#21 - Allowing God to Use You Exactly Where You Are

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Thank you. Take a listen. Welcome back to the

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Navigating the Wilderness podcast. My name's

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Nicole and today I'm joined by Cory Potter,

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host of the Mind and Faith Matters podcast, which

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provides a safe place to explore topics on mental

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health, faith and everything in between. He is

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married to his college sweetheart Sue Potter

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of 32 years and he has two daughters. He is also

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trained as a professional Christian counselor

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and ordained minister. So welcome, Cory. I'm

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so glad to have you on the podcast. Thank you

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for having me, Nicole. I appreciate it. It's

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good to be here. So when you were in business,

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what kind of business were you involved in? Was

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that counseling? Well, I was doing the financial

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world. I was in banking and then I went over

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and was a senior ops manager for a mortgage company.

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I was doing that, but I had gone back to school

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to Get my masters in counseling and so I was

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working a second job in the evening and on the

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weekends a third job Counseling and getting that

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experience there. So I was just Doing everything

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I could plus I was working within the church

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at the time that I decided to go back for my

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Seminary degree. So it made for a very busy lifestyle

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Yeah, how did you discover that you were called

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to be a pastor? Like, how did you recognize that

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God was calling you into that? Well, I think

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it's through reading scripture of the called

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and hearing sermons about what are you waiting

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for that God's told you to do that you're not

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doing. And you know, because the Holy Spirit

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is working within you to tell you and guide you

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and make things clear in His Word and make it

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all come together. And the truth is, it was through

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discernment that it was a calling that I resisted.

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It wasn't a, I need to do this to show that I'm

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faithful. And I kind of knew by my resistance

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that this is for real. But there's also this

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testing. You know, I knew what kind of person

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I thought I was, but I just asked questions.

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leaders within the church, those who had mentored

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me. And I said, is there anything in my character

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that's leading you to think that this shouldn't

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be me or I'm disqualified in any way? And so

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I made sure through prayer, through reading scripture,

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through talking with others, that it was a clear

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calling on my life. And whenever I would avoid

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it, I would be pulled back towards it. Yeah,

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so I a little bit of wrestling hey there was

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wrestling there was wrestling and I I won but

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I lost at the you know, it felt like I Surrender

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isn't a loss. I surrender to God was a true gain

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in my life Which kind of leads me to why probably

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we're talking today and that is I worked in churches

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and I felt this Calling again like this may not

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be the type of church That I've called you to

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like in my conversations with God in my prayer

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time I really knew that I was to plant churches

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if and that becomes a little unclear that did

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that mean be a church planter which means go

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go ahead and plant the seeds and get it set up

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or did that mean to go to a place and pastor

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and from there Hope that I Got it right and truly

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over time there was this time and we're talking

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about The wilderness and the significance of

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the number 40 in the Bible When one suit my wife

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and I were trying to figure out God what what

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do you want us? to do Church planting wise or

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you know might a pastor it am I to do something

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different We spent 40 days and it was really

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the time it ended on Good Friday this 40 -day

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period that we agreed to as a couple I said,

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let's we'll talk about our days, but let's not

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talk about what God's Working in us and he worked

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amazing stuff out in the sense that As I prayed,

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as she prayed, we prayed together, but we didn't

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say what God was revealing. We ended up having

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a date at a Red Lobster. And at that date, she

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said, you go first. I clearly know what God's

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told me. And I said a lot of details about, it

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may not be a house church, but it's a smaller

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church where people connect together and people.

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are discipled in a different way and it's not

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performance driven and it's really authentic

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and organic and and she wrote she pulled out

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her notes because my wife is a copious note -taker

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and it's Everything I was saying God had confirmed

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with her So we had set out on a journey to figure

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out what that looked like because it wasn't immediately

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like Here's the place for you Cory and Sue and

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here's what you shall do. It wasn't quite like

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that. It was more of we knew we were supposed

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to do it and we stopped off along the way to

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help other church plants and do some things and

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then we were called up to Virginia and I keep

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on using the word called because I at that point

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was into being a college professor. I shifted

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my career focus. I was a college professor and

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there were some things going on where I worked

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that wasn't Healthy for me. It wasn't healthy

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for anyone and I knew I was looking for another

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job So in that job search we were saying God

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wherever you want us to go but let it be within

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five states of where we're at now like we were

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these conditions on God and I think it might

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have been over a couple of discussions, but I

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finally said to Sue, do you see what we're doing?

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Like we're asking God to send us wherever and

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then we're saying, here are our conditions on

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how you can send us out. And that wasn't great

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at all. And so we then opened it up to wherever

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you need us to go. And the job that came up,

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it wasn't just the next job, but it was a job

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that it came up to in Virginia. And on the plane

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on the way home, This lady that I was speaking

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to, she said, my husband and I don't feel like

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we fit in. And I said, what do you mean? Well,

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we have tattoos. We ride bikes and motorcycles.

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And in this area, it just seemed like people

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were uncomfortable with them, is how she described

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it. And I said, wow, I'm trying to not worry

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about what people look like, this color of their

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skin, the... background that they came from,

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what they're struggling with. That's not what

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defines us. It defines what defines us as who's

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that we are and where we're going together. And

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so when I got back to Florida, I'm like, I think

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let's pray about it, but I think we're supposed

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to go here. So we came up here and that's when

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I think I had the most profound wilderness experience.

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But if, if you want me to keep talking about

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it, I can, but if you want to ask any question,

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Yeah, no. So the job you were going up there

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for, was that a college professor job? What job

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was that? So I believe it like this. God gifts

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us in different ways. I'm an administrator. I'm

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administrative in nature. And it wasn't for an

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administration job and higher ed quality control.

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It's called institutional effectiveness. So the

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position wasn't related to a church. It was at

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a a college too. And I was out of the classroom

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at that point, but administrator of the college.

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So. Okay. Okay. So yeah. So, so tell us what

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happened when you ended up up there. So you're,

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you're moving up there, you're getting settled.

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You have in your mind where you're, where you're

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headed, at least kind of like, you know, sometimes

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I always use this reference, but I can't help

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it. It's like the Lord calls Abraham and he says,

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Come to this land. I'm gonna show you and he

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doesn't show him the whole picture and then he

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goes and he has to wait You know on the Lord

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for the next step. It's like he never shows us

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the whole full thing He kind of gives us like

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us just a little impression of where we're going.

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Yeah, you know Isaiah chapter 40, I think verse

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31 it's about waiting on the Lord for your strength

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and For me I knew I was headed in the right direction

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I got up here and I come to a place that's known

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after I get up here, it's known as the city of

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churches. And you're like, oh, wow, what does

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that mean? And what it means is there's been

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a lot of divisions over time amongst congregations.

