Edgar D. R. Testimony

The journey from religious routine to authentic relationship with Jesus looks different for everyone. For Edgar, it began in the structured environment of a Methodist church before transforming into something deeply personal at age 17 when he realized his life had split into two different personas—one for church friends and another for school friends.

Edgar's testimony beautifully illustrates what surrender to divine guidance looks like in practical terms. When God told him to volunteer to be laid off despite having a mortgage and car payment, he waited three days to confirm it was truly God's voice before taking the terrifying leap of faith. This act of obedience not only saved a colleague's job but opened the door to becoming a personal assistant to Pastor Bayless Conley, fulfilling Edgar's earlier prayer to "see God's creation" through international ministry trips.

What stands out most is how Edgar and his wife Veronica approach serving at LifeLink Church with intentionality and joy. Having experienced what it feels like to visit churches where no one notices newcomers, they've developed a ministry of remembering names, taking notes, and creating genuine connections. Their servant hearts extend to their teenage daughters, who are now developing their own ministries within the church community.

Through real estate investments, career changes, and even a challenging period where they couldn't sell a property, Edgar demonstrates how faith grows stronger through testing. His vision for financing kingdom work and becoming a conduit for God's supernatural power resonates with anyone who desires to move beyond church attendance to kingdom impact.

Whether you're questioning your faith journey or seeking encouragement to follow God's sometimes counterintuitive guidance, Edgar's story reminds us that our greatest fulfillment comes when we surrender our plans to God's perfect timing. His testimony proves that the path to authentic Christianity often begins with a simple heart cry: "Jesus, I need you."

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:17

all right, everybody. Welcome back to the speak life az podcast testimony of jesus and everyday people. I'm your host, eddie, and always with me is my son, rowdy jesus.

Speaker 2 0:26

What's up, brother?

Speaker 1 0:27

hi buddy what are you doing?

Speaker 2 0:29

well, I'm ready to enjoy this nice. Oh my god, you never know what you're gonna get, never. Oh man, how's your day, buddy? It was good brother yeah, a little busy.

Speaker 1 0:42

it's a tax season, so people are fixing their cars. Yeah, it was good man. Amen, I sent out.

Speaker 2 0:47

I got a text this morning, dude, I forgot it was tax day. I was like, oh God, I work with a lot of people in recovery, forgetful people. Yeah, they've lost some brain cells, man.

Speaker 1 1:00

It's like yeah, bud, I'm excited about this one.

Speaker 2 1:03

Yeah, so am I, man. This is going to be a fun one. Man, this is cool. Who'd you bring with us? We got Brother Edgar. What's up, dude?

Speaker 4 1:09

What's going on? My brothers? Edgar, man, what's doing? Dude, doing good guys yes.

Speaker 1 1:21

What an awesome time. We appreciate you coming on time, brother. Uh, for me personally it's a privilege. Um, the other night I got to spend a little time with you and your wife, which was the first time we got to really spend some time together oh man, what a great time in the lord. It was man so I'm excited to sit down and get to know you a little more, brother hey, thank you.

Speaker 4 1:36

What an opportunity. You know, this is my very first podcast ever man doing anything like this. What a blessing.

Speaker 2 1:43

It's an honor to to be here with you guys and just uh share yeah well, we thank you, man um, for for me, edgar it, this means a lot buddy um, because there's we, we've got we got a lot of people here at lifelink that we are doing life with man you know, we're family here, right, and there's quite a few that I've asked.

Speaker 2 2:07

I've been, I've been working the place and a lot there's. There's been quite a few that are private or I don't have a story, right, um, but the ones that do say yes and are willing to come on, um, for me, man, it just really encourages me personally and lets me know that, dude, what God has called you to do, there's people that believe in it, because the vision is only as big as the people that buy into it, right, and so you coming on and saying yes to this, it's like you buying into the vision of Speak Life AZ podcast, and so it's. It's cool, man. But then also, like, I know you, but I don't know you, and these things really allow us, and whoever listens or watch, to get to know who Edgar is, because there's a lot of people, bro, who come here on Sundays who you're the first face they see there it is.

Speaker 2 3:03

That smiling face man with you and your wife. So it's cool that people are like, ah, edgar, now you're going to be. I bet you that some interactions are probably going to be a little more deeper, because people are going to be able to listen to this and, like bro, I had no idea they're going to relate to you in ways that they haven't before, because they're going to know who Edgar is.

Speaker 1 3:24

That's cool to relate to you in ways that they haven't before, because they're going to know who edgar is. It's cool, it seems like the more people we have from lifelink on the podcast and the people that are from lifelink that are listening are making connections with the people that are on here right we've had guests come on and come back and tell us man, I had like four or five people reach out to me and said hey, I can relate to your story. Let's connect and and talk. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 3:43

And so they made these connections, dude, and it's relationships relationship it's, it's you know, we have something in common, let's talk, and it's making connections, bro, that normally people wouldn't make with each other. Yeah, but now they have something in common that make them make that connection. It's pretty awesome, dude, to see what god's doing this is just very cool.

Speaker 4 3:59

I mean the fact that you guys have been doing this for a couple years now. God put it in your heart and this is a reality. This is an opportunity for people to share their lives, share basically the choices that they've made, and be able to just give a testimony of where they were and where they are and what God's going to be leading to do. I think the coolest thing is is the choices that you're talking about.

Speaker 1 4:29

Some of us have made some pretty bad ones. You know what I mean, and but the but the coolest part is is, even though we made those bad choices, we still God still chose us.

Speaker 3 4:40

Amen.

Speaker 1 4:40

And that's what. That's what I think is cool about it is we show people man, you can. I mean, I was 20-something, I was in my mid-20s when God finally found me. I was a mess, but he still found me and he changed my life. And I think that's the beauty of what we're doing is you get to people who are listening, who may not know. God can hear. I messed up like that dude. God met that dude. Maybe he'll meet me. You know what I mean. So it gives them hope. There's something there. You know what I mean and I love that dude.

Speaker 4 5:10

I love that everybody has a story yeah and it's good to be able to share that, because that's that's something that, uh, we've lived and people can relate, or people could um to say well now, but uh, I could still learn something from that.

Speaker 2 5:27

When I was growing up man, I grew up in a Baptist church Phoenix Community Church and they actually had times in their Sunday services where people would raise their hand and I need to testify on what God did this week in my finances or in my son's life. There in my, my son's life, there would be these different times of testimony and I didn't get saved until well, I got saved a long time ago, but then I prodigaled for a little bit and I've come back. But so I don't remember a lot of testimonies, like when I was in teen challenge and I would go to all these different churches when I was in California and ministry for three years and we'd go to all those different churches. There was not a time where people would raise their hand and testify, and so I actually think that that's one of the things that the enemy, or darkness, or the world is kind of covered up is believers' testimonies.

Speaker 2 6:21

There's so much power in our testimonies that it gives other people like Dad was saying hope. It's almost like it opens up a prophetic realm into people's lives. So the kingdom can make an impact, because God, he's not a respecter of persons. If he can do what he's done for us. He can do it for anybody that's watching or listening. Man dude this is. I can already tell.

Speaker 3 6:45

Let me pray real quick and we'll kind of get into this thing, jesus.

Speaker 2 6:50

Man. I just thank you, God. Yes, Lord, Thank you for the opportunity, Lord, to sit down with another one of your kids. God, Thank you, Lord, man, I thank you for Brother Edgar. I thank you, God. Thank you, God, for just his life. Thank you, God, for just his life. Thank you, Lord, for what's getting ready to get shared today. Thank you Just all you have brought him through, Both the good and the bad. God, I can't wait to just hear about what you've done. God, I thank you for just right now. If there's any anxiety or nerves, fall away. Lord, I thank you. The blood of Jesus covers this and this is all going to accomplish purposes that you sent it out for. So, Holy Spirit, have your way. Use our words in Jesus' name.

Speaker 4 7:32

Amen, amen, amen.

Speaker 2 7:34

I asked you before if you have listened to one of these, and you said yes, yeah, would you describe yourself as a listener or a subscriber?

Speaker 4 7:45

Actually just listen, that just in preparation. I haven't really listened to any of the podcasts.

Speaker 1 7:53

Okay, all right, there's some good ones. Go listen, there really are bro.

Speaker 2 7:58

But so basically, edgar, what we want today, man, is we just want to know who Edgar is. We want to know where you were born, um, we want to know what life was like for you growing up as a kid. Um, mom and dad, brothers and sisters, uh, what was school like for you, man? Because I I know, for for me personally, school was rough. Um, I was the short, fat kid. I was bullied and picked on a lot, man, and I was smart, and it was just school for me was tough, but I want to know how it was for you.

Speaker 2 8:25

Um, we want to know sports, man. Were you playing sports when you were a kid? Um, and me and dad? Church, of course, man, was god in the home, um, or was it like a religious thing that now you're living your own life and raising your own family? That you know, I mean. So we just want to know who edgar is and, uh, how you grew Me and Dad working with a lot of people in recovery, a lot of the hurts or the habits or the hang-ups, the stuff that we need to heal from. A lot of that comes from childhood traumas and stuff that happens as a kid. Kids are mean man.

Childhood in California's Methodist Church

Speaker 2 8:58

Kids are mean man and sometimes the people that are supposed to protect us and keep us safe don't. So just let Holy Spirit lead you into any of that. But I think the coolest thing we want to get today, edgar, is your personal encounter with Jesus, when God became so real to you and you were like man okay. My.

Speaker 3 9:18

God.

Speaker 2 9:19

My God. Because, the way that it happened for me. It was different than the way it happened for Dad. It was different than the way it happened for dad. It was different than the way it happened for you.

Speaker 1 9:27

I had a day. I had a day.

Speaker 2 9:30

August 26, 2014. Dads came in a prison cell. Some people have a series of events throughout their lives that God shows himself, so we want to know how your encounter with Jesus was, absolutely. And then, if you look in the Bible, anybody that encounters Jesus, a real encounter with him, it leads to life change, um, so so we want to know how, how your life, how God kind of changed your life or your heart and the things in your life, um, and then at the end, we just kind of want to get what you're hoping for in the future for for you and your wife, maybe your family a ministry. Is there something in your heart that God's calling you to start that you don't, it hasn't manifested yet that you're believing him, for we want to know that stuff so we can pray for you. But then our listeners and the people who do subscribe they actually pray for you as well.

Speaker 1 10:22

Amen, that's awesome.

Speaker 4 10:23

Yeah.

Speaker 1 10:23

Fantastic. So what was it like growing?

Speaker 4 10:26

up egger man, all right. Well, let's see. Um I was born in june 1970, um I like to say I was, uh, made in the philippines but born in america. So okay, okay, my dad, my dad first immigrated to the States, went back to the Philippines, married my mom Full-blooded. Full-blood yes, Really nice yeah and so pretty much over the Pacific. I was in my mom's belly, born in Downey, california, southern Cal. Actually grew up around the Maywood Bell area, bellflower, no city of Bell. Okay. So yeah, bellflower is a separate city.

Speaker 2 11:13

I was over in Orange County for a couple of years. Man, it's just crazy how those cities over there are. They're all. There's so many, yeah.

Speaker 4 11:23

I grew up there. I actually grew up in the Methodist church. That's how our family came into going to church and everything like that. I'm an only child so.

Speaker 2 11:35

I'm the eldest, middle and youngest all at the same time In Filipino culture is Methodist. Is that Well?

Speaker 4 11:46

Catholic is predominantly. Catholicism, yeah, in the Philippines predominantly, but the story goes that my great aunt back in the Philippines, so there were some Methodist missionaries that came to preach the gospel in a town where my dad grew up and it was my great aunt who heard the gospel message and received it. Wow, everybody, predominantly in our family, was Catholic.

Speaker 1 12:16

Yeah, okay, right.

Speaker 4 12:17

But something with my great aunt just received that word, the gospel, accepted Jesus and wanted to start going to um, this small church in the philippines, this methodist church. But then there was a lot of persecution for her.

Speaker 4 12:34

Oh, I bet the whole family's going to catholic church exactly making making fun of my aunt just doing things to actually prevent her from going. Wow, there was a story. My mom told me that they would take my great aunt's clothes and just douse it with water so she wouldn't have any clothes to go. Wow, but she would put something together, right, because she really wanted to go and hear the word from the missionaries. And so over this time period of time of persecution, she just showed love.

