, but I know God who's worked through her, who went through a coworker who then connected with the Bible study member, who then the Bible study member told me now I'm saying it on a podcast and we're sharing it out the thing is like that's the power of God and that's the power of his hope and his and his love and his mercy and his joy and his grace.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying. And so that's radical from the opposite side, and so I think about that as well. It's like, it's like man, like the, the faith right that that woman has right and what God has done in her heart is moving. You know, and it's and, and it's, and it's it, it. It challenges us in a good way of just saying like, wow, wow, like that's what radical faith, that's what radical grace and mercy and love for others looks like. You know, oh, I love that.
Speaker 1:So I want to ask you to dive in a little deeper about one more question, kind of on the the uh, business side and your faith-based side.
Speaker 1:I think you can give some great insight for the people listening. Like it's not all butterflies and rainbows. I'm sure you've lost clients or, like you said, lost followers or or these types of situations. How have you overcome those things and be at peace with the way the Lord, like, wants to use you and I and I know my own life, like I've. I'm at that peace in my own life where I'm like I've submitted things, I surrender things. I mean I surrendered my full-time coaching career so to to follow what God has for my life. So, but to the other people listening, I'd love to hear from a business owner, to someone who's outwardly you know about their faith, like, how are you still content with maybe possibly there's pro teams that don't want to work with you because you know maybe they'll be like, oh, now you're connected with guy who loves Jesus, or how do you wrestle with those things and have you lost clients or people in support because of it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Well, first of all, the only one I'm worried about losing is Jesus.
Speaker 2:Let's, let's let's put that as a foundation. Right, like um, as much as I love people and as much as I love um and I want to serve and as much as all of those things are high priorities to me, my relationship with God and my proximity to him and what he's done in my heart is always again, audience of one is, I've learned, it's not always how I feel right and I want to be open with this Not always how I feel. There's definitely times and again, I don't want to say all this all sunshine and rainbows and I'm running around, you know high five and everybody all the time and I'm in, you know, like, no, like I take L's. I take so many L's a day, so many L's a week. Right, I take more L's. I think that's one of my favorite quotes. Right Is is like uh losers think winners never lose.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile, winners are losing more than losers have ever tried. Right, and I think it's the same thing with it, right, it's not like, it's not a title, it's not a like a winner, loser, no, no, it's, it's the things of because I'm winning, because I'm willing to lose. You know, I'm saying I'm willing to trust god and have faith that even in my losses, like I think about this, as too is when I'm giving David some hype today, but like with David, right and again, because he's reflecting Jesus's character here, right, is it's really David is reflecting when God calls him a man after his own heart. It's not because David doesn't fall short, it's not because David is so great. It's not because David doesn't fall short. It's not because David is so great. It's not because David has all these skills that no one else has. It's not because David was the greatest king to ever live.
Speaker 2:It's not because David was perfect and never sinned and never continued to sin, even after God called him a man after his own heart, even after God made him king, even after God gave him radical grace and love and all these other things and acceptance and forgave David over and over and over and over and over and, over and over again, what made David a man after God's own heart was his faith that even in his mistakes, even in his shortcomings, even in his faults, that God could use that too to make him great. And it wasn't about David, he would do it, it was about God, and that God is what made him great, not about all the things he had and he possessed and what he did and his decisions. That made him great. God made him great and his faith is what God was saying, is why he was a man after his own heart, not because he was this perfect guy or any of these things. Right, and so that story for me is big because and that reminder with me within businesses I fall short all the time.
Speaker 2:I'm not. Again someone listens to this. There's, there's two like like Dan, I'm sure, back the opposite way. Like yo, I hurt people every day.
Speaker 2:I say I lose my temper, I, I, I, I'm wrong, I fall short, I, I'm human, I do things right. There's people right now that are mad at me, I'm sure, right, I'm just. I promise you and there always will be, to the end of time, right, um, I've. There's many things that I've either never, you know, um, that I've never apologized for. I didn't even know that I apologize for, or even be should be forgiven for right.
