Ep. 60 - Dave Klassen - Integrating Spirituality and Athletics

What happens when faith meets the high-stakes world of athletics? In this episode, we welcome Dave Klassen, National Director for Athletes in Action and chaplain for several major sports teams, who takes us on an inspiring journey of integrating faith with the competitive spirit of sports. Dave shares his experiences supporting athletes, coaches, and communities, recounting the evolution of post-game prayers that now focus on gratitude and solidarity. With humor and heartfelt reflections, he offers a rare glimpse into the personal side of his ministry.

Dave's story is one of resilience and transformation. From being a top junior college player in Canada to facing career-halting injuries and academic challenges, Dave found a new path through faith in Jesus. 

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Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:07

Welcome to the Leader Impact Podcast. We are a community of leaders with a network in over 350 cities around the world dedicated to optimizing our personal, professional and spiritual lives to have impact. This show is where we have a chance to listen and engage with leaders who are living this out. We love talking with leaders, so if you have any questions, comments or suggestions to make this show even better, please let us know. The best way to stay connected in Canada is through our newsletter at leaderimpactca or on social media at Leader Impact. If you are listening from outside of Canada, check out our website at leaderimpactcom.

Speaker 2: 0:42

I'm your host, lisa Peters, and our guest today is Dave Klassen. Dave has worked with Athletes in Action Canada for over 30 years, where he has worked with hundreds of leaders in a variety of sectors. Currently, Dave is the National Director for Athletes in Action, chaplain for the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL, chaplain for the BC Lions in the CFL, as well as the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL. He is also an author and, together with his beautiful bride, Rushia, they speak at Family Life marriage conferences across Canada. They have five children and four gorgeous grandchildren.

Speaker 3: 1:19

Yeah, I just had one about a week ago. River is the new one.

Speaker 2: 1:23

Yeah, I bet.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Little boy.

Speaker 2: 1:28

I wait. I will wait for my day and I will be excited when it comes.

Speaker 3: 1:33

Yeah, it is my day, but it's more my wife Rushia's day. It's just like we had a grandchildren and I lost a wife. It just kind of went, so I'm not sure where she is all the time, but she's still there. She sends me text messages every once in a while. It must have been more difficult without the phone.

Speaker 2: 1:52

Yeah, I'll be looking for those cuddles all the time. Well, welcome to the show, David. It's very nice to meet you and I wonder if one day, many years ago, we met at a Family Life conference.

Speaker 3: 2:01

It's quite possible. Think about your worst experience and the person that you're listening to at the end of the conference, go, you, turn to your husband and go well, at least you're not like him. So then we're okay, we were there.

Speaker 1: 2:18

I helped your marriage. There you go, see, there you go. That's my whole goal. There you go, see there you go.

Speaker 3: 2:23

That's my whole goal.

Speaker 2: 2:25

Good. So, Dave, for anyone who doesn't know what Athletes in Action is, can you just give us sort of a brief? You know what is it?

Speaker 3: 2:33

Oh, we just think that athletics is an awesome place to live, thrive, work, play and do all those things, and so Athletes in Action is part of an organization called Power to Change, just like Leader Impact is. We're just in the sector of athletics, and so if you go to any sports page although the newspapers don't exist very much, but guaranteed there's at least eight to 10 pages of sports there. So the world is excited about sports, and so we're in that world of athletics, reaching into the communities of athletics, the athletes, the coaches, all those that are attached to it, to actually help people know Jesus and experience his power to change is our mantra, and we're excited about it. It looks different in all sorts of different areas, but it's a great place to be.

Speaker 2: 3:27

Yeah, I have seen players. When I see players from both teams come together and pray, I always think of you. I think in my mind that's athletes in action.

Speaker 3: 3:40

Well, you think of me personally.

Speaker 2: 3:41

I think of you. Yeah, he's right there he is praying with his athletes, yeah it's funny.

Speaker 3: 3:46

It's one of all the things we do within working with athletes. Or you spend time with them, or they're going through an injury and you're visiting them in the hospital, or you're walking with them through the treatment portion of it, or you're where the doctor says you're never going to play again, or they get fired. Fired, or they get promoted or they sign a great contract.

Speaker 1: 4:06

Most people think of us as that oh, you guys are the guys that come on the middle of the field at the end of the game and pray.

Speaker 3: 4:12

Yeah, we do that, that's one thing we do, but it is a really cool experience.

Speaker 2: 4:17

Yeah, well, I mean, that's the visual that I see. So actually I'm glad I asked that because you explained a little more, but it's a lonely experience At the end of the game, just for every chaplain, just to let you know.

Speaker 3: 4:29

So at the end of the game everyone's cheering and some people half the people are cheering, half the people aren't Some are bitter and angry and I always walk into the middle of the field and I stand right in the middle and I kneel and nobody's there and I'm thinking is this the time? Nobody comes and I look like an idiot in the middle of the field and, sure enough, then one will come over and the next, you know, there's sometimes 30, 40, 50 people, and so it's really cool. But at that moment I'm like please, god, bring at least one person so I'm not all by myself. You know, it's funny that you say that God, bring at least one person so I'm not all by myself.

