World Champion Wrestler Dan Russell Talks About Porn
What does Dan Russell say about success and emptiness?
Dan Russell is a four-time NCAA wrestling champion, unofficial world champion, and Olympic coach at the 2004 Athens games who now pastors Battle Ground Foursquare Church in Washington State. He says that after setting up all his trophies on a shelf he began to cry, because he had accomplished everything he set out to do and it was the emptiest, loneliest experience of his life. He recommitted his life to the Lord that night.
Dan Russell
Dan has an impressive athletic career: From being a four-time NCAA Wrestling Champion, ‘unofficial’ World Champion, to his career as Olympic Coach at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece.
Like Dan, plenty of men have found how to quit porn takes the same discipline as any championship sport.
Today, he is the senior pastor of Battle Ground Foursquare Church in Washington State and continues to coach professional athletes.
Why the trophies left him empty
“Coming home from [the win], I walked in and set up all of my trophies on a shelf, and I began to cry. I had accomplished everything I had set out to do, and it was the emptiest, loneliest experience of my life. I recommitted my life to the Lord that night.” Even after his athletic success, Dan wrestled with the emptiness of his achievements.
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It wasn’t until Dan pursued the real prize – Jesus Christ – that his life took a meaningful turn and he would touch the lives of many on a much greater scale than he could ever do on his own strength.
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If you're working through this, these posts may help: how identity brings freedom from porn and finding a men’s group for porn addiction.
Writing at the intersection of faith and neuroscience to help men and women break destructive cycles and walk in lasting freedom.
More articles by Jeremy Wiles →Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the wrestler after he recommitted his life to Christ?
His life took on a meaning his medals never gave it. He went on to serve as the senior pastor of a Foursquare church in Washington State while continuing to coach professional athletes. The post makes the point plainly: once he pursued Christ rather than the next title, he began touching far more lives than he ever could have reached in his own strength.
Does athletic discipline help a man quit porn?
The post draws that comparison, noting that plenty of men have found the fight for freedom from porn asks the same kind of sustained commitment a championship sport does. Worth remembering, though, is what the Conquer Series teaches throughout: trying harder on your own is exactly what fails. Discipline matters when it is pointed at the right training, with a coach and a team around you.
What does it mean to pursue the real prize?
In this post the real prize is Jesus Christ rather than another trophy. Dan Russell, a four-time NCAA wrestling champion, describes the night he came home from the win: "I walked in and set up all of my trophies on a shelf, and I began to cry. I had accomplished everything I had set out to do, and it was the emptiest, loneliest experience of my life. I recommitted my life to the Lord that night." The pursuit of Christ, not the next accomplishment, is what finally satisfied him.
Do successful men and pastors struggle with pornography too?
This particular post does not detail anyone's personal struggle, so read it for what it is: a short testimony about achievement, emptiness, and recommitment. What it does assume is what the ministry sees constantly, that men in every arena, including athletes, leaders, and pastors, are quietly fighting this battle, and that success in one part of life never makes a man immune to it.
Where should a man start if he wants freedom from porn?
Start where this post points, with Christ rather than with another round of self-improvement. Beyond that, this page is a short testimony and does not lay out a recovery plan, so look to the Conquer Series, Soul Refiner's cinematic study worked through in a small group alongside the Conquer Journal. Men who go that route learn why willpower fails and how the mind is actually renewed.
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