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- [00:00]
Joni
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Public Ad Announcer
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- [01:06]
Martha Stewart
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- [02:18]
Bill Weiss
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments.
- [02:31]
Colby Meyer
But that's weird.
- [02:33]
Bill Weiss
Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com let's be honest.
- [02:49]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about Mood.com that's M-O-Ood.com Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle.
- [03:04]
Bill Weiss
And here's the kicker.
- [03:05]
Joni
The quality is better than anything you'll
- [03:07]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it.
- [03:10]
Bill Weiss
Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flour, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at Mood.
- [03:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small American owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust. Delivered discreetly and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com that's mood.com to get started. So does hell really exist? What is it like? And does God send people to hell? These are the questions many wrestle with. So how do we find answers? Well, with the help of today's guest, we're going to take on these very important questions and more. But before we get to that, joining me on the table, Cindy Johnston. Hey there. How are you today? Everybody doing well? Everybody's doing good. I'm getting over a strep throat. Yes. So I sound a little crackly today if you're wondering about my voice. But you're here and ready for this. Incredible. But I'm here. Yes. I'm no longer contagious. Okay. Yes. Well, ministry has always been your priority and so we are grateful that you are the warrior that you are and so happy to be here. Well, we love you, Rachel Ann Brown. I know this is interesting to you.
- [04:55]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Yeah. You know, there's not many people that have had this experience and that can explain the realities of hell with such great detail. And I think it's just a great thing to learn about, to know and be aware of. And I think it makes it even more real because, you know, a lot of people don't want to talk about this in the church today.
- [05:14]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's right. You know, some people don't even believe there is a hell.
- [05:16]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
I know.
- [05:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So anyway, Kendrick, Ellie Dean, how are you?
- [05:20]
Joni
Oh, I'm good. This is going to be a hard show. But it's necessary because just what Rachel was saying, some people don't even actually believe that there is a hell.
- [05:28]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Christians I know.
- [05:30]
Joni
Like, how can you think that there could be a heaven but not a hell? And we have to be aware of the truth and the reality of that because our job is to make heaven bigger.
- [05:38]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's right.
- [05:39]
Joni
So we have to be quick and intentional about how many souls we can help get to heaven.
- [05:43]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's true. Well, he is the founder of Soul Choice Ministries and the author of 23 Minutes in Hell. Please welcome Bill Weiss. Come on out, Bill.
- [05:56]
Bill Weiss
Praise God.
- [05:57]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Hello.
- [05:57]
Colby Meyer
Welcome, welcome.
- [05:58]
Bill Weiss
Great to be with you ladies. Thank you.
- [06:00]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Well, we're so glad that you're here. You know, can you imagine living a nice Christian life and then suddenly waking up in hell? How could that happen? What could be the reason? These were questions that Bill asked himself. When you woke up in an unexpected place. Tell everybody, Bill, kind of before this experience happened, what you were doing, what kind of guy you were, and why it was so unusual almost for God to use you in this circumstance.
- [06:33]
Bill Weiss
Right. Well, thanks, Joni. Well, first of all, I've been a Christian for 56 years. This happened. I was 28 years a Christian at this time. November 23, 1998 is when it happened. And I was a real estate broker with my own company doing well. My wife and I both working in real estate. We made a lot of money and so forth. But, you know, I had served in the church, at our church. I was a worship leader. I love the word of God and I've been that way pretty much my whole life. I never really studied the topic of hell. I had, you know, I knew I wasn't going there. I knew it was fiery, but I didn't know anything else about it. And we went to a prayer meeting. We attended Sunday night like any other normal night. Came home, went to bed, and I got up at 3 o' clock in the morning to get a glass of water. And suddenly I was pulled out of my body. Like being drawn up out of your body.
- [07:24]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Do you remember kind of like dropping to the floor or anything?
- [07:27]
Bill Weiss
I saw my body fall to the floor.
- [07:29]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay.
- [07:30]
Bill Weiss
But just to explain to people, since I was a Christian for 28 years at that point, the only way a Christian can see hell is in a dream. Revision and you know, this was not a near death experience. 2 Corinthians 12, 2 Paul, when he was caught up in heaven in a vision, he said, whether in the body or out of the body, he didn't know. Well, The Lord showed me that I left my body. So in a vision you can actually travel. Like Paul and John traveled to heaven in their spirit bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:44 talks about a natural body and a spirit body.
- [07:56]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yeah, we've had lots of near death experiences where the spirit man leaves the body.
- [08:01]
Bill Weiss
Right? And job 7:14 says, you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions, so you can't have a terrifying vision. Isaiah 21:2, he was given a grievous vision. And in Job 4:14, Eliphaz was given a vision that causes bones to shake. So you can't have a grievous, terrifying, bone shaking vision. And I'm not comparing my experience with any of these great men of the Bible. I'm just trying to give a scriptural basis of how this can occur for a Christian. But like I said, we went to bed, I got up, I saw my body fall to the floor, and I started tumbling down this long tunnel. And it was getting hotter and hotter. And I passed through this open cavern like area and I landed on an actual stone floor in a prison cell in hell. Rough, hewn stone walls, bars, filthy, stinking smoke, filled, but like a dungeon. But Isaiah 24:22 says, and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison. And Proverbs 7:27 mentions going down to hell to the chambers of death. Job 17:16, they shall go down to the bars of the pit. Well, that's where I found myself. And it was literal bars and gates and stone walls. And I wondered, how did I get here? Why am I here? But nothing was explained until the return, right? But the first thing I noticed, Joni, was the intense heat. It was far beyond the ability to sustain life. I wondered, how could it be alive in this place? Now I knew I was in hell. You have no doubt in your mind where you're at? There's no place like it. And my reaction was I wanted to get up and run out of this prison cell.
- [09:35]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Did you have any semblance of, like, I did something wrong and that's why I'm here. Are you like going over in your mind? Like, what could I possibly. What sin did I do?
- [09:44]
Bill Weiss
No, not at this point, but I have to explain something quickly. You know, I was there as an unsaved person, even though I was saved. The Lord blocked it from my mind that I was a Christian. He hid that fact from me. And you say, where's that in the Bible? Luke 24:16 When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it says their eyes were holden, that they should not know him.
- [10:02]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
They didn't know him.
- [10:03]
Bill Weiss
God blocked it from their mind. And he hid it from my mind for this reason. See, if I was there as a Christian, which I was, but I didn't realize I would have known. Praise God, he's getting me out of here. But he wanted me to experience what they feel, the hopelessness.
- [10:16]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So what happened?
- [10:17]
Bill Weiss
So anyway, I tried to get up and run out of this prison cell, but I had no physical strength in my body. And I thought, what's wrong with my body? But Isaiah 14, 9, 10 says, Hell from beneath is moved to meet thee at thy coming. They will say, art thou become weak as we? In Psalms 88, 4 says, I am counted with them that go down into the pit. I am as a man that has no strength. So you have no physical strength in hell whatsoever. And the demons have great strength. You have none. And I looked up and I saw these two enormous creatures. These. They were demons in the cell.