Speaker 1 13:14

Yeah, showed, love. Wow, man Right yeah.

Speaker 4 13:18

And slowly, one by one, my family accepted the Lord.

Speaker 1 13:24

Come on one.

Speaker 4 13:28

My family uh accepted the lord come on.

Speaker 1 13:29

And I don't know all the story, but basically that's how um I got into the methodist church, yeah, okay, um.

Speaker 4 13:32

So yeah, growing up, I remember growing up the methodist church in maywood and then uh, we moved, uh to the city of downey and downey was the church where I remember just being in youth group and things like that. So I grew up in the church. This was in the 70s. I also watched a lot of TBN.

Speaker 2 13:58

Okay, yeah, it was huge.

Speaker 4 14:00

back then, man, I grew up with different ministries growing up Jimmy Swaggart and Rex Humbard, benny Hinn, billy Graham oh yeah, back then I grew up with different ministries growing up.

Speaker 2 14:06

Uh, jimmy swagger and rex humbard, benny hann, billy graham.

Speaker 3 14:08

Oh yeah, benny hann was later on, and you know back in the 80s, exactly, right, uh who else?

Speaker 4 14:16

robert schuler even was on there and so different.

Speaker 2 14:19

Uh, you know, fred price and all that um so would you say that you have basically been a believer? As long as you can remember, I was a churchgoer when I began at the Methodist church, I didn't understand.

Speaker 4 14:36

Nothing was really shared. If you've gone to a Methodist church, it's just pretty much you do your thing, you get in and you listen to the scripture, listen to the message is it similar to? Catholicism, oh no we mean we don't necessarily. You know, there's no mary, there's no kneeling, and there's no beads or anything like that it's just, you know, definitely founded in, you know, in jesus, but just, is it a little more traditional? Okay, traditional, you know there was no spirit there was it was a message, a good message.

Speaker 4 15:09

Yeah, you know, I, I would um being in the youth, um the youth would be part of the procession. There was like what we call alkalites uh, that would like have can candle holders, or, and then somebody would hold the Bible and process in the middle, with the pastor behind us, and so we do all this.

Speaker 4 15:31

So I did that and, um, I think pastor Chris would understand this too, because he grew up in the church, but, um, uh, yeah, so I did that, but it was one of those things where, you know it, there was no power. I mean, I had friends there.

Speaker 3 15:46

Yeah.

Speaker 4 15:47

You know, every Sunday night we had youth, and so I'd you know, do that.

Speaker 2 15:53

Is it something that you wanted to go to, or is it something that mom and dad said you're doing?

Speaker 4 16:00

I think pretty much that it was. I don't remember.

Speaker 3 16:02

You know, it was just something that I did even growing up as a little kid, so it was kind of like second kids what we do.

Speaker 4 16:09

It wasn't forced, I wasn't saying you know, my dad or mom didn't say you're gone.

Speaker 1 16:13

Did they go? Yeah, they went we all went. So you kind of grew up in that way, so it was just a normal, that was just part of life, alive.

Finding Authentic Faith as a Teenager

Speaker 4 16:20

This is what we did, you know just so, god and jesus, and you know, of course, um, as you grow, grow in your relationship, you would learn a little bit more but growing up I didn't know so much, I you know it was there a lot of filipinos in the methodist church um, depending on what city you're in.

Speaker 2 16:40

Yes, I was gonna ask you that. Yeah, I was for my three years out there. I did not know that Southern California, orange County, had so many Asian people. Oh yeah. There is a lot of them. So yeah, growing up for you, you had a lot of Asians with you, so it wasn't right.

Speaker 4 16:59

Well, in the city I mean growing up there was predominantly I guess a good mix, you know I grew up where it was, you know, Caucasians, Hispanics, African.

Speaker 2 17:10

Americans, so it was diverse. It was pretty diverse growing up but you were because I was wondering if, like, because you were, I know how it was for me at my school and there were not many Asian kids at my school, Right, and so the couple that were Jesus man, we were very mean to those poor kids, dude.

Speaker 3 17:30

I repent. I'm so sorry, guys dude.

Speaker 2 17:34

But it was just. Yeah, I don't know why kids are like that man, Just things that are different.

Speaker 3 17:39

Yeah, things that are different.

Speaker 2 17:42

It's just like oh God, Okay, that's how it is, yeah, things that are different.

Speaker 3 17:45

It's just like oh God, Okay, that's how it is.

Speaker 2 17:46

Yeah. I mean so childhood was basically good. It was basically, it was good, you know Okay.

Speaker 4 17:51

I mean other than you know, most Asian families. You know they're pretty strict, the parents are pretty strict.

Speaker 3 17:59

It's one or the other. Oh yeah, bro, or the dad yeah.

Speaker 4 18:03

In my case it was the dad. So my dad was pretty strict with um, uh, with me growing up. You know there was pretty much. You know one way was the right way, his way, and choices. You know, growing up didn't really have that opportunity to make choices of my own, in a sense, okay you know um, he kept you pretty regimented. This is how it is.

Speaker 1 18:26

You know you can't go out with your school friends okay just hang out with your you know uh church friends keeping you out of trouble all that type of thing.

Speaker 4 18:35

But you know, then as you get into high school, then those you know it the kids start lighting up. Yeah, you know, it was it was one of those things where you know it was tough growing up, you know you had to make the grade. You had to do this.

Speaker 4 18:48

It was you know you're either going to be typically for asians, you know a doctor or an engineer or a medical field doctor, you know, nurse or anything like that was school easy for you um a little bit, it was easy you know I you know, ended up, uh, with the average, you know, a b average, you know, growing up, you know, and uh, any sports or anything actually, yeah, I did grow up playing tennis, so that was my dad grew up, so I remember back in the day when you know jimmy connor's chris everett ll.

Speaker 2 19:22

Oh wow, Way back, Way back. Bud. Before Agassi. Before Michael Chang Pete Sampras.

Speaker 4 19:32

Those are the guys that I grew up watching when I was playing. I played singles. It wasn't too bad, you know.

Speaker 2 19:39

Did you get one of those cool jackets in high school? I did get one of those. Yes, I lettered in varsity.

Speaker 3 19:45

Yes, that's awesome man, it was pretty good I enjoyed that.

Speaker 4 19:51

But you know I do want. I do remember that I alluded to the fact that my dad said you know you could hang out with your church friends, but growing up I was like I went to church but I didn't have. Like I said earlier, I was a church goer. I didn't really have a relationship with the Lord. So I acted differently with my church friends and then my school friends.

Speaker 4 20:15

So, if I'm hanging out with my school friends, I'm. You know, whatever they're saying, I'm saying If they're cussing up a storm, I'm cussing up a storm.

Speaker 1 20:24

You're a chameleon, you fit in. It's wearing masks, exactly With my church friends oh yeah, praise the Lord.

Speaker 3 20:36

Some of my church friends cuss too.

Speaker 2 20:39

It's all right. I love Jesus, I just cuss a little. I'm going to get that bumper sticker Dad.

Speaker 4 20:46

That's so funny. But you know it's one of the things you're acting one way Come on baby. And you're not really Authentic. Authentic you don't ever, you know, and I really didn't have. I didn't know Jesus until, actually, you know, when I was 17. Yeah.

Speaker 4 21:06

So you know after going and you know I'm hearing the word through all these different ministries you know been to Billy Graham crusades. We did all those crusades, Wow. And so it came to a point where, when I was 17, you know, I was like I'm doing this one way with my friends and I'm acting this way with my other friends. I'm like where's that awesome authenticity?

Speaker 2 21:30

Yeah when is, who am I?

Speaker 4 21:32

Do I even have a relationship with?

Speaker 2 21:34

God, it's real bro, exactly.

Speaker 1 21:37

So were your, were your parents authentic in their relationship with God? Well, I mean good question.

Speaker 4 21:43

That's very good question.

Speaker 1 21:51

They. They were church chorusers too, but they did receive jesus. Okay, but it wasn't um, because a lot of kids that grow up in church, their parents are just like you said they're just churchgoers yeah but they get home and they're we're not having bible study, they're drinking a beer they're watching sports, they're cussing. You know what I mean. So it really. I mean that's your example of what church is like. I mean there's no relationship in that. You know what I mean.

Speaker 4 22:08

I think my parents were still growing and maturing when I was growing up, I mean we all went to church.

Speaker 1 22:13

Were they young when they had?

Speaker 4 22:14

you yeah, so let's see. Yeah, my dad was probably 30.

Speaker 3 22:21

My mom was probably 21.

Speaker 1 22:24

Oh wow, yeah yeah, so your mom was young. Yeah, yeah, all right.

Speaker 4 22:27

So yeah. But yeah, it came to a point where you know, I was in my room one time. I think my dad had Grounded.

Speaker 2 22:37

You Grounded me, I know how it is, but I was grounded a lot, dude.

Speaker 4 22:45

Yelled at me I did something wrong, you know, I did whatever and I just felt alone.

Speaker 3 22:48

Yeah.

Speaker 4 22:48

You know it was one of those things. Yeah, you're an only child. You think people think you're spoiled. No, you know, my parents basically gave me what I needed, not what.

Speaker 3 22:56

I wanted.

Speaker 4 22:59

So, but I didn't have any brothers and sisters to tell or share stuff. And I had some friends, but I didn't really share a whole lot yeah, you know growing up, and so I kept things internal. But god knew my heart and but it came to a point when I was 17, in my room I just said jesus I need you, oh man I need you. I don't have a relationship with you. I mean, I say one thing, but you know I do another thing. Yeah, right yeah, what?

Speaker 2 23:28

what brought you to that point?

Speaker 4 23:29

the loneliness no, I think it was that situation where I either got grounded I can't remember what happened. It was just something that happened um growing up. My dad or that day and I was just like I just broke down wow and I just realized, god, I need, I want to live for you yeah, you know, I want all that you have, because you know the word's been planted in me yeah right, ultimately, yeah, um it, it, uh it, it rooted yeah right and I made that choice and that decision um you knew where to turn to exactly because you had grown up in the house with all those

Speaker 4 24:02

seeds being planted exactly man so I just made that decision by myself in my room. Come on, you know, and uh did you feel any different?

Speaker 2 24:11

or did you see anything or did? Was that experience?

Speaker 4 24:14

no, I think it was just that confession just saying jesus, I receive you, yeah romans 10 9 bro and uh, nothing know. Nothing happened like instantaneously, but I just did definitely feel peace, amen, amen.

Speaker 1 24:29

You know that I did confess.

Speaker 4 24:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1 24:31

Yeah.

Speaker 4 24:31

You know that I made him my Lord and I just didn't know what to do next.

Speaker 2 24:36

Yeah, pretty much that's real.

Speaker 4 24:45

You know I, you know pretty good kid. You know I didn't really do any. You know I didn't really do any. You know I didn't steal, I didn't do any drugs.

Speaker 2 24:49

You know I was pretty much you know driving people home if they're you know drinking drinking oh man, they just know that, edgar you know they'll take care of us. We're good with edgar. Yeah right, I kind of look out, you were the one I was calling.

Speaker 4 24:58

Hey, bud, I need you friday night dude I'm being wasted pretty much they make fun of me.

Speaker 3 25:04

But hey, amen, I'll buy you a sandwich I'll buy you a burrito at philly bees at 2 am bud. All right, that's how it is jeez, that late night food will get you all right.

Speaker 2 25:19

So in downey it sounds to me very stable. It doesn't sound like parents were moving and different places to live.

Speaker 4 25:28

Yeah, they're still there in Downey right now in the same house, really. Yeah so when we go back, they're there, you know.

Speaker 2 25:36

That blows people like us our minds, bro, because we have been in so many different places and so many different moves to be in a stable place like that for so long.

Speaker 4 25:46

It just yeah pretty much, I think the all I remember, just you know, the city of maywood is where we lived, city of bell, a couple places in bell and then downey was pretty much where it's settled home base, exactly yeah, are they still going to that same church?

Speaker 4 26:03

uh, no, so over time it grew. So basically during my high school years and right about, uh, when I graduated, um, you know, there was this one particular pastor that we saw. His name was pastor bayless conley. Um, it at cottonwood christian center at the time was called cottonwood christian center. It's called Cottonwood Church now. Okay, so we would watch Pastor Bayless. He had a show about 30 minutes. Well, he had an hour show and then over time it just went down to a 30-minute show.

