Latest / Walk Talk: Faith in Motion / Fighting for Righteousness

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Fighting for Righteousness · Walk Talk: Faith in Motion

• Emil: blessed and fortunate to be able to run a faith based boxing gym, I was picked on for my skin color growing up my childhood in in the Middle East was very it was surrounded by a lot of abuse, my dad was an alcoholic I was gonna end my life three years ago I go to grab the gun I I took the gun and I put it right to my head. And as I'm about to pull the trigger, man, It was God saying, Emil, come home. Randy: So Emil, thank you for joining us. Emil: Yeah, thank you for having me. Randy: Yes, absolutely. so for those who, you know, are meeting you for the first time, why don't we start off with you just telling us a little bit about yourself, who you are, and what you do. Emil: Yeah. my name's Emile Hector and through Following Christ and I'm blessed and fortunate to be able to run a faith based boxing gym, in the city of O'Fallon, Missouri. in a nutshell I was picked on for my skin color growing up and I just began to ask myself, like, how deep and dark can this get? And when it comes to bullying a lot of people turned to depression, alcoholism, drugs as a kid and boxing was my way out and Jesus kept me moving forward at the time I didn't know Christ and I gave my life to Christ three years ago and through that, I was gonna end my life three years ago and I'm still standing today because of his grace he has for me and how real he is. So Pj Verdin: Wow. So how old were you whenever you kinda came to boxing? Like as an outlet before thirteen. Wow. Emil: thirteen. Pj Verdin: Wow. And so did you did you fight any like professionally or just a little amateur stuff or how Emil: a little b both amateur and s fight club kind of deal. I can expand on that a little bit. Yeah. That's right. We we're at we actually got a faith club at the gym, so you can't talk about it, you know what I'm saying? Pj Verdin: Gotcha. you just broke the rule. You just broke the rule. You're not supposed to talk about it, man. Randy: Yeah, yeah, you can't talk about that. Right, right. Well, I know you Pj Verdin: That's right, that's right. Randy: have quite the story to tell and you've already given us a little bit of a preview. So a preview of your story. So let's Emil: Yeah. Randy: back up a little bit to the beginning. So tell us about your childhood, man. Where did you grow up? What was life like for you growing up? What was your your home like? Tell us a little bit about Emil: Yeah. Randy: you. Emil: Yeah, so in a nutshell, I was born here in Saint Louis. We left to Georgia, then Florida, a lot of travel. My family ran a a jewelry business where we traveled a lot, left to Palestine. my childhood in in the Middle East was very it was surrounded by a lot of abuse, you know. As a kid you witnessed seeing your mom get hit, verbally abused, pushed, all that, your brothers and sisters getting hit and I was the favorite child, so And growing up and seeing that it creates a sense of intimidation. And you come back to America and grew up in a very rural area. Went to high school at Northwest High School, kind of in Cedar Hill, me and like three black kids and like fifteen hundred white kids. And in like in the early two thousands, everyone's very clicky in their groups. And you got the nerds, the jocks, the the preps, you know what I mean? And I was kind of a nobody because I was always picked on for what I looked like. And It was just a lot a lot of racial slurs and I got I got so tired of it, man. And bo once I began to box, it was kinda my way out, like it became an ob because I knew I could do something with my life. You know what I mean? Pj Verdin: Right, right. Emil: I felt so good about it. So yeah. Randy: Yeah, so are you so you mentioned so are you Palestinian then? Emil: Yeah. Yep. Randy: Gotcha. Okay. So did you did I hear correctly? Did you do you travel back a lot or did you grow up partly? Okay. wow. But that's part of Emil: I've only been there once, man. I'm not going back ever again. It's gonna be a long time, man. Hands off. Pj Verdin: I hear that. Randy: but that but that's a big part of your culture and and your gotcha. Okay. Emil: Yeah, that's that's a a part yeah, part of who I am and everything, yeah. So I I lived there for four years. I didn't really learn learn English fully 'til like ten or eleven, man. That's another reason I was picked on because I didn't really know how to speak the language as well either. Pj Verdin: Wow. Yeah, I was I was gonna Right right. Yeah, I was gonna ask if that was another dynamic because I mean, you know, especially at that time, kids will find any reason to to pick on you, you know what I mean? Wha whether it's one thing or another. And Emil: yeah. Pj Verdin: if you have multiple Randy: Yeah. Pj Verdin: things then it's yeah, just a bigger target on your back. Absolutely. So Emil: Hundred percent. Randy: And and and and P since you don't live here, you don't know might not know this, but you know, in St. Louis, the the most famous question is what high school did you go to? We didn't even ask that question, Emil: Ha ha ha ha. Pj Verdin: Wow. Wow, really? Randy: but Emil answered it for us. Yeah, that's Emil: That's right. Hundred percent one of us. Randy: it's famous. That's that's one of the things that Pj Verdin: wow. Randy: as soon as you meet someone, they ask you within the first couple of minutes, what high school did you go Emil: Yeah. Randy: to? Pj Verdin: Dang, what is it? Really? It's like a a profile or something. Okay. Yeah, that's wow. That's wow. Goodness. Emil: That's how people connect. yeah, it's it's really weird. I'm not not a fan of it. That's Randy: It tell it tells them everything they need to know. Emil: it, yeah. Randy: So so tell me about the faith Pj Verdin: Okay. Randy: in your home. So Palestinian family, were they Christian, Catholic, Muslim, something else, anything? Emil: Yeah, so growing up, lived in Kirkwood with my grandparents. my mom always knew Jesus growing up. You know, she was never not a believer. when my dad left her, 'cause my dad was an alcoholic abusive, all the stuff that you don't want in a father figure, you know what mean? Left her. My grandparents saved us, brought her back, and through the grace of God and her following Christ and putting him first and raising three kids on our own by cleaning houses, man. And continuing to be faithful and follow the Lord. never found a church home, but tried Catholicism at first with us. That wasn't our speed. and then we went to my mom met Tim Hector, who's my dad who I call dad now 'cause that's all I knew growing up. He's my stepdad definitely, Pj Verdin: Amen. Emil: but he's my he's a father to me, man. He's been everything to me. And just he's been a a Christ like figure to me that I look up to and I learned so much from. And in that household, we grew up going to Gateway Christian Church. It's a non-denominational church. And being in the raised being raised in a household and in a home where it's not like we're gonna follow this religion, it's gonna be a cult. I think the world knows religion because they wanna pick and choose what they wanna do. You know, the Bible is God's word, it's living and active. You can't you can't rewrite history, you can't rewrite what God wrote in those books, man. And there's a reason for that. So for us and for myself personally, I was raised to have a relationship with Christ. And not a relationship with a religion where I can pick and choose what I wanna do. You know what I mean? Now I'm not perfect. I still pick and choose what I wanna do, but it's like I know that there's th you know what mean? Like, does that make sense? Pj Verdin: Yeah. No, absolutely. I mean we we we touched on that Randy: Yeah, so go ahead, brother. Pj Verdin: a couple of episodes ago where, you know, Paul was pretty clear that, you know, pretty much everything is is permissible but not everything is good. You know what I mean? So Emil: Correct. Correct. Randy: Right. Right. So so Pj Verdin: I'm sorry, what were you gonna say, brother? Randy: so yeah, so I was just gonna say, so you you grew up in a home where