Q&A With Koloff- #81

Ah, Portugal. There's so much to do, but so little I feel like I have to do when we are here.

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Services are provided by Vanguard Advisors Inc., a registered investment advisor. This is Stu Epperson from the Truth Talk Podcast, connecting current events, pop culture, and theology. And we're so grateful for you that you've chosen the Truth Podcast Network. It's about to start in just a few seconds.

Enjoy it, and please share it around with all your friends. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one flaw. Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Welcome to another episode of Q&A with Kolov, the devil's nightmare. Jeff James, great to have you here in studio on Q&A. Glad to be here.

Questions and answers with Kolov. Of course, Jeff, for our listeners out there, before we jump into your questions, of which I have no clue or idea what you're going to ask, but that's what always makes it fun, by the way. Oh, yeah. Oh, boy.

You can't see it, but the expression on his face right now is like, oh, yeah. Okay. But let's give our listeners just a little backdrop. We go way, way back. We first met.

We're trying to figure out 2006, 2008, somewhere in there, actually through business. We were part of a nutrition company way back when, but that connected us together. And here we are all these years later, and still I regard you to be really in that inner circle of best friends. I just appreciate you, your lovely bride, Donna, your family, and just building that friendship over the years. Man, that's exactly how I feel about you.

It's really cool when I feel like Christ brings people together and you just have this commonality, and you've just really ministered to me and my family in very special ways. Well, and now you weren't always involved in me. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but when I first met you way back when, you were a marketplace guy, right? You weren't in ministry. No. Right? I mean, you attended church and you've grown up with the Lord, but...

Right. I had worked in the secular world my whole life and didn't really have aspirations, I think, at that time to go into a paid ministry position. I'd grown up in church, gotten saved at a young age, and always had men and women of God around me, which I do thank God for that. I've heard all kind of stories of people, I think even your story, where you didn't grow up in a home where church was really a big deal. And I've regarded my testimony sometimes as kind of boring, but I kind of got chastised for that one time because what God does in your life is never boring. It has a purpose.

Right. Well, and he takes people from every walk of life, whether you like yourself, grew up in church or grew up around that, or like myself who did not grow up in church or around that. He can take anyone and everyone and utilize your story.

You're out there listening. He can utilize your story for his glory, let's just say that. Your story for his glory. But the other part of that too, Jeff, is that the Lord doesn't just need people in ministry, quote, unquote, in ministry or pastoring or like myself, an evangelist or missionary. I mean, he needs men and women, guys and gals out in the marketplace to be salt and light, right? Really, that's where a lot of the ministry really takes place.

Absolutely, absolutely. And I have just a quick story. I was working for this company for about 17 years, and I was the guy who, the only bad evaluation I received was I didn't attend enough company functions, and I'll just leave it at that. But I was the Christian guy at the company, and I had a lot of friends there. Well, I leave that company, and I go into this nutrition company me and you was talking about, and I get a phone call one afternoon.

It was from a guy that I used to work with, and he was having a health challenge. And he said, I just need to talk to you. And I went to his house, and I got the opportunity to lead him to the Lord at his kitchen table because of, I guess, me just walking out who I was in the workplace.

Yeah, what we would say or what I would term being salt and light out there in the marketplace. He said, you weren't just wearing it on your sleeve or carrying the banner of Christian, you were actually walking the talk and living it out. And that guy obviously saw that, made an impression upon him that when he was in a position of real need, he called out to you, and then you had the privilege of leading him to the Lord. That's really cool.

Yeah, it was good. And so I want to encourage you listening out there. I mean, if you're out there in the marketplace, I mean, listen, you're a Christ follower. That's just as big a mission field, a bigger mission field than inside the church walls.

I mean, the church walls is just an opportunity to be equipped and then go out into the world. Start with your own family, but minister to your own family, but also you can minister to co-workers and people, even strangers you come in contact with. So Jeff, at what point then did you transition from, really from, let's just say the marketplace, becoming now you're on staff at Village Chapel in Kannapolis, North Carolina. I know we've had Pastor Ken on the show before and both man up, you and him both, but also on Q&A with Koloff. At what point did you transition into a staff position? How'd that happen? Well, I worked for myself, so that afforded me a lot of time to volunteer at church and just be a part of what was going on at our church at that time.

