How to Overcome Obstacles with the Gospel: Lessons from an American Ninja Warrior w/ Jared Greer

Welcome to another fun and inspiring episode of the Collide Kids Podcast! This week, host Christen Clark is joined by Jared Greer, known for his appearances on "American Ninja Warrior" and as the founder of Overcoming Obstacles Ministries.

Jared shares his incredible journey from youth pastor to American Ninja Warrior competitor and explains how his passion for Jesus and overcoming challenges led him to create a traveling ninja obstacle course ministry. With honesty and humor, Jared tells behind-the-scenes stories of his TV appearances—including funny fails, tough training, and how God used every win and wipeout for His glory. He also offers practical advice on facing your fears, bouncing back after setbacks, and sharing your faith with friends.

Families will love hearing how Jared’s ministry has helped over 180,000 kids hear about the hope of Jesus, and how anyone can start practicing sharing the gospel right where they are. Plus, you’ll enjoy some ninja jokes and thoughtful discussion questions perfect for sparking conversation at home!

Special thanks to our editor, Jay Lee, from provisionpods.com.

Check out obstacleministry.com to learn more about Jared, Overcoming Obstacles events, and Jared's amazing trick shots!

Clip Finder: 

Following Multiple Passions vs. Specialization: "You really need to kind of specialize in something to, like, become the best."
— Jared Greer [00:04:54 → 00:04:57]

Resilience After Failure: "What do you do when you fall? You get back up. And I just keep getting back up and saying, okay, God, how can you use my failures for your glory? How can you use success for your glory? Whatever happens, First Corinthians 10:31, whether you're eating or drinking or whatever you're doing, do it all for the glory of God."
— Jared Greer [00:10:56 → 00:11:09]

Understanding the Gospel Basics: "God is real, God loves us. Sin entered the world."
— Jared Greer [00:21:29 → 00:21:32]

Viral Topic: The Human Condition and Redemption: "God showed his love in this way that while we were sinners, Christ died for us."
— Jared Greer [00:21:58 → 00:22:03]

Viral Topic: "How to Receive the Good News According to Jesus": Jesus said that, you know, with two words is how he described to receive the good news, the gospel, to repent and believe.
— Jared Greer [00:22:06 → 00:22:55]

Viral Topic: Sharing Faith with Family
"just share out of the overflow of your relationship with Jesus seems to, to be what has worked best for me, you know, like just to, to you're reading the Bible and just talk about it, you read it with them."
— Jared Greer [00:23:33 → 00:23:43]

Viral Topic: The Greatest Leadership Tip
"Really? Just that your walk with Jesus is the most important thing. He's like, that's. That's the most important thing. Like, if we can keep that at the forefront of our lives, then, you know, there are other things we have to figure out, but, like, they'll fall into place."
— Jared Greer [00:25:58 → 00:26:11]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Some days, you might play The River for some nice background music. Some days, you'll play it so your kids don't hear anything inappropriate. But some days, you listen because life has knocked you down, and you need help getting back up. We're here for all of them. Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to Jesus through music and service. You can listen and get connected at https://riverradio.com/

Transcript

Hello. Hey, y' all.

Christen Clark [00:00:09]:

Welcome to the Collide Kids Podcast, hosted by Christen Clark. This is a show for kids and families.

Jared Greer [00:00:17]:

You are going to meet new people.

Christen Clark [00:00:19]:

And have fun while you listen. Let's do it. Hey, y' all. Welcome to the Collide Kids Podcast. I'm your host, Christen Clark. The Collide Kids Podcast is a show for kids and families where we learn together how life and faith collide. I am so glad that you're listening today. Thank you so much for being here and choosing to spend this time with me.

Christen Clark [00:00:47]:

Hey, at the end of each episode, we have a really fun segment called let's talk about It. And so this is the part of the show where I'll ask three questions, and some might be silly or imaginative or deep and faith filled, but all are designed to spark some great conversations. I hope you and your family will enjoy that part. Well, can you believe it? We are just a few episodes away from the end of the season. We'll be taking a little break over the summer, what I like to call a Sabbath season. It's a time to rest, to trust God, to dream big, and to get ready for what's next. I do it every year and it's always so refreshing. But while we're on break, it's the perfect time for you to go back and catch on past episodes.

Christen Clark [00:01:29]:

There's over 200 to choose from, so dive in and enjoy this summer. I'll be posting some of my favorites throughout the summer on my social media, so be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. Collide Kids Pod. Well, I am so excited to introduce our guest today. His name is Jared Greer. He is a youth ministry veteran. He served for 12 years and he's also an American Ninja Warrior. He's competed on the show both four times.