Speaker 4 26:34

Like a TV, a TV show Brock oh wow, Just a regular channel Channel 11, Channel 9. And so we would watch his show before we went to. His church Well before we went to the church that we were going to oh, I see what you're.

Speaker 4 26:54

We went to. I grew up in the Methodist church. We later went to a Calvary chapel in Downey and then, after watching Pastor Bayless and the TV ministry, they weren't too far. They were like in the Los Alamitos area, kind of Long Beach area, so it wasn't too far from the house. So I was like I need to grow more, you know, from the Methodist church to the Calvary. I grew there.

Speaker 3 27:20

Oh yeah.

Speaker 4 27:21

But then wow, just the word of God that was being preached at a cottonwood church was like the holy spirit was just like leading me there, and so so I started going over there. You know it was a little further by yourself, by myself. So, okay, this is. I made that choice um like in college.

Speaker 2 27:39

So okay yeah you're an adult, you can make some choices.

Engineering Career and God's Unexpected Call

Speaker 4 27:42

I'm sure mom and dad were like wait a sec after you know, after you know high school, you know you stayed in state I went to Cal State, long Beach, nice scholarship no, no scholarship tennis grades academics well, I had to be average, so they let anybody in. They let anybody in. What were you made of? They had a good baseball program.

Speaker 2 28:09

Yeah, oh yeah, they do.

Speaker 1 28:11

Oh, they did, yeah, cal State, they still do At Long.

Speaker 4 28:13

Beach. I majored in electrical engineering, nice. It was one of those times where I was praying.

Speaker 1 28:21

You went the engineering route. Well, you know, it's one of those things, right?

Speaker 2 28:26

Lawyer, doctor, engineer, exactly.

Speaker 4 28:29

Business was another one I wanted to.

Speaker 3 28:31

I considered.

Speaker 4 28:33

But it was a time when, right before I graduated, I prayed to God and said you know, father, I want to have a family right. And I want to see your creation. So I prayed that at my senior year, right before I graduated. So that was like kind of leading me as far as what am I going to do? God said, well, if you want to have a family, get a job.

Speaker 2 29:01

So basically, I love it.

Speaker 4 29:03

Amen, lord Basically. I was thinking okay, how am I going to support my family? Yeah, what am I going to be do? So I went, I looked at uh, you know, you know the salaries of different careers, and so I went down the engineering path and said, okay, I'm going to do that yeah um. So I, you, you know, and I did.

Speaker 2 29:26

It wasn't easy, it was difficult when were you in college?

Speaker 4 29:30

I graduated high school in 1988.

Speaker 2 29:32

88. So you're like in 92, you graduated Cal State 88.

Speaker 4 29:37

Actually 94.

Speaker 2 29:38

94. Six years, okay, six years.

Speaker 4 29:43

Midway through, though, I was like like, dang, this is hard. Yeah, this is hard, man, I should just. I thought I'd be going to ministry, right?

Speaker 3 29:50

I'm like, uh, you know, during that time I was like man.

Speaker 4 29:54

I there was a. There was a point in my life I thought I'd be going to like oral roberts university and going there and you know getting a degree doing something, ministry, because you know I I love

Speaker 2 30:05

to serve, even at the Methodist Church. That was my heart growing up serving you still have that heart, edgar, I can see it here.

Speaker 4 30:13

I think that was it for me just serving wherever. At the Calvary Chapel and then we went on to Cottonwood Just serving.

Speaker 2 30:22

Did your parents serve in the church? Did you see that? No, I didn't see it. I mean a little bit maybe early on. Okay, Methodist church yeah.

Speaker 4 30:32

But as I got older and Okay.

Speaker 2 30:35

Maybe the precession thing and how, at such a young age, getting you to serve before the pastor in the house of God? Exactly, you never know, man.

Speaker 4 30:43

I think that just started it you know, because they needed people to do it. They're like okay, I'm here, yeah, so I think that's just been my passion just growing up, just serving wherever I could to help and so but but I finished it. My dad said nope, you're finishing what you started.

Speaker 2 30:59

So oh, you wanted to quit. Oh yeah, I was like I wanted to quit, I was like oh no, I thought, thought again let's do ministry and just go because it was hard. So you're still living at home with mom and dad going to college, exactly Okay. Are you working?

Speaker 4 31:14

I wasn't working there. I mean, we had a little family business we sold at the swap meets down in the area. So I did some of that, but didn't have a job.

Speaker 4 31:26

I didn't have a job I didn't have my first job until actually after I graduated college and then um moved out to uh. First job was in irvine, california, nice, and uh, but I was still living with my parents, yeah, so at that time, you know, um, basically I was just saving money because what I wanted to do in preparation for my family is to buy a house.

Speaker 2 31:46

Great Great man. You're a young 20-year-old kid that's graduated college at home, not drinking, not drugging, saving money, saving money, saving money. You're on your way. Bud, right yeah.

Speaker 4 32:00

And then it just came to a point where, all right, I just need time to move, right, yeah. And then it just came to a point where, all right, I just need time to move, yeah, Right, but you know, after saving enough money. Looking at some different houses, yeah, there was a house that was a new community in the city of Garden Grove that I really felt like, oh wow, I want to do this.

Speaker 4 32:22

Wow, how old were you? Okay, so at that time, 25? No, let's see, gosh, I bought the house almost 29. Okay 30.

Speaker 1 32:34

Okay.

Speaker 2 32:35

So you graduated, you started working a few years and saving money, saving money. Okay, it's time for me. I'm almost 30. I need to get out of mom and dad's house and get my own place.

Speaker 1 32:44

Did you get a job as an engineer?

Speaker 4 32:45

Okay, and I got a job, as in the engineering field, not like designing or anything. It was more testing of the designs. So, I started out that way. Yeah, typically most Asian families. They typically stay at home longer. Really it's not like 18, you're out.

Speaker 1 33:07

See ya.

Speaker 2 33:08

Amen.

Speaker 4 33:08

Asian, you know family's there.

Speaker 1 33:11

That's good man you don't have to leave right away, you know. I must have some Asian in me, because Jesus dude.

Speaker 4 33:18

Shut up. Man Praise God, it's going to happen.

Speaker 3 33:21

Man, it's going to happen. He's saving money, Jesus, I hope he's saving money.

Speaker 2 33:28

It's all going to Turkey. God dude, it's like six grand.

Speaker 3 33:32

Help me Lord.

Speaker 2 33:33

God will provide, he will buddy, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 33:39

So, yeah, so they had that house, bought that house. Yeah, back in that day it was yeah, the percentage of interest rates were pretty crazy, but I had got a job right out of college. After some time Found another job that paid a little bit more, you know.

Speaker 2 34:00

Still going to Cottonwood.

Speaker 4 34:02

Still going to Cottonwood Serving there. I mean I did everything. I was in the parking ministry. Still going to Cottonwood Serving there. I mean I did everything. I was in the parking ministry, I was an usher. I served in youth and the children's ministry, whatever's needed. Yeah, the singles ministry, college and career.

Speaker 2 34:16

Wow.

Speaker 4 34:17

I led life groups.

Speaker 2 34:18

Wow bro.

Speaker 4 34:20

So yeah, just wherever the need was.

Speaker 2 34:22

You've been doing this for 30 years.

Speaker 4 34:24

A long time.

Speaker 2 34:25

Wow, Edgar.

Speaker 4 34:27

I don't even think about 30 years. You put that in perspective.

Speaker 1 34:30

You're faithful, bro, and you still do it with a smile and a good heart. It was such a great God man.

Speaker 2 34:36

Thank you, god, for bringing us to Tel Rosario's Lord. You know what's amazing, you know what's amazing, edgar?

Speaker 1 34:41

You know what's amazing Edgar is. I see you and your wife out there every Sunday and you guys are just smiling, just loving on people.

Speaker 3 34:54

I've seen people that have done this for a long time that are just miserable.

Speaker 2 35:03

Seriously. We used to have a guy here who was the leader of the ushers team. He was miserable. He was just not a pleasant person.

Speaker 1 35:07

I don't remember Dave Shea. Oh no, don't use names. My bad, don't use names. We love you, buddy, I do, but he wasn't a pleasant, he wasn't a loving person very much. You know what I mean. He was very just, I don't know. He didn't smile and laugh a lot, he was just.

Speaker 2 35:21

Let me tell you.

Speaker 4 35:25

You can only work with what you got.

Speaker 1 35:25

I know, but you know, I think but to see you guys do it with a smile is just impressive. You're a blessing, bro. Let me just say Dave Shea is a great man.

Speaker 4 35:32

He is he is good. I mean I and we ended up working together yeah, out here, in Arizona.

Speaker 1 35:37

Yeah, so I love the dude. I'm not saying nothing bad about him. I love the dude. He just he just wasn't a fun dude to be around bro, right on, right on, um, but uh very serious, very serious guy he's good, he's good I'll say that that's what he was. He was serious, not that he wasn't fun, he was just serious. Yeah, I'm backpedaling, my bad that's all.

Speaker 4 36:02

Good. Love you, dave. I love you, so yeah. So let's see, was in transition from my first job to another job in Newport Beach. I was working for a semiconductor company.

Speaker 1 36:16

Still in.

Speaker 4 36:16

Southern California. Still in Southern Cal, it was one of those things where I had two job offers and just seeking the Lord, which company to go. You know, it was a toss-up really and it's, you know, is it my flesh, is it God or whatever? But ultimately, you know, I just had peace. I think that peace, you know, will help you decide you know, which way to go, and so I took the one in Newport Beach. You know you're close to all the, you know, Newport Beach and everything that that has to offer.

Speaker 1 36:52

It's really nice there. It's really nice. We stayed at a house there one time for the weekend. It was pretty nice man.

Speaker 4 36:57

Oh man, it was a lot, yeah, a lot of money out there yeah. It was a nice place, yeah, right on the beach. Man, it was cool. Yeah, yeah, that's so good. Yeah, so I was there for a few years, oh gosh, maybe about seven years. I would say but in the early 2001, 2002, somewhere around there, there was a time when a lot of the jobs were going overseas. So a lot of the companies, even my company, a semiconductor company was just trying to save money.

Speaker 3 37:32

Yeah, right, yeah.

Speaker 4 37:34

And so people in my team and my company were getting pink slips.

Speaker 1 37:38

Really.

Speaker 4 37:39

Right, and so people are slowly, just you know disappearing, you know, just going because that was the time, there was a point in my prayer, in my devotion. One morning I heard God say I want you to volunteer to be laid off. Oh, wow, and.

Speaker 1 38:02

I'm like bored, come again. Exactly, you got to say that again.

Speaker 4 38:08

So you know, I bought that house, I've got a mortgage. I just bought a truck too right Tacoma and I got a promotion. So around that time God said I want you to volunteer to be laid off, wow. So I had to sit on that.

Speaker 1 38:24

I'm like we know God's voice, so I sat on that for three off, Wow.

Speaker 4 38:25

So I had to sit on that. I'm like we know, we know God's voice, so I I sat on that for three days. Wow, Just you know, you know God's voice, and so.

Speaker 2 38:33

It didn't go away, did it? No, that's that my, my advice to you, whoever's listening or watching this. If you don't know, if it's God, just sit on it.

Speaker 3 38:44

Yeah.

Speaker 2 38:44

Right, because the enemy's voice or the things that the enemy's trying, it just falls away after a couple of days. Yeah, the stuff from God, it gets stronger. Right, it gets more. You're like, why is this not going away?

Speaker 4 38:57

That's how you know it's God, because you look at the circumstances, you got more. How are you going to pay your bills? You got all this thing your truck, payment, everything. Where's this income coming, right so that's what you're thinking about, right, I know, but I sat on it for three days. Excuse me, three days, yeah, absolutely. And you was God. Yeah, wow. So I go to my manager.

Speaker 2 39:22

And so I tell him you know, I want to volunteer to be laid off.

Speaker 4 39:24

To be laid off. I feel God's leading me to do this oh my God, you told him All right.

Speaker 2 39:28

Whoa, and so my manager goes. Was he a believer?

Speaker 4 39:31

Um no, he wasn't. Oh, so he's look at. I did not think he was but, a great manager. Yeah, actually, he says, you know, edgar, we really like you, we don't want you to go, wow. So I'm like lord, I'm trying to obey you here, so I go. Well, can I talk to my director, can we talk? He said, okay, yeah, you could ask the director, let's go above your head.

