The Gospel In The Game Sports Podcast
Conversation and stories about real athletes and the journey thru sport, faith and life.
Connecting athletes, sports families and the church. Build bridges and telling real stories to help repair, build and grow people.
Hosts Dan Dromarsky and Dave Dawson
The Gospel In The Game Sports Podcast
Matt Cline - Purpose After the Final Whistle
Matt Cline's story begins with a single hit on the ice that changed everything. As a former Western Hockey League player with the Chilliwack Bruins, Cline suffered a career-ending concussion that left him with debilitating headaches for six years. But what initially seemed like the tragic end to athletic dreams became the catalyst for profound spiritual transformation and purpose.
Through raw vulnerability, Matt shares how his identity had been completely wrapped up in hockey until that pivotal moment. Just five days after his injury, a team chaplain spoke words that would become prophetic: "What you're going through right now, you don't know what God is doing, but two years from now, you'll look back and see God working in your life." This moment marked Klein's surrender to a deeper faith.
The journey from hockey player to ministry leader wasn't immediate or straightforward. Cline ventured into business for several years before experiencing what he describes as a supernatural encounter where God called him to start what would become Restored Ministries – an organization helping men find freedom from pornography addiction and sexual brokenness. With disarming honesty, he shares his own struggles with porn addiction and how bringing these secrets into the light led to discovering and healing from sexual trauma he had experienced as a teenager.
What makes Matt's perspective so powerful is his counterintuitive approach to consequences. Rather than viewing them negatively, he sees them as essential catalysts for transformation. "When you face extreme consequences," he explains, "you ain't going back to it." Through Restored Ministries' confidential groups, one-on-one coaching, and resources, men find spaces where they can be "fully known and fully loved" – experiencing the acceptance and healing that breaks addiction's power.
For athletes, coaches, and anyone struggling with hidden shame, Cline's message offers hope that our greatest disappointments often become pathways to our true calling. His story demonstrates that nothing – not career-ending injuries nor sexual addiction – can separate us from God's purpose. Visit restoredministriesca to learn more about finding freedom and purpose beyond shame.
Matt Klein, you're going through the attic of a long lost relative and you find three items an empty tray in order to make ice cubes, a nine iron and a stuffed horse's head. Which one do you give for your wife for her anniversary gift? Which one do you give for your wife for?
Speaker 2:her anniversary gift. I was practicing my hand-eye with a golf club this year and I smoked a ball out of the air and then, my very next shot, the club broke. So I would give myself or my wife a nine iron, so I don't have to spend money on buying a new club.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's quite impressive. Plus, some people frown upon taxidermy, that's fair, that makes sense. Yeah, and then the tray of ice cubes. Would that just be an awkward gift to give your wife?
Speaker 2:Kind of send a message, send her to the kitchen, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, ooh.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Gospel in the Game Sports Podcast, where sports and faith collide, with your hosts Dan Dramarski and Dave Dawson.
Speaker 3:That is a great way to start this episode of the Gospel in the Game Podcast. We're joined by Matt Klein from Restored Ministries. I call him Kleiner because I've known this guy since, oh man, I think it's been since 2008. It's been a long time. So I am dave. Dandromarski is also the host of this podcast, and thanks for joining us today. So, kleiner, going all the way back to 2008, do you remember where we first met, when?
Speaker 2:all I know is you came in like it was like a hurricane met our young adults group, you and your other buddy, dan. It was like man. Who are these two rascals that are now coming in like running the show every time we get together?
Speaker 3:love that dan, ukraine. It's a good friend above of the show and both of us, um, that's a. That's a good memory. I do have some fond memories of that day at the young adults not that day, but that that group overall and I wanted to see what your reaction was. But I was sharing with Dan before we started recording some history and I said, like Kleiner, as everybody called him back in the day, when you're in a young adults group and you're talking to an attractive young lady, if you have aspirations to get to know her deeper, you're good. Until Kleiner walks in the room. And everybody in the group and all of the circles of friends knew that no one had a chance when Matt Klein walked in because he's so handsome and charming.
Speaker 2:It's just so funny how insecurities work, cause I'm like, oh, I'm not as cool as everybody else, and then you have that perspective. So I don't know about that. Maybe that's his young you.
Speaker 1:That was quite the introduction to give someone, and then followed by whatever you do, don't ask him about sock puppets and I was like, okay, whatever that's about Dave, and so carry on with that.
Speaker 2:Well, if you want to know about that, you can find him somewhere back in the archives on Dave's Facebook, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:I was telling that story as well, but we have a funny picture of the three of us taking. I don't remember whose house it was, but we turned her bedroom into a dining room and that was reminiscent. You're like that was right, that was me, clyder and Dan.
Speaker 2:I was actually just coming down the stairs for this interview thinking about that, because it was the night that Tavares had a Hattie on the New Year's Eve. So if we want to go back and find the date we could, that's, that's incredible.
Speaker 1:Now you're just now. Now everyone's just dating themselves by with with that comment. Right there we we now know the averaged age of the participants for this evening that's right.
Speaker 3:So, going back in the day, matt klein played 92 games in the western hockey league, uh, from 2004 to 07, chilliwack, bruins, um, and that's kind of it had a lot to do with how I met, uh, how we met and what we bonded over, and sports is such a unique branch for building relationships, dan, and I talk so much about that. So, kleiner, I want to take you back to your time in the Western league and what that journey was like and how you got started, where the Lord brought you on your trajectory of where you are today. The long journey of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you brought up a wound for me 92 games. I remember, after I got hurt and I couldn't play anymore, a teammate he was my age but he had played a couple hundred games and he's like, how many games did you play? And I'm like 92. And he laughed, laughed at me 92. And he went on to play over 300 games in league. But that's okay, I'm settled with it. Now I got, uh, I got a concussion after 92 games game 92 and then had headaches for six years and couldn't, couldn't train or play much after that. But uh, I'm good. Now some people ask me if I'm all right. I might have lingering brain damage, I don know about, but it's just my new normal.
