S2.E6 - Touched by God

In this episode we discuss the England vs Panama game and what it's like to be touched by God Almighty.

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Thank you and as always, praise Jesus. 

Transcript

Intro & David Dam

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Yeah, howdy folks, and good morning. Well, it's morning where I am. Here in Australia. Mostly sunny Australia. It's the morning of the twenty-eighth of June. In the year of our Lord 2026. England have just defeated Panama, 2-0. Good game, I thought, and I think it's exactly what we needed. And I'll come to that in today's breakdown. But firstly, we're gonna play a song by David Dam, and it's called Never Be the Same.

Never the same

SPEAKER_02 3:39

He is, of course, singing about how when you're touched by God, you touch by His grace. You're never the same. And I am a a living witness, I'm a living stone in God's kingdom. I'm one of his people, he's my God, he's touched me many times. I'm very thankful for those touches. It's not like, you know, so did someone touch you, it's like, well, if it's God, honestly, guys, it's it's absolutely fine for him to lay his hands on you, and that's something I would pray for is that he lays his hands on you. He can lay his hands on you through his people. If you go to a church that's orientated that way, they'll put put the hands on you and pray for you. Magical things happen. I use the word magical, not magic with a K, not white white witchcraft, black magic. I just say magical as in it's wonderful and amazing and it's supernatural. And it's straight from God, straight from his throne room. His hand comes down here and touches you, and it's a wonderful thing. You've been touched by Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, God Himself, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And I I lift up his name as much as I possibly can because A, because he is who he is, and that's it's totally deserved and warranted. And also when I do it, it feels amazing to do it. It feels amazing to talk about him, to speak his name, to declare his name, to lift his name up, and to proclaim his goodness and his mercy and his grace. And yeah, if you're someone that knows that, you'll be, you know, hallelujah, and praise God that you are also you've been chosen before the foundations of the earth to be in his family, to be reconciled to him at an appointed time in your journey. And despite the numerous and many attempts of the enemy, they cannot stop God's love, his hand penetrating through anything in his way to find his children and to bring them home to him. Isaiah 14 27 says, No power of darkness can stop what God has ordained. And so if God has ordained it, that means it ain't that means it's happening, folks, that means it ain't getting stopped. One way or another it's going to happen. So praise Jesus for that and praise God Almighty, the one true living

My niche in football

SPEAKER_02 5:50

God. I was asked the question earlier, what's your niche in football? What's my niche in football? I can't say I can absolutely bullseye it yet, but pardon me. It's definitely something to do with helping athletes, the men of God, achieve greatness in the name of Jesus Christ. Taste greatness, achieve greatness, become all they can be in Christ Jesus. Because it's one thing to know him, it's one thing to be to know him, to be reconciled to him, and it's another to to reach forward for the reach to reach to keep going and pushing forward for the upward prize, as Paul said, and much more eloquent eloquently eloquently than me. And it's about that. It's about to keep reaching forward, to keep striving for for greatness in his name, for for for glory, for his glory. And we'll come to that as we get through this podcast. So this podcast is episode six, season two of Football Eterno. The greatest podcast the world has never seen. But actually, that title Unbeknownst to Me might ring true because it might just be people that are Christians or who become Christians and entering the kingdom that listen to this. Fine with me in the in a in a great way, it is it is for who it's for. I I love making them and I enjoy them. Communication is in my wheelhouse, and so is speaking and talking, and and so is declaring his name. And so here we are, it's this interesting combination where I get to talk about God and Jesus, I get to talk about football, which I absolutely love. And um this podcast somewhat uniquely combines

Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rio & Rivaldo

SPEAKER_02 7:32

them both. This episode is called Touched by God, and so I was watching well, actually, I'll start with I watched a interview with on Crouchy's podcast Pardon me with Rio Ferdinand, uh clip on Instagram, and he talked about when England played Brazil, when Rio played against Brazil Ronaldo, Ravaldo, Ronaldinho, you know, those boys. Just a whole different kettle of fish, isn't it? You know, greatness. Just greatness there. And he was talking about Rivaldo was the best player on the pitch by a country mile at that and in that game, and how Ronaldo basically laid a ball off, went to run in behind, checked back, got the ball, made space for a shot, scuffed it, but basically Rio was like, right, hang on a minute here. Something else is going on here. And as I was listening to that, just the truth of basically what that was came to me, which was it just touched by God, those boys. And touched by God. And that's that's the that's that extra bit where you go, what level are these boys on? Like, where's that come from? It's just come from God, they're just touched by God. Now you can say, Well, is every top player touched by God? No. In some ways, yes,

Divine Creation

SPEAKER_02 8:57

because where does your body come from? Where does your brain, your mind, your eyes, your arms, your legs, right? So everything was made through by Jesus. God the Father, God the Son, the Holy Spirit are together, working together because it's one God, working together to create. The Spirit hovers over the deep, is a is uh analogous of the spirit involved in creation, forming things, and the Bible tells us that the Father also creates. And I've got that here actually. Deuteronomy 32, six, is is it not your father who created you? And the Son also creates. John 1 1, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were created through him. And so in Job 33, 4, the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. His his ruark, his breath, is what animates us, guys. And so Imagine a doll on the floor, lifeless, you know, toy story, right? So what's animal what's put what's that life that comes into those toys in Toy Story, right? Because you you're formed, it