Speaker 2: 5:04

It's funny that you say that, Dave, because I think I played sports all my life and I grew up in a Catholic school system and we always prayed before the game. That was our thing. We huddled together, we had to pray, and I am sure I do not remember praying after the game. We always prayed and said pray for a good game, a safe game, but we never thanked God for a good game.

Speaker 3: 5:30

We never did that, that's probably not what we're doing in the huddle there either Something a little bit different. I changed, probably about eight, nine years ago, because we would pray for the team that was travel mercies. We would say that they were leaving and thank you for keeping us safe for all those things. Or if there was someone that everyone knew that was injured, we'd potentially pray for that. But actually, over the years, I started rethinking it and I thought what a great time.

Speaker 3: 5:58

It's one of the few times where you're in high competition, you're challenging each other, you're pushing. The bottom line is I'm here to beat you in order to win. So, whether you're on the offense or the defense, we don't want you to get into the end zone, and the offense wants to get in there. And so there's this huge charged event the fans. You come into their arena. They're not too excited when you're scoring them, unless you're from the Rough Riders, and then it's three-quarters of the stadium is filled with Rough Riders.

Speaker 3: 6:25

But apart from that, at the end of the game, the very first thing I do is we all hold hands. It's really kind of a cool thing, and I always say this I want you to let it go, let it go, and I actually think this has been a really cool practice for me. At the end of my day is there's so many things that hit me or or knock me, or push me or prod me, or there's some successes too, and each day has an ending, and at the end of this game is this group of guys from the opposing teams let it go. Don't let this define you. This isn't even a defining moment. It's just a moment in time, and so let it go. And so I've had a number of players who have come up and said you know what? It's just been so good for me to leave it on the field so that I can move on with my game, which is Paul's expression leave what's behind and move on towards what's ahead.

Speaker 2: 7:25

So yeah, I should give that lesson to some of the parents in life. Oh my God.

Speaker 3: 7:31

No, that's Jesus. Says that get behind me Satan. That's that one, I think.

Speaker 2: 7:36

All right, great way to open up the podcast. Thanks for explaining all that. I appreciate it. So we are looking for a bit of your professional story and how you got to where you are today and if you have any snapshots that were pivotal moments, turning points in that journey.

Speaker 3: 7:54

Yeah, I was thinking about that. I have six for you today, if you don't mind, and each has nine stories attached to it, and so I just can't wait to share all nine times six. Well, let me start with this. Athletics was a big part of our home. I think part of it was to get out of the house. My parents were like, if you're just sitting here being lazy, we got work for you. And I was like, okay, we're not here, so we just played. And I remember going to school and there's all these things that you could do there. So, whether it was running, jumping, throwing, and so it became a part of my life.

Speaker 3: 8:30

Not only that, but in high school I just kept asking these questions. You know, when you turn 15, 16, 17, you go well, what am I going to become? Who am I? What? You know all these? And I really wasn't. I didn't think I was the smartest guy, I wasn't the best looking guy. I was just like, well, what am I going to do? I can't go into Hollywood. I don't really smell good all the time, everyone seems to stay away from me.

Speaker 3: 8:56

And it was this athletics tool. I was just better, faster and stronger than most people and I just started pouring my life into this, especially basketball. At the time it was during Larry Bird and Magic Johnson that just changed the dynamic of the NBA and I just went. That's what I want to do. I want to make the NBA. So I just poured my life into this game, got into college. I just think I fluked in, I think they took me because I just ran around like a crazy guy. But I eventually made the team, made the starting five and at the end of the year it became rookie of the year, the first year, and I was like whoa are you kidding?

Speaker 3: 9:32

me. This is it. I'm that much closer to the NBA. The following year I just did the same thing, just put my head down and went and I remember at this awards banquet receiving this award as one of the top 10 junior college players in Canada, called the All-Canadian Award and just looking at it in my bedroom most valuable player of my team, this All-Canadian thing and going I've arrived, I've arrived just about there. And I remember my third year going everything is going to be great, I'm going to get drafted, all these things. I think most of it was a dream and I got injured.

Speaker 3: 10:06

And so if the first thing was this athletics thing which really made me think I'm all encompassing, when I got injured and having to deal with this, and then going to UBC to enroll there because I had a scholarship offer, and I remember the athletic enrollment person coming to me, looking at my marks and saying, mr Klassen, your marks are terrible. And well, you know, I tried to cut it off because that's what you do when you're embarrassed and she goes. You know what are you going into? I said, well, I'm going to be a teacher, I'm going to teach those, inspire those. And she goes. Well, frankly, mr, I said well, I'm going to be a teacher, I'm going to teach those, inspire those. And she goes. Well, frankly, mr Klassen, I wouldn't want you to teach my children what those words, well, that was. You know, those are the greatest moments of your life when you hear those things.