Speaker 1:So did you say six for six years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, headaches for six years. Yeah, basically daily. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow, you know what? We have such a I guess you say such a focus on health and wellness and stuff around sport now. And where I remember, yeah, lots of incidents where someone would get hit and you just toss them back into the game and they would always say, well, who here has really been injured? And now to hear something about that be like six years, not six days, not six weeks, but six years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, yeah. So it was right before Crosby. I think Crosby maybe got hurt. Was it January 1st? I think he got hurt the. So it was right before Crosby. I think Crosby maybe got hurt, was it January 1st? I think he got hurt the Winter Classic, his concussion, yep. So I was October, so I was a couple months before him, and so when Crosby got hurt with his concussion, that led to a lot of research and more attention. But before that it was like normal concussions you're out a week. If it's bad, you're out too, and then you're just back in. And so I just couldn't, and it wasn't bad enough for us in the hospital, but it was bad enough that I couldn't play and couldn't train.
Speaker 2:But I met the Lord. I mean, I grew up with the Lord, my dad's a pastor, but that was what I would always say is like, hey, people like you're a Christian, yeah, my dad's a pastor. Because it was very shallow, I didn't really know much. People would ask me why I didn't party and why I didn't drink and chase girls. I didn't really have an answer and so it was more just rules and this is what I think is right. But it was five days after I got hurt.
Speaker 2:Our team chaplain with Hockey Ministries International. His name's Mike Vanderquack, just an awesome guy. He's out in Abbotsford as a pastor, but he was our chaplain and chatted with every couple of weeks with us and he gave this talk and all I remember was him saying what you're going through right now you don't know what God is doing, but two years from now you'll look back and you'll see God working in your life. And so it was at that moment where I would say my relationship with God became more of like a surrender, like I'm giving my life to you because I don't know what the heck is going on with my life.
Speaker 2:And I had only been hurt five days. I didn't know I would never play hockey again, but that was something that God knew, and in that moment it was like God was speaking through Mike and saying I got you, you're going to be okay. I'm working through your life and, no matter what happens, you can trust me. And so there were various things throughout the journey, but that when I look back, a lot of people, especially early on, would feel really sorry for me and being in Canada like, oh man, you can't play hockey anymore, it's like the biggest thing. But I'd always say but you know what? I met Jesus, I'm deeper with Jesus and I got Jesus out of it and that's a really good deal.
Speaker 1:It seems like what you've just said, this idea of God turning something that's tragic you can even call it in the world's eyes to something of purpose. Before you had that moment of concussion, did you foresee this being part of the plan? See, like like not playing no no, like what you felt, like, like you said Jesus showed up for you and really like all of a sudden, now you had purpose beyond hockey. Did you see that at the forefront, even before the injury?
Speaker 2:No, no, no, it was hockey. I remember in my draft year I was playing in red deer and, uh, it wasn't. It wasn't the best year for a variety of reasons. And and I remember I came into the room one day and and they were, all my teammates were doing this uh, you know, big group stretch and and I came in and they started calling me TP and I thought they were making fun of me. I'm like TP, what's TP? And they're like top prospect. The NHL rankings just came out. You're the top prospect on our team.
Speaker 2:And I remember my agent saying to my parents and I, like you're going to get drafted. We don't know if it's third round, sixth round, but you're going to get drafted. It's basically a guarantee. And so interacting with scouts and NHL teams and all that. But I remember that year thinking do I want it? Like, do I want to play pro? Do I want to have this life where I grow up? I have a family, but I'm always on the road and as a believer in pro, well, at least junior.
Speaker 2:I didn't play pro, but at least in junior sports, from my experience, what I always see is you're either you either compromise or you are lonely, and that's generally what happens? Some guys don't. There are exceptions to the rule where they don't compromise and they're more of a leader, but a lot of us that I saw are either the guys compromise or they don't fit in, and so I didn't fit in and I just felt like man, do I want to have this life where I'm always on the road, guys are going out doing their worldly thing. That I don't want to engage in. It's a lonely life, there's a lot of pressure.
Speaker 2:So, long story short, I had this vision for my life always that I was going to play hockey, but when it really came to it, came down to it and I could see that maybe I get drafted, maybe I could play pro, I was like, do I want it? And I didn't. But I also was like I can't quit though, because what else am I going to do? And I had no other interest talent, skill, ability nothing, because it had always been hockey. So I feel like, although the injury was terrible, in a way it was God's grace, because he took me out and led me obviously to something I'm doing now and my wife's always like we would never have met if you were playing hockey, but now it's uh, life is really, really good and purposeful. So, yeah, yeah, to answer your question more directly, I think that hockey was always the purpose, but really, like when it became almost real, I didn't really want it. I just didn't know what else to do and God rescued me.
Speaker 3:That's so good. That reminds me of a question Dan brought up a couple of podcasts ago that if you got what you wanted prior to knowing what the vision would have looked like, would you have still wanted it in your life? Right? And so many of us like, oh, I wish I had this and this and this, but if God gave it to you and you wanted it, would you have liked it? And that's such a great answer to that. Um, I want to ask you about the, the steps. So six years of headaches, the concussion. You know where that led to. What was that journey like during that time where you mentioned, hockey was your thing. How did you navigate through the difficulties, the struggles, and you know what were some of the highs, what were some of the lows that you faced during that time.
Speaker 2:What were some of the highs? It's funny, yeah, I would say more lows than highs during that time. For sure. Like I remember going home a couple months after I got hurt, cause the guys were asking me every day like, hey Kleiner, you okay, how are you doing? Like eight times a day I'm telling people I don't feel good. So the coach and GM Jim Hiller was the coach who's in LA and the GM they called me and they're like we're sending you home. This is not healthy for you to be here. And I'm like, no, it's not.