Speaker 3 39:56

Yeah, I mean I I didn't.

Speaker 4 39:58

You know, I wanted to make sure. Yeah, we talked to the, I talked to the director. The director didn't want me to go too, wow. So I'm like, okay, god, I know you're calling me to do this, but the company won't let me go. So there was a coworker of mine, a brother in the Lord, that actually was expecting their first child. He was telling me this story and he goes and he also said hey, edgar, I just got a pink slip. Oh no. And then, right there, I knew God said why don't you switch? Take his pink slip and then he can stay. So we brought that to. Well, we both brought it to the manager and to the director, and then they agreed oh, wow. They said okay, wow.

Speaker 1 40:48

Thank you, lord. Come on man.

Speaker 4 40:52

Okay, so then, yeah, what'd you do Exactly?

Speaker 2 40:56

Okay, now I don't have a job.

Speaker 3 40:57

I just gave it away.

Speaker 4 40:58

I got a truck and a house.

Speaker 2 41:00

I got to pay for Right.

Speaker 3 41:02

Did they give you a package or a severance.

Speaker 4 41:04

They gave me a severance package. I did have money saved up as well, so you know I had money in the bank.

Speaker 2 41:13

You strike me as somebody who's just good with money.

Speaker 4 41:20

Just being ready, because you just don't know. I think that's something right.

Speaker 1 41:22

Also, my parents brought, brought me up and okay, that's the guy.

Speaker 4 41:23

Stay with the company for a long time he stayed for as long as um, the company with a lot of the other guy.

Speaker 1 41:29

Yeah, the other guy stayed.

Speaker 4 41:30

So he definitely had, you know, the medical and all that stuff yeah, to bring in the child I don't know. You know, ultimately a lot of my team that I knew I was working with slowly, yeah, and ultimately the company just went under as well. Oh wow, yeah, but at the time you know, I'm pretty sure God took care of them.

Speaker 1 41:51

Yeah.

Speaker 4 41:51

Amen, amen. But you're right, what do I do now? Yeah, I remember walking out of that building looking up at the building I don't have a job anymore um, wow, I did not have a job for seven months. Wow, I you know seven months.

Speaker 2 42:12

Seven months and you're like putting in applications and trying to find one.

Becoming Pastor Bayless' Personal Assistant

Speaker 4 42:17

Yeah, I was just well just trying to figure out what's next. Oh okay, you know, I don't know if I put a whole lot of applications into other companies. I did some investing. I did some day trading.

Speaker 3 42:31

Oh, okay, I did some stocks Okay.

Speaker 4 42:33

You know that type of thing. I found a group there.

Speaker 2 42:36

I'm going to be talking to you outside of this.

Speaker 4 42:37

Oh yeah, but I haven't done enough of that, I don't think you want my experience in stocks If you saw my portfolio back then.

Speaker 3 42:45

oh man, you need to get better wisdom from somebody else, but I just didn't know what to do afterwards.

Speaker 2 42:55

It sounds like you were kind of in a season of trying to find where he wanted you Exactly.

Speaker 4 43:02

So during that time, you know I had more time to serve at church, serve at Cottonwood, right Amen. So about six months in one of the pastors on staff, actually Pastor Tom, we had a Pastor.

Speaker 3 43:17

Tom. I love that. I love that he's a happy pastor too. I love that.

Speaker 4 43:22

So but Pastor Tom had reached out to me and said hey, Edgar. I'd like to take you out to lunch. Do you have some time? I said, absolutely, let's have lunch. And so we made that lunch appointment, and the night before the lunch appointment I prayed and I asked. God. I said, Father, what's this lunch appointment about? He says it's going to be good, Amen.

Speaker 3 43:46

Praise God All right.

Speaker 4 43:48

So we go over to the lunch appointment. Had a nice meal and the pastor, pastor Tom, had asked me so. Edgar, do you know what this meeting is about? I said I have no clue, but I prayed last night and God said it's going to be good, yeah. So he goes and says well, you know, we've always wanted to have a male personal assistant for Pastor.

Speaker 3 44:10

Bayless.

Speaker 4 44:10

Yeah, to travel with him.

Speaker 3 44:12

Oh, my God.

Speaker 4 44:13

To be his armor bearer. Oh my God, armor bearer, oh my God, to be a representation of him to the church.

Speaker 2 44:21

This is the dude, the Bayliss. This is the dude you're watching before you guys, as a family go to church. And you even felt that there would be a season that you're in ministry Right and God tells you to give up your job and you're waiting. And six months into waiting, I get this ministry opportunity opens up Absolutely.

Speaker 4 44:42

So they Pastor. Tom said well, we're not interviewing. We didn't. We're not interviewing, we're not taking any applications. We thought of you first. What do you think? And I said absolutely Praise.

Speaker 3 44:56

God yeah Amen.

Speaker 4 44:59

I'm like, wow, god, just like what you said, Rowdy, after all that time of watching Pastor Bayless in the ministry all these years serving the church.

Speaker 1 45:08

You said when you were graduating high school that you told God you wanted to see his creation.

Speaker 4 45:13

Bingo.

Speaker 1 45:14

Yeah.

Speaker 3 45:15

Bingo Wow.

Speaker 4 45:22

Wow, that's the answer right there yeah, because because of the fact that man yeah jesus, yeah, that was that opportunity, yeah, so, so yeah, I, I became his personal assistant. You know, obviously the pay was significantly cut, but you know, god provides amen right yeah but you're right, you know, being um pastor bass, uh, you know, speaking around the world, he did take me to some of his trips come on you know, to australia yeah, wow man indonesia and south africa and ghana.

Speaker 2 45:56

Are these like crusades or are these in church, just ministry Ministry?

Speaker 4 46:00

So he would be speaking at the church At church. Wow, and he would take me with him, Come on man, that's awesome dude. Oh my gosh, that's so awesome bro, what a blessing to be his armor bearer, to be his assistant. Yeah, and for 10 years. 10 years, dude, really almost 10 years, you know, serving there in that house.

Speaker 2 46:23

that's special edgar being an armor bearer is very special praying I was. I was an armor bearer in california for pastor ryan beck for a few years in the men's home, and the way that god uses armor bearing for us, for us, because we get to see stuff that you don't get to see unless you're armor bearing right yeah, and you realize that man?

Speaker 1 46:50

these guys are just men well, you're there in the fire with them. Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah that's really cool, edgar that's awesome.

Speaker 4 46:57

I mean just the experiences. You see all the stuff behind the scenes oh yeah, but you see a lot of great ministry opportunities. You see god's miracles, you see is pastor bailey still with us?

Speaker 2 47:08

oh yeah, he's still there, so you still have a relationship with him I still do yeah, funny bro, we both have the same birthday, oh wow, so every birthday is the same. I love you, brother. Exactly.

Speaker 4 47:21

I didn't know we had the same birthday. I think that was probably part of the application process you have the same birthday.

Speaker 3 47:28

Oh, yes, you do. You're approved Exactly.

Speaker 4 47:31

Yeah, he's still there, so he was the founding pastor Currently. His son is now the lead pastor of the church, so still going on strong and it's a huge church.

Speaker 1 47:45

It was one of the most memorable trips that you had, there you go. Where you saw God.

Speaker 2 47:50

During that 10 years, give me one or two Just moving a mighty way, one of your coolest experiences.

Speaker 4 47:56

Yeah, I think. One I remember was in Australia. A pastor and I were just walking and a pastor saw this girl. Just seemed like she was going through a hard time in life.

Speaker 3 48:12

Yeah.

Speaker 4 48:13

And just seeing pastor minister to her.

Speaker 1 48:16

Come on, you know, yeah, just listening to her.

Speaker 4 48:18

Come on, you know, just listening to her, hearing her story and then, just sharing the love of God. Amen. What an example. You know, just somebody in need. Yeah, you know just going through at that time, whatever was happening and just for a single person, sent us pastor beos to minister to that one lady in australia and definitely, you know definitely all these different ministries where the word was preached, people came in for salvation and other, you know, other churches around the world just to see that.

Speaker 4 48:54

Come on, oh my gosh, seeing the altar call, come, you know, and just people just giving them you ever see anybody get healed um, yeah I come on buddy.

Speaker 2 49:04

Oh yeah, absolutely yeah, you know yeah, just yeah.

Speaker 4 49:08

Good times in the lord man yeah, and you know, that's how I met veronica oh I was wondering when this thing was going to connect the dots.

Speaker 1 49:18

Yeah.

Speaker 2 49:21

So you started that at 30 or 29?.

Speaker 4 49:26

Roughly around, oh gosh.

Speaker 2 49:28

You did it 10 years.

Speaker 4 49:30

So 33. Oh, wow, around 33. 32, 33. Okay.

Speaker 3 49:33

Is that right? Yeah, I'm trying to think. Yeah, had to be 33. Okay.

Speaker 4 49:36

Is that right? Yeah, I'm trying to think. Yeah, had to be around there.

Speaker 3 49:39

Okay.

Speaker 4 49:40

Because when I married Veronica I was around 36. Okay, so the way I met Veronica was through church, through Cottonwood, really so, coincidentally, veronica was the personal assistant to her pastor in LA Wow. So the church up there. We had a relationship. My pastor was on their board.

Speaker 3 50:05

Yeah.

Speaker 4 50:05

Right, so once a year Veronica would send me an email. Hey Edgar, it's the board meeting.

Speaker 2 50:13

We need Pastor Bayless to come in and make his vote Exactly. Do our thing, you know we need.

Speaker 4 50:15

Pastor Bayless to come in and make his vote. Exactly, do all their thing. But also, you know, veronica's pastor would come and preach at Cottonwood. And then Pastor Bayless would go over her church and preach. So one Sunday, when Pastor Bayless was preaching at her church, one of Veronica's friends comes up to me and says hey Edgar, veronica's not seeing anybody. He dropped the thought.

Speaker 3 50:41

Yeah, right. Yeah, and so he goes to Veronica, I love it.

Speaker 4 50:46

Hey, veronica. Edgar's not seeing anybody.

Speaker 2 50:49

Oh, the same dude, same guy on the same service.

Speaker 3 50:53

Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 4 50:54

And Veronica says man, he's just too nice, I'm just going to chew him up and spit him out.

Speaker 3 50:59

He's just too nice.

Speaker 2 51:00

She's a man eater.

Speaker 3 51:02

I love it.

Speaker 4 51:05

But I tell you that was the start right, so I prayed for her actually from that day for 30 days.

Speaker 4 51:14

Wow, every night I'd pray for her, because you know, hey, hey, god brought that to me yeah and so, and during those 30 days, um, I asked her out, right, I, you know, I sent an email, or, however, and we made a plan to to meet up and actually go to disneyland very first date in Disneyland. She lived up in Burbank, well, up by Universal Studios, she was North Hollywood, that area, and so she would take the Amtrak all the way down from. She took it like a Bob Hope Airport, all the way down to the Anaheim Angels Stadium Amtrak. And that was our very first date, december 16th. But the night before I prayed I knew that I was going to marry her.

Speaker 4 52:10

God had dropped the thought you will marry her, but I kept that to myself man yeah, you don't want to be a weirdo.

Speaker 2 52:18

God told me you're my wife.

Speaker 3 52:19

I've had friends tell me this thing, don't do that. Don't do that Wisdom man. Don't do that If it's God it's going to happen, let it happen, don't manipulate.

Speaker 4 52:29

Right.

Speaker 1 52:37

Because if, yeah, you're asking for trouble, buddy, right, you hear them. Horror stories, buddy. Oh, my goodness, god told me you're going to be my wife, or God told me you're going to be my wife, right.

Speaker 4 52:40

Well, you know way in hell Exactly, but that date was. You know, it was amazing. We had a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 52:46

Yeah.

Speaker 4 52:47

And we just developed that relationship.

Speaker 1 52:49

Amen, you know yeah.

Speaker 4 52:59

And intentions known and got to meet her friends um, and they grilled me and like, who's this guy right taking our friend?

Speaker 2 53:03

so taking our friend exactly. Well, at least you're a nice guy so basically, yeah, um, we got married.

Speaker 4 53:10

Uh, uh, pretty much a year later less than a year. Wow, real quick okay so from la she came to Orange County, so I had the house ready for her.

Speaker 1 53:21

So, basically she was there.