You are God breathed

SPEAKER_02 10:20

tells us in Genesis 2.7, God formed man, mankind from the dust of the earth, and then he breathed breathed life into its nostrils, and man became a living soul. And so the fact people talk where's consciousness comes from? Where's this consciousness comes from God? Life, life force energy. You're you, you're like, hello, I'm me, I'm alive. I know I'm alive. Where's that come from? That's God breathed. That's God breathed. You are God breathed. Because you're a living soul, you have a body, but you are much more than that, guys. You're a living soul animated by your mighty creator. A wonderful thing which can you can meditate and ponder upon that for a long time. I certainly can. Just the wonder of your existence, the wonder of existence itself, of course, is created by God. I've mentioned this before, but God makes Himself known through the things that were made through creation itself, just screams a creator. Screams a creator, guys. Nothing is never made nothing. So something has never come from absolutely nothing. So just you know, that's that's just how that is, guys. Just that's just how that is. Praise Jesus. And so, of course, everyone's been touched by God, been created by God, and then there's I want to say levels to it, there's levels to it in terms of what God, let's say, has anointed you with andor called what Corey has on your life, and what essentially what he wants to achieve through your existence in one way or another. You might be a fabulous mother, you might um be wonderful at holding groups together and holding people together and bringing people together that we've all got these um there's so many gifts and talents that exist, because just look at also look at life and creation itself, what mankind has been able to do and I and I I section off and circle for good. Of course, with that, with the talents and the power, let's say, then depends on the heart, depends on the the being and what their intentions are, because of course things can be used for bad. You can drive a c you can drive an ac drive someone to hospital with an ambulance, and you can drive a car through a shop window and steal everything. And so, and the difference, of course, there is the essentially the the driving force and what that's all about, and so yeah.

R9

SPEAKER_02 12:55

For me, and I mentioned this in another podcast, but it was interesting to circle back on it. When I watched R9, part of the reason why I was so taken aback and just wanted to watch him on the pitch, like looking at it now, he was just touched by God, and so what I was witnessing essentially was if you like, was God all around a football player and a man on a football pitch that um the spectacle, an absolute spectacle to watch on another level, just a completely another level. Hardworking professionals with amazing skills and talents, and then someone and someone just on an absolute, completely different level. You look at Michael Jackson and like you know, say singing, obviously does more than that, right? But touched by God, guys, that's like that's what he's got. It's a God-given gift, and there it is. And so in that sense, these these gifts and these talents actually glorify the creator because when we know where they come from, and it's really important, guys, that the the people all of us to understand that we've all got unique gifts and talents, but I'm talking about football here. When you when you bring them back to the creator and say, Well, thank you, Lord, for these, you know, and this can be thank you, Lord, for my existence, thank you, Lord, for eyes to see if you've been because it's not everyone can see, and so and and I don't want to get into this make a gratitude list to you know you shouldn't feel like you've got any problems. The Bible doesn't say that. The Bible says we will experience trials and tribulations, everybody will, and so that's how it goes, and so it's not about you know gaslighting yourself out of funk, it's more about there's a time for everything, and and when that's the recognition, that recognition and revelation sweeps into your life andor sweeps back into your life, catch that wave, guys, because it will take you places, it will take you places, and and often that gratitude. I've had my ups and downs in life challenges, trials and tribulations. I'm sure you have. If you haven't yet, stick around, keep going, and and you will have them, and there's reasons for them. There's reasons for them, praise God, thank you, Jesus. Imagine if there wasn't, guys, where would that leave us? Every suffering and pain and difficulties and challenge was pointless. Imagine that. What a dark, lifeless, horrible place to be, a vacuum of uh an empty void and vacuumness of nothing, of nothingness. And thank God that God exists and he and and he has the answers that we seek to everything. He his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts, guys. As we as we perch up and and reach out to him and seek him and call upon his name and and and ask him to lift us up to his throne room and take him into his to spaces and places where he exists and belongs, then we can see things from a more elevated viewpoint.

