Worship and Leadership by LifePoint Creative
This podcast was intended to resource our Dream Teamers at LifePoint Church, with biblical fundamentals on worship, life and a variety of leadership principles.
Worship and Leadership by LifePoint Creative
The Art of Discipleship: Building Real Relationships
Ever wondered why some discipleship efforts feel shallow while others transform lives? In this illuminating conversation, our guests dig into what makes real discipleship work—and it's not what most churches are teaching.
Pastor Mike Campbell shares how his life changed at age 20 when a friend named "Rabbi" began calling him daily, answering questions and walking beside him through his new faith journey. This relationship-based approach ultimately led nine fraternity brothers at Ole Miss into ministry. The key? Relationship over curriculum. As Pastor Mike explains, "The law was given to give life, but thank God Jesus fulfilled the law and grace came."
Emily Himes reveals she didn't even know she was being discipled when older women in her small group began modeling responses completely opposite to her "feisty" natural reactions. Their Christ-centered approach transformed her without a formal program. When asked about women's vulnerability in discipleship settings, Emily offers brilliant insight: "Women are great at gathering but struggle with depth. We show other women what we want them to see," highlighting the need for authentic, trusting relationships.
The conversation distinguishes between spiritual friendship and spiritual formation—you might have many friends but few formative influences. Pastor Mike observes, "Jesus had twelve disciples, but three he was really forming." These relationships require vulnerability, which our panel identifies as non-negotiable for transformation.
Perhaps most practically, Emily challenges listeners to find mentors who excel in specific areas regardless of personality match: "It doesn't necessarily have to be somebody you like. Find somebody who is excelling in the area that you want to improve." This counter-cultural wisdom cuts through our comfort-seeking tendencies.
Ready to experience true discipleship? Start by getting connected in a local church community. As Willie powerfully states, "There are no orphans in the family of God." Your spiritual growth depends on relationships—who's forming you, and who are you helping along the journey?
It'll be more like James Brown. It'll be like get on up, Get up.
Speaker 2:Hey, I'm just saying I can tell right now that you this is going to be flavorful right here. We're going to have a hard time keeping this baby on the road, that's right.
Speaker 3:Oh man.
Speaker 2:On the road again.
Speaker 3:Here we go. See you, here we go, jacob, you ready? All right, hey, hey, what's going on, everybody? And welcome to Worship and Leadership by Lifeway Creative and my name is Elmer and we are here. We're at our last two podcasts of season three, wow. And then we are getting ready to rebrand. Like always, willie C Simpson, what's up?
Speaker 4:Yo, what is up? Family, I'm excited to be here with you today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, Last two episodes of Season 3.
Speaker 4:Man that's crazy.
Speaker 3:We took a few weeks off because we are relocating.
Speaker 4:We've relocated Relocated.
Speaker 3:And so now we're in our actual studio here at LifePoint Church and we're getting ready to rebrand our podcast. So thank you for all of you who have faithfully been listening and sharing the podcast and everyone that's been a part of the podcast. And so next season, season four Can you believe?
Speaker 4:that, that's what I'm saying. Four seasons, we would have done this. This is crazy. That's crazy. 2023. That's when we started.
Speaker 3:And it started as hey we're going gonna teach the worship team some things via podcast, and now it's become something bigger. Come on and, and god has even bigger plans for it, and so it's bigger than us, and so we're excited for season four and so uh coming up. But today we have very special guests and I'm gonna let my friend willie introduce them, like he always does come, Come on somebody.
Speaker 4:I'm excited we have two of the most hilarious members of our team with us today.
Speaker 1:First, our missions and outreach pastor. Pastor Mike Campbell, I am definitely not the big cheese. I am the Swiss cheese. There's holes in my doctrine?
Speaker 2:No, you're the Swiss cheese. There's holes in my doctrine.
Speaker 1:No, you're just so holy.
Speaker 2:There's holes in his doctrine. You're just so holy. There's really not Surely, that's not the case. No, I'm not really with these guys y'all. I've got a pig entered in the competition.
Speaker 4:We're so glad you're here, pastor Mike. Thank you, we're excited and our discipleship administrative assistant and small groups coordinator, miss Emily Hayes.
Speaker 1:He got my name right.
Speaker 4:I did. I remember that and we're so excited. What highway are you on?
Speaker 2:Are we going?
Speaker 1:south side Highway to heaven. Highway to heaven.
Speaker 3:He wants you to sing the song again.
Speaker 1:I'm good Before we started the podcast.
Speaker 3:Oh man, hey, today we're going to talk about and we brought up this subject several times, but I wanted to take a different approach on it but, talking about discipleship, and we always ask well, we've talked about it in the past the different programs that we offer talked about in the past, like the different programs that we offer here at LifePoint Church, how we do discipleship through small groups. Uh, and I'd love to talk about, um, some of the challenges that maybe your individual stories in small groups, and then you've been in ministry for a long time, Pastor Mike.
Speaker 3:Well, I was not here with Methuselah, just so we come in here A long time, pastor Mike.
Speaker 2:Well, I was not here with.
Speaker 3:Methuselah, just so we come in here and you can speak a lot of wisdom into this, thank you, but I'd like to even touch the subject on mentorship.
Speaker 4:There's a lot of young people nowadays that some are being discipled already and they have no idea, and there's all these different methods and paths of discipling people, and so it's not always just the programs that we offer in churches and stuff like that, and so I'd love to dive into that and so you know, I'm just going to open it up to the both of you and just talk through us, talk to us and for us about your personal experience with discipleship. You know, pastor Mike, I see you as a mentor of mine personally and I just love when you just share stories of how folks have influenced. So I'm going to start with you and then, emma, I'm going to toss to you Just your personal experience with discipleship.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I didn't grow up in the church. I was 20 before I ever heard that Jesus was a Savior, which is hard to imagine growing up in America. But I went to a church that didn't teach salvation, it taught works. And so when my friend, ronnie Bethea we nicknamed him Rabbi because he was a teacher, okay, but he started sharing the gospel with me and I mean that guy, he was probably the greatest influence. Probably had it not been somebody as strong as he was, I probably wouldn't have hung on. Yeah, but I mean, every day he would call me and ask me do you have questions? What's your question about God today that I could maybe help you answer? Or you know, we talked yesterday about this and how did that make you feel when you left, or what did you think about it? And which threw me off when I started going to church and realized that curriculums Now I think there's a place for a curriculum, but if the teacher doesn't let the curriculum get in the heart, that's all it is is a curriculum on a piece of paper and there's no relationship. The thing I learned about discipleship was that Ronnie was a relational individual, and it was not just me, there were nine of us that all got saved in our fraternity at Ole Miss. That went into the ministry and this guy discipled all nine of us. Can you imagine the fruit this guy and when he died I got to do his funeral. Wow, and it was great. And I just had some of the guys come and share stories. I said, come up and just share a story that you remember when we got saved and what Rabbi did for you and how he helped you through something. And to me that's what discipleship is. And if you look at Paul and Timothy and Paul and Titus and different ones in the Bible, it's definitely relationship-based. It's not about you know, and I think it's not about just some teacher teaching until it becomes applicable.