Christen Clark [00:01:56]:

He actually competed recently on season 17, which airs next month and will be featured as the Trick Shot Ninja. Jared loves trying to use every opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the world. He started Overcoming Obstacle Ministries with the help of his church and friends in 2016 and is still operating strong, reaching thousands with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jared is based in Grandview, Texas with his wife Sally and their two sons. If you love the show American Ninja Warrior, you're going to to love this conversation with my friend, Jared Greer. Well, Jared Greer, I am so excited to have you on the Collide Kids podcast today.

Jared Greer [00:02:47]:

It's good to be here.

Christen Clark [00:02:48]:

Yeah. Thank you so much for for doing this. I am so excited for our listeners to hear what your job is. Would you just Introduce yourself and. And tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jared Greer [00:02:59]:

Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Jared Greer. I lead a ministry called Overcoming Obstacles Ministries. Way more important than that, though. I'm a son of the father. I am married to my wonderful wife, Sally, and I have two sons, Micah and Bennett, 14 and 10. And I do American Ninja Warrior, and I take a portable course around and use it as a way to share the gospel.

Christen Clark [00:03:21]:

Very cool. Okay, that's so fun that that's what you get to do, just American Ninja Warrior all the time.

Jared Greer [00:03:27]:

Yeah, yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's also a lot of work to build a course all the time, but it's. I would. I would do it every day because it's worth it.

Christen Clark [00:03:36]:

Okay. I can't wait to talk to you about this. But before we get into your story, because this is a show for kids, I always ask my guests to tell me a joke. So do you have a joke for us today?

Jared Greer [00:03:46]:

So I'm not naturally one to just be like, oh, I can remember this joke. I'm terrible at remembering, like, the punchline or whatever. But I know you had my friend Daniel Gill on, and I had his episode, and he did a ninja joke, so I felt, like, obligated that I needed to bring it into a ninja one.

Christen Clark [00:04:04]:

Okay, let's hear it.

Jared Greer [00:04:05]:

Remember it. Here we go. All right. So what kind of shoes do ninjas wear?

Christen Clark [00:04:11]:

Oh, I don't know.

Jared Greer [00:04:13]:

Sneakers, sneaker. I feel pretty good about that, you know, so my son. My son Bennett is 10, and we laid in my bed and watched dad jokes, like, yesterday because I was like, I.

Christen Clark [00:04:26]:

You know, so it's kid approved. That's even better.

Jared Greer [00:04:29]:

Kid approved.

Christen Clark [00:04:29]:

Yeah, that's right. That's good. Okay, so let's talk about American Ninja Warrior. Now, this is not a TV show that you can just stumble upon and jump into. Like, you really have to prepare for it. How did you get interested in this show, first of all? And then how did you get on it?

Jared Greer [00:04:45]:

Yeah, so I grew up playing football, Basketball, baseball. So just always naturally loved athletics. And so then, like, I never picked one. You know, you really need to kind of specialize in something to, like, become the best. So I. I was pretty good at all three of those. But preparing for college, I felt called to ministry. And in my freshman year, college at East Texas Baptist University, I was there, and I was thinking about playing collegiately, and they had said I could try to walk on, but none of them were like, hey, here's A big scholarship, you know, So I was wrestling with that.

Jared Greer [00:05:15]:

And the same time that I was making that decision, my friend was like, dude, you feel called to ministry? Why don't you just jump in? And so I applied at this little bitty church and they hired me as a freshman at college. Had like five students. I think one was the. The head deacon's son. Edward was the secretary's daughter. So it was like three students other than the staff, you know, so.

Christen Clark [00:05:35]:

Right.

Jared Greer [00:05:36]:

But got started as a youth pastor super young. And along the way I started watching American Ninja Warrior. I think before it was like on NBC, it was like on some G4 network or something.

Christen Clark [00:05:47]:

Oh, okay.

Jared Greer [00:05:48]:

Like back in the day. And so I would watch it and I'd think, I can do that, you know, But I had no idea, you know, like, I would sit on my couch, eat Doritos and Blue Bell ice cream, you know, and think, I could do that.

Christen Clark [00:05:59]:

Now I can tell you I've watched this show and I've never thought I can do that. No, I could fall into the pool. I could do that part.

Jared Greer [00:06:08]:

So it's not easy. And so I ultimately was like, I think I could do that. But just. That was a thought, you know, so. But then some of my students were like, hey, Jared, dude, have you seen American Digital Warrior? And I was like, yes. And they're like, you should try to be on that show. And I just kind of tucked that away. And then God moved me to another church, different group of students.

