Transcript
WEBVTT
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and welcome back to pastor plex podcast.
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I'm your host, pastor plec, and with me in studio today is none other than the lovely and sweet adrian plecampole hi so how are you this morning or this afternoon?
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What's been going on in your world?
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What have you been working on?
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You're supposed to answer, you know there's a lot of different things, so my house is in complete upheaval.
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Yeah, what have we had going on?
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We had a shower that was rebuilt by an insurance claim four years ago.
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That wasn't done right, so it's completely ripped out, along with the flooring in my bathroom, and that's been that way for several weeks.
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It's probably going to be that way for the foreseeable future.
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And then and then, my electricity went out.
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Thanks to joe ames, the neighborhood electrician, it's working at the moment, but we need a whole new panel on our electricity, so I'm waiting for them to text me that they're coming.
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Should this be another insurance claim?
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No, it shouldn't.
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I already asked Joe.
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He says not their fault, so anyway, it's just really a lot of things on top of our normal life.
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Football games starting today.
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Yeah, we got a football game tonight.
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Uh the uh.
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The bears are taking on, I think, the 49ers and we should be able to leave them in great upheaval.
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We do have a number one draft pick, austin Plekapol, quarterback for us, and a future number one draft pick, and jet also on the team, so we should hopefully make it to the end of that with a victory at the end.
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Probably not.
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We'd be prepared for the worst, because the emotion in the home when it's not a victory, is something to brace for.
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Oh my gosh, okay, well, hey, we're talking about trials.
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Speaking of which, we're talking about trials, and we shouldn't consider trials something to brace for, but we should consider them.
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Pure joy is what James said, and that's what we talked about this past Sunday.
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Do you remember the sermon from this past Sunday?
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I do, all right.
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What was the?
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Anything that stuck out to you?
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this past Sunday, I do.
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All right, what was the anything that stuck out to you?
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Well, I did actually really like your visual with Austin, where he was doing squats with the barbell and you said and you were holding the heavy weight behind him.
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I don't actually think you were holding it at first.
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Were you holding it the whole?
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time no, not the whole time he was, he was really doing it, and then, when he got really tired, that's when I held it for him.
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I like to think god's always holding it?
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Yeah, but he lets you feel the weight of it.
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That's true.
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I mean, there's never a point at which I feel like squats without the barbell are hard, much less with the barbell, with the heavier yeah.
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So the concept was I had austin in front of me and I talked about trials, and your heavenly father is standing right behind you.
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You can't see him, he's not imaginary, he's just invisible, and so whenever you're struggling, you should consider it pure joy when you're going through trials and make comments, because you know that testing your faith develops perseverance, and God is testing your faith in a really positive way, and so that's something we should totally embrace as opposed to reject.
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Yeah, so I liked that, I liked the visual, I thought that it was powerful to consider that what feels like my trial is really something that God is very deliberately allowing and helping me constantly through.
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Yeah, sometimes it feels like God like kind of allows trial while he like You've had a lot of trials recently.
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Actually, I feel like your life is.
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I feel like trials are.
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You know what you choose them to be, and I choose to consider a lot of things trials.
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Well, I do think we haven't been able to use our bathroom in like a month.
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But like, is that a trial?
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No, but it's annoying yeah it's annoying.
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It's an annoying trial.
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Oh, hey everybody, holland Gregg has just joined the studio and he's coming up to his chair.
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This is going to be so great and Holland Gregg, from the lead pastor at Eastside Community Church, austin, is right here.
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I'm super, super excited about that.
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We're talking about trials, holland.
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I got suckered in because you were late.
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Chris actually said 2.30, and so I'm five minutes early.
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Oh you're right, you are early.
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The internet my counseling goes till 2.15.
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It does Okay.
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So I'm really sorry if there's miscommunication, but I'm so happy to be here on Pastor Plek's podcast.
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Chris.
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A miscommunication with Chris?
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No, no, so.
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Jordan brought me in.
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I thought it was at 2.30.
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And then Jordan said let's go, you're supposed to be on the podcast.
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And so here I am on the podcast, and so somehow the tail is wagging the dog.
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You did nothing wrong, and so consider it pure joy my brother Trials of various kinds.
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For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness finish its work that you may be perfect and complete.
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I really appreciate that.
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Holland said he apologizes if there was a miscommunication.
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That is something we're taking notes on, because you're right, Actually my Google just let me know that TwoThirtiesPodcast.