Speaker 3 53:23

Yeah.

Speaker 4 53:23

You know she stayed in the house. I was staying at a buddy's house before we got married.

Speaker 2 53:28

Really good. You guys did it the right way. Yeah, so she was staying there.

Finding Love and Building a Family

Speaker 4 53:33

Come on Right before we got married. So yeah, what a blessing it's been, it'll be 19 years.

Speaker 1 53:41

Wow, this November Amen Both our pastors married us.

Speaker 2 53:46

What day in November?

Speaker 4 53:48

November 25th, nice.

Speaker 2 53:50

What's your day in November with mom?

Speaker 4 53:51

Sixth, November, November 6th yeah, oh, nice man.

Speaker 1 53:55

Day before I went to prison. That was the only way that mom could see him.

Speaker 3 54:00

It was like do you have to marry him if you want to go in there and visit? Okay, my version of a shotgun wedding.

Speaker 2 54:07

I got you right where I want you. Now you're mine.

Speaker 1 54:10

We were together 10 years prior to that. Okay, and in our minds we had this thing where we both knew God brought us together and we went to God and said, hey, man, we're here for each other. You know what I?

Speaker 4 54:24

mean.

Speaker 1 54:24

Right, we just never put it on paper. You know what I mean. So it was just a matter of formality, right? You know what I mean. In our minds we were already married. You know what I mean. But it was just you got to do it for the law and all that other crap, and apparently for Arizona Department of Corrections you got to be married too. So we did it that way. There you go.

Speaker 4 54:42

Yeah.

Speaker 1 54:43

She only visited me twice.

Speaker 2 54:48

We were on drugs.

Speaker 3 54:51

I did not want, I was not going high, I was not going to visit that high.

Speaker 2 54:55

No, Thank God for life change Eric.

Speaker 3 54:59

Edgar, oh my.

Speaker 2 55:02

God so good, man so good.

Speaker 4 55:06

Yeah, so, veronica, you know, and we've got two girls teenage girls, you know. So, growing up as an only child, I knew I wanted at least to have two.

Speaker 2 55:13

Yeah, At least two Okay.

Speaker 4 55:16

Right, and we even talked about if we had two of the same sex. Let's try for a third. Yeah, um, but after our second we're like we're good we're good, we're good, yeah, man so it just, you know, now raising our girls I can't believe they are teenagers and then, kalaya's 17 and alani's 15. Right about to, you know Kalea's ready to go to college.

Speaker 2 55:40

She has one more year. It just trips me out, bro, watching her lead worship. I'm just like man, god. A couple years ago this girl was at a music recital. Now she's literally leading worship in your house. God, like man, he's taking her places bud.

Speaker 4 55:58

You know we're just very thankful. You know we did our best to bring them up in the word. And being surrounded the girls, you know, received the Lord at an early age too, you know, here at LifeLink and they got water baptized here at. Lifelink and just to see them grow and just their devotion to the Lord. You know daily and the impact that they're having in their generation. You know, and, funny enough, my youngest, alani, is recording some videos. Just inspirational stuff.

Speaker 4 56:32

Yes, she's doing, she's starting right. She hasn't posted anything yet, amen. But you know she just feels like she's starting right, she hasn't posted anything yet, man, but uh, you know, she just feels like she wants to go into doing that. Yeah ministry? Yeah, sure is both the girls have um a business mindset and I think they they got that from from us, veronica and I you know, we knew that we want to do some sort of business together, and so they saw that in us. But yet ministry is there too.

Speaker 3 56:59

You know, leads worship.

Speaker 4 57:02

Alani, you know she's playing bass.

Speaker 1 57:05

They've got a student All on the production side of it too. Oh, in the production, yeah, she does cameras and screens and all kinds of stuff, brother the tech.

Speaker 2 57:12

They got a yes. They have a yes in their heart.

Speaker 1 57:17

Every time I show up. They got their dad's servant heart. That's right, buddy. That's right man. We love it man. I got to know, brother, where the hell did this Seattle Seahawks?

Speaker 2 57:26

thing come from oh God. I wanted to ask him are you a Dodgers fan? You're both from California, I know.

Speaker 3 57:33

No, that's how we met, so the story is so.

Speaker 2 57:36

She's from seahawk so, uh, she's the sports fan, but you just so our anger needs to be directed towards her not you, okay, all right, we're coming for you, veronica, she left.

Speaker 4 57:50

We'll stop giving you a hard time, amen I took a hug with him.

Speaker 2 57:53

I made a hug with him. He was wearing his seahawks jacket. I gave him a hug hey, I will wear that Season's coming up man you better go wash yourself.

Speaker 1 58:00

No.

Speaker 4 58:00

I'm just kidding I did not bring my Seahawks jacket too, I have it in the car.

Speaker 3 58:05

But I figured now I'll do my Mandalorian.

Speaker 4 58:11

But yeah, so she's from Seattle. Right out of high school she moved to LA. Yeah, that's how it is. So when I asked her father for permission to marry Veronica, he goes. Well, I trust who Veronica chooses. All I ask is you become a Seahawks fan?

Speaker 2 58:30

Oh wow, that was the one thing that Dad said. I thought I could do that Okay.

Speaker 4 58:35

I grew up in LA right the.

Speaker 3 58:36

Raiders, the Rams, they left.

Speaker 4 58:38

I didn't have any allegiance to any football team, you know, so I'm like all right, I can be a Seahawks fan Praise God, he kept your word.

Speaker 2 58:47

Yeah, exactly Funny enough because it was 2006,.

Speaker 4 58:52

Super Bowl, same time, the church had theirs.

Speaker 3 58:57

It was Super Bowl Sunday.

Speaker 4 58:58

That was 2006. That's crazy. The church started basically when I went and asked her permission, that's crazy. I remember the game. It was the Seahawks versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. We lost.

Speaker 2 59:15

They beat the Saints to get in. It was the Seahawks versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, and we lost. Yeah, they beat the Saints to get in. Was that the one?

Speaker 1 59:21

where they should have handed it off to Marshawn Lynch. No, that was the Patriots. That was the Patriots.

Speaker 2 59:25

But the Saints game was the.

Speaker 3 59:28

Marshawn Lynch run.

Speaker 4 59:29

Exactly when he rumbled over every Beast quake, beast, quake, that was it.

Speaker 1 59:33

so how'd you guys get from california to arizona?

Speaker 4 59:36

okay, so, uh, it was a time when uh klea uh that's your oldest my oldest. It was about time for her to go um to kindergarten yeah so living in garden grove, the, the school system around there wasn't like the greatest and stuff like that and uh um, by by church. So cottonwood was in los alamitos and there's a city close to it called Rossmore that we looked into because of the fact that I worked there, that our girls could actually go to the school Because you're in that district.

Speaker 2 1:00:07

You're in there, you're in there.

Speaker 4 1:00:08

Yeah, the thing with that is, if it's a lottery, because obviously they're going to take care of the their local kids, the people that are in there. And then going to take care of the their local kids, people that are in there and then those that want to come in. It's a lottery system, but if you get the lottery, you can only get it one year. You have to go back again. Uh, the second year for a lottery.

Speaker 4 1:00:24

So you're, you're not oh, you're not guaranteed all four years, oh wow so, uh, veronica had a friend that actually was here in arizona and so they at Arizona they invited us to come out and visit for a weekend. We did that when.

Speaker 1 1:00:41

This was Were. You both still doing ministry.

Speaker 4 1:00:43

We were still both in ministry. They've been doing that their whole life.

Speaker 1 1:00:47

I was just wondering if they got married, if they took on jobs or if they just stayed working in ministry.

Speaker 4 1:00:52

I started. I was at Cottonwood, then Veronica left her church in LA. To come up to Cottonwood yeah she, you know she got offered a job position in the media team.

Speaker 2 1:01:03

Oh, on staff, On staff, oh cool, part-time Cool.

Speaker 4 1:01:06

So we did that.

Speaker 2 1:01:07

All right, yeah, but the church knew you guys were getting married and she was coming up.

Speaker 4 1:01:18

So it was up, so it's like let's go ahead and bless edgar and his wife and yeah, yeah, so, basically, yeah. So there was a time when, uh, we didn't know what to do with um school, yeah. So we came out here to arizona, visited her one of her best friends out here and we were just checking out houses. We were checking out the, the charter schools here yeah and so we applied we actually applied to um edu prize. Out here a couple of them.

Speaker 4 1:01:39

There's one in Gilbert and one in Queen Creek, and then we got notice that Kalia got accepted. Wow, so that was our like. All right, we're going to Arizona.

Speaker 3 1:01:51

Confirmation Basically.

Speaker 4 1:01:53

Yeah, basically it was one of those things, because on that drive back from arizona to california six hour drive we just prayed, we didn't know what. You know, god, we just want to give it to your hand yeah that you would lead us. Yeah, right, and then that email came and said, hey, yeah, we'll take your daughter, and wow. So I go to my pastor and tell him that, uh, we feel the holy spirit just leading us to go to Arizona. Wow. And so they blessed us. They're very thankful.

Speaker 2 1:02:21

We're going to the desert, pastor, exactly, you're going to the wilderness.

Speaker 4 1:02:28

Funny enough, man. I was like in high school. At the same time I was like why would I ever leave California? California is great Arizona of course I end up here in Arizona.

Speaker 3 1:02:40

God has a sense of humor, he sure does. You think about that.

Speaker 4 1:02:45

So. But we came out here I didn't have a job. I figured, okay, I was in ministry for 10 years. I did engineering for about 10 years as well prior. So I figured, okay, I'll try to go back. You know, I took back into engineering go back into engineering, you know updated my resume, but it was really tough because of the fact that I've been out 10 years, all the tech companies here were like well, no, pass, pass, pass. So ultimately, you know, I still have to provide for my family yeah.

Speaker 4 1:03:19

So there was a position for an admin assistant to a sales director and the other part of the job was inside sales doing some cold calling. I haven't really done any cold calling but I could do the administrative part because I was an assistant for all that time. So God blessed me with that job. I started there at the bottom of the company, just learned it was a tech company. I wanted to be in the tech field, that's your field.

Speaker 4 1:03:51

Yeah, I just wanted to be around there and over time, you know God promoted, you know I was able to meet the CEO and I expressed interest in doing a little bit more technical stuff.

Speaker 3 1:04:03

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:04:04

And, yeah, ultimately there was a position he created for me Wow, and I took that and I had a managing director who brought in a particular software to help the company maintain all its customers. Customer success is what you know, after you sell something, you want to make sure the customer is happy. Yeah, follow-ups and stuff, and there was a particular product called Gainsight that the company purchased and I was one of the admins for that.

Speaker 4 1:04:40

And from there I learned that for about three years and ultimately that company decided, you know, they want to go in a different direction and so they weren't going to use Gainsight anymore. For three years I helped, you know, build it from the ground up.

Speaker 2 1:04:55

Oh man, that can be rough, and now they're not using it no more.

Speaker 4 1:05:00

Right and they weren't using it anymore. And around that same time too, they had given me a milestone. Hey Edgar, if you meet this particular milestone, a couple milestones will increase your salary. Ah promotion, promotion. Well, during that time I did, did the milestones, but they reneged on the promotion I was like man oh my god, you know you do all these things and, uh, you expect this but the company would, for whatever reason, um, whether it be budgets or whatever. They said no.

Speaker 4 1:05:36

So I was like okay, what are we going to do here, lord? So I gave it to God and trusted God and you know, veronica was like man, you need to leave.

Speaker 3 1:05:48

You need to find something else, right?

Speaker 4 1:05:51

But I heard God again saying I want you to stay. So ultimately I stayed for another three more years learning this particular product, because the current job I'm in uses it.

Moving to Arizona and Real Estate Journey

Speaker 2 1:06:04

Wow, it's like God knows what he's doing at the time where my old company decided to end it.

Speaker 4 1:06:12

The company I'm with now, motorola solutions um, was looking for a Gainsight ad Wow, and so I sent my application. I actually got a couple offers and then chose Motorola to go in there. Wow. Well, god just blessed us with this job in there, probably four years now, Wow.

Speaker 2 1:06:34

You were talking about a business with you and your wife. Yeah, what do you and Veronica do on the side?

Speaker 4 1:06:40

So what we do is we do real estate investing.

Speaker 2 1:06:44

Oh, so we invest in real estate. You buy homes and fix them up and sell them.