And my pastor just looked at me one day and said, why don't you just come on staff? You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Hi, Nikita Koloff. Be sure to check out The Man Up Show, now available on television, broadcast and podcast. Go to morningstartv.com or the Truth Radio Network.

Check out your local listings or better yet, download the Truth Network app today. Nikita Koloff here. Have you registered for the Morningstar Men's Conference in August? Not yet. What are you waiting for? We have an amazing lineup of speakers, including NBA All-Star Al Wood, WWE Superstar Lex Luger, General Jerry Boykin, David and Jason Benham, the Benham brothers, world renowned evangelists, Frank Shelton, Chris Reed, and of course, Dr. Rick Joyner and yours truly, Chris. Get registered today. What are you waiting for?

Go to mstarevents.com. It was just one of those things where I think when you're... I don't want to sound overly spiritual, but when you're having an ongoing conversation, you kind of know the answer to questions when they come. And I felt like I'd just been having that conversation with God and then the opportunity opened up. So there was just really kind of a quick confirmation in your heart of hearts to, yeah, like this is the next logical step in my life journey is to become more engaged and involved in church, come onto a staff position.

And so that's not a requirement by any stretch or sense of the imagination. You can... Again, you're out there listening. I mean, your ministry can... You can be on staff at your job. That's right. And that's your staff position and be ministering to the people you work with there and certainly your home life. And so... And I know you've been instrumental in the growth of Village Chapel and the different... Let's just say the different hats or the number of roles that you carry there, right?

Yeah. And one thing I think I've done effectively, I would say, is understanding that I always wanted to surround myself with godly men and women. I mean, even in a church environment, you still want to surround yourself with people that lift you up and that you can learn from. One of the greatest educations, I just... I read something this past week that said, one of the greatest educations you can have is sitting at your grandfather's feet.

And so I've always just wanted to learn and just grab on to people that I admired. I'm reminded of a story from the Bible, a woman named Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus. Martha was busy being busy. And not that we don't need to be busy or shouldn't be busy, but there... As Solomon, one of the wisest ever, said, there's a time for everything, right? There... Sometimes you just need to sit at the feet of Jesus, and at other times, you do need to be busy.

But then it's in the balance of that, right? Now, you've been very instrumental, Jeff, in being a very integral part of our Man Up Camp... Our Man Camps, or Man Conferences, Man Up Conferences, but also Man Camps. Very supportive of that. Quick story on how camp impacted you, and then why you decided...

Two-part question. Why you decided to come back, and you've been so instrumental in being part of the staff, and now sowing into other men at the camps? I think it impacted me because it's not... It's not just a camp high. We tell our kids sometimes when they need to go to youth camp, they come back on fire, and then we say, don't lose that camp love, don't lose that camp high. Well, Man Camp is a lasting effect. My wife is super supportive for me going and then staffing because, honestly, she sees a measurable change in me every time I go. And I think that's just a... It's a really good feeling when you're packing up to be away from your one for a whole week, and basically, you just get this look like, okay, go get them.

And she knows that it's benefiting her marriage, our marriage, and our children. And I've interviewed in the past Bill Turner, camp alumni, and he's a year and a half, maybe going on a couple of years removed from camp. And part of his testimony is... Because what I'm reminded of is you say that, Jeff, is lasting fruit, and that camp isn't just a fun five-day experience. It is, but the real key to the success of camp is men who really embrace it and engage, and then a year, two, three, five, down the road, years down the road, are still walking it out and further along in their journey with the Lord, and their relationship with the Lord, and how it impacts not only their own life, but the lives of others as well. The evidence, I think, sometimes I've heard others say of a bona fide ministry is when guys can attend something like that, and then years later, there's still the lasting fruit of what they experienced and encountered.

And that was what Bill was saying. He's like, man, God is still doing things in me today, a year and a half to almost two years later, from what I learned at camp. Well, and you're instrumental in that. You do some phenomenal job on some of the teachings at camp and some of the different activities and different things we do. And so I thank you for that, for being a part of that and investing your investing your time and resources into what we do. Well, I just appreciate you giving me the opportunity. I try to think of things I'm grateful for every day.

