today on the difference Matt and I sit

down with the one and only Tadashi as he

shares his story find out how you can

learn to hear God’s voice and discover

his calling in your life you’re watching

the

[Music]

difference welcome to the difference

joining us today is artist musician and

public speaker Tadashi he’s a rapper

podcast host and founding member of

Reach Records 116 movement moreover he’s

a husband and a father we are delighted

to have him on the program welcome

Tadashi tashi’s great to see you so good

to see you guys thank you for having me

on Texans glad to have you back in San

Antonio yes listen it’s always good to

be back home in Texas so did you always

know that you wanted to be in music or

how did you start this as a child no no

no no I was I was a born bred Texan

through and through so football was what

I wanted to do like my entire life I

tell everybody my family are military

educators are both most of them were

Army a lot of them became teachers or

they were just went straight into

education and uh even though that’s the

case my first gift that I remember

getting was a football it was it was put

on me early in life you’re going to play

football uh so I played Junior High High

School uh I went to Baylor and uh played

football there walked on to the team and

I was like this is going to be my life

um but after getting injured in college

from playing football

music was kind of the thing that

consoled me it was like okay I’m just

going to make mess around and make music

for fun because this is taking my mind

off the things that I really want but

can’t have and it kind of became the

next passion if you will people hear

football was my life and and I think

sometimes they don’t understand how much

of a false identity that can be W you

know because I I I have a 17-year-old

old son okay and he’s right in the

middle of it

and you’re like you know even at its

most elaborate and and extravagant

outcome you know Tom Brady no longer

plays football no longer does and he’s

got a life that he’s going to live after

football yes now what now what and when

you invest so much of yourself into

something like that you come to a point

where you say well what is my identity

who am I very much and even in this case

you know music but also back to your

name Tadashi yes you know I mean there’s

a purpose being on Friday night Saturday

Sunday whatever night of the week you’re

playing on right what does the name

Tadashi mean yeah okay good question

good question I get this question a lot

so this is good uh so my name Tadashi is

actually my real name it’s my birth name

uh it’s the name that my mom gave me and

it means faithful right or true it’s a

Japanese word okay uh I am not Japanese

at all mama said this is you surprised

like Mom but I my mom M my dad they were

all military and I think that might have

been where they heard the name so uh

they fell in love with it and so I

honestly think God had a plan that’s

what I tell people I’m like God had a

plan cuz that’s literally what I feel

like my life has been is to fight to be

a person that’s faithful righteous and

Tru it’s kind of that Jeremiah 15 kind

of thing before I formed you in the womb

I knew you I knew you that’s it that’s

it and even gave you not only a name

that had an ordained purpose to it but a

unique thing that would distinguish you

very much so very much so you stand out

a lot when your name is Tadashi

kindergarten kids are mean when they

can’t say I was like I used to be like

Lord I wish my name was David please

help me Mike why couldn’t I be Mike like

forever it took forever for me to fall

in love with my name but now I love it

well Heggy’s kind of got that same thing

to it because nobody knows how they’re

like he G

HJ yeah i’ just wait till they got to

the hes and I’d be like it’s my

turn you got to let it be known Y and

then ghee like butter when the

substitute comes in I know to just get

ready to help so when when you realized

football was over right and music is