Speaker 2:So I went home and I opened my Bible, which had a bunch of dust on it, and I opened it to Matthew 6. And I didn't know, like because Romans in the Old Testament or new, like I had no idea about the Bible really. But I opened up to Matthew 6 and it says do not worry. Who of you should sell or, through worry, will add an hour to your life. And so I was like, okay, I guess I don't need to worry. So there were those little moments where God showed up and he just like led me to his presence.
Speaker 2:When you ask about the highs like that, like when Mike spoke in chapel, those things I think, were really cool, getting involved, even at Ellerslie where I met you, dave, and it wasn't all because of you, but mostly that was a real high, because I got to actually have really solid, genuine friends that I had never had, with similar values. So those were highs, I suppose for sure. And then the lows were just like I didn't know what to do. I had no idea. I didn't really have childhood friends because I'd moved around so much. I'd been away from home for five years. I missed hockey, I just missed playing. I went back the next year hoping that I'd recover and I didn't, and then I had to leave knowing I'd never come back. That was a terrible moment. Never come back. That was a terrible moment. But so what happened was I went to like 18 to 20 doctors in this time and finally it was a chiropractor a NUCCA chiropractor, n-u-c-c-a and a dentist that fixed me. And so what happened was, through doing x-rays, they found that my the upper spine going into my head was out of alignment, so it was curved at the top and so I had this, basically a mouth guard that I wore for about a year and a half and it realigned my jaw and then the headaches went away and so this is crazy.
Speaker 2:A year or two after that, the headaches were now gone, but I got my blood analyzed and this lady, she's like kind of spiritual, she's not a Christian, but she was analyzing my blood through a microscope and she's like did you have trauma in your younger years? I'm like no, I had a good childhood, nothing bad happened. She kept pressing me because she's like I can see that you had a traumatic moment in your life. I'm like I don't know I traumatic moment in your life? I'm like I don't know, I can't think of anything.
Speaker 2:And then five minutes later she goes did you have a spinal injury? And I'm like, yeah, actually I did. So I told her and she says look at your blood, right here the picture of it. And there was a part of the circle of blood where blood couldn't flow and it was in the shape of how my spine was shaped when it was curved, and so she was like your injury, your spinal injury, shows up in your blood. She looks at me and she goes well, you know what they say life is in the blood. Right? I was like what on earth? This is crazy. And so she sent me now into a process of like. She recommended me getting emotional healing from what I had endured, and I didn't do what she recommended. But God did start to give me new perspectives on hockey and like his grace and stuff, and so I went back a few years later, got my blood tested. She's like man you're a lot healthier than you were before. I don't see those markings in your blood anymore Crazy hey, wow, that is wild.
Speaker 1:Speaking with athletes and working with athletes. Often traumatic experiences happen. It's just kind of the reality of life. Maybe it's a loss of a family member or an injury or something that molds and shapes their identity. You've spoken about the transformation from a hockey player and having that removed. What did the Lord do with your life for his purpose as part of that transformation, with what you do now?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the Lord led me to business and opened really cool and really clear. Leading me to business. I had little businesses, different endeavors, for about five years. And I had little businesses, different endeavors, for about five years. And then, throughout this time, though, I thought, you know, I want to start something like AA, but in the church for porn, for people who struggle with porn, because that was my big secret battle in my life, and so I thought I want to start this one day, but it'll be like when I'm 50, when I'm more established with all my businesses and stuff. And I was just about 26 and clear as anything.
Speaker 2:It was like the most powerful supernatural encounter I'd had to that point in my life. God, like, came into my room I don't know how else to describe it. The presence of God was there and he said you know what you want to start in the future? I want you to start that now. And I was like now, and I heard the words yes, now. And I said that means leaving everything in my life, changing everything in my life. And he said, yes, now. And so that was the start of leaving now business dreams behind, where I used to tell this story more. But I kind of felt like it was kind of like three strikes and you're out, and I now had two strikes where hockey had been an idol. Then I got into business. Now that became my main pursuit and the passion for the Lord kind of faltered. And so now he took me out of business. But he led me into ministry and so when I started this ministry I just started asking different leaders like, how do you start a ministry? I started learning about porn and for a while it didn't happen.
Speaker 2:Like I was preaching, speaking, led maybe one or two groups and and I didn't see much fruit, much impact, and so I was beating myself up and thinking like, oh man, God, I'm letting you down and I'm not doing enough and maybe I'm not a good leader and all these things. And I remember one morning I was speaking at a men's breakfast. This is funny, Actually I was a fill-in speaker. Last minute fill-in speaker it was February 14th, Valentine's Day, and so because it was that day, the men were able to bring their wives, but I was still single.
Speaker 2:So I'm like a single 27-year-old dude speaking to married people on Valentine's Day about the fruit that comes from intimacy, as if I'm qualified, but I was talking about fruit, primarily with the Lord, like intimacy with the Lord. And so, as I was speaking about intimacy with the Lord, I felt like God say to me do you see what I've done with you? I'm bringing you into intimacy with me. Relax on the fruit, because I've been beating myself up, I'm not seeing impact, and so do you see what I've done with you? I'm bringing you into intimacy. Relax on the fruit. It will come. And so that was really transformational in me and going okay, my identity is not wrapped up in being a hockey player and entrepreneur. It's not wrapped up in being a ministry guy. My identity is all totally wrapped up in being hidden in Christ, being one with him, and whatever he says about me is true, no matter what I see with uh regarding external fruit.
