Sidewalk Conversations
"Let the one who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall..." (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Standing strong and remaining true to your calling is no easy task. No one sets out to crash and burn. In fact, it's actually the opposite, most people want to stand strong, remain effective, and be true to their values all the way through to the end. But, it is really hard to do.
In these interviews, Piet Van Waarde (a 40 year veteran of pastoral ministry) has heart-to-heart conversations with ordinary people about what it takes to stay faithful and effective in the things that matter most.
Sidewalk Conversations
Unhurried Time is the secret to a prayer-filled life with Chris Tapken
Chris Tapken shares his remarkable journey from federal prison to leading a thriving prayer ministry at Austin Christian Fellowship, demonstrating how God transforms our worst moments into our calling. Through authentic stories of desperation and redemption, he reveals how genuine prayer becomes a lifeline rather than a religious obligation.
• Small town roots in Yankton, South Dakota where family and community shaped Chris's early years
• Pursuing success in business became Chris's "identity drug of choice"
• Three life events that got his attention: marriage, infertility struggles, and business collapse
• Receiving God's calling while serving 18 months in federal prison
• Learning prayer through desperation rather than seminary training
• The Prayer Barn's remarkable 1,750+ consecutive daily prayer meetings over 6.5 years
• Creating an environment where prayer feels normal, not "weird" or disconnected
• Bridging the divide between pastors and intercessors in American churches
• Finding "unhurried time" with God as his true north and life message
• How genuine prayer transforms us from obligation to conversation
Check out Candy's powerful song "Unhurried Time" that captures the essence of making space for God in our busy lives.
Well, I can't wait to hear more about the cancer ministry. I think there's something to that.
Piet Van Waarde:Well, I started a course actually called Building Resilience in your Battle Against Cancer. It's a 16-week course, so we started a support group around that material. So, they're all every week has like a six-minute video related to a different dynamic of like praying for yourself, talking to your kids about your cancer how to argue with your doctor, all those things that you have to deal with, and then the small group is around that topic.
Chris Tapken:That's going to be so good, pete. Yeah, that's going to help so many people we did our first session.
Piet Van Waarde:We're on week 13 of 15. Oh wow, it's been so good.
Chris Tapken:In fact, they're all saying how are we going to stop this Right?
Piet Van Waarde:We want to stay going. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take a couple of them and we're going to make them co-leaders.
Chris Tapken:Right, and then multiply it, yeah, and multiply it, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:All right. Hey, thank you for joining us for another Sidewalk Conversations. I'm Pete Van Ward and I am delighted that you're here, and before I introduce my guest, I just want to say a thank you to our sponsor today, which is Sidewalk Conversations, the foundation. So we have a number of people who actually contribute to this foundation and they make this program and many of the things that are associated with it possible. So I just want to say a shout out to the regular contributors to the foundation. So thanks, guys, Appreciate it, you make this possible. Now I want to introduce a good friend of mine, chris Tepkin. Welcome, thank you, Pete?
Chris Tapken:Yeah, I've been looking so forward to this man. Yeah, Thanks for having me.
Piet Van Waarde:Oh, I love it, so I got to introduce.
Chris Tapken:Chris, this way.
Piet Van Waarde:So before we get into your story, I just want to talk about how meaningful the prayer barn has been to me personally.
Chris Tapken:Thank you.
Piet Van Waarde:So when I first got diagnosed with cancer, I started attending the prayer barn, mostly because I knew Candy and I loved her worship style. But the people there, your ministry, the prayers that have been prayed and you may remember, but I've brought a number of friends from around the country who continue to ask me how's that prayer?
Chris Tapken:barn been going.
Piet Van Waarde:I'm like when I'm in town I go.
Chris Tapken:Day by day.
Piet Van Waarde:And so I just want to say a personal thank you for what you do there, and I know it helps a lot of people. But we'll get more into that.
Chris Tapken:You bet.
Piet Van Waarde:So let's go back and talk a little bit about your story, where you grew up, kind of what were your early influences and maybe even some threads from when you were young that has kind of materialized now later in life.