something that you’re kind of using to

cope with the void you know it’s filling

the vacuum it is at what point did you

go I might be able to do something with

this the very nature of playing a sport

and wanting to be excellent at it

demands a level of commitment to it but

at a young age commitment looks like

identity it’s it’s hard to differentiate

between the two I’m so committed to this

thing that I have to make it who I am in

order for it to really matter and I did

that early on in my life and I was like

okay football is everything to me so I

am football this is who I am what am I

what am I separate from it no clue but I

never want to think that way because

that may hinder my progress to getting

to my goal of what I really want so

ultimately it became a part of my

identity like you said fast forward a

few years I’m living in Dallas and I’m

on staff at a church and one of the guys

that led me to the Lord was very

instrumental instrumental in like

getting me to do music uhuh he said why

don’t you start writing this stuff down

and we’ll see what it sounds like so I

did I started doing that and um years

ago even at Baylor he convinced me to do

it and from there my spiritual father

kept saying man you should keep doing it

keep doing it keep doing it I ended up

going to Dallas and that’s when I

connected with friends uh lrae tripley

sh baraca a ton of other people and

eventually k and we all started doing

music together and um what what impacted

us the most being College college

students who wanted to share the gospel

Romans 1:16 says for I am unashamed of

the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the

power of God unto salvation for all who

would believe First to the Jew then to

the Gentile that verse as a young adult

in college was it galvanized our our

mission to go out and be unashamed and

we wanted to preach that message to

Christians and share the gospel and the

good news of Christ with non-believers

and let it be known this is a good thing

this is good news we are going to be

unamed of this good news and out of that

honest that campus ministry came us

doing music and then eventually doing

the whole label and 116 movement for

those of you who would like to find out

more about Tadashi I want to encourage

you to take a look at this music video

I’m good

[Music]

ain’t stressing ain’t stressing now

feeling real good about life a blessing

been a blessing

now learn these things through the pain

and The Strife when you move when you

move on when you climb those had to

climb there’s a mountain in the way

every time but

I oh I’m

good in mycket I’m good try to get me

caught up I’m good and I ain’t never

going back cuz I’m good yeah I’m good

yeah I’m good and if they want it they

can get it I’m good tell them man I’m

coming with it I’m good and if they

think that I’m quitted I’m good I’m good

I’m good I’m good I’m good I’m

good I’m good I’m I’m

good good keep it pushing I ain’t moving

back learn my lesson I’m done with all

that new ways call for better

days wipe out but you got to learn to

ride the wave I’ve had my whole change

over a phone call what can happen we

really don’t know all that matters is

that you don’t keep pushing on and on

I’m good $2 in my pocket I’m good they

trying to get me caught up I’m good and

I ain’t never going back cuz I’m good

yeah I’m good yeah I’m good and if they

want it they can get it I’m good

tell them I’m coming with it I’m good

and if they think that I’m quit it I’m

good I’m good I’m sometimes I

get but you got to keep your head

up don’t you up up not be a quitter

quitter it’s good all good made it

through things I never thought I would

they never thought I could but now I

know I know I’m good $2 in my pocket I’m

good they trying to get me caught up I’m

good and I ain’t never going back cuz

I’m good yeah I’m good yeah I’m good and

if they want it they can get it I’m good

tell them man I’m coming with it I’m

good and if they think that I’m quit it

I’m good I’m good I’m

[Music]