The Glory zone

SPEAKER_02 16:05

And I thank the Lord that I've been given an ability to kind of yes, swim with I I call it like swimming in Christ. It's like if I if I keep going sometimes and I persevere and I keep going in my seeking of him and my calling out to him, I kind of I have some sort of breakthrough where I go through some sort of like membrane and semi-permeable membrane where it's like whatever, whatever, wherever I've been when I'm when I'm before I've been seeking him, and then I I punch through and I'm like and I'm just in like I call it the glory zone basically. I'm in his throne room and I'm like, ooh, this is nice here, it's a lot better than where I was. I'm in the same living room, but I'm not. I'm not. I'm in I'm somewhere else, and so I thank the Lord for for his work in my life and all the things that he's given me, and he's the things that he says to me and he does for me, and he speaks over me and speaks into me, and and how his love can find its way into the depths of my souls and the fibres of my being. Doing my best to put words to these things, but kind of happens as I speak. So there's something to do with speaking it and saying it as as to to experience it, and then as you experience it, you're able to then articulate it more and more as well. That's essentially what David is doing, King David is doing in the Psalms in many ways. It's calling out to God. A lot of the Psalms start with like, oh, this is terrible, la la la, and then they switch. Why do they switch? Well, because he's made contact with God. He's made contact with God and he's reminded, God reminds him of his goodness, of his all the things that he's done for David, for for the Israelites, for God's people, you know, for his children, all this kind of stuff. He's reminded of his faithfulness, of his power, of his mercy, of his grace, of his protection, of who he is, all the things that define him who he is, our ways to know him. And so what we've got in the England team, praise God, is Jude Bellingham. And Jude Bellingham is touched by God. And that's just how it is. That's just how it is. And so he has, he's been, he has it, he's been elevated. Yes, of course, he's worked hard, but he's making the most of his God-given talents. And you could even go as far as to say, which wouldn't be a mighty stretch at all, some of his hard work and his perseverance and his dedication ultimately comes from God himself. Because he might say, Well, it came from my dad, actually. And it's like, well, where did your dad get that from? And it came from this life. And even if you you haven't got Christians in generations, keep going. You might hit one somewhere. You might hit one somewhere, and so God is God's wavered into your life because he because of creating existence, so that uh you can't really it's inescapable, like he made everything, and so there you go. And he's waving himself into your probably your family line generationally at some point, and if he isn't in your life now, he wants to get back in. He wants to bring you into his kingdom, so your you, your name, your family, your house can find its place in his kingdom. In his kingdom. And G. Bellingham I pray that he would if he doesn't already, that he would know Christ. I haven't heard him talk about Jesus. And so don't know, don't know. Pray that he does because the profile and the platform that he has is one that would be would be great for him to to let everybody know what's going on. So he might not know himself, of course. And so, firstly, that would be a wonderful thing for Jude to have the revelation of Jesus Christ in his life, because there's nothing better, first and foremost. And it doesn't it's it's it makes everything else in your life find its place, whether football has its place, all this other stuff, because God has his place, that's the single greatest thing uh in your in your life, the treasure beyond all treasures. And again, if you don't have that, you don't know that to be true in your life. Um I pray that it will come true, and if you seek him, know that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that seek him. That's what his word says. So he says it, and so he's he's letting us know that know that he is and he is a rewarder of those that seek him. And if you turn to him in faith and repentance, turn back to him, turn to him with your soul and your heart, your mind, your body, your spirit, your strength. Call out to him, by Jove, will you meet him? I'll tell you that much. And yeah, that's what we're seeing today, and so that's what we saw today in the Panama game. It's just absolutely mint at football. He's just mint at football, he's been touched by God, he's been given a grace in that area of his life. I mean, I I like to say, imagine when he's 28 or like 32, he'd be just it's like a thoroughbred horse. Gallops around, slide tackles, picks the ball up, lollipop, cross goal, here, there, everywhere, tracks back. I mean, it's it's insane. What I like when I saw it was I could just see that if you had if you could put on spirit realm glasses, he would just be illuminated. Like zing! God's hand is on him, his God's hand is on his life, and his hand is upon his hand's upon him. So just m you know, it's almost like he's moving him around the football pitch like a chessboard, if you will. Which is interesting. Now he'll just be like the uh I'm gonna reach

What it's like

SPEAKER_02 21:55

into what it's I'm gonna reach into it because I've experienced that on the football pitch. Myself not at that level, but I have experienced it. I've experienced I've experienced it. And so it's fine to for me to just talk about it because essentially that's what I'm supposed to share what I know and um and my experiences and put words to it. So I I yeah, I found football at nine. I played rugby union for a bit, and my school had a football trial, can't really remember what happened. My mum bought me in Man United top sharp view cam. And I had my first training session with my rugby boots on, left footed, stuck out of left back. Can't really remember it. It was a grey stokes primary school, but obviously enjoyed it. Kept going with it and um yeah, loved it, took to it, took to it really well. My dad was a bit of a sport billy, cricket, tennis guy. He just was someone that basically seemed to find most things easy that he tried really, could do most things, my dad. And so I had that as an example of like life seems like pretty easy, like yeah, like my dad just could do loads of stuff, he was an electrical engineer, fix stuff around the house, run marathons, fit as a fiddle, smart bloke, everyone liked it. Just nice, like just I was like, right, okay, fair enough, pretty good, uh pretty good reference point. And then I started having some of those experiences myself in terms of um yeah, sports, school, things were just you know, didn't really didn't necessarily struggle, didn't struggle grasping things. I struggled in other areas which I may come to, I'm not sure. So look at my bullet points. Um but yeah, I um I found a freedom and an enjoyment certainly on the football pitch where I could where I could express myself, I could express myself on the football pitch, and I had moments where I was like that was pretty mint. So as an example, yeah, probably first example was Pingston. I was playing

