Latest / RESHAPED / Episode 3: Oli Grandy | Faith, Fatherhood & Finding Your Purpose

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Episode 3: Oli Grandy | Faith, Fatherhood & Finding Your Purpose · RESHAPED

• Aaron: Hello everyone and welcome back to Reshaped. today got a guest episode for you guys. Had a great conversation with a childhood friend, Oliver Oli G. Grandy. It was awesome conversation. of course we talked about him growing up and his his journey to becoming a Christian. he did grow up in the same church community, denomination, family of churches that I'm a part of. so we get into talking about that, some of the the cultural things, some of the things that we've seen as being part of of the church. Things that we have appreciated, things that we just wanna be weary of. and he also talks about after he became a Christian, just some of the struggles and the period of time that he had some struggles in his faith in his late teenage years. And then also him coming back and and seeing what that was like. him being into music. We talked about the Aussie hip hop scene, how he got into hip hop and talks about Christian hip hop and what he's trying to do there with his music. and really cool as well, we talked about just how do we How can we share the gospel? How can we share the gospel with people in that scene? just from his perspective and what he's seen worked and been effective. So that was really cool. we also talk about his NDIS mentoring business that he runs and and just the heart behind that, what he's trying to do. Talked faith, we talked fatherhood, we talked family, all these all these great things. And it was just a really, really cool conversation and just cool to catch catch up with him. and I really, really love love him a lot and appreciate him. So anyway, hope you guys enjoy this conversation. Here we go. hello and welcome back to the Reshape Podcast here with Aaron. And this is the Oli Grandy: Yeah, Pogashi with Aaron. Aaron: place where we are seeking to bring Christian formation through thoughtful examination and conversation. we're just trying to be more like Christ, being reshaped into his likeness Oli Grandy: Mm. Aaron: and his goodness. and I think we do that by thinking through things biblically, and also having conversations with people that we are community with people that we don't share the same perspectives with necessarily, but it helps us to think and I think that's how we grow. and so I'm really grateful for today. I'm really excited today actually that we get to have a conversation. We're gonna have a conversation today with a a very good friend of mine. I'm gonna do a little intro and then he'll we'll share more about his story. But this man I have to write his I write out his resume 'cause it's lengthy. So this man he's a Christian, first Oli Grandy: Wow. Aaron: and foremost. we are part of the same church tradition, church family. He's a childhood friend, so we've grown up together. his his parents, my parents and our families were very, very close growing up. We're still close today, but we live in different cities, so that's just part of it. But very good friends. We'll talk about that, I'm sure, a bit. He is a proud husband to his amazing wife, Tamara, and he's also a proud father to his almost two year old little beast, Josiah, which is really exciting. he has experienced a lot too. So just from my memory and what I can remember, he's experienced a lot in his life. He's done full-time ministry. He's served on staff in our family of churches. he's been in sales, he's worked in corporate. Currently, he's a business owner of an independent NDIS company that he's called Family First Mentoring, helping young people, which is really exciting. he's also a musician. He does Aussie hip hop, Christian hip hop, and so can you talk about that? And he runs also his little community called the Almighty Crew or the AMC. and it's like his record label. He does merch on there, sells merch. he also has a podcast too that he's been doing a little bit, taking a little break, but he's he's gonna try and get back into it. it's called the it's called AMC Yarns and I've listened to to a bunch of those and it's really, really cool. and so I'm really grateful that we can get get him on the podcast today. but without further ado, please welcome my brother, Oliver Ollie G Grandy. Let's go, Olli, how you doing, bro? Oli Grandy: Yo ho not too bad, bro. Far out. When you say it say it like that, you make me feel pretty good. That's encouraging. Aaron: Dude, bro, did you know that your resume was that long? I didn't even know your resume was that long. Oli Grandy: Mate. Yeah, I guess all it tells me is that God has shown me that there's a lot that He, you know, wants to fill my life up. So very encouraged and Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: so good to be here with you, mate. Like thank you so much for having me on. Aaron: Nah bro, appreciate you. Really appreciate you coming on and bro bro, give me one second. I I left I locked Esther out, give one second. Oli Grandy: You're right. You're right, bro. Aaron: dude, Oli Grandy: That's classic. Aaron: that's so funny. I locked the I locked the back door and I totally forgot I locked the back door. So she's just mess is spamming So hey, I don't have the keys, dude. You locked me out. I was like Anyway. sorry bro, sorry. No, no, it's yeah, it's really, really good, man. It's really good to have you on, dude. yeah, bro, your resume is lengthy. That's lengthy. Did you yeah, again, did you know that it was like all that? And how much of that are you doing like currently? Oli Grandy: that's a good good little question. look, I I definitely am someone who has a lot of passions. Aaron: Yes. Oli Grandy: something that comes to mind is recently a few of the boys here they really wanted to get me into surfing and I just said no, no more no more hobbies and I've said no to a couple things. So it's just too much. Aaron: Surfing Br dude. Yeah, man. Are there good surfs in in Adelaide? Oli Grandy: Yeah, you gotta go down about an hour away, down on the it's Aaron: Whereabouts? Nor Longa? Oli Grandy: called the f no yeah, past there. Aaron: Pass Noronga. Okay. Aldinga, okay, yeah, yeah. so you gotta go pretty far to to surf. wow. Oli Grandy: Florio Peninsula, pretty much around there, Aldinger is where it starts. Yeah, past all there. Yeah. So Hammers and Caleb and Danny, they've been surfing like every single day and I'm just like, nah, no more. I've got to I've got too many. But yeah, it Aaron: Jeez. Nah, I got it, got it too many things on the plate, bro. Oli Grandy: it is look, it is it is pretty encouraging to think of I guess just yeah, how mu multifaceted my life is. I definitely Aaron: yeah. Oli Grandy: yeah, I'm not here to, you know, live a boring life, that's for sure. Aaron: Dude. Oli Grandy: As long as Aaron: No. Oli Grandy: it's in God's plan, I'll just keep doing it. Aaron: Yeah, man. I mean, I was looking at it and it's so like vast. Like again, I was writing it down just before and I was like, It's so vast. Like, yeah, ministry. I mean, put I didn't even put here like, you know, you preach and you play footy, you play golf, you know, you had your first Eagle the other day or something, you know, it's it's it's so many Oli Grandy: Yeah, true. Aaron: things that you got on there. but I think it's great. I think it's just It's and it's great that you're trying to use and and and this is one of the things I'll you know, we'll get talking about for sure is all of those things, you're trying to use all of those things for God, which is amazing. You know, it's not just about building yourself up and and you have so many talents, but you're trying to use that all for the for the kingdom, which I think is amazing. but bro, we should w I wanna reminisce a little bit. Let's go back. Let's go back. So we grew up Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: together. So we were both in Melbourne, our families were both in Melbourne. I know this is a little bit on the spot question, and I'll go first, but I was trying to think do you have any memories? me like any like funny I don't not even funny, just any memories of just like either growing up together, any story or any kind of like just things that we did together. So the first thing I'll I'll say, like the what that I was remembering was so I was talking to mum and dad just prior to this, 'cause I picked the girls up just before, and I don't know if you remember, but your mum used to pick my sister and I up from primary school when we were in grade Oli Grandy: That's right. Yeah. Aaron: three. Like grade three. When I was in grade three, so my sister would mean like grade one. So I think my mom said it was two times a week that that your mum would pick us up and then from school, then we would go back to your house and then we'd all kick back and and chill. and we got into some fights a little bit. You you you and I and the boys. But it Oli Grandy: Classic. Aaron: was it was I that was like one of my core memories. When I think about you and and and and your mom and your dad and your brothers, it's that. It's like going back to your house and getting pick you know, hanging out, fighting a little bit, getting a little bit with each other. but it was all love. You know, we had that time. Oli Grandy: Well, I feel like you kinda came in and you were the big brother all of a sudden. Yeah, y you're telling me I had to call you Koya. I'm What's that? You're like, it means big Aaron: Okay, okay, okay. yeah, queer Oli Grandy: brother. Aaron: in Filipino, that's right Yeah, you did Dude Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: respect you did. Yeah, that's crazy. So that's what it might do you have anything? Oli Grandy: Yeah. Honestly. Aaron: Anything you remember because we've done teen camps, conference, we've done all a whole bunch of stuff together. But yeah, anything? Oli Grandy: There's a lot. But go going back to those early days, I feel like, especially what you were saying, I remember one time, it's like one of those real vague memories, but I remember coming to one of your like school events. It was like a disco Aaron: Okay. Oli Grandy: type thing and you guys were like dressed up. Me and the boys were there, but we were like way younger. And then I remember just yeah, w whether it was going back to like our place or your place, it was always good memories. And I remember Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: like I was yeah, when I was thinking about, you know, chatting like tonight earlier. I was thinking about how it was really cool to get that introduction to sort of the Filipino culture. You know, just like Aaron: Mm, right. Oli Grandy: the food. You were really into like Pokemon and you guys were playing like Mortal Kombat on the TV. We're like, whoa. Aaron: Yes. Oli Grandy: And I remember your mum saying, like, yeah, Laureen likes turning the gore up to like eight or nine. And my mum was like, We didn't get to play video games till we were like fifteen because of that. Aaron: that's how bad. it's my sister. My sister's bad. That's my sister. That's Lorene's fault, bro. that's so funny. Oli Grandy: Just cracking necks right right in front of us and we're just like little kids, it's like, whoa. Aaron: Was that was that Super Nintendo? What was that? What was that on the Super Nintendo? Dude. Nah Oli Grandy: it would have been more like an early PlayStation or something. Aaron: we never had a PlayStation. Only ever had growing up Super Nintendo Oli Grandy: Must have been. Aaron: and then Xbox. Yeah. That's so Oli Grandy: It would have been one of those, but it was brutal, man. And yeah, you guys were just like and like Yugo cards and we always Aaron: You give it. Oli Grandy: just like we looked up to you, man, like you were just like we loved how you had your rats pal and you were just like Aaron: All the righty. Oli Grandy: you had ya different style, you know, and we just loved it. Aaron: bro, nah man. Yeah, you shout out, shout out Dan, shout out Hamish, Auntie Jackie and Uncle Tim, man. So love those love you guys a lot, man. So but bro, why don't we let's get into a little bit here, bro, and and and just talk, I think let's get a bit get to know I know you obviously for people who are listening for some context. why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, about your story, about you growing up, your journey to Christ, and just where you're at right now, what you're doing, where you're at. and fe feel free to go into as much and or as little detail as you want and I'll ask some questions in in between somewhere. Oli Grandy: Yeah, awesome. Yeah, I guess taking it all the way back, like you said, born in Victoria. Box Hill was sort of where I I originally that sort of area grew up in. Aaron: Mm-hmm. East Melbourne, yeah. Oli Grandy: that's right. And yeah, it feels like such a distant memory now. Like I ended up only actually living in Melbourne for the first eight years of my life before going up to Brisbane and Queensland. But there's something special about Kind of being from a place, even when you spend a lot of your time in Bruzi, like it was always like, but we're from Melbourne, you know? And I Aaron: Mm, yeah. Oli Grandy: was think I was thinking about this recently, like it's that question of like where are you from? And for me, it's probably my like Nana's farm because it's the only place that like before I was born, like my mum grew up there. So it's like the family's been going there. I've been going there since day dot, and to this day, I'll go visit her. And that's our Aaron: Never changed. Oli Grandy: Yeah, that's like out north past like Mount Macedon, past Kinton and a little place called Bainton. And Aaron: wow. Oli Grandy: no one's like really heard of it unless you've like Aaron: No, I haven't. I've heard Clinton, I haven't heard of past yeah, wow. Yeah, okay, okay, yeah. Oli Grandy: Another half an hour to get to my nan's house. She lives on the Burk and Wills track out there. It's really cool. She lives on a big property. Aaron: Must be beautiful. Oli Grandy: Yeah. You know, there's like foxes and lots of natural wildlife. And it was just such an exciting place to grow up. So it was kinda like I remember the vibe of like the hustle and bustle of Melbourne. But then I that's kind of the part that I still feel attached to. It's like, you know, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: even just like last year, going visiting her. It feels so normal to be there and have Christmases there and stuff like that. So yeah, like had a really great upbringing. again, shout out to my mum and dad. My mum was actually baptized while she was pregnant with me and then my dad yeah, it's a bit of a fun fact. Aaron: Bro. Dude, that's same. Same mum was baptized and she was pregnant with me. That's crazy. I did not know that. Oli Grandy: They go, but that's it's cool, Aaron: That's amazing. Hey, we've been double dipped. Oli Grandy: Yeah, we had to. We had to. Aaron: dude. Oli Grandy: And then I think Dad like he took a little bit longer to sort of get into the church. So I know a lot of the lads at the church at the time just got him on like the local cricket team and that was a great Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: way, to sort of get him involved 'cause he's a he's, you know, a sportsman. And eventually he got baptized too. So grew up both parents like strong in the faith. and then yeah, we moved moved up to Brizzy. To be honest, it was to do with some s pretty serious like sort of family dramas. So it was a bit of a crazy move. It just felt like from one day to the next, we were in a totally different environment. I remember it was around summer, so there was like hot days, palm trees, you know, just you know, going from Melbourne, which can be a little bit grey and wet, to this like tropical place. Aaron: Yeah. A lot of the time. Yeah. Oli Grandy: Yeah. And yeah. Had I was eight years old. Yeah. Two thousand five. Aaron: How old were you bro? Sorry? You were eight, right? Eight. So what year was that? That was two thousand five, okay. Yep. Oli Grandy: Yeah, so and obviously my brothers were like a little bit younger than me even. So I did a couple of years at school in Melbourne and then jumped from grade one to grade three 'cause it was like a different system. And Aaron: Yes. Oli Grandy: yeah, then that's like my real memory of childhood is like all in Brisbane. part of a bit of a smaller church there. I was really into my Aussie rules growing up, played at the Kemwell Bears was the local team that I played for. Shout out to those guys. They're still going going strong, I believe. Aaron: Come on. Oli Grandy: And yeah, it's had really fond memories like loved sport, loved spending time with family. Obviously we were a little bit isolated. We didn't really have much family at all in Brisbane for a while. So that was a shock, like going from having heaps of aunties and uncles Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and even church family, but even grandparents to like think we had like one distant auntie. Eventually my some of my grandparents moved up, but that was like way later in the piece. So yeah, that was kind of the earlier childhood for sure. Aaron: Mm. Okay, so you go Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: from early childhood and then so you grew up there, how long you spend in in Brizzy? Until bet yeah. Oli Grandy: Brizzy. So fifteen years I I I lived in Brisbane. So still Aaron: Fifteen years. Yeah. Oli Grandy: the majority of my life was spent in Brisbane. Adelaide slowly catching up because I've been here for seven seven years now. So Aaron: Yeah. Could yeah, that's it. Yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: but yeah, so Aaron: Wow. Oli Grandy: so many great memories there, like obviously like primary school and then I went to a couple of different high schools. But just like when I think of it, I just think of like such a vibrant hilly. fun place to live. You got the Gold Coast, Sunny Coast, Aaron: Yeah, yeah. I remember visiting you like like quite a bit when we were up in Briz when yeah, when you guys were in Brizzy. Love going to your guys' place in Oli Grandy: You had a bit of noah about you 'cause every time you rocked up there was a massive flood. Aaron: There was floods. That's right. Twenty fourteen was it no, twenty eleven. I think there was a big one after a youth camp that we had there. That was crazy, Oli Grandy: Yeah. That's right. Aaron: bro. But I love that. That w what was the sub in were you in intro no, saying where was it that the Oli Grandy: Intrapilly's kind of like the main suburb close to where we lived, like that's where the shopping centre was. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: And then we crossed the bridge from there over Aaron: That's right. Oli Grandy: the bridge, which is like Chelma, 'cause we were trying to go see the Charlie's. And we're on the scooters. Aaron: that's I remember that. Yeah, and it was mud. It was just mud everywhere 'cause of the f yeah, 'cause of the floods. That was insane. That was insane. Yeah. Yeah, try and we turned around. Remember we too remember Oli Grandy: And you you just had your flip flops on and I remember you got like stark and Aaron: we took we were like, nah, nah, we've got to turn around because you had your nice scooters, your little shiny scooters, when you're into the scooters. And then we said, nah, we've got Oli Grandy: Aye. Aaron: to we gotta turn around. We gotta turn around. Yeah. Nah. Yeah. Yeah, wow. Oli Grandy: You gotta edit that part out, man. Nah. No, that was that was definitely that those days, like, you know, th thirteen years of age. That was the that was all the all the noise back then. So yeah. Aaron: And you become a you became a Christian, how old are you? Oli Grandy: I I was thirteen, almost fourteen, so October Aaron: Yeah, thirteen yeah. Oli Grandy: two thousand and ten. And Aaron: Okay, cool. Coming up. Oli Grandy: so I've actually I thought was thinking about it today, I've actually been a disciple more than half my life now. Aaron: Welcome. Yes, me too, man. It's crazy. It's it's a it's an insane thing when that happened ticks over and you're like, my gosh. And then you're kinda Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: like this is actually pretty cool. I'm very grateful for it. Yeah. Oli Grandy: Can't say all all of those fifteen years I've I've been one hundred percent faithful, but definitely Aaron: A member always grown. Oli Grandy: definitely an a an awesome journey from start to finish, you know, through all the ups and downs. So yeah. Aaron: Hmm. Yeah, so tell us a bit about that. Like what made you obviously growing up in Christian family, like me too, like we're in the same tradition, same you know, we sang the same songs, we were same schedules, same people in our our lives even for for quite a while. what was that like for you in Brisbane? You're d in Brisbane at the time? what was the church community like? How did you wrestle through were there any wrestles you had to go through before you kind of made that decision to make Jesus Lord of your life? Oli Grandy: Yeah, definitely. it was kinda like that two thousand ten team camp in Fiji. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: That's kinda where the concept sort of really like popped up, you know, it was like people were already making Jesus Lord of their life. I remember hanging out with you there, having a great time. That was just like such an amazing time. It was my first ever team camp. I thought, jeeze, if they're all gonna be like this, like this is amazing. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: But yeah, I reckon like after coming back from that team camp, I kind of approached some people in the church, just like some older guys that were there and just asked them, like, hey, can I study the Bible? And I think it was cool because it took eleven months, but e even those first few months, like they kind of said like you need to do character studies, you need to, you know, start reading your Bible regularly and stuff like that. I think I had a really like innocent, earnest heart. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: in the beginning to just wanna know what the truth was. I think, and sometimes I've felt guilty about this, but not really. I think I've come to the conclusion that, you know, my thirteen year old self probably was trying to, you know, people please or trying Aaron: Yeah, sure. Oli Grandy: to do the right thing, you know, but I think I'm pretty confident that God understands, you know, when we're younger and immature Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: immature and I also have a lot of memories knowing a lot of memories that really remind myself of how sincere my heart was. Because yeah, just how I felt in the lead up and especially like actually getting baptized, like I'll s I'll never forget that feeling. Like that's just like a I somehow Aaron: Yeah, same, yeah. Oli Grandy: bottled that. Like it felt like I was under the water for like ten seconds or something. Aaron: Yeah, I felt that too. I saw blue. I saw Oli Grandy: And just Aaron: blue. I remember seeing blue and it just being that's f forever. But then it was also very quick too. Oli Grandy: You pop up and it's such a happy, encouraging time and Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: and yeah, I've I've it's been a good thing to wrestle with because what you deal with as a thirteen, fourteen year old is so different to eventually Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: what you sort of go through as you become a young man. And Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: so at at times I've sort of thought, did I get baptized too early? And I just think, Well, I think I had to let go of this idea that you get baptized and then it's just this steady, you know, incline all the way, you know, Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: I think. I don't know where that idea even comes from. That's just something that I thought. I just thought it needed to be it's kinda like, you know, as soon as you get baptized, like you have this amazing few weeks of quiet times and you're like, I still I still haven't sinned and you you're just on this honeymoon phase and you Aaron: Mm. Yeah, you feel on top of the world. Yeah. Oli Grandy: kinda think, now my job is to make sure I keep this going But that's just Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: thinking a lot about yourself and that's how young people sort of tend to be, you know. So Aaron: Yeah, yeah. No, it's good. I think it yeah, I I've had conversations with quite a few people that yeah. I mean I you know, I worked in teens ministry, youth ministry, for for a long for a while. and obviously I became a Christian as a teen as well. And there's been a lot of conversations where people who got baptized young or became Christians young later on, yeah, kind of twenties whatever, eighteen to twenty after they kind of look back and go, Did I Did I know what I was doing? Did I did I really do it right? And I'm not too sure. So how do you how do you you kinda mention it a little bit, but how do you navigate those thoughts? Oli Grandy: Think I just sort of look at my life today, really, because you know, there's this passages in the Bible that talk about, you know, you'll know their Christians by their love, by their fruit. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: And so even though we'll probably get into it a bit later, but you know, obviously I went through some pretty bad, you know, times with my relationship with God and really wandered and, you know, tried to see what the world had to offer and and I think for a long time I carried that weight, you know, really like shameful way. I felt ashamed Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and I felt guilty. But I think now, now that I'm 29 and obviously as you mentioned earlier, you know, I'm married and I have a son, I kind of realize, espe especially having Josiah, you know, I look at him now and I think, you know, he could throw his nappy in my face or do something crazy. And it's not going to change how I feel about him at all. And so I think just really relearning those concepts of grace and mercy and realizing that yeah, again, kind of that that feeling of like, it it wasn't this perfect thing that it that that it needed to be, but Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: realizing, okay, I think that thought just came from myself. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: That doesn't actually come from God's expectation or the plan that He has for us. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: And so I think being able to let go and just surrender it to him and just be like, Hey, like, it hasn't been perfect, but Amen, God's brought me back. And especially these last seven, eight years of, you know, really trying to walk on the narrow path, which I can confidently say that I have, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: you know, I I realized that it was all part of the journey and it kind Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: of needed to happen. And, you know, God just kinda let me go just stray for a little bit, but he never took his hand off me. So I've sort of Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: just accepted it all. Aaron: Yeah, that's th that's that's so good. I I think it's a mindset that we have sometimes. It could be I think I've seen it in our tradition and I think I see it in a lot of other you know, kind of churches as well, where it's this idea kind of of y when you become a Christian or you make that decision, it's almost like it's we make it like the culminating point, like, this is it. I've made it, I've finished, I've arrived. But No, it's it's and we we do talk about it, but I think sometimes it's just our mentality. But no, that's the start of the journey. Yeah. It's like the gun I think we the the gun has gone off in the race, you know. You haven't even Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: started the race when you're learning the scriptures and learning what it means to be a Christian. when you make Jesus Lord of your life and you repent, you get baptized, obviously 'cause that's what we believe, that we hold that that that's the moment that you start the race. And I had a chat with a the I was talking with Adam yesterday. the the other brother did the podcast with, and we're talking about the idea of, yes, sanctification. And I think sometimes that's a very, undervalued thing, I think, in Christianity, where the Oli Grandy: Thank you. Aaron: process of becoming more and more like Christ as every single Oli Grandy: Well. Aaron: day goes on is something that somet I think we we under value that sometimes. We just think, I've made Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: it. I should be perfect. It's like no, the your whole life is gonna be spent in the process of sanctification. Like that's the majority of your life if you become a Christian at fourteen, like you and I both did, it's gonna be the majority of our life is gonna be Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: in in continual shaping and and and being chiseled into the likeness of Jesus and we'll never get there. But that's the whole point is our whole life will get will we'll we'll will be shaped and shaped more and more. I think if we embrace that and we realize Jesus died for and covered our mistakes and our sins and that's a really powerful thing. And I think just journeying and being okay with that. yeah, I think we put too much emphasis sometimes on did I get everything right at that moment? And like when I make the decision it's dude, I can't even remember what I what I did l last week, let alone what I was thinking at the time. I Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: just knew it was right and I loved God and I believed in Christ. Like that's I don't I don't even remember who was there except my family and the church. Like I don't even know. But but I think yeah. So Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: I think it's a really good point that that you make about that. Oli Grandy: And even just to add something there as well, I think as young people, you've got to be so careful because I actually found that you know the enemy was able to use some of those thoughts that I was still holding on to to yeah, Aaron: Mm. Make you doubt, yeah, a little bit. Oli Grandy: and try to really get in between me and God. But time and time again I got reassured. And it was actually you know, obviously my good friend Brando, who's the guy who disciples me, he He just kept saying, like, you're what you're doing is you are you're taking that judgment seat on yourself time and time again. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: Where's that, where's the pressure to do so coming from? And I was like, time and time again, I I kept doing it. And I and I think what I'd sort of learnt growing up in our church was, and I don't think anyone specifically said this, but just somehow I adopted this idea with repentance that. was more to do with trying to make things right with my repentance. But I think Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: as I've grown and matured and learnt from the word, I've realized there's nothing I can do to ever even nudge the scale. No Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: action. You know, obviously like our repentance means something to God, but it's never going to be the thing that, you know, I can't save myself. If Aaron: Yes. Oli Grandy: because of what God's done, I've I've been compelled to repent and be baptized and continue to repent as I go. Well, that's awesome. Like that glorifies God. But Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: thinking that somehow if I'm hard on myself and I you know what I mean, like drop my head and punish myself Aaron: Like your own penance. Yeah, like yeah, if I can f yeah, pen make penance myself. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then I can yeah, make it right or something. No. Yeah. Oli Grandy: Really arrogant actually. You think you th I thought I was being really humble and lowly and you know, all these sorts of ideas, but in reality, Bivaz is like, mate, you're actually being really arrogant. I'm like, what do you mean? Exactly. Aaron: Yeah, it's about you. Yeah, it's about you, yeah. No, I do that. Yeah. Yeah, it's something interesting about that. Hey, it's kinda like we want to make it like we've yeah, we we've we've made up for it or something like that, and and that makes it worth it. It's actually trying to just clear our own conscience rather than trusting in what Jesus has done, hey. Yeah, no, it's true. No, Oli Grandy: Yeah. That was a big one for me. Aaron: it's good. Well, I appreciate it. That's the that's yeah. Great points, man. That's awesome. so tell us. yeah, so you mentioned you had a bit of a you become a Christian about at fourteen, is that right? Yeah, fourteen. and then you have a bit of a Yeah, like you said, had a bit of your I don't know, prodigal's the right word, you kinda use that word. But you you had your moment. Yeah, prodigal. Okay, had his prodigal son moment, kinda going, Yeah, yeah, for Oli Grandy: absolutely. I'll re I'll relate to that for sure, you know. Aaron: sure. So tell us a bit about that and what happened there, maybe what that looked like. 