Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one flaw. Introducing first, from another episode, Q&A with Kolov, The Devil's Nightmare. Here's where you get a personal phone call from, yours truly, The Russian Nightmare.
Well, now The Devil's Nightmare. But all that said, personal phone call from me and get the opportunity to ask me some questions. It can be about wrestling, it can be about life, it can be about ministry, it can be about whatever. I just enjoy this format.
And with me today, all the way from the sunshine state of Florida, Tim Sensabaugh. Tim, welcome to Q&A with Kolov. Hey, thank you Nikita. It's great to be on with you and this format especially is incredible with Q&A and so looking forward to it. So thank you so much for having me on. Well, looking forward to whatever questions you have for me of which I don't know. But before we get there, let's first dial in our listeners. You're a man who wears multiple hats, you do lots of things.
Our friendship, our relationship goes back 20 plus years when we first met. You were just in youth ministry back then. But now, now you've got something unique happening in Naples, Florida. Tell our listeners what's going on in Naples, Florida. Yeah, Nikita, one of the things that I have had the privilege of doing is starting and launching a church in Naples, beautiful Naples by the way, in the sunshine state like you said. But what makes it unique is that it is an outdoor church and an outdoor experience to come every single Sunday morning, rain or shine, hot or cold. It doesn't matter, we have service outdoors.
Beautiful thing is rarely is it ever. Cold. We have a couple days, Sundays like that. But in a beautiful setting with palm trees around a beautiful lake, music, prayer, preaching, everything that you would have in a typical church service for the most part. But the difference is it is outdoors. And so when you come out to it, we always tell people bring them a lawn chair. If you don't have one, we'll provide you a lawn chair. Come as you are. So everybody usually shows up since it is hot.
A lot of times or a little warmer, they'll show up in their shorts and their t-shirt. And we just have service right outside in one of the public parks there. And it's been doing that for several years now. And it's been my favorite time in ministry.
In over 25 years of ministry, this has been my favorite season ever. So I have a question for you though. And I'm thinking some of our listeners might be thinking the same thing. What gave you the idea to have an outdoor, most people think tradition, box building, brick and mortar. What gave you that idea?
I think the obvious answer is the Lord. But outside of that, just give us a little insight there. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, one of the things, there are other outdoor churches that are in different places in the United States. You'll see them in different parts of Florida even.
A lot of times though, some of them are seasonal or they are not year-round. And I was pastoring down here, and all of a sudden, you know, God, you feel God moving on your heart to make a change. That it's going into a different direction.
And I didn't really know exactly what that direction was going to be. And some people that were here locally that just kept saying, hey, we think that, you know, you should start a church and let's, you know, get a church started. And at the time I was actually planning, honest to God, I had booked a moving truck and was going to Texas. I was going to go and have the moving truck booked, everything to go back into a traditional type of, you know, church and do kind of what I've always been familiar with.
And some really praying people, you know, were saying, hey, we don't know, but we feel kind of the same thing. And my wife, God bless her, she just kept saying, Tim, I don't feel like God is calling us to leave just yet. And so no joke, I would cancel and say, okay, well, let's cancel the moving truck. Let's stay for a little bit more.
And then I'd rebook it. All right, we're going to head out and talk in other churches and different things. And then ultimately, you know, God just really opened the door and laying on the heart said, all right, we're going to start this outdoor church and have an experience that is passionate, that is also at the same time very honest, that's very open, and raw and real. And prior to that, I was pastoring and speaking. As a matter of fact, the last time I spoke before starting this church, I was on a stage in front of roughly 5000 people. And just was like, you know, God, there's, there's got to be more to this, I am looking for deeply personal and just raw and real.
And, you know, struggling with that because sometimes God takes you in a different direction. And it's hard to let go of saying, Oh, man, but this is so this is so amazing. I get to speak to all these people. And then when we had that first service outdoors, this park local park, there was about 20 something people to go from 5000 to feeling God calling you to do something else. And the next time you speak, it's like 20 something people. Let me tell you, I don't care how spiritual you are, it's humbling.