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Yeah, so talk to me, adrienne about some of the trials you faced, because it seems to me me, how do you know it's a trial versus an annoyance so let me just tell you what my trials are right now.
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Not my shower, okay.
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My trials are every now and then.
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There are things in life where I want to know the outcome I want to know the future and I feel like I go through seasons where this is a problem and I go through seasons where, like I'm not, I don't really, I'm like, I'm not worried about it, I like have faith, or sometimes like there's just enough predictability seeming predictability that I'm not feeling concerned.
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But currently we have a lot happening at our church.
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We're supposedly going to break ground and if that feels like it's actually going to happen, it's been happening in progress for five years or something, and so that's exciting.
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But the fact that it's so close, for some reason I get more nervous.
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Because it might not happen.
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Yeah, like there's a lot at stake now if it doesn't happen.
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So you're the one that does Like what do you do now that it has?
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And I'm the person like I would rather have control and just jump off the ship and miss the ship's arrival into the port of celebration.
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I would rather just jump because I can control jumping and I can figure myself out.
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And the distraction of figuring myself out after jumping is fun for me.
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I like that.
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It's a lot, it's a lot of stimulus, it's fun, but like staying on the boat.
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Yeah.
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That's really hard for me.
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Yeah, and that's my marriage Okay.
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So, adrian, so talk to me about uh, cause I think you're like you.
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I think you're a good preemptive striker.
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So what happens is I think you feel fear and then you preemptive strike, which sometimes can come off as self-sabotaging.
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Yes, because it is so okay.
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So the church is one example, but there's lots of things Like our kids have entered into this new stage this year, like our youngest is in kindergarten, so I have more time and um, which is exciting, um.
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But like there's kind of choices in how I want to spend that time and I think I feel like there I have a little bit more option for choices, and even within our parenting, like our kids can all be home and they're not necessarily demanding my attention like they used to.
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So there's kind of.
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Anyway, I think that the presence of choices has felt like.
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So choices are a trial is what I'm hearing.
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Yeah, a little bit, because it's like I'm now in this stage where I'm feeling like I need to be really tuned in to what it looks like to be obedient to God in areas where I kind of have options to God, in areas where I kind of have options, whereas up until now it's like it was like you're meeting basic needs of the kids that are kind of just you're, you're, you're going, you're going, you're tending to the people crying, the loud sort of.
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And it's like now it's different and now I can choose how I engage and who I engage, and like there needs to be some intentionality, which I way prefer.
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I way prefer this way.
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But it's like Ooh, this is a news, this is new and this is different.
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And then, on top of that, there's like okay, I think this church thing's going to work.
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So you might as well jump off.
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Well, I hope it works.
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But like what if it doesn't Like what if it falls apart?
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at this point, Aren't you the one who told me Cause I've had those feelings before Like God wouldn't take you this far, to just drop you, like I think you told me that.
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Yeah.
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Are you much better at encouraging somebody?
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else who's worried than to not worry yourself?
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Yeah, like I think if you're considering jumping, well, actually that's the problem You're not ever considering jumping, you're considering sulking in a reality and I'm like no, absolutely not, we're not doing that.
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If we're either jumping or we're feeling confident in what God's going to do, Can I ask a question?
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Is the jumping off the ship thing or the preemptive strike thing?
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I feel like they're connected?
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Is it because, like, okay, well, if the ship arrives, deliver, it doesn't go where people thought it was going to, and then all eyes are going to be on me if I'm around?
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and I'm going to feel rejection or feel like a failure.
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Okay, oh, really, cause I feel like with the parenting thing too.
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When you have, when you don't have choices, it's like, well, you know, no one's expecting you to do it, You're just doing it, You're just surviving, You're doing whatever you can.
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But now that you have choices, it's like, well, am I making the right ones?
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There's an extra pressure and responsibility and accountability to that that it's easier to just like well, I don't want any eyes on me.
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I don't want anyone thinking that I'm a failure, anyone thinking I'm doing it the wrong way.
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So I'd rather just get out of this shoot.
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There was a season where, like I could have been utilizing this three, 30 to four, 30 time a little bit better.
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I don't want to have that regret and I don't want to look back and the three, 30 to four 30 time.
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That's when all the kids are home, when they just get home from school.
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Right, and that's where I feel like there's this illusion of option right Because you're I'm tending to a lot of needs in that time, but probably I could be more intentional, although sometimes you are kind of reacting to the situation.
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There's four different people with different days that have different needs, like yesterday I held Pax on the back porch for like 30 minutes.
