Faith Grows at Home

353: Ever wondered what it's really like growing up in a pastor's home? Joined by Pastor Plek and her dad, Holland, almost-nine-year-old Lizzie Greig pulls back the curtain on her family's spiritual life with surprising wisdom and disarming honesty.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:05

And welcome back to Pastor Plex Podcast Special Edition, here with none other than Pastor Holland Gregg from the Eastside. Welcome, pastor Holland. Hello. And then also Lizzie Gregg, member at Eastside Community Church, also my daughter, also Holland's daughter, and we're going to talk about what exactly is going on in the Greg home to produce a child like this. So, lizzie, let's talk about what it's like being. Are you almost nine or are you nine? I'm almost nine.

Speaker 2 0:41

Okay, I'm almost nine, okay, so talk to me about being almost nine in the Greg household and talk to me about like how much you guys studied the Bible.

Speaker 1 0:57

I don't know, you don't know, you don't know the hours. Do you wake up? Do you talk about the Bible?

Speaker 2 1:02

Yes, when we wake up early, dad reads bible verses to us what bible verse like.

Speaker 1 1:07

Does he just open up the bible, or he?

Speaker 2 1:09

has a daily journal, like a daily bible, so we read from that, and then yeah, and then also, what else is it?

Speaker 1 1:20

we do this devotional is this in the morning?

Speaker 2 1:23

no, not dimensional a challenge. Is this in the morning?

Speaker 1 1:26

No, not devotional A challenge? Yes, this is in the morning. What time do you wake up? 10, 11?, 9. Okay, 10. All right, so you wake up about 9 in the morning.

Morning Bible Routines

Speaker 3 1:34

This is new. The sleeping in is really post-time change. They haven't adjusted yet. That's good. That's good.

Speaker 1 1:41

Gets your beauty sleep. What time do you?

Speaker 2 1:43

go to bed? Well, I stay up reading the Bible and the Little Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker 1 1:48

Yeah, of course you do.

Speaker 2 1:49

And then I just fall asleep, at any time at least.

Speaker 1 1:54

Like 7 pm, no 8 pm, no Later, later 9? No 10?

Speaker 2 2:01

11.

Speaker 1 2:02

Like 11.30. All right, that makes sense. Okay, good, so you're reading books about Jesus Pilgrim's Progress, the Bible.

Speaker 2 2:15

Is it like an hour of reading your Bible every night? Well, I usually read, like one, two to three chapters of Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker 1 2:25

Can you tell us what Pilgrim's Progress is about? Is it like the Pilgrim's Progress Junior, or is it the legit Pilgrim's Progress?

Speaker 3 2:33

It's Little Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker 1 2:34

Okay, Little Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker 3 2:36

So it's like a kid's version.

Speaker 1 2:38

Okay, the kid's version. All right, I was going to say if you were reading the actual Paul Bunyan I'd be like dang, we are way behind. All right, go ahead. Talk to us about Little Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker 2 2:47

Well, it's an example of the Bible. So there's this part where he comes to a cross and he has this like heavy backpack on him.

Speaker 1 2:58

He said it's like he said, he's coming to a cross. Is he coming to a cross road or is he coming to an actual cross?

Speaker 2 3:03

Yeah, cross, okay. So he says it's his burden, the little heavy backpack. So he comes to the cross and the backpack falls off. So that's an example of when you come to Jesus like you don't have, like your burden goes away, or something like that yeah and then yeah goes away, or something like that, yeah and then yeah. But then it's like there's like challenges and more examples of god, of the bible and god so who's the main character?

Speaker 1 3:37

little christian, little christian. And so then he meets different people along the way. Who are some of the characters that he meets along the way that either give him problems or help him out?

Speaker 2 3:48

well, there's, there's these two cats oh, two cats and they were trying to meet the king too, but they don't. They don't really like they wouldn't go to the right way which way they go well, they went a different way. Instead of the gate because there was a gate to this little thing that they tell you what path you have to go- yeah. And little Christian knew what the path was. But they didn't. So they took the two wrong roads and they end up suffering.

Speaker 3 4:18

Oh.

Speaker 2 4:20

So that's what you.

Little Pilgrim's Progress

Speaker 3 4:21

Little Christian's a bunny, right? Yes, oh, he's a bunny, he's an animal. Okay, that makes. So that's what you Little Christian's a bunny right?

Speaker 2 4:26

Yes, oh, he's a bunny. All those little animals.

Speaker 1 4:28

Okay, that makes sense it's like an animal, not a human Right. Okay, so how in your life have you sort of seen yourself as little?

Speaker 2 4:39

Christian walking the road to find the king Well, getting baptized.

Speaker 1 4:43

Tell me about that.

Speaker 2 4:48

We Well, I don't know. I just felt like it was walking the path to another step, to jesus yeah so I just felt like little christian when I did that. Well, I haven't, I haven't got the book when I got baptized. But now I just think back of that and I just feel myself.

Speaker 1 5:06

Oh, I love it. When did you get baptized?

Speaker 3 5:10

Last year. Right, yeah, yeah, last year.

Speaker 1 5:13

And what was your favorite part about that?

Speaker 2 5:15

Well.

Speaker 1 5:16

Did you feel any different? Was there, like you know, you went into the water. You're like, or was it just like? This is a cool experience, nice.

Speaker 2 5:31

I just I, or was it just like. This is a cool experience, nice. I just, I don't know. Well, it was awesome to be getting baptized and taking another step to jesus, so I really felt proud of myself after that, yeah and yeah, so tell me about how you know most kids that grow up in pastor's homes.

Speaker 1 5:51

They haven't really done anything that bad. So how did you know that you were a sinner?