Jared Greer [00:06:28]:

You know, they had no idea that I'd had that conversation with other group. They're like, hey, have you seen American Ninja Warrior? I was like, yes. They're like, you should try to be on it. I was like, full. This is a sign from God, you know. So I just googled, how do you get on American Ninja Warriors? Like 2013. Okay, so a long time ago. And you have to send in a three minute submission video and show your ninja skills and your personality.

Jared Greer [00:06:51]:

Because a lot of it's. They want personality and story and they want to see that you're kind of athletic, you know. And so I send all that in crickets. I don't get picked, you know, So I just moved on. I think I just had my first son. And like, I just ate, you know, Like, I just was out of shape. And a year passed, I gained a pretty good bit of weight. And a year later, one of the producers from the show called me and said, hey, Jared, we liked you.

Jared Greer [00:07:17]:

Your video was kind of trash, but we liked you. And I Was like, do you just rub this in? You know, if they're like, no, but, bro, we like you. If you make a new video and it's better, we're gonna pick you. And I was like, let's go. So I hang up the phone, and I was like, that's awesome. And then I looked down and I was like, oh, shoot, I gotta lose some weight. And so I lost. No joke.

Jared Greer [00:07:38]:

Like, I lost 30 pounds in 30 days, which I would not advise because I was like, starving. But I had to do it quick. So I lost 30 pounds. I'm running, I'm training. But I had never been on a ninja warrior course ever. I just thought it looked cool. So I submit the video, and I ended up getting picked, and I was so excited. Like, I'm so pumped.

Jared Greer [00:07:58]:

So, yeah, I got selected. And then from there, it went about how you would expect it to go with no experience.

Christen Clark [00:08:04]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:08:06]:

My first round that I ever got to be on 2014, there's this giant log called the log grip. Maybe you've seen that, where you, like, hug this giant log. And I ride this log down the slider and it drops. And as it drops, I start to lose my grip. And usually you fall in water, right?

Christen Clark [00:08:24]:

Right.

Jared Greer [00:08:24]:

And so I. I realized, like, I don't land in the water because I slide down it. I land halfway on the. The platform, the mat, and I'm like, oh, I'm good. And I don't know if your listeners can relate to this, but, you know, I just had, like, a moment where I wasn't thinking, you know, adrenaline spikes and all that. So I was like, I'll just get up and move on. But the log had swung out. And so as I get up, the log swings back for the knockout.

Jared Greer [00:08:48]:

It knocks me in the water. Super embarrassing. And what do they show on tv? They show that clip, right?

Christen Clark [00:08:56]:

Yeah, they zoom in on that one. Right.

Jared Greer [00:08:58]:

The announcer's name is Matt Eisman. And he's like. And the log comes back for the knockout. And so that was my first experience on American Ninja Warrior.

Christen Clark [00:09:08]:

So you didn't, like, go to, like, a ninja gym or something like that to train or to learn?

Jared Greer [00:09:13]:

They didn't even have any back then. So, like, maybe in Houston that I live, you know, just south of Fort Worth. And so at that point, I was living near Dallas, and so they didn't have a gym that I was aware of. And so in Houston, they had one, but I didn't even know about it. So. Okay, you know, I'm doing pull ups. I'm running. I'm like, I want to do awesome.

Christen Clark [00:09:32]:

I'll be fine.

Jared Greer [00:09:33]:

Yeah. Not how it works. I showed up, and the guys have, like, 800 abs, and they're like, total train. And I'm just like this random youth pastor just jumping on this, you know?

Christen Clark [00:09:42]:

I love your confidence. I love that so much.

Jared Greer [00:09:46]:

Yeah. It just did not work out, but it was funny. And at the same time, like, I fell in love with the sport, you know? And then there was a gym that popped up in Dallas, and then I started going and started learning and feeling more confident doing local competitions. And the next season, I applied, thinking there's no way they're going to pick me. Yeah, but they did. They picked me. And I was just like, all right, I want to hit a buzzer. I want to tell the world about Jesus.

Jared Greer [00:10:12]:

You know, they have that, like, sideline interview, like, how are you so awesome? And I'm going to be like, Jesus, you know?

Christen Clark [00:10:18]:

Yes.

Jared Greer [00:10:19]:

But that's not what happened. I got one obstacle further, and I tripped and I fell, and I was like, ah. And so, you know, along the way, maybe, you know, like, people can understand, like, you know, you can set out for these goals and you think that it's going to go perfect, but that's not life, you know?

Christen Clark [00:10:32]:

Right.