And I was actually laying in bed this morning, and I was just saying, you know, thank you for, and I just start listing things to be grateful for. And part of it was the ministry that God allows me to be in and do. And so it's just a gift.

It's a gift from Him. Well, you're a blessing. And if you're in the Kannapolis, North Carolina, go check out Village Chapel. Go check out Pastor Jeff, Pastor Ken, and all that they're doing there. Great church, especially if you have a heart to, if you want to be discipled. That's one of the emphasis there at Village Chapel. And if you want to check out more about the camp, go to coloff.net and link on.

Ladies, if you're listening out there and something is tweaked in your heart, as you're hearing Jeff even share some of his story and experience, and you want to encourage your man, your son, your father, you know, a man in your life to attend man camp, go check out coloff.net, click on that link and find out more. So, all right, well, it is Q&A with Koloff, Jeff. And so let's give you, let's turn it around, turn around, it's fair play. Let's turn around and give you the opportunity to ask me a few questions.

So why don't you fire away at your first question? All right. So I know that you have a fun day. Fun day where you eat whatever you want one day a week. So just tell me what's the favorite food. What's your go-to snack? My go-to treats?

Treats. So tell me about your cheat day. And I'm like, ah, let's not use that word. I don't like the word cheat.

I remember back in school, I did that a couple of times and it didn't work out too well for me when I cheated on a test. But anyway, so yeah, so of course you're referring to health and wellness, and I am a big believer in health and wellness and taking care of this physical body, hence the nutrition company that we're actually still a part of. And so, yeah, so I have what I call, in a sense, 300 lean, clean, and green days, berries and greens, and healthier food. And then I do a reset once a week, actually about 65 days a year. So the 52 Sundays, plus a few holidays mixed in there, right?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, and a few others are thrown in there. Where on the reset day, and I don't go crazy, like I like Krispy Kreme donuts, but I'm not going to have a dozen, but I might have a couple, right? I'm a Blizzard fan, plug for DQ out there, I'm a Blizzard fan, that's my all-time favorite, ice cream is Blizzard's, and so I'm a fan of those. And cheesecake, I am a fan, and I mean, I wouldn't say I could live at the Cheesecake Factory, but I do love a nice creamy cheesecake as far as desserts go. And as far as meals, I mean, I'm always looking for a really good burger, not just any burger, but a really tasty burger, really good, good, good thick burger.

So I'll frequent, I'll research that some and look for some of the places that might offer that and just see if it really is good. I am a barbecue guy, being now a native of the South at this point, a transplant. I do love a good, and there's no shortage of barbecue here in the Carolinas, there's lots of barbecue, lots of oinking going on. And I'm a sweet guy, I'm not into the vinegar-based, I really almost like the, what's the sweet barbecue?

Lexington style, but what's the ones you can buy in the sweet sauces? Oh, sweet baby Ray's. Sweet baby Ray's, there you go.

I love a little sweet baby Ray. And last but not least, brisket. I mean, I'm a big brisket fan, man.

And so if there's a good brisket out there, I'm gonna try to find it or somebody can recommend it to me. So anyway. You know, when you say that, you are a very good example of how you can be healthy and not just completely live... Go off the rails. Go off the rails or that there is room there to enjoy some things and still be healthy.

Yeah. And that's why I encourage people. I'm like, look, if you can go lean, clean and green six days a week and give yourself psychologically, give yourself something to look forward to, whether it's a Sunday fun day, some do it on Saturday, the reset day or whatever. But yeah, give it psychologically, mentally, it gives you something to look forward to and reward yourself for exercising some discipline when it comes to your eating and incorporating some exercise at some level, some is better than nothing, right? And I just think it's important.

God has opened my eyes to the fact that this body isn't mine, that it is His, it is a temple, houses the Holy Spirit, and I just feel there's a mandate there, at least for me, to honor that and take care of it to the best of my ability anyway, to the best of my ability. So great question. Okay, question number two. Question number two.