Speaker 3: 10:54

And so I was just like devastated, and for that I think that was a second pivotal moment in my life. I knew I was athletic, but the second one is I wasn't all-encompassing, and when I got injured which would probably be the third one I realized that I needed something more. I just couldn't do it. And that's when I turned to Jesus, and that's when I became a Christian, which became this third pivotal moment in my life. But it's kind of like the thought was, I only wanted enough of Jesus to make me successful, but not enough to change my life. And so in the end, the reality is, yeah, I had Jesus in my heart and, yeah, I felt at peace and this whole was changed. But the reality is I still couldn't play, I was stuck, and so I just turned and gave it all up and said this whole NBA dream is done and I went into teaching, which is probably the fourth thing, which was my wife and I at that time. I got married. We went up to Northern Saskatchewan, the furthest you could go.

Speaker 3: 11:53

Lelosh Saskatchewan, and we taught there for three years and it was there I went yes finally, and that was where I met missionaries who taught me all these things about God I had no clue about. And from there we left to go to Simon Fraser University to finish our degrees and I remember there, where I played for the JV team at Simon Fraser and I met this athletes in action group and I remember them saying boy, we'd really like you on staff. And I remember this fifth component is throwing out a fleece one time at a fire, helping at a youth rally with a friend of mine because I was trying to figure out should I join staff with Athletes in Action. He said well, I heard this Gideon guy did this. Why don't you do it? I said okay. So I said, lord, if you want me to join staff with Athletes in Action, you'll change the rules that they have. And the rules were they would only allow married couples to come on together, and my wife Rushia is an unbelievable teacher at that time. And we came back, we had a phone call, they met with the administrators with Campus Crusade for Christ at that time, and they said you'll never believe it, but we're going to change our policy for you. And that was the first time for me that I realized God answers prayers.

Speaker 3: 13:15

And then, finally, number six was I've been on staff for a while, I've been working with Athletes in Action and I had become the chaplain for the Vancouver Grizzlies and I was coming back from the Sky Train and I was just thinking about my life. I was just thinking about athletics and I was thinking about being denied admission at UBC and this injury and then becoming a teacher and deciding to join Athletes in Action and I was like I just never made the NBA. It was kind of my dream. And then it was like the Holy Spirit said to me no, no, no, no, Dave, you made the NBA. You just didn't make it as a player, you made it as a chaplain. So that was where I realized that God's got a way bigger plan than I do. And so those are huge, pivotal moments in my life.

Speaker 2: 14:00

I have a feeling the pivotal moments didn't stop there. I think you have a pivotal moment At this point. Are you like 24? I'm thinking you've got a lot of pivotal moments. Everything seems like it's so good to see those moments and go. This is a pivotal moment of change.

Speaker 3: 14:23

Yeah, that's so good. I think I think sometimes I forget and that's why I think the questions were have been so good to think through for me of, wow, sometimes I just forget how good God is, yeah, so thank you, yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:41

Oh, you're welcome. That's why I show up here to be reminded and and these these interactions on how good God is. So the second question you have is is to give us a your best principle of success and tell us a story that illustrates this.

Speaker 3: 14:56

Yeah, I have a few. I've seen I've just seen to my daughter today, a few successes that I would highlight here and um. So I'm going to give you a failure, are you okay with that? One day I came home and my son, my oldest son he was doing something inappropriate. I think he was standing on a brand new coffee table, scuffing it up or whatever. And so I disciplined him, I sent him to his room. I said you'll never eat for the rest of your life. I can't believe that mom and I saved our old lives for this. I can't remember what I said, but I do remember. Later I was at the supper table and my bride who's so good at this says do you think that maybe you were a little harsh with Caleb? I was like what do you mean? I was too harsh with him. You know, like that type of deal.

Speaker 3: 15:40

And so we have this dialogue and, as it always works with me, you know, god kind of hits me and the Holy Spirit massages my heart. And I remember walking down the hallway to his bedroom, knocked on the door. He invited me and I came in and he's like Dad, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm like son, it's okay, it's okay. And so we talked about it and we prayed about it and in the midst of it for whatever it was, maybe Dr Dobson or someone, I just remember this phrase and I said, you know, son, this isn't the first time I'm going to make a mistake, you know I'm going to be a little bit too harsh or I'm going to say the wrong word, but this is the first time I've been a dad. And so then again we prayed and I was on my way out of the room and he goes dad, dad. And I was like what? Hey, don't forget, this is the first time I've been a son too. And I was like I went over there and spanked him right away, cause that was just no. I was like, yeah, you're so right, like there's this whole first time. So I think that's my first, first thought.

Speaker 3: 16:45

The first lesson for success is that this a lot of times. It's the first time that we've ever experienced anything. We've experienced this problem for the first time. We experienced the pandemic for the first time, and so I just had to accept so many times in the failure, even in the successes, that I don't know everything. Like I wish I knew everything. I wish I knew how things were going to work out. And so the reality is, what I had to learn in order to be successful is to use the resources around me to solve my problems, to grow, to provide options and the best solutions at the time. Like, I'm just not all-encompassing. It's the first time I'm going through this experience and I need to gather those things. And the second thing is I also need to realize I'm human. I'm a human. God actually made me human. He made me with imperfections. He didn't make me perfect, and so I can only be in one place at one time. I can only focus on one thing at one time. I can only focus on one thing at one time. Well, I have limitations mentally, I have limitations physically, I have limitations emotionally, socially and spiritually.