Speaker 2 5:55

Well, my dad told me Well, and I just know it because I how do you know it? Because I sin and I'm not perfect.

Speaker 1 6:06

What was the one thing you did wrong? I did a lot of stuff, but Like were you not nice to your parents? What was the thing that sticks out to you? It was like the thing that you knew you needed to change, and then you did, and it changed because you met Jesus.

Speaker 2 6:24

I used to do tantrums like massive tantrums.

Speaker 1 6:28

Like how big a tantrum are we talking about?

Speaker 2 6:30

I will not tell you.

Speaker 1 6:33

Well, I'm just curious. There's a lot of fans out there that have fans of Pastor Plex podcast dozens, I would say that also have children and they tend to throw tantrums. So can we, can you tell us what you're thinking in the middle of a tantrum?

Speaker 2 6:51

I don't know what I'm thinking is it just like?

Speaker 1 6:54

you're blinded by the anger and you're just like is that kind of it? Yeah, kind of okay, so what was you know in? In psychological world they call it a trigger, like what triggered you, what set you off to like lose your mind?

Speaker 2 7:16

um well, I don't know, I'm just, I'm very sensitive, so sometimes it just hits me and I'm like I need to get this done, or like I don't know.

Speaker 1 7:30

You're sensitive, yes, and you need to get things done. Get what done, yeah. What do you need to get done?

Speaker 2 7:36

Get stuff done. That's no, but like it feels.

Speaker 1 7:41

Is it one of your brothers that makes you upset and angry, to put you in a tantrum? Or is it your mom saying you have to obey and you're like I don't want to obey? What's the thing?

Speaker 2 7:50

It's both, but yeah, a lot of times it's my brothers, but yeah.

Speaker 3 7:58

But when you're saying I just have to get this done, I think you meant. Correct me if I'm wrong. But there are times when you would say I done I think you meant.

Speaker 1 8:11

Correct me if I'm wrong. But there are times when you would say like I feel like I just have to be mad, like I'm so I can't, oh, oh, so the have to get this done is not like, uh, I'm gonna put away the dishes. It's, it's I need to rage. Is that kind of?

Baptism and Overcoming Tantrums

Speaker 2 8:16

what happens? I guess so, but after then I'm like so sorry and I just, but now I am done so is that?

Speaker 1 8:24

uh, that's good. So you know, one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control. So do you feel like the fruit of the spirit of self-control is in you more now that you've received jesus as your savior?

Speaker 2 8:34

yes, there is this thing called thunder pause.

Speaker 1 8:38

Oh, talk to me about what. What's a thunder pause?

Speaker 2 8:40

so a thunder pause is when you know how the storm it gets like really, but then you count down.

Speaker 1 8:46

You mean like when you see the lightning.

Speaker 2 8:49

Yeah, and then the thunder.

Speaker 1 8:51

Then there's like a pause, one, two, uh-huh.

Speaker 2 8:53

So it's like there's a storm with your anger and you count, you take a deep breath for the lightning, I think, and then you count until, and then you do it a lot until you feel calmed down and ready to say what's right instead of just letting your anger fly.

Speaker 1 9:15

Okay, so how? So when let's say that you forget about the thunder pause, do your mom or dad they go, thunder pause, thunder pause, like. And you're like, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 9:26

Uh, no, no, it doesn't work.

Speaker 1 9:27

And you're like oh yeah, no, no, it doesn't work like that. I just Do you count for yourself.

Speaker 2 9:30

Yeah, you count in your head and then it really helps, because that's Mommy helps remind you of Thunderpaws, right?

Speaker 3 9:39

Oh yeah, sometimes, because that was from y'all's gentleness, it was a. Emotional or challenge. No, it's from a book, oh.

Speaker 2 9:47

But the Thunder Paws was today. It's like taking a deep breath.

Speaker 1 9:51

So was that today's lesson.

Speaker 3 9:53

It was also from a book they read maybe like a week or two ago, and it's called Thunder Paws.

Speaker 2 9:57

It's from the library.

Speaker 1 9:58

Oh, I love that. How often do you go to the library?

Speaker 2 10:02

Well, once a month, I think. But we also get these read-alouds that we read Like there's like the book reads to you. So we listen to those every night and they help us fall asleep. So we don't go that often anymore, only if we get bored of the read-aloud books and we want new ones.

Speaker 1 10:21

Yeah, okay, so talk to me now. So in the morning you do a devotional, Is it devotional with your dad?

Speaker 2 10:27

I think it's. No, it's with my mom. I think it's not a devotional, I think it's like a challenge. It's called the gentleness challenge.

Speaker 1 10:34

Okay, so all right, hold on. So a 30 day gentleness challenge? Water over your head and go like I'm a big shot, and then you go and be gentle to people. No, oh, what do you do for a gentlest challenge?

Speaker 2 10:48

My mom reads it from her phone, so there's verses and then it goes. Someone wait, someone goes wait.

Speaker 1 11:00

Oh, you're trying to remember the verse. Give me the general gist of the verse.

Speaker 2 11:04

So um they just read a verse off of this. There's someone who writes it that has 10 children.

Speaker 1 11:11

What 10 children?

Speaker 2 11:12

Yeah, and she just writes about things that can help you. One of them was don't let your anger fly, or just think of a verse like kindness and calm, so you think of that while you're doing that and then it helps you.

Speaker 1 11:31

So you go, like you get angry, you go. Love is patient, love is kind. Love is patient, love is kind. I'm ready. Is that it?

Speaker 2 11:39

I think you're getting all the things wrong?