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Go to www.koloff.net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Where have you visited that you would call your most favorite place? I know you've been all over the world. Where would you say really just first thoughts there, first thoughts?

First thoughts that come to mind. Well, and it's been a while since I've been there, but believe it or not, really, from that first missionary trip to Africa, I just really kind of fell in love with Africa. I had a heart for Africa. I mean, I've been 11 different times to five or six different countries, and I've told people, you know, blindfold me, put me on a plane, and lead me to the door when you open it, and I could just go smell, and I go, oh, I am in Africa. I am in Africa. You know, because there's just a certain, for me, a certain smell to Africa to let me know that's where I'm at, and so I do have, like I say, even though I haven't been there recently, I do have a real heart for Africa.

I love the music, Jeff. I mean, they're just something, they just have such a rhythm and harmony, no instruments, almost always, because you're out in these little, you know, out in the bush in these little tiny villages, but man, they put their heart and soul into their singing, their heart and soul into serving you, and, you know, every little few cents they have to feed you. It's just an incredible experience, and so certainly Africa comes to mind. I'd be remiss, though, if I didn't throw in, I mean, I have been blessed to do some incredible, I mean, I've ridden the bullet train in Tokyo, right?

I mean, I, you know, have flown a 43 million dollar chopper flight simulator in an army base in South Korea. I mean, I've, you know, I saw the Grand Canyon in a blizzard, my first time ever experiencing the Grand Canyon, 32 degrees up top, 72 degrees down at the bottom of the canyon with a full-blown blizzard, one third of it white, two-thirds of it brown. I mean, there's so many incredible experiences that I've been blessed to, you know, I've done halibut fishing off the coast of Alaska, I've been on the mountaintop and looked at rivers and ravines above the cloud lines in wild blueberry patches.

I mean, some of the things that come to mind, you know, it's just, of course, last but not least, Israel. I mean, I've sailed the Sea of Galilee, I've walked the streets of Jerusalem, what they call the Via Dolorosa, where he carried the cross, and so some of the things I experienced in Israel, they said I stood in the valley where David slayed Goliath, and I picked up five smooth stones and brought them home with me, still have them, you know, and so those are just a handful of the things I've experienced over the years so far on this journey. Wow. Yeah, it's been pretty amazing for me, for real, surreal. Surreal.

Surreal, yep. You know, I shared a minute ago about the guy that I got to lead to the Lord that I worked with. Tell me about some wrestlers that you worked with that at the time might not have known Christ, but that you saw come to Christ over the years.

Yeah, it's been, that's been kind of surreal as well. It's interesting, I think one of the first kind of, if you want to say, big names or marquee names that came to Christ was who indirectly witnessed to me, it was a guy named Tully Blanchard, one of the four horses. The way I remember, I actually interviewed him on the Man Up show. I encourage all of you go into my archives and listen to my two-part interview with Tully Blanchard. He shared some stories he had never even shared before. I guess I pulled stories out of him he had never even shared before.

But he had failed the drug test, for those who don't know, in the WWF at the day, in the day, and was, his world was, he, you know, rocked his world because he got fired. Failed the drug test, got fired, and cried out to God at like 4 31 one morning or so, and encountered Jesus, and it forever changed him. And we were riding on a show together, we were actually going to work together, a little independent, a little indie show, and he was just sharing his whole, what I now know is a testimony with me, and I'm like, that's awesome, Tully, I'm really happy for you. You found Jesus, that's good, you know, kind of thing, right?

I could be happier for you, Tully, that's awesome. But, you know, but he was very respectful and said it just in such a subtle way, you know, but I gotta believe, you know, there was probably some seeds planted from his little testimony there, and anyway, and that trip together, and eventually, of course, I would come to Christ, I think that was maybe, I want to say 91, that him and I were on that trip together, maybe, don't quote me on that, but all that to say, in 1993, I come to Christ, and then from there I write a book called Breaking the Chains, I handed a copy to Animal and Hawk, the road warriors in New Mexico, on an autograph signing that I was doing out there. Animal read the book in the dressing room that night, I saw him literally reading it, he came in late, he goes, I read that whole book, you know, and it was basically just a story of salvation, like my testimony and how someone could give their life to Christ. Found out that later that week, when he flew back to Minneapolis, that him and his whole family had went forward to an altar call at a power team event. I eventually invited him and Hawk to this conference out in Arizona called AIM Athletes International Ministries, they came, the first night Jensen Franklin was preaching, Hawk was the first one to the altar, gave his life to the Lord a year and a half before he died, we baptized him in the pool.