My journey in football

SPEAKER_02 23:55

for my school, my high school, and I think I just I think it was my one of my first games in an older team, can't really remember, anyway. I scored like a scissor overhead scissor kick from the edge of the box from the edge of the box, yeah. Cutting a corner pinged in, you know, just playing on one of those, I don't know, just uh slanted pitch, you know what I mean? But anyway, I just caught it sweet as a nut. I can't really remember doing that before, and I don't really remember it seeing it fly in because I was on the floor, but yeah, I just it just came to me and I just thought I didn't really think, I just did it instinctively, went in and I was like, yeah, right. And so people were like, mate, that was and I was like, Yeah, okay, cool. Um, but I I would say I didn't really do that, like it's not something I was I I had to work on, I just did it. So it's not I couldn't really take too much ownership of it, other than like, yeah, fair enough. Happy days. And so what Jude will have is obviously like certain things you can just do them, like it's just like I don't know, just do it. I remember like um, you know, and I know I obviously hard work Steph Curry, Jordan, I get all that, like they're making the most of the talents they've got. Like, amen to that, of course. Amen to that, and some things they can just do, the natural gift things, right? And so Jude will have that, feels very confident, knows he can just do stuff, it's growing into his growing into his he's growing into his manhood, his body, his physicality, it's just it's just been more and more commanding on the pitch. And so that's what's happening in his life. And yeah, he can just do stuff. He's one of those where it's like when I kind of found my level and my rhythm in a team, I was like, just you know, I was a bit like just give me the ball. Like I had a it was one of those where I thought, well, if I have it, I can make something happen, we can do something, we'll get a goal. Like I was always extremely confident that if we just keep going, try this, we'll get it, we'll get a goal. I must have had a number of reinforcing experiences early on that spoke well to that. So yeah, I was I was I was yeah, and I it in it for some reason I didn't like the big stage, I didn't like too much attention, and part of that was other stuff. Wasn't always super confident in general. I had to work on that. That's something I had to work on in my life and just keep putting myself in uncomfortable situations to keep going where and just um get get past it and get through it and move on. Which is which is which is done, and you actually feel a bit better about that because you know you you know something's more difficult, so you feel a bit more it can be more of a confidence boost to do things that are difficult and prove that to yourself. Whereas in some areas of the natural gifting, it's more like what do I do with that? Because there it is. I remember I got called up to play for like I don't know, region South Leicester schools, I think. North Leicester, I can't remember one of the two. One of the two. Anyway, I didn't I think I didn't go to the trials, I didn't really want to go. Maybe I was a bit nervous, I didn't really think it was that big of a big deal. My parents weren't super like, they weren't like pushy mum and dad like going to the they were it wasn't really something they were across. They were just like, yeah, do whatever you want, really, which had benefits and also anyway, there's always there's always there's always a trade-off. There's always when one thing's one way, it's not another, right? When the tap's heart's not cold, and that's just that's life, that's how it goes. Not an excuse, I'm just reflecting back. But yeah, I basically didn't go to the trial, I don't think. And then he called me out of my class and he pinned me up against the wall and was like, How dare you? Yeah, it's kind of like a how dare you, and I mean I was only a kid, I think I was like maybe 12, 13. Very shocking and surprising at the time, and no no no hard feelings, of course, Mr. Henson. And uh probably understand a bit where you're coming from, a little bit. Um, but it was basically like you're wasting your talent, like you've been called up, you've got to represent the school, yourself, your family, like what are you doing? And I was probably what he didn't realise was like, I've no idea what you're talking about, mate. As in, like, I've literally got no idea what you're talking about. Like, no one's no one's sat me down and explained anything to you, mate. I'm just kind of having a crack of life here, and I didn't feel like going. And so, probably more nervous than anything. But anyway, anyway, I I got to like a decent level where I had like you know, some players, people around me were getting scouted and going going to going to clubs, academies and stuff like that. Remember playing with this guy, I just mentioned him I played with him at Ludworth, and also I think South Leicester. Mark English, great player. I think he went to Coventry in the end, played signed for Coventry. He he on a football pitch was like probably actually, I think about what's the best player of best players I've played with on a pitch. He had that like at next level, just was on an and again it's it's and I've played with some really good players that have been pros. I played with a guy that got released by Bara Levicus and German Roy. He was decent. He was decent. A lot of that was probably more so training than natural ability. Remember as an example, we played in a uni game and he passed the ball to me, and we we both kind of stopped where I was like, Ah, I realised I wasn't there in the position, I didn't make that run, but he was like, Ah, where I'm from, that's a normal pattern of play. I hadn't been educated at that level consistently enough. But I kind of we looked at each other and I spotted it and was like, Yeah, no. As soon as he played the pass, I was like, Yeah, gotcha. I wasn't I wasn't there, I just was like, Yeah, no, yeah, okay, all right. Anyway, he in the end he just um would take like seven players on and score himself, which got a little bit team wolf, but at the end of the day, he just was dropping down quite a few levels. But yeah, I know what it's like to do things in a game or or experience that you've done something in a game which just kind of blows you away. What you do with that is different, obviously. Those guys at that level keep going with it, but you've got to make room for that in your team, and that's one of my concerns with overcoaching and tactical stuff, is like you if it's about the let's say you you let you got an amazing coach, right? And then it's like okay, but what's it about? What's it about? Well, okay, we're trying to win games, tralala. For me personally, I like to leave room for for that, for like God's anointed to just like shine and do your thing. Yes, they need coaching to get there, and they've got all that stuff, but it's it's important for me to strike a balance because that's when I think you'll see the greatest teams. Great players like that, they they will know they'll know what they're doing. They'll just know what they're doing, and some of the best teams just let them go out there and do it. And those Brazil teams, what they had was just like just you know, yes, you've got to get a lot of stuff right, you need you need the right balance, you need the right mix, and you also need to just give them space and and pray for them and send them on the way. Look at Ronaldo's life in terms of those two knee injuries are nine by the way, in terms of his two knee injuries, right? Bust his knee, he's out for a year. Now, not many know this, some of you will. On his first game back, after a year out, he does a he does a move and he does the knee again, and so then he's out for another year. And so imagine this, right? Massive knee injury, you told you know, I don't know if you play again, mate. You think you're 22, maybe 23, you wouldn't you won World Player of the Year a few times. You're literally just on another planet in world football at the time. Maradona, obviously, same thing, just you know, you'd say touch by a guy, but I didn't see him enough to to to witness the anointing if you're like I did with R9 and I see in G Bellingham. And yeah, R9. He and I remember in a documentary and interview after they won the World Cup and he got that, you know, the Topo Germany, all that stuff. I mean, even with that, these thyroids, these fit like look at like you give that to some other player, and they're not uh they're nowhere near, you know what I mean, and like but he's still he's it's still that that gift in that anointing just shines through that because he's just insane, you know what I mean? That's what it that's what's going on there. And and yeah, and yeah, he said, you know, how good is God it was that he could take him through all that and then still give him, you know, gave him basically God gave him a World Cup. Praise Jesus. And uh you know, it's wonderful when you get those testimonies. It's wonderful when you get those testimonies.

