Trevor: [00:00:01] I kept getting infections. , My lungs collapsed, uh, two different times [00:00:06] while I was in the NICU.Trevor: I had a brain bleed, and a- [00:00:11] anything that could go wrong, uh, did.Trevor: They gave me a diagnosis of [00:00:16] cerebral palsy. , And they said that, you know, "The best thing that you could do is [00:00:21] just take him home and love on him because he's gonna be a, a vegetable pretty much.Trevor: [00:00:26] I consider cerebral palsy, um, to [00:00:31] be the greatest blessing of my life, um, because it [00:00:36] gives me opportunities like this, um, and to sh- to [00:00:41] share what God has done.Trevor: And, this story doesn't happen [00:00:46] if I don't have cerebral palsy. and so I'm [00:00:51] not bitter. I'm, I'm, I'm blessed, [00:00:56] Curtis: Hi, everybody, and welcome to the Run to the Heart podcast. Today, I [00:01:01] have a special guest with me. He's, um, kind of a big thing in [00:01:06] the Circleville-Logan Elm area, and, um, today I have Trevor Lane [00:01:11] on the podcast with me today. And so let me just make a quick introduction. [00:01:16] Trevor was born November 26, 1997. Uh, the [00:01:21] problem was Trevor was supposed to be born on March 16th.Curtis: Trevor was born [00:01:26] four months early. Um, he weighed a pound and a half when he was born. [00:01:31] Doctors came in, told his parents that Trevor wouldn't speak, that he wouldn't [00:01:36] walk, that he would probably be more of a vegetable growing up. Um, but [00:01:41] I'm here to tell you that God had other plans for Trevor and, um, at the age of [00:01:46] two, Trevor was walking with a walker, and Trevor's had no problem speaking ever in his [00:01:51] life.Curtis: Um, by the age of five when he went to [00:01:56] kindergarten, he then graduated to his hand walkers and [00:02:01] attended Logan Elm, um, public school from elementary, junior high, all the way through high school, [00:02:06] and, um, somehow in the seventh grade convinced his parents [00:02:11] to go out for the wrestling team. And so I'm just trying to give you a picture of who Trevor [00:02:16] Lane is.Curtis: He is tenacious. Um, he has the strength of a [00:02:21] lion and a will that never quits. And so, uh, Trevor, thank you for, um, [00:02:26] being a guest on this podcast. We welcome you today, bud.Trevor: Oh, thank you so much, Curtis, for [00:02:31] having me on. Uh, it's an honor to be a part of it. I, I so appreciate, um, [00:02:36] what you're doing, uh, especially honoring Michal's life. Um, and I have a quick [00:02:41] Michal story, if that's okay.Curtis: SureTrevor: So, so this was actually, [00:02:46] um, a couple weeks before, before everything, um, [00:02:51] you know, started happening.Trevor: I was in Sunday school class with her. She was teaching Sunday school to the kids. [00:02:56] Um, and you can just see the vibrance and the [00:03:01] love of Jesus, uh, in her face. She literally, she had a glow [00:03:06] about her, um, and I could tell that, that she loved Jesus and, and, and she led [00:03:11] her, her family well.Trevor: And, uh, just to see how everything, [00:03:16] um, after she was diagnosed and how God magnified her [00:03:21] life so that she could reach untold [00:03:26] thousands of people, um, it was just, it was just incredible to watch. [00:03:31] And I know, you know, it wasn't the outcome that we would've wanted, but just to [00:03:36] see how God worked in all that was just amazing.Curtis: Sure. Well, thanks. [00:03:41] Thanks, Trev. Yeah, she was a remarkable person and a mother and a wife, [00:03:46] and so that's why we, that's why we do this thing. But, um, hey, let me, um, let me [00:03:51] brag on you just a little bit more. Um, folks, [00:03:56] so we've got a lot to cover today, but let me just share a couple more things [00:04:01] real quick before we get started.Curtis: Um, as a teenager, [00:04:06] Trevor became an author. He wrote Victorious On And Beyond [00:04:11] The Mat, and, um, I've been reading it, Trevor. It's a great book, and I, I really want [00:04:16] you folks to go out and get this. Um, he wrote this as a teenager, and you would never, ever [00:04:21] know. It's really, really good. Um, he also has published two [00:04:26] children's books. He published Cerebral Palsy [00:04:31] Is My Superpower, and then he wrote another one called [00:04:36] Perfectly And Wonderfully Made, and we're gonna get a chance to talk about these [00:04:41] and the life of cerebral palsy that, um, Trevor [00:04:46] has lived. Uh, Trevor is a public speaker, and, um, if you [00:04:51] ever want Trevor to come speak to your youth group, to your, uh, church, [00:04:56] um, to a community group, um, he's a tremendous speaker.Curtis: He's been a pastor for a little while. [00:05:01] Um, he's got a lot to talk about in that area as well. Um, couple other things. [00:05:06] He's had the privilege of working with some really powerful [00:05:11] and influential people. Powerful is probably the wrong word, but very [00:05:16] influential Christian people. Um, the late David Ring, [00:05:21] um, Joni Eareckson, um, these are names some of you may not know, but these are people who [00:05:26] have overcome disabilities in their lives, and they are powerful, powerful speakers for the [00:05:31] kingdom.Curtis: And I just ... If you don't know who they are, please Google them and go watch some YouTube [00:05:36] videos. Um, the late David Ring, funny, funny, funny preacher. He's so good. And [00:05:41] Joni Eareckson, um, I know her as a child because she was in a terrible accident as a [00:05:46] child and, um, quadriplegic but has served the Lord faithfully for years and [00:05:51] years.Curtis: Uh, Trevor's even been, um, contacted by ESPN. [00:05:56] Um, he just, he has a remarkable story. And oh, by the way, Trevor's only 28 years [00:06:01] old, and so he's, he's done so much with his life already. But Trevor, [00:06:06] um, in reading your book, I have so many questions. I've written a bunch of things down. We might not get [00:06:11] to all of them today.Curtis: Um, but the thing is I want you to be able to take us on a [00:06:16] journey. Kind of talk us through childhood, um, [00:06:21] all the way through junior high through high school, and then most importantly, I wanna get to your [00:06:26] calling and what God's called you to do. So the, the floor is yours, bud. Just take us on a [00:06:31] journeyTrevor: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um, so I was [00:06:36] born four months early, um, between 22 and 24 weeks. [00:06:41] Uh, that's just at the cusp of what they would consider [00:06:46] viability, um, for, for a baby. Um, and my [00:06:51] doctor said, "You know, he's gonna be lucky if he even survives, and [00:06:56] if he does, uh, he's never gonna be able to, to walk. He's never gonna [00:07:01] talk.Trevor: Um, he's gonna be completely dependent, and he's gonna use a wheelchair for [00:07:06] his whole life." Um, and so as you could imagine, um, [00:07:11] if you're a parent, that kind of prognosis, um, is not [00:07:16] great. Uh, and there were a lot of, uh, hurdles along the way too. I had, [00:07:21] you know, several... I kept getting infections. Um, my, my lungs [00:07:26] collapsed, uh, two different times while I was in the NICU.Trevor: Um, I had a [00:07:31] brain bleed, and a- anything that could go wrong, uh, [00:07:36] did. So, um, they gave me a diagnosis of cerebral [00:07:41] palsy. Um, and they said that, you know, "The best thing that you could do is [00:07:46] just take him home and love on him because he's gonna be a, a vegetable pretty much."Trevor: [00:07:51] So yeah, that was year one of, of life. So, [00:07:56] um, thankfully, you know, my, my parents really took the initiative. [00:08:01] Um, and they, as soon as, as I was able to, they got me [00:08:06] involved in, uh, early intervention, um, physical therapy, uh, [00:08:11] occupational therapy, um, speech therapy. Any- anything that you could think of, [00:08:16] they, they got me involved in.Trevor: Um, and by the time that I was about [00:08:21] two, I started using a walker to get around, and, um, [00:08:26] I was doing Botox injections to kinda help with the, um, what- [00:08:31] what's called the spasticity in my legs. So CP is [00:08:36] basically... Oh, go ahead.Curtis: By the way, they make you look any better.Trevor: [00:08:41] Yeah. No.Curtis: Joke. Bota- Botox joke, sorryTrevor: Yeah. No, [00:08:46] no, I always, I always say, now to you older ladies in the room, um, [00:08:51] if you, if you do this to look a few years younger, that's your [00:08:56] prerogative, but I might look at you like you're a little crazy. Um, 'cause in my, [00:09:01] in my situation, they, they... And I can, I could take you back. I was super young, [00:09:06] but I could take you back to the room that I was in.Trevor: I, I, I knew the, [00:09:11] the, the color of the cart. It was a green cart that they would, they would push in, and [00:09:16] they would have all these vials, and they would take this needle that was about, uh, yea, [00:09:21] yea long, and they would put it into my calf muscle. Um, [00:09:26] but they wouldn't stop there. Once the needle was inside, they would dig it [00:09:31] ar- Like, they would move it around while it was in my leg, um, to see [00:09:36] if they could find the right spot.Trevor: And, um, I-- To this day, that's [00:09:41] probably the most painful thing that I have ever experienced.Trevor: Um, but [00:09:46] it did help to a certain degree. I got those done four times a year, [00:09:51] um, to really help my muscles try to relax. Um, [00:09:56] and, uh, they... It did. It worked, and I was able to, to start [00:10:01] using forearm crutches,Trevor: um, as I, as I got older in preschool and [00:10:06] kindergarten. And, uh, so [00:10:11] I am in kindergarten, and everything's going great. You know, the number [00:10:16] one thing that my mom was worried about, well, my mommy and my dad were, you know, " how is he [00:10:21] gonna be treated, um, growing up?" Because, because they, they [00:10:26] transitioned me from Head Start, the, uh, special needs, school, uh, [00:10:31] to, to regular public school, um, because they weren't sure where I was gonna be [00:10:36] cognitively.Trevor: Um, and it turns out that I, I excelled, uh, by [00:10:41] the grace of God in that, and so they, um, transitioned me over to public [00:10:46] school and, um,Curtis: Okay, so time out. I gotta ask you this because I [00:10:51] think you told me that you went to school on the bus. Is that right?