Speaker 3: 17:54

And then I think the second part for me is life's a long game, it's not a short game, and so the reality is it's the first time I've experienced it, but it's a big game here it's not just a small one. I get some years. I get a few years at least. I hope I get a few more. I got great grandchildren, I love my kids and I love my bride.

Speaker 3: 18:14

But there's very few big decisions in the long game that you can't defer. When you're making the decisions, like, you can usually get an extra hour, you can get an extra day, you can, even if banks are phoning you and want payments today, you can defer it. You can say can I talk to you next week about it? And so time, time is such a great, great gift for us. It's also a healer for us, and things that fear in our life or problems that are maybe stopping us, we can be healed from that. We can actually turn from that.

Speaker 3: 18:52

And also, I found wisdom sometimes takes time. It takes time and it takes time for me to be quiet and listen. So time has been a very, very good thing. I remember, um, or not remember, but right now with the vancouver canucks uh, losing in game seven. It's been hard, like I was just at at the arena yesterday and and it's been tough. Those are things that you just don't get over in one day, but over time they will. And and the bc lions are starting and we got got to the semifinal last year and we lost. So people ask coaches all the time so what's the team look like?

Speaker 1: 19:30

What's it look like?

Speaker 3: 19:31

And I remember Joe Ehrman, this guy from the US. He had the greatest, greatest line. He goes well, we'll see in 30 years, and I've used that principle when it came to life's a long game over and over and over again in my life with my kids. The reality is today they may be the worst kids in the history of the world or I think they are but the reality is it's a long game. They're developing as leaders. They're going to do some things wrong. It's the first time they've been a kid. This could have been the most devastating day of our life, but it's a long game and the reality is let's see in 30 years, because what's devastating today could be a great learning experience 30 years from now, and it may develop me into a great grandfather and so on. So yeah, Nice work.

Speaker 2: 20:22

So you talked a little bit about at the beginning. You talked about mistakes and failures, but I was going to ask you about failures and mistakes Do you have another story about failures and mistakes? Because we know that we learn more from them. That's what makes us successful. I don't know if you have another story to share with us.

Speaker 1: 20:44

I wouldn't want to miss that.

Speaker 3: 20:45

I remember yeah, I think that's how you get wisdom. To be honest with you, I think you learn. I think you learn from your mistakes and that's called wise and that's why. So, every person I see with gray hair and, by the way, my grandmother and my mom and my uncles, they had the whitest hair in the history of hair so I'm thinking they made a lot of mistakes in their life and so I'm just, I'm just getting there.

Speaker 3: 21:09

But the point is, I remember in the CFL there's a legendary player. His name is Angelo Moscow, and what an unbelievable player. Six foot four, 275 pound lineman that played for the CFL. He was a professional wrestler, His nickname was Mighty Hercules and he had a few others attached to it. He won five Grey cups and I remember seeing him when he was in his late sixties and sorry, late eighties and he was at this hotel while I was at the Grey Cup and I walked over to him I do this all the time, I don't know why and I walked over and I thought he might want to introduce myself to him. Hi, my name is Dave Klassen, you know Italian voice. And then I said to him hey, angelo, if you could do it all over again, what would you do? And without hesitation he says I'd go make different mistakes. And so I've thought about that for years, I've shared that principle for years and I just think that the reality is mistakes just have an opportunity attached to it, and it's really how we embrace it. If it defines me, then what happens is I go internal, but if I can get over that component, part of it, and I can look at the opportunity which this other story I'll share is my friend, frank, whose name is Frank Tootenhoof. He's a Dutchman who has the longest name in the history of names and he was the camps director.

Speaker 3: 22:48

I joined Athletes in Action in the sports camp division and then on the campus and I was just so excited to play sports all the time. But I remember we had hired this consulting company to make our brochure and they had done all these testing on us and they had come and asked us all these questions and finally the day came and we it was late into the night, it was like 7:30, 8 o'clock we had stayed to look at this brochure and we opened it up. We're both looking at and and I could tell he was disappointed I go. Well, frank, what do you think he goes. This is terrible, this is just like terrible. If you knew Frank, he's the most positive individual I know. I'm like really, and I'm looking at it and it was terrible. There was also. So finally, we're kind of going back and forth about how terrible it was and for whatever reason. I just ask well, is there anything on this whole brochure that you like? So he takes it, he's fumbling and he's looking at at it and he goes I like the line, he goes and I go. I like the line too, and just the way it was situated. And from that day forward, I've used the principle of the line for years. Start with the line after the failure. It's a great principle, it's a great restart.

Speaker 3: 24:04

What's the one thing that we can take away from this mistake? What's the one thing? What's the one thing that we can take away from this mistake? What's the one thing, what's the one thing that we shouldn't do again? What's that one person that we shouldn't hire again? What's the success that we got that we didn't anticipate? It just happened.