Speaker 1 11:40

No, is that not what you're doing? Oh, sorry, Okay. No, is that not what you do? Oh, sorry, okay. So you, I'm just trying to figure out how, in the gentleness challenge, how do you move from the I'm about ready to rage to like I'm ready to have a conversation, like that's the, but what I'm trying to see? The dozens, the listeners all over the globe are wanting to know, lizzie, how do you get to a place of self-control by the power of the Holy Spirit from a place of anger and rage. So you say that to yourself, do you like? What's the process?

Speaker 2 12:12

Well, I don't, Well some. Let me think of something Well.

Speaker 3 12:19

You did a thunder pause like yesterday or something right? Didn't you get mad and you stepped away, went to your room.

Speaker 1 12:34

Yeah, I didn't you get mad and you you stepped away, went to your room, or I did. You declare like thunder pause. And then you like leave. No, okay, go ahead. What do you do? Because that would be kind of cool. I could like to be an action show and, like you know, like a christian action show. Like you have this family're really angry and all of a sudden he goes Thunder Paws and then he walks away, calms down, and then he comes back, says I'm ready, because you get it like a thunder clap.

Speaker 1 12:56

You should try that next time, all right. So the Thunder Paws happens. You don't say Thunder Paws.

Speaker 2 13:06

No, because when you're, when you're angry, it's hard to like get excited or be like really funny.

Speaker 1 13:09

Yeah, because you're like really in the zone it's called being emotionally flooded. When you're filled up with all these emotions, you have a tendency to fight, flight, freeze or fake. Those are the big four f's. What you do. What is your tendency? To fight or flight?

Speaker 2 13:29

Well, I think flight, because I would, just I would I used to just like not let it go and I would just like I need to do this, I need to get it done.

Speaker 1 13:41

Yeah, fight that's more. Fight, yes, raging yeah.

Speaker 2 13:43

But I used to do that. But now I'm like I I learned the thunder pause, so I'm doing the thunder pause and I feel calm and I walk away because it takes. And then I think of what to say nice and then I go back and I say like that hurt my feelings or or.

Evening Worship and Family Devotions

Speaker 2 14:05

This is an example. So I did the Thunderpaws today because Ethan took one of my Lego pieces and I took a Thunderpaws because I was getting really mad and I thought of what to say. But I didn't leave because I thought of what to say and I said Ethan, could you please give this back? And he wouldn't listen. So I tried one more time and I said it really calm. Then I went to mom and I said could you please help? And she said yes, and then Owen also helped. He found some more Lego pieces and we made a trade and yeah, and I got my Lego pieces back and everything was fine wow, that's amazing.

Speaker 1 14:49

Okay, that's incredible. Alright, so now talk to me, lizzy, about the day you're starting off the morning. You've gotten up at 9 o'clock, ready fresh for the day. You've done your devotional right. Yes, you've had a gentleness challenge. Then what do you do next?

Speaker 2 15:03

well, I usually play with my brothers Mm-hmm, and today I gave them some candy and they were very happy about that.

Speaker 1 15:12

You gave them candy. Yes, what candy did you give them?

Speaker 2 15:15

Gum Starbucks what.

Speaker 1 15:17

Starbucks yeah or.

Speaker 2 15:18

Starburst, oh Starburst.

Speaker 1 15:20

Because I was like man, you just made a quick run to Starbucks and brought us a coffee. I'm sure that would have gone over really, really well, all right, I mixed those two up. What's your favorite flavor of Starburst? I'm a red guy myself, you.

Speaker 2 15:34

Yeah, I think the yellow or the red Really Yellow.

Speaker 1 15:37

Yeah, a little lemony, a little flavor. Okay, so then do you guys're? You do homeschool. You used to do uh public school, but you're doing homeschool now. So talk to me about uh. After your mom teaches you, we'll get we'll get into homeschool stuff in a sec, but you, throughout the day, um, you learn stuff from your mom. Yes, um, does your dad ever have to teach you stuff?

Speaker 2 15:59

yeah, we have these daddy days. It's all it's um. Every Monday, my mom goes out to this Pilates class. Yeah.

Speaker 1 16:10

Good Pilates. That's good it's. It's fun. Everyone needs some stretching. Go ahead, Okay.

Speaker 2 16:15

And dad stays with us and we do school with him.

Speaker 1 16:19

Is he hardcore? Sometimes he doesn't do that good. Oh really Okay.

Speaker 2 16:26

Yeah, sometimes he doesn't do that. Good, oh really, okay, yeah, so we can cut that part out. Mom said that herself.

Speaker 1 16:30

She said with reading, that's good you know, we like authentic community around here this is great, all right.

Speaker 2 16:35

So now daddy wants to teach things that are extracurricular things sometimes to memorize the words and they and they took that really serious and they memorized it.

Speaker 3 16:45

No, but then nope, okay. No, we're missing context here, that's what you did.

Speaker 2 16:50

Wyatt told mom, and mom was.

Speaker 1 16:51

Wyatt was not, so you got a stitch. That's what I'm hearing.

Speaker 3 16:57

No, what happened was, I was teaching them reading. We're practicing reading some things, yeah, and after they finish sounding out each word, I would say now you have to read it again until you can say the whole sentence without sounding out a word. Nice and so, but that.

Speaker 1 17:13

Yeah, I lost the translation. Maybe he thought he had to memorize it.

Speaker 3 17:16

And yeah, and then he kind of came off that that wasn't what I was doing. It's all good now, we all cleared it up.

Speaker 1 17:21

It teaches the test, not how to learn. That's what I'm hearing.

Speaker 3 17:24

Everything's fine. I'm great. I'm a great teacher, I'm a great teacher.

Speaker 1 17:27

All right. So, okay, let's get back to at the end of like the school day, when your daddy comes back. Let's talk about the evening spiritual routine. So how do you, when does your dad do the devote? He does one in the morning, Does he do another at night? When's the point where you guys get together and sing?