Speaker 2:But that's God's, you know again, that's God's grace, that is God's love. Is that, even though I don't deserve it, he gives it to me anyways, even when I don't know like it, and and even though I don't deserve his love, he still loves me. Even though I don't deserve his grace, he still has grace for me. Even though I don't deserve his mercy, he still has mercy for me, right? So I think about that all the time. Is like when I look into, you know, business, like in that same way, is that, while I might be losing what people would consider material or worldly possessions, like spiritually, what he's done in my heart is he's given me endurance, like he's given me, he's given me character, he's given me spiritual wisdom that, even when the world thinks I'm losing, just like when the world thought Jesus was losing.
Speaker 2:Right, you're dying. Well, if you're well, if you're Jesus, if you're God, take yourself off this cross. If you're God, call the armies Now. If you're God, do this. This is the. If you're God, do this miracle. Just give yourself water, just give yourself this, all these other things.
Speaker 2:When the world oftentimes perceives and paints you as someone that is losing, god typically has a different perspective. Right, and what God is calling you to do. So, yes, I might be losing a follower and, yes, I might be losing some money from that one transaction, or I might be doing whatever. Right, I just choose to believe, and that's a big important part right, is that that statement? I choose to believe. It's a choice. I choose to believe that God is who he says he is. I choose to believe that he is faithful. I choose to believe that he's a man of his promises and that he's a God that still performs miracles. I still choose to believe that he is omnipresent. Right, that he is the beginning and the end. I choose to believe that he is everything he says he is and that he will continue to do everything he has done and everything he has promised to me.
Speaker 2:I choose to believe he's faithful when I'm not faithful, I choose to believe that he can work in all my situations and when I fall short, that he can use that too, and that he's so, and that he's so big that there's nothing I could do. There's no mistake I could make. There is nothing that needs God, doesn't need me at all and doesn't need me to be anything to do his will, and even in my brokenness he's so great he's like the greatest player on the team. Right Even when I strike out, he wins the game.
Speaker 2:It's just what it is right. So that's a choice, and a spiritual choice, that even when my faith is lacking, I tell myself that all the time is saying I choose. I have reasons to doubt God, I just choose to not.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:I have reasons to not have faith, but I choose to anyways. Like these are things, these are things all the time is I remind myself. Even when I'm doubting, I just say God, I choose you today. I choose you today. I choose you today. I choose you today. God, I choose to do. I choose you today. I choose you today. I choose you today, God, I choose to do it your way because I know better my feelings are deceitful, my heart is deceitful, All these other things. Like I choose your word and who you are every day, because you are the same yesterday as you are today, as you will be tomorrow, I can't trust myself and what I'm feeling in the moment and what I'm seeing with these eyes or hearing with these ears. I trust you more than I trust me and because of that, like I can lean into even when the world thinks I'm losing. Just like when they thought Jesus, even his own disciples thought that they were taking the L.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile they had the greatest dub that has ever happened in the history and whatever happened right to the end of time, that is happening and if they can happen like that with Jesus, the world is often going to think that I'm taking L's Right, when in meanwhile, this is actually a setup. God is setting me up, he's changing my character, he's developing my heart, he's doing all these other things Right, and so I remember that that is these other things Right. And so when I remember that that is, that is God Right and I choose him and I do that over and over again, it doesn't matter. That's what the difference like. We talked about the difference between optimism and faith. Right, optimism means I see the slimmer of hope, right, that like, well, I see this happening and I have that deal that might close and that deal that might close and that deal, so I have reason to have hope. No, no, no, everything could be dark, everything could be against me, everything could be all those things Like like again when, when, if you were looking around at the time when Jesus was getting crucified, people weren't being very optimistic, it wasn't very optimistic, there wasn't so optimism in there, right, like that was again radical faith, that, uh, that Jesus was displaying in that moment.