Speaker 3: 24:19

What role did I play in this and what role did others play in it? And then, secondly, when I became the national director, with Athletes in Action, I mean it was a big job. It's a huge job. We have over 100 staff, we see thousands of people reached every year, we do all sorts of different things and all different sports streams. And I was like, oh, I got to study, I got to figure things out.

Speaker 3: 24:44

But I remember picking up one particular book, ray Dalio's book called Principles, and he really helped me. In fact, from that book I developed what I considered my personal goal, which was I want to build an exceptionally effective culture within AIA that's what I'd like to do One that strives to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical transparency. And he uses this example of a spring and he talks about it. Kind of works like this. It's an awesome principle, I know, but it's interesting with the spring as it goes up, it doesn't go down, and so the very first thing is in everything you start, you got a goal. And so in the goal, as you're going, all of a sudden you get a problem, and I know none of you have had problems out there. I know if you're at home or you're at work or wherever you are. None of you have had problems out there. I know if you're at home or you're at work or wherever you are, none of you have problems, but I've had problems.

Speaker 3: 25:48

So one of the thoughts is that when you get to the problem, the question is in your diagnosis, are you going to be ultra honest in it? And what I found is that most companies or businesses, what happens is, when we get to the problem part and we diagnosis, my fears get in there. Oh, what happens if they find out I made a bad mistake? Or or my ego gets in the way. Oh, I'm never wrong. They hired me not to be wrong and all of these things are I don't want to look bad, because if I look bad, the reality is. Then what happens is, if we're not ultra honest, then we just leave things the way they are and they hope to get better. And how does that been working for all of us lately? And the reality is? But in the process, if we're ultra honest, what we do is we redesign, we adapt, we change and we get this loop. It goes up and then we plan problem, this loop. It goes up and then we plan problem ultra honest strategy, redesign and it creates this loop.

Speaker 3: 26:49

It's a great principle, and so one of the very first things I did with meeting with my staff was. I taught them about the spring and I was like I don't really care if we fail, I want to see more failures. In fact, I just had a staff member who did something, and it was probably $2,000 worth of damage and he came to me with his head down. He says, Dave, I said, well, show me what you did. And he showed me and I said that's awesome, you should have made more of a mess. And he I think he almost I don't know if he almost died, but I mean he was really surprised. But you can't be innovative. You can't bake a new or make a new item at home. You can't do any of those things without making a mess. And so that's innovation at its best. And so the reality is the spring. For me, being ultra honest, ultra transparent, has been outstanding in regards to helping me.

Speaker 2: 27:50

Yeah, so I know exactly the graphic. You're talking about the spring, it's an A to B and it's just got these loops and you know you're always going up. I've used it before, I use it in a leader impact speech and my translator has went woo no-transcript. Sprung me to something bigger Awesome. So at Leader Impact, which I know you know about us, we want to grow personally, professionally and spiritually for increasing impact. So if you'd be willing to share an example of how the spiritual makes a practical difference in your life as a leader.

Speaker 3: 28:44

Yeah, I think it's. Athletes in Action began 50 years ago, so it's our 50th anniversary. That's why I look so young here, because I was born but we're 50 years old. So it was a group of CFL players at that time who some were Christian All of them were Christians but some were in the league at the CFL, some were outside the league. There were pastors. There were other leaders within the community and some representatives from Campus Crusade for Christ.

Speaker 3: 29:14

They met in Ontario at Circle Square Ranch trying to figure out pray through Bible study. It was a whole weekend it just happened the April couple of weekends ago and they were trying to discern how they could be used, how they could use their platform, how they could infiltrate athletics, and in the process of that, they came up with Athletes in Action, which had already been established in the US, and they brought it to Canada. And so that's who we are. That's how we started 50 years ago. We started with prayer, we started with Bible study, we started with people on their knees seeking, and I think the bottom line is right there is, that's it. I got to start somewhere. And I mean, I've already tried all those other methods and they just it's not that they don't work, they do work, but I've just prayer, bible study and seeking him. So there's this three components to everything. For me is personally, practically and potentially.

Speaker 3: 30:21

About five years ago we had one of our great events. It's called the Grey Cup Breakfast and we usually have it's a week-long event. During Grey Cup week, from the Monday through to the Friday we go into prisons, we go into marginalized groups and we talk to them about the person that could change their life. Not another drug hit, not another thing is Jesus transforms lives, and so we talk to them about that. But we also just come into places to care for them, because nobody's choosing to go to the prisons to speak, nobody's choosing to go to relief centers or these other places, but we do. And then on the Saturday we have this big breakfast it's right, usually in the convention center where everything happens, and we bring the marginalized in there and all and these groups, and we bring athletes up front and we interview them about real life issues.

Speaker 3: 31:14

What's life like in the CFL? How do you deal with with the difficulties of the game? Or how do you deal? How do, how do you as a wife deal with when you're listening in the crowd and someone's criticizing your husband in the crowd? You know how do you punch them, where do you punch them for those type of things. But the point is we have many, many dignitaries that come and speak and it's a very popular event and this year in Vancouver it will be popular as well. But Andy Ambrose, the CFL commissioner, a good friend of mine, he has come and he's gladly puts it in his calendar during that week.