[00:10:56] Trevor: Yes. Mm-hmm.Curtis: As a kindergartner,Trevor: As a kindergartner.Curtis: You got on the [00:11:01] school bus, crutches and all, on a k- uh, as a kindergartner. Um, go back and [00:11:06] just, just share that moment for a minute because I'm trying to paint a picture for people.Curtis: Like, this wasn't a [00:11:11] mom who, like, dropped you off and walked you in and gave you a [00:11:16] hug and then introduced you to your teacher. That wasn't you at all.Curtis: Like, you were like, [00:11:21] "Here's the school bus. There you go."Trevor: Yeah, yeah. And [00:11:26] so, um, that was kind of a little bit of a [00:11:31] hurdle, uh, because, all the other kids were like, [00:11:36] they were paired. There was two to a seat, and and I got, I got my own, I [00:11:41] got a seat all to myself. But, uh, they had to harness me in [00:11:46] because, because I, I didn't have the, um, I didn't have [00:11:51] the core strength at the time to like sit up and make sure that I was, you [00:11:56] know, secure.Trevor: So they w- they literally strapped me into a harness. [00:12:01] And, uh, and it was... Looking back, it was super funny. Uh, [00:12:06] but I got, I got questions about it all the time, and it was hard for me to [00:12:11] answer because I honestly, at the time, I didn't know. I just knew that, you know, this was [00:12:16] something that I had to do. And, um, uh, my mom was a, a, a [00:12:21] rock star in that, you know, "This is gonna be difficult.Trevor: [00:12:26] This is gonna be hard, but, you know, you gotta, you gotta be able to, to do [00:12:31] this." And, and, and, and I did, and I was able to make lots [00:12:36] of, lots of great friends. You know, um, growing up, I wasn't [00:12:41] really bullied at all, um, which is super rare [00:12:46] for...Curtis: that was one Yeah. Yeah had that as one of my questions was, what [00:12:51] was it like, you know, a kid with cerebral palsy and going into public school and [00:12:56] were you bullied or anything like that? But you've told me that, that that really was not the case.[00:13:01] Trevor: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I was, I was super blessed. I mean, [00:13:06] naturally, kids ask questions, "Hey, why do you, why do you use those to walk?" Or, "Hey, why do [00:13:11] you, why do you wear those, um, braces on, on, on your legs?" [00:13:16] And so that actually, funny enough, those [00:13:21] conversations became an avenue to, [00:13:26] to make friends. Um, because, you know, we would talk and I would kind of [00:13:31] explain to the best of my ability at the time, and they were like, "Oh, [00:13:36] okay.Trevor: Well, hey, you wanna hang out at recess and, and, you know, we're gonna be [00:13:41] playing this game." And it w- it's s- such a, um, [00:13:46] j- a unique, uh, experience that I... And I, [00:13:51] and I don't, I don't take that for granted. I, I know how special that is [00:13:56] because not everybody has that experience. Um, same way [00:14:01] with, with my teachers.Trevor: Uh, they, they accommodated and, uh, helped [00:14:06] me any way that, that I could. And truth be told, [00:14:11] in those first couple years, I was not a [00:14:16] very easy kid. I was [00:14:21] very, very strong-willed, um, and wanted my own way, [00:14:26] and I was gonna do it whether, whether, you know, I was [00:14:31] told no or not, and that, that got me in trouble a few times.Trevor: Uh, but,[00:14:36] Curtis: Hey, tell the, tell about your recess teacher in the slideTrevor: Yes, yes. [00:14:41] So, um, and she's probably gonna be watching this, so it's gonna be... That, [00:14:46] that makes it all the more, that makes it even better. So, [00:14:51] um, It was really early on in the school year, and they were, they were kind of [00:14:56] establishing some things, you know. Um, you know, " if you're gonna play on the playground equipment, [00:15:01] don't, um, don't try to do it by yourself 'cause, 'cause we don't want you to, to fall [00:15:06] and get hurt. Um, we want you to have a, have an adult with you [00:15:11] when you're doing this." And all my, all my friends were running around and going [00:15:16] down the slide and chasing each other and, and I was having to wait [00:15:21] for, a recess teacher to, to, to make sure that I would go [00:15:26] down safely. And I'm like: "You know what?Trevor: I really, I don't wanna [00:15:31] wait. I'm getting really tired of waiting." And so, so I go over [00:15:36] to the, to the, uh, ladder, um, and I, and I left [00:15:41] my... This is a hint that, uh, you know, uh, that [00:15:46] he could probably walk without those if he wanted to, because I drop my [00:15:51] crutches. Um, and I climb the ladder, [00:15:56] and there's a bigger step leading up to the slide.[00:16:01] Trevor: And so I get down on my hands and knees and I crawl, I crawl my way up, [00:16:06] and I, and I stand up, and it's like I'm, I'm on top of the mountain. I'm kinda [00:16:11] looking around and, and looking at the view, and then all of a sudden I make eye [00:16:16] contact with, with my, with my, uh, kindergarten teacher. [00:16:21] And she's like: "What are you doing?" And so, [00:16:26] so, so I, I slide down and, um, you know, she gives me a [00:16:31] lecture when I get to the bottom, and, uh, I lost some, I s- lost some [00:16:36] of my recess privileges after that. Uh, but, but [00:16:41] it was worth it because you know [00:16:46] what? They kinda backed off on the, "Oh, he doesn't really... just kinda [00:16:51] watch him, but as long as he's safe, you know, he'sCurtis: And I've, I've, heard ... I, I read your [00:16:56] book and you've talked about lots of bumps and bruises and falls and [00:17:01] stitches in your head and all kinds of things. And so I was thinking about ... Here's what I was thinking about. [00:17:06] I was thinking about the fact that your parents were so, [00:17:11] were so supportive of helping you get all the help you [00:17:16] needed, but yet there's this piece of them that still let you be a boy.Trevor: Yes.Curtis: [00:17:21] Just have this, and I don't know your parents, but I have this love for them, like they let you be a [00:17:26] boy and get bumps and bruises and bangs and, and do crazy wild [00:17:31] things instead of like wrapping you in bubble wrap. And I just kinda love them for that[00:17:36] Trevor: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And you know, that, that had to be [00:17:41] so difficult because I'm sure the natural [00:17:46] tendency would've been to say, "Oh no, we gotta, [00:17:51] you know, protect him." Um, but you know, uh, when I was [00:17:56] in... So that, that same year, that spring, I had, uh, [00:18:01] my first couple surgeries. I had a tendon release surgery in both of [00:18:06] my hamstrings and my Achilles tendon, um, Curtis: as a kindergartner?Trevor: as a [00:18:11] kindergartner.Trevor: Yeah. So, so they pr- they did like, they did two surgeries at [00:18:16] once. Um, and that [00:18:21] was really kind of like a really big test of, okay, is he [00:18:26] gonna be able to really [00:18:31] push through? Because there's a, there is an aspect [00:18:36] of, man, you've, you've got to, if you want this, you have to [00:18:41] work for it. Um, you know, your, at that age, your parents [00:18:46] are really pushing you, and you almost have [00:18:51] to, to break that strong will to a certain [00:18:56] degree in order to help them get to that next [00:19:01] level.Trevor: Um, 'cause that, that surgery helped me to walk [00:19:06] independently. It, it, I got rid of the crutches, uh, and everything. Um, [00:19:11] and so I was surrounded by [00:19:16] people and peers that truly [00:19:21] wanted the best for me and, and wanted me to get there.Curtis: [00:19:26] Mm-hmm. Here's a question for you. Is it, is it fair to say that Trevor [00:19:31] Lane has experienced a lot of physical pain, childhood all the [00:19:36] way to an adult? Because I, I'm trying to understand, in [00:19:41] order for you to make these physical advances, you've had to have surgeries, [00:19:46] physical therapy. I was reading somewhere in your book where you were talking about you literally at times [00:19:51] can feel things coming out of joint because of the stress that you put [00:19:56] on your body to succeed and get better and, and get stronger.Curtis: So talk about [00:20:01] the pain. Like, you live in painTrevor: Yes. Yes. So, [00:20:06] um, with, with cerebral palsy, it's a lot more than just a, [00:20:11] uh, kind of a limp. , It's a miscommunication between your brain and your [00:20:16] spinal cord. So what happens is, um, [00:20:21] muscles that normally would [00:20:26] fire on a typical person are, are dormant [00:20:31] or, or they don't, they don't work as they should.Trevor: And so the bigger muscle [00:20:36] groups , they, they kick in and they compensate. So [00:20:41] what might be easy [00:20:46] for, for a person without CP is, is very difficult for a [00:20:51] person with, with CP. And so, um, with that, [00:20:56] there's, uh, shallow hip, hip joints, so it's called hip [00:21:01] dysplasia, where your, your hips migrate out of, out of the socket.Trevor: and [00:21:06] that can create a lot of different, uh... That can create [00:21:11] pain. Uh, growing, growing pains, uh, are, are a little bit different. [00:21:16] So with the, with the spasticity, it's [00:21:21] almost as if there's this certain amount of pressure on your joints and your muscles, [00:21:26] and when, when your bones are trying to [00:21:31] grow and your, and your muscles are trying to grow but they can't keep up, [00:21:36] um, then that creates a lot, a lot of pain too.Trevor: [00:21:41] Um, yeah. And so yeah, it, it, there, there are times where, you [00:21:46] know, it is, it is painful. Um, so I, I try to, [00:21:51] you know, make sure that I stretch a lot regularly. Um, [00:21:56] I, I exercise on a regular basis just to keep, just to keep my mobility up, [00:22:01] um, and, and, and my strength up and, um, uh, [00:22:06] yeah, because, you know, people see, you know, [00:22:11] the, the fruit o- of, of the labor, but there [00:22:16] is certain times and certain situations, um, where it's [00:22:21] really hard and really difficult.Trevor: YeahCurtis: So let's fast-forward to, to [00:22:26] junior high and, um, you, you talk about this conversation you had with [00:22:31] your mom about wanting to join the wrestling team. And first of [00:22:36] all, where did wrestling come from? Like, where did the love for wrestling come? 'Cause that, first of all, that [00:22:41] intrigued me. I'm like, "What in the world?"Trevor: Yeah. So funny story. the [00:22:46] whole reason that I wanted to get into wrestling in the first place [00:22:51] was because I was a huge fan of WWE and professional [00:22:56] wrestling. Um, so, so I, I wanted [00:23:01] to, I wanted to get as close to that as I possibly could. [00:23:06] and Curtis: to body slam some people?Trevor: yes, yes, absolutely. [00:23:11] And I was a little disappointed that when I got there, you can't really do that.