Phil
INTAKE
What success couldn’t give me
The Weight I Couldn’t Carry
I was brought up in a Christian home, effectively lived from my parent’s faith, believing Christianity to be a religion not a faith, a duty with good morals.
Spent my childhood fearful of more or less everything so decided to get big and strong, just like the actions heroes of the 90s.
When I was 22 years old my best friend committed suicide. This set me on a path of bitterness and anger. If there was a God He was a cruel God who didn’t care. This was my opportunity to go and see what the world had to offer.
Listen to Phil’s story in this podcast here:
I fully turned my back on any form of Christianity.
I always wanted to be a police officer, but when I achieved that goal at 21 years old I realised the thirst I had wasn’t quenched by my career.
So, I looked to another goal; buy a house and settle down with a woman. The world told me these are the things that will satisfy you. It didn’t.
I then started on my strongman path. Left the police and opened my own gym and security firm. This was an achievement that fulfilled me... For a short amount of time.
I managed to progress my career right to England’s Strongest man in 2017, I competed nationally and on the international circuit, I was well known and respected. The excitement only lasted a short time after each competition. The more I achieved the emptier I felt. Was this it?
One fateful night in 2019 at Britains Strongest man I dropped an 160kg atlas stone on my leg and absolutely crushed it, the bone snapped in half it sounded like a huge branch breaking off a tree in a storm.
I was told by doctors that I may lose my leg.
This made me realise that life was so delicate and everything that I had built could come crashing down in an instant. Thankfully my leg was saved. Shortly after the most painful day of my life both physically and mentally I found Jesus.
Not just Jesus as a stranger who set a bunch of good morals that lived 2000 years ago, 2000 miles away. I accepted Him in my heart.
Jesus is alive and lives in me. This changed the worst time in my life to the most pivotal.
Everything changed from the inside out. I am never alone and I can look in the mirror actually liking myself. Life is not easy, life never has been easy, but now I am never alone and my Father in heaven walks through every trial, joy and sadness with me. He never fails to drag me through the other side, a changed man, an improved man.