Speaker 2:I remember working at the bank all those years and the lady we went to this seminar and she was marketing and she said, oh, this is what you need to do when you go out. And she was going through this stuff and I'm like man. I raised my hand. I said, ma'am, can I just ask a question? She said yeah. I said, how many sales calls have you been on? And she said, well, that's not my job, I'm marketing. I said, no, how many have you been on Because you're trying to tell me what to do? And I bet you hadn't even been on one. And then she said well, you're right, I've never been. I said so you're giving me principle without application. And I said I need some application on how, if this guy not everybody's going to answer like you're telling us it's going to happen. So how do I respond to that?
Speaker 2:And I think that's what discipleship does, is it helps us to respond, because everything is not A, b, c. You know, I came out of the faith camp and it was always three things for this and three things for that. It's not the way life works. I wish it did. And so you have to learn how to adjust those things. And to me, that's really what discipleship and that's why I think my wife and I do this with couples. We just, we just sit down and talk to them, you know, and ask them what's going on in their life. And yeah, we may have, uh, some scriptures or a little teaching, but we just, we just share with them and this is what happened to us. And from that, you know, people tend to stick and they tend to take hold of you know that there can be a better future, a brighter future, that's so good, it's kind of what I'm thinking.
Speaker 4:I love that. Thanks for sharing that passion. All right, em walk us through your discipleship journey.
Speaker 1:So I didn't know that I was being discipled whenever I was actually being discipled.
Speaker 1:So now that I am like, oh, that's what it is. You know, honestly, I just had a group of ladies in my very first small group that I ever joined. They were older than me and they would do things like call and check on me, you know, and it wasn't just constantly preaching the Bible or talking scripture, it was, you know, doing life together and I was seeing how they were reacting to something. And I am very feisty, I'm a very feisty human being, and I was seeing that their reactions to things were completely opposite of what my knee jerk reaction would be. And I would just start asking questions like why isn't this bothering you? And not sometimes they would give me scripture, sometimes they wouldn't, but every time it pointed to Christ, every time, and I didn't know that that's what they were doing at the time.
Speaker 1:But yeah, and ever since then it's just been a slow. Now that I'm aware of what it is, I'm like, okay, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me. And then I'm like, all, ever since then it's just been a slow. Now that I'm aware of what it is, I'm like, okay, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me give me, and then I'm like all right, grid, grid, grid.
Speaker 1:You know. So to me that's, you know, just that's been my journey is just unknowingly, that's what it was.
Speaker 2:You know what's great? I like what you just said, because good disciples, they're not condemners.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:If you blow it and, man, I could blow it, but he never once that, ronnie or the guys that were in our little group there ended up being nine guys plus him, but none of us in that group talked down to the other. It was like you know, I remember Chip and he's done well in life and he still calls me and asks me about my mission trips and stuff and you know how can he pray for me and you know those are things we learned. But the one thing is, you know, when you miss it, none of those guys bared down on us. You know it wasn't like let me kick you to the curb, which I hate to say this, but sometimes can happen in a church setting, you know, or in some of these groups, and I think that's the difference between a group that's being led by relationship and a group that's being led by a curriculum.
Speaker 2:It's not just a. You know, I mean. You know the law was given to give life. You know, I mean you know the law was given to give life. Yeah, it was unfortunate. It didn't go quite like I think God had imagined it to turn out, and so, thank God, jesus fulfilled the law and grace came, and now we've been released to be able that if you make a mistake you can be picked up, you can be moved forward, yeah.
Speaker 3:Can I ask you a question, pastor mike? Um, because in ministry, as pastors it's we're all called to make disciples. Like you don't need to have a title or you know a degree or anything, we're all called to make disciples. And but a lot of times in ministry there's the impression that pastoring is the same thing as a disciple maker, and then so I've been in churches or around certain camps where it's like the only disciple maker is the pastor, and so how would you differentiate that, like, in a sense of again, we're all called to make disciples and a lot of people wait for the pastors or the ministers or the employees of the church to be the ones that are discipling and mentoring people.
Speaker 2:That is a good question. And I used to tell my staff and this was how I played it and my wife would ask me sometimes I don't know how you get away with this, but they would call me and they'd say Pastor, you've got to come over. My neighbor and his wife are having problems or whatever you know. And I'd say, and I'd listen to their story and I'd say, okay, well, I've got a couple of questions. And they'd say, okay, I said, have you been over there today? Well, no, I can just hear him.
Speaker 2:I said have you been over there and prayed with him? Have you offered him a scripture? No, I said well, until you go over there and do it, I'm not coming Because I'm not Jesus, I'm the pastor of the church. My job is to train you. So here's what I want you to do I want you to get up off your duff, go next door, knock on that door and say, hey guys, you know I heard, you know it got a little loud, but I just wanted to come over and see, man, is there something I can pray with you all about?
Speaker 2:Is there something I can help you with and they're like well, oh, I said no, it's not the pastor's job. Ephesians 4 is what you're referring to. It's our job to train them to be able to go out and do it. I believe I need to set the tone. The greatest people are. The biggest influence I should have is on my staff first. Then you know other things, you know, as I can, but I always made sure they did something first, and then, if they were willing to go out there and do something, then I knew they had skin in the game. And then maybe I need to come alongside. Maybe I can point out a couple of things.
Speaker 3:So can it be that maybe people that do that they're wanting just control? Yeah, I don't know, because it's almost like what you're saying is you're empowering them to go and do the works that we've been called to do as Christians? To love and care for people and a lot of people. Again, they wait for us, as ministers, to be the ones that are engaging in those.
Speaker 3:But we have to identify that first we're called to equip the saints and then we have to make it clear and letting them know like, hey, we're here to help you and resource you, but we need you to go and help people, right?