[00:23:16] Trevor: So um, but you [00:23:21] know, uh, this is a great-- So this is a whole, whole thing too. [00:23:26] So my mom or my parents, they, they weren't gonna let me do it at first. [00:23:31] Uh, but, um, my physical therapist, [00:23:36] uh, she's amazing. Um, and I still... Like she's, she's [00:23:41] worked with me since I was five. Um, and she's really, [00:23:46] she's one of those I don't wanna say no-nonsense, but [00:23:51] she's really going to really push you.Trevor: Um, and so, [00:23:56] uh, she ends up having a conversation with my mom and, and [00:24:01] she's like, "You know what? Just, just let him try it and, uh, and if it doesn't work [00:24:06] out then, you know, that's something that he tried and move on to something else." [00:24:11] Um, and so, uh, I did [00:24:16] and ended up loving it. You know, the, the wrestling coach, Coach Hurd, [00:24:21] uh, at the time, you know, I, I was, uh, m- my mom talked with him and she's [00:24:26] like, "Are you-- Do you think that he can, that he can do this?"Trevor: And he's like, [00:24:31] "Sure, why not?" And so he, he worked with me and, [00:24:36] uh, was really, really generous and I, I really [00:24:41] tha- can't thank him enough for taking a chance on me, 'cause I'm sure that that had to [00:24:46] be, that had to be a challenge. Trevor: Um, and [00:24:51] so we have the first wrestling meet and this is [00:24:56] going to be like, all right, my, my breakthrough moment.Trevor: It's, it's [00:25:01] gonna be great And Curtis: And this is seventh Curtis: grade, so Trevor: se- yeah, [00:25:06] seventh, seventh grade. Yep. I am, at this point I'm probably [00:25:11] 90 pounds if I'm lucky. So, so I'm, [00:25:16] I'm going out to my first match and, you know, obviously [00:25:21] I'm a little nervous and here, here comes this kid, the kid I'm supposed to [00:25:26] wrestle. You could tell he's, he's probably been doing this since out of [00:25:31] the womb and he looked like he was 12 going [00:25:36] on 25 and, and I'm [00:25:41] thinking, "Oh my goodness," you know, "This is not gonna be good."Trevor: [00:25:46] Uh, and, and it w- it wasn't. The next thing I know the match starts and [00:25:51] I'm flat on my back staring up at the lights, you know, thinking, "What on [00:25:56] earth have I gotten myself into?" The, the match was over in five seconds. That was it and, [00:26:01] and, uh, so I go back, I go back to the bleachers [00:26:06] and, you know, everybody's telling me what a great job I did and, and to keep, [00:26:11] keep up the good work and I'm, and I'm thinking, "Guys, that was not [00:26:16] good.Trevor: That, that was, that was horrible. I only lasted [00:26:21] five seconds." Uh, but you know, it's, it's your first match. [00:26:26] Um, give yourself some grace and, and keep going. And, [00:26:31] uh, but I ended up losing all of my matches my first [00:26:36] year. Um, and so I thought going into my second year, [00:26:41] going into eighth grade, I'm gonna work really hard and if I [00:26:46] don't end up doing good, then, thenTrevor: obviously, on to eighth grade [00:26:51] though, there's a couple important pieces I don't wanna miss about seventh grade. [00:26:56] One was that you didn't win any, but I remember you [00:27:01] talking about trying to get through the first round, and then, and then making it to [00:27:06] the second round, and then surviving for the first time [00:27:11] all three rounds without getting pinned.Curtis: And I'm [00:27:16] reading the book, and I'm excited. I'm like, "Good job, Trev." I [00:27:21] mean, talk, talk about that for a minute because for you, [00:27:26] you don't have legs. Everything you're doing is from upper body [00:27:31] strength, and you figured out that the only way they could [00:27:36] pin you is if they could get you off your belly, and you learned how to [00:27:41] survive.Curtis: And so that was the word I wanted to use for your seventh grade year is something about... [00:27:46] something in you said, "I, I'm gonna, I'm gonna learn how to survive this." And, [00:27:51] uh, just talk about that for a little bit because, um, the transition from getting flipped over on your [00:27:56] back and to learning, you know, how everybody knew a half Nelson, and then you had to s- get strong [00:28:01] enough where you could, you know, take their arm away and not allow them to flip you over, like, it's [00:28:06] powerfulTrevor: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, and that, that's such a, [00:28:11] um, a good word to describe it is, is survival. Because [00:28:16] i- in, in my mind, I, I was, I was thinking, you know, [00:28:21] there's always a chance that I could beat this guy. [00:28:26] Um, and so I'm going to fight like a dog[00:28:31] Curtis: Mm-hmmTrevor: to make sure that I have that chance.Trevor: And if I didn't win, [00:28:36] I wanted to make sure that he never wanted to wrestle me [00:28:41] again because I was that difficult. Um, so, so [00:28:46] if there's a, number one, there's always a chance that, that I'm, [00:28:51] that I could stick him. Number two, I [00:28:56] wanna make sure that you never wanna cross paths with me again, [00:29:01] 'cause I, I wanna be that, I wanna be that difficult for you.Trevor: Um, uh, it's not, it's [00:29:06] if I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down swinging.Curtis: Mm-hmmTrevor: that, [00:29:11] that was kind of, that was kind of my mindset, that there's always a chance. [00:29:16] Don't, don't count me out because there's always a chance. Yeah. Yeah. Does that, that answer your question?Curtis: [00:29:21] Yeah, it does. And then there's one more. Y- And maybe I'm, maybe I have the year wrong, but [00:29:26] you made a quote, and I'll never forget it. It said, uh, you were talking about [00:29:31] your coaches were so loving and gracious that they were always trying to figure out a way for you to learn how to do [00:29:36] a drill differently, 'cause you couldn't do everything like everybody else did.Curtis: You, you don't have [00:29:41] legs that work. And so, you know, whether it was running, whether it was doing a lot of [00:29:46] the, um, uh, diving drills and things like that, but they were always trying to [00:29:51] figure out a way for you to do the drill. But one, one moment in particular, you said, [00:29:56] uh, your coach came to you and said, "Hey, stop trying to do this from your feet.Curtis: Go to your [00:30:01] knees. Learn to wrestle from your knees." And then you said this. You said, [00:30:06] "I would learn that I would be on my knees a lot in life." And such a [00:30:11] powerful statement, but I think that was seventh grade where coach was like, "Listen, let's [00:30:16] figure out how you can drop to your knees and learn to fight that way."[00:30:21] Curtis: That'sTrevor: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That was actually... So that was, um, [00:30:26] eighth grade year. That w- that was, uh, uh, Heath Bennett, [00:30:31] Coach Heath Bennett. And, um, so he, [00:30:36] um, actually planted some really early seeds [00:30:41] of my faith journey, uh, whether, whether he realized it or not. He, [00:30:46] he did. Um, and I'm so thankful for that. So yes, [00:30:51] so from eighth grade on, I started wrestling [00:30:56] on my knees.Trevor: So, um, if you take, if you take the weak [00:31:01] part out of the equation and just focus on, on the, the strong [00:31:06] part, then, then you're good. And, and I had, um... I mean, I still, [00:31:11] I, I s- I still lost a lot, but I, I [00:31:16] had much better matches that way. Start, [00:31:21] starting on my knees. Curtis: Sure. And then I think it was the end of eighth grade, you [00:31:26] talk about, I think, the fact that you nearly won some [00:31:31] matches, um, but you were a struggle. Like, you made it hard [00:31:36] for people, and you made sure they did not wanna continue to wrestle you. Like, you [00:31:41] became fierce. And so, um, take us into [00:31:46] high school because, uh...Curtis: Guys, if you don't, if you're listening and you don't know this, [00:31:51] one of the things that Trevor is, is he's incredibly strong. He's committed himself to working [00:31:56] out. Even today, he works out three, four times every week. He's faithful. Um, if you follow [00:32:01] him on Facebook, he puts his workout videos up. And guys, I mean, the dude goes [00:32:06] hard, and so he wants to continue to get stronger.Curtis: But, uh, tell us, [00:32:11] because somewhere you figured out, "I have to be stronger than [00:32:16] everybody else to be able to compete at this level." And when did that kick in? And talk about high [00:32:21] schoolTrevor: Yeah. Yeah. So my, [00:32:26] uh, freshman year, I was actually really close [00:32:31] to, to throwing in the towel, um, because, the human [00:32:36] part of me is like, man, I am, I am sick and tired [00:32:41] of, of getting beat all the time. Uh, and so, [00:32:46] um, this was like my second meet in and of, of the [00:32:51] season, and I had convinced myself, you know, [00:32:56] if I don't, if I don't do well at this [00:33:01] meet or do well by my standards, then I'm, I'm, I'm just gonna [00:33:06] stop because, you know, I'm working just as hard, um, if not [00:33:11] harder than everybody else in the room, and I've got, I've got nothing to show for [00:33:16] it.Trevor: So I go out, this was my-- I had lost about four [00:33:21] times, um, that year so far, and so I convinced [00:33:26] myself that if I, if I lose or if I don't at least come close, then I'm, I'm done [00:33:31] after this match. So, um, I go out, uh, for [00:33:36] that match, and I actually, I ended up winning that match.Trevor: [00:33:41] Uh, and, and it, it went into all three, all three periods and, [00:33:46] uh, right to the end, and I, I ended up winning, and that kinda gave me the courage to [00:33:51] keep going. And Curtis: in three yearsTrevor: first time in three years. I lost [00:33:56] 76 times in a row. And, uh, and that was the [00:34:01] first time in, in three years that I had won a match. And so, man, [00:34:06] hey, if you do it once, you can surely do it again.Trevor: Uh, and [00:34:11] so, so I keep, I keep going, and I ended up [00:34:16] losing all of my matches, the rest of my matches that year. Um, [00:34:21] but, uh, my sophomore year, um, when I, [00:34:26] um... And that's, that's the year that I, I gave my life to Christ andTrevor: started, [00:34:31] uh, looking at wrestling in a whole different light. [00:34:36] Yeah.Curtis: Hold on, time out. You have to tell the storyTrevor: Yeah[00:34:41] Curtis: of how you got savedTrevor: Yes, absolutely.Trevor: So, [00:34:46] so, um, to give a little context, I did [00:34:51] not grow up in a Christian home. Um, we were, we were what we call... Uh, [00:34:56] now, don't get me wrong, I, I didn't grow up in a Christian home, but I grew up in a loving [00:35:01] home, but not a, not a Christian home. So we were, we were that family [00:35:06] that went to church on Christmas and Easter.Trevor: Uh, and, [00:35:11] and as I got older, that even started to not be as [00:35:16] consistent. So