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And so there are a lot of empty church buildings

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right now. And you're like, OK, is it is it a

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spiritual town or is it just a town with a lot

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of churches? And it ends up being a town with

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a lot of churches. And there were a lot of people

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who maybe didn't fit in and As we were preparing

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and figuring this out, my daughter gets a job

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at a coffee shop. And the lady is a Christian

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lady who hears that her dad's a pastor. And we

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get talking and she said, if you ever need a

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place to meet, we have this entire counseling

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center next door where you could do your counseling.

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You could use it for classrooms on the weekends.

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We have a few things going on, but we close and

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here's a key if you want it to the coffee shop

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itself. And so I'm like, wow, God, you know,

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it was revealed to me. And so we were prepping

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and working towards the opening and inviting

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people to come and just getting to know the community.

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And I went up to Lynchburg, Virginia is not in.

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these vast mountains, but there are some mountains

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there and the University has a ski slope and

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I was up watching my kids tube on the ski slope

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and I have a physical disability I wear leg braces

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and my leg this was like a series of events my

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leg brace broke downstairs and I couldn't walk

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because I needed to rely on it to support my

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weight my wife went to get some crutches we Went

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up to the deck to watch them and there was artificial

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turf and my crutch fell out from under me It

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like it slipped out from under me and I came

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down really hard and I felt something go bad

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really bad in my back All right, so I'm in pain

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Got back up went home but realized this is this

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is gonna be a little bit of a healing time and

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while I was waiting Interestingly enough while

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you're waiting for the next thing to happen I

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developed an infection in a bone behind my ear

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and what the doctors think happened was in going

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to all these doctor's appointments to try to

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figure out what was going on with my back, I

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contracted some bacteria and it went into an

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infection in the bone and it ultimately ended

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in this year's worth of headaches and I ended

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up in the hospital. It was a lot of medical appointments

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in and out. Ultimately I find out I had a blood

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clot on the back of my brain. Oh wow. And that

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I have a condition that I didn't know about that

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makes that blood clot so I can't break it up

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naturally. So no matter what medicine I take,

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it's there. And so now it's just a prevention

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of other things, other like strokes and headaches

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and those types of things. I got this headache

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that For 61 days. I my vision was blurred. I

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barely could see my ears were ringing so loud

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that I Just couldn't drown it out with anything.

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I couldn't work much so my wife would come in

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and read the emails to me and I tried to work

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from bed and I ended up going to a new doctor

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neurosurgeon and they said We really think you're

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having pressure on the brain Well, just thinking

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that and then doing the tests for it, we're talking

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months. I told people that were coming to the

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church, I wanted to support you, but you probably

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should go to these other fine pastors in the

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area. But here I was, so excited, and I'm like,

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I was okay with it in a strange, strange way.

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And that's my message is that I never blamed

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God. I never said, why, you know, why me or why

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now? I didn't love it, I'll be honest, but it

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was never why me or why not. And I ended up having

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to have a drain like a shunt type situation put

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in my brain. And then six months after that,

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my back never was fixed, I ended up having to

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have a back fusion. And so it ultimately became

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just in and out of doctors appointments and my

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energy level for whatever reason. I don't I'm

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not trying to say that I was Sad or depressed.

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It wasn't that it was like literally a drain

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Physically and I know as a pastor and if you're

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not a pastor and you're listening to this and

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you rely on your pastor Continue to do so. I'm

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not trying to say don't put the weight of your

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stuff on your pastor That's not the message,

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but I know that when you're having to take care

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of your family take care of yourself I just didn't

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know how I could pastor at that time. I really

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didn't. And I had to make a living. So I'd go

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back to work. But by the time three o 'clock

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would roll around over these last several years,

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I'm just exhausted. And I'm like, this thing

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that was so excited about it, like, I didn't

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lose my first love, I didn't lose interest in

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God, I didn't. We all drift away. So if I try

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to act like I'm super spiritual, and I never

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drift away from God a little bit, no, I drift.

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But I'm anchored, so I don't drift that far.

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And so here I was in the last couple of years

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thinking, I need to get back to pastoring. God

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wants me to pastor. I know he needs me to pastor.

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And needs me is kind of a dangerous place to

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go. I don't know. But I felt guilty that the

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training that I had, the abilities, the gifts

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that he's given me, I'm like, what am I to? do

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with this. And there were times I would consider

00:16:12.179 --> 00:16:14.779
to talk to a pastor friend and they're like,

00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:17.379
hey, we need a discipleship pastor here. And

00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:19.220
then they would tell me about what it was like.

00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:23.220
And I'm like, I just don't know that I have that

00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:27.080
energy to do that and the health. And what I'm

00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.679
not saying is, it's a chronic condition that

00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:32.860
I'm facing now, where I have headaches intermittently

00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:36.360
a lot, you know, frequently, but not every day.

00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:40.899
And that zaps me. And so I'm like, Was laying

00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:44.440
around and I don't mean lounging like oh, let's

00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.220
just have fun this weekend I was recovering from

00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:52.799
one of those episodes more recently and I Started

00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.039
to question God in a different way like God.

00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:59.720
What can I do? How can I serve? You know, I want

00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:02.220
to serve my family. I serve my friends. I still

00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:04.500
minister to people I still listen to people I

00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:08.500
counsel people I do those things but Do you,

00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:10.160
are you wanting me to pastor? Can I have a clear

00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:14.400
answer? Can I just have a clear answer? And I

00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:20.200
wish I could say exactly how it came, but it

00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:23.000
wasn't God's booming voice or soft voice this

00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:27.779
time. It was just, I never thought about podcasting.

00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:32.000
I never really desired to have my face on a screen.