- [10:51]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What did they look like?
- [10:53]
Bill Weiss
Reptilish in appearance. Bumps and scales all over the one's body. Huge jaws sunken in, eyes, claws about a foot long. And these particular two were about 12 or 13ft tall. It's not an exaggeration. There's scripture for that. But.
- [11:05]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So how fearful were you at that point?
- [11:08]
Bill Weiss
Terrified. Absolutely terrified. It's not just because of the demons, but because of all the other things
- [11:14]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
which I'll get to do the demons talk at all?
- [11:16]
Bill Weiss
They were actually blaspheming and cursing God. I understood. I don't know what language it was, but I understood it. And they had an extreme hatred for God. And then they directed that hatred towards me. I wonder why? What have I done to them? But the one demon picked me up and threw me into the wall, this prison cell. I hit the wall. I felt as if every bone in my body had broken. Now, maybe a spirit doesn't have bones, but it felt that way. I have to explain one thing, though. I felt only a small amount of the pain. The Lord explained on the way back that he blocked most of the pain that he normally would have felt from that. But he wanted me to experience some so I could relate to people. It's not a state of the mind. It's not metaphorical pain. It's real literal pain you're going to feel in hell. And the other demon picked me up, dug its claws in my chest and just tore the flesh open. I looked. I had a body Matthew 10:28 says, Fear him who was able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And remember Luke 16, rich man Jesus talked about, he had eyes to lift, he had a mouth, he wanted a drop of water to cool his tongue. So you have a body, but it withstands these torments. But something else I noticed, there was no blood or water coming from the wounds. Was tore open the flesh, but no blood or water. But Leviticus 17:11 says, the life of the flesh is in the blood. Well, there's no life in hell, so there's no blood.
- [12:34]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So when you look down, did you just see shredded skin?
- [12:37]
Bill Weiss
Yes.
- [12:37]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What were you thinking?
- [12:41]
Bill Weiss
Why is this happening to me? You know, how can I get out of this?
- [12:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so what happened after that?
- [12:46]
Bill Weiss
Well, about that time it went dark. And I believed it was God's presence there to illuminate it so I could see to describe to people what it looks like. But then it resumed its normal state of absolute pitch black darkness in hell. I mean, you cannot see the hand in front of your face. Lamentations3.6 says, he has set me in dark places as they that be dead of old. Many scriptures about blackness and darkness, but actually you could feel the darkness. Exodus 10:21 mentions a darkness that may be felt. It's so evil and so wicked, it just seems to penetrate through every cell in your body. You know, I was placed over next to this large raging pit of fire. And this is where I could first see people. There were people, thousands of people inside this pit, burning. And I could not distinguish though a man from a woman. They just look like skeletons with flesh hanging off their bones. And the screams are so loud from the people, it's deafening. You want to escape the screams.
- [13:40]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You just wonder how they can scream.
- [13:44]
Bill Weiss
You have enough strength at least to scream.
- [13:46]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Wow.
- [13:46]
Bill Weiss
You know, remember Jesus said where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. So the people are weeping and gnashing their teeth. They're in agony and pain, suffering like this. It's horrendous to see this. Anyway, I understood that I was down deep in years. I descended to get there. I ascended when I left. But there's 49 scriptures that point out where the current hell is down deep in the earth. And I understood there were different levels of torment and degrees of punishment.
- [14:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What are some of those scriptures, Bill?
- [14:15]
Bill Weiss
Matthew 23:14, Jesus said, you shall receive the greater damnation that infers a lesser damnation. Or Matthew 10:15, he said, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah. In the day of judgment than for that city. Well, that infers a less tolerable. Luke 12:47 says, you'll be beaten with many stripes or beaten with few. Hebrews 10:28 says of how much worse of a punishment suppose it shall be for you, you who have tried, and underfoot the Son of God, there is a worse punishment. But my point is, there is no tolerable comfortable level in hell.
- [14:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And you don't die?
- [14:45]
Bill Weiss
No, because some people just think, oh,
- [14:47]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
well, I'll just die.
- [14:49]
Bill Weiss
See, death does not mean you cease to exist. Death means separation from God. God made us eternal beings to live with him forever, and so he cannot change what he's already done. And so people are eternal. They'll live in one place or the other. And people have to understand that it's their choice if they end up in this horrible place.
- [15:09]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So what happened after you saw the pit?
- [15:13]
Bill Weiss
Well, I was standing beneath this tunnel that was ascending upward, and there were demons all along the walls of this cavern. Some are only 2 and 3ft tall, some are 12 and 13ft tall, but they're all twisted, deformed, grotesque, hideous looking creatures. And I also saw maggots crawling all over everybody and everything. But you know, Isaiah 14:11 says, where the maggot will be spread under thee and the worm will cover thee. It's the word maggot, you know. And that's why Jesus said, where their worm dies, not he used the word maggot also. So as Job 24:20 says, the maggot will feed sweetly on thee. So that's another horrible thing you have to endure in hell.
- [15:52]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Did you see the devil while you were in hell?
- [15:54]
Bill Weiss
No, I just saw demons, lots of demons.
- [15:58]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so here you are in this tunnel, going up. What happened as you saw that?
- [16:03]
Bill Weiss
Well, I was viewing all these people being tormented by demons, burning maggots. You're completely exhausted. You have no strength in your body. You need to sleep. You never get to sleep, all those things. I was being lifted up this tunnel, and suddenly in this pitch black darkness, this bright light appeared. Now I knew immediately who it was. When Jesus shows up, there's no question in your mind who he is. And I didn't see his face. I just saw the outline of a man standing in a bright, pure, holy light.
- [16:35]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Were you thanking God that he was there?
- [16:38]
Bill Weiss
I just called out his name. I said, jesus. And he just said two words. He said, I am. And when he said, I am, I went out. I can only explain that through Revelation 1:16. When John saw him he said his countenance was bright as the sun. And I fell at his feet as one dead. Well, that's what happened to me. I was at his feet, but he touched me after a time. And Joni, when I came to, it hit me so strongly that if he wouldn't have gone to the cross, I would be in that place for all eternity. I was so grateful for what he did for me. I didn't want to ask him any questions. I just wanted to thank him. Thank you, Lord, for saving me. Thank you for taking me out of hell. Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me. But after a time, thoughts started coming to my mind, and he would answer my thoughts. I didn't want to ask him any questions, but he would answer my thoughts. And I had eight different thoughts. But for time's sake, I'll just cover a few. I thought, lord, why did you send me to this horrible place? He said, because many people did not believe hell is real. He said even some of my own people did not believe hell exists. Now, that statement surprised me because I thought all Christians believe in hell. But we found out, since many believe in a teaching called annihilationism. That's a teaching that says, well, if you deny Jesus, you simply cease to exist. And that's not true. Jesus said in Matthew 25:46, these shall go into everlasting life, and these shall go into everlasting punishment. And he used the word everlasting, the same word as aionios. So just as heaven is everlasting, so is hell everlasting. And also he used the word punishment. Well, punishment denotes existence, you know. And Matthew 25:41, Jesus said, Depart from me, you cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. So he just told you, people are going to the same place as the devil.