Speaker 3:That's incredible. I love hearing that because I think anybody who's listening to this, who is in the faith community, understands that concept of calling. The Lord has a word, says go, do this. And you know, sometimes the word is so strong, other times it's just a still small. You know why don't you go start this. Walk me through that process of staying obedient to it, because I know sometimes you know you might hear something and think, well, ah, the fruit's not right there, I'm just, I'm just going to give up. Right, like our pastor on the weekend talked a lot about, you know story of joseph, how you know the lord was with him constantly, even through struggle, the lord was with him. So walk me through that process, kleiner ofiner, of staying obedient to the Lord going. You know what I'm going to see this through.
Speaker 2:Yeah, early on I remember this girl saying to me and this feels awkward to say, but essentially she said to me the difference that I see between you and other people is, and we were like kind of romantically involved. That's why she was like Seeing the difference, whatever. But she's like, she's like you put feet to your dreams, and I always remember that phrase that stood out. And so I don't Always and I don't feel like I always do, but I and maybe I don't know, I think like a lot of us feel like we're inadequate and so we don't do anything. And it's based on us and if we don't see the end from the beginning, we don't even start. And I was just talking to a ministry couple today and I mean they do a lot of amazing things, but they're also scared to do certain things. And I'm just I was sharing my story like every single time I put out a retreat or a new program or whatever, like every time I'm nervous and like is God gonna show up? Are people gonna come? And it always works out and God always moves. And I think I've had to learn that a lot, in that in our obedience we don't have to see how things are gonna work out. But it will work out and God will come through. Because if he's led it and he's leading you, good things will happen. When we just take that step, like Abraham, go to the land. I will show you what's that land, where am I going, I don't know. Just take a step right. And so I think that that's really key is just not looking at what disqualifies you, but instead looking at what did god direct you in and letting that have more weight so that you do take steps. And I remember well, I have a buddy who this is not me, you're asking me but I have a buddy who's like I can't describe to you the open doors on his life, like if I were to tell you it would blow your mind. What he's doing right now is crazy and what he says he's like there's a key moment when my life started to blow up in a really good way and he's got like international influence in all these different areas of life and crazy. And he says I went to New York. I invited like 50 high-end people to come to I think it was a book launch or some event he was doing and he invited more but he had 50 RSVPs, flew to New York paid for this building. Not one person came and he was like but I did the event as if everybody was there. And when he did that event, all of a sudden everything started to roll in his life, because he was obedient and he didn't just look at how qualified he is or like the immediate fruit, he was just obedient to the open door that God provided to him, which was showing him. It wasn't about people, it was about obedience.
Speaker 2:And so early on, when I was in it would have been a little over a year, almost a year and a half after the Lord called me, I was at Resurgence, a ministry here in Edmonton and the speaker was talking about inadequacy and something else and he said whoever feels inadequate and whatever the other thing is, I want you to come forward to the altar.
Speaker 2:And so I went forward for the inadequacy part and I just felt inadequate. And I remember the Lord showed me this picture in my mind's eye and I was lying down in a ditch beside a road and he picked me up by the back of my shirt and he just carried me across along the pathway of the road. He just carried me and I've held on to that ever since it's like, even when I feel inadequate, I know the call of God on my life because I know what he said and I've held on to that ever since. It's like, even when I feel inadequate, I know the call of God on my life because I know what he said and I'm just going to take the next step and I'm just going to trust he's going to carry me and do more than I could ever do. So those things, I think, have been really key for me in obedience Not that I've been perfect whatsoever with obedience.
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely, yeah, no, definitely. I think some of the key words that you use are really important. Some of our listeners, I'm going to assume, aren't necessarily familiar with faith or what it means to believe in Christ, and there's a couple of the key terms that you've used that I'm going to help connect some of the pieces and then give you a good question here. It's going to be good. You mentioned ministry and I think for someone who is not familiar with the church might question or say well, what does he mean by ministry? And, based on how you described the work behind it, it's this stepping out in faith, even though you feel inadequate, to a calling that God has you outside of what's familiar. And where some people label ministry, they don't equate it with work. They think of work as something else and all that person's doing ministry. Well, ministry is work and actually your work should be your ministry, and so they don't tie the two together.
Speaker 1:And I love that example that you gave about that person with no one showing up, and I remember one time starting a men's Bible study in the city that we're at and we had our first prayer meeting to start it and I was the only person that showed up and I remember praying. I was like, okay, well, if I'm supposed to be here to pray, I guess I'll pray. And the next week one other person showed up and he was like kind of like, how have the prayer meetings been? I'm like, well, we like keep on increasing by like a hundred percent. We're doing really good, like our odds are like totally awesome. But I think it's that stepping out into obedience, can you give the listener just a drop of that feeling, knowing the difference between inadequacy and the joy that's found in obedience?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, inadequacy is all outward focused. It's all looking at results, compliments, rejection, criticism. It's all looking at that. The joy that comes from obedience is literally. It has to do with one being, and that's God. And I had spoken, I think, one weekend and then the next weekend, spoken maybe two, three, four times, I don't know. It was multiple.
Speaker 2:And I remember standing in my kitchen after that and thinking you know what? I have no idea how any of my messages impacted anybody and if anybody is even thinking about it. And I'm like my goal for a long time has been to preach, or like a dream not a goal necessarily, but like a dream I want to travel and preach and I enjoy it. And I was like man. If my, if my efforts were like, if my um feeling of being adequate and my joy came from knowing how people were impacted, this would be so empty and draining and exhausting and I so.
Speaker 2:I remember being in my kitchen and just going like thank you God that I got to do that, but thank you, god that you're with me here when I'm on stage, when I remember being in my kitchen and just going like thank you, god that I got to do that, but thank you, god, that you're with me here. When I'm on stage, when I'm here in my kitchen, you're with me and it was like so peaceful in that moment. And there's been multiple of those moments where God has just stripped away the thirst for compliments in order to then feel okay.