Speaker 2:Right, that that God is getting was going to do. Everything was he said he was going to do and that he, in his suffering, there was a purpose for his suffering, right? And so even in my suffering and even in my losses, and even in my earthly being and all these things, there is purpose, um, and all of that as well and all these things.
Speaker 1:There is purpose, um, and all of that as well. I love that man. So last two things, as we wrap up here. Um one thing, I think how does your faith differentiate you? One, maybe as an individual, but as a hitting coach, as a person in baseball, what, what makes you different? What makes your facility different? Because of your faith?
Speaker 2:oh, uh, I think the I think uh, I'm trying not to cry, sorry, dan um is, I think I think the biggest thing that differentiates our facility is just honestly, like our, the love that we have in our building, not only for like each other as a staff, but also to like for our athletes, um, the grace, the relationships that we have. I can't tell you like the relationships, like I'm I am friends with the players. That with our players and our clients. Like, um, some of my deepest relationships are with players that I train and um, the amount of growth that they've given me and the amount of faith, uh, that they've given me, um, and seeing how God has worked in their lives and like what they've said okay, I'm really trying not to cry now, sorry, dan Uh, the the things that uh, god has done um and in like through, like their lives is obviously dramatically affected my faith, uh, because, like when you love and like you care about, like your players and they're going through suffering and it's all those other things Um, and then you see God deliver for them and then also them find Christ and like I've, like you know, led players towards baptisms and I've done all those other things Right, is that like when you, when you, when you see God, do those things and then also to with your staff and you see the relationships that they've built and you see the, you see what God has done in their lives and all Right, and we and we continue to submit and surrender to him as well, because any path that is not his path is not a.
Speaker 2:It's a.
Speaker 2:You really get to understand the words of the Bible.
Speaker 2:Come to life is like when I, when I choose God's way, I receive spiritual life, and when I do it God's way, I, or when I don't do it God's way, I feel myself get pulled into darkness and I see it over again and I see it in other people's lives and like where they get led astray and all those things. And so I think the biggest thing there as well and if I could break it down to one thing is just, it's just love, right, you know, and our facility is just, it's just different and I feel blessed because it's like we're surrounded by that on a daily basis and I'm kind of the opposite, like I said. That's why I like having really deep relationships with our players is because that's more rewarding than anything is. They encourage me, even though I'm sitting there encouraging them and pointing them back to Jesus. And it's like when I see God moving in their life and I see how they're responding different and I see all those other things, like I'm receiving much more than I'm giving.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, I love that. I love that man Like so powerful, and it's so. How do I word this? It's so apparent when you step in the building and and he's not paying me to say this Like if you know me bro, like like I'm not the guy to say this, Like, if you know me, bro, like I don't Like.
Speaker 1:I'm not the guy to blow smoke Like. That's just not my personality. I've dealt with too much, I've talked to too many people, I've been in different parts of life, god has put me in different positions. I'm not one to say something, just to say it. And from my personal experience to the audience, it's like when you're in there, you feel that love from from the first person you you know meet, you know Taylor, whoever opens the door, whatever the case may be, you get in there and like exactly, tank bro, he's awesome, like chilling, tries to jump on the ping pong table and stuff. You know, like all these things.
Speaker 1:It's like you feel that love and you see what God's, you know, greatest commandment, right, is you know numerous, well, several. What he mentions in the bible is just what is god? God as well, right, it's like who god is, and so it's like loving is the biggest thing we can like. Love your neighbor and and um, I think that's such an amazing thing. And so, uh, before we hop off here, if you wouldn't mind, I call it like the elevator speech testimony. Obviously, my life testimony could go on for hours if I just sat here and talked about it, but would you mind giving the audience kind of a little bit of your testimony? I mean, you can go as long as you want, but yeah, I'd love to hear that.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, I'd love to hear that. Yeah, no, um, I uh was born, uh, to a Catholic family. At the time, I was raised Christian more than Catholic, though, um, but I was, you know, dedicated when I was a baby, all those things. Um, I grew up like we would go on Sundays cause my grandma, you know my grandma was there and it was like we had to go.