00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:36.690
I'm okay, but I, Not shy. It's not that it's

00:17:36.690 --> 00:17:39.690
just I'm not trying to be a personality I just

00:17:39.690 --> 00:17:41.529
trying to get I think it's a lot like you and

00:17:41.529 --> 00:17:45.849
if I turned it around and asked you Why are you

00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:50.109
doing a podcast? I think we have discussed this

00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:53.710
a little bit, but I think you would say in a

00:17:53.710 --> 00:17:56.789
somewhat similar way I'm being obedient. I'm

00:17:56.789 --> 00:18:00.329
being obedient to God and To me when he gave

00:18:00.329 --> 00:18:05.609
me the idea of you can bring in your psychology

00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:08.289
or your mental health background, your counseling

00:18:08.289 --> 00:18:12.230
background, and you can use all the scriptures

00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:15.869
all day long and just infuse them or sometimes

00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:18.269
make that the focus of what you're doing. In

00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:22.609
fact, I'm working on an episode about the spiritual

00:18:22.609 --> 00:18:27.289
check -in with ourselves and with others. There's

00:18:27.289 --> 00:18:29.130
a lot of things going on in our mind, but we

00:18:29.130 --> 00:18:33.480
need to stop and check in. How are we in our

00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:36.980
relationship? And so I get to share these messages,

00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:41.539
but then I'm still there for people, but the

00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:45.160
demands of going to hospital visits, funerals,

00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:50.640
all the things that it took to physically do

00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:54.680
a church and just, I can't do it. I can't do

00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:58.440
it. And I asked God for clarity and I prayed

00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:02.000
for that clarity and I just have clarity that

00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.920
this is what I'm supposed to be doing. And what

00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:09.460
I didn't say in this time is during my struggles,

00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.779
like I've been vague about it, but during the

00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.579
struggles where I'm laying on my back, I'm not

00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:19.859
blaming God. I'm sometimes confused if I had

00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:23.539
to be honest, but I know that God uses all things

00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:26.500
for good. Scripture says it. And I just know

00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:30.579
that there's purpose to the struggle and purpose

00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:33.619
to the pain and purpose to the wake here for

00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:37.240
a little bit, Cory. And I just had to trust him

00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:43.119
through that. And now I'm so excited that I have

00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:46.880
just this clarity of what I'm to do in this season.

00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:50.220
Has he said you'll never pastor again? No. Has

00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:52.859
he said you're going to have physical ailments

00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:55.180
for the rest of your life well age does creep

00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.779
up and we have to live with that reality but

00:19:57.779 --> 00:20:00.660
he hasn't said that to me but in this season

00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:04.779
and i haven't said this is a stop on my journey

00:20:04.779 --> 00:20:07.240
and i'm waiting for the next thing to happen

00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:09.660
and the next something better something more

00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.299
important no no no that's not even it at all

00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:16.039
and i'll say it i don't hope that this message

00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:18.440
that you're sharing only goes out to one person

00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:20.920
that's not my hope for you my hope is that it

00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:24.170
impacts not just America, but the world. And

00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:29.170
in that, for myself, I humbly just have wanted

00:20:29.170 --> 00:20:31.869
one person to listen each week and that needed

00:20:31.869 --> 00:20:35.650
something out of each episode. And that's what

00:20:35.650 --> 00:20:40.890
I've been hanging on is what can I share in my

00:20:40.890 --> 00:20:44.529
obedience? And the other thing about it is if

00:20:44.529 --> 00:20:47.769
you give all your Your mind and your strength

00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:49.869
and your energy and your soul and all that to

00:20:49.869 --> 00:20:53.930
God like he asks, you know, give it to him It's

00:20:53.930 --> 00:20:57.630
like I'm pouring out this creativity instead

00:20:57.630 --> 00:21:01.549
of in a sermon I now get to do it and just describing

00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:03.509
things and bringing things together and having

00:21:03.509 --> 00:21:06.730
guests on and and it's it's just been fabulous.

00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:11.509
It's been so rewarding But I'm not waiting for

00:21:11.509 --> 00:21:14.650
the next maybe the next thing will happen. I'm

00:21:14.650 --> 00:21:19.779
content and I think the apostle Paul talks about

00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:23.299
there's something to say about being content.

00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:27.440
I'm going to be candid. I don't wish pain on

00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:31.660
people. I don't wish struggles on people. I don't

00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:34.559
want people to go through anything medically

00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:39.720
like I went through. But while that's true, I

00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.980
also know that there's value if you can just

00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:46.680
hold your ground and draw near to God. who does

00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:50.019
draw near to the brokenhearted and the crushed

00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:55.119
in spirit. And that is my message to people is

00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:58.940
the wilderness can be scary, but it can be very

00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:03.019
rewarding. And at the end of it, I want to also

00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:06.720
look back and say, no, it wasn't fun. It really

00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:13.259
wasn't. But I'm almost proud like if a marriage

00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:21.880
lasts through a tumultuous situation, you maybe

00:22:21.880 --> 00:22:24.059
have your counseling, you have your issues, but

00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:26.539
then you stay together. It's like I never broke

00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:28.140
up. God wasn't going to break up with me, but

00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:30.839
I never broke up with God because I was having

00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:33.599
these struggles. And you look at the chain of

00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:38.799
events and getting my children up here and Sue's

00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.200
mom up here, there were some very distinct advantages.

00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:45.680
God had some other provisions for my family other

00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:49.640
than my health and showed my wife some independence

00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:52.700
that she probably is very thankful for because

00:22:52.700 --> 00:22:55.579
I was incapacitated for large periods of time

00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.119
and she had to take over things. And so even

00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:01.720
in my own struggles and my own blessings out

00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.660
of it, I think other people were able to experience

00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:12.549
God was near to us too. That's, in general, that's

00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:15.109
my story. Yeah. And it sounds like a lot of growth,

00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:17.289
not just for you, but for your family as well.

00:23:17.670 --> 00:23:21.190
True. How many years has it been since you moved,

00:23:21.210 --> 00:23:24.369
when you moved and the process, like how long

00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:26.009
were you kind of, I think it sounded like it

00:23:26.009 --> 00:23:28.609
was a few years that you were struggling where

00:23:28.609 --> 00:23:31.549
you were really incapacitated or? Yeah, we moved

00:23:31.549 --> 00:23:36.650
in the fall of 2018. Okay. And the fall occurred

00:23:36.650 --> 00:23:42.579
in the fall of 19. And then all of 19 and into

00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:45.220
20 when COVID came around, I was dealing with

00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:49.359
those parallel sets of being incapacitated. And

00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:51.859
it wasn't until 2021 that I had the surgeries

00:23:51.859 --> 00:23:55.460
that I spoke of. And so since then, I've been

00:23:55.460 --> 00:24:03.259
struggling 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. So I know people

00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:05.160
can count, but the point of it is it's been quite

00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:08.079
a few years of different kinds of struggles.