Life training - data, psychology & God

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Alright, next point here's life training. Data plus psychology plus God. I basically listened to a guy called what's his name now. A Christian I call him Dave, a Christian who God took on an amazing journey where he took his business from two million before before he knew God, he couldn't get a business past two million, which is still decent, right? Because that was his that was his earth that was his human that's as far as he could get things in his own strength. After he came to know the Lord, his business, the group of businesses that he was stewarding for the Lord went to seven billion. Seven billion dollars. I think the Lord's um has passed it on to someone else now because again it doesn't belong to him, everything belongs to the Lord. But he's got an amazing testimony about how the Lord did that and worked in his life and met the guy. Amazing testimony. But he was talking about how your life trainer, he was an SAS, he's an SAS Special Forces, got a very interesting take on first century Palestine and Jesus' day and what's going on on the ground, because he knows how to analyse what's going on on the ground, different people, different groups, their intentions, what's going on, the political climate, economic climate, you've got to study these things anyway. Very interesting bloke and uh interesting lens on things, and the Lord's used him mightily, and I pray that he obviously will continue to do so. And Dave Hodgson is his name. Dave Hodgson. And he talked about because a lot of people want to know. I'm like, well, a lot of people do want to know that the the calling, why am I here? What's my what's my main purpose mission? What what am I what am I called to do in life? That's whether you know whether you're a Christian or not, I had that before and I haven't had it in the kingdom. I'm like, right now, Lord, I know you now, so right, okay, let's get with obviously it's my life mission has got something to do with you, my actual proper one. And so, what is it about? But Dave Hodgson would point us to training in life, and so my training in many ways it helps me as a coach and a pi and a developer of people because I'm able to by God's grace, of course, and his will, create incubators, containers of incubatory spaces for people to grow and learn. And I don't give up in in the sense that I'm a constantly available, the Lord gives me strength and grace and power and answers and solutions to find the solution to help somebody achieve their goal. That can be my son saying, I want to catch a ball with my left hand for the first time today and experience that breakthrough. So when you see that, and the Lord's grace me to be able to see that in my son where I'm particularly invested in his development, as you can, obviously, as you would be as a parent. But for me, it's like we always set up some kind of game or we gamify things where it's like, okay, you know, if you're throwing a ball, anyway, that's just how I did that's I used to do that myself, and that's how that's how we do things, so we can experience success, right? You might modify it, change. I'm not gonna cobberball it in full work, you know, like um one of the West Indies um fast bowlers, but you set it up so we can experience success, you close the distance. I mean, it's very obviously very I'd imagine it obvious example, but you can take that to another level where it's like I don't know, Steph Curry's like, I want to get I want to get 20 free free throws in a row on one foot and a blind. You've got to find the next level to stretch and growth, right? You uh growth occurs at the border of support and challenge, and so I'll work with someone to find that as long as they're in as they're they want to do it and keep going. That's a goal that they're they're passionate and and moved about. So first you've got to find that what is it that you're really motivated to achieve and go big, you've got to reach reach for greatness, right? What is that? And then okay, then what's next? Because it's kind of you want to you want to blow yourself out of the water with it a little bit because you've got to move into a new pocket of existence, basically. You've got to you've got to go beyond where you've been before, right? You've got to chart new territory. And so, no matter where you're at and what you've achieved, if you want to chart new territory, then it's gonna you're gonna have to call upon a lot of things to get there right for God's glory. So, for example, with Novat Djokovic, I would challenge him and say, Do you want to hold all four Grand Slums again before you finish? Now, uh I would dig in that would be like that kind of challenge for me would be that would get me going because that's the the extent to which you'd have to you know what I mean, like you'd have to call on the Lord enormously that to get you need so much to get there, but that's where the like that's where the real that's where the glory of the Lord lives for athletes and performers. That's where it lives. And they might have taken you might have tasted it enough and it might be God will say, look, now's the time, and and there is a time, but when is that time? And and you know, is it is it you know what I mean? That kind of stuff is where I would interface. That's one of my unique that's one of my unique giftings, and part of that is my training from my childhood and some of my experiences with people around me, where I learnt to do that in a very dynamic, like you have to think on the spot, a very dynamic environment where you catering for somebody that you love dearly and you care for, and you you're reaching into the intelligent God-given intelligence that you've been given to be creative and adaptive on the spot. If I do that, and plus I now know God, then my my the resources available are are limitless because it's good because you're bringing God into the equation, it's really just about what God wants to do through you, and then away we go. And so that's part of my life training. God's given me one of and I do this process called the Wheels

