Q&A With Koloff- #154

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The Truth Network Podcast 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. Questions and answers. This is where you get to ask me, the Russian nightmare, all the questions.

Well, maybe not all the questions. I might ask a few along the way. However, you get a personal phone call from the Russian nightmare. If you're ever interested in having me call you, just go to kolov.net and just submit a request. And I would love to get you on air and let you ask whatever you want. Wrestling questions, ministry questions, life-related questions.

It can be anything and everything, typically pretty spontaneous. And today, today, today, I have calling in all the way from the Peach State of Georgia, Matthew Hitch. Matthew, welcome to the Q&A show with Kolov. Hey Nikita, happy to be here.

Well, great to have you here. And so I mentioned the Peach State. For those who may not be familiar with the Peach State, how about you, Matthew, share with our listeners a little bit about Matthew Hitch, kind of where you're living and what you're doing, what you do for a living.

Share with us. Well, I live about 30 miles west of Atlanta, little, well, not so little anymore, town called Douglasville. I've born and raised there for over 30 years. I work as a trade and facility maintenance, but have really dug into the ministry.

We attend a church up in Hiram called Full-Turn Church, shout out to them. They're doing some amazing things, getting ready to build a new facility out there. There's about to be some big things coming out of Hiram in the next few years. And really, ManCamp set me on even further on that path. Well, we'll talk about that.

Let's talk about that in just a second. So Douglasville, Georgia, Metro Atlanta, and as many refer to it. And so your town has grown and grown and grown, and you're out in the marketplace, so you got a day job. Yes, sir. And family? Yes, I have a wonderful wife. Her name is Erin, and we have a five-year-old daughter, and they are just, they're my world. Yeah, what's her name, your daughter's name? Her name is Charlotte. Charlotte. Oh, that should be easy to remember.

The fact that I live in the Charlotte metro area myself. There we go. That should be easy to remember. So, well, Matthew, you mentioned, and congratulations, by the way, on your church growth and expansion. And so, you know, you mentioned ministry. In what form or what facet of ministry are you involved in? Men's ministry, or just in general with your church? Or what exactly do you do in the ministry side of things?

I've done a little bit of everything right now. Mainly, I'm in a kid's church and our youth group. My father-in-law is our children's pastor, and he is about two steps away from an equal genius, you could say. He is an engineer by trade. He builds our sets. We do skits, puppets. I set up our AV system, so I've got a little bit of a tech background. And with our youth, I work alongside the youth pastor, doing a little bit of event planning, a little more on the administrative side.

And I'm really digging in right now on my studying because my heart is teaching, and that's where I really want to get to one day, but I don't want to get there, you know, before God's ready for me to be there. Okay. Well, very cool. And so, I mean, it's so important in today's world, today's culture, to be instilling biblical truth into these young people, right, into the youth and the children. And so, kudos to you and your father-in-law for that. And, you know, you mentioned Man Camp. Of course, you know, some of our listeners are very familiar with Man Camp.

Some are not. This may be a very first introduction to some regarding Man Camp. And, of course, you're referring to the camp that Lex Luger and I co-founded a number of years ago. And, of course, you attended a while back, we'll just say a while back, and how did you get introduced to Man Camp?

Like, how did you find out about it? I found out about it, so long story short, you did a one-day manna at Connection Point Church in Austell, Georgia. Yeah, Pastor Tony Evans. Pastor Tony Evans is really good friends with my father-in-law.

Okay. And we ended up getting invited to come over for that, and that's where I found out about Man Camp, and the Lord just dropped it in my spirit, like, you need to go to that. You need to be there.

And there it went. And so you came, and what would you say if you could, again, condense down, maybe long story short, so to speak, as you said, but condense down, what was one of the biggest takeaways for you in attending camp? Oh, goodness. For me, it was having that one-on-one encounter with the Lord that I just have never really had before. I mean, I had knowledge for days, but I know you phrased it as moving from that 12 to 18 inches from your head to your heart. Yeah, yeah. Having that moment and then just being able to have encounter after encounter after encounter, it was just one thing after another after another, and it was like, I saw my purpose unfolding right before mine.

Wow. Well, and you're one of, you're not the only one that has come to camp, put himself in a setting, like to say, we like to set the banqueting table for guys to just come and feast and run after the heart of God. And so you're not the first to say what you just said for the story, to travel the 18 inches from our head down to a heart.