Jared Greer [00:10:33]:

You know, my friend Daniel, he's won the whole stinking show. Like, some people are just born to be the best, you know, but, like, yeah, the rest of us average people, you know, like, we can hold it down. And so, like, I want to be excellent. I want to do the best with everything that God's given me. But, you know, sometimes we trip, you know, Literally, what I did on the third obstacle, my second attempt was I just. I tripped on the show, and it is what it is, you know, And I fell, and I was like, man, you know, what do you do when you fall? You get back up. And I just keep getting back up and saying, okay, God, how can you use my failures for your glory? How can you use success for your glory? Whatever happens, First Corinthians 10:31, whether you're eating or drinking or whatever you're doing, do it all for the glory of God.

Christen Clark [00:11:09]:

That's so good. And I think, too, you know, it's good to have a passion to win or to be a champion or to hit the buzzer. But I think when we do that, we hold that with open hands, knowing that, you know, what I want, what God wants and whatever he wants best, I'm gonna work for that, and I'm gonna Train hard, and I'm gonna do it to the best of my ability, but having this open hands to say, but it's still in God's hands, whatever happens. So that's good that that's how you approached it. How many times have you been on American enjoyer?

Jared Greer [00:11:40]:

So 2014, 15, 19. And then this upcoming season, I got back, and so this will be my fourth time on. It'll be. I believe the episode will be June 23rd.

Christen Clark [00:11:52]:

Okay. Now, how was that after not doing it for so many years? What. What was that?

Jared Greer [00:11:58]:

Yeah, so the first time, you know, fell on the giant log. The second time, I tripped on another log. And so, like, so then 2019, like, there was a gap there, right? Like, so 2015-19, I hadn't been on. And so what I did in between. And I'll. I'll answer your question. The long answer is, like, in between, I. I was like, man, I didn't get picked, but I love this.

Jared Greer [00:12:20]:

And I had heard that you could be a course tester. So I emailed the challenge producer, and I. I was like, hey, can I come be a tester? And he said, yes. And so I stayed involved. You know, like, instead of, like, you know, if God was calling me to move on, I would have just moved on, but I just fell in love with it, and I thought, maybe there's a way to use this for ministry and just a. A way to just, you know, do this thing. And so I. I became a tester.

Jared Greer [00:12:43]:

And so 2016, 17, 18, I was a tester just getting to try obstacles. It's being a crash dummy, basically. Like, you're just like, is this too hard? Is it too easy? And the producers are helping figure out, you know, using you to figure out if it's the right course.

Christen Clark [00:12:57]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:12:58]:

And so I did that. So then 2019, I got back on, and every time I've been on, I get one obstacle further. So the second, third, fourth. There's six obstacles on the first round. That's where you can hit the buzzer after the warped wall.

Christen Clark [00:13:10]:

So.

Jared Greer [00:13:11]:

So then, you know, there's this hiatus from 2015-19. But then 2019 to 2024 is when we filmed. You know, it was. It was crazy. And this time, I was the first competitor of the season, like, filming. So the nerves and the weight.

Christen Clark [00:13:25]:

Oh, wow.

Jared Greer [00:13:26]:

Was wild. But I just went into it saying, you know, this range of emotion of being a human, like, I'm anxious. I'm freaking out. Oh, my gosh.

Christen Clark [00:13:33]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:13:34]:

And then I'm like, no, I Have peace from Jesus. And so. But the moment I stepped on that stage, I had that peace, and I just full sent it and went for it.

Christen Clark [00:13:42]:

That's amazing. And can you tell us how you did on this? I'm not allowed to see this. Okay. I was like, exclusive information.

Jared Greer [00:13:49]:

Yeah. I'm so. I'm so proud of it, though. I'm so happy. At the end of the day, like, they're definitely gonna feature me and my story. I do some trick shots, and then they're also. They said they're gonna feature the ministry. And so that's what's so cool to me, is that we get to hopefully get to proclaim the love and the goodness and the hope we find in Jesus on NBC and Peacock.

Jared Greer [00:14:10]:

So, I mean, how cool is that?

Christen Clark [00:14:11]:

That's amazing. I think that's awesome. And I can't wait to watch your episode. That's gonna be so cool. Now tell me about this ministry you started a ministry called Overcoming Obstacles, and you get to just take your. Your obstacle course all over the country. Is that what you're doing?