Speaker 2 17:45

Okay, well, we do that every night. Every night and we go to the piano or who plays the piano, my dad, and then we all sing a worship song.

Speaker 1 17:54

What song do you sing or what's one of your favorites?

Speaker 2 17:57

I think Sanctuary.

Speaker 1 18:00

But we sing that right. Is that Lord? Prepare me to sing, okay.

Speaker 2 18:04

But and then sometimes he goes into our rooms and I come in too, and then he, we all sing some. And then one night we did this little instrument one. So we all grabbed some little things. We all grabbed things like cards, cards, not cards, okay, never mind.

Speaker 1 18:25

Cards that make a noise.

Speaker 2 18:27

No, yeah, like you do.

Speaker 1 18:30

Yeah, that's what makes the noise.

Speaker 2 18:32

And then we would like there's little drums, and then we would pat the drums and dad would play the guitar, wyatt would hit a book, ethan would shake a chain.

Speaker 1 18:41

A rattler yeah.

Speaker 2 18:43

And then we would all sing a song.

Speaker 1 18:45

My chains are gone. I've been so free no.

Speaker 2 18:49

No, it was like what was it.

Speaker 3 18:53

What was it?

Speaker 2 18:54

I think it was something like Nothing but the blood.

Speaker 3 18:58

Yeah, I think it was nothing but the blood.

Speaker 1 18:59

Do you like that?

Speaker 3 18:59

song.

Speaker 1 19:00

Yeah, sing it for me. Give me a quick little. How's that go?

Speaker 2 19:04

Oh, okay, nothing but the blood of Jesus, oh.

Speaker 1 19:12

Precious.

Speaker 2 19:14

Oh, precious is the flow. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Speaker 1 19:23

What do?

Speaker 2 19:24

you like about that song. I don't really know, but it's just. I mean, it's just a good song.

Speaker 1 19:33

Yeah, what's it about?

Speaker 2 19:35

I never really knew that though.

Speaker 1 19:37

Yeah, so that song is about the precious flow of the blood of Jesus. Is that what makes us white as snow? Like? What does white as snow mean?

Speaker 2 19:47

Well.

Speaker 1 19:49

On the inside.

Speaker 2 19:50

Oh well, Pure.

Speaker 1 19:54

Yes. So remember how Jesus' blood is really red, and if you got blood all over you, that would not make you cleaner. But because it's Jesus, it's different and he has the power to make you clean on the inside, and that's why you sing the songs.

Speaker 3 20:10

Yeah, his blood washes away our what.

Speaker 2 20:13

Sin.

Speaker 1 20:14

Yeah so good Sing about his forgiveness and his first. Like read a scripture together, then pray together and sing. Is that kind of how that that generally goes?

Speaker 3 20:23

yeah, I think so right yeah, sometimes we'll do like we've been doing the catechism a lot lately.

Speaker 1 20:30

Yeah, tell me about the catechism. What's that? Well, what's a catechism?

Speaker 2 20:34

we have this book and we practice it every night. So there's this book with pictures and questions and answers okay so we would read three to five questions every night, but a lot, Um. So we would read them and we would, we would practice them, we would, we would copy, we would repeat uh dad, cause he was reading it. So we would do that.

Speaker 1 21:08

So he asked the question. You repeat the question.

Speaker 2 21:11

Uh, yes, and then he would tell the answer. Then we would repeat the answer and sometimes we would try to do it all by ourself and he would ask this question. We had to answer the. We had to answer the answer, Do you?

Speaker 1 21:24

know any. Do you have any of those questions off the? I mean that might be a hard question Like do you know any of the like? Is there one?

Speaker 2 21:34

like you know who is God, or something like that that you have to answer, or is it like what kind of questions is it? Well, there is one that I think I remember, but it's man. What is it? I think it's like what are the three things that God gives us? Baptism, wait, no, what are the two things? Two ordinances maybe? Yep, what are the two things?

Speaker 1 21:52

Two ordinances maybe, Yep.

Speaker 2 21:54

So the two ordinance are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Nice, so that's. I think that's what it is.

Speaker 3 22:03

but what about? Who made you?

Speaker 2 22:05

Oh, and then God made me and all things.

Speaker 3 22:09

Yeah, and why did he make you?

Speaker 2 22:12

For his glory.

Speaker 3 22:15

Mm-hmm, or what about what's the one we did the other night? The three talked about Jesus as three things.

Speaker 2 22:25

Yeah, I think it's all P's.

Speaker 3 22:27

Two of them are P's yes Prophet Raw.

Speaker 2 22:31

Pro Prophet, prophet Uh-huh and priest Right yeah.

Speaker 3 22:37

Remember we sang nothing but the blood, yes, and we said which one is nothing but the blood about? Prophet, priest or king?

Speaker 2 22:43

I think it was prophet priest good.

Speaker 1 22:50

Lizzie does a great job so, lizzie, like here's the real question. Yes, at some point somebody is not paying attention. Somebody has to be punching each other as you're trying to listen to your dad. Who is it?

Speaker 2 23:07

Well, it would be Ethan, Wyatt and Owen.

Speaker 1 23:10

Okay, so not you. You are pretty much the angel child of the family. Three boys, not her, yeah, so you know I literally hear them every night punching people.

Speaker 3 23:21

They share a room and she's in the room next to them.

Speaker 2 23:23

Yeah, and there's this hole in my wall because Wyatt pierced it, so I can hear them from that hole in the wall.

Speaker 1 23:30

Do you ever stick your ear up to the wall?

Speaker 2 23:32

And I talk to them, sometimes hole in the wall. Do you ever stick your ear up to?