It's gonna be Yeah, it's gonna be a bruise to the ego. But by the time that service was over, I had not just in my spirit, but my emotion, my mind, everything. This is the best service I have been a part of in years. And out of that one little germ, the germination that happened right there, that little seed coastal fellowship church exactly. And that's how it started. And we started with no money, no chairs, no sound system. No, nothing.
I would just get out and openly preach and people would bring their lawn chairs and sit down. Come on. That's great. That's what it was. That's how it started. We grew by people just walking by. Yep.
And hearing and then staying. Yep. And you know, who knew? Who knew? Who went out and preached and did that?
By leaps and bounds. And I like the raw and real. I really like that. And hey, if you're ever passing through Naples, Florida and looking for a unique church experience, cfcnapels.com is the website.
Cfcnapels.com. I want you to check that out. And hey, talk to us because you're again, you're a man of many talents and wear multiple hats. Take a minute and Tim, talk to us about Cindy Morgan music.
Oh yeah. Cindy, Cindy Morgan. For those that are unfamiliar with her, she's an amazing artist. They got her start back in the nineties during what we call kind of the boom of contemporary Christian music. She had her debut album. She won best new artists. She's won songwriter of the year award at the doves and just an amazing artist. But a few years ago, she kind of decided to leave the big label system for lack of a better term and start producing music that was more real, inspirational and personal to her. And one of the opportunities I've had is to be able to come alongside of her and be one of the producers and on her latest project, which is called the sounds of Jubilee.
And it's the soundtrack to the novel that she wrote called the year of Jubilee. And so it's a companion piece that covers a wide range of music from folk Americana blues. We have so many amazing guest artists that are on it and guest writers that have contributed to it from Tom Douglas to Tommy Sims.
They have all contributed. I mean, it's one of the most decorated guest musician lineups from, you know, awards from Grammys to Oscars to Tony awards. They've all come together with the idea of saying we want to put together a quality music project that is uncompromising in the message and in the quality of the production and the music and the writing. And so the year of Jubilee is the novel, but the sound of Jubilee is the album and it's available everywhere that you get music. You can find more information at Cindy Morgan music dot com, but on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, all of those areas, you can also find the sounds of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan. And it is an amazing eclectic mix of music that just stands on its own. We're very, very proud of what has been accomplished there and what God has allowed us to be able to do collectively.
Yeah. And I know there's a lot of, you know, it's up for a lot of different awards and it's a very real crossover because it is so unique. And what a unique concept taking, you know, a lot of people get soundtracks from movies, you know, it might say, but the soundtrack of a book is what an incredible year of Jubilee. Go get a copy of the book and then I'm guessing you listen to the sounds of Jubilee. It'll just be a really a double blessing there for you to have both Cindy Morgan music dot com.
Check it out. And Tim, I'm looking forward to coming down to the Sunshine State next year and help celebrate the anniversary and experience that outdoor church, but also the birth of a baby. That's right. That's that's the biggest news of all. That's the biggest blessing that's happened in my wife Michelle's life is we are expecting our first child, the son that's coming later this year. And we're excited because you're going to be coming down also to help celebrate that as well as having a baby dedication. And we're going to be blessed and we're praying for good weather and all that good stuff. Yeah, I can't I can't wait. I can't wait.
That's going to be an exciting time. So check out the church, check out the music. You said Tim is a man of multiple talents and multiple hats that he wears and it is Q&A with Koloff. And so I do want to get a segue to give you the opportunity to ask ask me some questions. And so if you're ready, I'm ready, Tim, if you want to fire away with your first question.
Man, I am ready. And Nikita, this goes back to what I said earlier about at one point being on the platform, in my case, speaking to several thousand people on a regular basis, a weekly basis in my case, and then all of a sudden God shifts you into a different place. And you have experienced similar things as a wrestling superstar, wrestling legend, all the accolades that go with it and being in front of thousands of people, being in entertainment and the focus of everything.