Speaker 2:And I think that's hard on people. I mean, you know, because what's the hardest thing you deal with? Rejection, absolutely. You know what, if I go next door to Emily's house, cause her and her husband maybe are are struggling or maybe something's happened, I could go and maybe bring a word of encouragement. But what if they say, no, I'm not interested. You know, you got to get to the place where you don't take this personal. If Jesus had taken it personal, we wouldn't be in salvation. But he did not take it personal and we have to get to that place and I think, as the pastor and I think here at LifePoint, we do a pretty good job of telling people, hey, you need to get out there and you need to go do this.
Speaker 2:And I think, through our small group I watch, I go to one with Craig Fields and, man, he does a great job of asking people, you know certain questions and and then you know, hey, we need to pray this for them and then he would give a word of encouragement. Sometimes he gets stuck and and you know he'll look at me like you know, can you help me out here? Can you help my brother? But I think, pastor Elmer, to your point, I don't know what it's going to take, but everybody is called to disciple and I'm not sure we're totally getting that across, but I think that's something that's got to get across. And I've watched her because I've seen her do a lot of stuff with the small group and she doesn't do it for them.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:But she'll give them some resource. I've watched you, you've done a good job of that, and I think that is the pass-along key, because if you give me a resource, then I can turn around and hand that off to somebody else. That's right.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry, oh, no problem, just on that point. Like a resource, people will depend on resources. It's like when people come to church they expect I'm going to bring my friend and the pastor is going to change their life.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's not the pastor, it's the power of God. Right, that's right. But we depend so much on resources. Parents depend on schools to raise up their kids. You know, we take certain drinks because we think it's going to make us skinnier.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:Pastor Willie yeah, that's what.
Speaker 2:I have.
Speaker 3:That's what he has in his bottle and we want other things to do the work for us and we depend on resources. But what you guys are saying is it's resource versus relationship yeah and there's power, more power in the relationship, so you can resource someone, but it's just a resource until it's passed along through relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right so you're gonna say, well, I, I mean it's just, it's going off of this. I mean it like whoever is in your life right now is not by coincidence.
Speaker 1:God has divinely orchestrated you to have influence in everybody's life, who you are around, and you can either use that influence for good or for bad.
Speaker 1:You can choose to disciple and push people closer to Jesus or pull them further away, and that's your decision. And whereas you know, don't, I think where people get worried and wanting the pastor to do is because they don't know enough. They are not, you know, and it's the resources coming like of what we're able to give you. But I know, for me, whenever I was a brand new baby Christian and I figured out this whole discipleship thing, I had somebody look at me because I actually got asked to lead a small group and I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, I am, I don't know enough, I don't know anything. And they were like that is the most selfish thing that you can say. And I was like, excuse me, selfish. And they said, yeah, all of this ministry isn't about you. Yeah, and right then, and there I was like you know what You're right, because discipleship is not about me, it's not about you, it's not about you, it's not about you, it's all about Christ.
Speaker 2:That's good.
Speaker 1:And so the influence that you have should be centered around Christ, which comes from relationship with him. You're not going to hear me if me and you didn't have a relationship, you would be like cool, great, see ya. So yeah, it all does start with relationship.
Speaker 2:And I tell you, I think, if you're not personally into Jesus what I mean by that is, you're not doing some daily devo and some prayer time then really, what do you have to offer? You just got some worldly knowledge, but 1 Timothy 6, I think it is in verse 20, talks about how that knowledge will fail. That's right. It'll fail in the past and it won't work.
Speaker 4:So I think it all begins with the relationship with Jesus, I like how you said that, because the foundation for discipleship is love.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:And love is what will carry you through. I mean, when I think of discipleship, I think of the long game. It is relational, but it's also you're beginning with the end in mind, and so this isn't quick. It's not quick, it's not microwave, it's slow cooker. And if the basis for the discipleship relationship is not love, to your point, then I will become like a hireling right. I'm going through the book of John Chapter 10, jesus says the hireling.
Speaker 4:He says the hired servants. They don't care about the sheep. As a matter of fact, they flee. When the wolf comes, they flee why? Because they don't love the sheep. They don't, first of all, they don't love the truth, but they don't care for the sheep. And I want to be a shepherd.
Speaker 4:When I think of being a disciple, I'm a shepherd. I'm walking alongside this person, I'm looking out for their best interest, even when they don't see. He says my sheep know my voice, those you're discipling. They need to know your voice, they need to know your heart for them. You need to know their voice. He says that I call to them and then they answer because they know my voice, they know me, and that doesn't happen overnight and that is based in love. He says, man the shepherd, I lay my life down for the sheep. Hirelings don't do that and we, in a way, have to lay our lives down. Hey, here's my life. It's open, I'm interruptible, I can be inconvenienced. You can challenge me on some things. You're going to do things that are just going to grate me and irritate me. I'm laying my life down for your good and that has to be rooted in love, love of Jesus.
Speaker 4:First, because if the good shepherd gets in my heart, then I'm a good under shepherd, yeah that's good.
Speaker 3:Come on somebody. That's a good challenge for for small group leaders within our church. I think, even, like you said earlier, for our staff, that we need to be in relationship with the people that we are either in small groups with or even serve with a lot of times yeah we just check the boxes, we were like, especially when there is curriculum yeah, you know when there is certain we do a lot of book studies you know, like our men's are going our men's strong group.
Speaker 3:their groups are going through a book and I'm leading my group through a book. And again, the resource isn't what brings life change. It's part of it, but it's the relationship and engaging and activating the resources with questions and accountability. And so I think that's something I just want to challenge. If you're in any type of leadership position and you get to lead others, relationship is so important.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is. It's so important and I think too let me just quickly. I go do a lot of pastor schools when I'm overseas. I go do a lot of pastor schools when I'm overseas, but I start every one of them with 10 things I learned. With 29 years of pastoring. There's a lot of things you could say you learned, but I take 10. Five of them are good, two of them are funny and three of them are. This is what I had to learn. So I take my experiences. That didn't go so hot. But what happens is it draws them in. It's not all mountaintop experience, you know. It draws them in because I don't know them and they don't know me. We're from different cultures. A lot of times there's a translator, but it draws them in so that now we can establish something, so that when we go into our next sessions I have a right now to speak.