Speaker 1 23:36

the wall? Yes, and I talk to them. Sometimes I'm like guys cry in town oh wow, do you ever tattle yeah sometimes.

Speaker 2 23:42

Okay, um, I mean I have to tell the truth.

Speaker 1 23:47

Oh, that's what I appreciate. Someone has to say something, alright, so okay. So talk to me about, like, how long does it take to do the reading, the praying and the singing? Is that like a couple hours? Is that like— no, a couple minutes. Oh, a couple minutes, all right, so about like five minutes, ten minutes?

Speaker 2 24:03

Maybe how much yeah, like ten or—.

Speaker 3 24:07

Sometimes we do shorter if it's really late at night. Sometimes we'll do longer if the kids yeah.

Speaker 1 24:16

Do you like the longer ones or the shorter ones?

Speaker 2 24:18

Yes, I like the longer ones, because there's this thing Friday nights. Sometimes we do Friday movie nights, but I think we've only done this two times, but there's this like Friday Bible night. So we would all come in the boys' room, so we would all I would get a blanket and a pillow.

Speaker 1 24:36

Is it all? Three boys in one room?

Speaker 2 24:38

Yes, okay, okay, we would all. I would get a blanket and a pillow, so my dad would read lots of like chapters of the Bible. So he would read like we would pick a book of the Bible and we would read it, um, you'd pick a book of the bible and we would read it, um, and it was like an adventure or story one. So we would all listen to that and we would. Sometimes we would fall asleep. There was this the first time we all fall asleep, because that that's when I was sharing the room with them, okay, but then we didn't stay up that late. Well, well, yeah, okay, but then we all went. So we would read Bible, bible, book, book of the Bible, and that's what I really like, and then, well, for like a couple hours, yeah, until they fall asleep.

Speaker 3 25:27

It was fun.

Speaker 2 25:28

And until Ethan fell asleep.

Speaker 1 25:32

So they listen the whole time.

Speaker 2 25:34

Yes, because it's the Bible and they like. Well. Sometimes they make a little bit of distractions, but either way, we just read the Bible and we all fall.

Speaker 1 25:46

We sometimes fall asleep and yeah, okay, so tell me about. I think I saw you writing out Psalm 23. Are you trying to memorize Psalm 23? Yeah, you can show us? Yeah, right there, you show the camera right there. All right, so you wrote out Psalm 23. Great penmanship, by the way. So tell me about what prompted you to write Psalm 23.

Speaker 2 26:07

Well, it really sticks out to me because I really like it and it's one that I've known for a long time. So I do want to memorize it. I remember some of it, but I still need to. I would, when I was writing it down, I would close the book for some passages, then I would try to write it down, but then I would check if I got it right and then sometimes I forgot stuff. So I would look at the Bible, then I would close it because I know it now, and then I would write it down. Wow, so yeah.

Speaker 2 26:38

That's really great I really want to memorize this so I can quote it to myself at night.

Speaker 3 26:48

Yeah.

Speaker 2 26:49

Or I can just read it, but I really want to memorize it, so I can quote it if I don't have my Bible.

Speaker 1 26:54

Right, right, yeah, let's say persecution comes. They burn all the Bibles and now you have the Bible on your heart, you're going to hide God's Word in your heart that you may not sin against Him. Good, all right. So this is really fun, all right. So now talk to me about when you were in public school. What was that like? So now talk to me about when you were in public school.

Speaker 2 27:13

What was that like?

Speaker 1 27:15

It was hard. What was hard Was the academics hard. Were the kids hard. Were the teachers hard. What was hard?

Speaker 2 27:20

I loved my teacher what?

Speaker 1 27:22

was her name.

Speaker 2 27:23

She was a Christian. Her name is Miss.

Helping the Homeless and Future Dreams

Speaker 1 27:26

Oh nice. So she now comes to our church because I invited her, because you invited her. Yes, you're like a little missionary, all right. So you were at school. How did you say to her Miss, it's time. How did you work up the courage to do that?

Speaker 2 27:40

Well, I just felt like she needed to come to a church because I knew she was a Christian and yeah, how did you know?

Speaker 1 27:49

Did she tell you she was a Christian?

Speaker 2 27:51

No, I just knew, because her kind heart and how she deals with things. So I, um, I still have this like church card in my hand, so I gave it to her and I said um, or I said something like would you like to come to church with us? Or we're at the ecc. And I gave her the card. I think that's what I said. I said something, some, something like that um, but, yeah, and I invited her to church.

Speaker 1 28:22

So I was she a young person, old person, or to you, they're all he was like 40 okay um.

Speaker 2 28:28

so she came to our church and she is now a member. She just became a member last sunday, nice, and she is now a member. She just became a member last Sunday, nice, and she is now teaching our dance for Easter. She has become a big part of our church and I'm really proud of that.

Speaker 1 28:46

Wow, you should be proud of that.

Speaker 2 28:48

So I invited another person to our church.

Speaker 1 28:50

Who's that?

Speaker 2 28:51

It was someone at the Y that we go to. I think her name is Arco Arco. Nice, she came to our church. Who's that? It was someone at the Y that we go to, I think her name is Arco. Arco nice she came to our church on Kids Sunday.

Speaker 1 28:59

So what's Kids Sunday?

Speaker 2 29:00

Kids Sunday is a thing where kids get to go well, elementary kids get to go, or elementary and middle school. So we all go to Kids Sunday. There's games, there's Bible verses, there's activities and we have really fun doing it and it's just a time?

Speaker 1 29:21

Is that during the service, or is that?

Speaker 2 29:23

It's during the whole church.

Speaker 1 29:25

So the whole church is focused on the kids. So you sing two songs and then everything's like alright, kids, we're now doing this game.

