This is the Truth Network. This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Truth Talk Live. All right, let's talk the truth news. I can't hide it.
Oh yeah. A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind.
And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. It is the second day of the convention floor. of the NRB National Religious Broadcasters Convention 2006. And I have to tell you. 26.
2026, yeah. Thank you, Dr. Carson. I tell you, Robbie's been working. When it comes to dates, you can't beat Dr.
Date the World, you know, and he knows the years, and they all run together after some. They sure do. Nonetheless, I have to tell you, of all the NRBs I have ever, and every one of them blesses me, and maybe I always feel this way. But I can't even believe that people that God has sit down in front of me today. Um Like, talk about being honored that God would allow me to hear these stories.
You know, sometimes like with somebody, the founder of Prey.com, right? Like he's sitting there talking to me, like, why? You know, I just, just all these kind of amazing, amazing, like. Doug? Um Shaw, that it which a lot of people would know that name.
But he's the head of one of the largest advertising agencies. He's responsible for Erwin Lincoln and people like that being on the air. And It's like he's sitting down in front of me. Like, I can't believe it. Like, how cool is it that God has all this stuff going on and.
As a result, we get to share with you guys that are listening today what's going on. And one of those moments is actually right now that Doc and I are sitting here with John Hefter. And a simple two years ago, he came out with something that You know, it could be two years from now, Doc, we'd be looking at it. It says cross-connect. Cross-connect.
It says pray.com because. Cross-connect is w what many of us who have Enjoyed the use of AI in some ways and seeing it as a tool to grow closer to God, which I believe it is, just like radio or a lot of other things. Again, tools can be used for good or evil. But AI is a tool, but can you imagine an AI That I guess was was framed you know, buy people with The idea of chasing after God from an evangelical point of view... as to use it a tool specifically that way.
But I'll let John explain it, since he helped find it. It's CrossConnect, that's the name of the app. I'm sure by the end of this, you're going to want to know, how do I get this app? Like, if you've been using ChatBGPT, I got to tell you, I've been using it. Just a couple of days.
And I can't even begin to tell you the advantages I personally have seen in it, especially as evangelical.
So John? Tell us a little bit about the founding and how this happened, man. Sure, first of all, I want to say, Robbie, I've been watching work for two days straight. I think you're the hardest working man in Christian Radio.
So if anyone doesn't know that, it's true. Thank you so much for having me today.
So CrossConnect came from an idea. I want to go a few steps back before that. I was a co-founder of a successful M ⁇ A company. With that, we raised over $3 billion previously. And I really fell into kind of like a materialist, hedonistic kind of hell, to be honest with you.
Cost me my marriage, it cost me really everything in my life. And when the dust finally settled and I was left kind of with nothing, the analogy I use is I kind of felt like a A Japanese fisherman who went out to fish, a tidal wave came underneath me, and when I came home, it was all gone. I was sitting there alone and I was like, what can I do for good? And what helped me get through this period, and for me, it was a return to the Gospels after years of drifting, let's say. And then You know, we thought about the idea of companionship and we thought about the idea of technology and how could we use it for good and to bring people closer to the word.
And I was sitting on a porch with my business partners in Salt Lake City, and we were talking about using AI pins in Bluetooth and how we could use it, and I was like, oh, I've got an idea. Why don't we develop a cross-tendant and then it'll serve an app. And behind that app will be all of these AI agents that are designed for Bible study. designed to help you learn how to pray better and really to be a companion and a therapist. Because at my church, my pastor was only available maybe once every six weeks to sit down with me for 20 minutes.
Well, I wanted him every day when I was really going through it, as the kids say these days. And so that's how the idea was born. And I'm an entrepreneur and optimist. I thought it was going to be really easy. It's been tremendously hard.
It's cost a lot more to get it together, but we really have. Trained it. to be exactly what you said, which is just a tool to help you get closer to your faith. and to be a constant companion as you go through life's journeys. And for me, there's really like two archetypical users of the app.
There's people who go deep dive into translations and Bible study, and it's very appropriate for that. And there's another subset of people who use it for their day-to-day problems. We have an everyday user right now. who gets really angry at the golf course. And every day he's retired and he talks about how angry he got and how he wants God to help him to calm down.