I h- I, I, I knew about God. Um, I believed in God. [00:35:21] I believed that he was real. Um, I was always told, you know, "As long as you [00:35:26] don't lie and you don't kill anybody and you're a good [00:35:31] person, uh, you're gonna go to heaven." And, uh, we, we know that, that [00:35:36] that, that is not the case.Trevor: And so one night, I'm, I'm laying in my [00:35:41] bed and I'm, I'm scrolling through YouTube and, and [00:35:46] this video pops up, and the title of it is, "I Know the Day of the [00:35:51] Rapture." So, so funny [00:35:56] enough I hardly ever read the Bible, but for some reason, [00:36:01] you know, I was, I was drawn to the Book of Revelation, which [00:36:06] in turn kind of scared me off because it talks about, [00:36:11] you know, beasts with seven heads and 10 crowns, and I'm like, [00:36:16] "Holy smokes, what's this all about?"Trevor: Um, so I click on, I click on [00:36:21] the video, and this guy says, um, uh, [00:36:26] "If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you need to repent [00:36:31] right now because the rapture is going to happen in October of [00:36:36] 2013." And so I just kinda, I glanced [00:36:41] over at my calendar, and it was October of 2013. [00:36:46] So, so I'm like, "Oh, my goodness, I, [00:36:51] I need to get right with God right now because the rapture's gonna happen, [00:36:56] uh, this month, and I need to be ready for it."Trevor: And, um, [00:37:01] so funny enough, he, he gives the instructions on how to give your life [00:37:06] to Jesus. You know, you, you have to repent of your sins. Um, you have to ask Him [00:37:11] to forgive you and, and ask Him to be Lord of your life, and He will come in and He'll make you [00:37:16] a new creation. Um, and so I did that. I, I, I, I got [00:37:21] savedTrevor: in my bedroom, through that YouTube video.Trevor: And, um, [00:37:26] now it was a little awkward when, when October came and went. [00:37:31] And, you know, I'm, I'm 15, for- [00:37:36] 15 at the time, and I'm, I'm thinking, "Well, you know, I've got a lot of [00:37:41] life to live. I don't, I don't have to focus on this Jesus thing right now. I can, [00:37:46] I can do whatever I want, and I'll just get right with God whenever I'm ready to [00:37:51] die."Trevor: And, uh, and, you know, that's, that's not the attitude to have. [00:37:56] And so I, I just kept focusing on wrestling throughout that time [00:38:01] and, and still, still wasn't winning a whole lot. Um, but that's, that's [00:38:06] initially how I got saved, and then I had a really cool opportunity [00:38:11] to, um, share my story, uh, with 10TV [00:38:16] News, the local news channel here.Trevor: Uh, and man, it, it [00:38:21] blew up. I mean, I, I, I never thought it would get that much [00:38:26] traction. Um, but I was, I was getting messages from people all over the [00:38:31] country. Um, that's when, that's when ESPN called the school [00:38:36] and, uh, was wanting to know if they could interview me. Uh, [00:38:41] and of course I said yes. Um, but for, for whatever reason, [00:38:46] we tried and tried and tried, uh, and we couldn't get that to work out [00:38:51] And so that ended up falling through.Trevor: And so that, that's a really [00:38:56] kind of a-- As silly as it sounds, that was kind of a low point for [00:39:01] me, 'cause I, I was really, um, bummed that [00:39:06] I, that didn't work out, and I was still, losing my matches all the time, and so I [00:39:11] was like, "Well, you know, I gotta go out with a [00:39:16] bang my senior year," you know?Trevor: Um, at this timeCurtis: you get [00:39:21] there, before you get there though, something happened at 16 that stuck. And, and I [00:39:26] want you to frame the, frame it for us because you got [00:39:31] serious with God at 16, and then, and you were begging him for some help because You [00:39:36] had some really big obstacles to get throughTrevor: Mm-hmm. Absolutely, yeah. Speaker: Hey, [00:39:41] everybody. Just taking a quick commercial break here. Hey, listen, I hope you're enjoying Trevor's story. [00:39:46] He is an amazing young man and, um, he's been such a blessing and a [00:39:51] help to so many families. And, uh, I was privileged and grateful that he was able to, uh, [00:39:56] do this podcast with me. Uh, I wanna tell you a little bit about another young man [00:40:01] from our community with cerebral palsy.Speaker: Trevor just happened to be a friend with this young man, [00:40:06] and Trevor was able to bless and help this family as well. His name was CJ. [00:40:11] And CJ is, um... He, he has a severe case of [00:40:16] cerebral palsy, but he was fun-loving, um, [00:40:21] energetic, and just a joy to be around. The reason I know about CJ is because Tina [00:40:26] Allen, the lady that I just interviewed for the last podcast episode, just so happens to [00:40:31] be, um, CJ's aunt.Speaker: And, um, [00:40:36] Tina's sister, Tammy, is the one that raised CJ from birth and, [00:40:41] uh, has cared for him all along. He's been wheelchair-bound his entire life [00:40:46] and, um, interesting enough, Tina's husband, late, late [00:40:51] husband, Tim, happened to be one of CJ's best buds and, and, uh, I think there's some [00:40:56] pictures that we have of those two, um, having fun together as well.Speaker: but [00:41:01] CJ passed away this last year. He was 45 years of age, and Tina's sister, [00:41:06] Tammy, who raised and cared for CJ, obviously didn't, uh, have many [00:41:11] jobs, uh, over the years because she had to care for CJ. And, um, [00:41:16] sadly, there was a husband who years ago, um, had kinda walked away from [00:41:21] the scene. It was, it was a hard situation.Speaker: And so Tammy has raised CJ by herself [00:41:26] And so the state was subsidizing some of, um, [00:41:31] her income in order for her to be the caregiver for CJ. And so when [00:41:36] CJ passed away this year, um, tragically, obviously her income disappeared [00:41:41] as well. And so when I was interviewing Tina, I learned about [00:41:46] CJ and learned the story.Speaker: And so I went to the board and said, "Hey, I'd really like to help this lady with our [00:41:51] foundation." And Tina happens to be on the board. She was not able to vote for this particular [00:41:56] gift, but I went to the board and said, "Hey, listen, I'd really like to help her. Can we give her a significant gift to [00:42:01] just help her get back on her feet?"Speaker: And so I'm coming to you today, uh, from the [00:42:06] Michael Foundation saying, "Hey, listen, if this is something you'd like to help us out with, uh, you can go to [00:42:11] Run To The Heart/give and, uh, donate, um, to help us [00:42:16] give a gift, uh, to Tammy, um, as she's processing, uh, CJ's [00:42:21] death, as well as trying to get her own, um, finances and [00:42:26] life kind of back on track.Speaker: And so if that's something you'd like to help us with, please do. [00:42:31] Um, I also wanna do it because I wanna help us remember CJ and the blessing that he [00:42:36] was to that family, to our community. And, um, also, [00:42:41] I was thinking of this, um, if you didn't know about our Run To The Heart mugs, um, for [00:42:46] every gift of over $50, $50 or more, I'm gonna send you a Run To The [00:42:51] Heart mug as a, as a thank you for that gift, but also as a remembrance of [00:42:56] my wife.Speaker: My wife loved coffee, and she loved having coffee with [00:43:01] friends. And so as a gift for, um, helping give [00:43:06] to support others through the, the Michael Foundation, I'm gonna send you, send you a mug as [00:43:11] well. Hey, listen, as you get to the end of this episode, you're gonna hear [00:43:16] more about Trevor's, um, ministry and what God's calling him to do.Speaker: He's actually going [00:43:21] around training people, training churches how to be more available [00:43:26] and helpful to families with children of disabilities, and he's actually building [00:43:31] curriculum and everything, and he needs some dollars to help him, um, get this project off the [00:43:36] ground. And so in the show notes below the episode, you're gonna find information about his [00:43:41] ministry, also links to where you can give to help him out as well.Speaker: Uh, man, I love you [00:43:46] guys, appreciate you guys for tuning in, and, um, please be blessed and [00:43:51] motivated by the rest of Trevor's story. You guys have a great day. We'll talk to you soon.Trevor: so [00:43:56] one of those, uh, obstacles was just simply, um, [00:44:01] getting your driver's license, you know? You know, when you turn 16, 17, that's, [00:44:06] that is the goal that, that every teenager, [00:44:11] um, wants to, wants to hit. Uh, and the [00:44:16] instructors were like, "Eh We don't know if you can drive or not." [00:44:21] And I'm like, "Guys, I can, I can move my right foot up and [00:44:26] down just fine. Just let me, just let me get behind the wheel and let me, um, [00:44:31] try it out and see." And they're like, "No, no, you need to go to n- um, [00:44:36] Nationwide Children's Hospital to get evaluated and things like that."Trevor: And so I was, I [00:44:41] was just super frustrated because I'm thinking, "This is ridiculous.Trevor: [00:44:46] I c-Trevor: ¿ I, I can, I can do this. I don't, I don't need a piece of paper telling [00:44:51] me that, that I, that I'm safe to drive." So of course that [00:44:56] was, that was in, that was just my 16, 17-year-old self. [00:45:01] Um, looking back now, I understand why. But, um, but I, [00:45:06] I, I passed all their tests, um, and I [00:45:11] failed the driver's test the first time, um, 'cause I, I was so [00:45:16] nervous.Trevor: I was, I was, I was shaking so bad. And, um, [00:45:21] I ended up failing the maneuverability part. And at that, you know, at [00:45:26] that time they were like, "Man, if you fail that part, it's, you, you've, you've failed the whole test." [00:45:31] So so, so I had to go back again and retake the test again, [00:45:36] and as sil- a-as silly as this sounds, um, [00:45:41] I'm like, "Lord, if you just help me get my [00:45:46] driver's license, I promise you I will start going to church." [00:45:51] Um, because, uh, I just [00:45:56] wanted that, that independence. I, I, I have such a, [00:46:01] uh, a independent streak in me. I don't, I don't like [00:46:06] people doing things for me, and so this would've been, this [00:46:11] would've been a kind of like an extra step to say, "Hey, I've got it." And so I ended [00:46:16] up passing that, that test. And true to my word, [00:46:21] I, I started going to church.Trevor: I started going to, to Crossroads Church in, in [00:46:26] Circleville. Curtis: yep. Trevor: Yeah.Trevor: And Curtis: our paths cross is [00:46:31] when you begin coming to church. I mean, you get radically saved and you s- you [00:46:36] become a follower of Jesus. And, um, man, that was good to watch.Curtis: [00:46:41] Um, Curtis: all right, keep going Trevor: Yeah, so I, I attended a [00:46:46] revival service with, uh, Stan Toler, who's, who's passed away now, [00:46:51] and I can't remember who, what he was preaching on, but the Holy Spirit said, [00:46:56] "Hey, I either have to have all of you or, or nothing at all." [00:47:01] Um, and so I went down to the altar that night and, and [00:47:06] rededicated my life to the Lord and fully surrendered to his will for my life.Trevor: And, and, [00:47:11] you know, uh, Pastor Tim was there, Stan was there, um, and a few months [00:47:16] after that, I got baptized, and it, it was, it was a wonderful, [00:47:21] wonderful thing.Curtis: Praise God. YepTrevor: Yeah.Curtis: All right, so you've [00:47:26] got a license, you've got some independence, you're still wrestling, still working out. Um, [00:47:31] tell us a little bit about your senior year because a lot of things happened that yearTrevor: [00:47:36] Oh, yes. A- absolutely. So, um, so I, I finish out, I [00:47:41] finish out my wrestling, uh, I guess you could call it a, a wrestling career. And, [00:47:46] um, and, uh, so, uh, [00:47:51] I, I learned a really important lesson. Um, I, I, I didn't win any [00:47:56] matches that year, but I learned that, you know, God showed me that [00:48:01] sharing your story and inspiring those around you is much more important [00:48:06] than, than a win-loss record.Trevor: Um, and that was a [00:48:11] huge thing for me. Um, and when I graduated, I wanted to [00:48:16] be a physical therapist because I wanted to help kids that were in the same [00:48:21] situation that I was in.Trevor: Um, you get there, [00:48:26] there's a pro wrestling stunt somewhere in here. [00:48:31] You gotta help me. When was that?Trevor: Yes. So I actually, I [00:48:36] actually tried yeah. So I tried, I tried to be, uh, uh, [00:48:41] become a pro wrestler. Uh, yeah. And, [00:48:46] um, there's a guy named, uh, Gregory Iron, uh, [00:48:51] uh, in Cleveland, Ohio. Uh, he has, he has cerebral palsy and [00:48:56] he was a professional wrestler. And I'm like, "You know what? I wonder if I can, I, if I can get [00:49:01] connected with this guy."Trevor: And we did. And, um, and [00:49:06] I, I trained with him, uh, for a little Curtis: this is after graduation, after you graduated?[00:49:11] Trevor: This is, uh, shortly before.Trevor: This would, this would've been, this would've been March, [00:49:16] April of 2016. Um, and so I [00:49:21] go train with him for a little bit, um, and I, and I loved it, [00:49:26] but I was thinking, "You know, I should probably get through school [00:49:31] first, um, a- and, and, uh, and see how that goes."[00:49:36] Trevor: Because I knew, I knew that if I was gonna pursue something like that, my, [00:49:41] my body was not gonna handle, um, that [00:49:46] full-time. So yeah. So, so I trained with him [00:49:51] and, and he's like, "Dude, whenever you're ready, let's go." Uh, but, [00:49:56] but finish... He said, "Finish school first." And so, so I did. [00:50:01] I, I wanted to be a physical therapist,Curtis: I'm just trying to picture you in some kind [00:50:06] of a getup.Trevor: Yeah.Trevor: Yeah. getupTrevor: Uh-huh. [00:50:11] Yeah. Get- getting the, getting the steel chairs and the tables and, and putting [00:50:16] people through tables. Oh, yeah.Trevor: So man. We could have so much fun with AI [00:50:21] right now. Trevor: Oh, yeah. Yes. We should, we should [00:50:26] try that after, after we get off.Curtis: Oh, I'm sure our [00:50:31] editor will take this part and he'll probably just put something in for us. You wa- Trevor: Oh, please. [00:50:36] Trevor: Yes. That, that would be great.Curtis: Oh, that's [00:50:41] awesome. No, I read that and I just started cracking up because I had these images of [00:50:46] Trevor flying through the air and oh yeah, that's good stuff. Sorry to interrupt, but I just, [00:50:51] I had to, I had to make sure you told people that that was part of your journey as well.Trevor: [00:50:56] Oh yeah, a-absolutely. And, um, so he tells me [00:51:01] to, to finish school, and so I, I try to go out for physical therapy, um, [00:51:06] and everything was going great, uh, up until that last, [00:51:11] I would say the first semester of my second year in. Um, [00:51:16] so there's the practical side where you have to [00:51:21] demonstrate the skills that you learned.Trevor: So, um, [00:51:26] so I go with my partner and we, we go to do [00:51:31] something called a, um, sit to stand, uh, wheelchair [00:51:36] transfer. Um, and I should preface that in order to [00:51:41] stay into the program, you have to maintain a certain GPA. Uh, [00:51:46] you have to get at least a B in this class to, to, to move [00:51:51] forward. So, um, so we go to do this [00:51:56] maneuver and I, and I pick him up and I, I, I pivot on, [00:52:01] on my left side, um, and I ended up tripping and I [00:52:06] fell on top of him. Uh, and that was, was an [00:52:11] automatic failure. Um, and my, my instructor [00:52:16] was like, "You know, I'm, I'm, I'm sorry, but, but I, I have to fail you." [00:52:21] Um, which... Curtis: year and a half of college to be a physical therapist, [00:52:26] and to even move forward in this program, you [00:52:31] have to pass this particular testTrevor: Yes. Mm-hmm. [00:52:36] Yeah. And, and I, and I failed. And, uh, that, [00:52:41] y- you wanna talk, uh, like just [00:52:46] my, my heart just sank.Trevor: Um, and it was [00:52:51] because I, I lost my balance and I, and I fell. Um, [00:52:56] and so I w- I was just really disappointed. [00:53:01] Um, and so I... And this is kind of [00:53:06] where God just does a complete 180 in my [00:53:11] life, 'cause I'm still, I'm still banking on, uh, [00:53:16] being a professional wrestler.Trevor: That was my go-to thing, and, uh, [00:53:21] I was gonna do it. And now, kind of the [00:53:26] avenue, the plan B for that, uh, the physical [00:53:31] therapy was out the window. And so I go [00:53:36] get on the elevator to go downstairs, and I'm in the elevator and I say, [00:53:41] "God, that was gonna be my livelihood. That was going to [00:53:46] be, uh, what I was gonna do with my life and, and now it's [00:53:51] gone.Trevor: I do not want to take the whole semester over again just for [00:53:56] that class."Trevor: And, and the Lord, uh, spoke, [00:54:01] spoke to me in that moment, and I just felt the conviction, [00:54:06] and he said, "I'm calling you to preach the gospel. I want you [00:54:11] to preach the gospel." And so this is, um [00:54:16] This is the spring of 2017. [00:54:21] So, so he didn't tell me anything other than [00:54:26] that. But I talked with my mentor, Dan, and, uh, [00:54:31] I'm like, "Dan, you know, I feel like I'm called to preach the gospel. I, I feel like, I [00:54:36] feel like I'm called to be an evangelist, to travel and preach and, and do all these things." And, [00:54:41] and he's like, "Yeah, I can, I can totally see that in you." Um, and so while [00:54:46] we're meeting and while all this is developing, uh, [00:54:51] God is also laying it on my heart to start a ministry for [00:54:56] people with disabilities at, at Crossroads.Trevor: Um, [00:55:01] and so I'm, I'm, I'm praying through it and [00:55:06] I'm like, "Lord, I'm, I'm, uh, 19 years old. [00:55:11] Uh, there's, there's no way that the [00:55:16] leadership of the church is gonna let some kid come in and, and start [00:55:21] something from, from scratch. So if you want me to do this, [00:55:26] you're gonna have to wrap it up in a bow and gift [00:55:31] this opportunity to me and show me that this is what you want to do." [00:55:36] Um, and I remember I prayed that [00:55:41] prayer on a Thursday. That Sunday, I walk [00:55:46] into church and, uh, Tim Teener is standing [00:55:51] in the, the doorway of the narthex, and we strike up a [00:55:56] conversation. It wasn't anything earth-shattering. It was just kind of a, "Hey, how [00:56:01] are you?" Uh, but right before service started, [00:56:06] he, he spoke up and said, "You know what?Trevor: I think you ought to start a [00:56:11] ministry for people with disabilities. I think you would be really good at it [00:56:16] There-- All right, God, you, you wrapped it up in [00:56:21] the form of Tim TeenerCurtis: Yep.Trevor: And, and you, you [00:56:26] obviously want me to do this. Um, and so, [00:56:31] so,Trevor: I uses people like that. And Tim, that doesn't surprise me at all. That guy, we all love him [00:56:36] and, um, appreciate his, um, honesty. Like [00:56:41] he, he's not afraid to speak, preach, uh, the gospel of Jesus [00:56:46] Christ anywhere and everywhere he goes. And for anybody who's from our area, Tim Teener was the, uh, fire [00:56:51] chief, uh, for Circleville for years and years.Curtis: And let me tell you what, he wore his [00:56:56] relationship with Jesus on his sleeve everywhere he went. And so [00:57:01] doesn't surprise me, but thank God for a Tim Teener in your lifeTrevor: Yes. Yes. Oh [00:57:06] man. Yeah, he, he, he doesn't realize it, but God [00:57:11] used him to just... That, that, [00:57:16] that was such a pivotal moment in my [00:57:21] life. Um, uh, so I, I talk, I talk with Dan, [00:57:26] uh, the, the youth pastor, and so I said, "Dan, this is what I wanna do. Let's [00:57:31] l- I have a broader vision at some point of I wanna [00:57:36] go all over the country.Trevor: I want to, um, help [00:57:41] people with disabilities reach their God-given potential." Uh, and that's the [00:57:46] mission of, of what's now called GodsAbled.Trevor: [00:57:51] Um, but we first started out with, uh, respite events, [00:57:56] um, just to give parents and caregivers the opportunity for rest. Um, [00:58:01] and so we set up a bunch of different activities, [00:58:06] um, games, and it was just a really laid back, um, [00:58:11] atmosphere, and I was gonna give a devotion.Trevor: I was gonna share my testimony. And, um, [00:58:16] ICurtis: Before you go that, before you do this story, 'cause I know where you're going with this, you [00:58:21] told us something in church, because I'll never forget when God called you to this and you stood up in church and [00:58:26] said, "Guys, God's calling me to this particular ministry, and [00:58:31] here's the statistics and here's the why."Curtis: Share with the audience today [00:58:36] what the statistics are and why we need this ministry.Trevor: [00:58:41] Yes. So, um, s- national statistics tell us [00:58:46] that, um, over 90% of families [00:58:51] with disabilities, uh, don't go to church. Um, and that could [00:58:56] be for... Uh, top three reasons are, number one, they're just mad at God. [00:59:01] Um, they're thinking, "Why on... If God is so loving and so kind, [00:59:06] why would he allow something so drastic [00:59:11] and terrible to happen to my, to my child?"Trevor: Um, [00:59:16] second reason is, uh, they've been asked to leave [00:59:21] churches several times. Um, and I've, I've encountered that more, more than [00:59:26] I would like.Curtis: WowTrevor: uh, and well, well, not me personally, [00:59:31] but I have, I have talked to people and, [00:59:36] and they've shared their experience with me, and I've heard that more than I would [00:59:41] like to.Trevor: Um, and the third reason is they're afraid of being judged. [00:59:46] What if, what if my child acts up during the service or, or [00:59:51] what i- what if something happens and, and there's... They, they need something? Um, and so they [00:59:56] just, they just stay in hiding. Um, and so, so that really put [01:00:01] a burden on my heart that in order to help people with disabilities reach their God-given [01:00:06] potential, they, the church first has to be equipped[01:00:11] Trevor: to equip those with disabilities to serve.Trevor: Um,[01:00:16] Curtis: And let me just give you a background, 'cause I don't think you know this about me, but I grew up in a church where my pastor, [01:00:21] man, he would try anything. He was fearless. And, and we had a whole special [01:00:26] ministries program. We had a whole, I don't know, four or five rows in the church [01:00:31] service where we took vans out into the neighboring [01:00:36] communities, because back then there was a lot of homes for handicapped people.Curtis: Uh, today [01:00:41] we don't have that many. A lot of those programs have, have gone away, but back then there was a lot of homes [01:00:46] for these people, and we would pick up anybody who wanted to come. So when you talk about [01:00:51] disrupting a service, I grew up with that. Like, it doesn't, it's not a big deal to me, [01:00:56] you know, 'cause we have some in our church, and yeah, they, they, they have tics, and they'll scream out or [01:01:01] say something and do that, and that's just who we are as Crossroads Church.Curtis: But I grew up with that. I [01:01:06] had a pastor who loved those people, and we had special bus ministry people who [01:01:11] picked them up, and we had a special class for them. They had their own class. They had their own [01:01:16] worship. They had their own music. They had a service. And then we had a s- a place where they would come [01:01:21] into the actual worship service so many times a year or a month, or I don't remember as a kid, but, [01:01:26] um, I grew up with that.Curtis: And so I know [01:01:31] exactly what you're talking about and can't even imagine asking somebody to [01:01:36] leave a church because of a disruptive whatever.[01:01:41] Curtis: And Curtis: so, wow. Um, I was [01:01:46] drawn when you stood up as a 19-year-old in church and began to share those statistics. I [01:01:51] remember the burden that I felt and the heaviness that I felt, like a whole [01:01:56] demographic of people who won't go to church because of a handicapped [01:02:01] child, sibling, parent, whatever.Curtis: Um, that's daunting[01:02:06] Trevor: Yeah. And so, um, I, I, [01:02:11] starting out, you know, I, I had-- I kind of felt that God [01:02:16] was going to expand it at some point, um, but I wanted to start [01:02:21] with that respite opportunity. And I told, I told [01:02:26] Dan, I said, "Dan, let's plan for 100 people [01:02:31] to show up." 'Cause I'm a, I'm a, I'm a go big or go home kind [01:02:36] of person. Trevor: Yeah.Trevor: And, and he agreed with me. He's like, "Yeah, [01:02:41] man, let's do it. If you feel, if, if, if that's what you wanna do, uh, let's, let's [01:02:46] plan for 100 people." Um, so we, we get [01:02:51] everything. We, we promote the socks off this thing and, uh, we get [01:02:56] everything ready. The day's here, June 24th, 2017. [01:03:01] We're ready. And, uh, only [01:03:06] one person shows up. And my [01:03:11] heart sinks again, uh, because I'm thinking [01:03:16] all of that work just for one person to show up. [01:03:21] And, and God said, "Hey, you [01:03:26] treat that one person as if she were [01:03:31] 100 people."Curtis: AbsolutelyTrevor: Yeah. Um, and so we did. [01:03:36] We, we hung out with her. We, we played games. Um, and [01:03:41] we, we got to sit down with her, and, you know, she, she [01:03:46] started to share her story a little bit.Trevor: Um, she had been, uh, involved in [01:03:51] some churches and, and there was one... The previous church that she was at, [01:03:56] um, did ask her to leave because [01:04:01] whenever she would get nervous or, um, uh, [01:04:06] or have some kind of a- anxiety built up, she would have vocal, vocal tics. She's on [01:04:11] the, she's on the spectrum. Um, and, and the leadership [01:04:16] told her that, "If you can't get your behavior under control, [01:04:21] um, we don't want you here."Trevor: Um, and oh my [01:04:26] goodness. So obviously she was really hurt by that. Um, [01:04:31] but we, we, we talked her through it, and she ends [01:04:36] up giving her life to Jesus.Curtis: Praise GodTrevor: and sh- we [01:04:41] end up baptizing her. Her parents, who hadn't been to [01:04:46] church in over 20 years because, because of [01:04:51] the fact they, they were afraid that they were gonna be judged because of their [01:04:56] daughter, they started coming to church.Trevor: And then [01:05:01] the, the young lady with autism gets [01:05:06] involved in our children's ministry, and they love her, and they [01:05:11] miss her when she's not there. And she, uh, [01:05:16] i- was heavily involved in our VBS. I don't know if you remember [01:05:21] this, but either last year or the year before in our Easter egg hunt,Trevor: she did [01:05:26] 4,000 eggs by herself.Trevor: Uh, and [01:05:31] so that's the heart of the ministry. So we wanna take what's happened at [01:05:36] Crossroads and, and we want to multiply that.Curtis: And guys, just [01:05:41] so you know, the young lady he's talking about is, man, [01:05:46] she loves Jesus, and she can scream out or cry [01:05:51] out or say whatever in church, and it just doesn't matter because she is so integrated [01:05:56] into our church and, and helps wherever she can. And I [01:06:01] just-- I wanna, I wanna shout out to you because that happened because of God's [01:06:06] Able Ministry and Trevor going on a limb and saying, "You know what?Curtis: God, if this is what you called me [01:06:11] to, I, I'm all in." And so, um, what a blessing she is to our [01:06:16] community and to our church because of this ministry. And so we thank you [01:06:21] because, um, I can't imagine church without herTrevor: Hmm. [01:06:26] Amen. Amen. And that, that's the heart behind... H- h- here's, here's [01:06:31] the thing, and, and you know, by, by sharing my story, I had [01:06:36] so many people just rally behind me [01:06:41] and invest in me and, and make sure that I had [01:06:46] what I needed to succeed and, and I, and I reached the [01:06:51] potential that I could. Um, and that, and that's all because of [01:06:56] the people that were, uh, surrounding me.Trevor: So, so I, I firmly [01:07:01] believe that nobody is a self-made person. [01:07:06] You are, you are a product of who you're [01:07:11] surrounded by,Trevor: um, whether that be [01:07:16] somebody invests in you or, or your circumstances help [01:07:21] shape you into the person that you are. Curtis: can we [01:07:26] unpackage that for a minute? BecauseCurtis: I'm, uh, you just, you just took me somewhere that I wasn't [01:07:31] expecting. You just said nobody's a self-made man. [01:07:36] And as a man, I'm struggling with that a little bit. Okay? [01:07:41] I'm not gonna lie. I am. And somebody out there's going, "Wait a minute, I had a rough life, and I, I came up, [01:07:46] and I am, and I, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and I am h- who I am because of the effort [01:07:51] I put in."Curtis: And then I look at you, you weren't even saved, didn't, didn't know anything about God, and [01:07:56] yet you had thisCurtis: unbelievable Curtis: strength and drive to, to do things [01:08:01] above some of the h- biggest hardships that none of us will [01:08:06] ever experience. And yet you come on today and say, "Nobody is [01:08:11] self-made."Trevor: Yes,Curtis: so then you said, this is, then you [01:08:16] said, "We're a product of all of those who poured into us."[01:08:21] Trevor: Yes. Yes and amen. Yeah. Um, yeah, I, I [01:08:26] firmly believe that, um, all it takes [01:08:31] is somebody to come alongside and, and [01:08:36] believe in you and, and encourage you and, and help you. [01:08:41] Um, and, uh, and I'm sure that you can, you can think of [01:08:46] even in the s- in the circumstances of your own life, you, you can think of people [01:08:51] that, that came alongside you and, and, and, helped you, um, [01:08:56] get to where you are today.Trevor: Um, and so Trevor: so Curtis: add the [01:09:01] God factor on top of all of thatTrevor: Yes, absolutely. [01:09:06] And then when you look at it that way, you can see how it was God [01:09:11] that, yes, you may not have had the best of circumstances, [01:09:16] but Romans 8:28 rings true that God works [01:09:21] all things for the good of those who love Him and are [01:09:26] called according to His purpose. Um, and [01:09:31] we have a choice to make in that.Trevor: We can either run [01:09:36] to God run to the hardCurtis: [01:09:41] Mm-hmm.Trevor: And let Him use it for a greater purpose, [01:09:46] or we have another choice. We can shrink back [01:09:51] and be angry and bitter and say, [01:09:56] "It's not fair. I shouldn't have had to experience that, [01:10:01] so I'm going to shy [01:10:06] away." And man, I, and I understand that the temptation [01:10:11] to do that is really strong. But my goodness, when [01:10:16] you, when you lean into Jesus and [01:10:21] you begin to look back and see everything [01:10:26] that He's brought you throughTrevor: and the amazing [01:10:31] story that unfolded because [01:10:36] of those circumstances, it transforms you, as [01:10:41] Romans 8:29 says, into the image of His Son. [01:10:46] It, being transformed more and more in, like [01:10:51] Jesus.Trevor: Um, and so that's kind of the, that, that's where I get [01:10:56] that is nobody's self-made. You're, you're a product of [01:11:01] who you're surrounded by and, and the circumstances [01:11:06] that you either let shape you Hmm. crush you. Does that make sense? Curtis: Yep, that's [01:11:11] good. Mm-hmm. That's good. God's Able Ministry, I mean, I know you've got [01:11:16] big dreams, um, but share a couple of the scriptures that really help you [01:11:21] formulate your missionTrevor: Yeah. So the first, one is, uh, 2 Corinthians [01:11:26] chapter 12, uh, verses nine and 10, uh, where Paul is talking [01:11:31] about his thorn in the flesh. Um, it says, uh, "He said to me, 'My grace is [01:11:36] sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in [01:11:41] weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my [01:11:46] weaknesses