Speaker 2:It was the family thing, right, so we'd show up halfway through worship. You know, like, like you know, we, we were all just there cause we wanted grandma. You know we love grandma. Um, shout out to grandma, you know, she's the leader of faith in our entire family. And, um, you know, I, I didn't have a strong relationship with God majority of my life. Um, I was atheist in high school. I went the other way. I was consciously, literally leading people and like displaying to them and giving them facts about all these reasons of why God was not. You shouldn't lean on God. He wasn't real, all these other things. Um, that's why I connect with Paul so much. Um, as well, um, I guess I should say Saul at the time. Right, I connected with him.
Speaker 1:Can I ask real quick why Was there something in your life that happened?
Speaker 2:I think it was more about where my family was and how they thought about things and how I learned about it. And then also, too, I was as I am now. I was really into science. I was really into certainty and I was really into. I used to say things like you can't believe the science about why that light's on outside, but not believe the science of how they say the world came to. And then I could throw coals in that all day now but like, but, my, my again. That was more of my heart posture at the time. And you know, I just I believed. I think I was much more just, prideful. My family was very prideful. I was very prideful in my own efforts and my own choices and my own decisions, and so for me, it was, my life was very me, right, it was, it was very me, and it's on me, it's on me, it's on me, um and I love that.
Speaker 1:And the reason I asked for a book is just because I've I've met atheists in my life but I've never met an atheist that was usually just atheist because they generally didn't believe. It's a lot of people just felt like they've been burned, like from my perspective. It's like a lot of people feel like I've been abandoned God when I did cry out, he wasn't there. Whatever the case may be right, that's my, from my perspective. That's when I see a lot of people are atheists, not just people straight up, being like I don't believe or I don't it's, it's God can't be real, it'd be allowed these things to happen, type of deal. So that's why I asked. Thanks for answering.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no. And you're right. I I my a lot of times. You mad at someone that you don't believe in hey, that's what I say.
Speaker 1:That much, then.
Speaker 2:You obviously believe something or want to, yeah yeah right, and so, um, and then you know again, but for me I think it was just more of a pride thing, like I, I had built up a lot of self-reliance and I had built up I just didn't know God, I just didn't, I didn't know him, and then I was just going by, like you know, like that's not my life experience, like I make choices, it creates things, like you know. That's like kind of where my brain was at and also where our family was Right, and so I think that's also why, like again, you know, I, I, and then also too, it made a transition into when I was in college, more of like I believed in the universe, more like agnostic kind of. Like you know, I believed in the universe, I believe that there was a higher power.
Speaker 2:My dad used to say things that were biblical principles. He had strong morals of things that you know again, like our lie, cheat, don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal. So you know, like these morals, these hard things that he was big on, and then also too, he used to always say things like, um, everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason, right, and these were things that I believed in, right, that everything was interconnected in some way, right, and so there was some underlying biblical principles that I was like I connect with. I just didn't believe, like even to, for this tells you, the power of his name is, I would say, god, but I had a really hard time ever saying the word Jesus, and so I would never talk about Jesus. And like I was like, even too, when I would talk about the universe, I'd be talking about God. I'm like, why do? Why did I just didn't even want to talk about Jesus, like it's so funny now.
Speaker 2:And when I look back, it's like I remember not even wanting, even when I started coming, like coming and building a relationship with God, I still was like like the Jesus thing is just it's a battle, right, and it just tells you the power, right, like what's the problem? It's just a person, right. If it's just a person like just talk, like he's still one of the greatest leaders of all time, right, like we, even if you didn't believe, right, like you'd be, like how can, why can't you talk about Jesus? Like why don't you talk about him? Like you talk about him, okay.