So really the use cases are really. Buried. For me, the first time when we were testing it, I have a 15-year-old daughter, and I had a blow-up fight with her. Yeah. I'm shocked.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Any of us with 15-year-old daughters in our lives? And, you know, I lost my cool, and then I asked. the AI using my pendant, I was like, how do I stop myself from doing this and how do I reconcile me blowing up in anger when really as a father, I try to be a stable, steady rock for my kids always?
And within a few minutes, I was completely grounded, I was completely calm. And it also gave me prompting for my next conversation with my daughter to sort of like. you know, to make a new bridge. And for me, I was like, wow. This is why this thing will be great for people and this is why it will be so valuable for them.
And so did it give you a scripture to ground you in that situation with your building?
So our app is designed to always ground everything in scripture.
Okay, I love it. Yeah, so.
So you got like Proverbs 51. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then it explains it, and it always takes things from a scripture contextualization and really humanizes it and brings it to be appropriate for whatever modern issue you're going through. And that's really what I hope people... will feel the value of that for me as a founder. I will feel So grateful if people get the same value that I get out of it myself.
Yeah, it it oh and I again I had a chance to try it doc And I have depended, you know? Instant access. Rather than trying to type out my questions and whatever, right? Yeah, and you know me, Doc, I don't, I'm not as accurate. Verse and stuff that you are.
Like, man, I can't tell it.
So I'm like, I can say, like, okay. I think it's in Luke, I think it's around chapter nine, and Jesus is talking about foxes having holes, and so give me the Hebrew equivalent of what it is that he laid his head on, right? Because I want to study that idea, and it just jumped all over that, and then once it gave me the Hebrew word, then I... I started taking that word apart, looking at the roots, looking at the letters, and it let me go as deep as I wanted to go, and then I had a few arguments with it. On its view of it, and I watched it, you know, manipulate, and it was just a delightful.
Um And this is all happening on the phone. No, it's happening through my little pendant that I have around my neck. You see, you push this button, and then I talk. Right. You know, cross-connect app, what it is that I'm thinking about, what I'm.
what I'm studying right this minute in my time and and and You know, looking at different scriptures and whatever, and it's chasing this thing, and so it's not happening. Like what's happening is I'm looking at the app. And it's you know, giving me A fairly long Explanation of things that we talked about, you know, like in ChatGPT kind of thing. Right. And.
But it's gone back and forth without me having to type it. That's what is it for me.
So you're not having to type, that's one of the benefits here. And I'm looking at these guys, they both have it. around their neck and you just push a button. Yep. And just start talking.
Just start talking. And what we wanted is the phone is such a busy place. I mean, I'm a daily phone user. I look at my phone, I've got updates from Zillow, Google, people texting me. And for me to have a place in isolation with a pendant where I don't need technology next to me, where I can have clear reflections and a place of quiet, I think to me is a major benefit.
Right. For AI, instant access with AI for your Bible. All right, we have so much more Truth Talk Live, live from NRB 20. 26 a year. We'll be right back.
Mm. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live today, live from the NRB 20. 26, I'm getting that right, by Doc, and we're so honored really, really, to have John Hefter with us. He is the co-founder of this new CrossConnect, which is an AI.
For those of you using ChatGPT, it functions very much like that if you've used ChatGPT. There's an optional pen in it. that we're talking about here that you can talk to, but you can also just hit the little microphone thing on your phone that you've used with ChatByGPT, it works very similarly. And the idea here is this agent which just calls itself Pete. In my phone anyway, it does.
Pete has got a little different direction for you, especially in situations where somebody's depressed. or something like that. Um But Doc, go for it. Your questions.
Well, just again trying to understand. The benefits That I've already figured out for myself.
So, listeners, I'm like you right now. I'm hearing something, maybe for the very first time, I'm here for the first time. instant access to biblical Insight. That AI is going to give you, as John was saying about a situation that he had with his daughter, all of a sudden. like a life alert just Almost being able to pray.
