This is the Truth Network. Welcome to If Not Forgot. Stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Here is your host, Mike Zwick. What are you doing for Jesus?
We've got the Invictus Project, and I've got Whitney from the Invictus Project here. And what they are doing is absolutely amazing for our children. They are helping to fight child trafficking, and they are getting predators off of the streets. But you know, it says in the book of James, chapter 2. And it says in verse 14, What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith and has not works?
Can faith save him? If a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding, you give them not those things which are needful to the body, what does it profit? Even so, faith, if it has not works, is dead. being alone. Man, that's that's pretty serious to me, Whitney.
And what it tells me is that we're here only for a short period of time. And in the book of James, it says that our life is like a vapor. We appear for a moment and then we're gone. I want to be able to make the most of what I have going on in this world. But, you know, one of the cool things that we talked about, because you said, Mike, you kind of called me at an interesting time, is that if people do want to get involved, always they can donate to the Invictus Project because you guys are helping to get predators off of the streets.
And the website is the InvictusProject.org. And the Invictus is spelled I-N-V-I-C-T-U-S. It can be a little tricky, but it means unconquerable. But if you also want to get involved where you're actually a part of it and you guys can actually meet these people and help out in person or find out what you can do to protect your children, there's actually something going on this coming January. Is that right?
Right, Whitney. Yeah, January is going to be a slammed month for us. And I know I mentioned it early on in this video here, but for those that are listening, January, we are quite a couple of events that are going to be focused on educating our communities and our children around what this fight looks like, right?
So often our kids are pretty well informed around the things that are occurring in the digital space, but our parents and community are not. We are stuck focused on the white van mentality, looking for that white van rolling down the street or that stranger danger. But the reality of it is so much of this fight has gone digital and it's entering our children's bedrooms and we're ushering it there by some of the devices that we hand them.
So really it's to open up the eyes of our parents and community members so that we don't fight for your children alone, right? We need you as parents and community members in this fight with us. And so these community events on the 11th, there's one in Asheboro, North Carolina. It's at West Asheboro Church of God. And that one will be another small community event we're hosting in Asheboro.
Another one we've got is January. I'm going to work through them time-wise, but January 16th is in Southern Pines at the village church or the village chapel. That's another community event that will house a couple of different. information Opportunities. You'll hear from multiple people, but our focus that evening will be on how to protect your children from online predators.
What does that look like, right? And then two really big events that are occurring in Alamance County, and we're very excited about them. Hopefully, you'll be hearing about them on the news and radio and all the things. The first one is January 20th, and it is geared towards our parents, our adults, those that are in positions of authority over children, those that are in ministry, or you're a grandparent and you're like, I can't even figure out how to turn my camera on half the time. What's going on with my kids and grandkids on the computer and online and on their phones?
Right, let's build this out to understand what our children are exposed to. And finally, the 25th, which I am so excited about this, we are gathering the youth groups across Alamance County. And if you're not from Alamance County, come anyways, bring your youth group. I will say we'd like to keep it that 13 and above age frame just because of the content that we're going to be discussing, you know, is what that age group is being exposed to. And so I think it will blow parents' minds.
That's why we're doing the parent session on the 20th so that they have a full understanding of what is occurring.
Now, let me back up for a second. I've got January the 11th at West Ashboro Church of God, January the 16th at the Village Chapel, Southern Pines. And you can follow you guys, the Invictus Project on TikTok. You can follow the Invictus Project on Facebook, Instagram. And I encourage you to do that because it helps them do what they need to do.
Now, January the 20th, where is this going to be? January 20th is also going to be at Trailhead Church in Graham. And then the twenty fifth is also again at Trailhead Church in Graham in their youth area upstairs. Do you have a time for this when people be from four thirty to six thirty. We'll say it starts at 4:30.
We might get carried away. If the Holy Spirit moves in a mighty way, we're going to let him move.
Okay, and this is the youth 13 and above. Yes. And this is just for the youth or parents and youth? Yeah, this is just for the youth.
So this is for teens because we want them to have that space. That's why we're kind of calling it as. Consider it like a youth group conference, right? We would love our youth leaders to be there, but we are not, we're not necessarily encouraging parents to go to this one because we want our teens to have that space to be open and honest. Um, you know, and and they're not always doing that at home.
