Post by lovelace on Aug 31, 2006 20:03:06 GMT -5
Can you give us some background information (age, height, weight, where you are from, what you do for a living and your family situation)?
My name is Daniel Shane Gaydon, I¡¦m 30 years old, I stand at about 5¡¦10, weigh around, well let¡¦s just say I¡¦m ¡§large and in charge¡¨ LOL and I¡¦m from Greensboro, N. C. I have been working for 8 years at a computer service company called Logan Systems, Inc. I live with my wife Tricia and our Black Lab named Kody. We are expecting a son in December, 2006.
Shane, can you tell us a little about the Bible Institute you attend?
The Greensboro Bible Institute was founded on September 24, 1967 by Dr. J. William Kanoy. Dr. Kanoy was the Pastor of Church Street Baptist Church for 28 years. Since his passing, Dr. Keith Purser has taken over as the Pastor of Church Street Baptist and as President of the Institute. The school is located in Greensboro, N. C. and can best be described as a fundamental, evangelistic, local church centered, four year Bible College. My father in law, a Baptist preacher himself, graduated from the school and now teaches there.
When did you get saved and how?
I was saved on May 15th, 2005 at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Burlington, N. C. I was living a sinful life and wanted no relationship with God whatsoever. My past includes heavy drinking, the selling and using of many illegal substances, violence and many other despicable acts that I don¡¦t even care to mention.
My wife Tricia came into my life in 2001 and I began to reluctantly attend church with her on occasion. This did not do a single thing to me. It wasn¡¦t until the spring of 2005 that the Holy Spirit began to deal with me. For several weeks I was under conviction and knew that I needed to change my life. There was no question that the only person who could save me from my sins was Jesus Christ. He not only cleaned up the life that I live here on earth, but through Him by faith I have the assurance of eternal life in Heaven. If you would like to read more about my personal testimony, you can find it on the testimonies page of the CPOA website.
How long have you been powerlifting and do you compete in other sports?
I¡¦ve been dabbling off and on with weights since I was 17 years old. I have played some football and amateur ice hockey but never really became too passionate about either sport. I began training at House of Payne Gym in 2003 with Mike Lovelace, Chris ¡§OX¡¨ Mason and Travis Mash. This was a hardcore powerlifting gym and I immediately fell in love with the sport. As you can see, I have not really been involved with the sport very long. In fact, I have only done 2 full meets along with a string of bench and push-pull meets.
What denomination of Church do you attend?
I currently attend an Independent Baptist Church.
What are your best lifts in competition?
Squat- 705
Bench- 460 (500 gym lift)
Deadlift- 601
Total- 1758 @ SHW
Who are some individuals you look up to in religion and powerlifting?
The number of people I admire in the Christian faith would be too many to list. I admire anybody who has a burden for the lost and will boldly stand for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ without hesitation and without compromise.
As far as who I have admired in powerlifting, I would have to say every single person I have had the pleasure of training with. I would also like to say that admire guys like Bernor, Lovelace, Moore, Parrish, Isbell, Lopes, Taylor, Toranzo, Kimble, Conyers, and every other Christian warrior who uses their God given gift of strength to proclaim the saving message of Christ to the world.
How do you balance powerlifting into your life being a Christian?
Well, it¡¦s been tough for me. I attend school and I have been using much of my free time out of school during the summer months to continue my study of the Holy Scriptures. The truth is, I have not been training much at all lately but I still do love the sport and would like to get back into training more. But as much as I would like to train, I have been feeling the Lord pulling me away from the platform for now to spend more time at a desk studying. I am exploring what the will of God is for my life and I must do whatever He asks of me. Right now I feel that I must use my time to study but I do hope to get back into the gym soon.
Do you train others or are you a trainee?
I have helped others but I don¡¦t consider myself a trainer at all. I have spent most of my time in the gym learning from other more seasoned lifters.
What are the organizations you have you lift in?