Speaker 3:Because you guys have related at some point.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I think really, what that means is you got to be vulnerable. If you're going to be a discipler, you got to be vulnerable. I wish I could tell people that everything was yes and amen, you know, but it hasn't been. There's been some really tough trials along the way because you make decisions that have a deeper effect than you think they're going to. But, at any rate, I think being vulnerable as a discipler is the key to success.
Speaker 3:I knew that, but I never really saw that until 2024 in my men's small group. I was going through something personally and there's probably a lot of people that don't know all the details of what I went through but I opened up with my small group, my men's small group. I'm like, hey guys, this is what I went through, but I opened up with my small group, my men's small group.
Speaker 3:I'm like hey guys this is what I'm facing and I'm I'm hurting Like, and I saw so much more unity within our group because they're like man, like you're just you're you're not just a pastor by title. Like you're you're also human yeah, yeah, there's there's this vulnerability to you and I'm like this is the truth, like I need you guys.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know I don't need to be behind a guitar right now and, like I'm hurting, I need you guys to keep me in prayer and they would check up on me and and I needed that community and that relationship at that time and I didn't need to read another book come on.
Speaker 3:I needed that's good and so um, but it started with me putting those guards down. And now in our text read when some of the guys are going through stuff, they're just, they just lay out their whole business. And some of the newer guys in our group they're like oh, okay well, I'm going through this and then it just starts this whole thing and it's one of, especially as guys, because it's hard for us to express and communicate what we're feeling and going through, and so it just starts with one just being vulnerable.
Speaker 2:It does make such a difference? It does, and especially if you're the lead guy. People need to know, man, we got to put our britches on one leg at a time. We don't just wake up and oh, they're there. What are britches Pants?
Speaker 4:I'm sorry For those of you that were born after 2010, britches is a colloquialism for pants.
Speaker 2:Oh man.
Speaker 4:You can purchase britches at your nearest retailer.
Speaker 2:At your nearest Sears and Roebuck.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 4:At your nearest, montgomery Wards.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry. Your gray hair is really shining.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. Well, so let's ask you how do women, do you find women are real vulnerable in small group discussion or discipleship setting?
Speaker 1:I think women are very good at showing other women what they want them to see in the beginning, and it always does take an expectation of vulnerability with women right off the rip. But it does really take trust Because, whereas me and Pastor Willie have talked about it, men have more trouble gathering, right. Us women don't have an issue. Oh what, you need a table put together. There'll be 10 of us there, right, and we're going to have a blast doing it, talking and everything. But we have an issue of being truly vulnerable. I'm going to tell you that we are not disclaimer, right.
Speaker 1:If this happened, you know, I would go to my group and say, well, me and my husband are button heads today, yeah, yeah, whereas it's actually been going on for six months, and I'm really that is my SOS. So I think for women, we really need to be it comes in with that relational. We need to get to know each other, you know we need to to get to know. So, like we gather, we're really great at gathering and we'll tell you what's up, but not necessarily to the depth, and so I think it it takes. It takes a lot of trust with women.
Speaker 1:It takes a lot of trust with women to really chip away at that vulnerability, to truly be discipled by someone, Because it's hard to let somebody completely, no matter male, female, whatever it's hard to allow someone to truly see you Because at the core our flesh it's ugly. It's ugly and not be judged.
Speaker 3:I think of people that I talk to that they call their parents every day. It's usually a lot of women. I know my wife speaks with her mom every day and they talk about everything. I guess I need to get better at that. I call them my parents, I'm just being honest. But it's almost in seasons, as I see it, like sometimes it's easier to just communicate to your close family and share the drama with them, because they're not going to fix it, you know, but then you're not confronting things and dealing with things. And so I've, just as an observation just over the years, with women's small groups and stuff I'm asking probably for your wisdom in this and sharing, like, how do you get past that first step of putting your guard down, Because there is a lot of I don't know the right word surface level?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think, for us women, calling the family and doing that, I think it's more or less we want somebody to side with us because we don't really want to see the ugly truth of what's happening. That's good, and so I think that's why, as for me and myself, I don't call my family, I don't call my mom, I don't call my dad whenever things like that happen. To be honest with you, I talk to my husband about it, right, because I know he will tell me the good, the bad, the ugly. Will it result in me possibly not liking him for an hour or two? Yes, probably, but in the end the Holy Spirit will be like get it together. But it is that, in order to truly break down it does you have to find comfortable. You have to be comfortable in Christ. You have to be comfortable in your identity of who you are and whose you are, in order to fully open up to somebody. Because, I mean, I know now I'm an open book to anybody and everybody, to the point it will make you uncomfortable.
Speaker 1:But it's because I know that I am already called, like I am already his child. There is nothing that I have done in my past that could relate to somebody that could knock me out of God's hand, and I know that. And so it's really empowering that the women of first knowing their identity and that no one could ever snatch you out of your father's hands period, no matter what you've done, like he loves you, yeah. So now let's work through it, let's be honest with each other. Let's, let's talk through it, let's so I first. For women, it's that identity of knowing that I'm a daughter, like that's comes first and then being comfortable with sharing sharing.
Speaker 3:There's a um again. I'm learning here. I'm asking these questions like is it easier for women to have a motherly figure or sisterhood, like which? One tends to open up more of like again, letting those guards down, really letting people make a deep impact in your life. Is it they need mother figures, or do they need a band of sisters?
Speaker 1:I think both yeah Like re. Realistically, both, Um, I would say for me personally. I I needed a mother figure first, and then a band of sisters. Um, I needed somebody that could get in my business first, but I would still respect, and then I needed a band of sisters to hold me accountable through the decisions and the working of what I've done. And that's for me personally. I would be safe to say that would be for the majority, but not everybody. Everybody's walk is different because of different hurts, different. You know everybody's past, everybody's testimony is different.
Speaker 3:And as for me, I needed a mom first, but you definitely need both. That's good. Can we unpack that a little bit like yeah like father figures.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's what I was gonna say, I, I think, um, and I was, I was gonna ask a follow-up question and I think you answered it and and talking through like the roles that a mother and a sister play. So I want to, I want to ask the both of you this what, what's the difference between spiritual friendship and spiritual formation? Because, yeah, so, like like thinking through like friendships, like man, I, I, you know, I've had lots of friends growing up and honestly, like not all of the friendships like radically changed me and in fact, some of the friendships were detrimental. But I can think about, but I can think about formation, I can think about relationships that I've had. There's two men in this room here, particularly, that I've been spiritually formed by you and the dynamic's totally different. So I'd love for you both to talk through that. In fathers and mothers and then brothers and sisters, I mean, what's the difference between friendship and formation?