- [18:24]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What were some other things, thoughts you had that he answered?
- [18:29]
Bill Weiss
I thought, lord, why did you pick me? But he never gave me an answer. So I'm the least likely. And I was not a Billy Graham, you know, I'm just a realtor and a person that loved the word. But I have no idea why he picked me.
- [18:42]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Well, not someone even that would have felt they would go into ministry and do what you're doing today.
- [18:46]
Bill Weiss
It's not something I planned on ever doing. I had a good real estate career, and I never really liked the public eye or television and all that kind of thing, you know, I didn't even like traveling.
- [18:56]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Here you are.
- [18:57]
Bill Weiss
And here I am. So I told one friend, my best friend, and he said, bill, Would you come to my Bible study and share it? I said, no way, I don't want to. But he talked me into it after three months. And so I went. And then there was a lot of pastors there and they invited me to their churches. So for the next seven years, we were invited around the country.
- [19:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Wow.
- [19:14]
Bill Weiss
We paid our own way. We never took any money from anybody. And after that, the publisher came to me and asked me to write the book.
- [19:20]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Wow.
- [19:20]
Bill Weiss
So it was not something I was looking to self promote, but I was happy to write the book because I could place in there all the scriptures to do with hell. I'm just a signpost to point people to the scripture. They don't have to believe my experience, just the word of God.
- [19:32]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I love the way you, you give a relevance to what you're talking about.
- [19:37]
Bill Weiss
Well, it's the word from the Word of God.
- [19:39]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay. So you have to come back in your body sometime. Please do.
- [19:44]
Colby Meyer
Exactly.
- [19:47]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Dorothy's afraid you're trapped.
- [19:48]
Joni
Please.
- [19:49]
Bill Weiss
Well, we came up to our home and I was traveling back with the Lord and I saw my body lying on the floor. So strange to be outside your body. I said, that's not me. This is the real me, the spirit man. But I came back in my body and when the Lord left, the memories of hell flooded back in my mind and I actually started screaming. And I was. My wife found me on the floor in a fetal position screaming, pray for me, pray for me. The Lord has taken me to hell. Now. She woke up to my screams and she looked at our digital clock, which said 3:23. I got up at 3:00', clock. So that's where the 23 comes from.
- [20:24]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
But this wouldn't be normal behavior for you at all.
- [20:28]
Bill Weiss
I've always been very conservative, calm natured. I don't change much, you know. And when she found me that way, she was, you know, extremely concerned, of course, and she wasn't sure whether she should call 911. Like maybe I was having a heart attack. But actually she said, for a moment I realized, no, this is something spiritual. And so actually peace came over her about that. And she prayed. And then the Lord removed the horror out of my mind, but left the memory. But we know he can divide both soul and spirit, so he left that memory. And then I calmed down after about 20 minutes. And it was just so surreal, you know, to be think you've been to hell. But it's changed my life. It's caused us to leave our careers and travel around the world for the last 20 years sharing this experience so that people can be informed that there really is an afterlife and there's a heaven and a hell. And heaven is not our default destination. People need to make a purposeful act on their part and repent and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior or they'll end up here. And if you could see it for just five seconds, it would change your life. You'd do anything to stay out of hell. It's that horrendous but.
- [21:39]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And hell was never prepared for us, right? The Bible says what? It's enlarged itself, right?
- [21:44]
Bill Weiss
Isaiah 5:14, Hell enlarges itself. And, you know, Jesus prepared hell, devil. He was preparing heaven for it. It's the same word he used in John 14:2. He goes to prepare a place for us in heaven. So he prepared heaven for us, hell for the devil. But, you know, he gives a warning. Revelation 21:8 says, all unbelievers shall have their part in the lake of fire. So people that say, I don't believe Jesus is the only way. I don't believe the Bible. Well, he just warned you, you'll end up here. I don't want you to go here. But you can see why Jesus said in Matthew 12:37, your own words will condemn you. Because people say, I don't believe the Bible, and they send themselves to hell. He's trying to keep people out of hell. God's such a loving God. I just want to share one more quick thing. When the Lord touched me, I experienced the peace of God that you can't even explain here on the earth. The peace that we're going to have in heaven is overwhelming beyond anything we can imagine. And I felt like I'm home. I'm home. This is where I live. This is my purpose to be in heaven. And, you know, it removes all the. We all go through things, stress and issues in life and even the weight of time, right? We're always in a hurry. And all that was gone when the Lord touched me. So the peace of God that we're going to experience in heaven, it's overwhelming. And we get to experience some of that here now as Christians, to receive that peace of God, which is wonderful.
- [23:09]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So, Bill, if you lead us in a prayer and you repeat this prayer after. Bill.
- [23:13]
Bill Weiss
Psalms 139, 17, 18. David said, you, thoughts toward me are all precious. And I suppose I should count them. They are more than the sands on the whole earth. Can you imagine how many granules of sand there are on the whole earth? Wow. And he loves people that much that's why he died on the cross, to keep people out. And so if you don't know Jesus Christ, he's the most wonderful person you could ever get to meet, and he loves you, but he does have a book. Revelation 20:15 says, Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. He wants your name in that book. And what you have to do is Jesus said in Luke 13:3, unless a man repent, you shall all likewise perish. What does repent mean? That means to turn away from a sinful lifestyle and agree to follow Jesus. It's not enough to mentally assent to the fact that he's God. You have to be humble enough to repent of your sin. Realize you can't get to heaven on your own. Your good works will not get you there. So if you're willing to do that and turn away from a sinful lifestyle and ask him in your heart, then just pray this prayer with me. Pray. Dear God in heaven. Dear God in heaven, I know that I've sinned and I cannot save myself.
- [24:26]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I cannot save myself.
- [24:27]
Bill Weiss
I believe you sent your son Jesus
- [24:29]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I believe you sent your son Jesus
- [24:31]
Bill Weiss
to die on a cross. For me to die on a cross. And he was crucified, died, and was buried.
- [24:35]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And he was crucified, died, and was
- [24:37]
Bill Weiss
buried, but rose again and lives forevermore. I ask you to forgive me of my sins.
- [24:42]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I ask you to forgive me of my sins.
- [24:43]
Bill Weiss
Come into my heart.
- [24:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Come into my heart.
- [24:45]
Bill Weiss
I receive you as Lord and Savior.
- [24:47]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I receive you as Lord and Savior.
- [24:49]
Bill Weiss
You are the Son of God.
- [24:50]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You are the Son of God.
- [24:51]
Bill Weiss
Thank you for saving me.
- [24:52]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Thank you for saving me.
- [24:53]
Bill Weiss
Thank you for taking me to heaven.
- [24:55]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Thank you for taking me to heaven.
- [24:56]
Bill Weiss
In Jesus name.
- [24:57]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
In Jesus name.
- [24:58]
Bill Weiss
Amen.