Speaker 3: 31:53

He says this line. He says this line and it just stuck with me Athletes in action is a sanctuary for those practicing their faith and a beacon for those pursuing it. Athletes in action is a sanctuary for those practicing their faith and a beacon for those pursuing it. And so from that I realized, and then, just addressing the question, I realized that for me personally, god is my beacon. He's this rock, this place of rest, this place of safety. It's when all of us I don't know if when you go home, like I used to, when my parents used to travel to Manitoba and we'd go see my grandmother and I'd walk in the door and there's just the smell of baked buns and I'm home, I'm so home. And then raspberry jam. I'm in heaven, like it's like the two great. Or rhubarb jam, oh my gosh.

Speaker 3: 32:42

But God's this beacon for me personally. He's always there, he's always present, even though I feel he's not there. He's always there, he's strong, he's pointing the way. But it's not just been this beacon, this place that I can go to, he's been my sanctuary. It's where I found him. It's kind of like the woman who was following Jesus, who had been bleeding all these years, and she touches his robe and he says somebody touched me, my power came out or I felt power, leave me. He turns and he looks at her. The sanctuary part is where you feel Jesus is looking at you. You feel you're looked at for who you are. It's okay, you feel him, he knows you, he loves you, he accepts you, he sees you, loves you. It's where I can rest. But it's not just there, it's even practically. The whole beacon part for me is it's the place in the confines of the job when I'm like, oh my gosh, is this happening again?

Speaker 3: 33:39

Oh, my goodness. And it's just this place where I go to. I have, I can't go here, I can't go there. And it's this beacon. It's like, oh, I forgot about you, yeah, and then it's a sanctuary, it's this place where I can just turn to the group.

Speaker 3: 33:55

Sometimes we're trying to deal with a major problem. I go, hey, how about we just put everything down and we pray about it? We just seek him. But it's not just personally and practically, it's also potentially and it's the we'll see in 30 years and we'll see what happens in 30 years. And I've just seen God over all these years with me stepping out because I just honestly, I'm not that smart, I just don't have it. I wish I did, but he is. And so the last part is why wouldn't, if I don't have it and I'm truly honest about it why wouldn't I, as a Christian, rely on the greatest power source in the history of the world that can create mountains in a world, create people, the power of three the Father, son and Holy Spirit. And so that's kind of how I see it.

Speaker 2: 35:00

I think you've explained it quite well. You're very inspirational. My cheeks hurt from smiling just listening to you. It's so good. This kind of leads into a question about legacy. Just, you know, when you leave this world, because at Leader Impact we're about leaders making a lasting impact. I mean that's why you're involved with Athletes in Action for 30 years or, you know, for so long. So, as you continue to move through your own journey and what an amazing journey it is have you considered what you want your faith legacy to be when you leave this world?

Speaker 3: 35:36

Oh, I think about it all the time. Most of the time I think I don't do enough. I honestly think I didn't do anything today. I like man. There's so much more to do. I wish God hadn't made us so we could sleep, because I really I would use every minute and I'm not talking to work on God's work. I like golf too, so it would be nice if the sun was out. But I think for me, thinking through it, I really live. I just want to live my faith. I don't want it to be a part of my life, I want it to be a way of my life, and so that's how I've lived. I want it to be a part of my life, I want it to be a way of my life, and so that's how I've lived. I want it to be a way of my life, so in the way of my life.

Speaker 3: 36:30

I remember a couple years ago, a friend of mine who was a trainer with the Abbotsford Heat at that time, which was the affiliate for the Calgary Flames. They had a team in Abbotsford and I was the chaplain with them and I was in the mall I was at the Bay, I think it was and he came in and he brought one of the players and he had led the player to Christ, and so he saw me. He goes, Dave, and he comes up to me Because I always said to him I said, hey, we're co-chaplains in this man, I'm not doing this job by myself. So anyways, he was really excited and so he introduces him. I knew who the player was, so I put my arms around the player and we're kind of kibitzing and laughing and I go hey, let's pray. And so anyways, I prayed and I didn't make a big noise like that, I just said I just started praying. But later he said, Dave, I never thought that you could pray in a mall in the bay and I've had other people, because if you're a friend of mine and I'll phone you up and if you don't answer I'll go hey, lisa, can I pray for you? And then I'll pray on the phone and I've had friends of mine go, dave, I didn't know you could pray on the phone, like that's thank you for praying, a blessing of whatever it is.

Speaker 3: 37:45

So I really think I just don't want to leave any stone untouched in my faith walk. I don't want to get to heaven and go. Oh, there was a couple more things that you should have thought of. And then I think the second thing is I didn't hold back. Like I didn't hold back. Like I didn't hold back. Actually, what was the desire of my heart?