With The ability to get the help at that very moment, just like Jesus was facing a temptation. I'm facing a temptation of the devil right now. What verses can you give me? Exactly. And you're going to get them.
And now you got God's word right there. It's like having doc in your pocket.
Well Uh That's a nice compliment, but I think it's going to be a lot even better than Doc in the Pocket. Oh, my God, because I'm getting very interested in this, I tell you, because. Because you do. When Satan attacks, you've got to be ready to come back at him with scripture. And to be able to, I'm dealing with thoughts right now.
And all of a sudden Flippin's four or eight Shows up, boom, just like that. And you're seeing, I'm supposed to be thinking on things that are pure and right. Um How in the world did you come up with this idea? I've always been an idea person. Ideas are easy, execution is hard.
But I've always been a dreamer, you know, so for me, this is just a dream, and I really wanted to do something. I've sold millions and millions of dollars worth of products in my life, but something left me empty. And how could I do something with purpose? That would accomplish some financial goals, but really make me feel like I've done some good in the world on whatever level that might end up being.
So for me, it was more of a. A humble project to soothe my soul more than it was necessarily a business venture. And for me, having used it myself, as one of the first pilot users of the product, to have myself settled and calmed when I have really high agina or I'm going through something that's hard. And then I get myself grounded and I'm just, I think to myself, this is a powerful tool that really can be used for a lot of people for good. And I'm understanding it can also take you into a lot deeper components where you can ask, I'm trying to understand the Greek word Yeah.
adore, to adorn. To have the appearance of the gospel, all of a sudden it breaks it down. There's the Greek word for cosmos, which is the Greek word for world, the cosmos, but then there's also cosmetics where you make order out. It does all that for you. And this is Hebrew.
I took it there this morning, both in Greek and Hebrew. And in each case, it is even, I would say, more prolific than ChatGPT, which is quite. verbose and all that.
Okay, and it it... You can check it up against your concordances. You can check it up whatever reliable.
So I use Blue Litter Bible a lot. And it sent me to verses. Where I checked the Hebrew, and it was beautiful. It was wonderful. And I.
I was excited and I was, you know. Working for the Truth Network. You know what? You have a certain confidence when you have a partner, and that's one of the things that, you know, CrossConnect is a partner with us here at the Truth Network. They're in our booth, they're right down there.
And so before Mike Carbone and Stu Everson put their name onto anything, Right, or they want you don't want people to in your booth that you So I had a certain confidence. But still You know, this technology is new. And it seems fraught with like, man, I don't I'm my my biggest fear And I'm sure a lot of people that use ChatGPT, they're biggest fear of it, and you would be. Like, I don't want to get in the way of the Holy Spirit. I don't want to take the shortcut.
Right. Right? Rather than actually ask the Spirit where I need to go next, I don't want to. Should create this situation, which still I think is a stewardship issue in my own Decision process and something that we'll continue to work through as we have more experience in it. But here's the truth of the matter.
Is that all the kids? Right, John? They're doing this now, but they're doing it with an agent. that has not necessarily got Christian roots like this one. Chat GBT and other like products can take you anywhere.
and you can ask it a question and it can pull in from any religion, any source of wisdom. And for us, grounding everything in the word is the way to get the most healthy relationship with a product like this.
So for us that was that was Paramount for us to make sure that that happened. And we spent over eight months training the AI to make sure it did exactly that. Right, and you know, so you're a parent. Right? Your child at this point in time has a phone, they have access to artificial intelligence, chances are they're going to use it.
Here's an option for you to talk to them about that and begin the process of having a discussion of how to use AI and maybe they teach you some things along the way that you can continue to press into God and see the course. That you want to go. Again, it's called CrossConnect. You can find it at the App Store easy enough, and at the App Store, when you get the app, you can get the pen in it if you want to go that route. Two words.
Cross Connect. Yes, and it'll show up in the search bar as CrossConnect, Prayer, and Bible. You can't miss it.
So that's the key. understanding how I just downloaded it. I want to make sure our listeners know. You go on there and have your grandchild download it for you. But it's cross-connect pray and prayer and Bible.