Jared Greer [00:14:25]:

Yeah, that's what we do. So, you know, working as a youth pastor until 2018 and along the way, like, competing on the show, I was like, man, how cool would it be to, like, give people a live American Ninja Warrior type of experience and then let everybody play on this course and then press pause and then explain the gospel and just say, hey, the biggest obstacle we're going to face in life is sin. And that none of us can overcome that on our own. But that Jesus came down. He lived the life we could never live. He died the death we deserve to die. He rose from the dead. And if you'll turn from your sin and believe in Jesus, you'll be forgiven.

Jared Greer [00:14:59]:

Have everlasting life. Life. And so I love declaring the gospel. I love just trying to make it clear for kids, teens. And so we. We created this experience. And. And my dad and I, we just built, like, this wooden structure, and we took it.

Jared Greer [00:15:13]:

We had an event at my church that Daniel Gill spoke at, and it was great. And then I did a few events for some other churches. You know, sometimes, no offense, youth pastors, but we're not always very smart. And I call. I called my youth pastor buddies. I was like, hey, I got this idea. Can I come test it on your group? And they're like, yeah, let's go. I go, go do some events, and five teenagers give their life to Jesus.

Christen Clark [00:15:35]:

Wow.

Jared Greer [00:15:35]:

Let's go. And so I was like, man, maybe this could be a Thing. And so, I mean, at the beginning, we had, like, no, nothing professional. It was all, like, mattresses covered in tarps and like this, you know, this crazy experience. But it was fun and it was great. And every event went really good. And so these guys in my church believed in the mission. They believed in the concept.

Jared Greer [00:15:56]:

And God put me in a church with this guy who builds parks and playgrounds all over the Dallas area. So he was like, dude, I want to make you some stuff. He made me a salmon ladder. He made me a warped. A 15 foot warped wall.

Christen Clark [00:16:09]:

Whoa.

Jared Greer [00:16:10]:

He gave it to me. Another guy in my church built this structure for, like, swinging on rings and stuff. Gave it to me, and we just slowly started building it out. In every event, almost every event, people receive Jesus. And we're like, this is so awesome.

Christen Clark [00:16:22]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:16:23]:

And so 2017, I formed a nonprofit, Overcoming Obstacles Ministries. And in 2018, I felt led to go full time. And also my wife was like, all right, I think you're right. Let's do this full time.

Christen Clark [00:16:37]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:16:37]:

So we took the jump. We stayed in our community, at our church. We still live in Grandview, Texas, to this day to where we can, like, serve at our church and be there. But they are our support system. And so, yeah, we've been doing events for 10 years. We've done 500, over 500 events. We have seen over 180,000 people play on our courses and hear the gospel, and we've seen over 4,100 people receive Jesus. And so it's just been awesome.

Jared Greer [00:17:06]:

It's been a cool journey.

Christen Clark [00:17:07]:

That's very cool. So what is it like? Like, when you're coming in, do you set it up at a church or a school, like in the parking lot or can you do it indoors?

Jared Greer [00:17:16]:

Yes, we do outdoor, indoor. And so now our course is not mattresses and tarps.

Christen Clark [00:17:21]:

That's good things.

Jared Greer [00:17:22]:

Not wood. Now we're, like, super professional. We look a lot actual show.

Christen Clark [00:17:26]:

Okay.

Jared Greer [00:17:27]:

So we bring, like, aluminum truss frames and all, you know, soft play stuff. And so we'll have, like, there's an event going on today. I train other people to lead events as well. I lead about half of our events. And so what we'll do is we have stuff that's like ranges for preschool kids all the way up to, you know, the. The real deal. Salmon ladder, warped wall. And so everybody can play.

Jared Greer [00:17:45]:

So what we do, we'll come in a day before we'll build the course. Two people from our staff come, and then we partner with, like, eight volunteers from the Church. And so we'll build it. And that's a whole, you know, ministry construction experience in and of itself. But then the next day, usually it's like a, you know, two to three hour event where everybody can just play and then we'll demonstrate. So, like, we'll try to show off a little bit and just get everybody hyped up and then we'll pause and then we'll share the message and then have a response time, have a response team, you know, from the local congregation to be able to follow up and then everybody can go back to playing. So a lot of our events are like that. I also preach disciple Nows and camps and be like the camp pastor.

Jared Greer [00:18:26]:

And so we'll have a. We'll theme it out overcoming obstacles for the whole experience. And it's just been. It's been so cool.

Christen Clark [00:18:32]:

That's amazing. I love that. What do you think is your favorite event or obstacle that you have to do on the show or at your events?

Jared Greer [00:18:41]:

So I'm 37, so, like, I'm starting to get a little old, you know what I'm saying? For being a ninja warrior. Right. And so. But I still love it. I love the warped wall. And I've had some Achilles issues. I've never. I've never tore it and I pray I never do, but I've had it, so I've had to overcome that.