Speaker 3 29:32

No, they go and do like a separate children's ministry. Oh, got it, got it. Normally the elementary kids are in the church with us.

Speaker 2 29:39

So after the two songs, announcement comes on.

Speaker 1 29:44

Who does the announcements?

Speaker 2 29:46

Miss Nadine.

Speaker 1 29:46

Nice.

Speaker 2 29:47

So she does the announcements and on Kids Sunday she said it's Kids Sunday, now go.

Speaker 1 29:52

Did everyone cheer.

Speaker 2 29:54

Well, the kids did Okay and then, she, and on Kids Sunday she said it's Kids Sunday, now go. Did everyone cheer? Well, the kids did Okay, and then she said, all right, let's go. It's Kids Sunday, bye, okay, but then something like that, it's just funny, okay. But then we would go, and there was one experiment that I remember. Well, I remember a lot of them, so I'm going to tell you one of them. It's a balloon and a candle.

Speaker 1 30:15

A balloon and a candle.

Speaker 2 30:15

So a balloon. His name is Jack.

Speaker 1 30:19

We're giving the balloon a name, okay.

Speaker 2 30:21

How about Jack Jack, all right, or Bob?

Speaker 1 30:24

Which one you have to choose.

Speaker 2 30:26

Bob All right Bob. Okay. So Bob walks along and he comes to the candle and the candle represents darkness and evilness. So he comes around a challenge, which is the candle. So he's not.

Speaker 1 30:40

Is the candle lit or is it just it's lit? Okay.

Speaker 2 30:43

Okay. So we went all back around and it was just an empty balloon. You would hold it above the candle and it would pop. So he was hurt, like when we go and when man.

Speaker 1 31:00

Okay, so when we when you jump in a fire. Oh, so we go there.

Speaker 2 31:15

But now Bob comes back with water in him. The water represents the joy of the Lord. So he comes to the candle and he gets a little burned, just a little, and he doesn't pop. They tested that out, so it's good. So the water wouldn't spill. Yeah, so he would do that, they would do that and they would hold it above and they would tell us that if you have the joy of the Lord in your soul, that you would just get a little burned, just a little hurt, and you wouldn't just pop and get really injured by the sin. So that's what I remember. Then there's this, another one Grab a paper towel. There was hearts.

Speaker 2 32:01

It was a big heart, three little hearts on that side, then three other little hearts on that side. We would color in the hearts, just the big one. Then we would put it in a cup of water and we would stay there for a few minutes and we would see the redness, the red of the heart, spreading to the other ones whoa so it represented that. It represent that um our love or god's love can spread, or yeah, yeah, so it spreads other hearts through you.

Speaker 1 32:41

So tell me, like that's wild that you remember all of that. Yeah, what you know, there's some parents out there that feel like going to church isn't that important, okay, or they'd rather you know, listen, they've got important things, they got sports games, they got stuff going on, but why do you feel it's important to make the most important thing going to church?

Speaker 2 33:01

Because church is where you get baptized, you come to Jesus and you hear the word. You can also listen to it online. But that also you can also listen to it online. But it's also great because you can come to church and you can actually be there in reality instead of just watching it.

Speaker 1 33:22

Wow.

Speaker 2 33:23

So you can come there and you can meet other people. We have this meeting greet.

Speaker 1 33:29

We all go meet other people. Is that scary for you, or do you love it? Some, well, I don't know like tell me what you're feeling. So like, all right, because we have that time. Hey, everybody go and shake hands with your neighbor and ask him some some fun question is that your favorite?

Speaker 2 33:45

um, well, sometimes I I don't really do it because I'm a little scared to meet new people, but I sometimes I go up with the people I know and tell them how, how are you doing? But now I feel like I should work on that and I should be a little braver and when it's meeting greed, I should come out and meet new people that's so hard it is.

Speaker 1 34:09

It's challenging, but achievable, yes, so all right. So what if there's a grumpy face? You ever seen a grumpy face? Yes, all right. So how? What do you? What would your advice be to a almost nine year old who was about to approach a grumpy face? What would you tell them about? Like overcoming fear and just saying hi and being gentle.

Speaker 2 34:33

Well, I would tell them that it's worth it because I haven't done it. So I don't really know what to say because I'm still working on that. So this Sunday I really want to work on that.

Speaker 1 34:46

Okay, so this Sunday, when you come back on the show, you're going to tell us about your move from scared to brave.

Speaker 2 34:56

Yeah.

Speaker 1 34:57

Okay, that's pretty good.

Speaker 2 34:58

Yeah, I'll probably wake up early on Tuesdays.

Speaker 1 35:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, before 10, probably good.

Speaker 2 35:05

I woke up at like 4 to 5 today, so, and then I couldn't go. Okay, it's a long story.

Speaker 1 35:13

All right, yeah, what happened?

Speaker 2 35:15

You want me to tell it?

Speaker 1 35:16

Yeah, I don't believe it's that long Go ahead.

Speaker 2 35:19

I guess it's short. So I woke up at five and I couldn't fall asleep until 530. So I listened to a book.

Speaker 1 35:28

Which book?

Speaker 2 35:29

Called Arusha and the End of Time.

Speaker 1 35:31

What's that?

Speaker 2 35:32

Arusha and the End of Time Arusha.

Speaker 1 35:34

Arusha on the end of time. What's?

Speaker 2 35:35

that Arusha on the end of time, arusha.

Speaker 1 35:37

Arusha, arusha, arusha, arusha. On the end of time. It doesn't matter. Okay, so somebody's name on the end of time. Yes, got it.

Speaker 2 35:46

Yeah, so I was listening to that and I couldn't fall asleep because I was like, and everyone was asleep so I couldn't, like tell him anything because I don't want to wake him up. So I would come into my room, I would listen in stare at the wall for an hour. And then you fell back asleep eventually, and then I fell back to sleep but I heard the door open and I was like what is that? And it was my dad.