We're setting our parents up in advance on the 20th to begin these conversations to ask your kids, hey, what are some of the things you're experiencing online that are that are hard for you or making you feel isolated or whatever that looks like, right? We're gonna give parents some prompts and understanding of what that world looks like so they can begin those conversations. But really, what we need out of this teen one is our kids to just have space to lay some heavy stuff down.
Okay. And so, um, we hope that you entrust your youth group leaders to be that space where they can lay that down that night. Um, we will have a lot of adults in there for from different youth groups. Um, and so that trailhead's gonna be doing a great job. They've already got like a check-in process and they are.
Are to ensure the safety piece and accountability.
So, parents, no, I'm sorry, kids 13 and above, teens 13 and up is 4:30 to 6:30 on January the 20th at Trailhead Church. 25th, 25th.
Okay, that's for the kids. Yes. And the 20th is for the parents. Yep. And what time is that for the parents on the 20th?
And you know what? Let me take a second and look and see because I'll be totally honest with you. I cannot recall off the top of my head. 6 to 8 p.m. 6 to 8 p.m.
Yep, and just parents. It is just parents. You know, obviously 6 to 8 p.m. on the 20th at Trailhead Church. If you happen to have, you know, older teens, obviously they're welcome into the space as well.
But because I know you can't always count and plan for everything, but I would say it is not, the conversation is not suitable for young ears because we're going to be very open and honest about what your kids are seeing online, what they're exposed to. You're going to hear from our community members as well, experts in the child exploitation and trafficking as it pertains directly to the Piedmont Triad.
So we'll have our law enforcement partners there. We'll have a panel discussion set up as well.
So you have an opportunity to ask questions. I know as parents, we often wonder what is going on, what, you know, and we have a lot of questions about it. Let me ask you this: so, parents who want to come on January the 25th from 4:30 or from 6 to 8, is this will there be child care? No.
Okay. Yeah, no.
Okay. There won't. Because that brings in a whole nother suit. And then you've got parents that are leaving their kids with someone they don't know. And I don't know.
Right, I get it. Yeah. You know, yeah.
So, no, there will not be child care available.
So, you will have to probably make arrangements for that. But we do hope that that doesn't discourage that people find this. Important enough to make those arrangements in advance because if you have children of age to have child care, you need to hear this conversation, you know.
So, we want to make sure that you have the space and ability to do that here. And, like I said, there will be a panel discussion as well, which I think that part is invaluable. You will be hearing from some of these, the investigators that are dealing with these crimes directly.
Some of our partners in this, so for instance, Crossroads will be there as well.
So, there's just a lot of great opportunities to get a good amount of information and feel like you are equipped to truly fight the fight for your children. Yeah, and the devil loves to work in the night. The devil loves to be sneaky. But Jesus put it like this in Matthew 5:14. He says, You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light unto all that are in the house. And I love what he says. Here in Matthew 5:16, he says, Let your light so shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven.
And, you know, the enemy or the other side who's trying to do this stuff, trying to get to your children, they don't want you to know about it. And so, what you guys are doing is, and some of this stuff may be a little bit hard to hear, and I understand that, but I would rather know what's going on and know what to expect than to not know and have the worst case scenario happen. Absolutely. There's, you know, we talk about it on this side of things a lot: you know, we're not going to enforce our way out of this. This is a, this is a, a parent problem, right?
This is a, we got to handle it at home first problem. We can't rely on law enforcement to protect in that manner all the time. We have to begin the work at home. And you know what? Honestly, Michael, it's simple.
It's conversations. It's engagement. It's getting to know your kids. It's taking time to. Look away from your cell phone and your distractions and your Netflix series, right?
And engage with our children. Sit around the table, ask them how their day was and mean it. Quiet yourself enough to listen to their response because our kids want to talk. I tell them, you know, I tell parents all the time, just from listening to our teens, they are screaming in silence. For their parents to hear them, for their parents to see them, for them to pour that worth and value in.
And we can't account for everything that they're gonna be up against in life, but we can make space for open communication for them to feel comfortable to say, Hey, mom, I'm really sorry about this, what I'm about to tell you, but I need you to hear it because I need your help. You know, and that's where we want to create this space that kids feel like they have that space to lay that down. And they have those conversations with their parents. We got to start it at home. I mean, I just, that is, I'm adamant that this fight begins there.