- [24:59]
Joni
Amen.
- [24:59]
Bill Weiss
Amen. Praise God.
- [25:01]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Amen. And if you pray that prayer, we have the Gospel of John that we would love to send you. It's just a good place to start in the Bible. And so call that number. And that's our pleasure to give you that gift. All right. 23 minutes in hell. Over a million copies. So he tells the whole story, but I'm gonna let y' all jump in. I'm sure you have a question. I do. You know, people in this country and around the world live good lives. There are people that live really good lives. So do you think that people that live good lives will go to hell?
- [25:37]
Bill Weiss
I do. You know, first of all, Romans 3:10 and 3:12 and 3:23 said that there's none Good. None of us are good, even though they might be good people compared to other people. But if you're going to go by that standard, you have to go by God's standard. James 2:10 says, if we offend his law in one point, we're guilty of all. If we lie once, if we steal one thing, we have one lustful thought. There's even a scripture in Proverbs 24:9 that says even the thought of foolishness is a sin. If we have one foolish thought our entire life, that would exclude us from heaven. Well, that's all of us, thank God. It's not based on being good, but it's based on that relationship with Jesus Christ because nobody would make it to heaven. We're not good compared to God's standard.
- [26:22]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
What would you say to someone that said that it's not the nature of God to want people to suffer and that maybe don't believe in hell for that reason?
- [26:32]
Bill Weiss
It is not his nature. You know, Ezekiel 33:11 says, he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He died a horrible death on the cross to keep us out. So people can't say that. Well, God's mean to let people go to hell. Well, he's the one that died a horrible death for you to keep us out, you know, so his intention is for us to live with him forever in heaven. But he warns us there is an eternal hell. But see, our sin is deserving of eternal punishment because of who we've sinned against. We have to realize that, you know, he is a much higher being than a human being. So we've sinned against him and therefore our sin against him is deserving of eternal punishment.
- [27:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You know, there's so much chaos in the world today. I can't imagine that people live without being present with God and in the Word daily, to renew our minds daily. My question to you is, how did you recover going forward after this encounter? I mean, you had the taste of hell and then the touch from Jesus. I mean, how did you recover? I mean, did it take some time?
- [27:41]
Bill Weiss
Well, that's a good question. You know, I was fine mentally. I wasn't traumatized or anything like that because the Lord removed all that. But honestly, I had such an urgency to witness. I felt like I wanted to tackle everybody and to shake them. Like you gotta wake up.
- [27:58]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
There's really a. Have you been doing this now?
- [28:01]
Bill Weiss
20? Actually 27, but 20 full time churches
- [28:04]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
non stop because it was so important to you to reach as many people as you could.
- [28:10]
Bill Weiss
Well, to see People knowing that people will go to hell unless we share the gospel. I felt like, I've got to talk to this group of people. I don't even know them, but most people aren't saved. And it just was such an urgency. I had to calm down from it. It took about a year. And, you know, one day I felt like the Lord said, bill, you know, you're not the savior, you're just the messenger boy. And so we have to realize it's not our job to convince everyone. It's our job to just tell, inform them.
- [28:36]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
I have a question. Who was the youngest person you saw in hell? Was there young people there?
- [28:41]
Bill Weiss
I understood there were no children in hell. Now I just understood that. But also the outlines of the people. I could see the skeleton forms. They were adult size. Also the screams. You can tell a difference from a child screaming and an adult. I didn't hear any child type sound of screaming. But the scripture is what says, suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus said, unless you accept heaven like a little child, you'll not enter. So I believe the scripture is clear that under the age of accountability, all children go to heaven.
- [29:11]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yeah.
- [29:12]
Joni
So basically everything we're hearing is hell is the complete opposite of everything that you would experience in heaven. And I know that one of the things that we always talk about is when we get to heaven, we're going to see those who've gone on before us. We're going to see our family, our friends, things like that. The question that I have for you is because you hear people say, and kind of a really rebellious way, oh, I'll see you in hell kind of thing. Was there anyone that you could recognize in hell?
- [29:39]
Bill Weiss
No, you couldn't. I mean, you could not tell, like I said, a man from a woman. They're just burning and in skeleton form and everybody's in agony. I mean, you're just in terrible pain all the time. And so you don't see anybody in hell and you didn't even feel the full force of. Right. God blocked all that from me. I felt some of it, but thank God, he blocked most of it. And I wasn't thrown into the fire, so I was just there in a vision. So remember, my body was probably different than their body, you know, so forth. But, you know, and hell is a big place. I only saw a part of it.
- [30:15]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Wow. Well, we are out of time. But before we go, I want you to think about this. God loves you so much that he sent his son, to free you from the awful reality of eternity apart from him. The cross was a rescue mission and he's offering you eternal life with him right now. All you have to do is just invite Jesus into your heart to say, jesus, forgive me and come into my heart. And if you do that, I'm telling you, it is the most important prayer that you'll ever pray and your life will be changed forever. And you don't have to go to hell. You will go to heaven, where there's the number on the screen. We have prayer partners that are standing by ready to pray with you. It's our honor to do so. We'd also love to send you the Book of John and that's just our way of blessing you. It's absolutely free. So call that number and we'll send you the Gospel of John. It's a great place to start in the Word of God. Well, I do want to thank Bill Weiss for joining us today. Be sure you pick up a copy of his book 23 Minutes in Hell. Well, for more you can visit him online@soulchoiceministries.org and as always, make sure to follow us on all social media, subscribe to our YouTube channel and listen to the Joni Table Talk podcast, available now on all the major platforms. I want to thank you for watching. I want to especially thank those of you that had the courage to pray that prayer and maybe give Jesus a chance. Maybe you've tried everything else. Now it's time to give Jesus a chance to change your life. And he will. And I'm excited about that. Until next time, we'll see you.
- [32:02]
Joni
Bye bye.
- [32:03]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
For today,
- [32:08]
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- [33:09]
Martha Stewart
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- [34:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Well, you know, so many people search for identity, success and approval in all the wrong places. But what happens when the very thing you've built your life on is taken away? Well, today's guest has lived that moment and shares how God can transform your deepest pain into a divine purpose. I love that. But before we get to that, joining around the table is April Simon.
- [34:35]
Joni
Hey there.
- [34:36]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
He does that, doesn't he?
- [34:37]
Joni
He does.
- [34:38]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
He takes some of the darkest moments and will bring us through it and then use it for good. He does. And it doesn't matter where we've been. It matters, you know, what he's going to make us.
- [34:49]
Joni
And a lot of people are held back by their past or what they've been through. But God's not looking at what they've been.
- [34:53]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
He's looking at what he's designed them to be. Yeah, that's right. That's right. It's good. April has so many good one liners. She does, doesn't she? Okay. Anna Kendall, are you ready? I am so ready. And I think we all need the reassurance that God has a purpose for our lives. He has a plan. He has identity for us. And we're going to hear about that. Rachel, a lot of young people are looking for their identity and they're lost.