Chris Tapken:I grew up in a small town. You know something about small towns.
Piet Van Waarde:Yes, I do.
Chris Tapken:Yankton, south Dakota, is my hometown, yeah, which is a small town on the Missouri River Nebraska South Dakota border. So yeah, that was small towns. I think really shape you, pete.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah, they do.
Chris Tapken:My whole family was there cousins, grandparents so we were a tight-knit group in a small town and you know, as you look back at your roots, small town shaped me and I'm really grateful for that.
Piet Van Waarde:And outside of the idea of community, was there something specific that happened in your growing up years that you kind of look back at? That was part of the thread that led you to where you are today.
Chris Tapken:I think it's family Just being by family. Growing up same town as grandparents. Walking over to my grandparents' house, Cousins would stay over at each other's house. We were just involved deeply in our family and that shaped me, of course. Everybody was talking about your family too, of course yeah, everyone knows everyone's business in a small town.
Piet Van Waarde:That's right For sure. All right, let's kind of speed up a little bit, because there's so much to your story that I want to get into. So you were headed into law school graduated. Am I right in?
Chris Tapken:that I did. Yeah, you graduated from law school, you were going to be an attorney. I was went to uh university, Nebraska undergrad. Go big red, god's favorite football team and it used to be.
Piet Van Waarde:It used to be yeah.
Chris Tapken:We're coming back by stock by stock out there and uh, uh. And then went to law school I have a family full of lawyers and so went to law school, graduated and then was going to be a prosecutor. My mom was a prosecutor, my dad was a judge and so I was going to be a prosecutor and then got into the marketplace on a kind of a really strange right turn kind of thing. And that was an interesting part of my story too. But it's kind of the first time. Raised in the church too. In Yankton Trinity Lutheran Church is my roots Baptized there, confirmation all the stuff Saved in that church.
Chris Tapken:But you know, pete, when I took that job in the marketplace, it was really the first time where I chased the things of the world. Right, I kind of was unsettled by it. No one in my group thought that was probably like a good idea. Hint number one, when everyone's silent, like I'm going to do this and I'm like what really? But it was looking back. It was kind of one of those defining things where I chase culture instead of more of my religious roots.
Piet Van Waarde:And how did that work for you?
Chris Tapken:That did not work well, but God over-redeems. He really does and that's so critical. We can make messes in life and God just cleans them up and turns them into messages, turns them into things that are useful for him and his kingdom, and that is absolutely what happened in my life, Pete.
Piet Van Waarde:So you're a pastor now, though right, I'm a pastor now you would have got long odds in Las Vegas.
Chris Tapken:You just said Chris going to be a pastor. No way, but yes.
Piet Van Waarde:God, how did that transition happen? But yes, god.
Chris Tapken:So how did that transition happen? So this business was really for me Pete kind of my drug of choice was identity. I wanted people to think I was successful because of business, and so I thought about it all the time is what I thought about when I woke up, when I went to bed first thoughts, consuming thoughts about this business, and God put three things in my life that really got my attention. The first was I got married to an Iowa girl there you go yeah.
Chris Tapken:So my wife and I were told we couldn't have kids. So then we started this crazy in vitro process That'll get your attention. And then her and I kind of got sick at the same time, which got our attention. And then the third thing, pete, was this business, that was my identity and I, you know, really was my purpose, so to speak came crashing down and we lost everything. Oh yes, it's at that point that the Lord Like everything, pete and you know, people hear God in different ways yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard God in an undeniable way, and what he told me, pete, was I'm calling you to something. Now, these were words. I had no clue what they even meant. I'm calling you to something, but what I'm calling you to requires such a transformation. We need to go to this place called rock bottom and he signs off.