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Was that great.
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He was like crying.
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He clearly had a hard day.
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His teacher had a dentist appointment.
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She is not allowed.
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He had to sit on the floor in another classroom for a little bit.
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She is not allowed on the floor in another classroom for a little bit, and that was a lot.
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He wanted to talk through that.
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So it's like some days there's that, but then the other days there's like everyone's just happy and they come home and they kind of want to go do their own thing, and so I guess I feel like I don't want to live with regret and I I want to take them, I want to be um, I want to like take full advantage of the opportunities that I have with my kids, but then also with the church.
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I think it's like, yes, like I think it doesn't matter what really happens in this new season of the church, like people are going to be ticked, like for sure there's people are going to be disappointed, people will be irritated.
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There'll be things we could have done better.
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There'll be things that like, well, obviously, if you just like thought about it, and it's like I'm, we're going to have to like get all of that and I'm already like mad at the criticism.
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So you preempted striking anyone.
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Yeah, so I'm like I'd rather just leave and let everyone just sit in there Yep, look, turned out worse than you thought.
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Like I'd rather that than have to sit there and like endure, having God kind of do miracles and have amazing things happen, but then have to sit there and go through the growing pains of change while also getting the feedback.
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I just don't want to deal with it.
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Yeah, I feel like that's a totally normal struggle in leadership, and reality is you will never be able to escape that, never For the rest of your life.
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For the rest of your life Because of who you are and because of who Chris is.
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You are going to be in leadership somehow, no matter where you are, and therefore there's always going to be eyes on you and you're always going to have to be dealing with people's criticism and judgment.
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You cannot escape it, no matter what ministry environment you're in, so you might as well push everybody else off the ship.
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So then, how do you like engage with a soft heart?
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That?
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can extend grace.
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Is this a question of like?
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What should you do?
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Like, you need wisdom.
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In fact, there's a Bible verse that goes with that.
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It says— Any of you who lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all, without reproach, and it will be given him.
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That's right, james 1.5.
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Yeah, so, james, 1.5 is the answer to the problem that James presents.
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Wow, that is amazing.
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Look at how that works, he goes for the problem okay.
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Here is the problem.
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That is here and then bam, prescription right on, right on cue.
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I get that, though, like the desire.
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I deal with that.
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Jenny and I have talked about that a lot about like man.
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It's just you know the idea of like having being somewhere where not all eyes are on you and where you're, no matter what you do.
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Someone's going to be upset and like that just sounds really nice to be somewhere like that.
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But reality is like you know, if you were to quit, you jump off the ship and you're like you know what.
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We're just going to move off somewhere else, go be a part of some other church.
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In a very short period of time, you will be identified by other leaders there as people who have maturity and leadership experience, and you will be called this.
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You cannot avoid it, and just part of being a Christian and maturing in your faith is that you are going to be in leadership and I think you've got to learn to seek wisdom for it and understand how to be able to have peace in your heart, that's.
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I don't care about the approval of people.
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I'm okay with not pleasing everyone.
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I don't know.
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This is stuff that, like, I'm learning right now as well, what would make you, cause you to learn that your church has had some hard times financially?
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Hard times in all kinds of ways.
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Yeah, yeah.
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So talk to us a little bit about that, han, like how you have sought wisdom and really share with us some of the struggles, and then how God has come through and how not jumping off the ship has been a big win.
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Yeah, I've wanted to jump off the ship many times.
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And.
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I've talked to you about that.
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There's times when you've encouraged me not to.
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There's times when my wife has encouraged me not to jump off the ship.
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There's times when I'm encouraging her not to jump.
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I think anytime you're dealing with ministry, it is hard and it's not unique to us.
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You look at letters like 2 Timothy, where it's like the last letter he wrote before he died.
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This is like Paul, who was like you know, he was the man.
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He did Like.
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He was an evangelist, the church planner, like a preacher.
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He wrote the Bible like and he would say things like at my first trial, no one stood by my side.
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All these people abandoned me Names, names of people that walked away from him.
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You know, and, and, and you know, jesus said his crucifixion.
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Everyone abandoned him.
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They, they scattered, you know, and so like it's just a reality of Christian ministry and leadership is you're going to go through times where people complain and criticize you and abandon you, and so we felt that, um, with different transitions our church has gone through with.
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You know, there's people who come and it's the music is too this or the music is too that, and if you, you know, it's too loud or it's not, you know we don't do enough liturgical stuff or we do too much.