And my wife's brother is actually a state trooper down in Florida, and he said that a lot of times, predators, what they will do is they will. Get they will get a position or get a job as an influencer or somebody who people trust.
So, in other words, and I hate to say this, but there are have been pastors who have been gone. I mean, we've seen it on TV in the last couple of years. What's happened? Youth leaders, I've heard stories with that. And I've heard, you know, teachers even, you know, and so because what they say is, oh, The teacher would never do this.
The pastor would, the youth leader would never do this. And You know, you kind of have to be careful. They've placed themselves in trusted positions of authority over children, right? And so, yeah, we see that a lot. I mean, you know, we mentioned before.
In the last, since we began this in 20, in January of last year, setting up the task force component of this. We've had over 200 arrests, and there have been teachers, there have been doctors, there have been nurses, there have been coaches and pastors and youth pastors. Why? Because, oh, it would never, they would never do that. Is it men and women, or are you mostly just arresting them?
I'll tell you, it is both, but the majority of arrests, a high, very high percentage, are men. Yeah. Yeah. There was a, there's a lady I know in Texas and she said that her neighbor has a young boy. I don't know if he's 12 or 13.
And he said that this woman was next door, was a grandmother. She was actually grooming him. And one of the things that she did was she was putting out a cigarette on him. And when she did that, she said, I love you. And it was kind of that.
There's something psychological going on there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that I mean The stories, and you know, these stories are not new when it comes to the child abuse piece, child sexual abuse piece. I think where we've seen some of it shift is, you know, the online component has made every child vulnerable.
Instead of just the kids seeking, you know, attention, it's made every child. Vulnerable, right? But in those situations, I mean, that grooming, grooming is a real thing, right? It occurs. And so often it's these individuals that are trying to provide something that that child needs, whether it be attention, whether it be something physical, whether it be And I love you, right?
Yeah. They're good at it. They're good at creating that narrative because they've paid attention to that child, right?
Now, I want you to contrast that or think through that when we talk about our kids creating Instagram accounts and how much of their lives are lived out loud online, or better yet, how much we live our children's lives out loud for them on our own Facebook accounts and how easy we make them. Targets, we'll call it, right? How easy we make gathering information about our children accessible via our Facebook. Because how many people are you maybe Facebook friends with? And you don't know.
You don't know what their Dirty little secrets are, right? uh fourteen thousand nine hundred followers and I would say 95%, 98%. I don't know who they are, but they're watching everything that I'm doing.
So when you place those pictures of your children up there, like we haven't even touched on AI, which that's going to be a whole nother conversation for another time, right? But the AI component of this fight is scary. What do you mean exactly? Because all it takes is someone grabbing a picture, manipulating it, and all of a sudden nudifying a picture that you intended for. Sweet purposes, right?
Of your child online, right? I mean, like, these are things that occur. These are things that people do that we don't even recognize, right? There are people out there that are very, I mean, our children know how to manipulate and maneuver around AI, right? But there are AI.
uh applications that are capable of nudifying images. And AI has gotten really good. I mean, it's gotten to the point where you really almost, you can't even tell the difference sometimes between what's fake and what's real.
Well, and that's scary. AI has gotten so good in a scary way, right, that our law enforcement have to deal with that component of this fight. And matter of fact, last December, legislation was passed that even AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Is now a chargeable offense, which prior to that, legislation, legislation is having to keep up, right? I mean, that's a hard piece of this fight.
Is our legislation has to change and adjust as this fight adjusts and changes. And so, when the AI component was introduced and people were using it to create child sexual abuse material, commonly known as child pornography, they were having to find ways to actually make that a chargeable offense. And thank God we are able to do that now. But I mean, that's the world we're living in. That's a scary consideration, right?
Like, that is, it's alarming that our children don't even have to send the photo, or someone doesn't have to take a picture of them nude. They can take a picture of them, nudify it, and put it in their dirty little collections.
So, do you not post any pictures of your children at all? I am not one that lives my life out loud on Facebook, you know. It's tough too because you want to. No, because what do we really want? What do we really want when we put those pictures out there?
Let's be honest, with ourselves in it, even. Right? It's a desire to share things with the world, but has the world earned the right to know those things about your child and your family? Yeah. I mean, I I think you got to question it.