00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:12.150
to get to now I know what he's having me to do

00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:16.849
now and I think some of it probably was I quit

00:24:16.849 --> 00:24:19.690
asking for a little while and I don't know I'm

00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:22.529
not trying to judge myself as being bad or good

00:24:22.529 --> 00:24:25.349
I just knew that as much as my spiritual health

00:24:25.349 --> 00:24:29.390
matters that my physical health mattered as well

00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:32.910
like I needed to nurse myself in essence back

00:24:32.910 --> 00:24:35.529
to good health there's other parts of that journey

00:24:35.529 --> 00:24:38.079
I had put on a lot of weight Because some of

00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:40.859
the steroids they had me on was having me with

00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:43.619
this appetite and I'm laying around in bed with

00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:47.460
suffering and so I Ended up putting on a lot

00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:51.079
of weight and and I think it was 54 pounds that

00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:55.059
I ended up losing to get back to where I'm at

00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:58.140
now and So there's been these other journeys

00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:00.880
where I've had to rely on God for you know willpower

00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:05.500
and focus All these all these things so yeah

00:25:05.769 --> 00:25:08.349
And, you know, it's interesting. I don't know

00:25:08.349 --> 00:25:12.170
what to make of this, but I've noticed your story,

00:25:12.410 --> 00:25:15.549
my story, others that I've heard many people

00:25:15.549 --> 00:25:18.390
share their stories. It seems like the same time

00:25:18.390 --> 00:25:23.329
period that, like, I started my journey at the

00:25:23.329 --> 00:25:26.849
end of 2018 and really it didn't get intense

00:25:26.849 --> 00:25:30.690
until 2020, but there's a lot of transition that's

00:25:30.690 --> 00:25:33.839
taken place since 2018. And I've heard that from

00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:39.339
many people. It's almost like a shift happening

00:25:39.339 --> 00:25:41.779
spiritually for people right now. And I'm not

00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:44.319
really sure what to make of that, but God does

00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:48.240
things in his times and seasons. But it's fascinating.

00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.480
So are you still working administratively now

00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:54.920
alongside of doing your podcast? Okay. That's

00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.680
right. Yeah. I work at a different university

00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:04.819
now. I commute to work and I still do, I direct

00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:08.119
the department like in a technical area of the

00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:10.759
college. So I definitely are of the university.

00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:14.940
I have different skill sets. And I mean, I talk

00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:18.740
to people all day long and I work out of human

00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:23.500
resources now. And so even I love it that the

00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:25.900
pastoral type skills and the soft skills that

00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:28.279
you get from counseling and listening and things

00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:31.509
that I might not have grown up with. I think

00:26:31.509 --> 00:26:34.390
they've become a blessing. Everyone doesn't need

00:26:34.390 --> 00:26:38.049
the path of education or too much education.

00:26:38.430 --> 00:26:41.869
I don't think that's what's made me in any way.

00:26:41.930 --> 00:26:44.710
I never have thought that. But the preparations

00:26:44.710 --> 00:26:48.589
that I've done, none of it's gone to waste. No

00:26:48.589 --> 00:26:51.650
experience that I've had do I try intentionally

00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:57.589
to let go to waste and good or bad. I try to

00:26:57.589 --> 00:27:00.119
stay in not the valleys or the mountaintops.

00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:02.279
And I'm not trying to be cliched. I tried to

00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:05.279
live my life and just this even keel. I love

00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:08.839
to celebrate victories. And I know the lows is

00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:11.079
sometimes you need medical help for or intervention.

00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.819
But a lot of times you're going to come back

00:27:13.819 --> 00:27:16.579
and it's going to balance out if you just, you

00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:20.640
know, stand, stand your ground, stand firm in

00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:24.160
your faith and good people around me. That's,

00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:26.819
that's the other part I couldn't have done. any

00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:28.700
of this if I didn't have other people that could

00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:32.579
pick up the mantle or pick up the effort and

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:35.779
do some things while I was in my wilderness.

00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:41.200
And so I am very thankful for the people in my

00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:48.180
life, not just family, but like I had people

00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:51.259
that would drive up from Florida to see me in

00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:54.369
Virginia. But because it was during a time where

00:27:54.369 --> 00:27:56.529
they really couldn't come in and see me because

00:27:56.529 --> 00:27:59.589
my resistance was down, you know, my immunity.

00:28:00.789 --> 00:28:04.670
And I had friends that would like a Romeo and

00:28:04.670 --> 00:28:06.750
Juliet play. They would be outside the window

00:28:06.750 --> 00:28:10.170
just talking to me through the window or planting

00:28:10.170 --> 00:28:13.549
flowers because they know I like a pretty yard.

00:28:13.630 --> 00:28:16.869
I like a nice garden. And so they planted these

00:28:16.869 --> 00:28:19.910
big arrangements of flowers down at the end of

00:28:19.910 --> 00:28:22.539
my driveway just to you know, lift my spirit

00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:25.859
or something so kind. Yeah, that was so nice.

00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:30.259
And not that that's what I needed from everyone.

00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:33.299
But those things just let me know that I wasn't

00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:37.819
going through it alone. And I will say this,

00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:42.859
I got to study. I went to a seminary that was

00:28:42.859 --> 00:28:45.539
somewhat Baptist, and I consider myself a Bible

00:28:45.539 --> 00:28:48.839
believing person. I'm not denominational. And

00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:51.430
when I say non denominational, I'm not trying

00:28:51.430 --> 00:28:54.450
to say I go to some trendy, you know, I have

00:28:54.450 --> 00:28:57.849
to have ripped jeans. Yeah, I get you. That's

00:28:57.849 --> 00:29:00.809
not what I mean by non -denominational, but I

00:29:00.809 --> 00:29:04.450
wanted to explore other parts of the Bible that

00:29:04.450 --> 00:29:07.349
maybe I didn't explore in seminary. And my wife

00:29:07.349 --> 00:29:11.210
was, we were talking a lot about the gifts of

00:29:11.210 --> 00:29:15.410
the Spirit and how some say that the gifts were

00:29:15.410 --> 00:29:18.769
needed for a certain season and time and now

00:29:18.769 --> 00:29:20.779
they're they're no longer relevant and others

00:29:20.779 --> 00:29:23.539
say they're not only relevant we use these gifts

00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:30.359
in our church and I listened to some theologians

00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:34.700
some pastors and once my ringing in my ears would

00:29:34.700 --> 00:29:36.900
calm down but I still might not have the vision

00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:41.660
we just sat there and would listen to these studies

00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:44.440
together and discuss them and have church if

00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:47.980
you will in our bedroom, like listening to a

00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:50.759
podcast while I'm healing or listening to, you

00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:53.839
know, sermons and such. And I really, it really

00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:58.519
opened my eyes to the work of all of the Trinity,

00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:03.160
you know, God the Father, Jesus as my Lord and

00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:06.859
the Holy Spirit indwelling and not just giving

00:30:06.859 --> 00:30:11.720
me guidance, but giving those gifts. And so I've

00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:16.279
just, there's nothing that I can say Other than

00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:18.880
a lot of things hurt during that time and it

00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:21.259
wasn't easy. But as far as the spiritual growth

00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:24.480
that you just alluded to Absolutely at any time

00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:27.539
I could take And a moment to say to my kids don't

00:30:27.539 --> 00:30:30.059
worry about this, you know, god has it even though

00:30:30.059 --> 00:30:32.180
they're a little bit older I could use it as

00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:36.539
an object lesson for for them. So yeah, it was

00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:42.099
wonderful Wow Wow, there's um, I don't I've There's

00:30:42.099 --> 00:30:44.119
so much you've been sharing as I'm listening

00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:48.720
to you talk about your past and even the vision

00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:51.440
that God gave you for where you were called and

00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:54.480
where you are today. And I feel like there's

00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:57.180
this whole picture. And sometimes I feel like

00:30:57.180 --> 00:30:59.019
when you're on the outside looking in, it's easier

00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:03.900
to see those things in other people. But you've

00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:10.140
been prepared with all of these skills and gifts.