Pray, prayer and Bible. And now you have it right there that you can then ask it questions.
Now, John, I'm going to ask you straight out. If a teenager says, hey, I want to know if there's many ways to heaven. What's your app going to tell them?
Well, it. Let's ask it. Yeah, that's a good way to. That's a good way. I'm not sitting there with the app.
Let's just say. Right, right quick here. I got a How many ways are there to heaven? Uh Obviously the internet down here is not so great, but it's getting it.
So Did I do it right? It's not. I'm not used to using that that way. I was utilizing it. Yeah, you're in the.
Wrong spot here. Let me take you home. All right.
So So, but we can ask it questions. Right, we're fixing two here, we're going to do it.
So I'm sensing I've got it my fingertips Instant access to I'm struggling with something, I can ask it, boom, I've got versus. But I've also got deep commentaries. Right. I don't have to go to a library. I've got Matthew Henry, I've got John MacArthur, I've got all this.
Fingertips, tell me what this word means. And I'm going to get background. And understanding, oh my word, I mean, the world we live in now. All right.
It says And that's one of those questions that cuts right to the center of everything, isn't it? And I want to answer it plainly, but also with gentleness. It says, according to the faith we share, there's only one way because salvation isn't a system, it's a person. Jesus didn't leave it vague. He said in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto me by the Father but me.
So there you go. And there's much more there, which we won't read, but you can get it yourself. It's CrossConnect. We're going to be back. Right after this break, NRB 2026.
Who knows who's next coming around the corner? Thank you, John. It's been an honor to have you on. It's been a pleasure. Truth talk line.
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. And welcome back to Truth Talk Live from the convention floor the second day of the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. 2026. I'm here with Doc. And as we've talked about, man, you never know who's coming around the corner, but I know...
From so many people over the years have told me, Rob, you've got to go to Pennsylvania, you got to go to Ransom, Missouri, you got to see sight and sound theaters. You've got to see this, it's so amazing what they do and how they do it. And unbelievable, and like Doc, you found him. It's the guy, Joshua Ames right here with us, right? Yes, and he has a movie coming out.
Right at Easter. April 3rd. April the 3rd. Easter is April the 5th this year. Listen, we are going to be told right now of the movie you absolutely must go see in the America's 250th The man's name is The film is a great awakening, and it's the true story of the friendship between Reverend George Whitfield.
And Benjamin Franklin, two opposites that you would not think would become best friends. And their friendship sparked the revivals before the revolution. We call this film The Revelation Before the Revolution. Oh, wow. Wow.
Yes, it is a double wow. And it's not just any, but this is actually done by. Sight and Sound Theater. Yeah, correct.
So Sight and Sound Theaters has been around for 50 years. In fact, we're celebrating our 50th year this year, started in 1976. And for 50 years, we've been bringing the Bible to life on stage in a very big, massive, immersive way. Like the Bible characters, you know, Moses, Jesus, David, Samson, and it's a 300-foot wraparound stage with live animals and 60-plus actors. Very big, 2,070-seat theaters.
We have one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and one in Branson, Missouri. And it was during the COVID season that we felt the call to not just have the world come to us, but for us to go to them. And so we produced our first feature-length film called I Heard the Bells, which was under the radar, kind of lower budget. and end up reaching number two at the box office. and getting picked up by Universal for streaming and Sony.
And so we thought we definitely want to move into this genre. And so I started working on a film in preparation for the 250th anniversary of our nation. I wanted to do a film on Liberty. God's definition of liberty, that beautiful word that's branded on that beautiful bell. And I wanted to explore it, and I found this incredible story between the most.
Arguably the most powerful evangelist of all time, Reverend George Whitfield, and the most prolific communicator of all time, Benjamin Franklin. These complete opposites that became nearly best friends and they sparked the revolution.
So it's absolutely exciting, and we're very excited for. It hit movie theaters April 3rd. Wow, and and so the cast Yeah. From the actors that you've had there at Sight and Sound? Not exclusively.