Ironboy Powerlifting and the APF along with a few unsanctioned meets.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
Out of the whole Bible I have to pick just one? Wow! That¡¦s probably the toughest question on here. The one verse that means a lot to me is 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold , all things are become new. Other great verses are Jeremiah 29:13, Jeremiah 33:3, John 3:16, Romans 8:28, Romans 8:31 and Romans 10:9 off the top of my head.
What is your favorite food?
Pizza, steak and ribs I hold dear to my heart. (And my belly ļ)
What kind of workout do you currently use? Ex..Westside, Progressive,etc.etc.
I have mostly used traditional Westside training but I have also had a personalized routine written for me by Brent Mikesell that worked well for me. It was a combination of the two types of training.
What version of the Bible do you read most often?
I use the King James Version as my main Bible but I have been using a few other versions in my study as well such as the NIV, the NKJV, the NASB and the ESV. I don¡¦t care for the paraphrased versions such as the Message and the Living Bible. I think a literal word for word translation should be a Christians first choice for a Bible. The NIV is a bit borderline in its translation so therefore I don¡¦t use it much. There are basically two families of manuscripts that are used to translate our English Bibles and there are some differences in them which can cause confusion and heated debates also. I have, in the past, been very much against the modern versions that have been translated from the more recently discovered manuscripts. Upon further study, I am kind of in the middle as far as recommending them. I still without hesitation recommend the KJV but I am not as against the newer versions as I used to be.
Favorite Religious and non-Religious book you have read (other than Bible)?
Two books I have read that helped me a great deal are ¡§The Great Doctrines of the Bible¡¨ by William Evans and ¡§What Every Christian Ought to Know¡¨ by Adrian Rogers. Two other books I have but have not yet read are ¡§Foxe¡¦s Book of Martyrs¡¨ by John Foxe and ¡§The Pilgrim¡¦s Progress¡¨ by John Bunyan. These are both classics that every Christian should own and I¡¦m looking forward to reading them. I¡¦m also currently reading ¡§The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict¡¨ by Josh McDowell which is a great book on Apologetics. As far as non-Christian books, well, nothing really comes to mind. LOL
What is the most exciting thing you have witnessed God do?
Radically transform my life and watching Him do the same for others.
What is your favorite Epistle of the Bible?
My favorite book is the Gospel of John and my favorite epistle is Romans.
What is your favorite lift?
With my short arms and huge um, ¡§mid-section¡¨, I found that I naturally loved equipped benching.
What manufacture of powerlifting equipment do you wear or do you compete raw?
I have competed raw, but I enjoyed the inflated numbers of equipped lifting much more. ƒº For the squat I used a double canvas Inzer squat suit with double poly Frantz Briefs. For the bench I used a double denim Karin¡¦s shirt and for the pull I used a double poly Frantz squat suit. I used an Inzer belt and wraps.
What is your favorite religious hymn/song?
Amazing Grace.
Do you have any hobbies outside of powerlifting?
No not really.
Whom is your favorite music artist?
For traditional music I like the Cathedrals and as far as the newer stuff I like Jeremy Camp.
What weight class do you compete in and do you hold any state, American or World records?
I have always lifted at SHW and I don¡¦t think I hold any records.
Shane you have told me your history with steroids, as a ¡§Christian¡¨, what is your view on Anabolic Steroids or Anabolic Androgenic Steroids? What is your thought on hearing others say they don¡¦t see anything wrong with taking them?
I did use some steroids before I became a Christian and I don¡¦t believe a Christian should use them. My number one reason is, THEY ARE IILEGAL. Then of course, there is the question of whether or not a Christian living in a country where they are legal should use them. To this question I ask, are you doing it to glorify God or to glorify self? The only purpose of using them is to glorify self and to get ahead of or to get equal to the competition. I would also ask if they would go around to schools and tell children about their drug usage? Of course not because they know deep down inside that it¡¦s wrong. God is not concerned one bit about how much we can lift. He is concerned with how we represent Him. Don¡¦t get too caught up in how you perform on the powerlifting platform. Place your emphasis on how you perform on the spiritual platform and do all you can to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. Now of course if someone needs the drugs for medical reasons that would be a whole new topic but I am aiming this at those who are not satisfied with what God has given them and want to potentially harm their own health and ruin their witness and testimony all for the sake of their own pride and ego.