Can you tell me what it was like or how that transition was to go from everything focused on Nikita Koloff, the Russian nightmare, to being, OK, I'm not all about the thousands. I want as many people to come. And clearly you've done that. But now transitioning to saying, OK, I know people are coming to hear me, but the focus is on Christ. Yeah, what a great question. I don't think I've ever been asked that, at least not in that way.
And so several things are just kind of popping into my head how to answer that, how to address that. Because when I think about whether it's, and I've said numerous times, I've had the privilege of certainly wrestling, as you said, in front of thousands and thousands. And I think of the great American Bash in 1985 for that World Heavyweight title against the Nature Boy, Ric Flair.
And 30-something thousand, there's different numbers thrown around, but I think it was 30-something thousand there. And only 13 months into the business, and then many other incredible, the American Bash on tour, and all the big stadiums, football stadiums around America, and all of that. And then, yeah, and then 17 October 1993, about 11 months after leaving wrestling, I find myself at an altar, surrendering my heart and surrendering my life to Jesus.
And it takes me on an entirely different trajectory. Now, that said, I've had the privilege of ministering, like yourself, in front of some pretty large audiences, but I've also many times had the privilege of ministering to an audience of one. Meaning, I can right now think of a wrestler, he was kind of an undercard wrestler, but he came to hear me speak at an event in Georgia one time. And afterwards he's like, hey, can I talk to you? I've got a couple questions.
And I'm like, sure. And so we sat down after that event, and about three hours later, Tim, in answering all of his questions, he made a decision to give his life to Jesus. Three hours.
Three hours of questions and conversation. He made a decision to give his life to Jesus, and then went on to become an ordained minister and pastor of church and all of that. And so, you know, that's incredibly humbling to make that transition. And then one other quick story, I'll try to condense this story down, that really, and I phrase it this way, it was really a test of the Lord. There was at one point, Tim, that the Lord asked me to grow my hair out, shave my facial hair, and grow my hair out, and he would instruct me as to when I could cut it.
So grow it, and I'll tell you when you can cut it. And I'm like, okay. And so I began to do that as it was growing.
I mean, at first I looked like the chia pet, right? But as time went on, the longer, I mean, people are asking me, Tim, they're like, hey, what's going on? You doing some kind of Nazarene vow or Nazarite vow or something?
And I'm like, uh, not really. I'm just trying to be obedient to God. God said. And they're like, okay, has he told you why?
I go, not yet. I'm still waiting on why, but I'm just walking in obedience. Sixteen months later, narrow the story down, sixteen months later, he finally gave me, released me and gave me, and then my youngest daughters, Colby and Kendra, got off the clippers. They couldn't wait to shave it all off.
But, uh, and then here's the moral of that story. And here's where I just believe Tim, God was testing me. I had a very different look with a mullet, right? Sixteen months of hair growth and no facial hair. Now there's still, there were still some who recognized me. Lex Luger would say, you can't change those eyes, dude. You can grow your hair, but you can't change those eyes.
Right? But all that said, Tim, uh, looking back, if the Lord just really said, yeah, I wanted to know how comfortable you would be, uh, when people didn't recognize you as the Russian nightmare. Nikita Kolov, would you be okay with that? Or was your identity so wrapped up in the wrestling character that you forget about me? And the lesson, Tim, I learned from all that is I wrestled. I'm a minister now, but that's not my identity. My identity is in Jesus Christ and preaching and wrestling.
Those are just things I did or I'm doing, but my identity at the end of the day is in Christ, not in that character. And that's why. That's good. That's good stuff. That is. So there you go.
You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. If you are a business owner and would like to advertise your company or product on the man up show and or Q&A with Kolov contact me directly nikitakolov at kolov.net The man up show is honored to have Dr. Johnny Gayton is one of our longest running supportive sponsors. Dr. Gayton is regarded as one of the world's leading elite eye surgeons. He is motivated by his faith and doing all things heartily as unto the Lord. His desire to do his best has contributed to success in his eye care practice, performing over 70,000 eye surgeries. In addition, he's a world renowned speaker, writer and author.