00:31:10.650 --> 00:31:13.289
in so many different aspects. And I feel like

00:31:13.289 --> 00:31:15.390
God's going to bring those all into a convergence

00:31:15.390 --> 00:31:20.150
season for you. Your administrative skills, your

00:31:20.150 --> 00:31:25.589
Bible knowledge, the relational gifts that he's

00:31:25.589 --> 00:31:27.269
given you, the pastoral gifts that he's given

00:31:27.269 --> 00:31:31.470
you. And when you were talking about being called

00:31:31.470 --> 00:31:35.190
as a pastor and feeling like when you and your

00:31:35.190 --> 00:31:37.450
wife sat down to talk with each other and you

00:31:37.450 --> 00:31:40.490
were talking about being authentic, You know,

00:31:40.490 --> 00:31:42.089
it's an authentic community. You're not sure

00:31:42.089 --> 00:31:43.509
if it's a house church. You're not sure of this,

00:31:43.509 --> 00:31:48.589
but I know this is what I see. I feel like, and

00:31:48.589 --> 00:31:51.309
I don't know what this looks like. I've been

00:31:51.309 --> 00:31:53.849
wrestling with this myself, but I've been feeling

00:31:53.849 --> 00:31:57.849
like God is calling many people into a new season

00:31:57.849 --> 00:32:03.190
of building his church, not the church building,

00:32:03.329 --> 00:32:05.930
but his church. And it's not going to look like

00:32:05.930 --> 00:32:08.710
it has in the past. It's just the sense I've

00:32:08.710 --> 00:32:13.529
had. And, um, when you were talking about that,

00:32:13.529 --> 00:32:16.869
I was like, he's equipped you as a pastor, but

00:32:16.869 --> 00:32:20.690
it's not the pastor, like, it's not necessarily

00:32:20.690 --> 00:32:22.849
the tradition and the traditional sense that

00:32:22.849 --> 00:32:25.529
we think of. That's right. And I feel like what

00:32:25.529 --> 00:32:27.490
he's put you, the place he's put you is actually

00:32:27.490 --> 00:32:30.329
right where he needs you to be. And I think that's

00:32:30.329 --> 00:32:32.250
why there's so many podcasts emerging right now.

00:32:32.289 --> 00:32:34.089
I don't know exactly what that's going to look

00:32:34.089 --> 00:32:36.009
like, but I was getting this sense of almost

00:32:36.009 --> 00:32:37.690
like there's going to be community that's going

00:32:37.690 --> 00:32:42.230
to come from it. Right in your life. Yeah, I

00:32:42.230 --> 00:32:46.869
Not everyone people listen to podcasts in private

00:32:46.869 --> 00:32:49.630
and so they're not giving a bunch of feedback

00:32:49.630 --> 00:32:52.109
even if I solicit feedback I've got to be honest

00:32:52.109 --> 00:32:55.349
and I'm okay with that my my comfort and feedback

00:32:55.349 --> 00:33:01.789
is in knowing that I did my best and I can celebrate

00:33:01.789 --> 00:33:05.019
with God about what's happening in the podcast

00:33:05.019 --> 00:33:07.900
itself. But it's the connection of people and

00:33:07.900 --> 00:33:09.839
the collaboration with people and people reaching

00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:13.720
out and saying, I've experienced this toxic environment

00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:16.099
in a church that you spoke of during this episode

00:33:16.099 --> 00:33:20.200
or whatever it might be. And it's very rewarding

00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:25.660
to be able to connect people to this idea that

00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:29.180
we are spiritual, but we do have a physical body

00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:33.759
and we do have this Mental wellness or lack of

00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:36.940
mental wellness and so even the convergence of

00:33:36.940 --> 00:33:42.140
the emotional physical spiritual and Being able

00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:45.200
to speak to those things Sometimes I probably

00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:48.880
could have done that in a church and if you are

00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:52.640
true to the scripture the scriptures not just

00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:57.799
one and you take people on a journey and Help

00:33:57.799 --> 00:33:59.940
them to understand the Bible you're gonna understand

00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:03.869
that who God uses isn't obviously not always

00:34:03.869 --> 00:34:09.829
perfect people and that even when people see

00:34:09.829 --> 00:34:13.070
God's people saw what he was doing they still

00:34:13.070 --> 00:34:17.309
doubted and they had their reservations and so

00:34:17.309 --> 00:34:23.309
there's this story in the Bible of you know,

00:34:23.429 --> 00:34:27.030
God's redemptive work amongst broken people and

00:34:27.030 --> 00:34:31.199
so I feel like I'm not each week saying, hey,

00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:33.820
Nicole, you're in my congregation and broken

00:34:33.820 --> 00:34:35.460
people, broken people, broken people, broken

00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:37.880
people. And you're like, what is he like? Why

00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:39.079
is he talking about broken people all the time?

00:34:39.139 --> 00:34:42.380
Is he talking about me? That is my message every

00:34:42.380 --> 00:34:44.599
week when I was pastoring. But my point being

00:34:44.599 --> 00:34:47.699
there's freedom and being able to say, God, what

00:34:47.699 --> 00:34:49.659
have you put on my heart? And people aren't going

00:34:49.659 --> 00:34:53.159
to take this personal because I'm not creating

00:34:53.159 --> 00:34:55.579
a situation where, well, they trusted me and

00:34:55.579 --> 00:34:59.010
they're coming to this. Congregation or I I always

00:34:59.010 --> 00:35:01.469
use the word congregation, but if I'm talking

00:35:01.469 --> 00:35:03.550
about a body of believers I'm talking about people

00:35:03.550 --> 00:35:06.130
coming together. So I'm talking about this community

00:35:06.130 --> 00:35:11.630
that might emerge out of everything I Think now

00:35:11.630 --> 00:35:13.690
and I got to be honest. This isn't the part that

00:35:13.690 --> 00:35:15.289
I didn't you're the first person I've shared

00:35:15.289 --> 00:35:21.429
this with outside of my wife and it's like I

00:35:21.429 --> 00:35:25.199
still think Sometimes even though I'm content

00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:28.500
with what I'm doing. I still think if I had the

00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:32.940
right people around me that are wanting to meet

00:35:32.940 --> 00:35:38.940
up as a and Be a body of believers together They're

00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:40.920
gonna understand that if I have these health

00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:44.280
issues during that time. There's not a performance

00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:48.320
expectation like you're getting paid You should

00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:51.380
do this and that I never because I'm bivocational.

