Meet Jared Greer

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jared Greer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jared, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilence comes from my relationship with Jesus. I know that may sound over the top. But for me, it’s the truth. There are a few Bible verses that I cling too when things get hard. These verses help me remember truth and remember my why. Psalm 121:1-2 says “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 46:1-3 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”

Jesus is my refuge in times of trouble. He is a rock for me to build my life on. I know that I exist to honor and glorify God. So when things get tough or I start to get distracted or discouraged I try to reset my mind and remember that the things I am working on, and the goals I am chasing are worth fighting for because they are really all about honoring God and helping people. I have a friend, Jon Stem, who calls it the spiritual gift of tenacity! Jesus lives in me. He is all powerful. He can give me the power and strength to do whatever He has called me to. Knowing that gives me the mindset and emotional fortitude to be resilient when things get hard.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was a Youth Pastor for 12 years and I always loved using sports as a way to connect with teenagers so I could build relationships and share the love, hope and truth of Jesus. I used football, basketball, and baseball as a way to do this for years. In 2010 or so I discovered American Ninja Warrior on Tv. My students encouraged me to apply for the show! I thought this would be a fun way to build some hype and energy around our youth ministry. In 2014 I applied and was selected! I didn’t have much experience on these kinds of obstacles so I fell early. I ended up getting on the show 2 more times and made it a little further each time. While I thought my personal success on the show would open doors to minister to more people I realized that just taking the brave step to even attempt the show resonated with students. This alone got them excited and it created more opportunities for me to share the hope I have found in Jesus with them. I eventually had an idea of bringing a portable obstacle course to churches and camps and schools and sharing a message about overcoming obstacles. We had our first events in December of 2015. People loved it and many people made decisions to overcome obstacles through faith in Jesus. We realized that one event with so much fun and energy and truth could create a spark that could change people’s lives! So people built obstacles and gave them to me! We ended up with a pretty cool course! In 2017 I started a non-profit called “Overcoming Obstacles Ministries.” In 2018 I went full time leading events. I started working with hundreds of volunteers and created a network of other American Ninja Warrior athletes and Christian leaders to help lead events. Now we have done almost 500 events! We have had more than 165,000 people attend our events, and we have helped almost 4,000 people start a faith relationship with Jesus. It has been an amazing journey and I really feel like we are just getting started. I would love to see more people join our network and put more Overcoming Obstacles Regions around the country. The last time I competed on the show was 2019. But a whole new part of my story is being written. I just received a call from the casting department that I will compete on season 17 of American Ninja Warrior. I’m going to keep overcoming obstacles. I’m going to fall, but I will keep getting back up! And I know that many people are going to attend our events, have some fun, hear a message of hope, love and truth and they will leave there knowing they can get back up, and that they can overcome obstacles in life through faith in Jesus.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Knowing my purpose and staying true to my purpose has been one of the most important parts of my journey. So far, I have not reach my personal goals on American Ninja Warrior. But I had to remember that I had a bigger goal. The bigger goal was to honor God and for American Ninja Warrior to be an avenue to spread God’s love and truth. I have lost sight of that primary goal. I have been tempted to prioritize personal success over the things that deep down I know are more important. But, by God’s grace, I have been able to recenter and keep the main thing the main thing. This has helped our non-profit accomplish so much. Personal success on a TV show would never compare to the joy that has come from helping a lot of people center there lives on God and find the peace they were looking for. So #1 – Keep the main thing the main thing.

#2 – Find people who believe in you and your cause. Without the support of my closest friends and family our ministry would not exist. We cannot accomplish our callings on our own. Anything worth doing is going to take time, effort, and a TON of support. This old saying rings true “alone we go fast, but together we go far.” On our own we can sprint around and get some impressive things accomplished. But things that last are carried out by many hands and many feet. We have had hundreds of people donate. We have had thousands of volunteers serve with us at events. We have a Board of Directors. We have a Network of athletes, speakers, and other skilled workers. It’s a team! Find people that have character, have drive, that are filled with love and passion and go to war to accomplish your God given purpose in this world.

#3 – Your calling and career has to be a part of who you are but you still need to have balance and boundaries. I eat, sleep and breath Overcoming Obstacles Ministries! But there are several things more important to me than Overcoming Obstacles Ministries. My personal walk with God is more important. My mental, emotional, physical, spiritual health is more important. My relationship with my wife and my 2 sons is more important. When we have things out of balance we will one day look back with regret. If I lead thousands of events and impact millions but I sacrifice my family while carrying out my mission than I got my missions mixed up. My prayer is that I will keep these things in order so that when I step on stage to encourage and share the message that it’s coming from a heart that has it’s priorities in order. I want my kids to know they came before my work. I want my wife to know that she came before my work. I would encourage all leaders to think through this as well.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Absolutely! We would love to come lead an event at your church, school, or special event. We have a network of incredible men and woman who have inspiring stories to share. We love to help people take the next step in the overcoming obstacles journey. Please reach out to us if we can help in any way. Also, half our budget comes from the events we lead and the other half comes from generous donors. These gifts make it possible for us to keep having reliable trucks, trailers, and obstacle course equipment. All donations are tax deductible. We have had so many people help us along the way. Also, if anyone feels like they would like to volunteer or work with us. Please reach out. We are always looking for more people to join our team!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jon Stem

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