Jared Greer [00:18:57]:

And so being able, like yesterday I was running a warped wall and I'm like, so grateful that I have enough health to do it. And so, yeah, I love running up a warped wall. I love, like, just still being able to do it. I've been doing this 10 years and so it's a lot of fun.

Christen Clark [00:19:09]:

That's really cool. Are there any events that you're, like, afraid of or they make you extra nervous when you see them coming up?

Jared Greer [00:19:17]:

Yeah. So I think any ninja would answer that by saying that the only obstacle that scares them is doing that obstacle the first try.

Christen Clark [00:19:27]:

Oh.

Jared Greer [00:19:27]:

If that makes sense. Right. So like, on the show, you don't get to try these obstacles. Like, what you see on TV is everybody's first run.

Christen Clark [00:19:33]:

Oh. So they don't get like a practice or like a run through. Oh, bummer.

Jared Greer [00:19:37]:

You watch one tester and they give you the rules and then it's your turn, you know? And so, like, I think I can beat most any obstacle. I'm sure there's some things I cannot beat, but, like, I can beat a lot of stuff, but first try is really hard to do. So.

Christen Clark [00:19:50]:

Yeah. Especially if you haven't done it before.

Jared Greer [00:19:52]:

And you don't know, you don't even know what the course is going to be. You might kind of hear something here or there, but you don't know until you get there. And so 10 years ago I fell on that log and so one of the reasons I think they brought me back this season, I had to reface that log. So that's your, that's your, your commercial.

Christen Clark [00:20:09]:

Redemption.

Jared Greer [00:20:10]:

Redemption. And yeah, it was super nerve wracking to, to. I mean, this is a sermon, right? Like you have to face your past. I had to face my past and look at it right in the face. But I was like, let's go.

Christen Clark [00:20:21]:

And so now I love that you were talking about something that you just love to do is sharing the gospel. And I know, you know, you have this amazing platform that you get to share the gospel with, the Overcoming Obstacles course and you get to do all these things. But I think there's lots of times where we get to share the gospel just in our everyday life with our friend or something. So would you just kind of share a little bit about how our listeners today could get better at sharing the gospel? Cause I think some people, I'm one of those people, it makes me a little nervous, honestly, to share the gospel with someone. What would be your advice for them?

Jared Greer [00:20:55]:

That's such a good question. You know, I think that first and foremost, just, just making sure you, you just know the basic components of the gospel. You know, knowing that God exists, knowing that God loves you, knowing that everything God does is driven by love. And then understanding just the basic Genesis 1 through 3, you know, that God created everything, he made us in his image, everything was good. But then when sin entered the world, that sin led us out of God's design into brokenness. And that we cannot resolve that on our own. And so I think just knowing those basic components, you know, God is real, God loves us. Sin entered the world.

Jared Greer [00:21:32]:

Sin led us into brokenness. And now we're separated from God. I was raised like learning the Romans road, you know, and that's kind of always in my mind when I'm trying to share the gospel is like kind of a road map to say, you know, Romans 3, 23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6, 23, the wages or the consequence of sin is death. And so I know I've sinned, we've all sinned. There's a consequence for that. Then to go back to Romans 5, 8, that God showed his love in this way that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. And so we've sinned, we deserve punishment.

Jared Greer [00:22:06]:

But Jesus came and took that punishment. And then Jesus rose from the dead and he offers to all of us forgiveness. And, and God's given us free will, you know, and so we can choose to, to go down our own path and, and try to figure things out on our own, or we can listen to what Jesus said. Jesus said that, you know, with two words is how he described to receive the good news, the gospel, to repent and believe. And so I just, I think just learning those basic components and mastering that just for yourself, that you know the gospel and that you've received Jesus, that you have him in your life and that you've truly repented, you know, you've changed your mind, you don't want to go your way anymore, you want to turn and follow Jesus. And then I've heard people talk about the word believe with three components. The first is to hear the information about God. The second is to agree with it.

Jared Greer [00:22:55]:

And I think a lot of people stop there, you know, they hear that information, they agree with it mentally. But then the last component is like to trust, to actually take a step. And that's, you know, through a prayer, just calling upon the name of Jesus to be forgiven. And so I think, you know, somebody wants to have that conversation then just really studying the gospel, maybe spending a month just trying to master it yourself and then just talk about it with your spouse, talk about it at home, talk about it with your kids. Like I have two kids and just, you know, I'm a, I was a youth pastor and then I'm sitting there with my four and my five and six year old kids when they're really little, trying to figure out how do I do this, you know, like how do I share with them. And I think just share out of the overflow of your relationship with Jesus seems to, to be what has worked best for me, you know, like just to, to you're reading the Bible and just talk about it, you read it with them. And I think that naturally the more you talk about it, just like anything else with Ninja Warrior, anything, like the more you do something, the better you're going to get. And so.