00:35:51.380 --> 00:35:54.130
I never went to the church and asked for money.

00:35:54.289 --> 00:35:57.150
One summer, I made some money because I didn't

00:35:57.150 --> 00:35:59.289
have anything else to do and I was helping. So

00:35:59.289 --> 00:36:02.110
the church agreed to pay over a summer back at

00:36:02.110 --> 00:36:04.469
my first job at a church. But otherwise, I've

00:36:04.469 --> 00:36:08.150
always just volunteered. Even if I was on staff,

00:36:08.449 --> 00:36:12.989
I just volunteered. And so I'm not asking people

00:36:12.989 --> 00:36:15.210
for money. I haven't been asking people for money.

00:36:16.090 --> 00:36:21.380
But there is freedom in Caring for people and

00:36:21.380 --> 00:36:23.760
allowing the people that you're caring for to

00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:27.099
maybe care for you as well because I've Learned

00:36:27.099 --> 00:36:30.320
over my journey that a pastor isn't a pedestal

00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:32.360
position. It shouldn't be doesn't need to be

00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:36.739
it's a it's a a job function amongst a group

00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:40.980
of people that God has Called out and said yeah.

00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:45.940
Yeah, someone should be this leader elder pastor

00:36:45.940 --> 00:36:50.429
and it's not necessarily that You know, I have

00:36:50.429 --> 00:36:54.590
to maintain a certain level of excellence to

00:36:54.590 --> 00:36:57.670
be on that pedestal or health to be on that pedestal.

00:36:57.769 --> 00:37:00.409
So I am aware of that. So if someone would hear

00:37:00.409 --> 00:37:03.730
this and say, God could still use you to pastor

00:37:03.730 --> 00:37:07.869
even now. Trust me, I have had that thought and

00:37:07.869 --> 00:37:10.630
I have the temptation because he put that in

00:37:10.630 --> 00:37:14.170
me. And he, I just know that in this season,

00:37:15.010 --> 00:37:20.789
if there are people who can potentially not deconstruct

00:37:20.789 --> 00:37:22.230
their faith. Some people will talk about, you

00:37:22.230 --> 00:37:25.710
know, strip it all down and listen, what I did

00:37:25.710 --> 00:37:28.210
was say, why is there music in the church and

00:37:28.210 --> 00:37:30.869
why in some churches is a rock and roll band?

00:37:31.230 --> 00:37:34.030
I like music. I love music. And I don't have

00:37:34.030 --> 00:37:36.110
a problem against music in the church, but you

00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:39.190
ask yourself, if you read the Bible from front

00:37:39.190 --> 00:37:42.309
to back and you said, is this what the church

00:37:42.309 --> 00:37:45.360
looks like? And you look at some churches you'd

00:37:45.360 --> 00:37:47.480
say this isn't what the church in the Bible looks

00:37:47.480 --> 00:37:50.980
like that This isn't what it is, but we put our

00:37:50.980 --> 00:37:53.900
traditions. We put our preferences we put some

00:37:53.900 --> 00:37:58.340
things that maybe to entice people to come even

00:37:58.340 --> 00:38:02.800
and to me what I found through all this is You

00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:05.440
know, there's a song Christ is enough for me.

00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:10.809
It's like he's enough and you get people to draw

00:38:10.809 --> 00:38:13.369
close to him in relationship and then learn how

00:38:13.369 --> 00:38:17.670
they can multiply by reproducing themselves and

00:38:17.670 --> 00:38:19.449
preparing themselves. Not everyone's going to

00:38:19.449 --> 00:38:21.849
be a pastor. Not everyone's going to be a teacher.

00:38:22.030 --> 00:38:25.550
Not everyone's going to be in any administrative

00:38:25.550 --> 00:38:28.769
position, excuse me, within a church. But at

00:38:28.769 --> 00:38:35.949
the same time, he wants us to not just consume,

00:38:36.230 --> 00:38:39.960
but he wants us to give. And I think some of

00:38:39.960 --> 00:38:47.119
this from 2018 to now is I have realized so much

00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:51.860
about what he meant by authenticity. Just being

00:38:51.860 --> 00:38:56.000
authentic doesn't mean to some it might mean

00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:58.559
oh I'm flawed and I know it and I'm honest about

00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:01.739
it so I'm just going to be flawed. To me it's

00:39:01.739 --> 00:39:04.840
like being authentic is being real and trying

00:39:04.840 --> 00:39:07.900
not to hide and when you find out something about

00:39:07.900 --> 00:39:11.739
yourself through others or through the Bible

00:39:11.739 --> 00:39:13.900
or through this conviction of the Holy Spirit

00:39:13.900 --> 00:39:18.920
that this is wrong, this is bad. It's about constantly

00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:24.000
refining and drawing closer to God and getting

00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:26.320
rid of those things that just don't matter in

00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:31.400
our lives. And maybe, just maybe, he was showing

00:39:31.400 --> 00:39:35.090
me some stuff about Careers can be taken away

00:39:35.090 --> 00:39:36.969
your health can be taken away. I didn't lose

00:39:36.969 --> 00:39:40.590
my career. But what I mean is You when you can't

00:39:40.590 --> 00:39:43.929
earn money in this way and you're reliant on

00:39:43.929 --> 00:39:48.429
You know medical leave or something. I just Nothing's

00:39:48.429 --> 00:39:52.329
a given God's promises are given God is steadfast,

00:39:52.349 --> 00:39:55.030
but there's no guarantees in this world And so

00:39:55.030 --> 00:39:58.190
the other message I'd have for my viewers and

00:39:58.190 --> 00:39:59.909
your viewers and just anyone that's listening

00:39:59.909 --> 00:40:04.019
to a podcast about the wilderness and navigating

00:40:04.019 --> 00:40:08.440
it. It's like, allow God to use you exactly where

00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:12.420
you're at. It doesn't have to be a journey of

00:40:12.420 --> 00:40:15.579
a thousand miles. It doesn't have to be across

00:40:15.579 --> 00:40:19.480
country. It can be just waking up to what does

00:40:19.480 --> 00:40:22.659
he have for me? What does he want for me? And

00:40:22.659 --> 00:40:25.239
even in my circumstances, because that's my story,

00:40:25.420 --> 00:40:27.699
is even in my circumstances, he's used me in

00:40:27.699 --> 00:40:33.340
different ways. the gifts he's given you and

00:40:33.340 --> 00:40:35.659
the season you're in and the way you can right

00:40:35.659 --> 00:40:39.880
now. And it's also another thing I feel like

00:40:39.880 --> 00:40:42.199
to say is it's also okay to have a season of

00:40:42.199 --> 00:40:44.739
rest. You know, sometimes you're you have a forced

00:40:44.739 --> 00:40:47.920
rest. And I mean, that was true for me. The Lord

00:40:47.920 --> 00:40:50.579
literally I mean, he didn't force me physically.