Many wrestlers came out to that conference, George The Animal Steel, Big Boss Man, Luna Vachon, I mean, a laundry list of who's who in wrestling, came to that conference, some of whom got saved out there at that conference. Ivan Koloff invited him to a revival, in 1995, in Concord, North Carolina, didn't know he was there till he was standing at the altar. And God just knocked him on his backside that night, I mean, literally knocked him to the floor when he accepted Christ and was set free and delivered of drug addiction, alcohol, tobacco, everything all in one night, boom, gone for the rest of his life. Loved and lived for the Lord loved and lived for the Lord the rest of his life. Witnessed a stink in December 1995 at the Charlotte Coliseum, corralled him for a half hour and threw up Jesus all over him for about a half hour. And to find out in 1998, he gave his life to Christ and then for about five years flew out to Texas once every three months to minister to him and his sons. And so I had a role in that. Luger, when he came to Christ, he actually, we were reunited after 11 years at that conference in Arizona. And it reconnected him and I together after 11 years of not talking and communicating, to where now we facilitate these man camps. And so Luger and, gosh, those are just a handful of some of the guys who I've had the privilege.

There's others, but off the top of my head, there's some big names who God has blessed me with the opportunity to, in some capacity, be able to minister to them and or literally lead them to the foot of the cross. So yeah. Yep. So great question, man.

Great question. So I feel grateful that one, the Lord stirred my heart to come to an altar and then gave me the opportunity really to witness to some of my peers in the wrestling world, the wrestling business. So Magnum TA, that's another, let me mention Magnum. He became a very, very dear friend. And actually he has been at a few, a handful of churches with me sharing how God sustained him through a crash that left him paralyzed from the neck down at one point and thought he'd be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. But God gave him some of his health back and he's never once complained or questioned why. He used to say, thank you Lord for sparing my life. Wow.

He's got a great testimony. So, wow. Awesome. Awesome. Well, good. Is that it?

Or, I mean, yeah. Yes. No. Maybe one more.

Okay. One more. One more.

One more. Tell me what Nikita Koloff's biggest dream is right now. Oh, man. Golly, you are putting me on the spot.

My biggest dream right now. You know, gosh, Jeff, I just do it. When I just think about some of the experiences, like I even just shared with you on this show today, I mean, it's just because my, you know, I have four daughters. I now have 10 grandchildren. And so the family continues to grow a full quiver. And I guess what comes to mind first is like, you know, come around Christmas time, you know, what do you want for Christmas?

And I'm like, you know, girls, I'm like a man who really is in no need of anything special, you know, as far as a present or a gift. And just more than anything, it's just being able to have, you know, have time with you or time with the family and the grandkids is probably the most valuable way I can spend some of my time. There are still a few places I would like to travel to, you know, the pyramids of Egypt.

I still would be curious to see the pyramids of Egypt travel to some of the different countries in Europe and just, you know, the Swiss Alps and Austria and some of those different places, perhaps the beaches of France. And last but not least, one day perhaps I'll go on a, follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul and his journey, his journey, and where he had, you know, planted churches and so, so yeah. Yep. So, well, I appreciate you being on the show today, Jeff. Appreciate your friendship. Thank you so much.

Thanks, man. Glad to be here. And thank you for dialing in, tuning in to another episode of Q&A with Kolov. Tune in again next time for hopefully another fascinating opportunity. If you want to ask me questions, go to kolov.net. Shoot me an email.

Let's get you on the show. God bless you. Have a wonderful day. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions.

Go to kolov.net and donate today. Nikita Kolov here and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement?

Well, maybe it's a minor announcement. Anyway, Facebook. Go look up my new fan page, Nikita Kolov Fans, and like it and follow today. Nikita Kolov here.

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