The wheels of Ezekiel

SPEAKER_02 38:25

of Ezekiel, which I will reference. So, from a professional perspective, I do this process, my signature dish called the wheels of Ezekiel. I have a separate video about it, but it's basically a kingdom version of the Ikigai wheel, the Japanese concept, where we answer all those questions with you, for you, uh, with God, and we land that and it and it's like a life map for your life in terms of your mission, your passion, your vision, your mission, passion, vocation and profession, but we we dig into like God's vision for your life, and it's super powerful anyway, just referencing that because that's something that I do, and I also do that through I do that through kingdom consulting, and also do it through an advent called La Leons, which is athletes and men of God. And so I work with athletes and men of God, and um someone might say, I'm not sure if I'm men of God, men of God. Yeah, what does that mean? Anyway, all will be explained and revealed, but these are some of the um the prisms and the uh the vehicles for which God wishes to be glorified through my life, so praise Jesus for that. There's a long time coming, I praise Jesus for that, and all in his time, of course. And so, yeah, the psychology side of it I like because God's given me an interest, she's given me an interest in psychology and and the study of human behaviour. Fascinated by that ever since I came across some evolutionary psychology work, which I don't necessarily use now, but it's uh sparked my interest and my passion for psychology in my own life and then also um pouring outwards to help others. And yeah, I think the in my Wheel of Ezekiel, my Ikigai wheel, my gifting one of my one of my natural giftings, if you like, is to is to gather and communicate information. That was that was I could see that through my degree. I chose information management. Not sure why I chose that, but I can see God at work in my life there. Management of data, data, information, knowledge, wisdom. How do we make how do we to how do we reach wisdom in a particular area where you need data and tell the whole story, but you if you don't you can't manage what you don't measure, put that to good use in my life, personally and professionally. If I ever actually want to, you know, get down to a certain weight, I'm just gonna count my count my calories, guys, and just do it scientifically. It works. That's how it works. And so I've got a unique I've got a passion for data and psychology, plus to bring in now the kingdom of God and my growing and increasing relationship with Him and my thirst for football, my thirst and my passion for football, which I say kept me alive. But in in my childhood growing up, football for me was this I just love galloping around a pitch. I know what it's like to I know what it's like to run around a football pitch and and feel like you've got you, you know, to feel like you've got something to offer on that on a football pitch. And tennis to an extent, I enjoyed tennis a lot. I was pretty good at tennis, it was alright, but I did my my I'd say my heart pour down the soccer pitch, I just loved it. I loved you know the slides, you know, just everything you could do on there, it was amazing. It's such a uh just to feel like I felt like a horse that's just been let out of a stable and just off he gallops, like I just loved it anyway. Praise Jesus. So England

England vs Panama & The tale of the tape

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Panama, the tail of the tape. Let's get to this. So 2-0, tail of the tape. So top stats. England 67% possession, Panama 33, 17 shots in total. Panama 13. I mean, they had a much better crack than Ghana. They impressed Panama. I enjoyed watching them, well done to them. That was a really good game, actually. They did really well. They went for it, and it sounds it might sound a bit patronizing. I'm not I'm not intending to be, I'm just saying they just they were they um they impressed. I mean, I think we thumped them 6-1 in a previous tournament somewhere, um something like that. So, yeah, they did really well. I mean, they had they had a lot of decent chances. I mean it says here they're well, so many big chances, but they had some moments, didn't they? Shots one or you know, they were they were knocking on the door, they had the they had the chances, so I was I was really impressed by them actually. And England did really well again nil all half time. You think, oh, that's not you know, you can imagine Kanya after the Garner game. Stayed patient, got the goal, big relief, uh bit more free, got a second goal, clean sheet. I thought the defence were was excellent. Yes, Panama had some chances, but we were committing a lot of men forward, and uh I thought the defence was excellent for those of you can't say it was top notch. Just I thought the defence Anderson was great at winning the ball back. We won the ball back really well was my impression. So six shots on target, 39 touches in the opposition box. Considerable 492 passes, 88% passing accuracy, as opposed to Panama's 201 accurate passes, 75% accurate passes. So, yeah, 17 shots England had eight shots off target, six shots on target, three blocked shots, twelve shots inside the box. So we're getting into those dangerous positions. Again, nothing wrong with shooting outside the box. I've seen a few goals from outside the box, hallelujah. Can't remember one tournament it was, might be Euros or a World Cup where there's basically like loads of tappings inside the six-yard box, and people were like, Oh, this is the new way. It's like that's it's just one, it's just one way, guys. One way one way to win. Um Yeah, that's the tail of the tape. So that was what we saw in the game. I I thought it's just what we needed. I said before it's just what we needed. So why do I say that? Well if we won the group, win draw, win, two goals, clean sheet, some good performances. A lot of players got uh blooded in the game, first game. Ollie Watkins came on, Henderson. You know, just it's good for the group. So it's good to get people on the pitch feel it. You do feel more part of it. And who knows what happened. Look at I can't remember his name now. Hold on. I was gonna say I I thought I was gonna say concer again. Quonser. If I've said that wrong, apologies. Sorry, mate. Getting injured, I mean that's one of those where you go blimey, what's going on here? But there we go. But Jed Spence came on, so I think we'll be alright there. Jed Spence right back. Works for mate. He's got so much gas. So is Manwake. I mean, I love him on the pitch. He's got so much gas, I just feel like and he's got it, obviously got it in him, but he's he's finishing and he's passing, like he's got so much gas. Sometimes you want to just balance it out a bit. But it's lightning quick, he stretches the game so much, and he will get he will continue to get better because he's he knows the Lord and he's working on it. Yeah, Harry Kane gets another goal, Jude. I mean, just there you go, in it. Like, what do you say? You know, just gets the goal, gets the assist, just mint, and so I'm really happy for him. He's just shining through the tournament. Harry Kane again gets his goal. I would say with Harry, well, the first time, and I was as an England fan, you watch it, you can get a bit frustrated yourself a bit. Obviously, he drop deep again. Every time he drops deep, he looks for an outrageous ping and a worldly pass, doesn't he? Just like he looks for it so much. He can just like come do that and pop it off, actually. Like, don't have to do that every time. I hope that doesn't become a bit too predictable. And obviously, I hope he does he does drop deep the next game and thread one through. When you see someone that you see highlights real, you think obviously it just works every time, it's not the case of his games in Bayern. But obviously, when the opponents are playing a high line and he pings one through to a runner like a Manweke or someone else running through, then it's an incisive pass that breaks through the back line, right? Obviously, if they're sitting deep and he ping he's just pinging one around. Anyway, I don't mind it so much, but you know, anyway, they work it out, they know what they're doing. So, yeah, I mean I was partly thinking I was partly thinking like just I did this moment