Like, what is the motivation behind it? Is it to be seen? Right? Because I think that that oftentimes is where we fall. Is that idea that we want to share this w our life with with the world around us?
Man, we used to, you know. We grew up in a time where we didn't have access like that. Yeah, yeah. Right. And if I wanted a girl, I printed it out and gave it to her for Christmas.
And here's the thing: here's the problem: it's convenient. It's easy. And look at ChatGPT. There was a video of a professor who started yelling and screaming because he was angry because his kids were just, students were just using ChatGPT. And I remember when I was a kid, they said, now you guys have to learn this because when you get older, you're not going to have a calculator with you at all times.
Psych, you know, yeah, you do. And so it's like. It's so easy. It makes life so easy. But Easier is not always better.
It's not. It's not. And I think, honestly, it's the enemy is distorting reality, right? Because he is the ultimate counterfeit. The ultimate counterfeit, right?
And so if he can counterfeit reality for us, then we will stay distracted. And unfortunately, I think that is where oftentimes we find ourselves living in the counterfeit reality of what people think and what people are, you know, we are creating what we want people to see and know of us. But that leaves a lot of room for the enemy to play. And it's, and I believe it's a double-edged sword. And I'm going to give you an example because there was a video that was on TikTok, and it was a guy who said.
He said this guy died in 2025. Pretty soon we'll be saying 2026. But the guy died in 2025, Whitney. And he said he got went to heaven and he got to meet the Apostle Paul. And when he met the Apostle Paul, he said, Hey, oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you.
What was it like to be around the early church? What was it like to be around the time of Jesus and to actually get to meet Jesus on the Damascus road, you know, and have Jesus speak to you in that voice and this and that and the other? The Apostle Paul said it was great. It was amazing. It was this, that, and the other.
And then after the Apostle Paul said that, Paul said to the guy, hold on. Did you die in 2025? And the guy said, yeah, I did. He said, what was it like to be at a time where you could just hold your phone in front of your face and immediately you could share the gospel around the earth to where tens, dozens, hundreds, thousands, even more, millions of people could hear the gospel just by you sharing it. And the guy said to him, he says, I don't know.
I just looked at videos of cats online.
So we have an opportunity like what we're doing right now. I mean, yes, we're on the radio and we're doing it that way, but we're also sharing the good stuff online. But we also have to be careful as well. It's got to be a healthy balance. Of the two, right?
That is a great point to consider. And yes, it has moved and given us the ability to move the message of the Lord. I don't know that it's necessarily given as much ability to walk with people in that next step, but it's given the initial message. It's gotten it out there. Absolutely.
I think that has been, and it's like you said, there's a good side to what we have been given in technology, the opportunity given in technology. Unfortunately, I think sometimes we don't live in that space and we live in the area that allows us to. Play look at me. That's it. And, you know, you said earlier in the last show, you said, Mike, you said, I don't know how I could do what I'm doing if I wasn't a Christian.
And so, you know, the Bible actually, Jesus said, He said, What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul? You can go out there, you can help fight child trafficking, you can do all the works in the world, but if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, when you die, you're not going to make it to heaven. And not only that, but Knowing Jesus in this life helps me a lot as well. How about you? Absolutely.
I honestly don't think I would operate in this space if I didn't know Him, um, because it would be overwhelming. The darkness would feel like it overcome the light. Um, But the reality of it is, it hasn't. And I know that because I know how the story ends. I know who my God is.
And I know that he is king of all kings, right? And so I think that that allows me to kind of move through. These situations, you know, people talking, like, why do you smile when you talk about this? And we talked about that last show. They're like, this is some dark stuff.
Yeah. You know, why do you still smile? And it's the joy that I have is God-given.
So the circumstances of this world aren't going to steal it because he gave it and he. That just can't happen. Right. And so. There's still hope, and in every person we speak with, there's hope, you know?
It's just. I think that we have to, and I know this is a hard, these are hard topics to talk about. These are hard realities that our children are up against, but we have to just maintain. That reminder of who God is and all of it. Nothing occurs without coming through his hands first.
He's preparing us, he's given us a way to fight back, right? Armor up, you know? Putting on the full armor of God. Absolutely. Yeah.
Right? Absolutely. Because so much of this battle occurs. Right here, standing here, right in our mind, in our children's minds, right?