so that the power of Christ, uh, can rest [01:11:51] on me.Trevor: Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, [01:11:56] persecutions, calamities for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then I'm strong." [01:12:01] Um, and yeah. So the first couple verses [01:12:06] before that, Paul is talking about this thorn in the [01:12:11] flesh that he has and how he begged God to take it away. [01:12:16] Um, but each time God said no.Trevor: He said, "My [01:12:21] grace is sufficient for you, and my power is made perfect in [01:12:26] weakness." Um, so I believe the, the secret [01:12:31] of reaching your God-given potential [01:12:36] and receiving all that God has for your life, [01:12:41] if you want to experience God's power in your life, give him your weaknesses [01:12:46] and, and watch him do amazing things.Curtis: Say that again. [01:12:51] Say that againTrevor: yeah. Uh, if you want to experience God's [01:12:56] power in your life, uh, give him your weaknesses and [01:13:01] watch him do, watch him do incredible thingsCurtis: Because we're s- we're so used to hiding our [01:13:06] weaknesses. In fact, we do things, you know, that we're good at and try to overshadow [01:13:11] anything that we're not bad at, and we don't talk about those things. We, we hide them. We don't want people to see [01:13:16] them. Uh, I mean, I'm to blame for that. W- Ya. that, and you're saying, [01:13:21] "Man, you wanna see God show up?Curtis: Expose your weaknesses.Curtis: Give them [01:13:26] to Curtis: him. Be vulnerable."Trevor: Absolutely. Because he- here's the [01:13:31] thing. Um, Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says that [01:13:36] we do not serve a high priest who doesn't sympathize us [01:13:41] w- in our weakness, because he in all [01:13:46] points was tempted, and yet without sin. And so [01:13:51] Jesus understands everything that [01:13:56] we go through. Uh, he experienced weakness in the [01:14:01] garden when, when he was agonizing over the cross, he said, [01:14:06] "Lord, if there's any other way, let, [01:14:11] let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but [01:14:16] your will be done." And so if God does [01:14:21] not remove the thorn from your life, he's going to [01:14:26] use it for a greater purpose andTrevor: his glory him. If we allow him. [01:14:31] Curtis: Yeah. Curtis: Yep. And then God's able... Your, [01:14:36] your goal is to equip people for service[01:14:41] Trevor: Yes. Yes. So the mission of God's Able is to equip people with [01:14:46] disabilities to serve in the kingdom of God. So you're going from, [01:14:51] uh, a people group to serve to a people [01:14:56] group that serves in and alongside the body of Christ in [01:15:01] whatever capacity. It, it doesn't have to be in a local church. It can be at their [01:15:06] workplace.Trevor: It could be when they're on the street. Because the Bible says that the [01:15:11] parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [01:15:16] indispensable.Trevor: In O- in other words, they're invaluable to the body of ChristCurtis: [01:15:21] No, that's really good. And let me just pause for a second and tell people I'm gonna put [01:15:26] links to your ministries and things in the show notes, uh, of this podcast. Because [01:15:31] folks, um, you may wanna have Trevor come and educate your, your church, [01:15:36] your people, and bring up some things that maybe you've never even thought of before, [01:15:41] statistically speaking, and as far as how to equip them to be more [01:15:46] proactive in this area of helping those with disabilities.Curtis: Um, [01:15:51] let's, let's talk... Oh, but let me also say that, um, you didn't drop [01:15:56] out of school. You ended up going off to college and, and, and you actually went [01:16:01] to God's Bible School, and you've been well-equipped. So if you don't know that part of [01:16:06] him, he's been well-equipped. He's gone back to school.Curtis: He has the degrees he needs [01:16:11] to, to basically do whatever he wants theologically and ministerially. And [01:16:16] so those of you who are back going, "Well, wait a minute," you know, "What qualifications does he have?" The dude's [01:16:21] qualified. And so I just wanna, I wanna just [01:16:26] alleviate that and, and, and, you know, make sure people understand that, that, um, [01:16:31] you know, Trevor is speaking.Curtis: He is, um, available for [01:16:36] speaking i- in evangelism. He's done some pastoring. Um, but I had a couple [01:16:41] more questions, man, I really wanna get to. One is, [01:16:46] um, you know, this podcast in a lot of ways is a grief podcast [01:16:51] about those who have had big tragedies or loss in their life. And [01:16:56] speak to the parent who just found the news out and [01:17:01] is grieving the health of this child[01:17:06] Trevor: Absolutely. Um, so my, [01:17:11] my, uh, response to that would be [01:17:16] is as hard as it is right now, don't look [01:17:21] At the moment. Um, [01:17:26] because there's, there's a lot of things that come up and, and all you hear, [01:17:31] all you hear is your child is never gonna be able to, to this, this, this, this, [01:17:36] this, this. When in, in reality, um, they're, [01:17:41] they're giving you the worst-case scenario. Um, [01:17:46] but oftentimes, um, if you just keep [01:17:51] being persistent and consistent, um, [01:17:56] then, then you will see your, your child do, uh, [01:18:01] incredible things that you never would've thought possible. Um, and, and [01:18:06] Curtis, if it's all right, I, I'd like to, to mention this too. Um, I wanna be sensitive to the [01:18:11] fact that, you know, depending on where [01:18:16] the, the injury to the brain was, um, and the different circumstances and [01:18:21] things like that, um, not everybody has the same outcome.[01:18:26] Trevor: Um, um, so, so, um, if, [01:18:31] if that's somebody that's, that's watching this or listening to this, I, I [01:18:36] want you to, to know that, um, God [01:18:41] still has favor on your life.Trevor: [01:18:46] Um, He is not [01:18:51] surprised and, you know, we live in a broken and [01:18:56] sinful world, um, and bad things are going [01:19:01] to happen. Um, but I, I just wanna encourage you that [01:19:06] with Jesus we have the hope of heaven.Trevor: Uh, the [01:19:11] Bible says that by His stripes we are healed. [01:19:16] And so I, I firmly believe, I firmly believe that God can do a healing [01:19:21] work in this life, um, and I've seen Him do it. But [01:19:26] even if He doesn't in this life, if, [01:19:31] if we know Christ, um, and we're walking with Him, then [01:19:36] we're guaranteed healing in the next life.Curtis: Mm-hmm.Trevor: Um, Curtis: [01:19:41] That's so goodTrevor: yeah. And we, well, and we just, we, [01:19:46] we kind of experienced that in the community, um, a few months ago. Uh, we, we know [01:19:51] somebody who, uh, was severely, severely disabled. [01:19:56] Um, and it, and you would think, "Well, why would, why would God, [01:20:01] um, let something like that happen?" Um- [01:20:06] Johnny, Johnny is, uh, she coined the phrase, "God permits what he [01:20:11] hates to, to accomplish what he loves."Trevor: Um, Curtis: Say [01:20:16] that againTrevor: God permits what he hates to accomplish [01:20:21] what he loves. Um, and so [01:20:26] God, I don't believe is pleased [01:20:31] with suffering of any kind. Uh, that is a result of the fall. [01:20:36] That's a consequence of, of living in a fallen world. But [01:20:41] oh my goodness, it's just like God to take [01:20:46] something that is a consequence of our sin, [01:20:51] um, and a consequence of the fall, and turn it into something good.[01:20:56] Trevor: And the, the, we know that this individual passed away recently.[01:21:01] Curtis: And by the way, we can talk about CJ because I just interviewed his aunt.[01:21:06] Trevor: OkayCurtis: Um, and we talk about him and we talk about [01:21:11] Tim, who was his uncle who also passed away. And I met with that [01:21:16] family yesterday because we're trying to help CJ's mother out who cared [01:21:21] for him his whole life, um, literally cared for him.Curtis: [01:21:26] And let me tell you what she said yesterday when I stopped by to see them. She said, "CJ was [01:21:31] the greatest blessing of my entire life and I wouldn't [01:21:36] do it any other way."Trevor: Amen. Amen. [01:21:41] Um, it's just when, when you have the [01:21:46] hope of eternity, you begin to see your situation in a whole different [01:21:51] light. i, I consider cerebral palsy, um, to be [01:21:56] the greatest blessing of my life, um, because it [01:22:01] gives me opportunities like this, um, and to sh- to [01:22:06] share what God has done.Trevor: And, and the, that, this story [01:22:11] doesn't happen if I don't have cerebral palsy. [01:22:16] Um, and so I'm not [01:22:21] bitter. I'm, I'm, I'm blessed, uh, to, to have [01:22:26] this opportunity, um, to get to share all over the country [01:22:31] now. I mean, I, you know, I've, I've been blessed to be able to, you know, [01:22:36] go and speak at different places and meet so many families.Trevor: [01:22:41] Um, and that's a ... I mean, we could spend, we could spend so much time on that alone. [01:22:46] Um, but yeah, God, God could heal [01:22:51] me in this life and, and He would get glory from it. Um, [01:22:56] but you know, I, I, I surrender to the fact, "Lord, whether you heal me or whether you don't, [01:23:01] um, you're still gonna get the glory, and plus I'm, I'm healed either way," [01:23:06] Trevor: 'cause Curtis: Yeah. Amen. Trevor: heaven's coming.Trevor: YeahCurtis: Yeah. Well, I wanna tell you [01:23:11] something. Um, you have inspired me, um, [01:23:16] a couple ways. One is that it's so easy for us to feel [01:23:21] sorry for ourself. And then I look at your life and the fact that [01:23:26] you have endured so m- I mean, you didn't have to endure [01:23:31] hundreds of losses on the mat. You, you subjected yourself to [01:23:36] that.Trevor: Yeah.Curtis: And, and some of us are going, "But why?" And [01:23:41] yet, and yet you have this tenacity. You, you had a plan. [01:23:46] Uh, oh man, I'm having so many thoughts right now. You had this plan [01:23:51] to be a physical therapist, and you, you m- may have passed that [01:23:56] test and today could be a physical therapist and not be in the will of [01:24:01] God and making money and maybe pursuing your, you know, your dream of being a pro wrestler.Curtis: [01:24:06] Like, think about that. So then my thought goes, what about those that God [01:24:11] permitted to do their own thing and they're not living in the blessing of God?Trevor: Hmm[01:24:16] Curtis: WowTrevor: My goodness. [01:24:21] And that, phew, that's, that is, that is, that is [01:24:26] deep. Um, ' cause yes, God, God does permit [01:24:31] us to, to go our own way if we, if we [01:24:36] choose