Go to eyeassociates.com for more information. 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. Moving, moving with that and keeping along in the same, you know, vein, because I'm sure you've been asked a question similar to this a million times over on the wrestling side, which is who are some of your greatest inspirations or people that really poured into you to help develop on the wrestling side. But the dual flip side of that is the inspiration. Once you leave wrestling, all of a sudden you're stepping out and it's, we don't like to think of the ministry as a vocation. It's a calling first and foremost, but the reality of the situation is, is it does take finance to do church, to minister and all of those things. So there is a vocational element to it and there is a learning element to it. And so in your ministry side, and you can also highlight on the wrestling side, but who were or what were some of the things that influenced you as you developed early on in ministry? Great.
Again, another great question. I'll just quickly address the wrestling side of it because, you know, many know the story and if they don't know the story, go get the audible book or the hard copy of Nikita, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption, and you'll get the full story. But Ivan Kolov, Don Crenodle, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky the Dragonstein Boat, Ric Flair, The Rock and Roll Express, Ricky and Robert, Robert Gibson, Ricky Morton. Those are just a handful of the names that were inspirational or helpful in me developing the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Give my life to Christ and boy, God began to bring, you know, true men of God. In fact, my pastor today, we met over 30 years ago, Jay Stewart.
He pastors the Refuge Church in Kannapolis, North Carolina. We meet on a monthly basis for accountability purposes, as well as just on a friendship. So it's not just about pastoral. It's a friendship.
It's a brotherhood. So Jay is in my inner circle of men who have mentored me and helped me to grow over the years. There was an evangelist for about nine years from South Africa that the Lord brought in my life for a season. There was Tom Whidden, the pastor of the church where I gave my life to Christ, who founded that church and pastored that church for 41 years before he retired. And a list of other guys, Tim, and currently, kind of from a distance, a guy by the name of Alan Jackson, who pastors a church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. There's a number of ministers who I watch online, and I learn and grow and listen to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of sermons online, whether it's sitting in my home or traveling in my car, because I just want to grow and mature and learn.
And so there's many other names. Ronnie Raven, a mutual friend of ours. Ronnie Dean Raven, you know, I met 25 plus years ago. Tim, I view Ronnie as a spiritual father, a spiritual mentor of mine, you know, for all the years he's been involved in ministry and the thousands of sermons that he has preached. And we talk essentially on a weekly basis, very frequently. And so lots of guys that the Lord has brought into my life for different seasons of time that have been instrumental in helping me grow in my faith and my walk and my relationship with Jesus. That's amazing.
I would say mine would mirror the same thing. A lot of times it's not the big names that have, you know, been the biggest influence. It's those that are faithful, which leads me to one last question for you. And it's on this idea, if you're in ministry, and it goes for anybody, that would be less. And I think it's true for anything that you are called to or you're striving for, whether that's as an entrepreneur, starting a business, or that's even in your spiritual life. Everybody comes to different points, quitting points, and you hit the wall and you can either hit the wall, fall backwards, fall down, and quit, run through the wall, or whatever analogy you want to use.
But we all hit quitting points. And ministry, obviously, there's a lot for that too. And recently I've been reflecting on faith versus faithfulness. Each person, the scriptures say that God has given each of us a measure of faith. And a lot of times, one of the things we struggle with is, we want to say, God, grow my faith. But I've been looking, saying, God, grow my faithfulness to you. And so my question, Nikita, is what have you learned or what would you advise, what has been your experience that has helped you remain faithful when you have come up against quitting points? In ministry, in your vocation, your whatever it may be, you hit the obstacle and you go, I'm trying to be faithful in this. What has helped you in that sense? Yeah, great question.