Speaker 4 1:06:50

That or we also buy homes and then we rent them out so basically we do. We started out like long-term rental. We had, um, you know, somebody in one of our houses for for a few years yeah, and then we got an experience of oh my gosh. You know they left the house a mess, oh yeah you had to go to the

Speaker 2 1:07:12

claims court.

Speaker 4 1:07:13

Rentals are crazy yeah, so we switched the model to short-term rental airbnb that kind of type thing, and then well, then we found out well, you can't really do that with the hoa so now you have okay, so then, we changed the model to a midterm rental.

Speaker 3 1:07:31

So what is that?

Speaker 4 1:07:32

that, basically, is a minimum of 30 days okay, right, so Right.

Speaker 2 1:07:36

So short term rentals Somebody coming in town for a month to visit family and a wedding they can rent that for a month, or people traveling.

Speaker 4 1:07:43

Nurses yeah Right. Or if you're working for a company for a period of time.

Speaker 1 1:07:47

Contractors come in, wow Okay.

Speaker 4 1:07:50

So yeah we have that. We have that A couple properties. We did actually have our first fix and flip last year, actually a year and a half and yeah, that was an experience. You know you, you do something, but it's, it's timing, yeah you know yeah and it didn't work out for us. You know, we bought it, we fixed it up, but then, when we're ready to sell, nobody wanted to buy it, wow.

Speaker 3 1:08:22

So then you have this mortgage, oh wow and then you got to do that and pay that and so we had that mortgage for for over a year wow so you had a second house oh yeah, this was well well, it was our fourth one, our primary three investments, and then that fourth one, man it was just eating us up um, I think that was the one that I saw on social media.

Speaker 2 1:08:52

We're kind of, uh, redoing the front room and you guys did some more decorating and different, I think I don't know.

Speaker 4 1:09:01

Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, basically um, yeah, we fixed it up, we painted we um veronica's is that one of her things is the interior decorating, interior directing. She um okay you know, ultimately, we sold it because we were trusting God. Right, it hadn't sold, you know, months and months and months and months.

Speaker 3 1:09:19

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:09:20

Oh my gosh. And to be able to go through this and have our girls see what we're going through they understood. And when we came through Christmas, you know right, christmas for Christ right Wow. All of us were just praying right Just giving it to God, just trusting him Right, and the girls saw that and one of the things the girls noticed during this it was hard for us there's time.

Speaker 2 1:09:50

This kind of stuff Do you share with the girls?

Speaker 4 1:09:53

oh, absolutely they see, they see the whole thing, so they know. I love that because there's.

Speaker 2 1:09:59

There's a lot of different ways to parent, right, and a lot of. I personally not with mom and dad or my father mom, but know of other that they keep that kind of stuff away from the kids. They have those conversations and stuff so that we don't burden or make the kids worry or not right. But I actually believe that you inviting the kids into this it really is us as a family, yeah, and so yeah it just lets them know right where we are and that we're doing this together.

Speaker 1 1:10:29

Exactly that's so good edgar, there was a time when our younger kids because we were like that too we talked openly about what was going on. And there was a time when I was in prison that my youngest son, I remember telling my wife they were in the car, and he's like you know what I love about our family we get through this together, you know what I mean. And I remember that conversation and I was like yes, dude, you know what I mean. Right, and that's what it is.

Speaker 4 1:10:54

It's doing it together and they see the faithfulness of God. Come on, man Right. I mean they said that Alani was saying that you guys just never stopped trusting God. Come on, man Right. She saw that and Kalei was saying you guys always did the right thing Right.

Speaker 2 1:11:14

So they saw this, bro, you were an example, because you can tell kids as much as you want, but it's the stuff that kids see that really has an impact on them. And those girls saw you two go through that hard season, or that quote-unquote hell that you guys went through right and they're gonna. They're gonna grow up and go into their life and there will be seasons where now they're, they know what it looks like to trust god in a hard time, because I remember mom and dad. I remember what they did. I remember how they prayed and fasted right, right man, and just to see that house finally being sold.

Speaker 2 1:11:52

Yeah right, and then just relieved I mean're going to have a good Christmas, honey, praise God.

Speaker 4 1:12:01

You know, ultimately we lost money in the house.

Speaker 2 1:12:02

Oh wow, it happens, man, yeah, but you know we'll all see God.

Speaker 4 1:12:07

Just get the glory and restore.

Speaker 3 1:12:09

Come on, buddy.

Speaker 4 1:12:11

But in that when they bought the house, the new buyers wanted all the furniture, all the decorations.

Speaker 2 1:12:18

Oh great, Exactly.

Speaker 4 1:12:20

It's like Veronica did such an awesome job.

Speaker 1 1:12:23

They were like we want it all.

Speaker 2 1:12:24

Take it Nice, we're like well, praise God. What were we going to do with it all?

Speaker 3 1:12:30

Right, buy another house, stick it in there, yeah.

Speaker 2 1:12:34

So we're trusting God in that.

Speaker 3 1:12:36

Amen In real estate in there.

Speaker 4 1:12:40

Yeah, so we're trusting god in that real estate. You know she's got some networks and and stuff, so we'll see what the next thing is.

Speaker 2 1:12:43

Come on, we're still trusting god and um so you got two rentals and one family home exactly okay, man, yeah, okay how did you guys find lifelink?

Speaker 1 1:12:51

ah, that was the next love that.

Discovering LifeLink Church Community

Speaker 4 1:12:52

Yeah, that was one of my favorite stories. Basically, when we moved out here, we wanted to find a Bible-based, christ-centered church.

Speaker 2 1:13:01

Is the school that you got Kalani approved into Kalaya? Kalaya Is the school that you got her into. Was that a Christian school?

Speaker 4 1:13:10

No, it was just a basic charter school. A charter school it's a real good charter school, but it's good education, good education.

Speaker 2 1:13:16

It was a private school. You guys had to pay. No, it's charter.

Speaker 3 1:13:20

So, it's separate from the regular public school, so they still get funding to a certain degree.

Speaker 4 1:13:29

So when we first moved out here, we went to go check out different churches.

Speaker 1 1:13:31

Was it the one up here at Life Church?

Speaker 4 1:13:34

Okay, so not that one, but ultimately, uh, we went from edu price to leading edge, yeah, leading, and we checked out them. Uh, for a little bit too.

Speaker 1 1:13:44

Oh, that's leading edge here at life church.

Speaker 4 1:13:46

I thought it was edu price and then um, ultimately from leading edge, we decided to homeschool our girls oh but um the way we found lifelink was wow while we're looking we're looking for a church. We visited a lot of different churches in Arizona. Good churches, right but I would ask questions.

Speaker 2 1:14:04

I love you, Edgar. I'm looking at Veronica and Edgar's lives and how they basically grew up in church and were personal assistants for pastors. Now they're church-looking. Looking for churches right, it's going to be very hard to compare to anything you guys had been involved with past prior. You know what I mean. It's going to be different, right?

Speaker 4 1:14:25

You want to see the heart of the church.

Speaker 3 1:14:29

It's the Holy Spirit here. Exactly that's one of the things. Do they believe in? Healing One?

Speaker 4 1:14:33

church said not sure, check out our website oh no, okay, not sure, check out our website. Oh no, okay, okay, all right.

Speaker 2 1:14:39

Thank you, thank you, god bless you, lord bless them so it was.

Speaker 4 1:14:45

This was the time when Lifelink was at Perry High. So we lived in Queen Creek, and so we were going to a church off of Queen Creek and actually almost all the way to Pastor Dave's house.

Speaker 3 1:15:01

Okay.

Speaker 4 1:15:01

I can't think of the name of that.

Speaker 2 1:15:03

Alma School. There's tons of churches, but there's a church out there.

Speaker 4 1:15:07

Yeah, so we're going to that church. But the Holy Spirit made me look at the flag sign LifeLink here at Perry High. Come to find out the wind blowing flag.

Speaker 2 1:15:20

Yeah boy, oh I needed to hear this, Edgar, because I'm on sign crew for. Queen Creek and we're going into the summer. It's outside, it's hot, it's work, it's like, wow, the feather signs will bring them in. Yeah, amen, god. I've come to find out that.

Speaker 4 1:15:40

Dave Alley at the time was putting those signs out there. And he goes wow, what a blessing. Thank you for sharing that. But see, that was the thing.

Speaker 3 1:15:50

The Holy Spirit.

Speaker 4 1:15:52

And I told Veronica we need to go check out that church. Wow, so we did. We actually sat behind Pastor Tom and Amy. We got to meet, oh you met Pastor Tom yeah, pastor Tom and Amy, and then Pastor Josh and Tiff.

Speaker 1 1:16:10

Oh wow, Pastor Ron.

Speaker 3 1:16:13

Pastor Ron there.

Speaker 4 1:16:14

Exactly, and Pastor Tiff's mom Dol dolores was the children's church. Over there we had a train back there when the girls had that I have to go in the train, wow and uh, yeah, so that's how we first got that yeah, you guys been here ever since um yeah, we were here for, uh, a long time I don't know how many years, a few years.

Speaker 4 1:16:38

Then we felt the Holy Spirit lead us to go to another church, for whatever reason, for a season, and I think whatever we had brought to that church was good for that season because, God called us back.

Speaker 3 1:16:55

Come on, buddy, you know, praise God. God knows what he's doing yeah um but, I'm glad he did buddy yeah, you're a blessing.

Speaker 2 1:17:02

Yeah, I hear a lot of stories during staff and during newcomers and people.

Speaker 4 1:17:07

They talk about you and your notepad, bro, and how intentional you are, edgar funny that really touches people's hearts bro because of the fact that we visited so many churches, nobody really welcomed us at the other churches, so we would just come in right and we didn't know where to go. Nobody noticed us.

Speaker 3 1:17:29

Some did, don't get me wrong. No, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 1:17:32

But so when we came, we were intentional. When we wanted to serve in the host team, the guest connect team, we wanted to give other people what you were not getting right at the other places because we know how it's so good, a new church first time not knowing anybody.

Speaker 3 1:17:52

So that's our heart you know we want to welcome people.

Speaker 4 1:17:55

We make an effort to introduce newcomers to other people that we may be getting.

Speaker 2 1:18:01

You've done it to me a couple of times, but hey, Roddy let me introduce you to this guy Exactly.

Speaker 4 1:18:05

Yeah, bring him over to me, man, let me love on him, and that's the thing, you know, just being welcoming Whether or not the Holy Spirit leads them to stay in life.

Speaker 3 1:18:14

Yeah, the Holy Spirit leads them to stay in life. Yeah, you know, god has a place for them, yeah.

Speaker 1 1:18:18

That's our hospitality To hear people that are new to the church and tell their story. I hear a lot of stories of how you guys remembered their names and that was. You know what I mean.

Speaker 4 1:18:32

Exactly and to hear the people To hear the people whose names?

Speaker 3 1:18:34

you remembered.

Speaker 1 1:18:36

They remembered my name.

Speaker 4 1:18:41

You know what I mean? Right, and it's just. Yeah, I don't know something about what you guys do out there. The only thing is, in order to remember the name, you got to write it down.

Speaker 2 1:18:46

So that's what I do, amen, whatever you, whatever you gotta do, write their name whatever you gotta do with a little note I have the date and the service it's great so you know, for the most part I try to do my best to get every first-time visitor's name.

Speaker 4 1:19:00

Come on, man so good so and the next time you see them, you know you just kind of just that's so good, come on and they'll be like whoa, yeah, right yeah.

Speaker 2 1:19:10

When a question for you yeah, service, they talk about bringing connection cards to the guest connect service. Right? Do people do that?

Speaker 4 1:19:19

if they don't bring it, because typically they'll put it uh, they give it to the ushers as they're leaving, yeah or then they find the box, whatever, but then uh some, some people do, some people bring it in.

Speaker 3 1:19:30

We do have a gift for them.

Speaker 4 1:19:31

Yeah, you know, just say thank you, um, but if they didn't, you know, we have them fill it out there, okay, okay.

Speaker 2 1:19:37

So, yeah, we want to make thank you, but if they didn't, you know, we have them fill it out there, okay. So, yeah, we want to make a, you know, a connection, a point, because there's some follow-up.

Speaker 4 1:19:44

Exactly, just to say thank you.

Speaker 2 1:19:46

Thanks for visiting with us.