good I’m I’m good I’m

I’m

I’m the story continues when we

return scripture is filled with promises

with every promise there’s our part and

God’s part God cannot do his part until

we do ours are you currently facing a

crisis is life more challenging than

it’s ever been stop trying to handle

your situation in the natural when God

is telling you to turn it over to him

this month for any gift and support of

the ministry we will send you our

specially designed sanctuary of Hope

thank you cards and Christmas cards and

for your generous gift of $125 or more

today we have a collection of resources

ready to send you as our thank you the

collection includes a custommade power

mug including a sign copy of absolute

power and the scripture filled promise

problem provision devotional as well as

the Timeless power to prosper by by

Pastor John and pastor Matt receive

these along with the sanctuary of Hope

thank you and Christmas cards for your

home or office or give them to a loved

one send your best gift today call the

number on screen or visit us today at

jhm.org

Prosper welcome back to the difference

Kendall and I have been joined by our

guest and friend Tadashi something that

you mentioned just before we went to the

break you had a spiritual father yes

that was encouraging you yes to do what

you do mhm how important was that as a

young

believer um it was very important I

don’t I don’t know if I can stress very

enough all caps on very like very

important that I had someone in my life

like that encouraging me toward the

things of God um a friend of mine said

he I say A friend of mine it’s actually

the same person he communicated to me he

said often times when you are in this

world you’re you’re floating in the

ocean of this world and it’s easy to

drift if you’re not giving direction to

your life it’s easy to drift and this

world’s natural current is to make you

drift toward the things of Darkness the

things of evil so you have to be putting

in effort to move away from those things

to get closer to God he was doing things

like getting me to do music having me

write songs about God like that was his

way of making me paddle towards

something of Distinction in that from

one generation to the next Romans 1:16

you can’t get any more foundational than

that I am not ashamed to the gospel you

know Paul was saying that in the first

century yes young people are saying that

in this Century but it takes one

generation to the next to continually

encourage hey if that’s what you’re not

ashamed of shine that’s it you know

shine in the gift and the talent that

you’ve got so that it can be used for

God’s glory amen Psalm 145 is a Psalm I

read every time before I go on stage and

it says in that one generation will

heral to the next it will it will shout

to the Next Generation your goodness oh

God and that is what motivates me when I

get on stage I want that in my mind on

my spirit I want that word in me to know

I am heralding forth the good news of

the Gospel to another generation who has

not heard it yeah and in a way that’s

the Lord speaking to you through his

written word yes but one of the things

that you share on is is how individuals

can know that God is speak speaking to

them in their life how do you define

that one of the things that I believe is

clear in scripture is that God was

always willing to use individuals and he

was always willing to engage you

directly based on what you were involved

in so I found myself trying to be

sensitive to the words of people who

love me and I trust to come into my life

and and speak a word and then I also

recognize there is a if I’m attuned to

it enough enough there is a particular

pattern God has always engaged Me by in

my life for me personally it’s always

been a genuine deep conviction over

something I I am aware when I’m drifting

because of the conviction that just

shows up by the power of the spirit the

Holy Spirit don’t play I’m like okay

Lord I I Feel You Lord time to time to

break this friendship off or time to

stop hanging with this group or okay you

know what lord it’s it’s no TV today I’m

going to just get in word cuz I feel

what is happening by the power of the

spirit so I’m moving on but being it’s

being sensitive enough to pay attention

to the the means by which God will

engage you for some it’s dreams for some

for some it’s U God is gracious enough

to always send a rama word like right in

the moment when you need it but for me I

knew it was conviction you one of the

things I struggled with when I was a kid

coming up in churches you hear somebody

say the Lord has spoken to me and I’m

waiting for Charlton hon to you know be

like God said you know and and and and

then you know in in reading the story of

of young Samuel in in the temple yes you

know he hears the voice of God and twice

goes to the wrong guy goes to the wrong

guy he goes to Eli and he’s like hey did

you call me and the reason that he went

to the wrong guy is because he didn’t

know what God’s voice sounded like right

and then it clicked in my own life where

I was like Lord have you spoken to me

and I don’t know what you sound like you

know I mean I know what my dad sounds

like crowed if he walked in here right

now be like he’s over there you know

because I can feel it you know and so I

had to learn how to develop those

spiritual senses to be like okay God’s

speaking to me and and if he’s speaking

to me in the positive yeah I know it’s

him because it’s the last thing that I

would naturally do yes very much so

that’s a great way to say when when I

hear somebody say hey we should do this

and all a sudden I’m like yeah we should

I’m like wait what that ain’t me that is

it exactly cuz Matt doesn’t want to do

that Matt wants to do the opposite of

that so I’m like all right that must be

a God thing or if it’s on that

conviction side for me it’s like almost