Chris Tapken:I'm like I've got questions, I've got questions, and so for me and that was over a seven-year period we kind of went through this transformation process. But then came the day for me was my rock bottom that the Lord told me that we were going to, and it was Pete, this day that I walked into federal prison in Three Rivers, texas. Yeah the business. We got prosecuted, I got charged for making a false statement and went to federal prison for 18 months. So I'm in prison, pete. Now, this isn't the most impressive resume. The Lord signs back on Seven years from when I heard his voice the first time. I'm calling you to something. I'm in prison. Never forget it, pete. And I'm in the chapel. I'm in the Word early in the morning by myself, and I hear that voice again saying remember, I told you I'm calling you to something. I'm calling you to ministry. I LOL'd. I'm like no way. No, I have no pastors in our family. Like nothing Didn't go to seminary, I'm in prison.
Piet Van Waarde:Come on Lord.
Chris Tapken:That was my call Pete to ministry Wow.
Piet Van Waarde:And was it like really a seven year period of silence, like you were trying to figure it out?
Chris Tapken:but there was not like a direct word, no, not. I mean, we became transformed people. Yeah, my wife and I just fell in love with the lord and his church, his bride and Um, just my faith came alive, um, so it was a. It was an amazing period, hard period, but amazing period. But no, he did not say here's what we're doing. It was a long period of look at who you've become. Now I'm calling you to this.
Piet Van Waarde:So, um, I'm a pastor as well, and the route that I took was more like high school mess up, get saved, go to seminary. Yeah, the route to prison is like—.
Chris Tapken:It's that black sheet. It's very appropriate.
Piet Van Waarde:I mean. So I'm guessing that churches like if you—did you go to seminary, you end up going to seminary, no, no, I got hired on as a church to be a pastor. They trusted you yes even with the offering.
Chris Tapken:Yeah, I got hired on as a church and I got-.
Piet Van Waarde:Did you know somebody?
Chris Tapken:No, I got mentored by an old Pentecostal pastor that had been 50 years and he said you're not going to go to seminary.
Piet Van Waarde:Okay.
Chris Tapken:You're going to sit under me and I'm going to train you on real life and the thing that he from day one he just pounded into me. He said you're going to be a man of prayer, you're going to lead a praying church. And he just would not. Into me he said you're going to be a man of prayer, you're going to lead a praying church, and he just would not let go of that. For me.
Chris Tapken:And, yeah, I owe a lot to him mentorship, but that's who trained me up. In addition to where you know, my pastor, where I work at Will, yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:Will Davis. Yeah, that is the guy to blame that hired me, but Will, yeah, will Davis.
Chris Tapken:Yeah, that is the guy to blame that hired me, but Will? I owe so much to Will. He's a pastor that really took a chance on me and to him it wasn't any chance at all, because he saw the call in my life. He's like you're called to ministry.
Piet Van Waarde:Such a great guy. He's amazing. He's amazing, all right, and so that's I mean, like when you think about prayer.
Chris Tapken:Yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:Most pastors will tell you oh yeah, of course you know, prayer's an important thing.
Chris Tapken:Right.
Piet Van Waarde:But then they'll spend a lion's share of their time doing visitation and preaching.
Chris Tapken:Donor meetings.
Piet Van Waarde:But one of the things that is so impressive to me about the prayer barn is that the campus is at the highest point in Austin. So, the land is the highest land in Austin, and then at the highest point of your land sits the prayer barn right, isn't that crazy, I love that and none of it was planned.
Chris Tapken:We call it a barn because it used to be a barn and it used to be a farm, and none of it was planned. It used to. We call it a barn because it used to be a barn and it used to be a farm. And when ACF bought the property, they told Will, do you realize they had the geography and all that? Do you realize this is the highest point in Austin? No clue, okay, and then, on the highest point, as you said, of the highest point in Austin, it was this barn, and now it is a place of prayer. So can't make that stuff up.
Piet Van Waarde:Can't make that stuff up and you do it like every day right, we pray.