Whom is your favorite apostle and why?
The Apostle Paul. He reminds me of myself in that I used to have such harsh words toward Christians until I had my very own ¡§Damascus Road Experience.¡¨ I often well up with tears as I read the words of this faithful servant of the Lord. His words always encourage me to be more faithful and to ¡§remain steadfast, unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord.¡¨
Do you have any final comments?
I would like to thank Mike Lovelace for allowing me the privilege to do this interview. There are so many much more interesting people to interview than me so I find it a great honor to have been asked to do this. In closing, I would like to encourage all born again Christians to get out there and share the good news. This is a divine mandate. Jesus didn¡¦t suggest that we do it; He commanded it. We all know many that are lost and in danger of leaving this world without Christ. Jesus could return any minute and we need to have a sense of urgency to reach people with the Gospel. I believe many of us have set our minds on the things of this world and we have forgotten that our possessions and earthly accomplishments will remain here when we are gone. ¡§For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.¡¨ (1 Timothy 6:7) ¡§Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.¡¨ (Colossians 3:2) We need to get serious about fulfilling the Great Commission because our opportunities to witness will be gone before we know it.
And of course, I would not dare end this interview without sharing the Gospel. If you are reading this and you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to put your faith in Him. We have all sinned and broken God¡¦s commandments. (Romans 3:23) The punishment for our sins is spending eternity separated from God in hell. This is spiritual death. (Romans 6:23) The good news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place on the cross. (John 3:16) He took our penalty upon Himself so that we could be reconciled to God. He died in my place and in your place. If you would like to put your faith in Christ, so that you will go to Heaven when you die, just close your eyes, confess your sins and ask Him to come into your life and save you and He will.
God Bless,
Shane Gaydon
My name is Daniel Shane Gaydon, I¡¦m 30 years old, I stand at about 5¡¦10, weigh around, well let¡¦s just say I¡¦m ¡§large and in charge¡¨ LOL and I¡¦m from Greensboro, N. C. I have been working for 8 years at a computer service company called Logan Systems, Inc. I live with my wife Tricia and our Black Lab named Kody. We are expecting a son in December, 2006.
Shane, can you tell us a little about the Bible Institute you attend?
The Greensboro Bible Institute was founded on September 24, 1967 by Dr. J. William Kanoy. Dr. Kanoy was the Pastor of Church Street Baptist Church for 28 years. Since his passing, Dr. Keith Purser has taken over as the Pastor of Church Street Baptist and as President of the Institute. The school is located in Greensboro, N. C. and can best be described as a fundamental, evangelistic, local church centered, four year Bible College. My father in law, a Baptist preacher himself, graduated from the school and now teaches there.
When did you get saved and how?
I was saved on May 15th, 2005 at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Burlington, N. C. I was living a sinful life and wanted no relationship with God whatsoever. My past includes heavy drinking, the selling and using of many illegal substances, violence and many other despicable acts that I don¡¦t even care to mention.
My wife Tricia came into my life in 2001 and I began to reluctantly attend church with her on occasion. This did not do a single thing to me. It wasn¡¦t until the spring of 2005 that the Holy Spirit began to deal with me. For several weeks I was under conviction and knew that I needed to change my life. There was no question that the only person who could save me from my sins was Jesus Christ. He not only cleaned up the life that I live here on earth, but through Him by faith I have the assurance of eternal life in Heaven. If you would like to read more about my personal testimony, you can find it on the testimonies page of the CPOA website.
How long have you been powerlifting and do you compete in other sports?