'Cause again, when you become a Christian it's it's a high, you you fire it up and then life happens and then yeah, we can we can wonder for sure. So what tell us about that. Oli Grandy: I would say the way I kinda look back on it, I feel like it was a really slow decline. kinda like when you're on a roller coaster and you're at that really slow part before the drop, but Aaron: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: that slow part just sort of took a really long time before things kind of just really picked up speed. I kind of think that the period of time that I was actually in my heart really far from God was probably around the age of sort of 18 to sort of 20, like it was only really a couple of years, but there's kind of like a couple of years before that, sort of the tail end of high school, where I just think like, you know, not having really open conversations and really digging deep in my heart, maybe like being open about a scenario, but not really having someone and I and not that I'm trying to blame or you know pass the buck here, but I probably didn't have a mentor that tried to get the bigger picture going. I think my parents or teens, like I was pretty well behaved, like set a pretty good example in the teens. actually. sometimes the granny boys get a little little bit of a rep, you know, for those for those days, for those Aaron: Ha ha ha. Oli Grandy: teens days. and rightfully so. But I think I actually kept my nose pretty clean. What sort of started to happen is there was probably stuff that I was sort of doing away from the other boys at church and stuff like that. Like I just I've come to church and be amongst it and be a part of it. But then slowly but surely in those later years of high school you start making connections. You start sort of, you know, seeing a l glimpse of the world, you know what I mean? Like it might just be, Aaron: Yeah, more of it. Yeah. Oli Grandy: you know, staying out that a little bit later and just going, wow, you know, these dudes are doing this or that Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: and I think I think for me like I was probably looking for that sense of belonging. I I had some peers at church but You know, only a couple really. You know, like you know, another guy sort of a year younger than me and then my brother had a few boys and then, you know, there was no one really there was a big age gap above me as well. Aaron: Right. So you're kind of alone in that sense of yeah, age wise and peer wise. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: Look, th there's you know, there's a kid in the church here in Adelaide 'cause I you know, me and Tamara take care of the teens and he's like got a way bigger age gap and I really feel for him and relate to him. But I think I think, you know, you just naturally kinda look for those connections and camaraderie and sense of belonging like outside of church as well. And a big part of it was and we're gonna obviously talk at about it a little bit later as well. But you know, the hip-hop, like you mentioned, like my love for the hip hop culture. I think that's kind of was a big part of me kind of looking for guys that were into that culture. And, you know, it's a it's a wonderful culture. It's very diverse, all over the world, all different types of people, you know, rapping, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, all these four Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: elements that makes hip hop. And I think like I got really intrigued by that. You know, I I was really inspired like you know, at first just as a listener. But I think going after people that were younger people as well that were into it, it kind of meant going with a crowd that was into stuff like graffiti and drugs and and so yeah, that was a big that was a big thing around that a little bit later, around eighteen, nineteen, twenty, like I really delved into that culture. and the whole culture isn't like that, you know, Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: because I'm involved in it today and we'll we'll touch on that. But I just think like my relationship with God actually took a little bit of a back seat as I was looking for these different things. look at these guys, you know, I want to hang out with them. And, you know, you just you start to take your eyes off God and really look at the world and what it has to offer you as you become a young man. And I just Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: there's even some deeper like levels to it and stuff like that. Like I think feeling hurt from some stuff that happened earlier in my life, like wanting to feel tough, wanting to feel like I was staunch, you know, that Aaron: Right. Yeah. Oli Grandy: no one could ever sort of hurt me again. That was a big thing as well. So finding guys that I thought these guys are tough, you know, these guys are hanging out in the city and and you do what you do. You you blend in. You even though I had a, you know, a very blessed upbringing, you know, you start wearing the the clothes to be a part of, you know, the the hip Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: hop street culture, you start talking a different way. And it was just slowly it was just a real slow sort of transition. And I Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: always kept my faith as a part of it. It just became a much lesser piece of the pie of who I was. Even if you'd asked my mates at that at those darker times, like they would have told you, like, yeah, Ollie goes to church, like, he's a good guy. Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: He's he's not like us. Like they would kind of put me on this pedestal. But in reality, I I think if my church family sort of saw what I was really up to, they would have thought, he's just as bad as them. Aaron: What's he doing? Right. Oli Grandy: So I was kinda like the good boy in the crew. And I kinda owned it. I didn't really care because I I never wanted to go down that path of being fully ashamed of God. and you know, I had this passage, you know, tattooed on my arm and so I I was representing it, but I wasn't I wasn't living living it anymore. I wasn't representing it, you know, authentically. It was it Aaron: Well. Yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: it was disingenuous, you know, because my actions weren't living up to it. Aaron: So how how in that time what would you say your identity was? Because it almost sounds like you were Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: kind of you were the hip hop guy but then you were doing church but you loved God but then you were you're trying to fit in with these guys and you have this yeah, w how would you say your or what would you say your identity was at that time? Did you really know? Do you think that was part of it? Oli Grandy: I think I was trying to like find it, and just doing a really terrible job at it. I kinda think now I'm like, geez, like knowing what I know now, like I feel like I could have still been into that stuff. But I think I had to learn the hard way. I Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: think realistically what happened as well is I just started as you as I left school, moved out of home, got jobs. that was another thing. I was like one of the only of Only one of my mates in that scene that had a job. You know, these guys were just Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: hanging out every day, you know, Ollie, let's go get some KFC, stuff like that, you know what I mean? Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: fire out, what do you guys get jobs, you know? But I Aaron: Gonna get a job. What were you doing for a job at that time? Oli Grandy: So I my first job and I stayed in that in that industry was solar. So I was doing the sales like you mentioned earlier. So Aaron: Yeah, that's right. The solar sailor stuff. That's right. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Oli Grandy: I was knocking on doors and making calls and making some pretty good money, you know, and so I liked Getting my Nike TNs and my polo Ralphs and stuff like that. Aaron: There you go. Oli Grandy: Like I l I loved it. You know, I I really fell in love with so many aspects. And they weren't all bad, but it was almost like I think part of the subculture within hip hop, kinda like that street culture. There's kind of this unset thing that like you can look the part, but you gotta be the part. So I think that became important to me that I wasn't gonna be a full blown criminal, but I would, you know, try to act a bit tough sometimes. Aaron: Right, kinda push the edge a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. It's like a respect it's like a almost like a integrity thing, right? You can't just rap about, you can't just say these things. If you're just being little goody two shoes, you gotta actually be it or at least look like you're doing. Yeah, okay. Interesting. Yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: Yeah. You don't want to be fake. You don't you don't want to be fake. You don't want to be opposer. Like that was even something the skaters would say. And so you just kind of Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: become this guy. And so I think I think a lot of the stuff that I did was, you know, you just there's other crews, you know, there's a bit of intimidation, you know, a bit of acting tough, you know, a bit of, you know, petty thieving and Aaron: Yeah. Street street life. Yeah. Oli Grandy: yeah, and and you know, smoking weed as well was something that I that I really struggled with for a couple of years. I think looking back, that was away, like I didn't even really do it for fun. It was more to numb some of the pain from some of the traumas like from when I was a little kid. something that was completely out of my family's control and how that kind of compounded and had never really been dealt with. And yeah, I think that's what I was doing. And also just it was like a communal thing, you know, like all the guys that I knew had their own traumas, you know, some of them way worse than mine. Some of them Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: grew up in really bad homes. So you know, I tried to, you know, you end up bonding and getting close to these people and I'd bring a lot of them to church. Yeah. I'd Aaron: Yeah, right. Oli Grandy: some of them studied the Bible and and got baptized and Aaron: Well. Oli Grandy: but I was just caught between two worlds, you know, and Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: eventually it all came crumbling down. And yeah, the album that I put out at the end of two thousand twenty four, The Path of Reprisal, got a couple of songs in there that really touched on that. You know, I've got some Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: lines. didn't check the weather program. you know, talking about Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: when the rain came, it fell with a crash and a slam. This idea like everything I'd built, like I wasn't prepared for when God was just gonna knock it all down. Aaron: How about yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: And yeah, it was it was a tough time, especially if I felt like there was like the glory days. There's always that time where you're like, this is the best, you know, I'm working, Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: I'm in control, I'm living out of home. I felt so strong, so powerful, and was just like I felt like I was that guy. And then, you know, before I knew it, you know, I won't go into like all the details right now. You can sort of hear about it in some of those songs if if people want to go check it Aaron: Go check the album. Yep, yep. Oli Grandy: out. I feel like it's a little bit more specific. but that moment where I felt like my my whole world came crashing down, the only thing I could think about was God you know, getting into Aaron: Wow. Can you if you're comfortable, can you don't have to go into immense detail, but i it was it a particular moment that happened or was it a few things that kinda led to the quote unquote crash? Oli Grandy: Yeah, I I can share about it. So I was just living in a house with a bunch of these guys. there was another brother from the church living there, but there was a few other guys there that were just sort of my mates that were sort of staying with us. And, you know, our our idea was that we were trying to bring them all to church, but it just things got crazy, you know, we couldn't control them getting into trouble and stuff like that. And I actually made an attempt to sort of repent and draw the line and sort of all right, enough's enough. but it wasn't it wasn't Dora, it wasn't I thought I was cutting off the hand that caused me to send, but I I wasn't successful because I said to this one guy, Yeah, he called me up and asked to come over. I said, Yeah, that's cool. Long story short, he got into some trouble on the way over. He asked me to come help him and then things got a little bit hectic. and it meant that the police wanted to come to the house to speak to him in particular. Aaron: Wow, yeah. Oli Grandy: And so it's yeah, it's a really long story, but You know, when the police are knocking on your door, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: in a pretty serious way and they want to talk to you as well because, you know, you're hanging out with the wrong crowd. and the way that it happened r really shocked me, you know, like having that sort of I never had experienced that. So, you know, having that happen, like what do they call it, the long arm of the law just knocking on your door. Aaron: Yeah, right. Wow. Oli Grandy: that was pretty shocking, you know. And I think in that moment, you know, it was almost like, you know, that they would sort of came there and wanted to talk to me. But all I could think about was You know, how's this happened? You know, how Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: how has this kid who, you know, grew up in church and has his great parents and you know, you know, loves God deep down, like how's how have I got caught up in all of this? And Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: it was a pretty shattering, shattering moment. And I really thanked the Lord because it made it really easy to let go of all of that and just actually just sever that hand, say say no to my friends. And obviously some of them didn't take it well. They felt rejected, they felt like I was turning my back on them, but It's what I needed to do for my for my faith and I needed to put that first. And was some pretty like humbling days there. and sort of sometime later, like a year later, you know, the leader of the church came to me and was like, Hey, you know, I want you to be a part of the ministry. And I was like, I was like, I like, Come on, mate, like you know what, you know what I've been up to not that long ago? Aaron: Wow. I just had I just had police on my door about you. Oli Grandy: Yeah. And luckily I I just you know, just to clarify, I didn't get in any trouble, which was good. It was it was just the the idea of Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Just sh you got shook. Oli Grandy: Yeah, bad company crops, good character. When you hang around with the wrong people, you know, he said, Yeah, I'll come around, there won't be any dramas and just couldn't help himself. God just made something happen, you know. and so luckily I didn't get in any trouble, but you know it was just wrong place at the wrong time hanging out with the wrong people. And so, you know, luckily, you know, the leader of the church understood that. He he helped me study the Bible some of these guys. He said that he loved my heart for them, but he wanted me to, you know, take a leaf out of Paul's book. You know, he went from doing some pretty crazy stuff to, you know, serving God and suffering for Christ. And that Aaron: Turn it around. Yeah. Oli Grandy: so when I'd actually I initially said no and he goes, I want you to think about it 'cause I just felt like I wasn't worthy. I felt like, you know, I was I was dirty still, even though I'd sort of had really turned everything around, you know, about a year later. But he just kept asking me, No, I think you're the guy, I think you've got the gift and I don't care that you've made mistakes, you know, you've you've learned from it. And so yeah, spent a year and a half in the ministry after that. And that was a very humbling time. I feel like working for the church is actually really humbling and having to serve people and and I think it took a while to really you know, for some of those rough edges to to rub off, you know. Aaron: Moving out, yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: But when when you're working for the church and you're representing and you've got to be good to people, you gotta you gotta make sure that you're, you know, take taking the I guess feedback on and being humble and stuff like that. So it was it was really helpful for me actually. Yeah, well praise God, man. That's Aaron: Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah, well praise God, man. That's yeah, it's crazy how God just he can turn stuff, man. He can shake us up and uses life situations to really shake us and make us yeah, it really is like a prodigal moment, right? 