Chris Tapken:We're now 1,750 corporate prayer meetings. We pray every day. We started six and a half years ago of a daily prayer meeting from 12 to 1, where we stop everything and we just pray and intercede. And we're now six and a half years into it, which is crazy. But can I go back and touch on one thing I think it'll be helpful is people ask me all the time how'd you learn to? You know where do you pray? Because a lot of pastors, they weren't taught. That Seminary doesn't have a course on prayer. So you, and how did you get this? How is do you learn how to pray? And it came from desperation. It came from my story where I had lost all other options. I had nothing else and it was in that place, pete, that I really learned how to pray. When you have no other options, it'll teach you to pray.
Piet Van Waarde:So it's such important.
Chris Tapken:And in your ministry. With cancer they get it. Cancer patients get it. Like desperation is a wonderful teacher for prayer.
Piet Van Waarde:So I want to just kind of tease that out a little bit because, in my experience and I'll just make it about me at this point, but in my experience I have had seasons where I was in desperation and prayer became the focal point and I was really serious about it.
Piet Van Waarde:And then things start to work out and then it kind of goes into the background of your heart and life. Um, how have you been able to maintain the the desperation vibe in prayer, even when things have now obviously worked out a lot better for you?
Chris Tapken:That's such a great question, and a lot of it is. You just have to ask the Lord. The Holy Spirit's the one that can do that. There's a lot of days, real talk. I don't want to pray.
Piet Van Waarde:Well, you said that last night. Did I really? You said I'm the example.
Chris Tapken:I don't want to pray. Well, you said that last night, Did I really?
Piet Van Waarde:You said I'm the example I don't want to be.
Chris Tapken:Yeah, some of the stuff that comes out of my mouth. At least it's real.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah, no, I love it. It's part of why I go.
Chris Tapken:Yeah, there's a lot of days that I don't want to really do the discipline of prayer, but I do want to talk to Jesus.
Piet Van Waarde:I love that distinction.
Chris Tapken:Yeah, and when we make prayer about a duty or a religious exercise or something I should do because I'm a Christian, that can wane, but when you make it all about Jesus, I just want to talk to him, I just want to talk to him, and that's called prayer, yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:I felt a great conviction about prayer probably about six years ago, about a year before my cancer diagnosis. Actually, I think it was part of God's prep work, because I found myself in that same position where I realized that I was pastoring people and I have a passion for that. I feel gifted in that area, in communication and preaching, teaching. But my personal prayer life like I could pray at a service Sure, if somebody asked me to pray over something or be at a hospital, I could do that. To pray over something or be at a hospital, I could do that. But when I looked at my own personal prayer life I felt like man. It is so shallow.
Piet Van Waarde:It's so weak and so I felt like man God was going to really take me through a process, and part of my fear was that I would have to become one of these people that got up at early morning hours and pray for an hour. And the reason I love your distinction is because when you can kind of shift it to saying it's more than just the process of including it in your schedule.
Chris Tapken:Yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:It's really more about making it part of your life and I know that sounds so cliche, about making it part of your life, and I know that sounds so cliche but if you can get to that place where you have a conversation with the Lord through the day, and then when you have those focus times of prayer, it's just like I like to think of it in terms of marriage so my wife and I will text during the day, we'll just have a conversation that way. But then there comes the time at the end of the day where he's like okay, so really, how was your day? And I feel like that's part of what prayer meetings are. It's like that time where you stop and you say, hey, lord, what's going on with you?
Chris Tapken:Is that how it works for you? It absolutely is. We have that time where we really shift into intercession, which is a 75 cent church word, but intercession really is that's our prayer meeting and that what we feel that call on us, pete, is. I describe intercession as this it's placing one hand on people or places or things and the other hand on God and you're bridging that gap. For example, we prayed today at noon that there is people in our church that are so hurting, they're in such despair or hopelessness or sickness that they can't even pray. Our job as intercessors is to kick in saying God, we're going to place one hand on them and one hand on you, and we're their prayer warriors, we're their prayers, we're going to bridge that gap. So that's a wonderful assignment, a hard assignment, but it's a really beautiful assignment. But then, outside of that, to your point, pray unceasing. The Word says. Well, what's that mean? To me it's having conversations with Jesus as we go about our day.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah, I love that. And so what are like when you think of a prayer meeting? I've been to them, so I think I know a little bit about this, what you would say. But just for those who may be listening, Sure, what is your like? What's your thought about? Like, we want to try and create this environment where intercession can happen, so you have some worship and then you move into a season of intercession. Is there something that you do in your planning that will help guide the experience, or do you just do free-flowing?