you had an alcoholic father and that's you know, I'm I'm sure that was really tough and and you probably seen a lot. and that's something Emil: Yeah. Randy: that I'm sure a lot of people could relate to. so how old were you when your parents Emil: Yeah, a lot of abuse, man, is Randy: split and was it because of the alcoholism? Emil: Yeah, so I we I lived in Palestine from three until almost nine. And it was very it was a very interesting childhood. it's a very interesting area because you cannot bring backpacks to school because people would like put bombs in Pj Verdin: Wow. Randy: wow. Emil: so you'd have to carry all your books. And these books aren't like the little thin I mean, these things are are stacked, man. And what they would do is you'd go to school and then you'd walk to Scouts after school. scouts as like somewhat of a a segue into military training as kids. Pj Verdin: Wow. Emil: And then you'd go home. and then just my dad wasn't really there for my mom when she raised us three. He was always out at the bars partying, getting into bar fights. he ended up stabbing somebody and went to prison and that was kind of the final final straw. Randy: wow. How long did he go to prison for? Emil: like ten years. Pj Verdin: Wow. So Randy: wow. So he missed a lot of your childhood, it sounds like, being in prison. Emil: He missed he missed that, like that's about everything, man. So yeah. Randy: Wow. Wow. Pj Verdin: Yeah. So at that point at that point is that whenever your family your your your biological dad is is incarcerated, you and your your mom and your rest of your family came back to to this side. I got you. That's awesome. That's awesome, man. Emil: Yeah. Yeah, my grandparents flew us back here to Saint Louis. Yeah, it's a blessing, man. So Pj Verdin: Yes, sir. Randy: Gotcha. So then so then your mom met your stepdad, who you call your your father now, and Emil: Correct. Randy: and and it sounds like he was a better better example, better role model for you. Tell us about that. Emil: Yeah. Yeah, like a way better example. He, Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: I would say he's a Renaissance man and that's something Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: I always want to be. Yeah, renew for those of you that don't know that are watching, a Renaissance man is a jack of all trades. Just knows enough knowledge to how to fix a car and do it himself, how to level ground, how to put drywall up, how to run a business and I looked up to that and being able to pick and pull you grew up as a kid and the last thing you want your kids to do now these days is stare at their phones, right? Well being around him, I looked up to him because I got to learn how to pour sidewalks, change my own brakes, change my spark plugs, install stereos, put drywall in, install flooring, all these little things that made me who I am today. And the the biggest one was when I was a kid at the time, was learning how to box because he was a fighter too. Pj Verdin: Nice. Emil: And he taught me the basics of boxing to 'cause he thought it'd be a good idea for me to get into it with me getting picked on and stuff, man. And I fell in love with it. So in love with that I started like setting up fight tournaments outside my house and my a fight club. I'd line these kids up and I'd beat the crap out of dude. I'd beat the crap out of Yeah, dude. I mean they're Randy: Ha ha ha. Pj Verdin: Heck yeah. Emil: they're dropping some pretty heavy end bombs. It's pretty bad. Pj Verdin: Hey Kevin. Randy: So so so was it the bullying that really pushed you to to boxing kit Emil: yeah, the bullying hundred percent. I was very isolated. I was I've Randy: Mm. Emil: been picked on for my skin color like on both ends of the spectrum for not being dark enough to hang out with those kind of people. And then like Randy: Mm. Pj Verdin: Wow. Emil: being in a isolated high school where our skin color is different than fifteen hundred other people. Randy: Right, right. Emil: and yeah, we had a we had a fight tournament one time and I like eight kids lined up. I beat the crap out of all of My dad pulls up in his O Pj Verdin: Okay. Emil: four wind star. Emil, get in here. He's like, You're Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: grounded. I was like, What? He's like, Yeah, you can't be doing this 'cause I like when it comes literally like Spider Man with great power comes great responsibility. When I teach you how to box, like your hands become Randy: Right. Emil: weapons and it's not right to go out and do that, you know. So Pj Verdin: Right, right, right. Yeah. Randy: Right. So so you talked a little bit about the demographics of your high school. I I I'm not aware, is there much of a Palestinian community here in the Saint Louis region? Emil: I don't think so, man. I haven't really found it. it's very interesting. I got I got a client that's Palestinian. I know a couple of restaurants that are Palestinian, you know. it can be a sensitive Randy: Yeah. Emil: subject for people, but my family lived it and their family my my f my great grandparents got killed in nineteen fifty three because Pj Verdin: Goodness. Emil: of the the war over the Cesar. Randy: Yeah. Emil: It's it's it's a whole another discussion, but yeah. Pj Verdin: Well, yeah, yeah, that's that's heavy stuff for sure. Randy: So so only I I can only really recall maybe one or two other people that I've known personally that were Palestinian. And oddly enough, you mentioned like your skin color and the racism that you experience. This guy, he's whiter than me. And his last name is Susari, if he's watching. Shout out to John. I don't know if that's a name you're familiar with, but oddly enough, Emil: That's funny. Randy: he's Palestinian, has a much stronger accent than you, and he's even whiter than me. So maybe that's Pj Verdin: Ha ha. Randy: pretty common. Maybe it's like in Mexico where you got like this wide range of people who like favor the Spaniards versus people who favor the natives. I don't know. Emil: Yeah. Yeah, the skin tone is kind of a Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: on a interesting spectrum. You'd you'd be surprised. So Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Absolutely. Randy: Gotcha. Gotcha. All right. So sounds like, you know, things started to change when you came back and you kind of had it sounds like some good and some bad. You got you got a new stepdad who's a much better example, someone you could look up Emil: Yeah. Randy: to, learn from. You're getting plugged into a to a church, but also you're dealing with this stuff at school. What would you say was the was your lowest point leading up to and before you, you know, really would say you gave your heart to Jesus? What was like the lowest point of your life? Emil: The lowest point of my life in gen or like as it or overall. Pj Verdin: What Randy: Just just kinda leading up to go ahead, brother, you g you gonna jump in? Pj Verdin: Well yeah, I I just wanna before we before we get too far into that, because if I remember correctly, you know, you you prefaced a little bit earlier that, you know, you you did get to a low point n not too long ago, right? Where where J Jesus Emil: Correct. Pj Verdin: kind of interceded. And and so I feel like there's there's a pretty big gap between, you know, being a being Emil: Correct. Pj Verdin: a child, coming up kind of familiar with the faith, and and you know, kind of walk us through from that point to Because I I mean I can kind of relate to your story already. Like I mean, I was around church, but as far as like having a an actual relationship with Christ, it was just like, Yeah, I'm we we're we're loose acquaintances kind of thing. So I'm I'm interested to hearing that progression a little bit. Emil: Yeah, so from like getting bullied to like wanting to end my life kind of deal. Pj Verdin: Well well well Randy: Yeah. Pj Verdin: just I mean, like leading to that point, like so you you kinda grew up in the church, but like how how was it? Like had you given your heart to to Jesus and then straight away or or okay, so it's okay. Emil: I had not. the way I phrase it is I was going to church 'cause my parents made