Speaker 2:Or anybody else that was a phenomenal leader or whatever it's like. Why, why can't you speak about him? And I think that's just the power of his name and yeah. And so I remind myself of that sometimes and I, I think you know again, I went through college. Um, God had a plan. He used baseball and he used my suffering of. I had some really tough when I was in college. Things didn't play out the way I was like ineligible Cause I was a three-year transfer from JUCO. Our recruiting coordinator switched schools middle of the year. I was a credit shy, somehow, somehow, quote unquote that they missed sometime before. It made me have to transfer from, you know, playing at division one, which was my dream, and all these other things, and I had to go to an NAI. Oh, man, dan, this NAI was a Christian school I didn't even want to go to. I was like, man, I have to go to chapel. Man, I have to go to these other things. Okay, I'll do it because, uh, I went to Sterling college out in Kansas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we were ranked like 20 in the nation at the time. The school was really good, all this stuff, right, I'm like, okay, I can endure God for baseball. So then God used me, met me where I was at and I started to get. Well, first off, there was a couple of things that happened at that school. I went to a science class, right, because I'm a science guy. Yeah, I went to a science class and obviously he's a believer, and when he starts unwrapping why he's a believer even in science, right, and I'm like, okay, that started to unravel me. Then I would go. I had a, I had a, and this is the thing, this is how God is. All the glory is. I've even forgot the teacher's name.
Speaker 2:There was a teacher at Sterling, right, there was a teacher at Sterling that, um for a, uh, there was a teacher at Sterling that would let me ask all of these questions, right? So this was what would happen, right? Is the teacher at Sterling? Um, I would, I would go into the teacher and I would. I would.
Speaker 2:Class was over, I'd go into his office, right, and I would ask all these questions when I was growing up and I would bring anything up about God. My family would be like don't question God, don't you ever question. It was all these other things. So I think that also built some pride and resentment in me, right. And so when I started going into his office and I'm like, look man, all right, I'm all okay. This is what my holdups are on Jesus Right, and this is the first. This is the my holdups are on Jesus Right, and this is the first. This is the first thing, right? So you're telling me that if Hitler at the end of his life would have gave his life to Christ, that Christ, but Gandhi's going to hell.
Speaker 1:I can't wrap my head around.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? Like I was just looking at it so earthly.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And so he just allowed me to ask these hard questions and he had grace and love and understanding and he just would just talk to me about it and he probably still doesn't know the impact that he had on me at that time in my life. And then, yeah, and then I had another. I had another teacher there, instructor, that I was telling her I'm like, look like I believe in all this. I was, you know, have biblical classes we had to take and I'm like, look, I believe in the principles, like I think the Bible, like all these other things, right, but I'm like I'm just not ready to give it to God yet, like I'm I'll give it to the universe, like I agree with the principles, I agree with the teachings, I agree with the things. And then she hit me with you know, don't worship the creation, but worship the creator.
Speaker 2:And like when that and then when that happened, that was just a major. A major one for me is like that was like all this ball started getting rolling. My girlfriend at the time was like in her faith and so like she was kind of speaking into me and then also on top I was watching her read her Bible at night, when I you know come home like okay, like you know, like it started. It started that. And then a big one for me, though, like undoubtedly was a CS Lewis's book, uh, mere Christianity.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so obviously, if you don't know, cs Lewis was obviously an atheist right that went out to disprove Christianity and then became a Christian in the process. And in that book, near Christianity, he walks through um, you know, basically unpacks how God unpacked um and unraveled his unbelief Right and and met him with. You know again like it was. You know science slash, psychology slash. You know like God's wisdom, obviously, just, you know his ways higher than ours and his understanding higher than ours and like how it worked in his life. And you know again, it unraveled so many things for me. And then all of a sudden, you know that seed got planted and it was like God just kept watering it. And then you know again like um, and then step by step, right, I was a regional, I stopped playing baseball.