Christen Clark [00:23:50]:

Right.

Jared Greer [00:23:51]:

I think make it part of your rhythm, you know, that's good.

Christen Clark [00:23:54]:

I think for me it's really easy to tune out when I hear somebody else sharing the gospel. Like in, you know, in the church service, end of the service, they're sharing the gospel for people. And I've just been challenged recently to think about, instead of tuning out first, to listen to how that person is sharing the gospel, because that's a great way for me to learn what I need to say next time. But two, to appreciate what Christ has done for us. So when we listen to somebody else share the gospel, even though we've already accepted it. I've been a Christian for many years. I got saved when I was very young. And so I.

Christen Clark [00:24:27]:

I've listened to a lot of gospel messages and just to be able to listen and appreciate. Listen to what God has done for me through Jesus and that I can still trust in him no matter what. And so I think that that's just so important for people that are trying to learn more about sharing the gospel with their friends or their family, just to listen and to just thank God for what he's done for us. Because the gospel is still good news, even if you already believe it's still good news.

Jared Greer [00:24:53]:

Yeah, absolutely. I guess people who've grown up in the church or whatever, you can. You can grow accustomed to just kind of, oh, here's the end of the service. Here's the gospel. I know that, you know, check. I've graduated, but we never graduate from the gospel, Right?

Christen Clark [00:25:07]:

That's right.

Jared Greer [00:25:07]:

It saved us in the beginning, that spiritual birth. But he's still saving us and still sanctifying us, making us new people. And so, yeah, it should excite you every time you hear it.

Christen Clark [00:25:16]:

Yeah. And I love that you said, just sharing from the overflow of your own relationship with God. So as you're learning more about God, to share that with others, even if they don't believe. Just this is something I'm learning about my relationship with God. And I think you're gonna be surprised at how much people respond to that just because they're hearing your personal connection to it versus, like, here's all of the verses I've memorized from the book. You know, like, that's. They. They can hear that too.

Christen Clark [00:25:41]:

But I think those personal connections to your story are gonna make such a big impact.

Jared Greer [00:25:46]:

Yeah. I was listening to a podcast today as pastor. I love to follow. You know, he was asked like, hey, what's the greatest leadership tip you've heard? You've been around all these amazing leaders, and he was like, really? Just that your walk with Jesus is the most important thing. He's like, that's. That's the most important thing. Like, if we can keep that at the forefront of our lives, then, you know, there are other things we have to figure out, but, like, they'll fall into place. I mean, Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Jared Greer [00:26:15]:

And all these things will be added unto you if we just don't get the. The just walk with Jesus part right. And keep that first and foremost. Like, everything else hinges on that. And so. Yeah, I just think that's just so vital.

Christen Clark [00:26:27]:

Absolutely. So good. Well, this has been so great, Jared. Thank you so much for sharing your story and for talking about evangelism. I think that that's so important for us to keep in the forefront of our minds and to keep sharing and to be praying for you and your ministry as you're sharing the gospel. We can definitely be doing that. Tell us how we can find out more about overcoming obstacles.

Jared Greer [00:26:47]:

Yeah, you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, just overcoming obstacles Ministries. And then I do trick shots, and we're just launching the trick shot Ninja TikTok. And so. Okay, that'd be a fun follow. And so all the people who like, dude, perfect, and all those things, all you preteen boys, you should follow that. And it's gonna be a lot of fun. But then also, our website is obstacleministry.com and you can check out all the different courses we have. We're based in Texas, but we've literally been in 19 states.

Jared Greer [00:27:20]:

And we'd love to just go any and everywhere and whatever opportunities there for us to share Jesus with kids, you.

Christen Clark [00:27:26]:

Know, I love that. Thank you. And I'll definitely be putting the links for that in our show notes. So if you want to learn more about this ministry, you can go to our show notes and click on those links and check that out. So thanks for sharing that. All right, before I let you go, I always ask my guests to tell me a memory from when they were a kid. So what do you want to share with us today?

Jared Greer [00:27:45]:

All right, so when I was growing up, my dad worked at a Christian radio station in the Houston area, so we grew up in the Houston area. And so he would get these media passes to go to Houston Astro games. And so it was pretty cool because I just felt like we were, like, super special. We could go up in the press box.