I¡¦ve been dabbling off and on with weights since I was 17 years old. I have played some football and amateur ice hockey but never really became too passionate about either sport. I began training at House of Payne Gym in 2003 with Mike Lovelace, Chris ¡§OX¡¨ Mason and Travis Mash. This was a hardcore powerlifting gym and I immediately fell in love with the sport. As you can see, I have not really been involved with the sport very long. In fact, I have only done 2 full meets along with a string of bench and push-pull meets.
What denomination of Church do you attend?
I currently attend an Independent Baptist Church.
What are your best lifts in competition?
Squat- 705
Bench- 460 (500 gym lift)
Deadlift- 601
Total- 1758 @ SHW
Who are some individuals you look up to in religion and powerlifting?
The number of people I admire in the Christian faith would be too many to list. I admire anybody who has a burden for the lost and will boldly stand for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ without hesitation and without compromise.
As far as who I have admired in powerlifting, I would have to say every single person I have had the pleasure of training with. I would also like to say that admire guys like Bernor, Lovelace, Moore, Parrish, Isbell, Lopes, Taylor, Toranzo, Kimble, Conyers, and every other Christian warrior who uses their God given gift of strength to proclaim the saving message of Christ to the world.
How do you balance powerlifting into your life being a Christian?
Well, it¡¦s been tough for me. I attend school and I have been using much of my free time out of school during the summer months to continue my study of the Holy Scriptures. The truth is, I have not been training much at all lately but I still do love the sport and would like to get back into training more. But as much as I would like to train, I have been feeling the Lord pulling me away from the platform for now to spend more time at a desk studying. I am exploring what the will of God is for my life and I must do whatever He asks of me. Right now I feel that I must use my time to study but I do hope to get back into the gym soon.
Do you train others or are you a trainee?
I have helped others but I don¡¦t consider myself a trainer at all. I have spent most of my time in the gym learning from other more seasoned lifters.
What are the organizations you have you lift in?
Ironboy Powerlifting and the APF along with a few unsanctioned meets.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
Out of the whole Bible I have to pick just one? Wow! That¡¦s probably the toughest question on here. The one verse that means a lot to me is 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold , all things are become new. Other great verses are Jeremiah 29:13, Jeremiah 33:3, John 3:16, Romans 8:28, Romans 8:31 and Romans 10:9 off the top of my head.
What is your favorite food?
Pizza, steak and ribs I hold dear to my heart. (And my belly ļ)
What kind of workout do you currently use? Ex..Westside, Progressive,etc.etc.
I have mostly used traditional Westside training but I have also had a personalized routine written for me by Brent Mikesell that worked well for me. It was a combination of the two types of training.
What version of the Bible do you read most often?
I use the King James Version as my main Bible but I have been using a few other versions in my study as well such as the NIV, the NKJV, the NASB and the ESV. I don¡¦t care for the paraphrased versions such as the Message and the Living Bible. I think a literal word for word translation should be a Christians first choice for a Bible. The NIV is a bit borderline in its translation so therefore I don¡¦t use it much. There are basically two families of manuscripts that are used to translate our English Bibles and there are some differences in them which can cause confusion and heated debates also. I have, in the past, been very much against the modern versions that have been translated from the more recently discovered manuscripts. Upon further study, I am kind of in the middle as far as recommending them. I still without hesitation recommend the KJV but I am not as against the newer versions as I used to be.
Favorite Religious and non-Religious book you have read (other than Bible)?
Two books I have read that helped me a great deal are ¡§The Great Doctrines of the Bible¡¨ by William Evans and ¡§What Every Christian Ought to Know¡¨ by Adrian Rogers. Two other books I have but have not yet read are ¡§Foxe¡¦s Book of Martyrs¡¨ by John Foxe and ¡§The Pilgrim¡¦s Progress¡¨ by John Bunyan. These are both classics that every Christian should own and I¡¦m looking forward to reading them. I¡¦m also currently reading ¡§The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict¡¨ by Josh McDowell which is a great book on Apologetics. As far as non-Christian books, well, nothing really comes to mind. LOL
What is the most exciting thing you have witnessed God do?