me too, which I'm glad they did, 'cause I still go to that church. It's my home church still meant Gay Way Christian church. but I didn't know what it really meant what it really meant to follow Christ and call him my king. You know what I mean? Pj Verdin: Right. Right. Randy: Yep. Yep. And that's a common story. I mean, a lot of people it seems like a lot of people who do grow up in Church Amel, it's either one of two things. Either they give their heart to the Lord at a young age and they don't really even know what it means and they end up like rededicating or, you know, really accepting Jesus later on, or they're just kind of there and around it and there might be some seeds planted, but it never really, you know, they never even really have even that much of a moment. So it sounds like maybe Emil: Correct. Randy: you were kind of in the latter the later camp where You were around it, you were in the environment, maybe some seeds were being planted, but you didn't really Emil: Yeah. Randy: commit. Emil: Correct. Yeah. Randy: So tell us more about that. Yeah, how did that go? Emil: yeah. well I was so I was I was raised as a a workhorse, I guess I would say. so the thing about boxing the reason I I get so hyped up when I talk about it, man, a lot of people in this world they are lost and they're found in Jesus' name. But from a physical realm, a lot of people when it comes to fitness, they just give up and drop like flies. People these days are weaker because they feel pain and they run from it. Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: Pain is not just weakness leaving the body, it's fear leaving the body, fear of I can't. And I ask you how many more times you're gonna say, I can't do this, I give up. How many more times you're gonna do that? Time is the most precious thing, right? And for me, that click for me as a kid, I like, Man, I'm not gonna deal with this anymore. I gotta I gotta get in front of pain. So I would challenge myself on purpose and go out of my comfort zone and knowing that if I lose, I would learn from it and I would keep moving forward and elevate. Because the next time that verbal jab came out that I'd I was ready. You know I mean? and in saying all this, it's just it I put it on steroids and I lived this life of working really, really hard and being successful for myself, you know. Found a lot of success Randy: Mm-hmm. Emil: in it. And I took s boxing very seriously. I didn't have my first drink of alcohol I guess till twenty one really, but it was like one night and that was it, and then I was done for four years. Didn't really start partying, Randy: wow. Emil: like living the party life 'til I like twenty six, twenty five, and just fell in love with it. And the people that are still drinking from that cup, man, it's it's an empty cup. You're gonna have a temporary high, a temporary like buzz, whatever it is, and it's not gonna fulfill you. You're always gonna be chasing purpose until you give your life to Christ. And I learned that, throughout the years of partying and traveling. You know what I mean? Randy: Gotcha. So Pj Verdin: Yeah, yeah. Randy: yeah, so you so if I heard you correctly, you never had a sip of alcohol till you were twenty-one years old and then you you tried it, Emil: Right. Randy: didn't touch it again. Was it was it mostly because of your boxing and just, you know, trying to like health and fitness that you stayed away from it? Emil: Correct. Yeah, I was very I was very, very, very, very commit. Boxing was I ate, breathed, and sleeped it, man. I I was always the first one to show up and the last one to leave. And you want to talk about like work ethic. I worked so hard for Lowe's and Petsmart. And the my schedule was this. I would get up Monday, I'd go to college from nine until three. I'd go right down to the city, box from four to six, and then I'd go to Lowe's at seven PM, unload a truck. Till five in the morning, go work at Petsmart from six A.M. to eleven AM, take a nap, and then rinse and repeat. Now school is a couple I'd miss school because I just I you can't physically keep up with that, you know? And I Pj Verdin: Right. Yeah. Emil: fast forward to today and I'm like, man, if I can do that for someone else, what can I do for myself? As a from a business standpoint of view, you know what I mean? I have it in me. I did that for three years straight and I found a a career in boxing and giving back to the community. So yeah. Randy: Right, right. So so what happened that you went from committed not touching alcohol for several years to now you're just partying and you're like, you know, you're you're you're you know, you you kinda don't care anymore or you know. Emil: Yeah. So so when when I was boxing and fighting full time, my coach was everything to me, man. He was a father figure to me because he would come down to the city and he would train us kids after working all day. We had two coaches, one owned a body shop, other guy was a president of the iron worker, and he got in involved with the community, he gave back to make sure the gangs in St. Louis, the kids that are part of the gangs don't get shot, they're out of drugs, they're out of all. And I looked up to that and he was always calling me like Mo or Ali because I was always like the first one to show up and that meant a lot to me. And I had my first fight, I lost, next spot I won. And then my coach had passed. And Pj Verdin: Mm. Emil: the following Friday, this was the kind of the low low point you're looking for that I was gonna t I'm telling you about. my coach had passed and I had a fight the following Friday in some warehouse. It was filled with like rich businessmen, dude, everyone's in suits. Ripping stogies, drinking whatever, and I'll never forget this, man. This sticks with me like my whole life. I get in the ring and I'm pissed. I'm looking for vengeance. And something told me this was the first time I ever prayed, man. Some God told me to pray this, obviously. I turned around, I turn around, I bow my head, and I said, Father God, I ask that you keep me and my opponent safe. Take a hold of him in my hands and put to work. Amen. And I open up my eyes, man, and all I could see was my opponent. And they're The bell went off. I knocked him out. First round eleven seconds. He gets back up. Knock him out 19 seconds. And I remember I don't even remember any of it, man. It was like a it was the craziest adrenaline road. And I walked the other other side and I remember screaming, For Coach, Jamma. And I felt like so on top of the world, man. And then six months later, my other coach passed. Pj Verdin: Goodness. Emil: And then I was living with a I ran away from home. I lived with a ex-girlfriend at the time. My parents were selling weed and all that when it was legal, which I never touched. But yeah, I just got really bad and then I was working at Petzmart and Lowe's. And then how I got into like making boxing a career to give back to the community, I found this ad on Craigslist where I was they were looking for trainers and I thought nothing of it. And I walked in, they said, Hey, we need you to come back and teach a class. Great application. And I came back, taught a class and they were like, I'm we're t the guy the Interviewer or the guy that owns it goes, I'm tired, you're hired and they brought me in and Pj Verdin: Mm. Emil: ever since then I was able to give back like my coach gave back to the community. So yeah. Pj Verdin: That's awesome. That's awesome, man. Good deal. Randy: Yeah, that is awesome. Emil: Yeah. Randy: Wow. So thanks thanks for sharing all that with us. I'm sure Pj Verdin: Yeah. Randy: that I'm sure it was a rush to, you know, get in a rig and and and knock somebody Emil: Yeah. Randy: out and and go through all that. so fast forward a little bit, Emil: Yeah. It's Randy: tell tell us where did what what came next from there? So did you start like, you know, actually working in a gym before you started own you opened your own gym? Is that what I'm hearing? Emil: I did not. That was my first job as like a as a gym trainer. I fell in love with it, man. Because Randy: Okay. Okay. Emil: I got to I got to help other people the way my coach helped me when he