Chris Tapken:Free-flowing Planning, I think, is very overrated in prayer ministries, because I think the Holy Spirit has a lot to say about prayer meetings. So we learned over the course of doing this so many times that our best prayer meetings, I think, are ones where we're really just listening to the Spirit and we're agreeing with each other but most importantly, pete, we're agreeing what's on His heart, and that requires people that can hear the Lord and are listening. So you'll hear a theme come up and we try to stick with that theme of okay, the Holy Spirit's talking to us about Israel, we're just going to stay on that theme until he's done, and that's the way we try to roll with that.
Piet Van Waarde:One of the things I've appreciated about the prayer barn is that and I hope you know what I mean by this but they're normal people. Yes, like in prayer meetings that I've been to in other places at other times in my life. Part of my resistance was that there was kind of a strangeness about it. It felt very woo-woo. Let's call it what it is weird, yeah. So how have you navigated it so that it doesn't catch that flavor?
Chris Tapken:That is so hard to do because you're so right, pete, and that's why most pastors resist it, because it gets weird, and we've tried to stay away from the weirdness as much as we possibly can, and a lot of it is. We welcome people who are messy. Just come in If you're hurting, if you're messy, if you just come, and that tends to keep the weirdness away when you get normal people that are there with a real issue. For example, we had a couple girls in today that they really needed God to show up for them financially, just as God is provider. Their finances were just in a wreck and a mess and they were just as honest and open and real. As you could be just saying we don't know what to do. We got bills to play and we're financially really really hurting. We don't know where else to go, what else to do, we're financially really really hurting, we don't know where else to go, what else to do?
Piet Van Waarde:That tends to keep the weirdness away when you have real people that Well, and I think you guys model it, you and Candy do such a great job of that. Yeah, last night again, like we were just saying, it's like hey, sometimes I don't feel like being here and I think when people are that raw and candid, it kind of gives people permission. Oh, like I don't have to have the spiritual language, I don't have to talk in a weird way.
Chris Tapken:I don't think that's Jesus. When I read scripture he was just the most attractive, went to dinners, weddings, and was just this guy that people wanted to be around. He didn't use this crazy language, but somehow over the years especially in prayer ministries, pete, it's gotten weird in a lot of places. That's just the reality of it, and so churches get scared of that. And if that, I don't want that, but it doesn't need to be. It really doesn't, and so we do, and I pray for that a lot, and just as the leader of it. Lord, protect us, please protect us. It doesn't need to be weird. I don't want it weird. You don't want it weird. Let's not go there.
Piet Van Waarde:So we were talking a little bit before we went on the air, about a transition that's happening in your church.
Chris Tapken:Yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:And so when you think about the prayer ministry moving forward, sometimes when there's a transition, that can be like a little unsettling.
Chris Tapken:Yeah.
Piet Van Waarde:But you were saying hey, no, we are committed to this, we're doing this. What is the next five, 10 years? Look like as best you know.
Chris Tapken:So again I owe so much to Will Will Davis Jr. That is a man of prayer, he's a pastor of prayer and he really went after a praying church and tried a couple times and it didn't work out so well, but it's stuck now and that's in his heart and that's in our DNA as a church at Austin Christian Fellowship, and his son-in-law is our next senior pastor, Kenton Boone, and he gets installed this Sunday and Kenton is a man of prayer and so Kenton loves the prayer barn and is in there all the time. So really, prayer ministries can't go any higher than the pastor.
Piet Van Waarde:I think that's so true, that is so true.