Speaker 2:I was angry at baseball when I was hurt, I was. Things happened my last year there as well. My shoulder was torn in three places. I'd been training. I was very resentful towards baseball. I had a lot of this pain that was in me which made me run to God, right, and so God had a plan that entire time. And then, um, you know again, I was, I went into corporate America and like try to achieve everything that I thought that would bring me peace, love, joy, all the things that I was looking for in God. And yeah, and then that obviously didn't work. I was chasing my tail, I felt all these other ways and so, yeah, I prayed about it for months and finally, you know, one day I went to church and, you know, god, god spoke into me about like you know, they're talking about like gifts and how we can serve one another and we all have gifts that God has given me. And I went home and I'm like, what gifts did God give me? You know what I'm saying? What do I got, you know?
Speaker 1:what I'm saying, what are?
Speaker 2:my gifts Right and I came across a video on Facebook of Lou Holtz talking about how God gifted him to be a God. You look he takes a village boy he was chasing me down, yeah, and so he she chased me down.
Speaker 2:And then I was like, okay, step-by-step Right, and these all seem like there happened back to back to back to back, but I promise you they were over months, over years, over all of these Right and um, finally, you know, and then I, I've been praying for I've been praying for months, god, what's next for me? What's next for me? What's next for me? I feel like I'm chasing my tail, god. I feel like this isn't the place. This can't be it. All these other things.
Speaker 2:And um, finally, after that, I knew it was coaching. I remember that I've been coaching since I was a sophomore in high school. I, how much I loved coaching. And um, and then I asked God, what can I do for you? And boom, everything opened up, like floodgates opened up. I asked the right question and it was like floodgates and like that was Sunday, monday, I figured out how I could break my lease.
Speaker 2:I put my notice in for my job. I called the guy that offered me for my academy a year prior, offered me a coaching job, a high school coaching job out in Utah, and he was like, yeah, come work for me. I'm like, bro, I'm about to be. You know, I'm a regional manager, I have the second most profitable region in the united, you know, in the world. You know a plan of fitness is like all these things, like I'm about to be a director, you know like no, I'm not gonna go coach high school baseball. And then I literally had no money put away. I had all my money, stuff that, like um, moved across the country back to back to Utah. Never had lived in Utah before it's freezing.
Speaker 2:I hate the snow, Dan like all the things like I'm, like I'm out, I'm up in the morning 4am driving Ubers just so I can afford the coach. Um, again, like paying, I'm paying more for our equipment than they're paying me. I'm not getting paid for stuff. Like I'm just I'm, I'm, I'm living in, I'm living in that coach's basement, you know, to get my life back together. You know what I'm saying. Like I'm really grinding here, right, people are thinking I'm crazy, radical, like for God like what is going on my mom's crying on the phone. What are you doing? Do you ever?
Speaker 2:think about your life. You know like all these things are happening and man, like god, used salt lake, um in so many ways, which is an unexpecting place as well. Right, if you know the context. And so, um, that's where I gave my life to christ. I got baptized not from just my dedication that when I was like, I actually got baptized in utah, um, and then next week baby.
Speaker 1:Hey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so, yeah, I got baptized. And then also, um, um, yeah, I got connected with Donnie Ecker, which I know. You know right. Donnie Ecker was a triple A coach with the angels at the time. Who was the Salt Lake bees, was out there and then that's got me into pro ball. I started shadowing him and writing reports on guys and doing all these other things and he mentored me and then he led me towards my uh, uh a position out in SoCal at one away performance and I went out there and I was the director of hitting, director of business.
Speaker 2:You know, uh, kind of got back into that world, the private side, and um, yeah, and then COVID hit. And then, um, you know, again I was taking a job with the Cubs and, like, that job fell through. I was going to go over there, I was going to transition into a hitting coordinator and I came back to Vegas because COVID was here and I had no plans of staying here. I was, you know. You know it's supposed to be two weeks. Then it turned into six months, then it turned into, you know, it turned into, you know, years, right, and you're breaking out, right. And then, um, yeah, I had a.