So we really threw the net out wide. We have some actors who have been on the chosen and some supporting casts that have been in the film industry for many years. But our two protagonists in the film, Benjamin Franklin and George Whitfield, are two gentlemen that I've worked with on the stage for many, many years, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park. When you see the portrayal of Ben Franklin by John Snead and you see the portrayal of George Whitfield by Jonathan Blair, I believe you're going to be blown away. We are so blessed and they make all of us look good.
And so are you the director? I did. I directed this film and co-wrote it with my writing partner Jeff Bender. And George Whitfield was Jeff Bender's hero from history. Like, if there's one guy.
Oh, how about that? Yeah. And so I thought. three years ago that we were gonna do a film on George Washington. and liberty and revolution and all that.
And I just kept hitting these roadblocks. And I just kept hitting this creative roadblock. And my wife sent me away. She said, you and the dog, go away to an Airbnb. That I got for you in your Valley Forge, and just seek the Lord.
And so for three days, I sought the Lord. And I felt him speak to my heart and say, Joshua, you had a liberty right, you had your Georges wrong. And he took me to George Whitfield. And once I started peeling back that story. It's hilarious.
You are at Valley Ford. Valley Ford. Yeah, and there you've got Roger Jordan. I was on my knees, and my horse was out back. Was it snowing when you were doing that?
They might have had some flurries. That would have been awesome. No, I mean, I'm not making this up. It's just how the Lord works. It's incredible.
You know, when we have eyes to see and ears to hear, and we seek Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind, He authors these stories and He brings us God ideas and not good ideas. You know, the first time I heard that. It was from a filmmaker. You know which one it was? The Kendrick brothers.
Yeah, I love Alex. I said, you know, tell me about, man, where do you guys come up with these? And that was his quote exactly. He said, Robbie, they're good ideas. And they're God ideas.
Alex is a pillar in our industry, and I love him. And he's only a text away. He's been a big mentor of mine. And so I had no doubt. But I have to ask, Doc, I have to.
From your standpoint, I love the word liberty and Doc knows how much I love the word liberty.
So from your standpoint, what's the difference between liberty and freedom? Oh, well, I would say this. Liberty is a word that everybody wants. Everybody wants liberty, but they have different definitions of it.
Some people think that liberty is ultimate freedom with no bounds, no rules. That leads to ultimate bondage. The liberty that I'm talking about, and the liberty that you guys are talking about, it can only happen one way, and that's through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be set free from sin.
So, on that liberty bell, that Leviticus scripture that says, proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. It's bringing out truth and salvation and the blood of Jesus. And this film celebrates the true definition of that word. And that's why I'm so excited for a Great Awakening to come out Easter weekend. It's going to get out there before the noise of culture, before the fireworks and the explosions and the confetti, when everybody's going to be parading around Liberty.
This really lays a solid foundation of what it is and what it's not. And it's incredible that it comes out of this printer who printed all the sermons of George Whitfield and just really paved the way for the Great Awakening. as we think listeners about 250 years. It is. It's George Washington, Thomas Jefferson.
But what you're bringing is incredible history that our people need to know. This revival. Yes. And George Whitfield. Eighty percent of Americans at that time.
Before the revolution, heard him preach at least one time. Yes. And George Wythe. who is the mentor of mentors at Williamsburg, Thomas Jefferson being one of his that he discipled, mentored. I asked him in that reenactment thing, I asked him, I said, who really fueled the revolution?
Wait a minute. Take me back. What reenactment are you talking about and how did you ask him?
Well, it's like you went back 200 years. Yes, I'm 250 years. I'm in Williamsburg, and George Wythe is the reenactor. And he's talking about American liberty, talking about virtues, and he, and so he, question and answer, and I want to know, who did you think really, was it Thomas Jefferson, was it George Mason? George Washington.
I already knew the answer. He said the man that made the biggest difference in the American Revolution was George Whitfield because of the revival. Yeah, absolutely. And that's what I love about this movie. And I get goosebumps just hearing that said back to me because, you know, George Whitfield, he had the supernatural speaking voice.
And he could speak to thousands of people, yeah, without amplification. And he wanted, he was from England and he wanted to be an actor, so he went to Oxford, England, Oxford University to study acting. And guess who he ran into? The Wesley brothers and the Holy Club. And he got converted to Christ.