Radically transform my life and watching Him do the same for others.
What is your favorite Epistle of the Bible?
My favorite book is the Gospel of John and my favorite epistle is Romans.
What is your favorite lift?
With my short arms and huge um, ¡§mid-section¡¨, I found that I naturally loved equipped benching.
What manufacture of powerlifting equipment do you wear or do you compete raw?
I have competed raw, but I enjoyed the inflated numbers of equipped lifting much more. ƒº For the squat I used a double canvas Inzer squat suit with double poly Frantz Briefs. For the bench I used a double denim Karin¡¦s shirt and for the pull I used a double poly Frantz squat suit. I used an Inzer belt and wraps.
What is your favorite religious hymn/song?
Amazing Grace.
Do you have any hobbies outside of powerlifting?
No not really.
Whom is your favorite music artist?
For traditional music I like the Cathedrals and as far as the newer stuff I like Jeremy Camp.
What weight class do you compete in and do you hold any state, American or World records?
I have always lifted at SHW and I don¡¦t think I hold any records.
Shane you have told me your history with steroids, as a ¡§Christian¡¨, what is your view on Anabolic Steroids or Anabolic Androgenic Steroids? What is your thought on hearing others say they don¡¦t see anything wrong with taking them?
I did use some steroids before I became a Christian and I don¡¦t believe a Christian should use them. My number one reason is, THEY ARE IILEGAL. Then of course, there is the question of whether or not a Christian living in a country where they are legal should use them. To this question I ask, are you doing it to glorify God or to glorify self? The only purpose of using them is to glorify self and to get ahead of or to get equal to the competition. I would also ask if they would go around to schools and tell children about their drug usage? Of course not because they know deep down inside that it¡¦s wrong. God is not concerned one bit about how much we can lift. He is concerned with how we represent Him. Don¡¦t get too caught up in how you perform on the powerlifting platform. Place your emphasis on how you perform on the spiritual platform and do all you can to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. Now of course if someone needs the drugs for medical reasons that would be a whole new topic but I am aiming this at those who are not satisfied with what God has given them and want to potentially harm their own health and ruin their witness and testimony all for the sake of their own pride and ego.
Whom is your favorite apostle and why?
The Apostle Paul. He reminds me of myself in that I used to have such harsh words toward Christians until I had my very own ¡§Damascus Road Experience.¡¨ I often well up with tears as I read the words of this faithful servant of the Lord. His words always encourage me to be more faithful and to ¡§remain steadfast, unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord.¡¨
Do you have any final comments?
I would like to thank Mike Lovelace for allowing me the privilege to do this interview. There are so many much more interesting people to interview than me so I find it a great honor to have been asked to do this. In closing, I would like to encourage all born again Christians to get out there and share the good news. This is a divine mandate. Jesus didn¡¦t suggest that we do it; He commanded it. We all know many that are lost and in danger of leaving this world without Christ. Jesus could return any minute and we need to have a sense of urgency to reach people with the Gospel. I believe many of us have set our minds on the things of this world and we have forgotten that our possessions and earthly accomplishments will remain here when we are gone. ¡§For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.¡¨ (1 Timothy 6:7) ¡§Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.¡¨ (Colossians 3:2) We need to get serious about fulfilling the Great Commission because our opportunities to witness will be gone before we know it.
And of course, I would not dare end this interview without sharing the Gospel. If you are reading this and you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to put your faith in Him. We have all sinned and broken God¡¦s commandments. (Romans 3:23) The punishment for our sins is spending eternity separated from God in hell. This is spiritual death. (Romans 6:23) The good news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place on the cross. (John 3:16) He took our penalty upon Himself so that we could be reconciled to God. He died in my place and in your place. If you would like to put your faith in Christ, so that you will go to Heaven when you die, just close your eyes, confess your sins and ask Him to come into your life and save you and He will.
God Bless,
Shane Gaydon