I like how you phrased it. You had knowledge all day long. And I think the oldest one to encounter that was a man named Greg, 69 years old, in church. Virtually, he said, his entire life, chairman of the deacons of his church, and the Lord spoke to him one morning out on his private devotional time out in the wilderness that he was spending. And the Lord said, you know, Greg, you got saved in your head, but you've never opened up your heart and invited me into your heart.

And very similar stories to what you're sharing. And he just said, I just fell to my knees, began to weep this morning and opened my heart and asked Jesus in. But Matthew, that's an illustration really. It makes me wonder.

Here's what it does. Like even your story, his story, makes me wonder how many people sit in church week after week after week after week and fill their heads with all kinds of knowledge of the gospel, of Jesus, of church. But miss the key element of what you said earlier, one on one, that one on one personal relationship with Jesus.

And I'm just wondering how many will fall into that category of when you look at scripture and Jesus says and they say, hey, I prophesied in your name, I raised people in the dead, you know, from the dead. And you're now I did all these things in your name. But Jesus says, depart from me. I never knew you.

Right. Or the five foolish virgins who weren't ready for the bridegroom to come and come knocking on the door after the after the marriage supper, the lamb. The doors closed. And and again, he says, I don't know you.

You know, you can't come in. And so if you're listening out there today, ma'am, we're going to transition here in just a few moments to Matthew's questions. But if you're listening to Matthew's story and what we're sharing back and forth today and you may have never been in church, you may infrequently go to church or you may go all the time. But, man, can I encourage you to do it a deep soul dive right now, like like a real heart check and like go down into the depths of your soul and just know that you know that, you know, it's not just head knowledge for you, but it's a heart knowledge.

Salvation is a heart knowledge that you have received Jesus Christ into your heart and make that decision today because there's no promise of tomorrow. Well, well, Matthew, before just real quick, before we move on, and I appreciate you sharing that. So sounds like if there's men or women listening out there, we get a lot of women that listen to Q&A show. So it sounds like you would highly recommend certainly to men to consider attending man camp. And for the women out there, just what maybe encourage their husband or encourage that significant other to one day attend camp, would you say? I would encourage both of them to sit down and seek God that that would be a thing for them to do. And then for the significant others to be supportive and also acknowledge that it's a sacrifice of folks.

That the men have to make the decision to go, but then that's going to leave their spouses back home to handle the home for a week by themselves. Right. Right.

Sacrifice on both fronts. It is. But the rewards absolutely on the back end. Right. The rewards are great on the back end. Right. Absolutely. Just get there.

However it is, whenever it is, just get there. And here's a cool thing, too. So so you were you were so greatly impacted. Of course, your family was very supportive. And of course, upon your return home, they saw the changes in you. And and you have since come back and and volunteered on staff and served on staff. And and which we make that available to everyone. I just want to thank you for coming back and serving on staff as well.

It is truly my pleasure. And I have to say, too, like we like we talk about how real the warfare is. My wife was hospitalized with covid during the camp that I was supposed to go to. So I ended up going to a different camp. But we got there. So anybody that may be coming to camp or considering going to camp know that adversity is going to come. But deliverance is there and you will overcome it. Just keep pushing forward.

That's that's that's good advice. And if you want more information on that, go to the same website, Koloff dot net and click on the link to Man Camp. And of course, there's also links there to this podcast, the radio show on Truth Radio Network and and so many other wonderful things there on on Koloff dot net. Well, OK, let's let's do this. Let's transition here to your questions for me. Of course, I have no idea. Typically, these are all just organic conversations. I don't have a clue what Matthew is going to ask me. So it's going to be fun to see what he puts out there. And so, Matthew, let's fire away with your first question.

All right. Well, I think I'll start from a ministry perspective. So hypothetically, say you have a ministry team and you've got a few people on that team who are not on board with the vision. Of what the leader of that team is trying to get to.

How would you deal? With those who are either just not on board or are actively working against. Wow. I mean, that's that's a great question. And it's kind of a sad note that they that that they would work, kind of push against the vision and not work collectively together kind of reminds me of of churches and denominations. And I'm in a lot of communities.