Chill & go and play

SPEAKER_02 46:55

of context where I was like, you know what? When we go and do that 2-0, I get revved up again, because they've given me something they've given us something to get revved up about again because they've scored two goals, and we but it was we were it was starting to wane a bit, and that's how it works, guys. You've got to in at the end of the day, you've got to you've gotta there's no point running after there's no point lionesses don't run after antelope and then tackle them and then just sit around. You've got to you've got to you've got to get the kill, you know what I mean? You gotta you've gotta go for the jugular and and and get the kill and eat your food. Like you've that's there's nothing you can't beat you can say anything, do all the all the training, you can talk all you like, but bringing home the bacon, do you know what I mean? Getting the kill, getting the deal, making the sale, all that stuff right. You can't beat it. You can't get anything like near you can't beat that. And and if you want to win, that's what the winners do, they get it done. And um that killer instinct, if you like. People talk about it in boxing to an extent, you've got to have that killer instinct. It's just how it is, and it's that's how it is in sports and competition, right? And so again, you can do you can you can be super humble, love the Lord, and you can be and you can respectful of your opponents and and just respect your opponents greatly by just putting fifty putting 25 by them and not letting up and not doing olys and flit and take, don't be like that, it's disrespectful. But it's like this is this is how it is, guys. This is this is what we do, and so feel free to learn from us, you know what I mean. Like whatever you know what I mean, just just be graceful and all that good stuff and and eloquent in victory and humble humble and humble in victory and goes from defeat and all that. Congratulate your opponents. And if you can win, if you can, you know, treat treat it, treat everything with the respect that it deserves, treat your talent you've been given, treat the moment, treat you know, all that kind of stuff, right? And so 2-0 for me was a good one. I think, yeah, 3-4. I don't know. For me, it's World Cup, it's a World Cup, and um Panama, there was jeopardy there, Panama were really having a go. We didn't want to come second in the group, wanted to win the group, so it was a better game than I hoped in that sense, and we got the job done, so well done to the boys. I think psychology-wise, it gives us a good boost. We've had the challenge, so we had the challenges alright. So we got to half time, and it's like, okay, shaping up. There's a bit it was more open, but again, we're expected to break them down, right? And so we did, and so we if you like, we put that to bed. Question came from the Ghana game, and we put it to bed, we answered it because we got the got the job done and scored a goal, six goals in qualifying. Yes, we conceded against Croatia, but I've talked about why that I thought that was a good thing because you came back, so get went conceded, came back, and we've showed that in previous tournaments. So there is a growing maturity in the team, which I like, and so this kind of let's say we want to look at each other and go, Yeah, okay, cool. Test challenge answered. Let's move on. Away we go, nice. You want that you sometimes it's alright to get hit with a couple of jabs and be like, okay, alright, let's go, you know. All good, it happens, it's a boxing match, it's uh you know, it's world cup football. This is how it is, and so you know, Norway scored against France and had a penalty, you know, da da da. You know, the end of the day, it's good not to concede, but don't make that your um don't make it the be all and end all, you know what I mean? Don't make it the be all and end all it's about winning at the end of the day, and so yeah, I was as I was watching, I was like, yeah, just chill and go play was my was my thoughts. It was like you know, I spoke to someone today that was sharing a story about a tragedy that a friend of theirs had in their life. I won't say what it was, but you know what I mean? Like we've like a proper uh you know, a real tragedy, and we're out there trying to win a World Cup, and it means a lot, and I love it, and I want us to win and happy days. And sometimes it's good just to take a bit of the take the fact take the pressure off and be like you know, guys, we're all behind you here. Go out, you know you're gonna try you wanna win it, we want you to win it. And when you give us something to rev about, we're right behind you there, and and then there's the part of me that goes, No, this is like the modern day battlefield, and it's nation against nation, and anyway, there's ebbs and flows to things, but it's a nice moment. I think there's a nice time to chill, to chill now and uh rest up and then see what happens in the next game, see we see who we've got and um see who we're up against. It's gonna get interesting now. As Harry Kane said, there's two tournaments, there's two stages to it, there's a group games, and then there's knockout, and here we go, it's gonna be all on the line. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be blood curlingly, spine-chillingly terrific. And uh thank the Lord that we're in that game. We're in the knockout round, well done to England. Uh, what on boys? You've given the fans and the nation continuation of this World Cup journey, which does a lot for us. Um does a lot for us, as you know, and so thank you for that.