'Cause you you think about it in Luke fifteen, the prodigal son and he gets to the lowest of low where he's in the he's in the pig pen, right? He's in the pig pen with the pig food. Oli Grandy: The pods. Aaron: Yeah, with eating the pig food and he goes, What am I doing? And then that's it's the moment that something flipped. like a switch flips Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: and and then he goes and repents. So if I take if you go back just briefly there to the when you say he started to turn stuff around. Yeah. What did that look like in your life? you said you cut some friends off, was there other things you were doing, people you're getting around. Like yeah, what did that look like? Oli Grandy: Yeah, good question. I think I just like I feel like God just emptied my cup for me. Like the friendships, just the lifestyle, it all sort of Yeah, it it all just changed like one day to the next, really. It was kind Aaron: Well. Oli Grandy: of crazy. Just the nature of it. Obviously a couple of my friends did get in actual trouble and Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: so, you know, they had to go away and deal with that. So that made it a little bit easier. I feel like it also kinda reminds me of the story of Jonah a little bit. I feel like I Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: kinda got swallowed up and spat out in the right spot a little bit. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: And it was some quiet days, you know. Because I'd, you know, had like I mentioned earlier, had been smoking and just hanging out and just, you know, just living this life. And then all of a sudden it was like, what do I like doing? I remember kind of getting into basketball around that time. There was like pick up games down at the university, which I lived Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: close to. And yeah, I would go and play with those guys, a lot of like Chinese guys down there, predominantly, and some other like national nationalities too. But that was like a fun thing to do. touch footy, got back into playing r a bit of rugby at the time, just stuff Aaron: Nice. Oli Grandy: like that. But it it took a while, you know, like I just didn't really feel myself and I remember reading the word and just feeling like feeling like I'd almost started fresh, you know, had started over. And so Aaron: Hmm. Were you reading the Bible as those things as things were getting worse? Were you s reading the Bible? You said you're going to church, but were like reading the Bible and trying to in some ways like try and do live like a Christian or was it kind of just tit for tat, like a little bit here and there? Oli Grandy: Cra yeah, crazy crazily, like I would still read, you know, qu quite Aaron: cool. Yeah yeah yeah. Oli Grandy: quite a lot, which is almost a bit like, hang on a second, but I think it was my way of like not wanting to I knew in my mind, like I was quite calculated to be honest. I I never wanted to stray so far that I lost what I had in the church. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: And I think that's where God got a bit jealous and said, You can't have both you know, and Aaron: Right, yeah. Oli Grandy: like you're you're trying to balance all of the above, like that's that's really wrong. And Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: Even amongst that period, I feel like there would be times where I'd be I'd sit in church and get really convicted and try and make some efforts. but you know, Satan just had some really deep claws in me with the the relationships, the image, you know, who I was to these other people. And I think God in the end just broke me down and said, You gotta let go of it or you're you're gonna go past that point. I think everyone has that point where Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: obviously God There's that scripture that says, you know, he is not too powerful to reach anybody. I'm paraphrasing there. But Aaron: Mm. Yeah. Oli Grandy: I had that idea, but I just thought, I don't want to let it get too bad. It got pretty bad, but Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: in my mind I s foolishly thought I had some control. And so you know, I would still read the words sometimes and I'd and I'd feel so convicted convicted. And I remember this feeling, and if I could explain it, sometimes you know, even when I was in these really dark moments and I was feeling really far from God, I would read the word and I would genuinely feel really brokenhearted because Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: it felt it felt like it wasn't for me almost. It just felt it was like it was there and it was like I knew God was trying to speak to me, but I just felt hollow and empty because of the way Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: I was living and and because I wasn't I wasn't, you know, letting my light shine. I was doing the opposite. I was I was living in darkness, you know. So yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. So you start turning it around, you start doing getting stuff you know, you some friends go away, you kinda cut that off. does your engagement in church feel different? Like i like when you go into church reading the Bible, you said you actually feel like it's fresh and you're you're convicted and what do you think changed it? Or do you think it's just the spirit like just just moved and and now your heart's like the the the heart of of stone has been now made flesh again? Like yeah, what what was Oli Grandy: Yes. Aaron: that like? Oli Grandy: There there definitely was that. There was there was kind of both. There were some really hard moments where I felt Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: out of place. I'll be honest, like even though I repented of of a lot of things, I'd I'd get a bit annoyed, like feel a bit on edge and a bit annoyed by people at church, you know. Aaron: Sure, sure, yeah. Oli Grandy: Like just the r the religiousness, you know, but then I would really try Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and stay quiet because it's like, okay, you can't talk. Like you You know, I I would kind of tell myself, like, you know, be gentle, just be, you know, let people be who they're trying to be. but yeah, I just had those rough edges. But then on the flip side, I feel like getting to like come and experience even just like taking communion again and not feeling conflicted about it. Or, you know, there'd be times when I was in those dark places where I would I would not take it, you know, I would just sort Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: of, you know, in a subtle way. not take communion because I didn't feel right to do it. And there was times Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: where I took it and I and I probably shouldn't have. But I think just knowing that I was living in the light again, I'd come clean about, you know, how I'd been living, just getting to do those little basic things was like, wow, you know, like this is awesome. Like I want to Aaron: Yeah, well. Yeah, back to basics, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: That's right. Yeah. And it wasn't like all smooth sailing. I think I think something I found tricky, and kind of moving on to the Adelaide chapter for Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: those kind of so probably once I sort of that incident happened, there was probably a couple of years. So I think it happened around twenty sixteen, end Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: of twenty sixteen and then and then I reckon I didn't leave until to Adelaide till the end of twenty nineteen. Or it might have been early twenty seventeen. It happened, did ministry sort of at the end of twenty seventeen for about a year or so. And I think like yeah, even like cup there was a period where I'd finished up at the ministry and I was still in Brisbane just for a few months. And I remember like I was doing okay, but like you're just in this city where you've got so many people around. It wasn't even even that old crew. It'd be like some guys I went to school with or you know, you're just familiar and it just I just felt like I needed to change, you know. It was like Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: I'd done the ministry thing, things were great, you know, stepped out of the ministry. didn't feel like at that time it was it was fully for me, you know, wanted to kind of maybe try to figure out what my long term career was gonna be. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: And yeah, I again I felt like my cup was pretty empty. It was like leading pros at the time, even after ministry was you know, just being a part of church events and sports and stuff like that. It was like playing rugby and stuff. And I was like, Yeah, this is all right, you know, like what am I doing? Like w how am I moving forward? And it wasn't until Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: I Have you read Wild at Heart? That book? Yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Oli Grandy: I thought I thought you might have. Aaron: Yeah, good book. Oli Grandy: that at that time was like the perfect book to read. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: So I visited Adelaide for my now wife's 21st and her brother lent it to me, David. Shout out to to Davy. And he gave it a 1818. yeah. That'd Aaron: Yep. Shout out. Yes, sir. Someone needs. I could get on, I'll forget him on at some point. Yeah. Yeah yeah. Oli Grandy: that'd be a great, great episode. he passed me this book and said, You know, like goodbye to your old self. And I was like, No Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: one had ever given me a book and said something like that. And I was kind of a bit like Aaron: That's such a day thing to say, Arkane. Oli Grandy: Yeah, like goodbye. But like but he was but but he'd read it, he'd kind of experienced Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: that. So I was like, Okay And then I kinda he's like, you know, you'll be back in Adelaide soon. So it was a bit of a boomerang, it like, Hey, you gotta bring the book back, so you better be back in Adelaide soon. Aaron: Okay, yeah, yeah. Come back. Big brain. It's a good move. Oli Grandy: It was. And so I read it while I was, you know, sort of around that time. And it just was like this, you know, there's so much in that book, but just the idea of like, you know, trying to find a woman is not the adventure. You know, your career Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: is not the adventure. Like the adventure is you are a man of God. Like you Aaron: Come on. Oli Grandy: are a servant. And, you know, if a woman's gonna come in the picture, you know, it uses that analogy of like a knight riding through town, he's just done all the quests, Aaron: That's right. Yeah. Oli Grandy: and then it's like She comes along and just jumps in the back and there's not even a second glance. It's just like, yep, she's with me now. And so it didn't happen that easily with Tamara. But I thought Aaron: Hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But priorities, yeah. Oli Grandy: instead of chasing her, you know, and it was really cool because the people in the Adelaide Church, they reached out to me and pretty much said, like, hey, like we need a male, like a young man to like come and leave campus, hopefully develop pros, stuff like that. So there was like a bit of a ministry offer, not not Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: a paid like staff, but just, you know, someone to come and lead. You know, Dave's in my ear saying, get you a job at Suncorp, you can live with me. And little did he know that give the book back. Aaron: Give my book back. Give my book back. Oli Grandy: But he didn't know that like, you know, things between me and Tomorrow was sort of slowly slowly building as well. I still remember telling him, I was so scared. And then when I actually told him, Aaron: There you go. There you go. Oli Grandy: he was like, no, all good bro. That's awesome. I'm so happy. And was like Aaron: Amen. Oli Grandy: For context, my wife's all of my wife's brothers are like big units, big, big Sarmor fellas. Aaron: Yes, yes, they they're so big. Oli Grandy: So but yeah, that was kinda like as things transitioned. So there was a transition Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: into the ministry. I feel like that was a good time. God really used that to kind of, you know, yeah. Aaron: Shapey. Yeah. Oli Grandy: And I think like bringing me like right back into the coalface, like this is where it's at, Bible studies and be on campus. And as you would know, like Aaron: Mm, yep. true. Oli Grandy: walking around on campus is is not easy. You know, getting rejected, feeling a bit weird. I don't even study, what am I doing Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: here? You know, you go through all of that, finish that up. All right, what's next? You know, I'm looking for something. And then it was just like, you know, come down, you know, tomorrow pops up, I read this book and I'm just like, All right, let's let's move to Adelaide. So that was the a end of twenty nineteen, move down here and Aaron: Here we go. Yep. Wow. Oli Grandy: that's where I feel like that's been this big chapter of my life now. I feel like Aaron: Yeah, wow. Oli Grandy: I'm I'm right in that chapter still. So even though it's been seven years, it just it's been a it's been a great, great move. Aaron: Wild ride, man. So when did you start dating tomorrow and then when did you get married? Oli Grandy: Yeah, great question. So I moved down here at the end of twenty nineteen to Adelaide, but we actually started dating before that. Not long after her twenty first. It was well, July seventh is the date that we started. It was we were both in Sydney for a campus retreat and mission school. Again, she was studying, I wasn't, but my brother Hamish needed to go and my parents were like, you know, can you take Hamish to the campus retreat? Again, I didn't have much going on at that particular time. Aaron: So yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: And I was like, No, I don't want to do that. Aaron: Chaperone. Oli Grandy: And then I was like, hang on a second. I double check. Hey tomorrow, you gonna be at this thing? I was like, yeah, I'm keen. Hey Michael, I'm gonna pack your bag right now. Aaron: should be there. Should be there. Yeah, should be there. Oli Grandy: It was crazy. Aaron: Good move, bro. Good move. That's so funny. Nice. Okay, so you go. Okay. And then you start dating July seventh, twenty nineteen. So Oli Grandy: Yeah. And then we got engaged the following year, September. So we were engaged for about fourteen months. And then we got married the year after that. Two thousand and twenty one, April. So seventeenth of April. Yeah. Aaron: Wow. Seven to now what's that? Five years, five and a bit. Oli Grandy: Yeah. And we had a pretty Aaron: Wow. Oli Grandy: long engagement 'cause that was the COVID era. Aaron: Yes. my gosh, bro. Being engaged in COVID, bro, what was that like? Oli Grandy: That was that was pretty crazy. yeah, so we ended up being engaged for like seven months 'cause we were trying to see if like Aaron: Yeah. we were engaged for seven eight months, eight months and w we weren't COVID. But yeah, I know, I know. Yeah, yeah, dude. Yeah, it was quick, man. Yeah, but we didn't have yeah, that Oli Grandy: I heard you talking about that on one of your pilot episodes. I read you saying that and I thought, yeah, finally someone with the same length. Aaron: was that was that was like family, like 'cause you know, we had L of international family, so trying to figure out what time everyone could make it. So December was the best time, so that's why we we did it. But yeah. Everyone could come. Oli Grandy: That was pretty much like us. Like we wanted to see if her brothers Paul and Moses, who bought Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: by the way, they, you know, playing professional rugby for the listeners, over in France. So they're Aaron: Yeah. Yes. Oli Grandy: pretty much busy all year round except for this window. So we tried to give a chance. They didn't actually make it because of COVID. Things got worse. Aaron: Mm, it's crazy, dude. Oli Grandy: But they sent in a little cameo which was classic as yeah, they played it up on the big screen and tomorrow got a bit teary. So they they had an Aaron: That's so funny. Nah, it's great. Oli Grandy: impact from from long range, which was cool, but Yeah, we got married. We got married, man. That's Aaron: And then and then mi and then Mr. Josiah bore twenty twenty four, right? And then twenty twenty four, Oli Grandy: End Aaron: is that? Oli Grandy: end of twenty twenty four. Yeah. So pretty much like Aaron: So d and he's almost coming up to two. Oli Grandy: Yeah, I feel like every year it feels like something happened. Like twenty nineteen was Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: dating, twenty twenty was engaged, twenty one was married, twenty two we got the dog. Aaron: Yeah, okay, yeah. Oli Grandy: twenty three, I I that's when I started NDIS. I feel like every year's kind of had like a big development, you know. That Aaron: That's cool. Oli Grandy: script I was thinking about it today, that scripture that's like, you know, he can be trusted with little, can be trusted with more. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: It just comes all in God's timing, you know. He doesn't he doesn't Aaron: Luke sixteen, yeah, that's right. Yeah, little by little. Oli Grandy: rush these things. Aaron: Yeah, amen. And if I ask you, bro, like how being a father and being a husband, how has that shaped you and your your perspective of God, your walk with Christ? Like how has that just helped you grow in sanctification? Oli Grandy: Wow, it's a good question. Yeah, wow. Sanctification and yeah, being being a husband and father. I feel like they're you know, like I was just like sa actually looking at them today. I got my grand uncle's like medals, you know, and I feel like it's Aaron: yeah. Oli Grandy: like disciple, you know, husband, father. They're like these huge pillars in your life. And I think for me, like what I've realized is God at least my belief is that God's totally okay for me to, you know My faith is my family, my family is my faith and it's it's you know, the way he talks about his church is like, you Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: know, the wife, you know, he's always talking about h you know, Jesus the Son, God the Father. It's these ideas and so I I I just think for me it's it's all goes hand in hand. Like every time I'm I'm even reading the word now or I'm trying to you know, I've got some things written down here, you know, and it's see first the kingdom of God, always protect your family, it's that order. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: you know, if I get my relationship with God right, well, that's gonna flow on to hopefully being a great husband if I can, you know, take what I'm learning and live it out and and a Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: father. So it has really taught me a lot. I think the biggest thing it's exposed to my c character is my sinful nature was to be very selfish, self focused, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: self absorbed, and it was funny because I'd always been told the opposite. People were always telling me like, you're such a good people person and you know, you're so good with people and kids Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: and you're such a servant and I think what I realized is I was good at it when it suited me. You know, it's like, this is great. This is great. Aaron: Mm convenient seven. Yep, yep, yep. Oli Grandy: Like this makes me feel good about myself. people are mentioning it. I'll Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: do this, you know. And you don't obviously think of it like so like in such an evil way, but subconsciously, yeah, you kinda just you do the math, right? It's like, you know, I do these things, but then I think once you get married, especially, that all gets stripped back. There's Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: no tokenistic things that you do that your wife just goes, this is great. I'm just gonna just absolutely love you. Aaron: It's nice. It's nice when it happened, it's nice when they do say it. But that's it's not what we're doing it for, right? Oli Grandy: Yeah, I feel like I'm sure nearly all wives are like this. They just if you're disingenuous, if you're doing something to get something, if you're only Aaron: They know man. Oli Grandy: cleaning the house b before your tea time or, you know, stuff like that, you know, that's they got that they got that sixth sense, don't they? Aaron: They know, bro. They know. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's crazy. No, it's it's so true. But yeah, man, I I I I think that's being a yeah, I I what I was thinking about is how Oli Grandy: Yeah, but I I I I think that's being a yeah, I I what I was thinking of Aaron: how cool it is that God lets us go through life and as you experience different things, like different relationships, like when you're a son, you know, you kind of understand God's like a dad. And and again, there are some people that don't have the you know, opportunity to actually have like a father figure in their life and that's really, really difficult. and but yeah, you know, you get to have that, you experience God as the father and then I think when you start dating and then you get into a and you get married, you experience that like, Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: this is what God feels about about his church, about his people, that that that that love, that that that jealous god you know, that kind of thing and you just go, wow, that's that's what God feels like. And then you become a father and then like what you're talking about before about grace and you go, I just love my kid. Like there is it sounds so cliche and when you have a kid, y you just you just know, like you know, I know what it is when you just see Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: your child for the first time and then you just look at him and you just look at him and you go, I love this person. I they can do no wrong. Like I just love them. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: And then you realise that's how God feels about us, like what you were mentioning before. Like Josiah could throw something, but it won't change how you feel about him. And to think Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: about that's how I feel about my about Elizabeth, about Thea, that's how you feel about Josiah. How much more does God feel that about us? And you think about how much grace, how much love that how powerful that is. And I just love it how as you go through life stages, it's almost like unlocking a new perspective. Not that you can't have that conceptually if you don't go through that, but I think there is an experiential element that is really cool that we get to have as you experience those things. Oli Grandy: Absolutely. And have you is that something like you feel like just as you've gone through 'cause you've obviously been a father like a few more years than me, but do you just feel like there's just layers to it? Like do you feel like even from early days it's developed? Aaron: Dude, absolutely. Because I think as and as they get older. So just Elizabeth, she's she's five, about to turn six next month, but she's you know, she can read now, she can write, she can communicate. And, Oli Grandy: Wow. Aaron: you know, it's so cool to see her communicate what she's feeling with me. And, you know, maybe like when she gets angry with me, maybe that's how I feel Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: about what I feel about when I get angry at God. I'm questioning God and just you kind of get these little like snippets of what it would feel like to not be God, but you know, just kind of how he feels. I think it's really, really It's amazing. I just love how life gives us and you come down to the scriptures and scriptures that we used to read when we were fourteen years old. Now we're reading them as married men with with kids. Which is it it hits so differently. And I think that's a beautiful thing. That's a reshaping Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: that happens as you go through life and and I think it's just yeah, it's an amazing thing. It's so it's yeah. God's created it so cool. I think just that we can go through life like that. But yeah, bro, that's amazing. That's that's so cool. It's again, we've got the pr great privilege of being husbands and fathers and Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: Lord help us 'cause we try to try and do our best. but bro, if let's Oli Grandy: Bro, if let's Aaron: talk about the music stuff. 'Cause I think the music stuff's really cool. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: So you've you hip hop obviously you got into it and you're doing it, I guess not with the Christian mindset necessarily when you start off. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: correct me if I'm wrong, but then you pivot obviously to doing the Christian hip hop stuff and and and making Christian Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: music Yeah, how was that? As as a transition, how was that in your w w was that difficult to do? Was that pretty seamless when you made the decision I wanna follow, be serious about following God again? Oli Grandy: Yeah, great question. I wouldn't say it's was as seamless as like a Forest Frank or something like that. Aaron: Ha ha ha ha. Oli Grandy: There's some guys that just you know, they jump out of the band and they're just the guy, you know, that's winning all the awards. Nah. Look, it's it's it's a funny one. It I always find it interesting talking about it and even like I was talking to someone the other day, a local rapper here, and I was like, Yeah, you know, like the idea of like you know, I get these like titles like a Christian rapper or stuff like Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: that. And it's all right. Like I got no issue with any sort of title. Like however people perceive me. I think that's the beautiful thing about art is if there's kind of to me, my my thoughts is if if there's kind of like terms and conditions attached to your your music and your art, well it's not really art because the way I understand it is, you know, you craft something, you you you get creative, you you know, you pour your your heart in your your soul into it and your beliefs and your message and you put it out there Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and if people go, you're a Christian rapper or you know, or you're you're someone who's been there done that, but you know, I don't believe someone might say I don't believe in God, but that's really cool that, you know, you are who you are. And Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: I consciously do nowadays like still trying to make my music relatable. You know, to be honest, I don't just want to make music for Christians. Aaron: Cool. Oli Grandy: I want to make music for for everybody. it I know it's not going to be everybody's taste, especially Aussie hip hop. Like to some people that it's just like, what? Other people might say, yeah, the hilltop hoods, you know, like it can be done well. Yeah. It can be done well, you know. It's Aaron: Nah Aussie hip hop's dope, bro. Nah, it's dope. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: it's gone through some funny some funny ups and downs over the years and the like the way it's it's going now, it's so much more diverse as well, which is Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: I I'm very much a purist, you know, for me Not even just with Aussie hip hop, with hip hop itself. I was even thinking about it today. A lot of my mates and and myself, like we started listening to hip hop when we're probably like thirteen, fourteen, and it was like the ice cubes, yeah, it was like it was like ice cubes, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Aaron: Which guys are you listening to? Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah. Classics. Yeah. Oli Grandy: and Biggie. And it was like, yeah, cool, fifty Cent, all the all these sort guys, and like everyone kind of knows a bit about a bit of that. And you you hear that, you're like, that's rap. And then for me there was like a distinct moment where I heard something a bit different. And that's when I heard it was like Big L and like Gangstar, which is DJ Premier and Guru. And it was like I don't know if you know many of these guys. Didn't do not do you know of like Nas or like Big L? Aaron: Yeah, Nas, I know Nas. Yeah, I some of those yeah, yeah, yeah. Some of those classics. Yeah, probably the bigger names, but well out yet. Oli Grandy: They're like so there's almost like the huge names that I mentioned at the start. Then there's kind of like those guys I'd say, like Big L, Aaron: Niche. Yeah. Oli Grandy: Nas, and then there's kind of like there's there's there's you can go all the way down Aaron: Even further niche, yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: to where it's like there's only like a handful of people that know this guy. You know, there's there's there's a huge that's that's probably me. Aaron: Right. And that's you? That and you down there? Yeah, okay. Oli Grandy: I I kinda went deeper and deeper as things went. but I think I think I realized that difference where my mates some of them liked it. They like, yeah, you know, they were putting these tracks because we were getting into skateboarding, so they were putting these on our clips and stuff like that. But Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: I like I think I heard it differently because I'd sort Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: of make comments a bit like, did you hear what he said there? And then my mates are just like, Yeah, it's all dope, man. Like, put the song on, like, what are you talking about? But I was that that I had those ears where I I feel like I heard things a bit differently and I had that deeper appreciation for wordplay and Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, you know, just sorry, but your like your lyrics Oli Grandy: Yeah, you got. Aaron: your lyrics are really like really good. Like I like the way that you it's it doesn't sound and I could be wrong here, but it's like it's not conventional, like your like some of your lyrics, but the way you put together and the w yeah, wordplay, like you said, I think is really, really, really cool. Like it's very creative. So just shout out there, it's really good. Oli Grandy: cheers brother. Yeah. And and 'cause it's almost like it's like anything, right? Like I know you used to be really into music and and even like tennis, and I know you've got a bunch of different passions and and like basketball, like whatever your passion is, like, you're kinda like you might see someone wearing a basketball jersey, right? And you might be like, how good's that player? And Aaron: Mm-mm. Oli Grandy: they're like, this guy. yeah, yeah, I I heard he's pretty good and you're like, no. Aaron: Yeah. Come on, guys. Come on, guys. Take it off. Take it off. Oli Grandy: But then but then when you hear that guy and it's like a a not so known player and they're like, yeah, he's a bit down on defense this year, or whatever it is, Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: like you hear that that game, you know, that talk. And Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: so I very quickly was like, My mates didn't really come with me on that journey. Nobody wanted to go deeper into that culture, and still Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: bit by bit you start finding those heads, you know, those real hip hop heads. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: And I think not too many people would really know like just how intricate the hip hop culture can be. Like when you meet Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: other people that are like real hip hop heads, it's it is a very purest, Aaron: Like purists, as you said. Yeah. Oli Grandy: it's a real niche like culture. And so I I just you know bit by bit, you know, it wasn't one day to the next, it was a journey. and so I've always I've always held that. You know, I realize I released my first track in 2016 in May. So I've been rapping for over 10 years now officially. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: And yeah man, it's just I mean, I guess pre s sort of everything that happened and obviously like I said, it was a part of that negative part. I think I was doing it for you know, I was trying to make a name, I was trying to put myself out there, you know, I think my ego was very involved with it. You know, I really looked for the views and I and I wanted to find ways to to be that guy. And Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: obviously when everything went crumbling down, I felt like it's one of those very fragile things for me, like If life just gets takes a big knock or, you know, you don't have much on your heart, I feel like it's really hard to write. You know, it's really hard to express Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: yourself because there's nothing there to to draw on. So when that all happened, I went pretty quiet for a while. Like I might have done like a a track here or there, but in reality I went pretty had a bit of a sabbatical there. And then it wasn't until like I came back to Adelaide I feel like and and because I associated it with obviously that. you know, that part of my life that was, you know, I felt like was a huge failure and I'd let myself down, I'd let God down. I felt like I needed to really cut hip hop too, at least that version of hip hop and and until later on I I didn't realise Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: that God was going to give it back to me. And that's Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: you know, I don't want to get off topic here, but even w stuff like footy, you know, like I played footy when I was young and then it got to a time where it was on Sundays and I felt like God was like, Are you going to give it to me? And I and I did, you know, I was a Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: I was a kid who wanted to go to church and it was hard but I and I had a I was pretty promising young player and stuff like that. But then moving back to Adelaide, around the same Aaron: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: time as the music came back into things, God was like, Hey, it's now on Saturdays. There's a club around the corner that wears black and white. You you know Aaron: That's right. That's right. Collingwood, your team. That's it. That's it. Oli Grandy: And so, you know, and and I just feel like God kind Aaron: Tchau. Oli Grandy: of gave these things back to me again when he felt like I was ready to steward them properly. And it was a little bit of an Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: interesting you know, I look back at some of those early tracks and you I d I don't think they're they're whack or anything like that, but I just, you know, you're kind of just like dipping your toe back in, you're lacking a little bit of confidence, and you know, you're trying to f feel out where you stand. And sometimes I I really lent into the gospel side of it, and then Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: other times, you know, tried to balance it. I Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: always think of it like, you know, how mums will hide like the greens in their their meals, you know, like try to cho chop up the spinach. You know, I I've that's it. I've done a bit of that with my music sometimes. Like I've tried Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, more subtle, more subtle. Yeah. Mm. Oli Grandy: to even bring that kind of you know, that energy of the streets or the realness to really like draw people in. I had one song actually called Walk the Plank and even Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: the title and the if you watch that video clip you can search it up on YouTube for anyone who's interested. And it just has this really like, you know, classic like gangster clip in the city and I I I pull up in a car and I go out and I slap this money in this guy's hands and I and then he walks off and then I start rapping to the camera and as the song progresses I it sounds like I'm talking about like pretty much like very like you know what's the word? Like kind of like Not underworld, but like it's it's pretty like you you could mistake it for like gangster rap, you know, like a and Aaron: Right, right. Oli Grandy: it that's kind of the point, you know, like all the the words and terminology and like metaphors I'm using, it makes me sound like I'm talking about I'm some mafia guy. And it and Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: and you know, the idea is that people 'cause at that at the time there was Aaron: Connects, yeah. Oli Grandy: yeah, there was these especially rappers in America like Rock Marciano and these guys that were just blowing up with that sound. So I was like, I can do that sound. But what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna flip the script halfway through the song and Aaron: Oof. Oli Grandy: then if you kinda listen to the song back to front, you realise everything I'm saying, even though it has this gangster feel, you can actually use that in a spiritual context. Aaron: Wow. Oli Grandy: like yeah, you gotta kinda listen to it. If had the lyrics in front of me, I could Yeah. Because Aaron: Yeah, that's cool. I ha that's one I haven't listened to. I go listen to that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. That's so sick. Oli Grandy: because then what happens as well, the other flip to it is at the end when the song finishes, Th yeah, there's one part at the end where it says, if you think this is gangster rap, you won't listen, you know. you think you think something something, but you're missing it, you know, this idea. And then it's Aaron: Mm. Ooh, it's date. Mm. Oli Grandy: like at the end I get the package, what I sort of paid for. I jump in the car and the the camera's like, you know, over my shoulder. I had a mad photographer like videographer, this one. Aaron: Videographer? Yeah. Oli Grandy: And then I when I open up the box, it's a Bible, and then I pull out the Bible and I and I and I Aaron: dang, that's deep. That's deep. That's good. Oli Grandy: turn. And so it's this idea of like, you know, you the you know, you these rappers you're listening to, they're out in the streets Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: talking about guns and violence and all this stuff. Me, like, I'm out here, the weapon I'm talking about is the double edged sword that you read about in Hebrews, you know, like Aaron: Yeah, sick. Oli Grandy: and so I wanted to like get people's attention and then sort of like flip it and be like, Aaron: Shine a light, yeah. Oli Grandy: This is what it's actually all about. So I've done stuff like that as well, where I've tried to really bridge bridge the two together, because Aaron: That's cool. Hmm. Oli Grandy: I still like listening to stuff that's real. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: and there's some guys that do it really well. There's a there's a gospel artist out in New Zealand called the Plowman. He's a Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: Samoan guy. He's got some great music. He's got some really like joyful, like worship style hip hop. And Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: then he's got some songs called like Steady Marching and stuff like that. And a lot of the lads like we love listening to it. 'Cause it just gets Aaron: Yeah. No, that's Oli Grandy: you G'd up. Aaron: yeah, that's cool, man. I think it's such a cool such a cool area 'cause sometimes you know, there's sometimes some controversy around it, right? 'Cause of what hip hop can can be, or like the association that hip hop has, rap has, you know, you know, the eight eight drum. Like, you know, people like, gosh, like this type of sound, like it makes us think of this. but it's art. Like I and I'm not like I'm I'm kind of creative, kinda, you know, look like but Yeah, I mean some of these guys I listen to in Oli Grandy: you definitely are. Aaron: in in in America. I don't know if you heard of some of these guys, but like you the cli like Le Cray, Le Cray, this guy called Rooslan KD. he's a a podcast youtuber now, but he was a rapper before and he's real, like he's real, like what you like kind of you like a purist, like knows. he's a Christian Christian rapper, Christian hip hop artist. And but yeah, I I I hear these associations. I think it's really cool. And they always talk about that, the idea of reaching the culture that Being all things to all men doesn't mean that you have to l live that, but you're connecting in a way because you know how to connect and then you bring, you bring Jesus, you bring the gospel in that way. And sometimes it's being outright, like obvious, like this is a gospel track, or this is a Christian track, or it's yeah, like meeting them with the language, meeting them with the, you know, the the themes, but then then showing how Jesus shines into that. You know, and I think that's really cool. 'Cause I I that's a big part of our even this podcast, like learning diff different people's perspectives because even if you don't if you if you understand where people are coming from, even if you don't know it fully, but if you can understand, then you can bring the gospel and you can bring Jesus into their situation and meet them where they're at, right? Because different aspects of Christianity and different aspects of the gospel will hit or resonate with different people differently, depending on what their background and their culture. And so I don't know, like what do you think what do you think people in the street or people that, you know, listen to to hip hop, what do you think are the themes and the the things of of the gospel and of of Christianity that really resonate with with them? Oli Grandy: Yeah, that's a such a awesome question. I love that. I would say straight off the bat, like you look at the classic story of the people that sat at Jesus' table. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: You know, they they were the modern day people that you see, you know, in the rough parts of town, on the fringes, struggling, you know, people who, you know, are put in that box. I I remember there was a brother who did a lesson and he was like, you know, people think tax collectors is like an accountant. No, that's like a modern day like debt collector. You know, these guys were like, you know, like and he was sort of saying like just making that point of like these these people were rough. They they Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: were they were rough, they were living that life and yeah, you know, and I think I want my message to sort of reach everybody in between, like from the absolute roughest to to kids who've grown up in church and wanna have rap that they can listen to that isn't too wishy washy, you know, like or just, you Aaron: Yeah, it's real. Oli Grandy: know Yeah, you know, like I want I want it to really hit that market and yeah, I I just I just think that like I think people nowadays, like especi especially people that are part of the hip hop culture and who probably listen to a lot of rap, 'cause even with my work, like I work I I do work in some rougher parts and they hip hop is very popular, especially in the in the in the poorer suburbs, you know, p places where people feel some sense of struggle and stuff like that. And so they're already listening to rap. And so I think to sort of break in and and sort of, you know, earn a spot on someone's playlist, you know, if if you are Coming with a gospel message. I I think it has to be real, it has to be relatable. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and I think, yeah, I had a I had a thought before, like as well, like being really humble and like being who you are. And maybe like, you know, someone obviously I I've already shared earlier without Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: going into great detail, but obviously I had some time in that environment. you know, I don't need to fabricate some story that I I caught a body or I I did something crazy to just Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: get listened to. I think it's more just like, you know, being authentic. You know, I think I think that's something I've realized, you know, being in these environments is people can tell. they're probably better than that, you know, compared to people who are in the upper class. You Aaron: Yeah. Hm. Oli Grandy: know, it's not as important. It's not a skill that you need for Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: your survival, you know, when you, you know, go to or you know you know, you work in high end environments or whatever, you know, Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: I I think so I think they're gonna sniff you out from a mile away if you're not who you say you are. And so I think, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: you know, not it it can't be forced. it has has to has to be real. and specifically like parts of parts of the Bible. I think I think it it can help, especially in this environment I would say like it always reminds me to not be religious, to not be legalistic, you know, to really meet people where they are and Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: have a message, you know, the parts of the Bible that are gonna be really re reassuring and encouraging. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and I I've I've had this conversation with a lot of guys that I've reached out to because I've actually been able to reach out to a lot of guys through hip hop. that sh Shane guy was Aaron: Awesome. Oli Grandy: telling. I was telling you before I jumped on the pod, you know, he he has he has a bit of a rougher background and he was upping and ring about coming to church. He already knew me and one of the brothers here. And I th this is a quick little yarn. this is ac I think this is this is cool. Like there was a guy, right? So this Shano, we're not talking about Shano just yet. This other guy, he's got like a pretty big following on Instagram and he put out a competition and he was like, you know, make a rap song. I'm gonna pay someone two thousand dollars if they're the best one, but these are the rules you have to rap Aussie, like can't be no fake American. And I was like, yeah, cool. That's it. Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: he said, you know, something else has to be a minute long. Yeah, that's fine. Third one, you gotta in your rap say that Jesus Christ is K King of King, Lord of Lords. And I was like, I've seen a lot of rap competitions in my time, and I'm just like, you know, I'll save it for the guys that are, you know, just they're just gonna win. They've got huge followings, all that. But when I heard this, I was like, I'll give this a go. So I I only dropped this about four months ago, so it's pretty fresh on my Instagram. But I just, you know, put a thing together. you know, of course, rapped about Jesus, you know, 'cause it comes so easy to me. And I think in in the starting lyrics I said, They'll talk Jesus for a couple of bucks. I've been about the gospel and the trouble that comes when you rep it, you know, like it was the idea of like Aaron: Muff. Oli Grandy: I had that feeling that, all right, there's money on the line. Let's see who all of a sudden wants to represent it and throw it in Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: there and Anyway, the the guy, shout out to him, Ozzy Dot Entrepreneurs. He's doing some like pr you know, he's doing Make Australia Christian again. He's doing some crazy stuff and yeah, you know that guy. I've had some good Aaron: Yeah, yeah, I've seen some of that, yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: chats with him, but my video didn't even like make make the short list and stuff like that. And I thought, hey, I'm still gonna post it, but this is the good news. So coming back to Shano, he obviously knew me and and and Dave's the brother that we all played rugby together. And he'd been umming and aring about coming to church and then he saw that video that I posted and he told me that next day when he came to church, he said, I got no excuse not to come to church. Like I love rap. Aaron: Oof. Oli Grandy: You've got this rap talking about what really matters. Like I I got my clothes ready for the next day, you know, and I I wanted to Aaron: Wow. Oli Grandy: I wanted to be at church and I wanted to thank you for that. And a few months later the guy gets baptized, makes Jesus the Lord of his life. That's worth far more than two grand and a little bit of clout clout Aaron: That's crazy. Praise God. Come on. Come on, man. Oli Grandy: to me. So Aaron: Hmm. Nah, absolutely. Oli Grandy: I felt like that was a cool little yard to to chuck in there. Aaron: That's so good, bro. I mean, yeah, it's just so powerful what we do. Yeah. That That's why I love this stuff, man. Cause you don't know what's gonna happen when you just just do something faithfully. Like just do it and let God do something. He might do something, he might not. But if we're just just being faithful and trying to do something, man, like what happen like what if you don't post that video? Right? Like what what what happens then? Oli Grandy: I was close. I was close not to yeah. Aaron: Insane bro. Nah, that's a ma that's so cool, man. Well, that that that's such that's so cool about your music. Well, man, hopefully that your music keeps going, bro. I think you're doing a great job with it. And yeah, you're definitely passionate and you love it. So definitely keep it going, bro. it's so sick. Tell me about the yeah, your business that you're running. And Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: I think that's amazing that you're doing this. and yeah, get a little bit of background of that, why you're doing it and what you hope to achieve with it. yeah. Oli Grandy: Awesome. Yeah, so me and my wife Tamara, we run and own a business called Family First Mentoring. It's a yeah, NDIS mentoring company offering support predominantly for a lot of young men, some middle aged guys too, but young at heart, men who obviously live with a disability and need a little bit of help, engaging in the community, assistance with their daily life. They're sort of the two main broader areas that we work within. And I've been a part of that industry now for five years. So it's a long Aaron: Awesome. Oli Grandy: story. I had a a footy mate who introduced me to a guy, kind of got gave me a look into the industry. I started out in the the more forensic side. So that's to do with a lot of people that have been incarcerated, have AOD issues like drug and alcohol. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: so a lot of my early days were rough. I experienced Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: some stuff working in that particular niche part of the field. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Oli Grandy: I saw some stabbings. I was on my way Aaron: Well Oli Grandy: to a a session when not my participant, luckily, but somebody was stabbed within his h home. When I got Aaron: Gosh. Oli Grandy: there, you know, people talk about SWAT here in South Australia, they call it they call it the Star Force. So Staris were As I got there, there was new crews and staris like running into his house, and he was really shaken up by that. Aaron: gosh. Oli Grandy: he actually disarmed the person. Then there was like an overdose that we had to deal with. A lot of drug use and drug paraphernalia and some pretty like intense stuff. In my first year working with that first company was full on. that was like Aaron: Mm-hmm. Wow. Oli Grandy: a baptism of fire into the industry. Luckily, what I Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: what I worked out was the guy who was running that business pretty much was trying to obviously these people were living with disability and they were coming out of prison, but the way he was, I think, trying to do it was more of a what they call like outreach, Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: which isn't really funded within the NDIS. The NDIS wants to like have things planned, put in place so people have a regular routine, not Aaron: Hm. Oli Grandy: really rock up at their house when they're in the middle of a really tricky situation, you know. Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: That's kind of outside of our you know the main part of our role. So the scope of our role. That's that's you know, we were we were definitely stepping out of that and I didn't know any different. So things got a little bit crazy. I eventually got a offer to come work at a different company, ended up working there for two and a half years, was like a team leader and stuff like that. So that was a great experience. And that was also mentoring, but that was way more balanced. There were some people they would tend to put me with within that bigger company, they did tend to put me with some of the guys because of my experience. but it was just mapped Aaron: Yeah, of course. Your background, yeah. Oli Grandy: exactly. And it was it was managed way better. And and then I got to like work with some guys that just wanted to go play golf and just play some pool and, you know, like start a business and I like, this is great. You know, just Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: I can come home and I'm not in fight fight and flight mode. You Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: know? So and then eventually That company was great. I I don't have a bad word to say about that that company, but it kind of just God really put it on my heart. I think the main thing that he showed me was that, you know, me as a man of faith, I had my own outlook that I wanted to, you know, pour into a business. You know, I wanted to Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: be able to just come and be me, not even come to work, like just come as I am. and go mental people and I was inspired because I did see that there were some companies that had a Christian you know ethos and stuff like that and mission statement and I just thought well if they're doing it and they're like quite big companies like Angliclair and you know United Communities Aaron: yeah. Oli Grandy: stuff like that. and obviously like they don't really have strict rules that everyone needs to be Christian. Nor do we technically like everyone on our team does actually believe in God. but you know, we'd look at anyone who we thought could, you know, bring something to the team. but our our fan our foundation is really, you know, family first. you know, obviously is is very relatable because everyone has some sort of you know type of family. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: and I I learned really quickly that you don't just work with the individual who's on the NDIS, you work with the sister, the mother, the brother, the father. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and it's it's a real team effort. You know, to get to know them, you have to get to know their family. You can't segregate it because a lot of the times exactly. Aaron: Community. Yeah. Oli Grandy: I mean, I have worked with some people that don't have a great sense of family, really challenging. You become Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: their family. So either way, whether they have a a great family cohort, whether it can be a little bit up and down or whether it's non existent, you have to sort of I I believe to really get results and to really earn trust and work well with someone. It's all about, you know, coming in and and really making it feel like family every step of the way. Aaron: Mm, mm. Wow, that's dude, that's that's great. So how many people do you have working with you right now? Oli Grandy: That's great. So how many people do you have working with you right now? So there's myself and Tamara. I'm obviously still mentoring, I'm still on the Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: tools, and then I obviously lead the team as like a director of the business. Tamara takes care of all the admin while looking Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: after Josiah. I guess Josiah's a part of that as well. So there's Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's in the business. Tell me first. Oli Grandy: That's right. There's us two. my dad obviously like he has his own job, but he also does some part time work, like just looking over the finance side, you know, making sure like, you know, accounting and I guess the Aaron: All above board. Oli Grandy: yeah, making everything making sure everything's above board. there there's a lot of regulations and stuff you have to be aware of with w Aaron: Yeah, I bet I yes, yeah. Oli Grandy: and so he's really good at looking at from an outward perspective, looking in like, Aaron: Good. Oli Grandy: you know, and and we're in the process of trying to get registered. Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: Only about I think last time I checked this this could be wrong, but it's only about ten percent of businesses are registered. So you can still work in the space, but they're Aaron: wow. Yeah. Oli Grandy: moving towards that. So we're working hard on that. Hopefully we're getting close to applying Aaron: Hmm. That's great. Oli Grandy: for that soon. And then just recently brought on my younger brother Danny. So he's Aaron: Cool. Oli Grandy: just stepped out of the full time industry, he has a marketing degree, so he's doing part time marketing and then also mentoring Aaron: Awesome. Oli Grandy: as well. So the mentors is really myself, Danny, there's a fella named Deng. Shout out to my brother Deng Dao, a guy, Tony, that I've worked with with a few companies, super experienced, and then there's another guy who's part time called Herjock. So Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: really there's five mentors plus a couple of admin. so yeah, it's a team of about seven. So Aaron: building man. That that's great. That's great. It's a lot of work man. So you're doing yeah, it's a lot of work that you're doing. But it's really, really important work. I think mum and dad in N DIS and had a lot of experience in that. Yeah, mum was in for years and years. They they're looking for jobs at the moment. they're about to yeah, they took a little bit of a break and but yeah, but I I know N DIS is Oli Grandy: Wow. I didn't know that. Aaron: yeah, bro, it's it's and I know it's intense. I know Mum would do she was in disability as well and she would do late night like overnights and things like that and it's it's a tough job. It's a tough job. And so I think really props to you guys and and what you're doing. because it's really important work. And I think w it like if you maybe touch on the element of community and family, briefly here, like what why do you think it's so important? Like even from like the the from your perspective the family you're like from the the business and what you're doing, but then also even like the importance when it comes to church and community and and that in general. Like why do you think it's so important? Oli Grandy: Well, I think for people, like we're we're simple creatures, you know, we we want to be seen and we want to be understood. I mean, I know some people that go do some things by themselves, like a hike or you know, like a a walk. Me, like, I'm such a people's person, you know, like I don't mind playing golf by myself just to have a little bit of time out time out if I feel like I need it. Aaron: Yeah, she'll kick back. Oli Grandy: But if there's if there's if there's boys around, you know, I you know, I don't want there to be any debate on whether I, you know, made that birdie or hit hit a twenty Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: footer, you know, like I you know, I want someone calling me out on exaggerating how Aaron: Yeah, that's right. I'd have to give me I to give me I'd say me. I'd make that. I'd make that pot. Yeah. Oli Grandy: Yeah, exactly. Not even on the green. So, and I and I think I think most people, you know, obviously I'm speaking a bit broadly here, but a lot of people they they want that, you know, and I think a lot of people with disability, they find themselves isolated. They can feel misunderstood. You know, I even met a guy today, he's wasn't even my client. We're actually just at a soc I was at a soccer program with one of my clients, but I met this this young guy. And he had a quite a noticeable speech impediment. And he would just get snuck and just couldn't speak for like twenty, thirty seconds at a time. And but we still had a great conversation and and and we were talking about it. And part of what would happen is I could tell what he was trying to say. So if I just finished his sentence, he would just nod and feel relieved. But then the cool part was I sort of said to him, like, you know, at the end of the day, like disability, no disability. We've all got these quirks. We've all got things we're not good at. Sometimes I wake up and I I don't know what's going on. You know, like I'm just one of those days where you just be getting everything and you're making every mistake possible. And he really laughed about it and he felt I I could tell he just eased up a little bit and he goes, that's and all of a sudden he could speak 'cause sometimes he has patches, this guy where he can speak really clearly. He goes, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: You know, that's really deep. I I really appreciate you saying that. Because I think, you know, from his point of view, sometimes he can't even have a conversation. But all of a sudden, if you've got someone Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: who and I'm not even working with him in a professional capacity, but even just meeting someone who has that a little bit more experience and understanding, who can kind of work with him, make him feel a little bit more comfortable, make him feel understood. That's just one example of how, you know, having community, having people who are willing to understand, you know, in I I think, you know, for the longest time a lot of people with disability, you know, were really shunned and were, you know, too difficult. Aaron: Yeah, Oli Grandy: And didn't get a lot of support. And obviously it's Exactly. Aaron: yeah. people to understand, yeah. Oli Grandy: And it's a hot topic at the moment because they just passed some laws where they're trying to trim back, you know, some of the especially the community participation funding, which is where you take someone Aaron: Right. Oli Grandy: out into the community. Yeah, some people they're saying it's this is broad stats, but they're saying that this new law could cut a lot of people's plans up to fifty percent. Just that aspect. Aaron: wow. So they would lose engagement in community, basically. Less Oli Grandy: without have less time to do it. Aaron: time. Yeah, okay, wow. Yeah. Jeez. Hmm. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Which is pretty huge. And look, there, you know, things could change and it and it may just get allocated elsewhere. Look, the NDIS does cost the government a lot of money and unfortunately because it's such a vast industry, there are a lot of people who have and Aaron: Yes. Oli Grandy: are still t taking advantage of that. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: which is frustrating as someone who obviously strives to do it properly and, you know, tries to And sometimes people ask me, like, God, does that worry? I said, Well, it's not hard to stand out of this industry when you hear so many stories of people do all dodgy stuff. So Aaron: Hm. Yeah. Oli Grandy: it's a shame, but I but I but I wish like, you know, if I got my chance to sit in parliament with some of these people making these decisions, you know, as someone who's really been there and seen the benefit, you know, I would share about things like that. You know, I'd Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: share about, you know, the guy that I've been working with for four years who when I met him had zero confidence. smoked heaps, you know, would barely get a word out in the car ride no matter where we were going. To now a guy who doesn't smoke anymore, goes to the gym two, three times a week. He won the best and fairest in our soccer program. He now runs Aaron: Well, come on. Oli Grandy: his own business, doing lawns and landscaping and does a great job. Half the church gets this guy to come do the lawns, you know? You know, Aaron: Wow. That's amazing. Come on, man. That's so good. Oli Grandy: happy to open up my connections and and put a good word out Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: because He came and did ours and I thought, geez, he did a better job than I could ever do. Like, he's really Aaron: It's so good. Oli Grandy: good at it because he's he's got a s a psychosocial disability. You know, it doesn't mean that he can't be great at at other things. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: you know, and so he's just you know, it's like, hey, if you're if you think all this money's being wasted, it probably is being wasted somewhere, but don't punish the people that are actually mentoring and and and and Aaron: trying to do the right thing. Yeah, and people bene and benefiting. Yeah. Oli Grandy: I would never take any credit, but you know, he would say like Hey, I you know, he's has said it to me like, thanks, man, like when I encourage him, but I never could have done it, you know, without you know, your support and and time. And Aaron: Praise God, yeah, that's amazing. Oli Grandy: his family's very appreciative too. So yeah, that's Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: that's a bit of a thing that's been on my heart recently. And I just think we all need it. We all anyone who's isolated, you know, there's there's gonna be things that that are challenging because of that. And so I think by having people around you. to experience things with you, to tell you that you can do it, to fall back on, you know, to graze your knees with. I I think it's I think it's yeah. I think it's so important. That's why I thought Aaron: Yeah. No, that's yeah, it's so true. I don't even think about like yeah, just making just being in genuine relationship and just genuinely caring about people is so it sounds so basic, like that's like but that Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: but I think in a world right now with social media, you don't know what's real, AI, all these things going on, but I think people are craving genuineness, like just genuine relationship and yeah, so I think what you're doing is amazing. I think yeah, even in church I think that's a great great parallel, just think about we need we need those kinds of relationships in church, right? Genuine relationships, not the religious Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: like like say the right things and and do all the right traditional things that you do. But no, being genuine, being real. like what you say, graze graze knees with, you know, and and Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: who you can be honest with because that's where yeah, true relation like true transformation happens I think in in those relationships and in that type of community. You know, like four years with that with that guy, it's a long time. But but Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: but that's you've formed this bond that could never be broken, you know, and and yeah, I think if we had that in the church too, with everyone too, but just in like in in our communities, I think how how powerful our growth and and again, sanctification would be if we're if we're in those times of relationships with each other. So Hey man, that's that's that's Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: really amazing. So appreciate you you sharing that. what if we just go last question, bro? Just I'm asking everyone who gets on the pod here. and I know there's more things we had to talk about, but I think we'll have to run it back another time, bro. Cause this has been really good. I think this is really awesome. So I definitely want to do Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: another one with you. But what area do you think God's calling you right now to be reshaped in in your life? Oli Grandy: Yeah, that's that's probably the toughest toughest question of them all. Come on, I love that. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: Look, I faith. All right. So I was Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: thinking about this today. Faith is something that has grown a lot in my life through all the things that we've just spoken about. And even let's say three months ago, you'd call me up and said, How's your faith going? I'd probably say, Yeah, man, like rock solid. But I was thinking about it, you know, I've been going to the gym a fair bit recently. I've been really enjoying that, doing something me and Tamara do together. we're quite different, by the way. Like I'm more extroverted, she's more introverted. So getting to go to the gym, do it together, grinding, like that's been something that we've really enjoyed doing. And I think faith, there's a parallel between our faith and what you learn at the gym. If Aaron: Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: you're just You know, be a lot of lads love bench pressing. And if you're just doing, let's say, sixty kilos week in and week out, you know, let's say you realize it's been three months and you're still benching sixty kilos, it's like, okay, you're just maintaining strength. So you just wanna always just be able to do that. No more, no less. It's like, okay, you know, that's that's the path you want to walk. All good. Keep doing it. See how long you can keep that up for. You know, it's Aaron: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Oli Grandy: it's natural for us to go, Well, by now I can I I'll try sixty five. you know, then, you know, a few weeks later and hey can Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: you s can you spot me for seventy? And so what I've the reason I say this is I've kind of realized my faith is like that, and not because I'm trying to make it like that, but because God keeps bringing circumstances and situations and struggles and blessings, so many different angles that all the things that life throws at us to show me that my faith needs to keep growing. If I am gonna, you know, like you said, the resume, all these it's sound crazy, I'm I'm I'm sort of trying to balance all these different things and it's great. But Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: obviously to go on to bigger and greater things, I'm gonna need faith. I Aaron: More yeah. Oli Grandy: I don't need to become more talented or be the guy, you know, because of any skill or characteristic that I think or gift that I have, you know, faith is the thing that's actually going to take me further Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: and further. And obviously, you know, off camera, you know, sharing, you know, there's there's tough things that happen in life, you know, things that Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: when you least expect it, it's easy to be faithful when, you know, everything's falling into place. Aaron: Yep. Oli Grandy: Yep. And a lot harder. You know, and I and I already can, you know, just from knowing you well as like I know, I know you have experienced this as well. And I just want to give a quick shout out to actually a YouTube channel called Grace Oasis. I don't know if you've heard of it. Aaron: Mm. No. Go ahead. Oli Grandy: It's it's just a ministry and it ties into to my answer here. It it it's actually out of England, I'm pretty sure, and it's a guy who runs this ministry and he does these they're they're generally fifteen minute videos and they release at least one video every single day and it's pretty much an invitation to pray with this guy, but first firstly look at a passage of scripture. He talks about it and he just talks about faith a lot from a lot of different Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: angles. You know, from the angle of, hey, God, things are great right now, but help me be faithful that if things change and then vice Aaron: Hm. Oli Grandy: versa. Hey, God, things are really hard right now. Help me continue to see you and trust in you, even though I don't know what's guaranteed around the Aaron: Hmm. Oli Grandy: corner or later today or tomorrow. And for some reason that channel actually lost their monetization rights, even though they're pretty big channel. so I've just been supporting them just like the buy buy me a coffee type thing because I've gotten heaps of value, you know, these last few months. You know, I try to sit down and study the word, you know, when I when I get time and it's but, you know, with a toddler and, you know, busy busy schedule. Sometimes Aaron: It's hard. Gets hard, yeah. Oli Grandy: sometimes it can get tricky. And what I what I love about these videos is I feel like it really aligns me every day. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: gets me to really look at my faith and think deeply about you know, a lot of times it will say, you know, start your day with this. Like that'll be like the, you know, the thumbnail and stuff like that or And I just find that, you know, I'll be driving somewhere and for a while now I've just made sure that it's if I'm gonna listen to any content, it ha that has to go first. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: and there's been times where I haven't listened to it really deeply and then I've quickly gone on to footy or something else and it's like, Come on, man, what are you doing? Yeah, I've had to restart it a few times. Aaron: Lucky, lucky, lucky. Yeah. Oli Grandy: sometimes I'm at the gym and I'm like, is this getting me pumped up? Yeah, it's getting me pumped up. Come on. Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: but it's it it's great, you know, and I think I think what I've just been realizing is God can see that I have faith. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: He's definitely tested it in a few different ways. and even you know, catching up with my brother today, you know, and trying to look at stuff with the business, and it's like writing down all these numbers on a piece of paper. And I kind of said to him, I was like, Look, man, I don't want you to get worried. I want you to realize, like, because he's new to the business, and I just told Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: him I was like, but what keeps happening is when we see this kind of worrying sign. I get really worried. I spend heaps of times thinking about it. I s I s I lay awake trying to calculate all these things but nothing. And Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: I was like, so right now I've I've kind of gotta tell you what's going on and what we're what we're dealing with. But from what I've actually realized in life, no matter how much of this I do, it doesn't give me the clear picture. God, even when things have looked really bad, within a day, within two days, He hasn't left me hanging. He knows he knows what my threshold is. He kind of comes in and goes, Hey, I got you. Everything's gonna be all right. You know, and something Aaron: Yeah. Come on. Yeah. Hmm. Oli Grandy: I yeah, even like, you know, for anyone who's married out there, you know, if if you're if you're married or you're not married yet, you know, I'm sure you've experienced, you know, when finances get a little bit like, can we do this, can we do that? And at times, Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: you know, especially when it's been like a spiritual decision, like to, you know, we took a obviously a week off our business to come and come to the team camp. Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: And it was a bit like You know, like, that's a bit that's that's actually quite a big, you know, sacrifice, you know, Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Oli Grandy: and only boast, you know, like in God that, you know, we did decide to go. But just this idea of like, hang on a second, we have never gone without. Not just that, Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: we've never even come close to going without. So Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: why would that change? And even if it did, you know, like well, we don't there's no scenario where we lose God and we lose Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: the word that you keep using here. you know, his his plan Aaron: Mm, yeah. Oli Grandy: for us. So I think I think I'm opening myself up. It's a bit scary, you know. Each Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: day has enough trouble of its own. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness Aaron: Yeah. Oli Grandy: and all these things will be added to you as well. There's these passages Aaron: Mm. Oli Grandy: that just really s have been sticking with me a lot. and yeah, that's that's been the big one, bro. Aaron: That's that's that's that's powerful, man. I I I've yeah, I've been thinking a similar thing or going through similar things a little bit, definitely with you know, thinking about the finances. I think always I think we're always thinking about that, right? Like rising costs and I'm gonna pay for this and pay for that. And you you're running your own business too, which is just another complete other element, you know, to it as well. But I love what you said. 'Cause faith is always like you gotta look back. It it's w g we have the Bible. Right? Faith comes from hearing the message. Amen. Amen. Amen. But then also like I loved looking at the ways God has come through in the past. and going, yeah, no, we're good. Like I have some pillars, I have Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: some pillar pillar moments in in our my life where I'm just like, Yeah, God's always coming good. And even if he doesn't come good the way I think he needs to come good, I know he's good. And so I know whatever happens is exactly what I need to experience or what I need to see and what I need to grow in. and I think I see that in you, bro. Like, yeah, you're definitely being faithful with all the things that you're doing. and like I said, I love how everything that you do, you are trying to do it all for the glory of God. Like you are trying to do it through it a a godly lens, you know, your business, your music, being a dad, being a husband, balancing all these things. And so I I think it's an amazing thing, bro. I think we need more people like you. you know, you inspire me a lot. And I think we yeah, we all gotta just try and just be more like more like Jesus and I think you're a great example Oli Grandy: Yeah. Aaron: of that. So bro, I really appreciate your time man. I can't believe this has been one hour forty bro but this has been so good. This has been so fun. I've come how fast these things go, bro. Honestly. It's crazy. but Oli Grandy: I can't believe this has been one hour forty, bro, but this has been so good. This has been so far. I can't believe how fast these things go, bro, honestly. But yeah, Aaron: Yeah, dude. But seriously, thank you so much, Ollie. Oli Grandy: dude. But seriously, thank you so much, Ollie. Aaron: really appreciate you and your thoughts. Take making time. You're a busy man. And so thanks, thanks so much for joining us on Reshape, bro. Oli Grandy: Yeah. Awesome, bro. Just just quickly I just want to say as well, thank you so much for having me on. I I love that you've reached out and you I I I've always looked up to you, you know. It's really cool, you know, just to think back to those early days, you know, Aaron: Yes, Oli Grandy: you coming over, you know, we're trying to figure out who's the bigger brother. I think we're about the same height, even though there was an age gap. Yeah, you can't tell on camera, this guy's a giant. But Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean now you're still a little bit smaller than me, but we're good. We're good. Yeah, that's right, that's right. Okay. Oli Grandy: I think it's just a really cool moment, you know, like you know, we're both like we said, you know, dads and husbands and we're just catching up, you know, eight o'clock on a Tuesday night, having a yarn, just connecting, Aaron: Bro. I know, we're just kicking back. It's so good. Oli Grandy: bro. So it's it's a it's a really cool moment and I look forward to watching this back and yeah, you know, and I and I look for Absolutely bro. I wanna ask you more questions next time. Aaron: Yeah, dude. Yeah. And we'll run we'll run this back. We'll run this back for sure. We'll do there's more stuff we've got to talk about for sure. but yeah. Hey, hey, hey, dumb, man. It's all about you, bro. It's all about you. But yeah, dude, appreciate you. Thanks so much for everyone listening. yeah, look forward to the next one. We out. Peace.