Speaker 3:So yeah, the joy, it's so much more peaceful, the joy that comes from obedience and just when you really do things for an audience of one, it's so much more peaceful well, when I think of the joy, I think it maybe rewards, right, those let's think of, maybe connect with people who this might be universal, even if people are sitting in there and they don't subscribe to the christian faith that volunteering or things like that, doing nice things for people serving the homeless you feel good about it.
Speaker 3:Well, when you talk about ministry and as young men and men overall in general, one of the most shameful, difficult things a man faces is a sex addiction, and you talked a bit about that. It's prevalent in the world and it's obviously in sport. Walk me through that journey of the, you know, connecting, or maybe this is a better way to ask it how common do you find? You know, when men are able to walk through your program, walk through that front door, because it's always that first step right and saying I struggle with this, I need help. So what's that process like? As we're men, women struggle with it too. But what's what's that process like and what does your ministry do to provide resources for them?
Speaker 2:Uh yeah, a lot of people say like women are so social and men aren't man the amount of guys that just absolutely love being in community and like in our groups and online platforms and stuff, like they love it. I remember one guy. He's like I don't know, I'm super nervous, whatever people are gonna hear my story Very early within like a few weeks. He's like this is the priority in my week. He just loved it and he is not alone. There's like guys all around the world. That's like I remember one guy waking up at two o'clock in the morning every single week because he lives in a different continent and he's just like no, I'm committed, I want to be here and like be interacting with guys.
Speaker 2:Think about it Like we all want to be loved and we all want to be known. So if there's an atmosphere and culture created where you can absolutely be fully, fully, fully known, like your darkest secrets are out, at first that sounds terrifying, but what if everybody who hears that loves you? That's like that's everything that we want At the core of our being. We want to be fully loved and fully known, and that's actually the picture of sex is being fully loved and fully known with that nakedness. So we get to provide that place for people, and one of the most common things we hear is I've never told anybody this, but then they confess a secret or secrets, and it's so beautiful, and sometimes it's illegal stuff or sometimes it's just it's it could be anything. There's some horrific stuff that people get involved in, but they get to be loved in the face of their darkest stuff being in the light, and that's really what the power is. So we have groups that meet on Zoom and everything's confidential. Of course. We have an online platform, pure Freedom Community, where guys just come in and they can get to know the ministry. It's totally free for every man over 18 to join and and really like what. And then we have one-on-one coaching. We have support for marriages that are going through, like infidelity and porn and sexual abuse is a big thing. Same sex attraction is a big thing, various sexual like dealing with escorts, and there's so many different outlets that people get involved in and we hear I don't know if we've heard it all, but we hear a lot and nothing shocks us anymore. So it's a really safe place. It's really cool and that's why we see so much transformation.
Speaker 2:Other ministries even say. They've said to me, like we don't see the transformation that you guys see, and it's because we get to the deepest deepest, like darkest secrets that people carry and then they come to light and God is able to then love them in that area of their soul. And so it's pretty remarkable what can happen If somebody's nervous to get involved. I mean, I've had people where it takes them a year or two to reach out and they always regret it Like a hundred percent of the time. They always regret it. They're like I needed this. A year ago my pride got in the way. I was scared. I realized this is not what I thought. This is actually a very loving, safe place and guys are just like I'm learning stuff I've never learned before and it changes lives. So it's definitely worth taking that step.
Speaker 1:Matt, you gave a really good invitation there. I feel like that's how your response came, just giving information, and you mentioned how people I guess, whether it's through insecurities or not comfortable about broaching the subject, even amongst people who may have the same struggles, maybe is feels like, although they're going to go to a place of acceptance and love, um, that there might still be consequences for dealing with what they're dealing with.
Speaker 2:Uh yeah, consequences are really really good things. We all think they're negative. They're not. I love consequences are really, really good. I love that.
Speaker 1:I love that because not many people are really really good. I. I love that. I love that because not many people are willing to rawly say that, but the evidence is there. Every time someone comes out of something.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, it changes your life. When you, when you face extreme consequence like guys like I, I can tell you I'm not gonna tell, to tell my wife A month later they're like I just I'm still struggling you tell your wife you ain't going back to it, man, like there's a consequence there If you're almost going to lose your marriage and you have to go through a year of restoring your marriage, you're not going back to it. And along with when you do the personal work and you get a right view on sexuality and stuff. So like the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Why would we ever fear the Lord if there's no consequences? And it's in experiencing consequences that we actually find ourselves being humble. Like when I was hiding porn, I had no fear of God, I actually feared people. I feared people's responses. When I got out of it I realized that very clearly. Romans 1 says when you're in sexual sin, or it kind of says before that. But you have futile thinking and you have a foolish, darkened heart. So whatever makes sense to you when you're in sexual sin, just take that and realize it actually doesn't make sense. All that makes sense to you in terms of why you should keep this thing secret. It's only keeping you bound. And so we can justify anything. I could justify man. I literally I never got busted, ever in my whole life with porn. I hid it always and lately I've been like what an idiot I was To think that just because people didn't find it that God couldn't find another way to bring it to light, find it that God couldn't find another way to bring it to light. But when I went through the consequences of my sin, I literally look back at it as one of the best times of my life. Was it raw? Yeah, I was like emotionally a mess. I was vulnerable. I was raw. But man, oh man, like my relationships got restored. I have a whole new relationship with God. I have an understanding of myself more than ever.
Speaker 2:Two days after I confessed porn use, god woke me up at 4.15 in the morning with three memories on my mind from sexual experiences I had as a teenager. And I, through long story short, I said like was I sexually abused? God? And when I said that my body started shaking, my voice went out. I started getting super emotional. I literally shook. My body shook for like 10 minutes on my bed. It was physically exhausting but like spiritually, I knew God was doing something and got up later in the morning I'm like weeping like crazy. I've gone through this process of dealing with that and still like crazy. I've gone through this process of dealing with that and still, like two months ago I was leading a course on a Sunday morning on our class on sexual trauma and I'm sharing my story. I started getting emotional. I'm like, oh man, there's still like emotion in there, in there, apparently.