Speaker 2:Fathers and mothers, and then brothers and sisters. I mean, what's the difference between friendship and formation? Well, first of all, let me say that's a good question, but I think you have to have a little bit of both. But you have to be able to separate. Who can you trust to form you so that you're moving your life in the right direction? That's not everybody.
Speaker 2:I remember one time I had a good friend while I was pastoring, and the Lord said you can't spend your time with him. Everything was half glass empty. You know what I'm saying. It was the negative. And so, finally, one day I sat him down because he said hey, man, you're not calling. And so I said, hey, let's sit down, let's talk about it, let's talk this through. And so, like two men, we talked it through and you know, obviously it hurt his feelings, but I told him.
Speaker 2:I said you know, that's not the formation that I need. I need somebody who's going to speak a word that's going to cause me to increase. And not every man that you encounter is going to be that way. Yet there's going to be men that you're not counting on them to form you, but you're counting on them because you know that if you call, they'll come and be there, they'll be with you. All right, they'll be there for you. And so not that these that are forming wouldn't, but there's just some other guys that and you just like to hang out with them. Okay, because they bring. You know, you get some fun.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Some joy, but there's a handful of people. I think you saw it in Jesus. He had 12. Yeah, but three. Yeah, really forming Three that, yeah, he was really forming them, and as much as we don't want to admit it, they had some form on him too. I guarantee you, when we get to heaven, we're going to get to talk to him about it. We'll find out about it, but this is where I think this is to me.
Speaker 4:what mentoring is? Not every man I meet can be a mentor, I can't, I can't have 100.
Speaker 2:What does he say in Scripture?
Speaker 4:You know who's your spiritual father, you know what he's saying you can't have many, you can't have many fathers, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I had one father and my dad died. But now I have two or three men that it don't matter what time of day I call them. If I call them, I mean I call two, three in the morning they're going to get out of that bed. Hey, mike, tell me what's going on, man. Hey, let's take this to Jesus. You know, here's what I'm thinking the spirit of God might be trying to say to you.
Speaker 2:But you couldn't call 20 other guys. I don't think that's, and I think that's what the scripture is talking about when he says there's safety. There's safety in a multitude of counselors, but those guys that are closest to you, that you know, you've watched their life and you've seen gold in their life, and I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about solid character, solid formation of Jesus, and those are the guys that you want speaking directly into your life. Can't be, it's not going to be 50 of them, and that's so. It's just not possible. But I might have 50 friends and I would love to go be with you, know, and have some fun.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And uh, but those guys are the ones and I think that's what we're talking about here. Yeah, yep, that's what we're talking about here. Yeah, yep, everybody's got to have somebody close by that they can go and say, man, I just blew it. I got a good friend of mine and I remember one time I was traveling and I was overseas Europe and I hit a channel, that in the hotel, you know, and I turned that thing off. Well, it bothered me.
Speaker 2:I flew back home and when I got home I went straight to him and I said, hey, dude, and uh, I kind of sounds a little bad, but he's, he's close friend. I said I saw that. I can't get that picture out of my head. I need you to help me, I need you to pray with me. And then he asked me he grabs me and he goes that's not good, it's not healthy. How long did you watch it? And I said I didn't, I honestly turned it off. He said, okay, let's deal with it. And then, man, we just went straight to prayer and then he started giving me some scripture to encourage me. That's the guys that are going to be the few.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so that that that spiritual formation.
Speaker 2:That's it. They are forming your life. But I got some other guys I'm going to go play golf with. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And occasionally they're going to use the foot wedge, and I'm going to join them and we're going to laugh and have a good time. Yeah, right, yeah, and, and I'm going to join them and we're going to laugh and have a good time. Yeah, right, yeah, and I'll invite them to my house and I'll go to their house. Yes, sir, but those other guys are the ones. When tough times come, they're going to roll up their sleeves and be right there with you. That's what I think. Yeah, and that's so amazing. It's formation and friendship.
Speaker 4:Emily, I want to before I toss it to you. You just, I just have a thought. So, and you correct me if I'm wrong, pastor Mike, so what I hear you saying is that you know spiritual formation, I mean that is, that's incisive, that's focused, it's direct, but it's not constant, like you weren't constantly having those conversations with, like you said, with those mentors, because I could see how that's heavy and that might get wearisome, Right, and then you have the balance of the levity with friends.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:And even then that's guarded, because I mean they're not inciting you to dishonorable behavior. Right right.
Speaker 2:And those guys go with us.
Speaker 4:Okay, they do the things with us.
Speaker 1:So you're right.
Speaker 4:It's not always. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, I'm always clanging iron, so to speak about.
Speaker 4:Sparks are flying. So, emily, I just I want to ask you personally, I mean who's who, who is that for you? Who's spiritually forming you or has spiritually formed you?
Speaker 1:So the, so the, the one lady who just keeps popping, like I have quite a few that I like I remember, but the one that's really close to me right now I know, like I will just call her out by name her name is heather. She does not even live here, she doesn't go to church here, yeah, like so, um, we worked together at hope center and, um, I just remember, we I'm not gonna lie the first two weeks we worked together we totally butted butted heads, not in a bad way, it was just.
Speaker 1:It was just kind of like this push and pull, tug type of thing and um, so and it was so funny that I just used the analogy earlier about, like me getting in a fight with my husband, but legit in this one moment um, I, we were at each other's throats, married maybe a year, so it's that still awkwardness of like like I don't know what type of deodorant he likes, you know type of thing, and um yeah, that's very important, yeah, and since then, like leading up to it, I have had those friends that I would call and I would gripe and complain about, and they would be like, oh girl, you know like, well, just, you know, hide all of his deodorant. You know like, like, rub his toothbrush in the toilet, type of thing, right, and so.
Speaker 3:I have never done that to Michael. To Michael, to Michael To him To him.
Speaker 1:I have thought about it.
Speaker 2:I have not done it.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm still being thankful.
Speaker 4:Come on, that's right.
Speaker 1:So in this moment I called her and at the time I didn't know why I wanted to call her. Now I know I called her and I was like I just need to vent, you know vent. And she said, okay, let's go. And I'm just rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah. And she immediately said you need to get over yourself. And I was like okay, got to go. Like bye, no, I didn't. And I was just like but no, he's the one.