Speaker 4 1:19:48

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:19:48

It's real good.

Speaker 2 1:19:53

I did the bargain lot team for a couple years. Man, it's the only place they'd let him.

Speaker 4 1:20:02

Have you seen this guy's record? He can't be in the church. Hey, we'd love to have you in Gueskine, funny story bro, so I'm looking at.

Speaker 1 1:20:06

I'm looking where I want to be at. And I'm like, okay, I want to. I think it was an usher, I wanted to be. And they're like okay you got to fill out this background check and I'm like like you know what I mean background check I'm like all right, cool, whatever you know, I mean right and uh, I remember coming in one day and they're like hey, eddie, um, you can't serve as a dutch have you thought about the?

Speaker 4 1:20:27

parking lot and I was like you can be outside and I was like whatever god, that's where you want me, that's where I'll be, you know what I mean, and I went out there and I was probably I was it is a great parking lot attendant

Speaker 3 1:20:41

I laughed, I had fun, I was yeah, christmas time I'd have a santa hat on easter time I'd have bunny ears on.

Speaker 1 1:20:50

I'm out there dancing with our yeah, bro, I mean I made it it was fun, bro. It was a good season in life. Man and man and I was always asked people, you know how you doing, you know what I mean? And there was this one lady. She had two kids and they were older boys, teenage boys.

Speaker 2 1:21:07

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:21:07

And every time she got out of the car I'm like, hey, how you guys doing, she's like these boys and the boys would get out and I people be like I'm good.

Speaker 1 1:21:25

But there was one time this guy, he, uh, his dad just passed away amazing club, yeah and his dad had just passed away and I'm like, hey, is there anything I can pray for you about and all these rejections that I had? And he turned around. He's like, yeah, man, my dad just died. And I'm like, oh, great of all the ones to you know what I mean. And I did, I prayed for him, I did the best I could, you know I don't know if I was a good prayer at the time, but I prayed for the guy you know I mean and I was.

Speaker 1 1:21:53

I was thankful for that. You know, there were times where Brittany Razor, her kid, was throwing up and we all got stuff to help her clean up, and you know what I mean. It was just moments like that that made it worthwhile. You know what I mean. But I also knew that I was the first face they were going to see, so I wanted to make sure that I was joyful, I was happy, I was goofy you know what I mean and it was a good time bro.

Speaker 4 1:22:14

That's so great because of the fact that you know you never know, because there's people out there that we can minister to because one of the guys I think of robert, he invited somebody from that was going to o'reilly yeah oh wow, right right, he was going to o'reilly, yeah and robert invited him to church. Come on, man name is john, and he's been here like for three weeks. Come on, come on, because of the invitation you never know, bro, you know, I mean yeah that's good respond, dude.

Speaker 1 1:22:42

That's awesome yeah and I met nate peterson okay, yeah, which was crazy because he's a cop and I'm the next fella, I mean and it was just but we had good conversations. You know what I mean. The last person I expected god to connect me with was a cop police officer, but yet but. But Nate's a great guy Even today we still have a great friendship.

Speaker 4 1:23:01

You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 1:23:03

I wouldn't have had that opportunity if I wouldn't have served on the parking lot team.

Speaker 2 1:23:07

God used that season of your life to really shape and mold you, to show us that cops are good.

Speaker 4 1:23:13

I mean just serving God's house.

Speaker 3 1:23:15

This is his house.

Speaker 4 1:23:17

Where can you fit? These are his people, because you're still serving him.

Speaker 1 1:23:24

We do need a lot of people and to see Manny out there with you guys now yeah, that's awesome, that's great, that's a different dude from last year.

Speaker 2 1:23:35

I told him that. I told him a couple weeks ago. I'm like, bro, I've watched you and you're literally a different man and that's why I know I am.

Speaker 1 1:23:45

I'm like wow this weekend they were doing your favorite memory and they did him, and he straight up said man camp as I came back.

Speaker 2 1:23:54

hey Ed, hey Mike, that's how we connected man camp.

Speaker 4 1:24:00

That's how I met him man camp and just developed a relationship, talked to him right and he heard from God and just had that experience For any men that's watching this or listening to this?

Speaker 2 1:24:12

that's your next step. If you're wanting to build the relationships and get a stronger connection and deeper into the house of god here at lifelink, come up to man camp.

Speaker 1 1:24:23

It'll change your life here's what I do know is manny, is his life, his, his walk with god is going to be different now. Right for the fact that he got out of his seat and started serving, because there's something about when you get up out of the pew and you begin to serve that things begin to change, you know, I mean that was the best thing I ever did for myself was stop being a consumer and start being a contributor right and how?

Speaker 1 1:24:47

in that I told past day, told me be careful how you say that, eddie, but I took it became a possession my church my church right, I served at my church you know what I mean? No, pastor Dave, I'm not taking TVs off the wall. You know what I mean. But I became, I took ownership of it. Right, you know what I mean, and when you serve, you begin to take ownership of your church.

Speaker 1 1:25:13

It's not just a place that you go to and to see you serve. You know what I mean, and just seeing these people who are coming out of their, their, their seats and into a serve position. It's just beautiful, man, because it changes your life?

Speaker 2 1:25:24

it sure does. It really does. Gets you out of yourself and your your stuff and serving people yeah it's the perspective of others.

Speaker 4 1:25:32

Yeah, right yeah it. It takes you out of looking at yourself and looking at others and seeing other people's needs, because they're coming.

Speaker 3 1:25:39

We don't know what hurts that they have or issues.

Speaker 4 1:25:43

And they're just finding answers. They're crying out. And so when we come up and just say hello or ask them how they're doing, or is there anything I can pray for you, that's just those God connections ministry opportunities.

Speaker 1 1:25:55

I love that about our church. You're going to get five hellos before you even get in the building.

Speaker 2 1:26:00

You've got high fives and signs and hellos From the parking lot team to the host team to the people with the signs, people at the doors. Greeters.

Speaker 1 1:26:10

Oh yeah, we get them, we get them If you come to this church and you feel like you weren't seen you were hiding and sneaking around behind people and just trying to get in the door.

Speaker 4 1:26:20

You know what I mean. Well, they can't be sneaking. We've got a good security team. Yeah, we do.

Speaker 2 1:26:25

Our doors are locked and sealed. You've got to come in through the front man. This is great, bro.

Speaker 1 1:26:31

So give us something that you believe in God for, let's say, five, ten years down the Give us something that you believe in God, for let's say, you know, five, ten years down the road, 20 years down the road.

Speaker 4 1:26:42

What do you believe in?

Speaker 2 1:26:45

God for man, I think for us. Let's get with you, Edgar. I've known, I've noticed that you're very intentional and you're very specific, so if you could please narrow down, not so vague.

Speaker 1 1:26:58

What do you really? Don't generalize, be specific, wow, okay.

Speaker 4 1:27:06

I think what Pastor has been preaching about is a desire that we want to do greater things. We want to be that conduit of God's power. We want to have the gifts of the Spirit manifest in us for whatever situation might be at the time that the person needs, whether it be a word of knowledge, whether it be working of miracles, right Healing whatever it is Prophetic, that's the gift that the Bible says to desire.

Speaker 2 1:27:34

Desire these Right.

Speaker 4 1:27:36

To be able to do that. You know that's. You know that's part of that's what I want.

Speaker 3 1:27:42

That's the desire for our whole family.

Speaker 4 1:27:44

That's what we talk about. Also, too, we want to be able to finance the kingdom.

Speaker 2 1:27:50

Yes.

Speaker 4 1:27:51

Right.

Speaker 3 1:27:52

Yes.

Speaker 4 1:27:53

We want to do that I think that's where God, just you know, is teaching us In this avenue of real estate. There's other ways to do it. However, god's leading us. You know we're learning. You know we're falling, making mistakes, but we're getting back up and trusting the Lord. But we do want to find a kingdom. However, he's going to do that right, Because it does take money to do the things that needs to be done to get the word out there, come on.

Speaker 4 1:28:16

There's a lot of great resources out there, there is. But whatever God's leading our church to do, we want to be behind it financially and support that. You know we're growing. You know Queen Creek or whatever else another campus that God has for us. Speak that right there, buddy Right.

Speaker 2 1:28:35

Well Pastor did in the Greenlight season. In the prophetic word it talks about one. It talked about Queen Creek, and then there was someone, someone, else, yeah, you just don't know, Come on God.

Speaker 4 1:28:47

Mission trips going out into the world.

Speaker 2 1:28:49

You guys just went to Mexico.

Speaker 4 1:28:51

Praise God. What an experience that was.

Speaker 3 1:28:53

Was that your?

Speaker 4 1:28:53

first one. That was our first Mexico.

Speaker 2 1:28:55

Yes, I'm sorry I didn't get to go to enjoy it with you, bro.

Speaker 4 1:28:59

I really wanted to, but we had a shrimp cocktail for you. Yeah, bro.

Speaker 3 1:29:03

We heard about that story. Were you barefoot, with your toes in the sand? Yes, man.

Speaker 2 1:29:08

Roger, you're the best buddy, yeah, so.

Speaker 4 1:29:11

Alani and I went. Unfortunately, Clay wasn't feeling well, so Veronica stayed home. Unfortunately, Kalaya wasn't feeling well, so Veronica stayed home. We'll get there next year.

Kingdom Financing and Future Vision

Speaker 2 1:29:18

I'll be with you, bud. It was great just to be able to minister to go around the communities.

Speaker 4 1:29:23

Knock on doors, invite people to pancake breakfast.

Speaker 2 1:29:27

Also for the girls man To see that it really they get to see. Oh wow, it's not like this everywhere in the world.

Speaker 4 1:29:36

That's the thing I think Alani has that heart for ministry going missions.

Speaker 3 1:29:42

We don't know where that.

Speaker 4 1:29:43

I mean, she's already preaching the youth ministry Wednesdays doing devotions. God's just gearing up the next gen.

Speaker 3 1:29:54

God's using us bringing up the next generation behind us.

Speaker 4 1:29:57

You know, god knows what he's doing. So, yeah, I think that's, that's the thing. I think our heart as a family, individually, um, is to do greater things. I have to fund the kingdom, to, to, to minister, to hurting people yeah right and uh, yeah to share that light share that gospel good news. You know we were watching an episode of the Chosen last night and it was season two, episode one.

Speaker 1 1:30:27

It talked about.

Speaker 4 1:30:28

You know part of this.

Speaker 2 1:30:30

Which one is it?

Speaker 4 1:30:31

It was basically for the most part. One particular scene was about leaving the 99 to go after that one.

Speaker 3 1:30:41

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:30:42

Right, there's that one somewhere. Yeah, you know we're encountering them every day, oh yeah, you know, yeah, and. God knows them, god sees them yeah. God's looking for bold, courageous children to show that love.

Speaker 2 1:31:00

Come on, buddy.

Speaker 4 1:31:03

You know, not based on their upbringing or what they look like or whatever. People make choices.

Speaker 3 1:31:10

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:31:10

God knows that they need him. Yeah, god came. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost yeah. Right, yeah, and so that's the part I think being part of LifeLink and the vision that God has here for us and have Pastor Dave and Cherie and the pastoral staff, the volunteers, the whole church family after it, yeah, it's exciting, it really is I think God's bringing the people oh yeah as well. Oh yeah, you know yeah and uh, just making that connections, gearing us up, you know, locking arms yeah right, yeah, we're doing it's a battle yeah, it's a battle.

Speaker 2 1:31:50

So I, I, I want to share with you, um, I I don't know if you know, know this or not, but we have a 501c3, a non-profit, called speak life amen. Yeah, um, I myself spent 2015, 2016, 2017 over in california in ministry with a living word one thing living word does in all. A lot of the churches are like storefronts or even home churches, um, but one of the things that living word in every church is at least a men's home or at least a women's home. Some, most some, have both those. They're blessed. But these homes, all these homes are for, is to provide men and women with beds, with clothes, with food, with necessities and love and a safe place, a place where they can really learn to grow with God and walk with God.

Speaker 2 1:32:57

There's morning prayer and Bible study, evening prayer and Bible study, service, service, but one of our hearts, like I, was in men's homes, where it was a lot about money, and the men's homes provided we did a lot for the churches, and I'm believing that the homes that we're going to start are not going to be so focused on the money, because there's going to be people that take care of that stuff for us that we're actually going to be able to give these men curriculums, bible theos service, celebrate recovery, tools for healing and recovery, inventories, accountability, all this stuff that that we never got but to to be able to do this for people, it takes other people that have the money right me and dad.