like an illness hits my stomach you know

I mean it’s like if you eat bad food and

you’re like I don’t feel good and and

there’s no reason for me not to feel

good but it’s just like God saying hey

you feel that that’s going to be you

spiritually if you don’t get away from

this come on break this down pastor Matt

come on break this down that’s that’s

what I’m talking about with conviction

that that listen you just hit the nail

on the head brother that’s awesome if I

can piggy back off of that and add one

thing for me personally and maybe other

people are like this there was such a

low view of myself in life at some point

I didn’t believe God wanted to speak to

me so like Samuel I’m like well clearly

you’re you’re talking to Eli he’s the

man why would you ever talk to l l me

who am I who am I that you would ever

want to talk with me and so often times

we have to start recognizing no I’m your

child too you do speak to the people who

lead the flock but I’m your child too

it’s that godfidence thing yes

godfidence yeah man that’s it when we

come back we’re going to discuss how God

can take all of the fragments and pieces

of your life The Good the Bad and the

Ugly and use it for his purpose to shape

your life and give his Kingdom Glory

you’re watching the difference we’re

with Tadashi we’ll be back in just a

moment

I’m so grateful that I chose

differently I’m so happy that I chose

you I get to see you become the person

God intended you to be thank you heggy

Ministry Legacy Partners there has never

been a better time to share the love of

Christ with a mother and a child then

right now when you partner with haggy

Ministries your legacy impacts lives and

transforms a nation call today or go to

jhm.org

partner e

yeah man that’s it you know so whenever

you walk through life and circumstances

and situations uh you know one of the

things that happened to you recently is

is you took a real misstep what happened

yeah

manoo um so last year on tour uh we were

in the last City for the tour uh Orlando

Florida and uh it was the tour with the

label so all nine of us are out and

backstage this is The Big Show this is

The Big Show and this was the big finale

we all go out together and so it’s pitch

black behind stage I’m walking trying to

navigate my way and you know we’ve we’ve

done 30 other shows so I kind of know

the the layout but you got hard cases

you got wires you got it’s a Minefield

and it’s a Minefield and so I I trip

over a wire my foot hits a case my other

foot hits the base of the iron pipe or

Pole holding the screen up no I fall and

I think oh I’ll catch myself so I put my

hands out to catch myself but football

players know how to fall cuz we know how

to fall yeah we know how to roll we know

how to roll I know how to get around it

I’m like I’ll be okay and so when I fell

and put my hands out I did not realize

the pole for the screen was right in

front of me so I I face first into the

pole I hit my forehead and then that

like you know almost made me lose

Consciousness I hit the ground right at

which point you’re wishing you had right

I wish oh my Lord I want to go out and

then I go down to the ground but I don’t

land on the floor I my face lands on the

base of the pole that holds the screen

so now I have hit my forehead and my eye

um I lacerated my forehead lacerated my

eye I ended up getting rushed to the

emergency room uh nine stitches under my

eye 12 stitches in my forehead now tell

me we stopped the song oh no that the

show kept going yeah the show kept going

now this is the worst part I tried to

run on stage but I couldn’t see myself I

didn’t know that I was I was cut and

bleeding I didn’t no and so they were

like no no no and they get me backstage

ice everything and there was a moment

where I really was I I said out loud I

was like guys just let me go to sleep

please just let me go to sleep they’re

like no stay up stay up stay up

ambulance comes I go to the hospital the

doctor he stitches me up and it was so

it was so cool cuz the doctor uh a older

African guy

uh was was a Christian and he said man I

usually don’t send people home but

you’re going home with the spirit so

you’ll be okay and I felt like that was

a blessing on my life I was like thank

you man so I leave and I go home and I

find out later I have a really really

good friend of mine he he works for the

Hawks he’s one of their head medical and

athletic trainers and he came over and

he walked me through concussion protocol

and he was like you have a severe

concussion so for 14 weeks I could not

leave my house wow I was in my basement

stuck I could not leave I could not

drive I tried to drive early I had

vertigo I couldn’t move now one thing

that I didn’t know with

concussions your brain will often times

shut down minor functions to handle

major functions I didn’t know this I

didn’t know hearing was a minor function

in relation to other functions I thought

it was pretty important I thought it was

pretty important but for three days I

lost my hearing and I was like God am I

this way for like it was so terrifying

but those were the moments where I was

literally by myself where I all the like

I hear it all the time you never know

God is all you need until he’s all you

have he literally was all I had in that

basement by myself no one was coming to

visit there was nobody coming around

checkin it was just me in the basement

and I’m like okay God I I whatever you

want me to know this is the time I’m

here for I can’t imagine well you know

they say a picture’s worth a thousand

words we got some video to kind of help

people see and understand more the scope

of what you’ve been through so let’s

take a look at this video you got

[Music]

it the shock of being hit that way

reminded me of when I played football

but the impact of this hit was way worse

than being hit on a football field this

hurts like crazy

[Music]