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You know the service is too long, you know, and if you try to adjust it for these people, then you lose those people, and if you leave it the same, then you just can't please everyone, and every decision you make comes under criticism from people, and it can just be so exhausting sometimes.
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And so, before even getting to the part of like, how do I learn from that, I at least just want to say like we've been there and that is.
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It is hard, but I feel like even just a few weeks ago, when we had uh, we had a baptism service and had six baptisms, and you know and ministry is slow and where we are like it is long, slow, hard work and a very difficult to reach community with a lot of needs.
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But, like you know, so when you get, it was moment.
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You know, moments like that Sunday where you know so when you get, it was moments like that Sunday where, you know, the fellowship was so sweet and the worship was powerful and there was a testimony, powerful testimony, of what God was doing, you know.
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And then there was these baptisms of people we've been investing in for years and seeing their families transformed by the gospel, and like those were moments where you're just like I'm so glad I didn't quit.
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You know like yes, and here's what's.
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Here's where I partially why I've been frustrated recently is we had a service, I think it was the same day as your baptism.
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I think it was, cause I remember September 15th it was yours, or was yours the week before?
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Um, I don't remember, I think it was the same, because I think I came home and I was like scrolling social media and I saw your service and I thought oh my word, this is cool.
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We kind of had a similar experience, I bet.
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So it was our birthday service and Chris went through every year of the church and had pictures.
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And then there was this video that was sent out, like it was a mass text that was sent to like a random group of people at the church and it was like hey, if you feel led, send in a two-minute video as to what the church has meant for you.
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Which, if I'm that I'm not ever doing that, like I'm not recording a video, like I'm like okay, cool, you know, I didn't get the text, or maybe I did, I don't actually know you got the text but I was like and so in my mind I laughed.
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I was like that's sad that we are going to rely on people to actually do this for our service.
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But here we are.
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Well, the service comes around.
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It's Saturday night before the service and we were with Cody and Cody was like man, I've got all these, I've got a lot more people that have been sending in videos, and I was like people are doing that.
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And he was like wow, I can't believe way to go.
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I can't believe it worked Well.
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So that's kind of my attitude, like coming in to this service.
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Okay, yeah.
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On top of that, I'd been up with Chris late that night before we were looking through pictures of kids that had been born at the church.
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So like if you were like 18 months old and started coming, you didn't count.
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So we were going through and and we were fine and that was kind of a sweet thing, but it was a lot of like.
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It was our core group of people really.
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So that was like that had kind of primed me for like maybe some reflection.
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but I get to the service and I'm watching, I'm experiencing it and Chris is going through every year and and you realize, like stuff that felt a little bit insignificant now feels very significant as you're looking at it in hindsight and you're seeing, like even when we sent you off, like that felt significant in the moment, but watching it in the history of our church was like whoa, like we were never the same after that.
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And you, we, we feel that reality Right, and so that was powerful.
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Well then we get to this video and I am like you know how there's crying like normal, like there's tears.
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I'm like sobbing to the point that I have like bubbles coming out of my nose and my kids are laughing and pointing and I'm like I didn't want to reach to the front of the stage to get tissues because that would have drawn more attention.
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So I'm like snorting it all back into my face and I'm like I just can't believe how emotional I got and it was so powerful.
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And the people that inconvenienced themselves to make these videos a lot of them were individuals that you don't really think about when you think about the church, like they're not necessarily people who necessarily came to Christ here, but they're people who have been attending and who have had meaningful connections and have had genuine life change.
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And it's not the life change that we're always sharing about from in sermon illustrations.
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It's like.
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It's like as impactful, but a little bit more subtle and a little bit more normal.
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It's like they were living a normal life, feeling despair and loneliness.
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And that was almost more powerful because it was like we've heard a lot of our really colorful stories of amazing things that God has done.
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But it was like through this video, it's like you're seeing people live a very normal, mundane day in and day out, and then seeing how God has used this church to completely transform people.
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And that's amazing.
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It was super powerful and I was crying so hard because I just was shocked and I was like and some of the people were people that, like I have been at times like why is Chris spending so much time with this individual?
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Like this is tough, like we've got things that have to get done, we have a lot we have to do, like he has all.
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We have deacons, we have staff, we have elders, like of all the people that Chris is investing time in, like and and yet you saw, like what these people's testimonies revealed is like something that was kingdom expanding, not maybe like business expanding and business expanding, and I'm like, okay, that's that.