Speaker 2:But when you, when, like neurologically let's not even go to God when, neurologically, when you speak the truth, your brain rewires to unlock things that have been hindering you in your life and to unlock memories. So, if you want to prosper in your life, know that God is keeping you safe. He is hiding you in him, he is holding you through the entire process of facing consequences and he's bringing you lower, he's humbling you so that he doesn't need to oppose you because he opposes the proud. He wants to prosper you and so many people in sexual sin feel like they're too far gone, they're beyond purpose. But when you look, when you really see it, look for references in the Bible of sexual immorality. They are almost always connected to the purpose on your life Almost always.
Speaker 2:Ephesians 5 says walk in love as a beloved child. Then it says don't even have a hint of sexual immorality in your life. 1 Thessalonians 4 says it's God's will that you be sanctified, so abstain from sexual immorality. Sanctified is like set apart, shine your light, be like Christ. Don't be like the world. So, and there's so much more so when you feel like you're too far gone, actually bringing it to light. God is going to reveal things in your life that you have never known before, because you've never let the lid off. You've kept the lid on all things. You've suppressed everything with sexual sin. You bring that to the light All of a sudden. Everything that's been hidden now comes to the surface. God starts to renew you, heal you, transform you and like, launch you into this life of purpose.
Speaker 2:And I've seen that in my life.
Speaker 2:I've seen it where I'm like preaching at a men's conference, because I remember this one event on a Saturday.
Speaker 2:I did this survey during my session and like more than half the attendees had sexual secrets and sexual shame from their past and they weren't all in current sexual sin, but like they were carrying secrets and shame.
Speaker 2:So I'm like, oh man, I changed my message for the Sunday and I just was open about my sin, my hypocrisy and my sexual abuse. And I remember a guy after was like that was weird man, nobody is that open. And but what like? That's the problem, because nobody is that open. Speakers at this event and names that, like most people know, and I remember one guy coming to me and I don't say this with pride, but I remember he said to me like I came for the big names, matt, but your talk was the most powerful, because when you're willing to be open and you're willing to be vulnerable, vulnerability is leadership and it actually launches you into purpose. So be willing to face consequences, be willing to realize you're going to go through it and you'll get through it and you'll actually come out way better, stronger and more full of purpose at the end.
Speaker 3:So powerful, so powerful. Klein, I really appreciate you, so blessed to be your friend and to be part of your journey. It's humbling, honestly. It really is genuinely being a sports podcast. We have a lot of coaches. We have a lot of general managers presidents, things like that, who listen to this show. You talked about hiding the addiction earlier in your life. Are there, I don't know necessarily telltale signs, but ways that you know a coach or GM can approach the topic, if they're, you know, might think like an athlete is just acting different. And how do you, how do you navigate? How do you, how do you approach the subject? It's so touchy and so difficult, but like if someone genuinely cares and wants to provide freedom and help in coaching in this area.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I mean I've never been in those positions as a sports coach and GM.
Speaker 3:but you're maybe even a teammate and maybe things like that, like just someone who loves a parent, or you know, just in the, in the sports world, how do you navigate?
Speaker 2:that, yeah Well, I would say, as a, as a leader, like coach or GM, you get to set. You get to set the boundaries for your room. And what I saw in my time is that too many coaches and GMs are right in there joking along with these guys and creating a culture of very, of like extreme perversion, because they're perverse themselves and you know, I mean at the NHL level. There's things that go on behind the scenes. It's like the coaches and GMs and all this stuff. It's like very, very perverse and no wonder the culture is so messed up now. They're like making an example, those hockey canada guys like they get, they get, uh, whatever, they're like they're not guilty.
Speaker 2:In the nhl it's like, oh, what they did is inappropriate. Like as if not every team has guys doing that all the time, like the reality is just because it went public. Now the nhl is like, oh, it's inappropriate. Yeah, like it's inappropriate that they all do it. But when a coach, coach and a GM realizes that it is inappropriate, you get to set the standard. You get to have meetings at the start of the year, throughout the year, that we won't make light of certain conversations. We won't like be touching each other in the shower. We won't like be making fun of people's naked bodies. Like, if you hear about your teammate cheating on their wife, you say something like that's not acceptable, because we're a team of integrity and what we do in one area of our life we do in the other, we do in the other area. So if we want to be a team where we have good influence in the community, or if we have, or we have just good work ethic, whatever, like every area of your life has to be in line with that for you to operate with the most efficiency. So I think, yeah, as a as a leader of a sports team, you get to set the standard for what is acceptable in your room. Um, cool, because you get to then be the example for the individuals and they're like well, that's different, but the way that you do it and then you can still relate to them, um, they don't then see you as like some oddball. They they're like oh, this guy is actually cool and we respect him and he has these values. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:So, um, yeah, I and like on on the teammate level, for me, I was quieter, uh, quieter.
Speaker 2:In most settings I also was by, if I can say this I was violated in a hockey dressing room, so in on that team I was more reserved and didn't enjoy my experience as much on other teams.
Speaker 2:I was more vocal and I felt more safe and I didn't really realize why at the time, but uh but. But when you are a teammate, if you see things that your teammates are doing like take a stand and I remember our trainer like not our trainer, our like dressing room attendant just be brutally picked on by guys, and I remember guys like standing up for him and everybody was like whoa, like you're taking a stand here? Yeah, because you're picking on this like helpless person that you're stronger than and like handicapped, and it's not okay. So anyways, on the teammate level, I think if you see something where you're like, ah, that ain't right, it's good to take a stand rather than just say nothing and let it happen. Because the reality is, like me and like a lot of other people, what happens in hockey dressing room dressing rooms can affect people for years and decades of their life. So it's important to clean things up in the sports world.
Speaker 1:Boy. Wow, I think we could probably have this interview go. Let's see, probably four days.