to, but I One, one, one, one [01:24:41] thing that has become my [01:24:46] mantra over the last few years, and as I've, um, you know, been, [01:24:51] been developed by God, I feel like I've been through spiritual boot camp over the last six [01:24:56] years.Trevor: But, um, you will never [01:25:01] regret saying yes to Jesus. If I could [01:25:06] just encourage somebody today, um, whether you're, [01:25:11] whether you're at the cusp of saying yes to God's plan for your [01:25:16] life, or you might be, uh, completely cold [01:25:21] against God, let me just encourage you, you will [01:25:26] never regret saying yes, because He's gonna take your life, [01:25:31] and He's gonna use you and do things that [01:25:36] you never would've imagined.Trevor: Um, and [01:25:41] I'm, I'm not advocating for, uh, "Oh man, you have to, [01:25:46] you have to go out and you have to try to, um, experience [01:25:51] suffering or experience hardship in order to get the, [01:25:56] the, the, I guess the, the most out of God." No, no, no. I'm not, I'm [01:26:01] not advocating for that. Um, but when the hard times do [01:26:06] come dive in headfirst [01:26:11] and say, "Lord, I..."Trevor: It's okay to say, "Lord, I don't understand [01:26:16] why this is happening.Curtis: SureTrevor: I don't really want this to be happening right now." [01:26:21] But on the other side of that, gonna do something [01:26:26] amazing with your lifeCurtis: Well, I'm pretty sure the title of this episode's gonna [01:26:31] be "Cerebral Palsy is My Superpower." I just have a sneaky suspicion [01:26:36] that that's gonna be the title. But, uh, Trevor, man, again, [01:26:41] I appreciate you coming on, and I, um, been thinking about how to [01:26:46] end this, and I, I had you talk specifically to that parent who just found [01:26:51] outCurtis: and Curtis: is, is dealing with the grief of that knowledge, right? [01:26:56] Um- And we could spend more time there, but I, I want you [01:27:01] to spend these last couple minutes talking to the person [01:27:06] who maybe their trauma is a loss, [01:27:11] maybe their trauma is a tragedy, maybe their trauma is a handicap, [01:27:16] maybe their trauma is they [01:27:21] believe God has more for them but they are just stuck [01:27:26] in whatever the thing that they've had or experienced and, and you know as [01:27:31] well as I do that that could be anything.Curtis: And so speak some [01:27:36] light into somebody who needs to become unstuck and find their [01:27:41] full potential in God.Trevor: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. , one thing that comes [01:27:46] to mind is, comparison. Uh, we, we look at somebody else's [01:27:51] life and we think, "Oh man, I can't, I [01:27:56] can't do that because such and such is already doing [01:28:01] a great job."Trevor: There, there's so many things out there like that, and, [01:28:06] and I'm just, I'm just stuck because, you know, [01:28:11] somebody's going through a similar situation and they're handling it so well. What on earth can I do? [01:28:16] Curtis: And Curtis: you can speak to the whole comparison thing because you've had to live with it [01:28:21] your whole lifeTrevor: Yes. Yes. Uh, and I want to [01:28:26] just say that you have a unique [01:28:31] blueprint for your life that [01:28:36] literally nobody else on the planet [01:28:41] has. Um, your, your [01:28:46] fingerprints are completely unique to everybody, to [01:28:51] everybody else's. And so don't let [01:28:56] yourself get stuck because you're trying to fit in [01:29:01] somebody else's mold. Um, David had that with [01:29:06] Saul.Trevor: You know, Saul wanted to put his [01:29:11] armor on David and, to fight Goliath, and [01:29:16] David said, "I can't, I can't wear these." And so [01:29:21] it goes on to say David took off Saul's armor [01:29:26] and grabbed five smooth stones, and he beat Goliath [01:29:31] with, with just one. And so [01:29:36] don't get stuck in the loop of comparison and say, "Because [01:29:41] I have not processed my trauma or my disability or whatever I may [01:29:46] be going through the way that they have, then that must mean that I can't [01:29:51] do what God has called me to do," 'cause everybody processes things differently.[01:29:56] Trevor: Um, and so I, I wanna s- I wanna speak to that, um, and say [01:30:01] don't let comparison keep you in the loop. Don't let it keep you frozen. [01:30:06] Um, the other thing that I wanna say is, [01:30:11] um, don't, um, allow [01:30:16] the hardship to, to [01:30:21] make you, to make it to where you are, um, [01:30:26] bitter. Um, and I know that is such, that's such [01:30:31] an easy thing to do. Um- But I want to [01:30:36] encourage you to keep looking with an [01:30:41] eternal focus and say, "I lost, [01:30:46] I lost my spouse. I have a lifelong [01:30:51] disability. Um, I have cancer." Uh, you [01:30:56] know, I, you know, I didn't really have-- I-- you might be one [01:31:01] of those who didn't really have a stable household. You, you, you [01:31:06] don't know what that looks like.Trevor: But I, I want to encourage you [01:31:11] to lean into that and look to [01:31:16] Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, who was the [01:31:21] founder and the perfecter of our faithCurtis: [01:31:26] Amen. That's goodTrevor: does that answer your question?Curtis: That [01:31:31] helps. Yeah. So often, um, so often we're [01:31:36] told not to let these things become our identity, but look what your [01:31:41] identity in Christ has doneTrevor: Yes. Yes, and [01:31:46] that makes me think of Ephesians 2:10 where, [01:31:51] and I, and I preached on this a couple months ago. It says, "For we are God's [01:31:56] handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for, for good works that He had planned for [01:32:01] us beforehand."Curtis: Mm.Trevor: And so I [01:32:06] wonder, what if your handicap, what if your [01:32:11] loss that you've experienced, what if the illness that you're going through, [01:32:16] what if the circumstance that you're going through, what if that is the [01:32:21] handiwork that God wants to use Wow. [01:32:26] Yeah. UmCurtis: I don't think, I don't think we start [01:32:31] with that thought. We might get there someday, but that's definitely not how most of [01:32:36] us start with that thought. But thank you. That's really good. That's really good. Before we, [01:32:41] before we end today, I just-- I wanna hit these [01:32:46] again Couple books, children's books[01:32:51] Trevor: Hmm?Curtis: Good stuff, folks. Perfectly and wonderfully made. I [01:32:56] love that. Cerebral palsy is my superpower. And then [01:33:01] guys, I wanna, I wanna tell you that, um, you may [01:33:06] not be a wrestler and you may not understand all the vocabulary that's in this [01:33:11] book, but it's a really, really good read and just really puts in [01:33:16] perspective, um, uh, for me, for me, um, [01:33:21] the tenacity that you can [01:33:26] possess regardless of your surroundings, your environment, your [01:33:31] disability, your loss, whatever it is.Curtis: And so Victorious: [01:33:36] On and Beyond the Mat by Trevor Lane. It's really good, you guys. And, uh, we have [01:33:41] a, we have a tradition on the program, Trevor. One of us prays us out. [01:33:46] And so, man, I just, I want you to pray for that family. I know somebody [01:33:51] today is gonna listen to this because they have a connection with [01:33:56] a child, with a family member, with a friend who has a [01:34:01] handicap.Curtis: Um, and, and they're stuck [01:34:06] and they need some help. And so pray for that family today, would you? And then pray for the [01:34:11] ministry that, um, we're doing. And, and I want you to know that the Christopher and the Hood family, [01:34:16] we're fans of Trevor, and I want you to know that we're here to support you as [01:34:21] this ministry grows and you need to start raising funds and all those [01:34:26] things.Curtis: Uh, I'm gonna go public and say we're gonna help you.Trevor: Oh, thank Curtis: I sure [01:34:31] appreciate you. But, um, pray us out, would you?Trevor: Absolutely. Well, Heavenly Father, [01:34:36] God, we love you. And, uh, Lord, um, [01:34:41] there's so many, so many things that happen in our lives, [01:34:46] um, things that happen, disabilities, sicknesses, losses. [01:34:51] But God, um, I pray that, [01:34:56] um, Lord, give us permission to [01:35:01] grieve. Um, grieving is okay. [01:35:06] Uh, but Lord, help us to grieve hope [01:35:11] as 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says.[01:35:16] Trevor: Um, and God, help us. W- would you, [01:35:21] I pray right now, that you would turn somebody's [01:35:26] circumstances around for good. Um, [01:35:31] their circumstances might not change, but the [01:35:36] impact that they are going to make for eternity [01:35:41] is gonna make all the difference. And Lord, as we look to you, [01:35:46] the author and the perfecter of our faith, who for the [01:35:51] joy set before him endured the cross, [01:35:56] despising the shame, but is now seated at your [01:36:01] right hand,Curtis: I don't know Trevor: victorious over death [01:36:06] and the grave.Trevor: And God, because of that victory, [01:36:11] we as followers of Christ can live in that [01:36:16] victory in spite of our circumstances. And so, Lord, I, I [01:36:21] pray for the person right now who's maybe, um- not [01:36:26] sure, um, about giving their life to Jesus or, or there's some kind of [01:36:31] hang up. Lord, I, I pray that, um, that you would help [01:36:36] set them free of that, and God, that you would put somebody in their life that would help lead them [01:36:41] to Christ.Trevor: And, uh, Lord, uh, they can do that right now just by saying, "God, [01:36:46] I'm sorry for my sins, and, uh, would you forgive me and come into my [01:36:51] life? And would you turn my circumstances [01:36:56] into something good, um, for your glory and [01:37:01] to the blessing of others?" God, would you bless the work of Run to the Heart? [01:37:06] Lord, thank you for Michal's life. Thank you for her impact [01:37:11] that continues even while she's in eternity. Father, I [01:37:16] pray that you would, uh, bless Curtis and the kids as they, um, are grieving [01:37:21] still, but they're grieving with hope, and they are [01:37:26] running, uh, until the wheels fall off to the heart until they see you [01:37:31] face to face. God, we love you and praise you.Trevor: In Jesus' name, amenCurtis: [01:37:36] Amen. Man, thanks bud. Hey, we love you and, uh, [01:37:41] appreciate you and, uh, man, just wish God's greatest blessings on your [01:37:46] ministry and all that you're doing. All right, everybody, love y'all. Thank you for tuning [01:37:51] in. We'll talk to y'all soon [01:37:56] [01:38:01] [01:38:06] [01:38:11] [01:38:16] [01:38:21]

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