And just the ability to press in, right? And not throw in the towel and give up. So in addition to, I will say, in addition to mentors and being discipled, and I view myself as a disciple of Jesus first and foremost, and then surround myself with, like he did, with an inner circle where he had Peter, James, and John, and then he had the outer circle, then there was the rest of the circle, right?
Everybody else. I have focused on one, having that inner circle, that close-knit group of guys that can encourage me, support me, surround me. A prayer team, a prayer team. Years ago, without going into the full story, the Lord really put it on my heart to develop a prayer team inspired by Reverend Billy Graham that on a daily basis, and their commitment is, I will pray for you on a daily basis and fast once a month for you. And so to know I have now, I think 40, 40 people on the prayer team that are engaging and interceding for me on a day-to-day basis, you know, they get my schedule at the beginning of the month, they get a praise report at the end of the month, and for them to be encouraged that their prayers are being answered. So to have mentors, to have that prayer team, and I think for me the last part of that equation is understanding what it truly means to pick up the cross daily. In other words, spending time in His Word, spending time in worship, worship's a big deal for me, whether it's just soaking in it, and what I mean by that is putting something on and just laying there and allowing it to wash over me for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, however long. And so prayer, here's the key, let me summarize. Prayer, developing my prayer life, worship, the relationships that I'm surrounded with, and then if I just kind of distill it down to those, really kind of those three main things, might add a fourth in there. Fellowship with others, like you just had dinner with a dear buddy of mine last night, and just breaking bread together and having that bond with one another, and he needed encouragement last night, and by encouraging him, I myself was encouraged. And so for those listening out there, consider those four components, a prayer team, and your own prayer life, worship, the Word, and then relationships, fellowship, having a group around you that can encourage you when you're feeling very discouraged and want to throw in the towel and want to quit.
Incredible questions, Tim, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Nikita, man, I appreciate all the time that we get to be able to converse and bounce things off of each other, and I know every time that I have the opportunity to talk to you, I walk away encouraged, I walk away lifted up, I pray and hope the same thing and believe the same thing happens for your listeners. You listen on a regular basis, you're going to be encouraged, and my final takeaway that echoes right back on what you were saying, Nikita, and I say it to my church from a pastor's perspective, I hear a lot of, I don't need to go to church to be a Christian. Okay, that is true, but a famous saying that I think applies here is, and you probably heard it before, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. And that's one of the big things that we have with a circle of friends and believers and people that are going to be making deposits into your life and speaking truth into your life and building you up and encouraging you to move forward, that allows you to keep going farther.
It may not mean you go fast at times, but it means you keep going farther, and that's so important. Yeah, and I just want to make a quick statement to what you just said, the comment, and we've all heard, I don't need to go to church to be a Christian. Well, here's what I'm going to respond to that, no, like you said, no you don't, but you do need to go to church to be obedient.
And somebody would say, what do you mean by that? Well, Hebrews 10, 24, 25 says, don't neglect the assembling together of the saints. So if you want to walk in obedience, and obedience is better than sacrifice, then you may want to consider plugging into a church on a weekly basis so that you're walking in obedience to God's Word. So, Tim Sensabaugh, man, I'm excited, that new baby on the way, and hey, I want to encourage all you out there in Listening Land, make sure you go over, if you want to hear my full interview, there's so much more we could have talked about today with Tim, go over to the Man Up show and catch my full interview with Tim at the Man Up show. And once again, just real quick, make a note, cfcnapels.com if you want a unique outdoor church experience, and you're passing through Naples, Florida, and cindymorganmusic.com.
If you want unique sounds of music, go check out cindymorganmusic.com. So, God bless you, Tim, appreciate you. Thank you so much for the key there, and God bless you, thank you. Alright, and all you out there today, my challenge to you, go out today, live a God-filled, and just have a God-blessed day today, in Jesus' name.
Until next time. 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 kolof.net and donate today.
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. If you are enjoying Q&A with Koloff, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe, and leave a comment. Nikita Koloff here.
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