Speaker 1:And she was like no, how are you supposed to act? Like what does the Bible say about a wife having to act? And here's where I got wholly punched in the mouth. Biblically punched in the mouth is. She was like hey, the Bible calls you to submit to your husband and you are not. You are going exactly opposite of God's word, which means that you don't believe God's word. And I'm like that's not what it means. She goes yes, it does. And right then and there, I knew like I had a heart change. I knew, right then and there that she was going to be. And she's still, to this day, is one of my absolute best friends in the whole wide world, because I know that she's on Jesus' team, not necessarily my team, she would. She will fight me tooth and nail Like she she would but she loves me, and so that is who I have.
Speaker 1:And that's for any area of my life. Yeah, you know, no matter what it is, finances my marriage, raising my kid you know we've gone round and round before. She's gone round and round with her girls you know, and we both just and that's that right now, personally in my life.
Speaker 2:that is who I allow to speak, whatever See that's a true friend Absolutely, that's somebody who loves you Absolutely. Because you need those people in your life. You didn't need somebody to say, yeah, let's talk down it Absolutely. That's so good, that was a good illustration. And without those people we can't make it in this discipleship life. Yes, you can't make it in life period without somebody who will tell you the truth.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and that's why it's important not to just pick up the phone and call your family every time too. Come on, because, like my mama, will side with me all day long.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Each one of y'all know my mom.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:Really, and she will side with me all day long. And but being a wife, being being a daughter, being a daughter before any of that. I am a daughter of a king and he tells me not to cause anybody else to stumble or to have any trouble.
Speaker 4:There you go Just like the sermon from last week.
Speaker 1:And if I say something about somebody else to my mama, guess what? My mama don't like that person anymore.
Speaker 2:I try.
Speaker 1:I'm serious. I mean, as for my daughter, right, mom is not that petty, but I don't know, she loves you. Maybe we should call her. Y'all want to call her and see what she says.
Speaker 3:Okay, what are we going to tell her?
Speaker 1:I think it would be funny. You're talking about calling parents and everything.
Speaker 3:You know that would be too much man. Emily has a problem with Pastor Mike Campbell. What do you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, man Come on Come on.
Speaker 4:Make sure, Jacob, make sure we're on a 27-second delay. Baby, I know.
Speaker 1:She would immediately be like oh honey, hush, she would. She would immediately be like oh honey hush, she would, she would.
Speaker 2:She's amazing, but you know there's a lot to be said for that not calling. There are some people that you definitely don't need to confide in Absolutely, Because it's going to go south in a hurry. I hate using the word south, but it's not going to go in the right direction.
Speaker 1:The highway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that's those are. You know, it's so important to know who you can and who you can't. It's like anything in life, you know. You got to know that. Okay, I can trust him, I can trust him, Trust her. Uh-oh, this one over here. I know that, if you know, we used to I don't know how to say this, but we had some we used to make this statement there was three ways you could communicate you could telephone, you could telegraph and you could tell, and I'd call that person's name, Because they were like, if you told them something, they were on the phone oh, it went everywhere. And that's not. Yes, that's not the people. Oh, telegraph, I went everywhere. And that's not yes, that's not the people. Oh, Telegraph, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4:For those of you that were born after 1975, Telegraph was an electronic, an electric form of communication wherein the sender would depress an actuator. What is?
Speaker 3:Morse code.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's Morse code yes, they would type a message and that message would be electronically sent by the taps, by the taps, and then the receiver would write out what they were saying.
Speaker 3:All right, talking about the taps and telegraphs, real quick. Last question then.
Speaker 4:I have a game for us If you travel to the Smithsonian.
Speaker 3:Museum in.
Speaker 2:Washington D the smithsonian museum you will see a picture of pastor willie simpson using the first one is it called the telegraph machine? Yes, it's called a telegraph. It literally is called that you know that's how kitchens have you ever watching those old movies? And they get those yellow slips? Yeah, the western the Western Union? Yeah, that was a telegraph. Yes, and people would send you. For 35 cents you could go and send a 10-word message, that's how it started.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's how it started.
Speaker 2:Oh, I didn't know that. I'm so sorry I brought this up. So everybody that is only listening to this, you know that I am the old guy in the room. Oh man. He's the one that created the Pony Express. Thanks, Emily. Oh my God, let's call your mother.
Speaker 3:Let's call her now. How do you guys think and this is for everyone, and we'll start with Pastor Willie, okay, how do you guys think social media has affected discipleship and mentorship?
Speaker 3:How do you guys think social media has affected discipleship and mentorship? And I say that because nowadays people are quoting online preachers that they're not even watching the whole sermon, they just watch clips of these influencers or preachers and people that are getting posted online. And people that are getting posted online and people that's shaping people's spiritual lives or even some other theology, and so how do you guys think social media in itself has impacted discipleship and mentoring?
Speaker 4:So you've heard the saying too many cooks spoil the broth, and I think that that's what's happened. First of all, I think there's been a dilution of trustworthiness and truth. Because there are so many opinions, you have access instantaneously to so many opinions. You know you, you can scroll down a timeline and you can get one belief that says one thing, and the very next scroll you get somebody else teaching a belief that's completely antithetical to that, and then you scroll, scroll again, and then someone's teaching another way, and so, after an hour of scrolling, you are no more closer to the truth than you were when you first began. You're way more confused. What's interesting?
Speaker 4:In 2 Timothy 3, paul tells Timothy, he reminds him hey, charge your people okay to avoid these types of folks. And these are the types of folks that he says are behaviorists. Where they creep into households, he says they capture weak women, which is really. It's really weak people. It's the vulnerable of society. They're led astray by various passions Verse 7, always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth. Now here's how he characterizes those people he says they're corrupt. In verse 8, he says they're corrupted in mind, they oppose the truth and they're disqualified regarding the faith.
Speaker 4:So that's the issue is that the advent of social media has caused a wave and an influx of disqualified leading voices. Yes, like you would not go to a doctor for medical care who had just lost their license, you wouldn't entrust your vehicle to a mechanic who was not trained and certified to perform automotive work, yet we entrust our soul care to total strangers online who have shown that by opposing the truth, they're disqualified. And that's what's happened. You've had now a wave of disqualified truth opposers who have now become the leading voice in your life. That's what's happened, and so it has warped discipleship. So when you tell someone to attend a church, join a church, they'll say why? I'm getting knowledge online, I can learn that online and I don't have to worry about accountability, I don't have to worry about relationship, I don't have to worry about being spiritually formulated. I can just go at my convenience. I don't like what they said. I'll scroll to the next one.