Speaker 3 36:18

Aw that's nice, waiting for my meeting.

Speaker 2 36:21

Yeah.

Speaker 3 36:21

And then you slept in until 10 after that. Yes, I slept in until 10.

Speaker 2 36:24

Nice, so it sounds like good sleep, but no, it's not.

Speaker 1 36:27

Okay, all right, so let's talk about. What is it that when you think about, when you grow up, like what is like the purpose of life. Have you thought through that?

Speaker 2 36:39

I want to become I don't know. Well, I want to go to a church.

Speaker 1 36:49

You want to go to a church?

Speaker 2 36:52

Yes, I do.

Speaker 1 36:53

Why do you want to go to a church Like what about church? You really love church? Yes, I do. What do you want to go to a church Like what about church? You really love church? Yes, I do. What about it that you really love?

Speaker 2 37:00

Well, people can come to Jesus, to there.

Speaker 1 37:03

Yeah.

Speaker 2 37:05

And we can hear the word and experience stuff and we can meet new people and make friends Nice.

Speaker 1 37:12

Oh, that's wow. Yeah, so part of your future is going to church. What else?

Speaker 2 37:17

I also want. Maybe I can. I can also plant one, I don't know.

Speaker 1 37:22

You want to be a church planter.

Speaker 2 37:23

Yes.

Speaker 1 37:23

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 37:24

I also want to do a lot of stuff, but I also want to become like. I want to give to the poor. Yeah, you tell me more, you're telling me like in the car every time, and I would give. When I would see a sign with people, I would give them some money or some food or anything like that. So I really want to help the homeless.

Speaker 1 37:50

Do you ever have homeless people come to church?

Speaker 2 37:52

No, I don't think so, have we do. We don't think so, have we we do.

Speaker 3 37:56

We don't point them out, okay All right.

Speaker 2 38:01

Okay so.

Speaker 1 38:02

If there's anyone generally with probably a huge backpack, they might be homeless.

Speaker 2 38:05

So it's not like you want to judge them for it, but no, okay, but there is this one that we really got to know. It's, oh, homeless person.

Speaker 1 38:15

His name is Adam right. Oh, how'd you meet him?

Speaker 2 38:16

Well, he was on the street and we gave him a bag of coins and socks Nice, and we learned his name.

Speaker 1 38:25

When was that?

Speaker 2 38:26

I think it was like a year ago.

Speaker 1 38:28

So you still remember Adam from a year ago.

Speaker 3 38:30

We used to drive by him like every day and talk to him and he was that's cool.

Speaker 1 38:34

How did you get to know. So you how. What was the first initial conversation for you?

Speaker 2 38:40

well, I gave him. I think we just started out well I already. I love him. I like I want to help people yeah so I saw him and I was like, do we have some coins in the car?

Speaker 1 38:51

yeah, yeah, so you initiated it. You're like we need to help that guy.

Speaker 2 38:54

Yes, I do this with every everything.

Speaker 1 38:58

And did your mom ever go? We can't right now because we have other things to do.

Speaker 2 39:03

No, no, no. Um, I think we just like she does. She doesn't have anything in the car that we can give, but sometimes we do that. But I think it was yesterday. We drive by one and we gave him. It was homeless and hungry, so we gave him a chewy bar that was left in our car. We have a messy car okay. It's still helping.

Speaker 1 39:27

It was very. No, I'm not, that was great.

Speaker 3 39:31

Very sweet Lizzie. I'm so proud of you.

Speaker 2 39:33

It was fine.

Speaker 1 39:34

Good. So in my head I was thinking of a chewy bar that had been Not like a chewed up bar.

Speaker 3 39:41

No, it was a chewy bar. It was in the package. Still.

Speaker 1 39:45

Now we're together, okay, fully with you. Okay, so you gave him a chewy bar and he enjoyed that. Yeah, was this guy grateful?

Speaker 2 39:57

yeah, um was this guy grateful. Yes, he was like he um. He said thank you, god bless you oh that was nice.

Speaker 1 40:03

So we, yeah, and so back to adam. So sorry, back to adam. Focus, chris, sorry we gave him.

Speaker 2 40:08

We. I said do we have any coins in the car? So we, we gave him some coins, and then the next day I said how about we go and buy him something like some socks or some shoes? So we went to the Walmart, and I don't have to be specific, though, but we went to Walmart and got him some socks, and we put some coins in there that I had, and little snacks in there, I think.

Speaker 1 40:35

So all the coins that you had? Is that what you got like from birthdays, or change from stuff you bought, or I just I worked for it. Oh, okay, so tell me what. How'd you work for it? Like what's your job?

Speaker 2 40:47

Mowed the lawn, did the dishes, stuff like that.

Speaker 1 40:50

Just the normal everyday chore stuff. You get like an allowance or is it like per activity?

Speaker 2 40:57

No, I just.

Speaker 1 40:59

Yeah, per activity. Yeah, so you were thinking I made some money, now I can go give it to Adam or whoever.

Speaker 2 41:07

Yes, so I gave the bag of socks, a snack and some coins to him and he was very grateful. So we would go visit him sometimes because he was right by this place called taco bell taco bell. Yes, oh yeah but now we don't see him a lot. I think he got like himself, like a little homeless thing. I think it was home, but I don't know he got.

Speaker 1 41:31

He's no longer homeless. I don't he might be homed I don't know he's no longer homeless.

Speaker 2 41:36

I don't know he might be homed. I don't know. Okay.

Speaker 1 41:45

But yeah, so I just remember him and that's the first thing I got. So maybe your life might be all about ministry to those who are less fortunate.