00:40:51.219 --> 00:40:53.500
But he was like, I want you to I want you to

00:40:53.500 --> 00:40:55.139
rest. And I was like, I don't even know what

00:40:55.139 --> 00:40:57.639
that looks like. What does rest look like? I'm

00:40:57.639 --> 00:40:59.710
so used to like you know, because we can get

00:40:59.710 --> 00:41:02.650
into striving so much. And the other thing that

00:41:02.650 --> 00:41:06.510
came to my mind as you were talking about the

00:41:06.510 --> 00:41:09.710
church and being a pastor is I think part of

00:41:09.710 --> 00:41:14.010
the issue that we have right now in Western Christianity

00:41:14.010 --> 00:41:18.650
is the pastor is expected to be all things. Like

00:41:18.650 --> 00:41:22.309
he's the CEO of really a business, it seems like

00:41:22.309 --> 00:41:26.130
a Christian business, and he's not really like

00:41:26.219 --> 00:41:29.139
A pastor's not called to be that. A pastor is

00:41:29.139 --> 00:41:31.039
called to come alongside and to be a shepherd

00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:34.460
to people and to care for people. And how can

00:41:34.460 --> 00:41:37.019
they do that when they have all of that responsibility

00:41:37.019 --> 00:41:39.239
weighing on them? It doesn't, you know what I

00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:41.300
mean? It's too much on one person. And I think

00:41:41.300 --> 00:41:43.880
that's part of the challenge with the structure.

00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:49.579
And even in the way that it causes people that

00:41:49.579 --> 00:41:52.260
are attending to become passive, because we're

00:41:52.260 --> 00:41:54.280
sitting back and just expecting them to teach

00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:57.730
us. rather than learning how to feed ourselves

00:41:57.730 --> 00:41:59.610
with, you know, spend time with the Lord and

00:41:59.610 --> 00:42:03.530
learn how to feed ourselves. So yeah, I just,

00:42:03.750 --> 00:42:06.570
there's just a sense I was getting that, that

00:42:06.570 --> 00:42:10.050
he is doing something new and even with your

00:42:10.050 --> 00:42:12.550
podcast, like right now you don't, you don't

00:42:12.550 --> 00:42:18.389
necessarily have people calling you or, you know,

00:42:18.530 --> 00:42:20.590
you don't have that feedback coming back to you.

00:42:20.650 --> 00:42:22.730
I'm just going to throw this out there and the

00:42:22.730 --> 00:42:25.570
Lord will let you know what you should do. But

00:42:25.570 --> 00:42:29.250
I just get this sense that there might be a way

00:42:29.250 --> 00:42:31.670
that you can have an invitation for people to

00:42:31.670 --> 00:42:34.630
be able to connect in a way that will allow you

00:42:34.630 --> 00:42:36.750
to create online community with people. Because

00:42:36.750 --> 00:42:39.110
I just feel like there's some out of the box

00:42:39.110 --> 00:42:43.329
way that he wants to do things for you in your

00:42:43.329 --> 00:42:47.050
season. It's really awesome though to hear your

00:42:47.050 --> 00:42:49.170
story and just how all of the pieces come together.

00:42:49.599 --> 00:42:52.400
I'm excited to see what happens because thank

00:42:52.400 --> 00:42:57.480
you. Thank you. Yeah, I'll take that and I I'm

00:42:57.480 --> 00:43:00.579
scouring for other Christian podcasts and I am

00:43:00.579 --> 00:43:04.260
a fan and listener of your podcast and I appreciate

00:43:04.260 --> 00:43:07.619
what you're doing as well So I don't want that

00:43:07.619 --> 00:43:11.340
to to get lost in you interviewing me. So I want

00:43:11.340 --> 00:43:15.539
you to know that you're doing some Some awesome

00:43:15.539 --> 00:43:18.920
things and just your realness shines through

00:43:18.960 --> 00:43:24.699
Oh, of course. I think, you know, you can always

00:43:24.699 --> 00:43:28.280
upload your podcast to a radio station and there

00:43:28.280 --> 00:43:32.900
is serious radio. There's radio outlets and there's

00:43:32.900 --> 00:43:38.800
the ability to talk on a Christian radio station

00:43:38.800 --> 00:43:41.900
or something like that and have a call -in nature.

00:43:42.260 --> 00:43:44.480
But one of the things that I was working towards,

00:43:44.800 --> 00:43:47.059
again, I haven't shared this with a lot of people,

00:43:47.460 --> 00:43:50.840
now there are Lot of apps out there, but I had

00:43:50.840 --> 00:43:54.780
found some apps where we could do community by

00:43:54.780 --> 00:43:57.800
uploading little videos together as a church

00:43:57.800 --> 00:44:00.679
our Reflections together and it wasn't Facebook

00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:05.559
by the way. It was a specific app just for that

00:44:05.559 --> 00:44:11.260
community and even in creating There are there

00:44:11.260 --> 00:44:14.860
are people who say no don't forsake the gathering

00:44:14.860 --> 00:44:18.280
of the Saints, you know, don't not get involved

00:44:18.280 --> 00:44:20.599
in a church, but I know that there are people

00:44:20.599 --> 00:44:25.300
that I minister to that we do communion in their

00:44:25.300 --> 00:44:27.980
house, sometimes with root beer and crackers,

00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:32.800
but we do communion because of their shut -ins.

00:44:33.179 --> 00:44:35.920
And there are populations of people that need

00:44:35.920 --> 00:44:41.820
a community that can't, for risk of getting sick

00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:46.139
or just mobility or logistics or travel, can't

00:44:46.139 --> 00:44:50.139
make it. And so that's always been in the back

00:44:50.139 --> 00:44:52.800
of my mind, even ironically, as you say that,

00:44:53.599 --> 00:44:59.039
that there can be other ways that this manifests

00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:03.280
or transforms or morphs. I don't know what the

00:45:03.280 --> 00:45:05.280
word I want to use, but, you know, turns into

00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:09.539
something else so that other people can connect

00:45:09.539 --> 00:45:13.820
in a real way. And so, I don't know, to me, I

00:45:13.820 --> 00:45:17.590
wake up each Day and I'm like, okay. What do

00:45:17.590 --> 00:45:21.710
I have to do for work? And then what what do

00:45:21.710 --> 00:45:24.550
I get to do for the podcast and it's I have a

00:45:24.550 --> 00:45:26.750
fantastic job I really do and I'm not just saying

00:45:26.750 --> 00:45:28.289
that because I think everyone's gonna listen.