Speaker 4:And I'm always learning, but I never arrive at the truth, and I think that is the double-edged sword of social media.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you're really onto something, though. The Bible says know those who labor among you. Yes, sir, how can you know somebody on social media I can know about if I never met Elmer, but I see his music, you know. I could say I know who Elmer is. He's Spanish, yeah. Yeah, I might not understand it but I'd have to get a translator. But I could say I know who Elmer is, but I cannot say I know him. So how can I vouch for him? You know, 1 Thessalonians 5 tells us and we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and who admonish you, esteem them highly, and we're always looking for that new thing. And so we pick up on these things.
Speaker 2:And I remember years ago I had a young man in my church who became shipwrecked and he came to me one day and said hey, man, what do you think of this guy? I said I don't even know him. But I said you got to be careful. I started checking him out and I told him I said don't do it. Well, he started traveling to his meetings and then the next thing, I know, man, he's not coming to church. And then this guy had a major blow up and then he got discouraged because he's like well, you know, I thought God told me. I said well, god wouldn't tell you to follow somebody, that's you know. So anyway, I think you're right. Is what I'm getting to, willie? I think we have to know the people. If you want the formation, you got to know the people who are forming you. Yes, sir, can't follow some personality so good.
Speaker 1:Can I be the youngster in the group?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Come on.
Speaker 2:She is the youngster in this group.
Speaker 4:I am the youngster, Literally the youngster. Yes.
Speaker 1:Man, my wrinkles feel so much better today. Just kidding, no.
Speaker 3:Wrinkle.
Speaker 2:Hey, is that a spot in a wrinkle?
Speaker 3:I did set myself up for that one, didn't I?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's fine I love it. So I will have to say, though, I do think social media is a good tool for the people who won't just get up and come to church. I think it can spark curiosity. I think it can do that you know, for you know, somebody's mama's shared a scripture of something right.
Speaker 1:Or a video of a preacher or something, and it can come across somebody who has just been like I'm not stepping foot in a church, and so I think it can be a good tool, sure, but I do think it needs, yes, 100%, but I don't think that it's 100% bad.
Speaker 4:I would agree with that.
Speaker 1:I think it can be a great tool, especially for people who might not be able to actually get up and come to church and do stuff like that, cause, you know, we have online groups that that for people who might not physically be able to get up or you know, you know our men and women who are deployed, or something like that.
Speaker 1:So I think it can be a tool, but I think you just need to use very good discernment on when the slope is starting to get really slippery with that and make sure that you are. I mean, you need to have a home.
Speaker 2:You need to have a home church.
Speaker 1:Make sure that that is where you are getting your pastoring. That's where you're getting connected.
Speaker 2:That's good.
Speaker 1:That's your home, yep, but I do think that social media can be used as a good tool. Sure, yeah, that's where you're getting connected.
Speaker 2:That's good, that's your home, yep, but I do think that social media can be used as a good tool. Sure, yeah, that's good, and I agree with that 100%. I mean, honestly, that's where I first started hearing about a guy named Jensen Franklin. Yeah, I found him online one day. Actually, somebody mentioned have you ever heard this guy? I said no, but I'll go check him out. Good preaching.
Speaker 3:They send you a telegraph.
Speaker 2:No, no, no. They sent me a Google. Can you believe that it was a Google message? You know how to check that. Ladies and gentlemen, I do have a Google phone here. I have an iPhone, he's got a Google phone. Ooh, you guys listen, I am not that old and.
Speaker 1:I love technology, I'm just careful we love you.
Speaker 3:You even have your own podcast.
Speaker 1:I do yeah.
Speaker 3:So you produce your own podcast, which is quite a task.
Speaker 2:There's several buttons at one time. Yes, it's hilarious, man, and you want to find out how you can push the wrong button? Follow me.
Speaker 1:Oh wait, you can't find me.
Speaker 2:Oh my God. My wife says I push the wrong button all the time.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, Yo that was the most creative plug ever. That was legit.
Speaker 4:You want to find out how to push the wrong button? Follow me. Follow me, that was good. Come on, that was legit. You want to say you want to find a half-ass robot? Follow me, that was good.
Speaker 2:Come on, I might be 68, but I still got it. Come on, man, that was so good. That's wisdom right there.
Speaker 3:Real quick, we're going to speed around. I'm going to ask you guys questions and then see how fast you can answer.
Speaker 1:We'll start with Emily.
Speaker 3:No, go the other way. All right, we'll start with Willie. Okay, all right. So first person who discipled you, michael Pickens. Michael Pickens.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Pastor Mike, favorite book that shaped your faith.
Speaker 2:The Believer's Authority. By who? Kenneth Hagin.
Speaker 3:Kenneth Hagin. All right, emily, most awkward discipleship moment, kenneth Hagen.
Speaker 1:Emily, most awkward discipleship moment A lot.
Speaker 3:Because I can be very awkward, Legit a lot Willie pet peeve in a mentorship setting. Like I'm mentoring, no like somebody, or just either.
Speaker 4:Fair enough.
Speaker 3:Peeve Lack of follow-through. Okay, pastor mike, one thing that is not spiritual but that builds connection, that you are good at introducing myself to someone and looking at everybody is not a stranger okay, and then I'll ask you a question that we already asked what's your favorite book that shaped your faith?
Speaker 1:Fate of Satan.
Speaker 3:Fate of Satan.
Speaker 1:That's a nice book. Let's go Chambavere. I mean with discipleship you got to learn how to not be offended.
Speaker 2:My Lord, Do not take offense. What about you? Pastor?
Speaker 1:Elmer.
Speaker 2:What's your?
Speaker 3:favorite book, favorite book, favorite book. Oh, a book that shaped my faith as a youngster was God Chasers.
Speaker 2:Oh man, wow Now that was a powerful book. It was Now you kind of dated yourself.
Speaker 3:I put myself there. It was in the 90s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come on now.
Speaker 3:But it was one of those that as a youngster it really fueled that pursuit for the Lord. And just like man God Chaser and that Fueled that pursuit for the Lord. You know, and just like man God chaser, yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know that book came out on the heels of Brownsville, right there about the same time Brownsville Revival, and I remember reading that book and then I heard about that Brownsville. I said I'm going to check it out. I mean, it's just something that ignited you from reading that book that you wanted more of God, definitely.