passed. So I got to Randy: Gotcha. Gotcha. Emil: be someone else. Like, it was really cool because it all started, the whole giving back to the kids and elevating their lives. There was a girl in there named Katie Klein. She started training with training with me at 11 years old. And she was afraid to sing in front of people. And I was like, man, I've been through that. where I had not stage fret, but I was afraid of people and all that and the boxing, that fire man, where you can just get in the ring, face what's in front of you, relax. On instinct without anything. Like nothing can touch not you're you you're unfazed, man. You know what I mean? And just having Randy: Mm-hmm. Emil: that confidence to relax and face the music, whether you win or lose, you keep moving forward. I was like, I can do that for her. We started training with her and I started going to her her concerts, like her her singings or whatever. And her voice got a little bit better every time, a little better every time. And as time went on, her voice just, man, it elevated. And I was like, hey, I'll take a fight as long as she can sing in the ring. She got to sing the National Anthem in front like 300 people. And after that, her voice just completely flipped. She now is on Spotify, and Pj Verdin: Nice. Emil: Apple Music and has like all these records. Man, she's her voice is so underrated. But in doing so, I was like, man, if I can do that for her, who else can I do that for? things didn't work out for Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Emil: me in title. I left, started training this kid that played basketball. We used it to cross-train him, elevated him, and they brought me on board at their gym at 3D Vision Basketball to train other kids for basketball, but using boxing as a cross-training tool. And that's kind of where the element of resilient boxing started. So Randy: Gotcha, Pj Verdin: Nice. Randy: gotcha. And during this entire time where you're, you know, boxing and starting to train people, I mean, are you practicing any sort of faith? Are you still going to your church with your family or have you are you just pretty much like checked out completely? Emil: I am not. I am not. Once I think right about when I was eighteen, I like, I'm an adult now, I can make my own decisions. I slowly stopped Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Right. Emil: showing up for church and only went to impress my parents, if I'm being honest with you, man. On like Easter Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: or Christmas. Pj Verdin: Right, right. Randy: Gotcha. Pj Verdin: The the the norm for pretty much most people, honestly. So yeah. Right, right. Emil: Yeah, correct, yeah. Randy: Yep. So so tell us what led up to you actually, you know, really truly, you know, receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior. What led up to that and and what was that moment like? Emil: Yeah man, it was it was it's unexplainable. I think a lot of us have our own plan and God steps in and has his plan. And we all call it crazy or a coincidence. It's not that. It's God reaching out to us and telling us to come home and for me let's see, from twenty fifteen to twenty twenty three I I had a very set regiment on top of the work workhorse life, you know what I mean? Where I would From the second I'd wake up Sunday, I'd sleeping all day. Wouldn't touch a sip of alcohol till Friday night. Go nuts Friday night, work out next morning, drink Saturday night, pass out Sunday and just rinse and repeat for years upon years go out. do things people like like approach people and like do do things my friends are afraid to do, like go up and talk to people, whatever. And don't only lasted for so long because I started hanging out with the people that were just as lost as I was that were Doing drugs and substances and stuff that I just was like, yeah, I'm not, I'm good. Like, I tried like smoking weed it like twice and I was like, I'm never doing this again. Ever. I'm glad I'll be honest, I'm glad I did because I know how it it taught me how bad it was. Like I felt like I was so such a low man. I never want to feel like that again. But and hanging out with a group that is just as lost as you, and that I'm a very loving person. I I give a lot and I'm very I've learned now, but at the time I was very naive in like who to really call my friends and something I've always been told was, show me your friends, I'll show you your future. And I was hanging out with people that just would get high on the weekends and do some s stuff that I wouldn't I shouldn't be around. And you fast forward, man, I was on a dating app and I got into it with a girl over gender and politics. And Randy: Mm. Emil: I'm I'm pretty if I'm gonna be straight with whoever's watching, I'm not political anymore. Jesus is my Lord and Savior, that's it. politics are just a way to divide people. The devil wants division. So to fast forward, I spoke my two cents. There's only two genders, yada yada, shooter, school shooters, all this thing. She puts me on blast on Facebook. And I it puts me back in a place where I'm this little kid. You're this five year old boy and you're watching your mom get the crap beat out of and you have no nothing you can do about it. Imagine just sitting there seeing that and feeling that and knowing you're you're you can't do anything. You're you're just a kid, man. And I yeah, I'm an adult at the time, but that's what it felt like for me because this is a women's only group with over thirty thousand women. I'm getting put on blast. There's people that are saying things that are ex like I'm getting slandered. and there's people that I thought were my friends got in there. No one stood up for me and said Randy: Well Emil: some really evil things, man. And I couldn't touch it 'cause I'm not a female, obviously, you know what I mean? Randy: Right. Emil: And none of my friends stood up for me. I thought were my friends. and it put me in a place where I got so I've never felt so angry in my life, so much hate. I could feel my heart shake like this. And I had a pistol in my car. And let's rewind a little bit too. I want to kinda add to this. Because another outlet of mine was addiction to lust and everything. And that just tore me up. And just being addicted to to lust and I guess pornography and everything, that that really tears the soul up. So at the time I was pretty addicted to that. leading up to what's about to happen. 'Cause yeah, it's just it kills you, man. But I was so pissed, man, and I I carry, I'll be honest with you. I had a two door car, had a pistol in the car and I'm so pissed, dude. I'm leaving my neighborhood. I'm going up a hill, down a hill. I mean it's silent. I go to grab the gun and I'm like cussing up a storm, man. Just r yelling, rielling. Like I I'm so confused, I'm so lost. And I I took the gun and I put it right to my head. And as I'm about to pull the trigger, man, dude, it's crazy. The best voice you can hear in your life is God's voice, and it It was God saying, Emil, come home. And I was like, Randy: Well Emil: The light was red too. It was crazy. I was going you go up a hill, downhill, up a hill, downhill, and you hit the light. And the light was red. And right when I was about to do it, he literally goes, Emil, come home. I have a plan for you. My son, come home. Come home. Like, that's Pj Verdin: Amen. Emil: all I heard was come home, come home. And I saw like hands Pj Verdin: Amen. Emil: kind of trying to bring me back in, like a vision of it. And I I put the gun away. And You want to talk about a coincidence. My Randy: There there are no coincidences. Pj Verdin: Yeah, I was gonna say that yeah. That's right. Emil: Right. You went to about God's plan. The next day I ran it I randomly ran into my pastor at Mimi's cafe. Hadn't Randy: Wow. Emil: seen him in like five years. Got a picture with him. Hey man, good to see you. Yeah. God's Randy: And he just you just happened to run into him after this. Wow. Pj Verdin: Well Emil: like God's not done though. Hold on. Two days later I go to Top Golf for a meeting. Guess who's at the next table? Same pastor. Randy: No way. Wow. Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: The same pastor and all the people that I grew up around when I was getting being forced to go to church. Everyone hugs, what's up? And I was like, man, we should get together. So I started, I started hanging on my pastor. And there was this light about him, man. Like, if he got cancer, or if his wife passed or his dog died, whatever, or like something really any anything could happen to him, but he would still be just, I'm okay because I have Jesus. That light, that that that confidence, dude. And that that light and that love and that peace, where everything just stays still because you know you have Christ. I was like, man, what is this? Like, I believe in Jesus, but maybe I need to really believe in Jesus. So as I began to meet with him, I started slowly shying away from the ways of the world. and at the time I was very isolated and I really have many friends. And I would do solo trips once a month where I would just go out. I would travel, travel. Nashville, California, you name it, I would just go because I love yeah, I'm very extra, very outgoing. And I would just do that just to get away. The alcoholism and the drinking on the weekends would slow down the more I hung out with my pastor. I started going back into church. And I started praying with my pastor. And building up to this point, we had a puppy adoption event on my I got a big heart for dogs, man. Love dogs. And we had this event called I Gloved Up to Save a Pup. And we are frozen, but that's okay. We had a puppy Dobbsman called Like Loved Up to Save a Pup. And we had eleven puppies, eleven dogs come through. five puppies were adopted, three dogs were adopted. And this guy named Brock Travis, the Lord used him as a vessel to really open up my eyes. these five puppies passed away from Parvo for the the following week, and I've never and once in my life pointed Pj Verdin: Wow. Emil: the finger back at God and said, Why? Why? Why'd you do this? Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: And for first time I said, God, why? Like why? What is going on? And he took those puppies home because he wanted me to hear Brock's testimony. Brock, in a nutshell, gangbanger, 16 years old, got arrested, got shot five feet from media with a shotgun to his heart, lives today to tell the story, goes to prison, gives his life to Christ in prison, gets out, God tells him to go help somebody, helps somebody cuts a tree, starts a tree cutting business, gets his guys out of prison, they give their life to Christ. He's here today. So Pj Verdin: That's awesome. Randy: Awesome. Emil: I'm impacted by that. And I'm like, wow, that's there's no way you'd be standing here with today without God. Like this is crazy. Continuing with Carl, I begin to pray individually. I begin to start praying instinctively, like praying like like that. Like it's there's no like not praying every day. You know what mean? And Pj Verdin: Right. Yeah. Emil: I began to slowly start speaking to God. And behind the scenes and all this, I never, I've never read a full book in my life. 'Cause I do not like reading. Who wants to read when you learn English like ten or twelve and you you struggle to comprehend things? So let's keep that on the back. Then Yeah, that that too, yeah. Yeah. So Randy: Right. Well, and and you're busy beating people up too, right? I mean that's way more fun than reading. Pj Verdin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Emil: and I just began praying. And I also run a fire extinguisher business where we service inspect and also fire extinguishers. And there was customers I couldn't get in front of. And for me I'm a very persistent individual. Because if they say no now, that means or if they say no, it's not no right now, it's yes later. And I was be persistent, I'd follow up. And this is the power of God and how he moves, man. I began praying, you know, God just guide me for this business, bless me, all these different things. How can just show me what it what it means to have a relationship with you, all these things. And I started training kids left and right. I was training like thirty kids at the time, forty five minute sessions. And I had got in front of Peric or tried to get in front of Peric construction like four or five years ago. He wasn't working out, always being told no. Mom his this mom calls me, hey, my son needs training. Great, I can help him. Three months later, hey, we love what you're doing with him. You've changed his life, all these things. His dad comes in, because she can't give him a ride. You know what dad's wearing? A Peric uniform. Randy: Course. Emil: And I'm like, you work for Peric? He's yeah. And I'm like, I've been trying to get a hold of you guys. He goes, what do you mean? I go, I run a fire extinguisher business. So I ended up doing some business with him, with Perick. You know, God took the impossible, made it possible. Like he brought that contact through my doors. Pj Verdin: Right. Emil: And things like that started happening left and right. And then I went to I got a family get together on Easter with my siblings. they got on an argument about genders and pronouns and all the evil things in the world of my brother Ryan who was infantry had he's been through a lot, man, and Jesus saved him. It's so his story's incredible. But imagine like reading a Bible ver like reading the Bible like this, but you're not looking at you're looking directly at your person you're preaching to. But he was in the middle of the argument, he was just reciting Bible verses like it was nothing. Imagine seeing like a whole the holy sword just I don't Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: just Dude, it was I was like, dude, where is this this cadence in his voice? The c where is this coming from? I got COVID the next day and I kept seeing trailers for the the chosen. Began watching the chosen, and I was reminded of the power of Jesus and his healing and just his love for people, man. fast forward I began to pray. And I said, Alright, God, you're answering all my prayers. I prayed for a girlfriend. And Randy: The final straw. Give me a girlfriend and I'm in. Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: The th this is the final straw, correct. Prayed for a girlfriend, man. And at the time it was her first time, I guess she's she wasn't supposed to be on stage. is how I tell it. and I look up and I feel like I hear her singing, beautiful girl, loves Jesus, and I feel this string, like this invisible string pulling me to her. It was really weird. Randy: Was this at church, Emile, or where was this? Emil: Yeah, this was at the crossing church that I've never been to. My buddy invited Randy: Okay. Emil: me, and the first time he invited me, I couldn't go because I was sick. I was still sick. The second time I went, it was her first time. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the crossing in Chesterfield. Randy: Was this the one in Chesterfield or the satellite? Okay. Gotcha. Emil: And the second time I went, it was her first time, I guess, leading worship. So she they close out the stage, whatever, she comes around the corner. I look up and I'm like, my gosh, that's her. Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: And I was just like appalled, nervous as heck, and was like, Hey, you wanna sit here? And she goes, No, I friends to sit with, like, okay. Cool. Yep. Pj Verdin: You miss every sh you miss every shot you don't shoot, bro. Randy: Ha ha. Emil: Later, later on. It's right, Randy: That's it. Emil: yeah. Later on, she messages me and she's like, You're the boxing guy. I go, What? She goes, Yeah, the guy told me to look at resilient boxing. I'm like, What? She's like, Yeah. So turns out I messaged her like four years ago on Facebook because I thought she was really pretty and she wasn't having it. So she's like, You look a lot cuter in person. We ended up going out, dated for a while. And I got to experience a love I've never experienced before. And and all these characters, my brother, my pastor, Brock, her, that same light, man. Like Randy: Mm. Emil: something happens tomorrow. I know God's got a plan and he's calling me home one day, but it's just not right now. And I give my life to Christ. And in doing so Randy: So when you say you gave your life to Christ, how did it happen? I mean, was this like a a personal moment just between you and God, or was this like in a church service, or did she pray a prayer with you, or what did that look like exactly? Emil: That's a great question. That's a really good question actually. It was It was November of twenty twenty two. I was actually out of town. And I s completely like stopped drinking. I tried like one last sip. I was in Texas with my friends, I bought them drinks, and I was like going to take a sip of this, like it's called like a Mexican coffee. It's like tequila and like iced coffee, I guess. And I was like, Man, this tastes really bad all of a sudden. And then I was working out listening to like Christian music. I miss my our church does like a live service and I was really impacted by it and the importance of following Christ and I was like I remember I remember texting my car my pastor all my trouble like hey when I come back I think I'm gonna give my life to Christ. You know what I mean? Man, it's just crazy, dude. But back up to the addiction, man. I was pretty addicted to lust. And I remember when I was chasing the world and I was partying drinking, I drove home intoxicated one night. And I went to, I'm like, I'm gonna go home, I'm gonna, you know, deal with addiction my way. And dude, this is by God. I go to put the radio on. And I hit the AM button on accident for some reason. And this preacher is talking about lust and addiction and what it does to a man at 237 in the morning. Randy: Mm. Emil: And I was like, what? Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: Wow. Talk about conviction, man. that definitely woke me up. So in doing so, and all these things, man, it all just added up to me giving my life to Christ. And I did it at church. I got to give like a five minute testimony about why and what he did for me. Randy: wow. So you so you text your pastor and he's like, Hey, when I see you, we're gonna we're gonna let you tell your testimony and you and and and accept Christ in front of everybody? Is that kind of how it went down? Wow. Emil: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Pj Verdin: Well, yeah. Emil: that's how we did it at Gateway. Yeah, it was we were trying to surprise Randy: No pressure, right? Emil: we were yeah, we were trying to surprise my family, man, but Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: yeah, it was it was a blessing. Definitely a day full of tears 'cause I know a lot of people have been praying for me, so yeah. Randy: Right. Well, Pj Verdin: Absolutely, man. Randy: and it sounds like the Holy Spirit had been doing work and calling you for quite some time. You had a lot of people in your life that it sounds like were showing you the way, planting some seeds, and the Holy Spirit is pulling you. And it sounds like you finally just like got to a point where you were like, Enough is enough. I'm just gonna commit. I mean, is that a fair statement? Emil: Correct. A hundred percent. Like this is this is it. Randy: Awesome. Emil: This is the only way, the the truth to life. You know what I mean? Pj Verdin: Yeah, absolutely. Randy: Yeah. So so what was the biggest thing that changed once you finally gave your heart? Now I I heard some things were changing along the way. You're dealing with the lust, you're dealing you know, you're you're no longer feeling like you really want alcohol. I'm seeing things changing before you even fully embrace your relationship, but what would you say was the biggest thing that changed once you finally said, God, you know, I'm yours? Emil: That's a good question, Dang. I've never been asked that. The biggest thing that changed my heart. My Randy: Mm. Emil: heart posture. Pj Verdin: Amen. Emil: That's it dude. That's it. It's not about the works, it's about your heart. He doesn't care Pj Verdin: Come on. Emil: about how much money you have, doesn't care. Randy: One thousand percent. Pj Verdin: Right, right. Yeah, I agree. And let me just I Emil: He wants your heart. He wants Go ahead. Pj Verdin: I'm sorry, not I don't mean to to cut you off. I I just wanted to Emil: You're good. Pj Verdin: while while I'm just sitting here listening and taking in your your story, man, I just I just appreciate your heart. I appreciate you being transparent and and I mean talking about these things head on. I mean, you know, it it it might seem like you know kind of like you said, being on that stage and and being worried, but but the the truth of the matter is is is you're a man living in this world fighting an enemy. my brother and I are men and there are men all over the place who are fighting this these same battles that don't speak up a Emil: Same demons, dude. Pj Verdin: exactly that that that are afraid to say, you know what, hey look, this is what I'm struggling with. These are the things that that that I deal with at two thirty seven in the morning. So I think it's important for us as guys to just kind of have this communication like, Yeah man, I've been there I've I've I've Emil: Yeah. Pj Verdin: had my struggles with lust, you know what I mean? And they see somebody like Emil, they're like, Well dang, I that dude he he'll he'll beat up somebody in the ring just like David could kill Goliath, you know what I mean? But you know, his buddy's wife, his buddy's wife, you know, snuck in and and and defeated him, you know what I mean, whenever he was able to slay a giant. So yeah. Emil: Yeah, yeah. Hundred percent. That's crazy. Yeah. Randy: Mm. Pj Verdin: So that's that's good stuff, man. I appreciate I appreciate you you being upfront and honest about those things, man, because Emil: Yeah. Pj Verdin: the j the truth of it is like you said, we're all fighting in these same fights, but you know, we we we try to we try to keep them You know, hidden in the back in the shadows, and so Randy: Yep. Emil: Yeah. Randy: So you so you you accepted Christ in front of everyone. I'm sure it was an emotional day. You said you felt that God changed your heart, which I'll be honest with you, I c I could relate to. I d I wasn't, you know, I was fifteen years old, Amil, and you know, I can't say I, you know, gave up drinking that day or smoking that day or anything like that. But I Emil: Yeah, of course. Randy: know that my heart changed on that day and I I I've never felt the same since. So I could relate to that. but tell Emil: Man, let's go. Randy: but but tell me in your day to day life with your family and in your business now, what does that look like? How does how does, you know, your walk with God impact those things? Emil: Yeah. that's a loaded that's a a lot to answer, man. that day not only did I give my life to Christ go ahead. What'd you say? Randy: Take your take your time, man. I said take your time. Emil: So, that day when I gave my life to Christ, it wasn't just giving my life spiritually, mentally, physically. It was there's a part of me that the god God gave me a vision because I remember when I first started that boxing gym and I wanted to make it faith based after I knew Jesus. And you know how much backlash I got? You don't mix religion with business, it's not gonna work. Okay. There have been so many times where I was told I couldn't do something. But I can't do something if I'm following Christ. And in doing so that day, and I wore this shirt to express this. These boxing gloves, we wear these every day. People don't think about this. That's what I'm here for. But these gloves are your ways of the world. We try and fight the world on our own. Depression, addiction, anxiety, divorce, relation, you name it, it goes on. And every day you carry it, it gets heavier. We are so broken, we need a savior. And that day, after I got dunked and came up and called Jesus Lord my savior, I hung my gloves up on the cross. And I said, I can't fight this alone. I need you. I need Jesus. I don't need anything else. I need Jesus, dude. That's what I need first and foremost. Here's my weights. Dude, I took everything off the walls. I I hired a graphic designer Germany, she built this cross, everything, and I hung my gloves up of the world to claim eternal victory in Christ. So