Speaker 3: 38:07

There's a man excuse me in scripture by the name of Tola. Nobody will know who it is, or most won't and underneath this it's in Judges, chapter 10. I just use this as a chapel with the Vancouver Canucks and I'll use it for the BC Lions. So no Lions watch this, because I'm going to be giving you this as a chapel with the Vancouver Canucks and I'll use it for the BC Lions. So no Lions watch this, because I'm going to be giving you this as a chapel.

Speaker 3: 38:29

But Tola was this guy, and it's Tola and Jar J-A-I-R. Jola had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and they lived in 30 cities. So I have no clue what that means. That's all it says and that's what you got to live with. But Tola says something a little bit different, says Tola lived, then he rose up, he led Israel for 23 years and then he died.

Speaker 3: 38:53

And after I read that through my devotions I realized I think that is exactly how we're supposed to live our lives, that God gives us breath and he's eventually going to take it away one day, and that there's things in our world all the time.

Speaker 3: 39:07

It doesn't have to be in my job, but it's my neighbor who needed help the other day, or it's the person, robert, who stands on the street corner with his cup all the time, or it's all these other things.

Speaker 3: 39:20

I have to rise up. I can't just sit there. I just never have been able to sit there, neither can my wife, neither can my kids, and so I'm here for a reason and a purpose and a destiny. So I want to rise up, and in the process, all of us have a chance to lead somewhere, something and so on, and then I'm going to lead for as long as the Lord wants me to lead, and then I'm going to die. I think that's really it. And then the last part for me is and I just heard this, I couldn't put it into words until I heard a pastor recently that said this, and I'll just put it in my words Dave lived a life where Jesus was the one he was looking for, and I want to continue to look for him for my life, not all those other things. And so that's my answer, young lady. So there you go.

Speaker 2: 40:14

Excellent answer, Dave. So our last question is always the same for everyone, because we want to know what brings you the greatest joy.

Speaker 3: 40:27

Well, podcasts obviously. Clearly you're funny. Thank you, lisa, for asking all those questions. Was that what you want, miss s?

Speaker 2: 40:35

well, it should be your wife, and then your children. Those are always. There's a dog in there, that was.

Speaker 3: 40:42

That was last week's wait a minute yeah, we have the great cat, uh, copper, who's the rat killer we love. Okay, well, you love, um, I think I have. Uh, there's lots of different things, but, as I was thinking through it, um, definitely my wife russia. Uh, they're just something about when we travel, when we speak together, uh, when we're on our balcony. Our kids, for our 25th anniversary, bought us outdoor patio furniture I think they solicited some of my friends and all that. But the reality is we just sit in that with a cup of whatever it's going to be coffee and just look at the skyscape and we don't have to say anything. Sometimes the sun's out or the moon's out, and there's just something about that moment. With her traveling, with her, we're building a big, we took out all the railway ties in the back of our yard and we're putting up a big wall rock wall and we're not doing it. But actually I've really enjoyed doing the project with her together, um, so I think, just doing those things together and um.

Speaker 3: 41:51

And then the second one's my kids. I think when I see them take radical face steps, my son in his early 30s decided you know what, dad, I think I want to be a doctor. And I was like, okay, I thought you should have been a doctor when you turned 19, but now you're going to make that decision. That's great. But he has now three kids and I'm like, wow, you're crazy. My other daughter travels the world, going to the hardest parts of the world, because she loves wanting to help women. My other daughter, who has three jobs one she's a phys ed teacher, she coaches, she's helping other people I'm like, how do you do it? My son, who plays professional basketball overseas, who just uses his life over and over to talk about Jesus and to expand the world. And my daughter-in-laws who just have given their lives to not just support their husbands but also to use their lives to make such a difference. And then my grandchildren. I love when I look in their eyes and I see life, I see attitude, I see creativity.

Speaker 1: 42:57

I see fun, I see sassiness.

Speaker 3: 43:00

I see humor, I see so much innovation by all the broken things and all that in their house, fixing things and leadership in their eyes and their actions and then I think my job, I really enjoy my job. I love my job, I love my staff and I think I didn't ever think that I would enjoy this as much as I do now.

Speaker 1: 43:24

Maybe it's partially I'm a little bit older and more sensitive, but I used to love running up mountains and claiming the mountain and yelling down hurry up the site's great, I'm going to the next one, you know, or starting something new, you know, if someone said to me, Dave, you'll never be able to do that, I was like, oh, that's adrenaline, that's my, that's my, that's my drug of choice.

Speaker 3: 43:48

And I was like but now I don't, I don't again, maybe it's I just like that golf game, or something like that. I just love it when I get phone calls from my staff going Dave, I tried this or, and I'm like wow, that's so cool, and so I'm just so proud of them what they do, and so I think that's yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2: 44:11

You know, listening to you, there is so much joy in your life and you're one of those people that people want to be around, because you are so like. You find such joy in everything, from having coffee on your deck, them work, you know, or you know the skies I think you said skies, you said skyscrapers, then you said skyscape, skyscape. Um, you know, to children, to grandchildren, to you. Just, there's so much joy and you've brought joy to me, so I'm gonna. You know, my greatest joy right now is you.