00:45:28.650 --> 00:45:30.949
I have a fantastic job with some great people

00:45:30.949 --> 00:45:34.809
but How exciting is it when you get to do what

00:45:34.809 --> 00:45:36.849
you? love to do and you feel like you're called

00:45:36.849 --> 00:45:39.650
to do and you're pleasing God and doing it and

00:45:39.650 --> 00:45:42.809
You know for some it's you get paid and there's

00:45:42.809 --> 00:45:45.530
nothing wrong with that And some you want to

00:45:45.530 --> 00:45:48.610
get paid. But for me, that's just not been what

00:45:48.610 --> 00:45:50.889
it is. So I want to be clear in that message

00:45:50.889 --> 00:45:54.210
too, that I'm not saying, oh, it makes it better

00:45:54.210 --> 00:45:56.469
if you don't get paid. No, that might not be

00:45:56.469 --> 00:45:59.070
everyone's situation. That's just my situation.

00:45:59.610 --> 00:46:02.210
Right. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. Well, before

00:46:02.210 --> 00:46:04.289
we get off, would you mind praying for those

00:46:04.289 --> 00:46:06.929
that are listening who are in a similar season

00:46:06.929 --> 00:46:10.329
or a wilderness of some kind? Yeah. I'd love

00:46:10.329 --> 00:46:14.929
that. Let's do it. Father God, Lord, we just

00:46:14.929 --> 00:46:17.150
come to you now and we praise you so much, Lord,

00:46:17.190 --> 00:46:20.610
for loving us first, God, and for drawing us

00:46:20.610 --> 00:46:24.289
to you. Lord, we thank you for your power to

00:46:24.289 --> 00:46:26.230
get us through anything. And we thank you that

00:46:26.230 --> 00:46:29.929
your love. And God, I know that there's listeners

00:46:29.929 --> 00:46:35.110
today that they might be thinking, ooh, I'm being

00:46:35.110 --> 00:46:38.789
punished by God because of this season or because

00:46:38.789 --> 00:46:43.119
of this situation or because of this pain. And

00:46:43.119 --> 00:46:48.139
Lord, help them to know the truth. Help them

00:46:48.139 --> 00:46:53.099
to know your truth. And Lord, not you who ever

00:46:53.099 --> 00:46:56.739
punished me in my downtime. It was circumstances.

00:46:57.239 --> 00:46:59.219
And Lord, you were right there with me. God,

00:46:59.460 --> 00:47:02.559
I want everyone who's hearing this prayer to

00:47:02.559 --> 00:47:06.059
know how much that you love them and how much

00:47:06.059 --> 00:47:10.940
you draw close to them when they're crushed or

00:47:10.940 --> 00:47:15.119
emotionally drained. or confused. And Lord, there's

00:47:15.119 --> 00:47:20.340
hope. And God, your scripture gives us so much

00:47:20.340 --> 00:47:23.559
hope that our situations are temporary. Even

00:47:23.559 --> 00:47:27.360
if we're in a great season of riches, God, it's

00:47:27.360 --> 00:47:32.219
temporary. And so Lord, help us to each focus

00:47:32.219 --> 00:47:37.360
on your kingdom and your will in our lives. And

00:47:37.360 --> 00:47:40.619
Lord, I just thank you that we can encourage

00:47:40.619 --> 00:47:44.039
one another And we can always find encouragement

00:47:44.039 --> 00:47:48.559
and rest for our weary times and our weary souls

00:47:48.559 --> 00:47:51.519
in you. And Lord, we thank you for that today.

00:47:52.059 --> 00:47:54.739
Lord, we know that you go before us. Nothing

00:47:54.739 --> 00:47:59.840
that we experience is a shock to you. Nothing

00:47:59.840 --> 00:48:03.860
is too much for you to handle, even though it

00:48:03.860 --> 00:48:06.360
could be too much for us at that time. And Lord,

00:48:06.440 --> 00:48:09.909
we just thank you for always being present, for

00:48:09.909 --> 00:48:13.829
loving us, and for putting the wonderful people

00:48:13.829 --> 00:48:16.750
in our lives and how you continue to work even

00:48:16.750 --> 00:48:18.949
when we can't see it. Lord, we just thank you

00:48:18.949 --> 00:48:20.969
for this day. We thank you for this time together.

00:48:21.329 --> 00:48:23.750
We thank you for Nicole and her podcast. I ask

00:48:23.750 --> 00:48:27.210
that you would bless her and her listeners as

00:48:27.210 --> 00:48:30.110
she journeys out in this wilderness and finds

00:48:30.110 --> 00:48:32.869
more stories, Lord. We just thank you and we

00:48:32.869 --> 00:48:35.929
praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank

00:48:35.929 --> 00:48:41.000
you so much. Sure. Um, where can people find

00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:43.920
you with mind and faith podcast? So if you haven't

00:48:43.920 --> 00:48:46.519
listened to Corey's podcast, check it out. It

00:48:46.519 --> 00:48:49.619
is on YouTube as well as on all of the podcast

00:48:49.619 --> 00:48:52.320
platforms. That is correct. And I put out some

00:48:52.320 --> 00:48:58.170
supplemental light. companion guides on mindandfaithmatters

00:48:58.170 --> 00:49:02.570
.com. And so if you spell that out, mindandfaithmatters

00:49:02.570 --> 00:49:06.369
.com, there you'll find it all. So if you can't

00:49:06.369 --> 00:49:08.769
remember any of the other places, that brings

00:49:08.769 --> 00:49:11.789
it all together. And you can leave messages there.

00:49:12.070 --> 00:49:14.510
There's, there's ways to interact there. Not

00:49:14.510 --> 00:49:17.429
like we were talking about. Yeah, that's perfect.

00:49:17.570 --> 00:49:19.869
Okay. So yes, check out his website. I'll put

00:49:19.869 --> 00:49:21.869
it in the show notes so everyone can find it.

00:49:22.059 --> 00:49:24.559
And I just want to say thank you for listening

00:49:24.559 --> 00:49:27.920
to this story, to Cory's story, and I hope that

00:49:27.920 --> 00:49:30.880
encourages you this week. And I look forward

00:49:30.880 --> 00:49:31.900
to meeting with you again soon.