You know, you mentioned the one day man up intensive that that I do. And and it's interesting because a lot of pastors, I invited, you know, five different churches and none of them responded or none of them. You know, they all said one thing and then push come to shove and nobody showed up, you know. And so it's really in a sense, a sad commentary that that we cannot collectively as a whole work more together in unity. I mean, we're on the same team, right? We should be working towards the same goal, which is building God's kingdom. But there seems to be so much. So many times it just seems to be like like I just know I just want my own little community.

I don't want to engage in yours. And unfortunately, I'm on a larger scale, not a more narrow scale, more directly to the question you're asking. I mean, if you've assembled a team and and they're not on board with the vision or even kick it against the goad, you might say, and trying to even, you know, buck against it. Then, you know, really, you may have to very lovingly put together a different team. I mean, honestly, if they if they can embrace the vision and really that's the significance of of putting a team together is maybe on the forefront, making sure they're all aboard and embracing the vision.

But if you maybe find out later that they said one thing, but then later, you know, are showing something else that you may just have to lovingly dismiss them and and and assemble others who who do share the same visions. Would your company, business or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Kolof for Christ Ministries, The Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to Kolof.net and click the donate button.

You can give monthly, annually or one time. God bless you for making a difference around the world. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Nikita Kolof 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 Kolof Fans, and like it and follow today. If you would like to support Kolof for Christ Ministries for a gift of twenty five dollars, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration for a gift of fifty dollars. Nikita will include his book Wrestling with Success and for a gift of one hundred dollars or more. Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption.

Go to www.kolof.net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Does that make sense? It does. Yeah, I just know I have been in an environment like that before years ago and I've just always thought, OK, if I ever get to the point that I have my own team at some point down the line, you know, I'm sure that's going to happen at some point or another. So it just comes to how to deal with that.

OK, yeah. So I'll just tag something, one other thing on this. So I would suggest then for you as you as you begin or would begin to assemble the team is, you know, it comes go back, go back to the prayer you mentioned by even praying to come to camp and all that is, is if you're considering somebody or somebody is considering coming aboard, they pray, you pray. Make sure you're of kindred spirits and and there's a peace and an agreement together, you know, that, hey, can you fully embrace this vision and come alongside and support it and not try to be an obstruction, but but be in support of it.

And and ideally, obviously they say, yes, you bring them aboard and then one by one you assemble that team. I like that. I like that a lot. Yeah.

Great question. Awesome. So transition over to wrestling for a minute.

OK, let's do it. What was your favorite match? Oh, man, you know, it's hard.

Honestly, it's so hard to pin that really pin that down to one match. I'll typically if I'm asked a question like that, I'll narrow it down to what I would say my I'll just say my top three and not necessarily in this order. OK. And so I'll start with the very original war games, the super powers, the Nikita Korov and Duthey Rhodes.

Yeah. With with the road warrior baby and Mr. Paul Ellering in the ring with us. So so the superpowers, the four horsemen, the road warriors, JJ Dillon, Paul Ellering, that that first war games was electrifying the fans.

If you go back, people go back and watch some of that. The response of the fans in the arena that night was it was absolutely electrifying. And so that was that was a pretty amazing match to be a part of the very first ever great American bash against the. Who nature boy, Ric Flair for the world heavyweight title, because you got to remember, Matthew, I was only I was still just so new to the business. 13 months almost to the day, I think, in the business, and I had already become the world tag team champion, the world six man champion with Uncle Liven.

Don Coronado, later Crusher, Khrushchev. And then I'm wrestling the nature boy Ric Flair for the world heavyweight title was pretty surreal. Last but not least, this wasn't a match, but it was a series of matches. Any guess at what I'm referring to by chance?

Possibly legs in the United States. Well, no, although that was a memorable match as well in Greensboro in the cage once again with J.J. Dylan. No, the best of seven series against Magnum T.A., or as I used to call him, MAGA T.A. Magnum T.A. But as I was learning English, you know, my English is greatly improved, hasn't it?

Yes, it has. Yeah, you know, good English tutoring, but the best of seven against Magnum T.A. is probably the number one thing from fans that I hear about is that best of seven.

So collectively, those are my top matches. I can't argue with that at all. I go back and watch war games all the time. So that that was one for the ages. So you remember? Well, I went back and watched that I was born in eighty nine, so I'm still a little young like, but I'll go back and watch it from time to time. Well, on that note, thank you for being an old school fan, being as young as you are then. Thank you for that. Oh, yeah, I grew up on that.