Speaker 2:I had a random guy message me on Twitter that had 10 followers and no picture and he just DM me and said, hey, would you train my son? And I said, yeah, on zoom, yeah, yeah. So I started training his son and he they were hitting in a barn and I was like, oh, what do you do? He's like, oh, you know, I'm a sixth generation farmer. I have, you know, like 30 other businesses, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah. And we hit it off. We built a relationship. He became a business partner, we opened the building and like all these things like came together.
Speaker 2:you know what I'm saying. And so, yeah, like, and that happened over years, but I think, like just in general, right, like that's kind of led us to where we are today, of all the blessings and like every one of our staff members have just kind of fell in my lap, like I didn't. I wasn't out like looking for them, right. It's just like in some way, in some approach, like they kind of fell and like they've been such a blessing.
Speaker 2:I'm in that way, and so every time we go to hire people, oh my God, just keep doing that, because it's been working, like you doing that because it's been working like you know, I'm saying I don't need to go, look, you just send them and land them on my lap, yeah, yeah, and so that's let it kind of where it is now right.
Speaker 2:So I just again I think with that it's just like obviously that's the spark notes and even that you know it's like my I can go forever. But like I, I think that the big thing is, like you know, again god's faithful and you know you do it his way and you ask him what you can do for him and you serve him like he will exalt you right, like he will take care of you spiritually and all those things. It doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean that financially it's always you know you're going to be a millionaire. It doesn't mean that all but you'll have what you need. You have what you need and also spiritually, what he does in your life is much bigger than anything material blessings. That I used to rank way higher than what he's doing, like spiritually, with me. So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that man. This is such a powerful story. It just sounds about when you, when you find out what God's will is for your life and you submit to that. There's journeys, there's going to be highs and lows, but you ride the wave and you just see where God leads you, man, and it's just it's such an amazing story to anybody out there Like if God's put something on your heart.
Speaker 1:You know, we talked about this early on. It's like there's a difference from being content and complacent and you in those seasons from a, from listening and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but you were also content with god's love. Or later, the further you're getting along in that testimony. And when you became content with god's love, you weren't, you know, uh, thrown off by the curveballs that you were being thrown at you. You were just waiting back and taking them the other way, because you were able to understand that god's still moving, where sometimes we often, from what I hear and I I'm guilty of this early in my faith walk too it's like, oh yeah, I'm gonna submit it all.
Speaker 1:But then, when times get hard, you're like whoa, whoa, right. But it's like you still have aspirations, you still, you're still chasing this right. You're still god's put on your heart to coach and impact lives, which you're putting in the work to do that. But you're also content when it's not looking maybe beautiful at that point, right, maybe not butterflies and rainbows at that point. So it's like you're still content, right, but it doesn't mean you're complacent, you're still working through it, you know, and and that type of stuff. So I think that's really powerful. Um, I really appreciate you being on today's episode. Um, I'd love to give you the chance here to just kind of wrap up. If there's anything you want to tell the people, maybe a little bit about, maybe something about yourself, or something about something you believe in, or a quote. It all, it all.
Speaker 2:The matter depends on what you want, anything you want to wrap up with yeah, I'm gonna give, I'm gonna give pastor jed one more shout out, um, um. When we start remembering that people are not the problem but our purpose, it's transforming in our life, when we stop seeing as people, as obstacles, but we start seeing them as the reason we're here in the first place, and when it, when we start to love God and love others and again like God's word is true, right, and so I think, even with it, like I'm not sitting here painting like I never, like I said that I never had doubts, or like I'm just always so happy and I'm so, all these other things like no, like listen, like I get kicked in my teeth every day, like you know what I'm saying, I get, I have major losses all the time. It's not about just sitting on them, it's not winning the super bowl and going well, you know, I just like to thank God, you know, and and y' all those, those mountaintops that I just hit in the spark notes, there was many valleys. In between all of those, there was many doubts, there was much, there was many times of shame and and and questioning myself and and you know all of that in between, Right and so, uh, I don't want to paint it. Like you know, all of that in between, right, and so I don't want to paint it. Like you know, it was just like up and up and up and up and up and up, right, that's just the highlight reel that you hear, right, but in reality, like you know, again, people that have been around, that's why I, like Taylor, that's been around and seen a lot of these developments in my life she can testament to that of how many seasons have been really difficult, right, and so that faith has been huge.