um I have a friend of mine is a doctor

medical dude and he was like man your

hearing and your peripheral vision is is

really diminished and now you stay in a

place of fight or flight mode because

you can’t really make sense of the world

around you and you feel like man I got

to protect myself or be on guard therapy

for me like it was not something I

wanted to do I had people in my life who

I trust who saw the blind spots that’s

the only reason I went movement in and

of itself like it really does bring

about health like you think about a pond

that just sits stagnant and doesn’t move

you have bugs and bacteria things begin

to fester and like it’s not good to

drink it’s not good to be in at all

parasites come in but water that’s

moving like a river flowing that water

is good to drink you can actually be in

that water and be safe movement matters

in a in a big

way wow I mean how you walk through that

and then come out the other side knowing

god you’re not through with me yeah out

of that birth in me this care for myself

like never before because you’re fragile

I didn’t know how fragile we were yeah

and and you know I mean your your

childhood being involved as you were in

sports toughness toughness are are you

hurt or you just injured be tough you

know just be strong push push push push

push and now you go through something

where you find out man is as grass and

and and the Wind Blows the grass away

yes very much so very much so one of the

things that I’ve learned in recent years

you know coming out of covid and a

number of other things is what I

consider to be the everyday power of God

you know as Believers trust in the Lord

with all your heart and lean not to your

own understand

we know how to do that when we need a

miracle yes we know how to do that when

the doctor’s diagnosis is you got 6

months we know how to do that when it’s

panic mode that’s where we throw up our

hands and say God you got this I can’t

handle it yes but what do you do every

day what do you do Monday through Friday

when I got this yeah you know yeah and

God’s like I don’t want you to have it

on your own I want to have it with you

come on and Trust on my power because

I’m going to do something today that you

might not have planned for yeah you know

and that’s where you learn that everyday

power and how to follow it instead of

just say come along with me God you’re

saying God where are we going today yeah

that is where sitting there injured not

knowing what tomorrow was going to hold

or bring there is this moment where I’m

like okay okay God you got to take it

every day but I also

recognized if I’m not walking in the

purpose and call God’s put on my life

then I’m not doing the thing where

dependence on him is needed if I’m just

doing what I do I just do what I do I’m

like well I can do that God I don’t need

that but if I’m intentionally pursuing

and walking in the purpose he put on my

life even if I’m just trying to figure

out what that is it takes a level of

dependence like never before so I was

there going I know what you said about

my life God I believe this is the

purpose you have for me so I’m trusting

you in that I’m I’m not letting go of

that hope I’m not letting go of that

trust so that was where the wrestle was

finding its Victory so to speak I was

seeing Victory come from that yes

through the struggle I still knew the

promise was real the truth was real the

purpose is real and from there now daily

dependence is needed because I’m walking

in the purpose not my own perogative I’m

like no I’m I’m moving forward in what

you said God so you said go I’m going

and there’s a level of belief and trust

that comes with that now because it’s

not by my power or my might but that

that went back not just with music to

the common things that we take for

granted just being able to walk up the

stairs I’m like what a privilege my kids

so my my youngest is eight and he runs

when this happened he was seven he runs

to me every day and jumps for me to

catch him and I couldn’t do it so every

time he does it now I’m like what a

privilege like this is it man come on

run and he’s you know he’s I have all

boys so they’re all trying to take me to

the ground and so he’s running and like

jumping but he’s trying to take me down

yeah catch him while you can exactly run

over run me over and I’m like okay Lord

but it’s a privilege I’m like I can

catch you now I can stand up and hold

you my early on in the accident um my

oldest who was uh 12 at the time he was

about to turn 13 he was literally

helping me stand so I could walk to the

restroom and I and like literally he

would stand there and hold my arm up so

I could brush my teeth and I’m just like

man this hurts I can’t do it

it’s the it’s the daily typical things

that we do that we somehow take for

granted when God is like no that you

need to see that as something to be

grateful for so I’m not taking anything

for granted even drinking cold water it

hurt so I I’m on here like oh yes oh I I

taking anything for granted man nothing

for granted so well one of my favorite

Psalms let everything that ha breath

praise the Lord recognize that every

time you inhale and exhale that’s a gift

from God what you do with it is your

gift for him Tadashi thank you so much

for sharing your gift with us today and

bringing your talents to this program I

want to encourage those of you who are

watching if you’d like to find out more

about Tadashi you can do so by looking

them up anywhere that music and media

are streamed uh go online find out how

you can connect with some of the shows

that he’s going to be doing maybe in

your area or encourage other people that

you know to go out and check out one of

his programs God bless you and thank you

for being a part of the difference today