And he decided to use his powerful and anointed speaking voice from the pulpit instead of from the stage. But his theatrical way of presenting the sermons got him kicked out of the Anglican churches.
So he built his own traveling pulpit and he became an itinerant minister and rode horseback all over England, Scotland, Ireland, and in the colonies. And he would set up his pulpit. I got to share one quick story. George Whitfield's voice was so powerful, and we depict this scene in the film. that he went to a coal field in Bristol, England, and set up his pulpit in the middle of the field while everybody was working underneath him.
And he started to preach the Word of God. And according to his diary, like black ants, they came up out of the earth and came toward his pulpit. And he said, I could tell that the Holy Spirit gripped their hearts when I saw white streaks going down their blackened cheeks. That's the George Whitfield that we're talking about. He became a phenomenon.
So when he came into the colonies in 1739, Ben Franklin was in attendance and did a scientific experiment. This is also in our movie. And he measured that his voice could be heard and understood by 30,000 people. Philadelphia only had 20,000 residents. everywhere he went.
And that's why eighty percent of the colonists not only heard about George Whitfield, but literally heard his voice preaching. He was essential in the first Great Awakening. And his words wouldn't have gotten out if it wasn't for Ben Franklin at his printing press. printing out his sermons and his whereabouts so people would know where he's going to be. And I'm a tad bit excited about this.
I can tell, Doc. I mean, it was. We want a third Great Awakening. And I'm praying that your movie is going to be used as a catalyst. And again, it's coming out before Easter.
Yeah. Laying that groundwork, again, the salvation message is going to be in it. Very clear. Oh, my God. Goodness.
In fact, my father-in-law, who is Glenn Esherman, who started Sight and Sound, he said that when he watched A Great Awakening, he's seen it four times now. And he said it's the most powerful evangelistic tool he's ever seen Sight and Sound do, which that is high praise coming from the patriarchs.
So I know everybody has a question that probably has said listening than I do.
So When Whitfield is going to preach in this movie, I assume. Yeah. Will he be preaching his own sermon? Yes. Absolutely.
The words from this sermon that are preached in this movie will actually be what Whitfield preached. That's correct, yes. And the most powerful moments in this film are when we're using actual words from history, including, and I don't want to give the whole ending away. But Ben Franklin stood up at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. And he delivered the most powerful words of the convention, and word for word.
Is depicted in our film. But I'm not going to tell you how it all comes to be, okay? But it's a speech that needs to be heard about. This is, no, this is BC, this is before the crack, right? Before the crack.
Yeah, no, but it's an incredible film that we're all very excited at Sight and Sound to give to the world April 3rd. We keep saying spread the word April 3rd. It's not a movie, it's a movement. Right, and the name of it one more time, Doc, you've quoted it several times, but it's. It's a great awakening.
A great awakening. Yeah. A great awakening is an event. A great awakening is a personal awakening that we think is going to happen to our audience. That's so good, because I would have said the.
A great awakening. And that's where listeners, listen, you've got to start planning now. for April the 3rd, the 4th. It's going to be in theaters going into Easter. Leading up to the National Day of Prayer.
We've got the National Day of Prayer that's the first Thursday of May. Yep. And celebrating America 250. We don't understand our roots. Our roots are a spiritual awakening.
Amen. Amen. And we need another one. Spread the word. April 23rd.
Ah, great. Awakening. I've been awakened just through this last 15 minutes. Oh, an honor to have you here.
Well, I appreciate that so much. Thank you, guys. Thank you. God bless you. Truth talk line.
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back, NRB 2026, the second day from the convention floor. It's amazing. Again, God brings so many different people. Doc, you just don't know who's coming around the corner.
Each one, God has given them some unique gift, talent, some part of their story that God continues to, you know, with just amazing time. You've already had two incredible interviews today. Two. Yeah, with John.
Well, you haven't been sitting there with me.
Now, you've been doing interviews all day, and people can watch this on your YouTube channel. They can watch on YouTube. Robbie Dilmore or Robbie Dilmore on Facebook, either one. Even LinkedIn, I think, as well. Any of those places.