Speaker 3:Dan and I have like eight or nine more questions, but I think, from preventing it from being the longest podcast ever, I'm going to set Dan up for everybody's favorite segment. It's called Rapid Fire. We're going to throw random questions at you that have nothing to do with anything, that are going to prepare you for life that maybe people are going to remember for five to 10 years. Are you ready to go?
Speaker 1:These questions have to do with everything, dave. Everything, not nothing. They have to do with everything, everything has to do with everything.
Speaker 3:All right, Dan, batter up.
Speaker 1:All right, here we go. If you need a ride and you're using a limousine or a taxi and they would cost the exact same amount of money, which vehicle would you choose and why?
Speaker 2:Oh, I think it depends who I'm with. The first thing I picture is I'm with my wife and we get to enjoy a limousine together, because she's worth more than a limousine. That's the most I can do in that question good answer.
Speaker 3:Fun fact, I was there the night that Matt Klein met his wife. Anyway. Um, you played in the 2004 world under 17 hockey challenge, which is a company the company I work for does the streaming for Hockey Canada's events. Do you remember who led the scoring in that tournament?
Speaker 2:Oh, who led the scoring? Like Taves was there, but I feel like Taves didn't lead the scoring. We lost 3-1 in the final. Taves had two goals and an assist. Okay, I'm going to say Mitch Fadden.
Speaker 3:No, jonathan Taves. Uh, I, okay, I'm gonna say mitch fadden. No, jonathan taves, oh he did.
Speaker 1:Okay, patrick kane also played in that tournament, so he did. Yeah, kane was crazy. If you had to have a song that would play every time you entered the room, what song would you pick, and why?
Speaker 2:okay like I've lived in. I've gone to church my whole life. My wife's like let's sing, worship'm. Like I literally have no worship song in my brain, like I'm so not musical I don't even know how to answer that, sorry.
Speaker 1:Wow, turned down city.
Speaker 3:I mean rejection leads it's a path, as Matt talked about to the new pathways, right, so okay. About the new pathways, right so okay. Um, if, uh, you could describe the dave that you met in 2008 at ellerslie baptist church in edmonton.
Speaker 2:What's one thing that comes to mind? Uh, loud, rambunctious, confident, everybody's friend wow, okay super fun you.
Speaker 1:You're just grabbing, dave. I thought here. I thought you would have went to pocket protector, full head of hair, like all these other things. It was years prior to that.
Speaker 3:I don't know if he had hair, for sure. No, it was long gone.
Speaker 1:Very good. If you were to describe the color pink to someone who's blind, how would you do it?
Speaker 2:Wow, what kind of question is this? I can't project you again. It is vibrant of questions. This I can't reject you again. Um, it is uh vibrant, it is uh light, it is uh. It's dave's shirt, it's what? It's dave's shirt, it's dave's shirt, uh and uh, there's got to be one more, and it's very, very girly, very girly, very girly, yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay For a question mullet for a year, or a mustache that trails all the way down your neck, so it goes around you, but it goes all the way down your neck. Would you want a mullet?
Speaker 2:Mullet for a year hands down 100% Mullet for a year.
Speaker 1:If a benefactor gave you $75,000 cash in Canadian money so that's about like 50 bucks American to launch a business, what kind of business would you start?
Speaker 2:I would start a. Can I just throw it to the ministry? That's not exciting.
Speaker 1:Remember your ministry is your work, your work is your ministry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you can do whatever you want is your work.
Speaker 2:Your work is your ministry and you can do whatever you want with your money. I would throw it to high-end video production and promo to get the word out to change lives. Sorry, that's not fun, but that's what.
Speaker 3:I do. No, sounds fun to me. That's what I do for a living, so I love it. You and your wife have a free evening in Edmonton.
Speaker 2:There's a spot you like to go to where you guys hit. Ooh, we like riding those scooters, those scooters that are just public for anybody to ride. Just ride a rip around downtown or the river valley.
Speaker 1:That's what we'd love to do you got to travel back in time and talk to your 12 year old self self and give them a good, good, strong piece of advice. What would you tell?
Speaker 2:him. I would tell him you are awesome, know who you are in Christ, seek God above all things.
Speaker 3:And you're also very capable to do awesome things in your life. Kleiner, if somebody wants to find more information about your ministry, how can they go about?
Speaker 2:doing so? Go to restoredministriesca. That's the hub. It's got everything there. Somebody wants to find more information about your ministry? How can they go about doing so? Go to restoredministriesca. That's the hub. It's got everything there. You can find me on YouTube as well. You could find the link on the website and there's resources for men, women, courses for men and women, married people. I'll tell you, man, the Armory is the program we're building out right now. I have not seen a program more powerful than that in understanding the power of our sexual desires and how that leads to whole life transformation. Most people teach how to resist sexual sin and to save sex for marriage. Even porn ministries that's our whole goal say is resist sexual sin. And you can get out of sin and still not know the power and the purpose of your sex drive. So when you understand in the armory the power, the transformative power of your sex drive and how it literally touches every area of your life, so much power. So I can't recommend that enough for everybody to get involved in the armory.
Speaker 1:If you have a go-to favorite Bible verse what's your?
Speaker 2:verse oh man, I love. If you have a go-to favorite Bible verse, what's your verse? Oh man, I love so many. I love Zechariah 3, the whole entire chapter of Zechariah 3.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is awesome.
Speaker 3:One final question for you, klein Eric. If you want to give somebody maybe just an encouraging word that, like you know, it's all of us have had desires A lot of the components of my story have to do with sex addiction as well Can you just encourage somebody, the power in making that decision to get some help? Maybe it, maybe somebody's not taking it seriously, maybe somebody is hiding it, maybe they can't find a way to fight it right, like they've tried and tried and tried and tried but now it starts to tear their life apart. Just an encouraging word for somebody, how much of an impact it can make to finally step forward and get help.