Speaker 3 41:49

Yeah, I think so. You want to be in church, you want to maybe help start a church. Start a church.

Speaker 2 41:54

And give to the homeless. Give to the homeless, give to the homeless.

Speaker 3 41:56

What about? Where are you going to live? Are you going to stay by mommy and daddy?

Speaker 2 42:03

Well, wherever God tells me to.

Speaker 3 42:05

Okay, nice, very good About. How many kids are you going to have?

Speaker 2 42:09

I don't know God's choice.

Speaker 3 42:12

Wow, amen I have no idea. Wow, amen, I have no idea.

Speaker 1 42:15

Wow, you're big into God's sovereignty. What?

Speaker 3 42:17

about pets. You can have dogs, cats, exotic animals. Oh, a hamster, a hamster, yeah, we don't allow that. A dog, a puppy like a little.

Speaker 1 42:25

You should ask Miss Adrienne what happened to her hamster.

Speaker 3 42:29

Everyone has a traumatic hamster story. Guaranteed, yes.

Speaker 2 42:36

I have a hamster, the one that she bought like a couple years ago. I have a friend her her hamster died. Her name is lanai, but yeah, they buried her backyard, backyard burial I don't know the whole story, okay, but I got to, yeah, so yeah, so so your future your is going to have children in it. I guess so.

Speaker 1 42:58

Your future is going to have a church in it. You're going to help start a church. You're going to help the people that are less fortunate. That sounds like a pretty robust career in life. Yeah, that's very exciting. And are you going to teach God's word to everybody?

Speaker 2 43:12

Yeah, I might. Maybe I'll start a home thing. Children come and I'll teach them the word.

Speaker 1 43:19

Yeah, Well, you're already. I feel like you're already prepped. I feel like everyone listening to this is just going to come to like it's called, like I don't know. I don't know. Let's say like you know, religious training with Lizzie. What do you think about that something would that be? Like you know, everyone could bring the like six-year-olds to you. You sit them down, you're like all right listen up I I don't know.

Speaker 2 43:41

We pretend to play a school because we're into ninjas and we do like little classes yeah, yeah, like ninja school yeah, so we train and I've been having really fun with that, so I feel like they really listen to me, except Ethan, but yeah.

Speaker 3 44:00

He'll come around, he'll come around.

Speaker 2 44:05

Okay, we changed the game now.

Growing Up in a Pastor's Home

Speaker 1 44:09

But yeah, I used to teach for the beginners, so let me ask as a kid in your almost nine-year-old body, you're looking at life and you're experiencing it. You're, yeah, you know you got. You get way more hugs from your dad than you get from your brothers. Yeah, all right and um, have you ever gotten in trouble?

Speaker 2 44:27

yes, I actually have all right, what?

Speaker 1 44:29

how does, how do your parents, how do your parents handle? Handle you being disobedient?

Speaker 2 44:36

Discipline.

Speaker 1 44:37

Discipline, all right. What does discipline look like to you?

Speaker 2 44:40

The spanking arms. You go to a wall and you put your arms up for two to five minutes, or something like that.

Speaker 1 44:48

And does that make you go. You know what? I should probably rethink my bad choices, yeah probably or time out or stuff like that when you do a time out. Did that ever trigger a tantrum, or yeah?

Speaker 3 45:01

but I was like earlier yeah, yeah, not anymore, because you have so long ago like I can barely even remember when I was like two, two, all right, definitely not recently at all, definitely not two.

Speaker 1 45:17

Oh wow, it sounds like your home, would you say like my home is happy.

Speaker 2 45:22

Yeah, I guess so.

Speaker 1 45:24

Yeah, that's so awesome. Sometimes that's very real. All right, so your dad has a workshop in the garage. What do you think about that?

Speaker 2 45:34

I think it's pretty cool.

Speaker 1 45:35

Do you ever get to help him, or do you just have to sit there and watch and be like not hurting yourself?

Speaker 2 45:41

No, I help him gloss and sometimes sand.

Speaker 1 45:47

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 45:48

Sand the little table. I helped him build our kitchen table and our coffee table. Oh nice.

Speaker 1 45:57

So, yeah, okay, You've been trained up to be very much a Proverbs 31 woman. I can see that very clearly. Well, listen, hey, if you're watching and you're needing some more insight for Lizzie, make sure you text in your questions for Lizzie here at 737-231-0605. We will have Lizzie review those and we'll bring her back on the show to answer all your child rearing questions, because clearly she has been professionally trained. Lizzie, any of the thoughts that you want everybody out there listening across the entire globe to know?

Speaker 2 46:33

I don't know. Know you grow up with three brothers?

Speaker 1 46:36

grow up with three, grow up with three brothers.

Speaker 2 46:38

That's the answer hard, but it's also very fun at the time. Okay, because you get to learn how to fight good job, lizzie you do.

Speaker 1 46:48

You've learned how to do hard things. Is that what I'm hearing?

Speaker 2 46:50

and I'm still working on being content with it. But yeah, and also you know the earlier question that you asked me before we started the podcast, like how do you feel having a pastor as a dad?

Speaker 1 47:05

Yeah, what's a pastor as a dad like?

Speaker 2 47:07

Well, it's very fun, but it's also hard sometimes because he has lots of work and sometimes we don't get to see him a lot because he has to go to work.

Speaker 1 47:20

But he's, but you know, all day long he's just preaching the word to people, essentially.

Speaker 2 47:26

And I'm very glad about that because he he helps us with our family and I'm so glad he's a pastor.

Speaker 1 47:37

Yeah, it's the best, isn't it? Yeah, hey, thanks so much for watching From our house to yours. Have an awesome week of worship.