I'm I'm not really on with the newer stuff. I like the old school way. And many people do. You know, I go out to a lot of autograph signings, Wrestle cons, comic cons, legend events, you know, virtual signings. And and and so it's just fun. And I go all over the country.

I mean, Baltimore, Philly, Boston, you know, Hotlanta, Florida, a lot of different places that bring me in for these for these autograph signings. And what's the most fun for me now is to hear all of your story, all the wrestling fans stories. So as a wrestling fan out there, just like I'm talking with Matthew today. Again, I emphasize if you'd like to get a call from the Russian nightmare, ask me a few a few wrestling questions or maybe you're a pastor out there and want to ask me a few ministry questions or whoever. Give me a call. Matthew, got another question for me.

I do. And I think this one might take a minute. So it may be the last one. But for the people for the people listening, because there's a there'll be a lot to unpack here. But given the state that the world is in currently, how do we make men, men again? Whoo, boy, that's a that's a yeah, that's a loaded question right there, man. That's a loaded question.

And in my view, in my view, an observation, OK? And it seems like masculinity, manhood has been under attack, not not just the last few years, but really the last few decades that it has not been overnight. But over time that there's been this really I viewed an attack on the nuclear family, getting the man out of the home. And unfortunately, the divorce rate being as high as it is. I believe part of that agenda, part of that plan to really go after what's called the nuclear family and a destruction of the nuclear family. When you look at it and I'm no historian, I love history. But when you look at history and countries and nations that have have fallen, it invariably it started with an attack on the nuclear family.

And where there was a destruction of the nuclear family, the nation at some point thereafter, it felt like crumbled and it and it and it was destroyed. And so how do we do that? Certainly that was part of the vision that Lex and I had for for the man camp and and these one day man up intensives that I do in local church, local communities to take my experience and and what I learned through through the teaching of God's word. I went to a camp myself back in 2006 and saw teaching on biblical manhood by a guy by the name of Duncan Brannon. In fact, I've had him on the man up show and those listening to this show today.

Go go check out the archives and pull up Duncan Brannon and and his teaching. Matthew opened my eyes personally to what it looks like, the difference between manhood and masculinity, masculinity, the way the world defines it versus how the Bible and how God defines it. And and so you're right. This is a lot of unpacking, but I'm going to try to condense this down to say that's for all those listening out there. The goal would be to define your manhood, your masculinity, the way the Bible and the way God defines it, not the way the world defines it.

It took me honestly, transparently, 46 years to figure that out. And at the age of 47, part of my testimony is at the age of 47, I stepped into manhood the way God defines it for the first time in my life. And since that decision back in 2006, I have been been pursuing that and now trying to transfer that experience and education and information, teaching and training, empowering and equipping men to to be godly men, godly husbands and godly fathers. And and certainly man camp isn't the only only camp or conference out there that men can attend to be equipped and empowered to to do that. But I would encourage every man out there and every woman listening. If you have a man in your life, whether it's man camper or another conference or another camp, encourage men to go to a biblically based conference or camp where they can be equipped and empowered through teaching and training from the word of God. That's the key from the word of God and to be able to come home, be deployed back home, to be that godly husband you desire, that godly man that you desire to be, that godly father that you desire to be. And lots of testimonies, Matthew, for one being your own and for those who go on the man camp website will see quite a number of testimonies of how marriages have been transformed, family relationships with sons and daughters, men set free from addictions, drug addictions, porn addictions and all kinds of things that have set them on a path of of of manhood and masculinity in a very servant way.

Being a real servant in their home and in their community. So there you go. Well, you have asked some great questions today and I appreciate you, Matthew, and look forward to you continue to walk this journey out and see how God continues to open doors of opportunity for you to impact the lives of of youth and children and your father-in-law and just kudos to you. Thank you, sir.

This has been a wonderful time and I look forward to serving with you in the future. Well, God bless you and thank you for dialing in to another episode of Q&A with Kolov. Tune in again next time. In fact, tune in next week.

God bless you. Hi, Nikita Kolov. 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. If you are enjoying Q&A with Kolov, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe and leave a comment. Nikita Kolov here. If you're needing to buy a car and have marginal credit and considering using buy here, pay here, that's worse than taking the Russian sickle. Winston-Salem Motor Cars will put you behind the wheel of a car you can rely on while helping rebuild, repair or establish your credit score. Conveniently located on Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem. Be sure to check them out today at wsmc1.com. Because you are number one.