Speaker 2:The reason we don't step forward and get help is because we're scared that people are going to find out who we are, because we think our sin defines us At the core of it. That's what it is. When you step out and you get help and you separate yourself from your sin the true you gets to come out and be revealed. Dan, I rejected you earlier and so now I've got to double up on your last question.
Speaker 2:Colossians 1.22 says that because of the cross, god in the sight of God, we are pure, blameless, holy, without blemish. Whatever the translation, that does not make any sense when we've been in sexual sin. But when you get help, you separate yourself from that sin, you live in confession, in the light, in repentance. God literally sees no blemish on you and that's why hebrews 11 11 says sarah, who laughed at god's promise, didn't believe god's promise, sent abraham to sleep with slaves. Sarah uh, it says in hebrews 11 11 believed the promise of God. That does not make sense, that she simply believed he who made the promise. No, she didn't, she laughed. She sent her husband outside marriage. But what is remembered after the cross is all of the good of what she did, and all of her garbage and her dirt is taken away from her. The reason you step out and you get help for sexual sin is so that you can finally get rid of the darkness in your life and the true you can come out.
Speaker 1:If someone's familiar with the passage in John, chapter 3, the famous verse for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, keep reading, because it talks about how he who believes is not condemned. And it talks about this like exactly how you described this freeing and in fact, he who practices truth will come into the light and that his deeds would be seen, that they've been done through God. And great, great reference to that, matt. So much scripture. Scripture is where the power is, and we have two conditions as being on the show. One is we get to have you back and maybe by that time we will have paid the full dues for Zoom, so our time limit isn't capped. But the second thing is is that, in closing, we get to pray with you. Let's pray, heavenly Father. We get to pray with you. Let's pray, heavenly Father. We come before you right now. We thank you for, matt and Lord. We thank you so much how he spoke so clearly about his identity not found in sport, but his identity being found in you, and you are the one that has given him purpose and you are the one that has given him confidence in stepping out in faith in order to serve you and, lord, thank you that he was able to speak to the joy of that, and, lord, anyone that's listening to this podcast right now. Lord, we just pray that they would just be willing to take that one step out in confidence and that they would listen to the Spirit of God calling on their life and that they would be able to experience not only the joy of forgiveness that you offer, but the joy of freedom in living for you and lord. We pray for a blessing upon matt and all that he does in jesus name, amen amen so much there, um, so powerful it's again.
Speaker 3:It's just so cool to see, dan. I love how you always bring this up. You find a way in a podcast to talk about it. Relationships, relationship is such an important part of sport, you know, and just what difficulty. I love how we talked so much about, how you know stepping out and going through the hard things, because that might be where that's going to be, where freedom comes right. Like you won't go back to it and and I you know seeing where he has now become. Like he's an international speaker. His information is readily available on international faith based platforms. There are people all across the world that are taking a small group content and men are getting healed. And it's just crazy to think back in the day 2008,. This guy I met that hey cool, you played in the dub Sweet. Well, you're one of the three guys I can talk hockey with in this church. And now stepping into obedience and what God has done. It is mind-blowing.
Speaker 1:It is, and it's just. It's so neat to see the journey and hear it right from his words, versus someone who's maybe looked into his stuff. His words versus someone who's maybe looked into his stuff. I love, though, how he talked about just the freedom that's accessible, because I think so many people playing sport assume that they're trapped in a box and that their normal can't change. Oh, they're so. Athletes are so schedule oriented that they that they fear any change is going to affect and have an impact on things, not realizing that it's like you know. Hey, I just want to point out you're literally walking around with handcuffs on, and you're a boxer, right, you know. It'll make so much of a difference in everything that you do if you're just willing to take off those handcuffs, and Matt just gave a great picture of that throughout the whole interview.
Speaker 3:I remember having this conversation with a guy 15 years ago, talked about um, you know, he wasn't, he didn't believe in in the faith life, and so we were just talking about athletes and you know pornography. And he said, well, if you, if you motivate an athlete and he's involved in sport and doing this and he's disciplined and a high level athlete to be disciplined he shouldn't have any of those struggles. And I said, okay, what happens? If you know the family goes to bed at midnight, he's waking up and he's looking at porn on the computer. Well, that wouldn't happen. It does Like, if he's motivated, if he's challenged, if he's living the highest level and he's eating well, you know, he's getting enough sleep, he's reading all the self-help books, he's got good relationships. And I said, but what if he still wakes up at midnight and he's looking at porn?
Speaker 1:Yeah and it's not yeah, and that's exactly it. I love it. I love it, dave. What do you do? And so many people don't have that answer. And I think, as part of this whole podcast, we want to provide people not only that have had experiences but know the answers, because I think so many people are just trapped, like if I only knew someone that I could talk to or had a resource or had something that would help me deal with something, whether it's sexual sin or anything, and the answer is a relationship with Christ. But when I have that, what do I do to live? And God's given us this wonderful manual, his word, but he's given us people that have lived through experience and understanding of that word on how to use it to live through everyday things as a human, and I think that's the perspective that we want to give here in this podcast.
Speaker 3:Gospel in the game. Apply the gospel to sport. That is the stories we're telling, whether it's a guy who, as you mentioned off the top of the show, only played 92 games in the Western league. Or it could be somebody who's a pro athlete or still playing and overseas, or even an amateur athlete. How to apply the gospel and apply it to sport. Love this show. Love to hear your feedback as well. You can reach out to us if you heard something and you want to hear more, or maybe you have some information or a guest you want to. You want to hear in the future, or we just love to hear from you for downloading this and if this impacted your life. Follow us we're all podcasts or download us we're all podcasts are found and subscribe to us there. Check us out on Instagram. We're on X and Twitter, but we're primarily Instagram is where we do most of our chugging.
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