- [35:20]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Yeah, you know, I think when our identity is found and what we do versus whose we are, I think that's where the problem lies. And so many young people are caught up in the things they're doing to fulfill them. And when that thing is gone, they're really lost. And so we have to find our identity in Christ and know that we're a daughter son of the king. And there we can build.
- [35:41]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
It changes everything, doesn't It. Dorothy Newton. It really does. It really, really does. You're a daughter of the most high. Yes. And I'm so happy and so grateful and so proud. I claim him daily. Daily. Yes. Kendrick. Helly Dean. This is a good subject to talk about, isn't it?
- [35:58]
Joni
Yes, it's a good subject. I love what Rachel said. It's not what we do, but it's who we belong to. And it's the same thing going back to Abraham. Everybody's already said so many great things. He can take anything. Nothing is too far gone. Nothing is ever wasted. He will take every piece of it and make it for his glory.
- [36:15]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Well, you know, he's a pastor, theologian, and a bold voice helping this generation discover their identity in Christ. Please welcome Colby Meyer. Come on in, Colby.
- [36:30]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Hi.
- [36:32]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Everybody has their own little distinct wall. Kobe's is slow and succinct. As he walked in. You'll find out later that he was basketball player. I know, I thought, you know, I figured he'd come in with the basketball or something. But anyway, welcome to the show, Colby. So glad that you're here today.
- [36:51]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, thanks for having me.
- [36:52]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
It's good to be here. Well, you know, on the outside, Colby seemed to have it all. Until injury, loss and a hidden internal battle brought everything to a halt. In that broken place, God met him powerfully. And today, he reminds us that our true identity isn't found in what we do, but in who we belong to. Amen. That's what you said. Who we belong to. So let's go back growing up. Tell us about it.
- [37:17]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. So from the youngest age possible, I remember having a basketball in my hand. So my mom enrolled me in this program called Little Dribblers in Canada. Yeah, it was the funniest thing. All these little, you know, four year olds running around with a basketball.
- [37:30]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Little dribblers.
- [37:31]
Colby Meyer
Little Dribblers, you know, we're just learning the fundamentals. And I remember the first time I caught the basketball, I gave it to the opposing team. I had no idea what I was doing. Yeah, I was just. I don't know what I'm doing. But one of the guys, the coaches there, he says, hey, have you ever heard of Kobe Bryant? You know, Cause my name was Colby. And I was like, no, I didn't. Who was that? He's like, oh, man, you gotta check him out. So I checked him out and I was so amazed. I was like, man, this guy's got my name. I wanna be just like him. So Colby was. You're in Canada that's right, yeah.
- [37:59]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Cause you were born in Canada. Yeah.
- [38:00]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Notice he said mum.
- [38:01]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [38:01]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yes, I did.
- [38:02]
Colby Meyer
I might say a. A few times.
- [38:04]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yeah. A is comes up. Okay, so you decided right then. But you really had a love of basketball pretty early on.
- [38:11]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just want. It was, like, part of my DNA. It was a part of my identity, really. Everything that I had been working towards, basketball was a part of it. And Christianity and Jesus wasn't really in my life until later on in my life.
- [38:27]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So let's talk about where were your parents as far as kind of the God card, if you will.
- [38:31]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. So they were raised in a pretty strict, conservative, fundamental Christian home. And I think they had a little bit of a spirit of rebellion growing up, and so they were like, you know, do we want to raise our kids like this, or do we want to give them a little bit more autonomy? And so being brought up, they definitely gave me a little bit more freedom, and I definitely ran with it.
- [38:53]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Did you go to church growing up?
- [38:54]
Colby Meyer
No. No.
- [38:55]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
But you did go to church on certain holidays?
- [38:58]
Colby Meyer
Yes. So it was like Easter and Christmas with my grandparents.
- [39:01]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Right, you were that group.
- [39:03]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, I was the Easter and Christmas.
- [39:05]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You were the Easter, Christmas. Church was. Your grandparents, however, were very godly.
- [39:12]
Colby Meyer
Yes.
- [39:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And they're going to come in the picture here in a minute.
- [39:15]
Colby Meyer
Oh, huge.
- [39:15]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Huge. But let's talk about. So you go through high school, you're still playing basketball, you're doing great. And you went on to play, like, for who and what? I mean, there were some great teams.
- [39:25]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. So I played for the British Columbia Provincial basketball team, which is like the top 12 high school players in the province of British Columbia.
- [39:34]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Wow.
- [39:34]
Colby Meyer
So played with guys like Kelly Olynick, different NBA players, players who played professionally overse. So a lot of my former teammates have gone on to have careers in the sport of basketball.
- [39:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Right, and you were headed that way.
- [39:45]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had a bunch of Division 1.
- [39:48]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
If you have a grandmother and grandfather praying.
- [39:51]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [39:51]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's the difference, folks. You got grandma praying. Go ahead and surrender. Just go. Is that right, Kendra? All the way. Absolutely.
- [39:58]
Joni
Nothing beats the prayers of a grandparent.
- [40:00]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay, so. But then something happened. Tell us what happened.
- [40:06]
Colby Meyer
So I had a really. I remember we had a tournament in Las Vegas called the Main Event, and this is where all these Division 1 schools, scouts come out and they want to recruit and they have an eye on you. And me and my mom, we had sent out high school basketball highlight tapes to all of these different NCAA schools, and we Went there and we sent our tapes out. And I remember the week before this tournament, we were doing a rebounding drill and the ball went up on the backboard and I came down with it and I went right on a teammate's ankle and tore all the ligaments in my ankle.
- [40:41]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
So right before the tournament?
- [40:42]
Colby Meyer
Right before the tournament. And that just destroyed me. I mean, I was like, man, I had all these hopes and dreams to go on and play.
- [40:50]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You had all the scouts there.
- [40:52]
Colby Meyer
All the scouts were waiting for me and they were excited. They were like, man, we love your tapes. We love what we're seeing. We just want to meet you in person.
- [40:58]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so what did the doctor say about it?
- [41:00]
Colby Meyer
Well, they said you gotta take. You gotta just, you know, sideline yourself for a good while. And so I remember feeling like, man, like I lost my opportunity, I lost my moment.
- [41:08]
Bill Weiss
Right.
- [41:09]
Colby Meyer
And so I remember sitting back at my teammate's house in Vancouver, bc, and I was doing the Rice, the ice compression elevation thing and flicking through the channels.
- [41:19]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
The ice and the elevation. Yep, we all know about that. Do they do surgery?
- [41:25]
Colby Meyer
No, no, nothing like that. Nothing like that. It was just a long term recovery.
- [41:28]
Joni
But that must have been so devastating. And here you are watching all your teammates play and you're just sitting there on the sideline, just watching. It feels like your future is just kind of leaving you and your hopes and your dreams.
- [41:41]
Bill Weiss
Oh, my goodness.
- [41:41]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Is there no opportunity to just recover and then keep going?