So, that we've been given the tools to fight this fight. And I think we just have to stand up and do it, right? And so, and do it with a joyful spirit, which is hard, right? But that is a gift from the Holy Spirit. I think sometimes we think we are the ones that have to cultivate joy.
It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit, right? And so it's something that is going to pour out of us as we draw closer to the Lord. That's it. We don't have control over that, right? It is who God is as He pours into us.
This is the overflow. And so I think there's beauty in that. It means I'm not in control of my joy. That means if somebody comes out of this parking lot and cuts me off, it's not going to steal my joy because it's not my personal thing to give. It's something that God's given.
So. I don't know if that hits on what you it does. And you know, the Bible says that greater is he who is within you than he who is within the world, because sometimes I'm sure it can seem overwhelming. But if you know that you're more than a conqueror, I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me, then the devil doesn't even know what's coming at him. You're right.
And I love that you said that we are more than conquerors, because that is that Invictus component, right? Like we are more than conquerors. Invictus, the term itself means unconquerable. And that was chosen by our founder for a reason: to know that our children are unconquerable. This fight, we will not be conquered in it.
Why? Because God is unconquerable, right? And he gets the final say in all of this. And so I think it's just a solid reminder to us each day serving under that title of the Invictus Project that it is as hard as it may seem and as defeating and dark, because I won't lie, there are times there. You know, it just can feel like a lot, right?
But it's that constant reminder that we are unconquerable. Yeah, in Jesus' name, and it's the Invictus Project.
Okay. Invictusproject.org since we are a nonprofit. And then, you know, like I said on the website, the education tab is up there.
So please check it out. Events tab. The events will tell you everywhere we're going to be in the upcoming weeks and months.
So keep tabs on that. And if we're in your local area, great. If not, and you want us to come speak to your local area, your churches, whatever that looks like, please, please, please don't hesitate to contact us. Reach out on the website. Let us know: hey, I'd really love for you to come speak to my church, my community group, whatever that looks like.
We would love to make that happen because we know that the education component of this is invaluable. It's where the fight. Really takes place. It does. And so, you know, I heard a story about John Hyde.
They call him Praying Hyde. I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but he went, he was a missionary to India and he was seeing absolutely nothing. And all of a sudden, he said, I'm going to pray for eight hours a day. I'm literally going to sit here and I'm going to pray for eight hours a day. And when he prayed, he started praying.
He said, I want to see one soul a day. After he started doing that, the first year he saw 400 people, over 400 people saved. And then he started to say, I want two, five, and up to 10 people a day in his little area in Punjab area of India. And he saw them getting saved. But it started with prayer.
What is your prayer life like? I love that because, you know, I've learned a lot in the, really in the last couple of years about what that looks like, what my prayer life needs to be versus what it was. You know, I think just like anything else, we can get caught up in the idea of we'll call it tradition, right? Wake up and pray, pray over your meal, go to bed and pray, right? And I think that our God desires to hear from us all the time.
Time. Why? Because he's speaking all the time. Yeah. Right.
And so my prayer life is daily. It's all day long. It's in the car right here. I desire to be in constant communion with my Father. Yeah.
I do. That is my heart in this because that is what sustains me. Yeah. That's the joy overflow comes from that constant communication with him. Do I think you need to set out time to spend in his word?
Absolutely. Right. That might be your morning routine. But when it comes to prayer, it doesn't have to be this perfect sounding prayer that you pray in the morning and at night. It is the raw heart that we bring to the Father.
Why? Because he is a father and he loves to hear from his children.
So I talk to them all day. I do too. And especially you and I both have kids. It can be harder to get that quiet alone time. And so I do the same thing when I'm in the car.
I pray. Guys, please get involved. Please come to this thing in Alamance County, Asheboro, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, wherever it is, and get on the website, theinvictusproject.org. And Invictus is spelled I-N-V-I-C-T-U-S. Follow the Invictus Project on TikTok.
Follow them on Instagram and follow them on Facebook. If you can make a donation, make a hundred bucks donation, make a thousand, make $10 if that's all you can do. Every little bit helps and it literally gets traffickers and child predators off the streets. Whitney, thanks for coming on. Absolutely.
All right, for my YouTube channel. If not for God with mighty wick Just like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell. Um So you'll be alerted when we have our next video. This is the Truth Network. Mm-hmm.