Christen Clark [00:28:03]:

Oh, cool.

Jared Greer [00:28:03]:

And we could, like, get free peanuts. And, you know, not just the Snickers, but a Snickers ice cream bar. Like, that's threat there.

Christen Clark [00:28:12]:

Yeah.

Jared Greer [00:28:12]:

And so we'd go up there and get free stuff. It was awesome. So that was super cool. But I remember one time we went and it was like the run the bases Night. And so I got to go on the Astrodome turf and run the bases. Me and my, my sister and my older sister has no interest in sports, so she didn't run the base. But me and my other sister, we, we ran the bases. And I just like, I remember that, like, I can smell it, you know, like, it was like such a tangible cool experience because I was like die hard baseball fan and so super special times with my dad and my whole family.

Jared Greer [00:28:42]:

But also just like that was, that was awesome. I'll never forget.

Christen Clark [00:28:45]:

Yeah, that's amazing. And you got free food.

Jared Greer [00:28:47]:

Yeah, can't beat that.

Christen Clark [00:28:50]:

That's right. That's so good. Well, Jared, thank you so much for being on the show today and sharing. This was great.

Jared Greer [00:28:55]:

Yeah, thank you for having me.

Christen Clark [00:29:05]:

Oh, that was so fun. Okay, seriously, how many of you have watched this show or a very athletic obstacle course show like American Ninja Warrior and thought, yeah, I could do that? Definitely not me. I have not had those thoughts. Jared had such an amazing attitude. He always thought, how can I use my failures for God's glory? And how can he use my successes for his glory? What a great way to look at it. He also said, it's good to want to strive to be the best and have goals and do everything with excellence and. But sometimes we mess up or we make a mistake or we fail. And that's okay.

Christen Clark [00:29:40]:

That's part of life. And it's about what you do next. It's about how you get back up. I thought it was so cool how people in Jared's church and his youth pastor friends were willing to help him start this ministry and donate supplies and resources for him to create a ninja obstacle course that he travels the country with sharing the gospel. I am really excited that we get to see Jared's comeback story this year. And just like he had to face his past failure with the log, we also are going to be in situations where we have to face the past or face things that scare us. But we just have to remember that God is with us always. And just like Jared reminded us, the more we practice sharing the gospel and telling others about what we believe, the easier it will be.

Christen Clark [00:30:25]:

Even though sharing the gospel might seem nerve wracking, it's something that we are all called to do. So it's so important. If you'd like to learn more about Jared and his ministry, overcoming obstacles, and maybe if they're going to be at a location near you, just head over to his website, obstacleministry.com you can also find him on YouTube at Overcoming Obstacles. And if you enjoyed today's episode and you want to hear more about American Ninja Warrior, you can listen to my other episode where I got to interview Daniel Gill, who is also on the show. That was in episode 167. All right, well, now it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show. This is our family discussion segment. This is where I ask a few fun and thoughtful questions to help you keep the conversation going.

Christen Clark [00:31:12]:

Now, you can pause after each question and talk about it now, or listen to the questions all together and then chat about them later. Whatever works best for your family. So let's talk about it. Number one, Jared talked about facing failure and getting back up. Can you think of a time when you failed at something? How did you respond and what did you learn from it? Number two, Jared had to train hard and be brave to try out for American Ninja Warrior. What's a new skill or challenge you'd like to try, even if it might feel a little scary? And number three, speaking of scary, sharing the gospel can feel scary sometimes. What is one small way you can practice telling someone about Jesus this week? Well, I hope those questions spark some great conversations with your family. If you love today's episode, be sure to follow us on social media and share this with someone who might need to hear it.

Christen Clark [00:32:09]:

And check out collidekidspodcast.com for more episodes, family resources and ways to grow in your faith together. And hey kids, if you want to be on the next season of the podcast, I would love to hear you tell a joke or a Bible verse or an encouraging quote or sing a song. You can share all these on our Kids Only segment which has moved to our YouTube channel. So just head over to our website collidekidspodcast.com and you can learn more about that while you're there. Sign up for the monthly newsletter and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the full interview from today's episode. If you want to support the show, a great way to do that is to leave a rating and a review. It really does help more families find us. You can also shop through our Amazon link or send a little love through Buy Me a Coffee.

Christen Clark [00:32:56]:

All those links are on our website. And most of all, I just want to say thank you for your prayers and your support and being a part of this amazing journey with us this season. It's been so fun. I am looking forward to more great things next season. We have a few more episodes, so stay tuned, keep following, keep subscribing and in case no one has told you today, I would love to be the first to remind you that God loves you so very much. Thanks for listening.