- [41:45]
Colby Meyer
There is, but I was a senior in high school, so this is like, this is your year where, you know, you solidify. Exactly. You solidify those opportunities. Opportunities. And so I just felt like I couldn't see past this injury. And I remember just feeling really, really low in a dark place.
- [42:00]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
And you were sitting on the couch, flipping the channels. What happened?
- [42:02]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, so I was flicking through the channels and I came across the Animation, the DreamWorks Animation. Joseph, King of dreams.
- [42:09]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay.
- [42:10]
Colby Meyer
And I had kind of heard that story before. I was familiar with the narrative, but I'd never seen it up close in person.
- [42:16]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
My favorite Bible garage.
- [42:18]
Colby Meyer
Amazing. And seeing how you know Joseph, I mean, his life went south really quick, you know, he was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery in Potiphar's household, falsely accused. And then God redeems his story.
- [42:35]
Joni
Yes.
- [42:36]
Colby Meyer
And I remember thinking, you know, if God can redeem Joseph's story, he can definitely redeem my little injury here, you know?
- [42:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Right. Because he probably went through even more than what you did.
- [42:48]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure.
- [42:50]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Read it all about Mom.
- [42:51]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right. So I'm thinking like, man, if God can do it for Joseph, certainly he can do it for me. He can redeem my story.
- [42:58]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So you're having kind of that God conversation where your heart is open, right?
- [43:02]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. And that for me was the first time where I read the Bible from front to cover that summer.
- [43:09]
Joni
Wow.
- [43:10]
Colby Meyer
And I remember thinking the words weren't just like, it wasn't just a text, an ancient text. It was like the words came to life for the first time and they read back to me, so to speak. They read me more than I read it.
- [43:25]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so from there, what happened?
- [43:27]
Colby Meyer
So I got. I was baptized. Gave my life to the Lord Jesus.
- [43:31]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Did you go to the grandparents church?
- [43:33]
Colby Meyer
I definitely did. Definitely did, yeah.
- [43:36]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And there were no young people that are hardly.
- [43:39]
Colby Meyer
I was the only person under the age of 75. I was the youth of the church. Yeah. But I'll tell you what, they loved me, they nurtured me. They were so loving and really showed me what the love of Jesus looks like.
- [43:52]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
What did your parents think when you started going to church because they had fallen away? What did it help reignite their faith?
- [43:58]
Colby Meyer
So initially they were very, like, reticent. They were very stubborn.
- [44:02]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What are you doing? What are you doing?
- [44:04]
Colby Meyer
Yeah. Like, we've done this path before and you're going to church every almost like three times a week. You're going for midweek prayer, you're going for Bible study, you're going to. On the weekend.
- [44:14]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What's wrong with you?
- [44:14]
Colby Meyer
They're like, yo, have you lost your, like, vision for.
- [44:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Is this your mom's grand. Wait, your mom's parents or your dad's parents?
- [44:21]
Colby Meyer
This is my dad's parents, your dad's parents, my Omi and Opa.
- [44:23]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So he knows they're involved in this process too.
- [44:25]
Colby Meyer
Oh, yeah.
- [44:26]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Because they're like, come, son, let's pray together.
- [44:28]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right. And my Omi, she was the first one to tell me, she actually just passed away this last year. Very close to her, 94 years old
- [44:38]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
and very close to your grandma.
- [44:40]
Colby Meyer
Yes, yes. And she was the first one to tell me when all this was happening. She says, colby, you know what's happening in your life right now? She says, this is the work of the Holy Spirit.
- [44:48]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yeah.
- [44:49]
Colby Meyer
Like the Holy Spirit is moving on your heart right now. That's what it is. And I was like, no way. Like, I want whatever this is. I want more of It. I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to be filled with power.
- [45:00]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So what happened?
- [45:01]
Colby Meyer
So, like I said, I gave my life to the Lord and received the Holy Spirit in my senior year.
- [45:07]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So what was that like? Like, I mean, because a lot of people watching don't even understand that there's salvation, free gift, the most important decision you'll ever make for eternity. And then getting baptized and then filled with the Holy Spirit. What was that like?
- [45:23]
Colby Meyer
It was like all my former ambitions and dreams, like, weren't on the pedestal that I had placed them before. Yeah, it's like all my motives and desires, like, he renewed my desires. Like, things that I formerly had no desire for. He gave me a desire for the things that I once loved. I'm like, I don't want anything to do with anymore. So it was like my entire orientation of my life changed. And people around me saw that. They were like, what's going on? Like, you know, why aren't you, like, as enthusiastic about playing the game of basketball? Why aren't you as gung ho as you used to be? I was just like, man, I can't help it. Like, what God is doing in me.
- [45:59]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
It's kind of like when Jesus becomes lord of your life and he is your identity. And then he's got Dorothy, the basketball is going to come back here in just a minute. God has to lay the foundation so that whatever happens in the future, you can surely depend on Him.
- [46:16]
Colby Meyer
That's right.
- [46:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
It's getting big.
- [46:17]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
But what old desires did he reignite in your heart?
- [46:21]
Colby Meyer
So, I mean, the desire for prayer, the desire for his presence, like, I would just sit at his feet for hours, and I'm like, I would never have done that. You know, I always had to be doing something. I always had to be working on something. But I was just like, I just wanted to spend time with him. And that was just. That was such a reigniting of, you know, even that nominal Christianity growing up. It came back to life.
- [46:43]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I think it's interesting that you go from not knowing God and then you go to prayer like that.
- [46:48]
Joni
And I think probably people watching can't
- [46:51]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
even relate to that. So how do you go from not knowing God? You're transformed. You've given your life to God to now wanting to pray.
- [46:57]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, it's such a weird. Like, it's a weird experience, right? It's like, you know, the Holy Spirit does things in us that we can't even imagine. And it's certainly not us. Right. We're like, you know, God, I'm just here. I just want to be. I just want more of you. And so all these things, these desires began to stir up in me. And there was a youth pastor who told me right around this time, he's like, colby, have you ever, you know, have you ever considered, like, ministry? Like, you love to serve people you love to, you know, shepherd people you love. You love the word. He said, you ever considered this? And I said, had you? No. No. I wanted to be a professional basketball player, number one. Number two, my backup plan plan B was be a physical therapist or work with athletes. You know, do something like that. Kinesiologist. So this was nowhere in the cards for me. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna. I'm gonna pray about that.
- [47:49]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
It's so good, because, you know, salvation prepares us for eternity. But our surrender to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us changes everything for our position on Earth and what we think, Kendra, we're gonna do with our life. Right. Sometimes the Lord has a totally different plan. Oh, yes. And it's always the best plan. Like, it's not gonna be a bad plan, but in your mind, you can just have plan A, plan B. But God has something so much better. Okay, so tell us how we go into being in ministry and playing basketball.
- [48:31]
Colby Meyer
Yeah. So this pastor really encouraged me. He's like, man, he's like, I really see this calling on your life, and I think you're a good communicator. You can preach the word, and you love people. You love serving people. So he's like, you know, study theology, maybe go, you know, consider that and just kind of test that out a little bit and just see what that's like. So he really encouraged me to go study the Bible. And so I got a basketball scholarship to study in Alberta at a Bible college in Lacombe, Alberta. The middle of nowhere.