Yes. I got to tell you, there are some really, really powerful, like the founder of Prey.com. He was amazing, the Sight and Sounds Museum now that's in Dixon, Tennessee, the founder of that and what happened with that amazing story. Oh, Agandava, Adam, the people in Israel that are, you know, just one after the other after the other. And that's the way I'm going to listen to some of these shows so I can get educated.
Yeah, it's and inspired because I think that's what's happening here. A lot of people are being inspired by these stories. And so we got another one. I know you're not shocked. We got J.T.
Messa with us, and he's an author, has a foundation because God. He has a different story. A lot different than my story. Um his book No bad days. And so...
I'm with that, right, Doc? No bad days. But I'm not sure. Because in bad days, you will want to see them turned around, and you're going to tell us about that. That's right, that's right.
You know, first off, thank you guys so much for having me and for letting me come share my story. And it sounds like you've had some amazing stories and that's what I'm all about, is sharing stories of people and overcoming their challenges and how they find joy. And so that's what this book's about.
So It sounds like you had some real challenges as a child. I did, I did. I was born with something called Bacterel syndrome. And this is a birth defect that affects your GI system. And so I had what they call trachea esophageal fistulas.
Long name. Yeah, there you go. Long name. That's worth written your last name, right? That is.
But the way to explain it is like endless tentacles that don't connect to your stomach and stuff. And so at birth, that had to be repaired. I also had other aspects of this Bacterale syndrome with that lower GI issues. I had a colostomy bag for the first few years of my life. And we continued to have surgeries.
I had about 16 surgeries before I was 16 years old, and I had spent over 250 days in the hospital at a given time to work on my lower GI stuff. And so early on, my parents didn't know that I would be born with this, and the doctors obviously didn't. It was uh it was uh Quite a process for them, but it was a big process in the sense of. Just staying with their faith, and that was what was so important to them. And I think, honestly, I always say the caregiver has it the hardest, and my parents definitely.
For the emotional side and the mental side of things, but my parents stuck together, and with that, it's because of their faith and they. have instilled that in me, my faith in the good Lord. And so my journey continued and I had many surgeries, like I said, and as I get a little bit older, we'd find new diagnosis to this syndrome. had what they call tethered spinal cord. Which is where your spinal cord attaches to your sacrum nerves.
And so they actually go in there and they have to sever the spinal cord from those nerves to stop the pain and discomfort. And I was blessed. I was blessed with amazing surgeons for that, and years later I had to have that operation again. And so he goes through the stuff fast, Doc, but let me just slow down a bit. Because I've spent some time in the hospital myself and people are familiar with my story.
250 days in the hospital. That's unreal. I know. There's only 365 in a year, by the way. And so 250 days in the hospital.
Like you don't get to go outside. Not, right? You don't see the sun. Yeah, many times. You don't have to do it.
sleep through the night. without being woke up three times. If you've been in the hospital any period of time, you know what I'm talking about. They're sticking to it. They're sticking you.
They're checking you. Yes, exactly. They're all, you know, that's for anybody in anything, but in your case, obviously. It was pretty intense. It sounds like 250 bad days.
But this one says no. But there's no bad days. And I'd love to explain that to you. And, you know, I think. As a youngster, I mean, I was very little in those early days, obviously, of that all, but as we fast forward a little bit, and I had my spinal cord surgery.
Still a little guy, but my dad came into the room and he said, he leaned over my bed and Was holding me and he said, You know, JT, I'm so sorry for what you're going through. And I honestly think that the good Lord spoke through me because the words that I said to him was, Dad, it's okay. There's no bad days, there's only hard days, but we get through them with the good Lord. And that life motto has stuck with us. It's been something that Um I feel like my positive attitude and the joy that I have.
has uh has has been instilled by some of that. Yeah, it says no bad days.
So now you have a book So why should a lipster want to read this book? What's in it?
So this book shares my story that I've filled you in on a little bit. And I haven't mentioned the educational challenges too, but that's also in there. And one of the things that I wanted to do when I graduated college was learn more about my medical time because a lot of it I was so young. I interviewed my doctors and learned a lot from them, and from there, I decided to write the book. And this book carries my story.