Speaker 3:Tremendous book and More of God, definitely. Tremendous book and man this was great.
Speaker 4:I'm telling you I enjoyed this. This was good. This is one of my favorite moments.
Speaker 3:We haven't done it in a minute and now we get to do it. I've been abused for my age. We did pick on you a little bit.
Speaker 2:It's okay.
Speaker 3:But just some things. If we could just recap some of the things, just as far as discipleship and mentoring, don't believe everything you hear on the internet. Don't, like you said. The Bible says test everything by the Spirit and it's not all bad, it really isn't.
Speaker 4:It's not all bad, but you have to be like know those that labor.
Speaker 3:You have to use discernment. And Emily said get planted in a local church Like be part of a local church and find discernment. And emily said get planted in a local church like be part of a local church, um, and find your people honestly within here at life. Point. That's what we point people to small groups it's not because we're trying to move a program or have more numbers, it's because it's what's best for us.
Speaker 4:We need community and, uh, anything else um, one thing I do love about a small group is that you become more than just a face. You're seen and you're known, and I think those are two of the greatest needs that we have as people is being seen and known. Why? Because Jesus sees us and he knows us. The Bible says in John chapter 10 that the shepherd knows the sheep and man. I'm telling you, when you are seen and known like, you become fearless, you become courageous, you become generous, you become loving, you become forgiving, because you're seen and you're known and that like you said to your point, pastor, I'm like.
Speaker 4:That is why I would man, I'm telling you, I'm urging, I'm begging you. If you are doing life alone, you are not living in a way that your heavenly father intended for you. There are no orphans in the family of God. And join a small group today. Get plugged in wherever you live, get plugged into a church and ask them hey, how do I find community? And if they've got a pathway, do it today, so that we are no longer unseen and unknown and unknown.
Speaker 3:One of the things our lead pastor, Pastor Mike Burnett, has been talking to our staff about is really the one more who are the people that we know in our lives that might be far from Jesus?
Speaker 4:Who are?
Speaker 3:those that we need to disciple. Help them take the next steps, and there's people in our lives that we want to be discipled to. So who is discipling us? Is an important question and we talked about that. But then who are you helping lead into their next steps? And so we all know somebody. So who is that? One person or multiple people?
Speaker 4:right.
Speaker 3:I actually shared this earlier with one of our staff members. We're talking about mentors and how sometimes people will come up to me and say, hey, I want you to mentor me. I'm like all right, like where do you? How do you need to grow? And like I have no idea. It's like, well, you need to figure out. Like what?
Speaker 2:are the areas you need in your life.
Speaker 3:Like we can't expect mentors to spend hours figuring us out. And that's when we have mentors in our life, we actually have to go to them with the questions and like hey, I'm struggling with this, Like you talked about, with your circumstance. You went to the person and you have to present yourself and and there has to be a pursuit for those individuals. So if you're longing a mentor in your life, you know, be active about it.
Speaker 3:Don't just wait for someone to say like hey, I want to, I want to mentor you. And if someone does say that, like, be active about it and don't just disregard the moment, Cause, um, it's special special.
Speaker 2:That's a. That's a really good piece of wisdom. You gotta have some. You gotta give them some direction, because if you come to me and you want some mentoring in the medical area, I can't help you. I mean, I'm not trying to be ugly, I would not be your best bet. Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:You know. So I think that, elmer, because through the years I've had people ask me and when I've asked them that question, they're like well, I know, I just figured you'd help me grow. Well, that question like well, I know, I just figured you'd help me grow. Well, you know. And then you tell them well, if you figure out where it is you want to grow and then come back, then maybe we can you know, we can hit yeah, because then you know how to invest your time into them and resources and stuff, yeah.
Speaker 3:But, um, yeah, just a little bit.
Speaker 4:That's good, that was good yeah, that's, that's, that's powerful, right there. And yeah, I think that helps both the mentor and the mentee. Yes, right, because now there's level setting, that's right. As a mentee, I say okay, so I'm not going to be frustrated because I'm like, oh, I'm receiving mentorship in this specific area or areas that I requested, and then a mentor now is able to stay focused and deliberate and intentional with where they're leading that person.
Speaker 4:I love that they're not having to Right. Oh, and let me just say this too and that opens up the door for multiple mentors Safety to a multitude of counselors. I may be being mentored as a father by Pastor Mike, and I may be being mentored as a husband by Pastor Elmer, and I may be being mentored as a pastor by Randy Durian, who's one of my closest friends. Does that make sense? Because now there's expectations that have been set and met.
Speaker 1:And can I clear this up, your mentor and I feel like I just need to say this for anybody listening it needs to be same-sex.
Speaker 2:Yes, come on, you do not need, I don't need to look at Pastor Elmer to be my mentor.
Speaker 1:That's weird.
Speaker 4:That's weird. I'm just saying, hey, that's yes, that's weird, we're not going to do that, yep.
Speaker 1:No matter if you are single, married whatever like whatever stage of life, it needs to be same-sex, and also it doesn't necessarily have to be somebody that you like. Right, come on, man like.
Speaker 1:Right Come on man Because, just as my friend Heather now we are friends at the moment I was like, okay, we're kind of butting heads a little bit. However, deep down I knew her view of marriage and that's what I was going after. She was really pouring into that. So find somebody who is excelling in the area that you want to improve, no matter if you like them or not, All because they're fun to be around and all of that kind of stuff doesn't necessarily make them a great mentor.
Speaker 1:Find something that they are excellent in.
Speaker 3:That's a great point, because they might not be able to speak into every area.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you, man she just nailed it.
Speaker 4:I'm telling you, man, yeah, she just nailed it. I'm telling you, right there, you put a bone on this thing, let's go, that's powerful.
Speaker 3:I think we end there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, seriously.
Speaker 3:So again, thank you guys.
Speaker 2:Thank you, guys, for being here. Thanks for inviting us.
Speaker 4:Awesome.
Speaker 3:This was awesome and for those that you listened and watched until the end and watch till the end. Thank you guys so much, and if you have any questions, if you need any assistance from our team here at LifePoint Church, we're here to help you. You can find out more information about our ministry at lifepointchurchtv and you can follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, LifePoint Church, and we also have a creative Instagram it's at LifePoint Creative and you can follow what we do here.
Speaker 2:All the music.
Speaker 3:We have music and some of our podcast clips available there, and so that's all we got for today. But again, thank you guys for joining us today and until next week, see you, peace.