- [49:05]
Joni
Wow.
- [49:05]
Colby Meyer
Right? This is, like, the most isolated part. It's like, two hours north of Calgary. It's in the middle of nowhere. And so I studied theology there, and the head coach of my basketball team was a pastor. Oh, yeah.
- [49:19]
Bill Weiss
Wow.
- [49:19]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [49:20]
Joni
Look how that worked out.
- [49:21]
Colby Meyer
And he's like, I have a ministry. He's like, you want to play basketball and work at my church?
- [49:26]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so I said, okay. Was he shocked when he saw you play? Yeah, he was like, thank you, Jesus, for sending Kobe.
- [49:35]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. Well, he recruited me pretty hard. Yeah, he was in that crew. So, you know what.
- [49:41]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
What is amazing is how God strategically positions people in our lives. So he Positioned you in this school where your coach was a minister. I mean, that is just the hand of God facing people. And you still got to play basketball and probably be the hero, right, A lot of times in those games.
- [49:59]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was. It was. I mean, it was amazing. It was a small school, but the school spirit, like, they were very. You know, it was a basketball school, and they had a lot of players from the south that came up from Louisiana, Alabama, they had recruited.
- [50:13]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So he recruited. Yeah.
- [50:14]
Colby Meyer
Oh, they recruited. It was a good team. Like, it was a very good team. Yeah. So we were able to compete on a high level, too.
- [50:21]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So then there was another accident that happened.
- [50:23]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [50:24]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So you just get through that other end.
- [50:26]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Oh, not another one.
- [50:27]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, another one. There's, like, the story kind of like Joseph, right?
- [50:29]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Yeah. Progressively, it's getting worse. Now you're in the pit. Now you're in prison. Tell us what happened.
- [50:37]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, so it was about two years of playing the game in Alberta, and I was on a fast break in a game, so I caught the ball on a fast break, and I took two dribbles and went up to dunk it all alone. And some guy on the other team ran through my legs when I was up in the air, and I went boom. Flat on my back. Fractured my C7, T1, and T3 vertebrae, and.
- [51:02]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Is that your neck?
- [51:03]
Colby Meyer
Yes.
- [51:04]
Bill Weiss
Okay.
- [51:04]
Colby Meyer
Yep. That's, like the.
- [51:05]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's hurting me right now.
- [51:08]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
Wait, could you have been paralyzed?
- [51:09]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
- [51:11]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
So it's a miracle that, like, you're fine today.
- [51:13]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. The fact that I'm walking and able to move is a gift that I don't take lightly.
- [51:19]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You rushed to the hospital? I guess.
- [51:21]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. Like, the whole. Our whole bench cleared. Cause they were like, that's a dirty play. So there was, like, you know, a bunch of commotion. I was just trying to breathe. I couldn't even get air in my lungs.
- [51:29]
Bill Weiss
Oh, my God.
- [51:30]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Oh, my goodness.
- [51:31]
Colby Meyer
Yeah. And I remember just, like, seeing everything went black, you know, so everything just went dark around me. And I was.
- [51:36]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And you were thinking, lord, am I coming home?
- [51:38]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, that's exactly right. I was like, is this it? And then the light slowly began to come back, and they rushed me to the hospital, went back to another hospital. They didn't have the right equipment at that one, so I was going back and forth. And then finally they did the CT scans and X rays, and they were like, okay, here's the diagnosis. You know, everything's stable. They're stable fractures. So we don't have to worry about, you know, spinal cord damage or anything like that.
- [52:06]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Which is a miracle.
- [52:07]
Colby Meyer
Miracle. Miracle.
- [52:08]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Like they didn't move. No, it's like something held them in place.
- [52:11]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah. Yep. And so they're like, this is. You know, you're gonna be in a neck brace for the next six, seven months. Yeah. So for someone who is so active, always, my entire life, from a young age, to be in a neck brace, unable to move, unable to, like, you know, release.
- [52:29]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Rachel, you can't imagine that. No, no, that's just.
- [52:32]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
I mean, feel trapped.
- [52:34]
Colby Meyer
Yes, exactly.
- [52:35]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So how did God use that?
- [52:37]
Colby Meyer
Well, that, for me, was my first real experience with anxiety and depression.
- [52:41]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay.
- [52:42]
Colby Meyer
Even as a Christian. So there was, like, just a lot of isolation. It was the middle of winter, no sunlight, like, all these different things were in play. And I remember just feeling very isolated, alone, not able to, you know, release my stress through the game of basketball.
- [52:58]
Joni
Right.
- [52:59]
Colby Meyer
And I think it. It revealed to me all of my, like, unhealthy coping habits that I had kind of formally developed to help me cope. Those things were kind of taken away.
- [53:08]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Like what?
- [53:09]
Colby Meyer
Well, I think the basketball. The game of basketball. Number one, just being active. Yes, being active.
- [53:14]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Just being able to jump up and run wherever you wanted to go.
- [53:16]
Colby Meyer
Exactly. And then number two, I think having certain ways of thinking that were not healthy ways of thinking, like, destructive thought patterns that God was, of course, trying to renew in me. But I had not yet gotten to the point where I recognized that they were an issue.
- [53:29]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Could you walk with the neck brace?
- [53:31]
Colby Meyer
I could walk.
- [53:32]
Guest or Co-host (possibly Cindy Johnston or Kendrick Helly Dean)
How did your anxiety manifest and how did you overcome that?
- [53:36]
Colby Meyer
So the anxiety was really just rumination about, like, the future, about what would happen next. And I had all these thoughts of worry and fear, like, what if? Yeah, what ifs. What ifs? And it was very similar to when I had had that ankle injury, but this was more, like, isolating, obviously, and less mobility. So I just had a lot of rumination about, like, you know, what is the future going to hold? Am I going to recover from this?
- [53:56]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Well, I'm probably thinking, is there a future?
- [53:58]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [53:59]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And at this point, your mom and dad have come back to the Lord, right?
- [54:03]
Colby Meyer
Yeah. Mom and dad are, like, going. Coming back to church, and they're, like, more interested in, like, what I'm doing and more interested in, like, okay, what's this, you know, faith journey that he's on? And almost revitalized their faith in a lot of ways.
- [54:15]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's great.
- [54:16]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [54:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So what was it that really pulled you out? Was it something Your dad said.
- [54:21]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, my dad said something that was. That was extremely powerful. You know, he took me aside and he said, colby, he's like, I know that what you're going through right now, like, this. This isn't the end. This isn't what God has for you in the end. And he just. He spoke just words of the father over me.
- [54:39]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Because he had been raised that way.
- [54:40]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, he had been raised like he
- [54:42]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
knew the God that your grandfather served.
- [54:45]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [54:47]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So when he came back to the Lord, all that was kind of reignited, like you said.
- [54:51]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, exactly.