Speaker 2 1:33:50

Me and dad like in a couple years, dad's going to own a muffler shop, he's going to be a business owner at mesa muffler. In our minds, in our way of thinking, we have thought that it's gonna take until we own the business, and then the more business and more mesa mufflers and queen creek to where we actually have some money to start these homes. But while you're talking and you say kingdom financing, I'm like I've just felt God say it's going to happen sooner than you think, son.

Speaker 4 1:34:23

So good.

Speaker 2 1:34:23

So that it's not all on us. You know what I mean. But it's just. Yeah, I'm excited, man, for what's coming for you guys. Because you remember, pastor, on a Sunday he called me out Rowdy I would love nothing more than to write you that check for that men's home, and it's coming. There will be a day, edgar, where I literally well, maybe not me I'll be in the passenger seat because I don't like driving, but the driver, the men's home director, will drive up a 15-seat passenger van. Men will get out dressed to the nines, in the ties, the nice shirts and pants and nice dress shoes, single file line. They'll all have their Bible and they're coming in. They'll put the seed in the Bible and find their place to serve for that Sunday. So good, bro, bringing addicts and homeless people and people that have never experienced community or God in a way that they'll get to experience this.

Speaker 1 1:35:19

Or just unconditional love.

Speaker 2 1:35:20

Man.

Speaker 1 1:35:21

Just the love of Christ that transforms a person.

Speaker 2 1:35:24

God, just loving them right where they are Exactly, and you?

Speaker 4 1:35:27

guys have that vision and you know God owns it, all he does. And we're just right now proving ourselves.

Speaker 3 1:35:35

Can he trust us?

Speaker 2 1:35:36

So good, bro, right so good If he, he trust us. So good, bro, right so good.

Speaker 4 1:35:38

If he can trust us in the little, he'll trust us in the much. But we got to be faithful in the little.

Speaker 1 1:35:42

Yeah.

Speaker 3 1:35:42

Well, whatever we have, we need to be content, we need to be thankful.

Speaker 1 1:35:46

We need to be grateful.

Speaker 4 1:35:47

We need to give back to what belongs to him, offer offerings and just share. Have a generous heart.

Speaker 1 1:35:58

Yeah, share and have a generous heart.

Speaker 4 1:35:59

Yeah, that way, you know, god could see us. He's looking for our hearts, and then um, so, yeah, so we're slowly getting there, you know amen and uh, we just want to, to be a part of what god's doing in the vision that he's given you. Yeah, you know, in our church and other different ministries, amen, yeah, god knows what he's doing, yeah that's right.

Speaker 1 1:36:16

I love that people in our church are learning how to have their own ministry but still be part of the church, right. Amen, you don't have to leave a church to start a ministry.

Speaker 2 1:36:25

Because a lot of people think well, I got to go here, I got to go, I'll do that. I did it.

Speaker 1 1:36:29

It's like no, do what God's calling you to do plan it, they plan it, you don't have to leave, to do what you're doing we thought we did I did. That's why we left, because we thought we had to go somewhere else to do it, and god's like no man do it?

Speaker 3 1:36:42

stay here, stay planted. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 1:36:44

So it's it's like like shriek cavalier and her red rover thing, and you know I mean all these different you know genie alley and her thing and just all these people who are having their own personal ministries, but they're still rooted at the church.

Speaker 2 1:36:55

I love that exactly yeah, that's awesome man, just you or me. Oh, you're praying for brother.

Speaker 1 1:37:01

Yeah, yeah, very good you weren't kidding man. You were short when you were fast.

Speaker 3 1:37:06

I'm short it's an hour and a half.

Speaker 2 1:37:09

Oh, you're good are you a Dodgers fan?

Speaker 4 1:37:19

Not a huge baseball fan, all right, cool, see you. Hawks, go Hawks, all right.

Speaker 2 1:37:24

We'll publish this episode. We'll block that last part out. No.

Speaker 3 1:37:27

I'm just kidding. We don't do any editing, man, it's all raw Pray for the brother man.

Speaker 4 1:37:32

Thank you again, edgar. Thank you, edgar. Thank you again, thank you absolutely thank you guys.

Speaker 1 1:37:35

Yeah, this was a blessing bro yeah, it was cool to spend some more time with you and get to know you a little bit.

Speaker 1 1:37:40

And yeah, I'm appreciative man really thank you, thank you all right, let's pray, man jesus bless you man god, thank you god lord, I just I thank you, god, I just bless you, I honor you. I sit here in reverence of you, god, and just what you're doing and how your children are freely sharing their experiences with you. God and Lord, I just thank you for Edgar. I thank you for his story, god, I thank you for the way that you just have kept him most of his life, god, where his heart was always set on you. God, even though he wasn't fully in relationship with you at the beginning, god, his heart was still set on you, and so I thank you, lord, just for your faithfulness in his life and his faithfulness to you in his life, god. So, father, I just thank you for his heart, his servant heart.

Speaker 1 1:38:34

God, I thank you for just his marriage, lord, how they did things right and how they're raising their children, god. I thank you for just his marriage, lord, how they did things right, thank you, and how they're raising their children. God, I thank you for that household, thank you. I just pray favor and blessings over that household. God, I thank you for just everything you're doing in their lives and through their daughters. God, I thank you that they're raising their daughters in the right way. God, that these young girls are going to be mighty, mighty women for God that these young girls are going to be mighty, mighty women for God who are going to shake the foundations of hell Jesus.

Speaker 1 1:39:00

So I thank you for protection over their lives, god, as they become just strong, mighty women of God, and I thank you, lord, that no weapon formed against them shall prosper in Jesus' name. God Lord, I thank you for Edgar's declaration of what he wants to do for your kingdom, god. He said himself, god, through his own mouth, that he wants to do for your kingdom, god, he said himself God through his own mouth that he wants to be a facilitator of signs, wonders and miracles.

Speaker 1 1:39:22

God, thank you, lord. So I thank you, lord, that you have found the one God. So I pray, lord, god, that you bring him opportunities, god, to exercise his faith, god and his belief that if he puts his hands on the blind, that they will see that if he puts his hands on the blind that they will see that if he puts his hands on the sick, that they shall be healed, and I pray, god, that there's going to come a time where he will raise somebody from the dead Because he believes Father God and he wants to be a facilitator for your glory.

Closing Prayer and Benediction

Speaker 1 1:39:48

And you are looking for people whose hearts are pure, whose hearts are right, who are doing it for the right reasons, God. And you found your son, edgar, god, jesus. So I thank you, lord, just for what you're going to do. God, I thank you that, through his whole family, god, between his wife and daughters, god that these people are going to go around and they're going to see signs, wonders and miracles everywhere they go. God, lord, I thank you just for the anointing on this bloodline.

Speaker 1 1:40:13

God, I thank you for the calling on this bloodline because it started with the mom and the dad but it's going down to the daughters, god. So the same signs, wonders and miracles that Edgar's going to see God, his daughters are going to be the same facilitators of those signs, wonders and miracles, god. Thank you God. So I thank you, lord, for what they're going to do in this next generation, that they are going to be mighty voices for this next generation.

Speaker 3 1:40:37

Glory.

Speaker 1 1:40:38

So I thank you for what you're doing. God, glory. Lord, I thank you that you his heart, god, is to facilitate and to fund the kingdom of God. So I thank you, lord, for more opportunities in real estate. God, to facilitate these kind of things. God, I thank you for the ideas and the plans that they have. God, I thank you for the ways that they're going to learn how to generate more income, Because you found someone who wants to be a current for your glory.

Speaker 1 1:41:06

God, so I thank you, lord, that you found them faithful enough to pour resources into, because you know that they will put those resources in the places that they need to be God, so I thank you for the mistakes that they made along the way because of learning how to be kingdom financial supporters, god.

Speaker 1 1:41:20

Thank you, god.

Speaker 1 1:41:20

So I thank you, lord, just for their hearts, stewards, just for their place, god, and what they want to do.

Speaker 1 1:41:25

I love their hearts that are aligned with this vision of Lifelink Church, god, we want to be aligned with the vision of the church, god. So I thank you, lord, that you're going to bring people along on the journey, god, who are going to buy into the vision, because we know from our own experience, god, a vision can only go as far as those who buy into it. So I thank you for people you're going to bring in, god, who are going to see the vision of life in the church, that you're going to put that vision on their heart and they're going to say I want to be a part of that, god. Thank you, lord, because you're still drawing them to you, god, and I love how your word says that if we draw up the name of Jesus, that you will draw these people to you, god. So I thank you as Lifelink Church begins to lift up the name of Jesus, god, that you'll draw your people to our locations. God Glory. And I thank you, lord when we were talking earlier for an East Mesa location God.

Speaker 3 1:42:15

I thank you, lord, that there's going to be.

Speaker 1 1:42:16

Gilbert, there's going to be Quincliffe, there's going to be East Mesa, god, and I thank you for what you're going to do, father God, because our pastor is an apostle, god, he is a man who wants to plant churches in your kingdom to prosper and move in the mighty name of Jesus, god, taking territory, god, so I, the Valley, god, and we're going to link arms with them, god, and we're going to move in unison and together. God, it's not just about LifeLink, it's about the church.

Speaker 3 1:42:43

God Jesus.

Speaker 1 1:42:44

So I thank you, lord, that as we begin to shed our secular things of, oh, it's just church here, god, no, it's the church, god. So I thank you for every church that's linking up, lord. Thank you, father, king, we're going to be kingdom, minded kingdom, linked up to do glory and mighty things for you, god, stronger together. So I thank you for what you're doing. Thank you, lord again. I just pray favor. I pray blessings over the devil's sorrow household. God, I thank you for your son and your daughter. Bless them, god.

Speaker 2 1:43:11

I pray in jesus name, amen edgar, can you do us a favor? Man, pray for uh, me and dad and pray for speak life absolutely ministry yes god father, god, we just thank you for for what you started.

Speaker 3 1:43:24

What?

Speaker 4 1:43:24

you birth what you put in their minds, and now it's birth, lord god and it's coming forth.

Speaker 4 1:43:30

Lord god, it's been a couple years and it'll continue to grow. Lord god, that you are speaking life through this podcast. Lord God, to the people that are hurting and needing answers. Lord God, that they could hear stories that are relatable. Lord God, so I just thank you for the Spirit, holy Spirit, that you're moving in and through this podcast through their lives. Lord God through their words. Lord God through their actions. Podcast through their lives. Lord God through their words. Lord God through their actions. Thank you, father God, that the guests that come that you're bringing them because they have unique stories and choices in their lives. Lord God, thank you that there's a covering over this podcast. Lord God, that it is going to spread, lord God, into the Internet, that people are going to be talking about this, that people will subscribe and just receive from you, lord God because, bring finances into them.

Speaker 4 1:44:39

Lord God, for other creative ideas. Lord God, for their businesses, business opportunities, lord God, and men's houses and their muffler of businesses, lord God, just thank you, lord God, that they've shown themselves faithful and they continue to do that. Lord God, thank you for protection over them. Thank you for the light that they are. Lord God, thank you that, wherever they go, your presence is there and miraculous is going to happen. Lord God, thank you for your hand in their lives and we just pray blessings over. Speak Life, arizona in Jesus name, amen.

Speaker 2 1:45:22

Thank you so much, brother. Really appreciate you, man Absolutely appreciate you guys hey everybody.

Speaker 2 1:45:27

I don't know where you're watching from or where you're listening from, but if you could, please like, subscribe to the channel man, follow us. You'll get all the notifications, all the upcoming episodes of the podcast. Maybe you yourself have a really good testimony, maybe you grew up in the church, man, you feel led to come on and share. You can reach out through Facebook, instagram, youtube and just go ahead and messenger on this and we'll get back to you. Maybe God has blessed you and you want to help finance the kingdom in some way. We can always use support, uh, on the show. Um, you can go ahead and support the show through Spotify or Apple. Um, please comment, because when you comment, um, it does actually help through the algorithms and all the stuff on the back end. Um, so just go on there and comment. Jesus, one word, man, it'll help us get seen. Until the next time, man, we're going to continue to speak. Life, az. God bless you, jesus. Bye.