Hunyadi the Hungarian General

SPEAKER_02 52:00

Right, guys, we're gonna talk about Hunyadi. We're gonna talk about Hunyadi and a show I've just watched called Rise of the Raven. And so go and check it out, go watch a trailer. Rise of the Raven. I watched it on SBS for those of you that in Australia it's on SBS whole season. I've flattened it in a few days. I absolutely loved it. A, I'm a Christian, and so it talks a lot about Christian history throughout Europe, the Ottoman Empire, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Rome, Constantinople. Oof, I'll tell you what. I think it's like the 130, 1400s, not exactly sure. Anyway, that it centres around this chap called Hunyadi, Hungarian guy, real guy, you can Wikipedia him, was the governor of Austria, governor of Hungary, sorry, loved his nation, loved God. Amazing life story, like battles, triumphs. I mean, you I love these kings and these kings and queens stories. I love like I love them. Again, God tells us in his world that he is a gr he is like a great king. He he is sorry, pardon me, he is a great king, and you when you understand a bit more about kingdoms and how they work, then it makes being a Christian not this uh no no guys, we're talking about a king in kingdoms, like this the kingdom of darkness, kingdom of light, kingdoms on the earth, the game of thrones stuff, Lord of the Rings, like that's not honestly, guys. It's not the reason why those come into existence partly is because it's actually not that far off, guys. And obviously, history through time, kings and kingdoms and stuff like that. Medieval days, like they're amazing. We can say oh that they don't exist now because you know the monarchy, we've got governments and parliament and not and what the monarch. Well, depends who you're talking to, guys. Depends depends what room you're in, depends if you're you know, depends, right? Not not necessarily would be what I say. There's there's you know, again, I'm not going conspiracy theory on you, but people talk about shadow governments, cabal, and maybe they just went into hiding and they run things from the shadows. You know what I mean, guys. There's a group apparently called the Bilderberg group. Again, I'm not going into it because I'm not really super interested in that anyway. Uh but my point is that sometimes what was in f full view can still be operating, and also sometimes we don't always we haven't it's not like we've always seen what's in full full view anyway, uh, because there's definitely a seen and unseen realm, and it's interesting how the two uh uh interface, let's say, and how one can permeate another. Anyway, Hunyadi, check it out, guys. It's like the rip roaring rip roaring show, and this guy's life. Again, talk about being touched by God. You've got people like that that are just also touched by God, where how can they have so many, how can he have 95 historic medieval battles and he's still it's like, well, yeah, God's grace, guys, and so when God's grace is on your life, look at Joseph, right, in the Bible, you look at some of these people's stories. They are they're touched by God, they've been they've got the grace of God have been anointed by God for specific specific purposes, and no paradigm can stop what God has ordained. And so this is how it goes sometimes, guys, that you just have and these people knew that they would pray they would constantly be praying to God for provision, for mercy, for courage and strength on the battlefield. You know, some of the speeches in it, I love it, it's rip roaring. But it's a lot of it is about European the European Christian and how that and how that proliferated itself and unified various nations throughout Europe against the advancing Ottoman Empire, the Turks and their Empire. Anyway, again, if you look at the book of Daniel, there's prophecies about different nations or kings and k and kingdoms and reigns, like the Roman Empire, this empire, empire, empire. Anyway, fascinating stuff, especially when you look at it through the lens of God, he he puts on thrones and takes off thrones who he likes. You know, does what he does what he wants and he's good, so don't worry. And yeah, anyway, it's another example of how God's grace can work in your life. I've had some incidents in my life where some cuts and scrapes and bruises and bumps, I should say, which would many of them would be classified as a miracle in terms of how close they were to the bone. And so, and yeah, I've experienced God's grace in my life in many, many ways, many ways. Um I know a lot of people that talk about moments where God woke them up at certain times where, you know, people falling asleep in cars and all sorts of stuff, and you just know. You just know that that was there's something different about it, you just know that was that was that was from God. And because otherwise if things were so, you know what I mean, like we haven't been hit by a meteorite, have we, you know, yet you or I haven't. And so there's loads of them f flying around, right? You know, things like that, right? Okay, I think that's it. We're gonna end also with David Dam again, because that's what we're doing.

Episode close and Kae Strings - Desire

SPEAKER_02 57:35

Alright. Thank you guys for listening. If this episode has touched you in any way, then or spoke to you in any way, then praise Jesus. Please reach out to him. Please reach out to him, ask him to touch you, ask him ask him to show you how he's touched you in your life to date, and ask him to touch you again and again and again. Ask him to put his hands on you and hug you and bring you into his presence and his and his um his embrace. Yeah, his warm, loving, deeply satisfying eternal embrace. In Jesus' name, amen.