- [54:52]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And he was like, my son needs me. And so what did that do for you and the anxiety and stuff?
- [54:57]
Colby Meyer
I think just. It really gave me the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
- [55:02]
Joni
Yeah.
- [55:03]
Colby Meyer
And I think sometimes it gets so dark in our lives that we can't envision the future because everything just seems in chaos in front of us, and we can't see that light at the end of the tunnel. And so he really just spoke a word that really gave me the belief that God would get me through on the other side.
- [55:20]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
You're gonna get through this.
- [55:22]
Joni
Was there a season where you had to retrain your thoughts? Because you're sitting there, you're alone, no distractions, basketball's gone. And so you are trapped with all of those thoughts, which I think created the anxiety.
- [55:33]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Right.
- [55:34]
Joni
And so now you're like, okay, I have to retrain my brain. The scripture, take all thoughts into captive. What did that look like for you? How were you trying to retrain yourself in order to think there is a hope and a future? For me?
- [55:47]
Colby Meyer
Yeah. I think it's like, number one, recognizing those thoughts that come from the enemy. Like, recognizing the lies that we believe every single day that we don't even realize. Like, half the time we believe them or aware of them. So it's like, okay, God, give me the awareness to recognize the thoughts that aren't from you. Right. To recognize the thoughts that come from the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. And so it starts with that awareness, and then, number one, like you said, replacing those thoughts, taking them captive and subjecting them to Christ, it's like, God, like, this is not from you. I'm handing this over to you. Help me replace it with. That's something that's from you, right?
- [56:26]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Replace it. What would be something that you'd replace it with? You're taking a thought, taking it captive. What would you replace it with? The word of God.
- [56:34]
Colby Meyer
Yes, exactly.
- [56:35]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
So, for example, no weapon formed against Me is going to prosper.
- [56:38]
Colby Meyer
Exactly. Exactly. Like, who am I? That's the question that a lot of us ask. You know, I am what I do, or I am my career path, or I am what I. You know, and it's like, no, no, you are not what you do. You are a son and daughter of the most high. You are chosen, called, and highly favored despite anything that's going on in your life. And so it's just constantly bringing your mind back to that place of God's spoken word over your life.
- [57:02]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
How long before you recovered and were able to take that off?
- [57:05]
Colby Meyer
It was about six, seven months.
- [57:06]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Oh, I'm so glad. Aren't y' all glad?
- [57:08]
Bill Weiss
Oh, yeah.
- [57:10]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I'm just feeling it right now.
- [57:12]
Colby Meyer
When I got out, I was doing a lot of this. I wasn't able to move anything.
- [57:16]
Bill Weiss
Yeah.
- [57:17]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And so then you're back into ministry and God just begins to open doors.
- [57:22]
Colby Meyer
Yeah.
- [57:23]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Did you feel his presence when you were trapped in that grace?
- [57:27]
Colby Meyer
I did. Even with all of those feelings, the comfort of knowing that even in that place that God is with me. You know, he's with me even till the ends of the age. And that's really what got me through, was just knowing his presence is with me and that he is going to lead me out on the other side at some point.
- [57:44]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Your beloved grandfather goes on to be with the Lord. That was hard for you.
- [57:48]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was very. That was very difficult because, you know, we had developed such a close relationship and especially, like, almost like a spiritual father, because I'd always go to their house and we'd read the Scriptures together and pray together. That wasn't the custom in my home. Right. So going to their place, it was always like a solace. It was always like, I know that the Holy Spirit's going to be at the center of everything we do. And so we had a very special relationship.
- [58:14]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
That's awesome. I wonder if you take a moment, Kobi, for someone who's watching right now who doesn't know the Lord, and just give them just a few words of encouragement and pray the prayer of salvation. Let us repeat after you. Give them an opportunity to receive Jesus.
- [58:31]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, absolutely. So if you're someone that is really beginning to become more open to the faith, and maybe you've kind of disregarded God or He hasn't been at the place in your life where he needs to be, I want to encourage you right now that God is more than able to revolutionize your life, to change your mindset. Maybe you've been Struggling with thoughts of despair, thoughts of fear, thoughts of worry. When you let God in, he will renew all of those things and he will make you new, just like he made me new. So I want to pray with you right now. Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus. We just thank you, God, for your holy spirit. And we recognize that we are sinners.
- [59:15]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
We recognize that we are sinners, and
- [59:18]
Colby Meyer
we want to turn from our sinful ways. Jesus, you died the death that we deserve to die.
- [59:25]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Jesus, you died,
- [59:28]
Colby Meyer
but you rose again on the third day.
- [59:30]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
But you rose again on the third day.
- [59:33]
Colby Meyer
And I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.
- [59:36]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
I accept you as my personal Lord and savior.
- [59:39]
Bill Weiss
Amen.
- [59:40]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Amen. You know, it's just that simple. And it is the most important prayer that you could pray. And I'm so excited. Those of you that are praying, maybe some of you that are, maybe the Lord has been dealing with you and you knew God once, but you've kind of strayed and he's calling you back home. That was for you today. So you be encouraged today because there are some doors that God's going to open on the other side of this prayer when you surrender your heart and life to God. Well, we are out of time. But I want you to remember this. God wants to meet you in your pain, to heal you and restore your peace. No matter how dark this season feels. He isn't distant, he isn't absent. He's right there with you. He's ready to lead you into restoration, true identity, and the incredible purpose he has for your life. Some of you say, well, you don't know what I've done. No, the prayer erases everything. Do you realize that he died for your sin? And so when you invite him in and you repent, you say, God, I'm sorry, forgive me. Come into my heart. Then it goes into the sea of forgetfulness, and he will never remind you of those past sins. Okay? Amen. So you're forgiven. So remember that if you're watching today and you need prayer for anything, that's why the prayer line number's on the screen. But if you did pray that prayer with Colbia, I wish that you would call in because we want to send you the Gospel of John absolutely free. It's a great place to start in the word of God. And we want you to get a Bible and begin to read, find a church. I'm just telling you everything is about to change. When you understand that God has eternal purpose for you and. And he has purpose for you here on this earth and maybe Some of you haven't even walked into all your purpose yet. Well, like I said, it's never too late. So I'm excited for you. But I want to thank Colby for joining us. To know more about his ministry, visit colbymeyer.com as always, make sure to follow us on social media. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to the Joni Table Talk podcast, available now on all the major platforms. And Kobe, you're on which platforms? You're on everything.
- [61:52]
Colby Meyer
Instagram, Facebook.
- [61:55]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
And you do like, little, like, encouraging things, don't you?
- [61:58]
Colby Meyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [61:59]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
Okay, so you can find Kobe on that. But thank you so much for watching. Thank you, Kobe, for being here today.
- [62:04]
Colby Meyer
So much for having me.
- [62:05]
Host (possibly Rachel Ann Brown)
We'll keep up with you. By the way, ladies, he's single. Just really cute. Okay? All right. Thank you, ladies. We'll see you next time. Bye Bye for today.
- [62:15]
Colby Meyer
Foreign.
- [62:19]
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