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Gary Sheng & Isaiah McCall - Lebanon Journalism Readiness Discussion

Date: 2025-07-12 Participants: Gary Sheng, Isaiah McCall Duration: [Approximately 25-30 minutes] Location: Isaiah calling from Japan, Gary from [location not specified]

Key Themes​

World War III Analysis​

Isaiah opened with a stark assessment: "World War 3" is already underway. Drawing from Special Forces contacts, he explained: "I have friends in the Special Forces, and they've said for years now we've been in a proxy war for World War 3... after Russia entered Ukraine." He predicted major global shifts: "the next decade or so, the whole world could change" with "many regime change, many polarity change moments."

Spiritual Warfare Framework​

Gary framed current events through a spiritual lens: "What people misunderstand, bro, is that this is one giant test for all of us, right? We're all here to be tested by God, and to be purified." He emphasized continuous testing: "It's not about getting baptized once... we're continually being baptized... we're continually being called to do harder and harder tasks, spiritually."

Gary saw divine protection in missing a Trump event: "God protected me from going to DC this weekend... Isn't that amazing, bro, that God protected me?"

Trump Administration Critique​

Both expressed strong criticism of Trump's policies, particularly regarding citizenship revocation. Gary: "To revoke a U.S. citizen's citizenship is the most... I'm not a fucking weird lib, bro... we have a fucking constitutional republic where citizenship is, like, gold. Like, it's sacred."

Isaiah warned of escalating authoritarianism: "we're heading down an even more draconian route where I wouldn't be surprised in the next four years if they do say, oh, if you're an American citizen you have anti-Semitic opinions... That would be the worst outcome of this administration."

Israel-America Relationship​

Gary assessed Trump's impact: "they conquered America fully with Trump, um, for now." Isaiah compared administrations: "there'd be a little less pushback than it would be, like, the kind of tongue bath that Trump gives Bibi Netanyahu every single time."

Journalism Philosophy​

Gary emphasized the opportunity for authentic journalism: "your job... is not to say obvious things... It's to give voice to these people and report what's happening on the ground... the earnest return to journalism truth is going to resonate so fucking hard, bro. We are oversaturated with opinion."

Isaiah agreed: "there's enough people opining in like a silly matter... I want to let other people talk and kind of make it, make it like a new form of journalism."

Personal Development and "Monk Mode"​

Isaiah described his evolution regarding relationships and focus: "I used to be like more, like, oh my gosh, I love dating girls, all this stuff. So, and I don't know, I get bored by it... pattern recognition makes you kind of bored with things."

He expressed readiness to focus: "I just kind of want to go just do the work now... there's nothing else I wanted to get, I wanted to do, just as a man. But now there's, now I just want to focus on the work."

Current Status and Location​

Isaiah revealed he's now in Japan: "I came out here in Japan. I don't have any, the opportunities are, like, reset. The table's reset, and I'm ready to go."

Lebanon Project Perfect Timing​

Gary saw divine timing: "The Overton windows opened, basically for your journalism... this is like the easiest layup I've ever seen in my life, honestly... it's actually shocking."

Isaiah used a basketball metaphor: "It's the meme of Dwayne Way throwing the alley-oop for LeBron James and holding his arms outstretched and saying, all right, that's it... The alley-oop is going in the basket."

Professional Readiness​

When Gary asked if anyone was better suited for the Lebanon project, Isaiah responded: "No, because everyone who does it, it's almost like I'm in the same position where the people that I thought would have done it didn't do it the way I wanted to do it."

Isaiah expressed confidence in his network: "I know enough people now... some of the best editors in the world, some of the best videographers in the world. So now I feel like it's all, and then I also have all this experience myself to a degree. And so now it's okay. I see how to manage something like this."

Key Quotes​

On Current Global Situation​

  • "we're on the precipice of a Cold World War that could spill over into a hot war at any moment" - Isaiah
  • "the guys who fought in World War 2, and they look at what the world looks like today, and they say, oh geez, this is what I fought and died for" - Isaiah

On Spiritual Warfare​

  • "this is one giant test for all of us... We're all here to be tested by God, and to be purified" - Gary
  • "it's all part of something that spills down from a spiritual war" - Gary

On Journalism Opportunity​

  • "We are oversaturated with opinion" - Gary
  • "I want to let other people talk and kind of make it, make it like a new form of journalism" - Isaiah
  • "God designed this for you. I mean, that's literally how I feel" - Gary

On Personal Readiness​

  • "I just want to focus on the work now" - Isaiah
  • "The table's reset, and I'm ready to go" - Isaiah

Strategic Insights​

Journalism Market Gap​

Both identified a significant opportunity in authentic, voice-giving journalism versus opinion-heavy content. Gary positioned Isaiah's Lebanon project as perfectly timed with current political discourse.

Personal Evolution​

Isaiah demonstrated significant personal growth, moving from location-seeking and relationship-focused to work-focused and purpose-driven. His move to Japan represents a strategic reset.

Professional Network​

Isaiah's connections with "some of the best editors in the world, some of the best videographers in the world" combined with his Jake Tran experience positions him well for high-quality journalism production.

Divine Timing​

Both participants saw the Lebanon opportunity as divinely orchestrated, with Gary's funding availability, Isaiah's readiness, and current global events creating optimal conditions.

Action Items​

  • Isaiah to finalize travel plans to Lebanon
  • Gary to provide detailed write-up about the project
  • Isaiah to coordinate with Gary's Lebanon contact
  • Project planning to proceed with divine guidance framework

Relationship Dynamic​

The conversation revealed deep mutual respect and shared worldview on spiritual warfare, current events, and journalism opportunities. Gary positioned himself as divinely guided supporter while Isaiah demonstrated readiness to take on significant responsibility.