Also, it carries other people's stories that have been through challenges and adversities in life. Different than mine, and still some in the medical area, but how they've done it and how they can find joy in any circumstance, too. Not only that, but you have a foundation. I do, I do, and that's uh, I think a a passion of mine. And with that foundation, we do medical supplies for children with the similar syndrome to me, and the insurance companies, unfortunately.
In some areas, do not cover these supplies. And so we're able to get these doctors to give these patients and their families these supplies. And um and so that's You know, one pillar of the foundation is the medical, also working with Ronald McDonald houses, and then the education piece. With the dyslexia is very important to me too. And so, what we do is we We get this program, the Tatum Reading Program, that taught me to read and write.
and we are able to get that to teachers and get them trained in the program to go out and tutor kids.
So you can see, Doc, it's like 2 Corinthians chapter 1 come to light, right? He's comforting others with the comfort he was comforted with. Both? you know, through what he knows they're facing with their insurance companies, right, and providing those supplies, but also how many dyslexic kids out there are struggling thinking that they're stupid, right? That's what you think.
I must be stupid. I can't understand. I looked at that and looked at it. You get it, but I don't get it. Yeah.
How did God come after you in that JT where all of a sudden you realized, oh. I'm just seeing this a different way. I think that seeing it a different way um Reminds me of a story of when I was in lower school, and I had the medical stuff, and I was open, even at that age, to a degree of sharing what was going on in my life. Also the education side of things. And so when I was sitting in a classroom, kids would go around and you'd read throughout the class, and it was my turn to read, and I just spent A little bit of time with the TADM reading program, and so I had a little bit better reading, and it got to me, and I read in the class.
And one of the students stood up and started clapping for me, this young girl, and others did too. I think that the reason that they felt that they could do that is because even at that age, I was sharing with others what was going on in my life, and they were able to trust me with things that were even going on in their life. And that's not just in that age, but As time went on, it continued to grow and so it's been a passion to be able to share my story and others as well. Mm. That's magic right there.
There was so much he just said that I hope everybody, you know, if we were honest about the things we struggle with and. You know, it's We overcome. By the word of our testimony, that's one of the things. The blood of the Lamb, which obviously led to our testimony. But that word of testimony to say, you know, people don't know that you're struggling.
They can't pray for you. They can't clap for you when they see that you can't. God came when God has come through. Right. Right.
And so that's a beautiful understanding, JT. It really is. It's cool that God gave you that wisdom to share with your dad in that moment, but he's continued to give you wisdom. To start your own foundation. Like, man, that's a beautiful thing.
Write a book. And you really seem well supported. Apparently, a lot of good people around you. I am very blessed with the people around me. And uh and to speak on the the you know, the challenges again, you know, I I like to say that when we all When you think about it, we're all gonna fall in life and we're all gonna have these challenges where it knocks us down.
And one of the things I love and do. is I do a lot of adventure sports because I'm able to do these things, which I am blessed to do. And with doing those, I have a dear friend of mine that taught me a lesson, and it was. As we were going up the chairlift, he's like, JT, we're going to learn to fall today. And so we were falling from one side to the other side.
Oh, yeah.
Well, let's do it. You've got to learn to fall. And I think that that was the message overall, was the fact that we do need to learn to fall. And we need to have those people in our lives that you're talking about that I've been blessed with and we're all blessed with. Just have to find those and help them and they will help you carry you through.
That's a beautiful.
So, how do I get the book?
So, the book is at JT Mesta on social medias, and then also JT Mesta Foundation. It's M-E-S-T-D-A-G-H. JT Mes Da. Double Google There are no bad days. There you go.
Or go to Amazon. Thank you for listening. We'll be back tomorrow, day three. You're amazing. I can't even tell you how much I appreciate you being there and doing all that you're doing.
You have a blessed evening, and I will talk to you in the morning. All right, buddy?
Sounds good. I'm talking to the I'm talking to the producer. The user. It's full. Yeah.