Speaker 2:It's not just on the mountaintops and having that faith, but, no, I need that faith the most in the valleys, right, and remembering that what God told me, um, you're remembering in the dark what God told me in the light, right, so, yeah, so that's just the big one, uh, the big one for me. If I could just, you know, put it in again like people are not, people are not, people are not, uh, our problem, right, they, you know they are, they are, uh, our purpose amen, man, amen, it's it.
Speaker 1:It reminds me of what I've talked about yesterday on my video. It's psalm 23, 4. Right, even when you walk through the valleys, um the darkest valleys, you know, I uh don't be afraid, for god is close beside you and your rod and god's rod and staff will protect and comfort you. You know, and I think it's just an important piece to remember there, because it's like, like you said, even when you can have all the faith in the world when you're up, but when you're down, what are you doing? And so I think that's and I think that's where God can even move. Even greater is in those you know lows.
Speaker 1:And uh well, awesome man, if you wouldn't mind wrapping us up in prayer. No one's done this yet, you know, so let's. I'd love for you to close out in prayer, man.
Speaker 2:Cool, yeah, yeah, absolutely, let's do it. Dearly Father, god, we're just so thankful for God. We just love you. We just love you. We're so thankful for the things that you've done in our lives, god. What you're going to do in our lives, god, what you're going to do in our lives, god, help us have the faith that we will have tomorrow once you deliver us through everything that's going on in our lives right now.
Speaker 2:God, help us cling on to you, help us hold on tight and stay close to you, even when our eyes go to stray. God, just continue to stand in front of us, continue to pull us back to you. God, continue to perform surgery on our hearts. Continue to be our friend, god, we need your friendship more than anything. God, we don't just need a king, god, we need a friend, and you call us friend and we're just so thankful that you, in proximity, that you just you even want to be around us.
Speaker 2:God, we don't deserve you, we're not entitled to you. You have every reason to walk away from us and leave us stranded, and yet you don't. And God that have every reason to walk away from us and leave us stranded, and yet you don't. And God, that's just your character and remind us of those things every single day. God, and I just um, I just pray that you continue to uh to bless you, just continue to bless us in ways that we can uh continue to spread your kingdom.
Speaker 2:God, I just ask that you continue to uh deliver Dan, god, and that you also bless this podcast and you bless his ministry and all the things that you do in his life. God, and I just pray that you you bless whoever's listening right now. God, and hopefully God. If they've made it this far, if they made it all the way to the prayer, they're searching after you. They want you, and God just just just bless them in your heart and and and continue to see you like you've helped me see you and we just pray all these things in Jesus' mighty name.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Man, thanks for tuning into this banger episode with my boy, joey. Really appreciate you tuning in, shout out your platforms, the farm system right Well, on all platforms, or sometimes it's like the farmsystem. You got all these other like you know, different platforms. What is it man?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, the website is the systemfarm. Okay, um, everywhere else is like generally the farm system, but we have a softball account, a baseball account, a strength account uh, my, my handles are underscore joey kunya c-u-n-h-a. Uh, you guys, can you check me out? I do bible studies on, uh, at 6 45, uh, uh, pacific time. Um, on thursday, you can always come and hang out with that and, yeah, yeah, we're out here in Vegas. Hit us up Again. Any of those things, we're always available.
Speaker 1:Awesome. If you need to drop bombs, DM them all right. All right, you all. I'll talk to you guys later. Catch you in the next episode, Peace.