when you do this, you're claiming eternal victory in Christ. These gloves are not above the cross. There's nothing above this cross, dude. Nothing's above Jesus. And if you look, these are in a heart posture of surrender. So after that, now I was like, man, okay, how can I run this faith-based boxing gym? okay. I don't know much about the Bible. I didn't start reading it. So I Randy: Yeah. Emil: started reading it little tids tidbits. Had a problem understanding it. Randy: Yeah. Well at least at least you real recognize that. I mean, I I think a lot of Christians we actually Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Randy: talked about this last episode. A lot of Christians don't read the Bible at all. And so at least you had that recognition that, hey, I need Pj Verdin: Eighty Yeah Randy: to start reading Emil: Yeah. Randy: this thing. Emil: Yeah. Pj Verdin: Yeah. Emil: So I was like, man, I need to start reading this thing. I read it here and there, man. It never really clicked the way it should until my brother stepped in. He was like, dude, you need to read Bible. Like, okay. So it's like a NLT, it's a very powerful Bible, man. It's what it does is it it reads the story in NLT, then it pulls the character from each of the story, it tells you their strengths, their weaknesses. And then like development. And then it rewrites everything in layman's terms below it. See you're reading it twice. how the Bible would read to you and then how the Lord would speak to you. And you have to read that. And I've I'll be honest, I've kind of I haven't been reading it every day like I should, but I'm reading a couple times a week. And reading that, man, it it fills you, it fills your heart. it's a great way to kick your day off. So I started reading that and I started learning about all these different stories. And yeah, one story that really that hits me hard, I think it's my favorite story in the Bible, is the story where Jesus walks on water. And man, and it hits me really hard. It hit it I think everyone has been Peter, where they tried walking on water by themselves and they because he walks on water and he takes his eyes off Christ and he sees the waves and the water and he begins to sink. But the thing that really sticks out that people don't really might not focus on that I focused on is what gave Peter the conviction to step out on water. If I told you to hey, step out on water, you can walk on water like People think I'm nuts. But the reason he did that, not because he's strong or has wisdom. I mean, he stepped out on water because he knows who Jesus is. The one who who calls you by your name, man. your your savior. And I begin to ask, man, how many of these people here know Jesus? You know what I mean? Randy: Hm. Yeah. Emil: I was like, man, I need to and I so another so for me, I also also love to incorporate different like Ways of speaking to people about Jesus. So one of them is we have we all have muscles, we're we have our chest muscle, our tricep, bicep, all that. But the most important muscle you can work is a faith muscle. So I was like, man, we gotta get a faith pump. So we started we started incorporating faith over fear classes. So I started out having a book with a devotional for every day. And then I would ask like a we kick off with like a I'd kick off with our values, right? Relationship over religion, you are loved, you are made. Perfect in the the eyes of Christ. and you're made for more. We're not here to push religious agenda, but your mind dear loved. And I kick off with prayer, go over our values, relationship, our religion every time, man. And then we would do a breadbreaker, so like the last one we did yesterday was tell us your name and something you've learned following Christ and something that you want to learn or you're working on learning with him. And then we would read a devotional. And yesterday's devotional was about Daniel being in the lion's den. And then we close out in prayer. And as time went on, I started eventually pulling things from the the Bible now. And I'm getting more comfortable, you know, growing up from the devotional stage. Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: So doing parables and just blasting Christian music and hitting a bag. There's nothing dude, it's so different. You're in there with believers, you're working out together. Randy: It it's it's still on my to-do list. I've been hearing about your gym for a couple of years now. It's still on my to-do list. I never even thought I was gonna run into you, but I'm gonna come and check it out at some point Emil: Love it. That's crazy. Randy: because it sounds it sounds super fun, super cool. And look, we try not to do this too much. We're gonna break our own rule for the interviewing, but I have to because you started talking about Jesus walking on water, and I have to say that you know the thing that God's been showing me recently, and you you you you you start a you you you sort of hit on it with that story. You know, why did why did Peter get out in the first place? Why did he start to sink? And and and it's it comes to something that the Lord's been teaching me personally recently, which is it's not enough to just believe, you have to keep believing. Peter got out because he saw his Lord Emil: Yeah. Randy: and he believed, and then he he started to sink because he was struggling to keep believing. And I think you know, this is something that the Lord is teaching me personally, Emil: Good, man, that's good. Randy: as I, you know, am a new business owner. I just started Forge Point. Little less than a year ago, 10 months ago, because I had faith and I took a leap of faith and I struggle. I struggle when things, you know, it's an emotional roller coaster. You know this, and being a being a business owner. And it's something Emil: Yes it is. Randy: where I can't just rely on that one time I believed. I have to keep believing. I have to believe every single day. And it's through that faith that you're able to overcome fear. So I just wanted to share that because I think that story of Peter is a good example of that in in practice. Emil: Wow. Huh. Pj Verdin: Yeah, that'll that'll that'll preach. Emil: That's awesome. That was a blessing to hear. Pj Verdin: Yeah, that'll preach, brother. Yeah, that that that's a good that's a good word right there, for real. Emil: Let's go, let's go. That's good, man. Dang, that's that's Pj Verdin: Yeah, that's God, that's pretty dope. Emil: Good. Pj Verdin: Yeah. Randy: So, so I didn't want to take away too much. Like I said, I'm kind of breaking our own rule here because we don't want to interrupt your story too much, but I did want to get back to you know, since you've accepted Christ, and it sounds like it's been a few years, maybe about three years now. Has there been a time where you would say your faith has really been tested where you've really had to struggle? Cause we know Emil: Yeah. Randy: that as soon as we start to follow Christ, that's when the enemy is really gonna, you know, come at us. Emil: Yeah, man. right now, like this is like the heaviest it's ever been. There's Randy: Right, be being on this podcast, you're the second person to tell us this is t I'm I'm kidding. Emil: No, no, no, no, no. No, this is being on here is blessing. But man, Pj Verdin: No. Yeah. Emil: right now I'm going through three different heavy storms. and it happened ever since. So I went back. there's a networking group I'm a part of. They're amazing people, awesome people. But I got to share, man, I don't really when I go to networking groups, and I'll be very honest with you, I care more about like sharing my faith than like business. And I speak pretty boldly about my faith. So that presentation I gave, kind of what I just told you. I share my story and how God brought me to boxing and what happened when I gave my life to Christ. And I kinda it was kind of a fifteen minute sermon in a room in a worldly room with people, I don't know if they believe or not. They're all amazing people, you know. And ever since then, things really I pissed the devil off or something, man, 'cause things man, th things have Pj Verdin: Amen. Emil: just Came really hard, man, and