Speaker 3: 44:49

I wish it was like that all the time. I'm a human, I learned something about the Holy spirit, because there's the fruits of the spirit love, joy, patience, kindness, and you go down the whole list. And I was like, dang, why didn't God give us a pill Like that would have been so much funnier I mean, we're not funnier that would have been so much funnier, I mean, or not funnier? It would have been so much easier. Like I suck today, I'm critical, you know, take the pill. Oh yeah, you know, it just doesn't work for me and usually, like I said, it's like stop it, you know. And then you massage my heart and then eventually I got to apologize. So I used to evaluate the end of the year by how few times I had to apologize this year in comparison to the year before or the years prior. But I realized one day after I was thinking through the fruits of the Spirit, I realized that in order to get joy, in order to get some of these characteristics, you actually have to go through tough times.

Speaker 3: 45:41

I remember saying to a coach one time with the Lions, because he showed me his theme and I wanted to know it so I could write chapels around it, and there was three words and one of them was courage. And I said, coach, you really want courage in there? He goes yeah, I love courage, I go, I know. But just think about it. The only way you get courage is you got to walk in fear. Do you really want courage as one of your defining themes? Like, all year long, we're going to walk in fear in order to get this courage thing. He's like well, that's a good idea. No, I'm going to keep it. But the point is is that all the fruits of the spirit are the same way. It's like I got to go through this tough time in order to develop love, to develop. So, you know, that's why I think I hang on to the failures more, because that's where I've learned more and that's actually where I've been taught about the fruits of the Spirit, because, yeah, god, father, son and Holy Spirit, that's awesome.

Speaker 2: 46:41

Yeah, wow, Dave, thanks for sharing this last 46 minutes with us. I really just appreciate and it's funny I knew, coming in this, you were a funny guy and I knew the stories were just going to roll and I knew my cheeks were hurt and I just thank you for spending this time with us today.

Speaker 1: 47:02

My pleasure.

Speaker 2: 47:03

I'm going to have to take a trip out there and come to some conference you're at, or I'm just going to have you here. I'm going to get you speaking here.

Speaker 1: 47:10

There you go.

Speaker 2: 47:10

That's what I'm thinking. So generally, we ask people at the end if anybody wants to contact you. Are you on LinkedIn or is there a good place that we can find Dave Klassen?

Speaker 3: 47:22

Yeah, I'm on LinkedIn. Facebook seems like you got to be, you know, 118 years old, and so you can get me on Facebook. You can take my phone number if you want to text me Honestly. At every Family Life Conference I give because I'm a big, I'm a big fan of people who want to use their life, and so I give my cell phone out and said just contact me and we'll get together for coffee. I love Starbucks and so the reality is very few people do it, because I actually do believe not a lot of people want to change, and I think the bigger one for me not to give you another story, but the reality is, I remember when I first became a dad and my wife decided it was time for me to learn what being a dad was. So she said, hey, I'm just going to go out for a little while, which meant hours, and um, I'm going to leave you with. So I was like, yeah, no problem, I'm up to this.

Speaker 3: 48:31

But over time my son kept walking past me over and over again and, man, he wasn't smelling very good and I was like trying to figure out what the deal was, because maybe he was I don't know um, because it couldn't come from my side of the family. And then I started seeing chunks in the diaper and I was like, oh, you're doing that stuff. And then, well, mom will be home soon. And so then that didn't happen for another couple hours. So I'm like, okay, I'm up for this challenge, man.

Speaker 3: 48:58

And so I brought him into the bathroom, laid him on the floor, pulled off that diaper it was disgusting, like he doesn't chew his food even at that age and so swabbed him down through the thing and realized I didn't have a diaper. So I was like you know, you just stay there, Don't you move? And I ran into the bedroom, came back with the diaper and he's crying, and at first I was like, oh, what's wrong with you? I just changed the worst diaper in the history of diapers. And Like, oh, what's wrong with you? I just changed the worst diaper in the history of diapers.

Speaker 3: 49:27

And then I realized that he wasn't afraid, he was cold, because when I put the diaper on and all those things, he just stopped. And I think that's the same thing for all of us is that we're more comfortable in the crop we live in than we are getting in the cold. We live in and we are getting in the cold and so I think, for all of us, feel free to text me and go through Lisa and get that number and I'd love to talk to you. And yeah, let's go for it.

Speaker 2: 49:59

Wow, I'm texting you All right. Well, Dave, again thank you, and we're going to end it here, unless you have another story.

Speaker 3: 50:12

You said 15 minutes. I can't believe it's 40. So there you go.

Speaker 2: 50:16

We're at 50 now. All right, thank you, Dave. I appreciate your time with us today. Thank you, lisa. You will also find on our webpage chapter one of Braden Douglas' book Becoming a Leader of Impact. You can also check our groups available in Canada at leader impact. ca or, if you're listening from anywhere else in the world, check out leader impact. com or get in touch with us by email info at leader impact. com and we will connect you. And if you like this podcast, please leave us a comment, give us a rating or review. This will help other global leaders find our podcast. Thank you for engaging with us.

Speaker 1: 51:15

And remember impact starts with you.