it's I'm in the middle of a pretty heavy storm. I'm not gonna say too much for reasons, but Randy: Sure, sure. Emil: there's some defamation and slander about me, lies, and our court systems. Go ahead, sorry. Pj Verdin: A man, I I I would just say, man, I count it count it all joy, brother. You know what I mean? Like that's I I know it it's hard, but I mean that that is that is a a blessing in in and of itself, man. They did it to they did it to our savior, you know what I mean? Of course they're gonna do it to us, man. Count count it as joy, you know what I mean? To you know what I mean? To to Emil: You're right, yeah. A hundred percent. Pj Verdin: To be in that kind of company. You know what? y'all y'all are mad because because my my eyes are staying on this Lord. Bring it all on. You know what I mean? Bring it all on. I I will I will joyfully suffer in the name of Jesus every day, all day long. You know what mean? That's Randy: Yep. Yep. Pj Verdin: I know it's a tough perspective to look from, man, because it was it was I Emil: That's the perspective we should be looking from and asking God, What are you trying to teach me this season? What are you what Pj Verdin: Absolutely. That Emil: are you trying to teach me? Pj Verdin: he he grows us in the valleys, bro. He grows us in the valleys. And I I'll be praying for you personally, I can tell you that. But I I didn't mean to cut you off, man. You just kinda struck struck a a a nerve, a chord on you know, I kinda I just wanted to try to uplift you a little bit and just just encourage you, brother. Emil: I appreciate it, man. I need it, man. It's just I'm about to like face everything as a child. It's Randy: Mm. Emil: just it's crazy. If we go off podcast, I'll tell you more about it. But yeah. Pj Verdin: All right. Randy: Well, in in that same vein, I mean, do you have any other advice maybe that you would share with other Christian business owners who might be going through something similar or just in general? Like you said, you know, you you go to networking events and you you're more, you know, trying to share your faith and necessarily tell people about, you know, the work that you do. Any advice Emil: Yeah. Randy: in general that you would share? Emil: for faith-based business owners. Randy: Yeah. Emil: Yeah, put put Christ first in your pitch. That's it. Pj Verdin: Come Emil: There's more to it, but so elevator pitches. and there's nothing wrong with the group summing. I people are amazing, but I just choose to put Jesus first. And my pitch is I my name is Miel Hector. I run resilient boxing. I use faith and boxing to help you become the best version of who you are. You know, we don't push religion but a relationship with Christ to remind you that you're loved and made for more. First class is free, yada yada. You know what I mean? And to always Pj Verdin: Nice. Yeah. Emil: trust God and just do it because it it circles back to being in the ring, right? I got in, I fought, and I got out just fine. And I ripped that band-aid off, okay? And cr if if we give our lives to Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit, and He lives within us. Christ carried the did the most the heaviest thing and saved us all by going. Getting crucified on that cross and rising three days later. And if he can do that for if he he does that for us, okay, I begin to ask myself, like, okay, Pj Verdin: Mm-hmm. Emil: if he can do that, if he does that, he does that for us, take away the F, sorry. I'm just painting a picture here, then his strength lives within us, okay? So we should be not like looking for it, but we should be just fine going out of our comfort zone or helping a homeless person. Or getting the scare out of our head when it comes to our faith because Jesus always provides. He he will save us. It will be it will be okay. And if if you read Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Randy: Yeah. Amen. Emil: the story of Job, he lost everything and God gave him back twice as much. I mean there there's Pj Verdin: Come on. Randy: Absolutely. Absolutely. Emil: so many stories where God all it literally, God comes through every time, every time. Pj Verdin: Yep. That's right. Randy: Yep. So Emil, I just have one more question before I ask it though. P any any follow up questions from you or anything else before we go into our last question? Pj Verdin: No man, I I just I really appreciate having you on, Emil. I really appreciate, you know, your perspective and and you being honest and and sharing your heart. And yeah, man, you know, excited to to to talk with you a little bit more after and and just maybe pray for you real quick and you know what I mean? Just just you know. Emil: Yeah, for sure. That would mean a lot. Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Randy: All right. So hey, as we start to wrap up now, is there anything that we haven't covered that God has put on your heart to share with someone listening today and any particular Emil: Yeah. Randy: Bible verse that you would w leave us with? Emil: Yeah. Yeah. I think I got let's see if I got it memorized. Ephesians five fourteen and Romans eight thirty eight are my two favorite. Ephesians five fourteen, Is awake sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine in you. And I begin to ask the person that's watching this, what will it take for you to wake up? What will it take for you to open up your eyes to Christ? Because you you only have so much time until he come comes and calls the church, man, calls the bride. What will it take, man? How much more pain are you gonna go through on your own? This these things that's coming, they they don't need to happen. Go to church. Randy: Hmm. Yep. Emil: Open up the word. Find someone that loves Jesus and can pray over you. and I just that's that's my biggest tip is for like I don't have to for me, it took me almost killing myself and putting a gun on my head, and you you don't want to go down that route. and then the last piece, Romans eight thirty-eight, for I'm neither convinced that neither height nor depth, nor angels nor demons. Nothing can separate us from the love God has for us. If you're watching this, you need to be loved. It's not about violence and getting back at people in a venge, vengeful manner. Leave that to the Lord. You need love and they're for someone to love you when everyone else is accusing you and trying to break you is the greatest thing, and the love from Christ, there's nothing like it. Randy: Mm. Emil: it feels like like when when I feel the love of God from me, it feels like everything is still and everything's gonna be okay. Like I can just I'm not physically walking water but know I can walk on water just fine. Without falling through because my eyes are a hundred percent on him. Now I fall here and there. I'm not perfect guys, but like and being able to be convicted and just be loved and share that love, man. People need more of that. There's so much hate in the world and division. And Christ came back he's coming back to unite us. So Randy: Absolutely. Well, hey, I think that is a perfect place for us to end it. Emil, thank Emil: Perfect. Randy: you so much, man. I'm so, so grateful that we met and really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today, have this conversation, and you know, most importantly, share your faith because I know that there are going to be people listening who, you know, maybe they can relate to me, maybe they can relate to PJ, but they're definitely going to relate to you in a different way. And so you're gonna be able to reach, you know, people completely differently than we ever could. So I really appreciate you taking the time and and opening Emil: Yeah. Randy: up and sharing everything that you shared with us today. Thanks for your time and for being Emil: Yeah. Randy: with us. Emil: Appreciate it. Pj Verdin: Absolutely. Randy: All right. Well, I think that pretty much does it for this episode of the walk talk. So thank you all so much for watching. If you haven't already, please remember to like, subscribe, and follow the show. And before you go, let us know what you think of a Mill story in the comments down below. God bless. Pj Verdin: God bless. Emil: God