Chris Tapken:And so to your point. Barna says the average US pastor spends less than four minutes in prayer. Kind of hard to have a prayer ministry if the pastor's not modeling that. So I've been blessed and fortunate. Where Will's just a man, a pastor of prayer. He loves prayer and now Kenton will follow. And so we would love where's the next five years? I tell our team this all the time. If we can do what we're doing over the next five years, we'll be in great shape. Statistically we're a pretty rare heir, pete. There's the experts Most churches don't have. If you have a prayer ministry over a year in a church, corporate prayer ministry that's a long time. It's almost never heard of to have one over four years long, that's consistent. They're going.
Piet Van Waarde:So we're six and a half going on that legitimately a prayer meeting. Not like talking about prayer, we have a corporate prayer meeting and there's praying.
Chris Tapken:that's going on. Yes, yes. Yeah, so we're in pretty rare air and that's all grace, that's all. God put the call on this particular church to be a house of prayer and to be known for that and the DNA of it. So if we do this, keep on keeping on. I'd be extremely grateful.
Piet Van Waarde:Now I want to just dig in a little bit on this prayer idea, because most people, most pastors especially, would say you know, a prayer is essential. We need to have a praying church. What is it that you think keeps people from actually doing it?
Chris Tapken:I think there is a great divide in Western church. It doesn't happen so much in third world. You go in the mission field. They don't have this problem. But we, in particular the US, we have this problem and I'm going to put it as plainly as I can Pete. You'll go and talk about it. There is a great divide between pastors and intercessors or people that pray in the congregation. There's a great divide between pastors and intercessors or people that pray in the congregation. There's a great divide, kind of like oil and water.
Piet Van Waarde:Is it personality driven? Do you think? I think it's.
Chris Tapken:Intercessors get frustrated that most churches and most pastors don't value them. Maybe, like other ministries, they're not resourced. They're kind of like, yeah, here's your two chairs in the corner, Go over there and you're my prayer team, kind of thing, and so they get frustrated. And then it's the weird part that we talked about Pastors are kind of like you got a word for me. I don't know about you, you know that sort of thing. So there's been a really big divide, I think in the US church between people of prayer, intercessors and pastors. Will will tell you that he had that for a while at church and in his pastoring over four decades and he said his greatest blessing was he became friends with the intercessors. They're like his best friends now in the church.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah, that's great, and that's where I totally see that, though. It makes total sense to me. Yeah, yeah.
Chris Tapken:But you've got to Pastors got to kind of break through that, get past themselves, get past the weirdness, accept a word, all that kind of stuff and what you find is the hearts get connected when that happens in churches. Oh man.
Piet Van Waarde:And I would say too as a pastor who's had to kind of process some of that too. It would be great for intercessors to also start by saying no, seriously, I am for your success, I don't have another agenda. I'm not like praying over you so that you do X, y and Z, if they can get to a place where, like, hey, I love you, I want to follow you. I want to be on your team and then you know kind of earn the trust Absolutely.
Chris Tapken:You're spot on where they just kind of start running and the pastor's like I don't even chill out, I don't know you I don't know you and what's his word? And all this kind of stuff. But that is such a great point, pete, that intercessors need to.
Piet Van Waarde:Let me just pray, let me love on my pastor, let me encourage them, and over time, which is, you know, it's the same thing with any other ministry, really, when you think about it, I've had youth pastors where I'm wondering what's their real agenda. Music leaders so it happens in every facet of the church. But I think most of the time, and maybe it's partly conviction Pastors are probably convicted about their own carelessness.
Chris Tapken:They are Absolutely. And what is this person hearing from the Lord and all?
Piet Van Waarde:this kind of stuff.
Chris Tapken:So the churches that I've seen Pete firsthand, including our own at ACF, where there's a love and agreement and unity between pastors and intercessors sky's the limit on that church. Yeah, that church is healthy and amazing. Yeah, but you're right, that's my sense in the US church, yeah, so when you were pastoring, tell me how you dealt with those people of prayer, us, us people. I'm in both camps, I'm a pastor and an assessor.
Piet Van Waarde:Well, I would have to say that I was not great at it.
Piet Van Waarde:I was one of those that was a little bit nervous. So I went to Oral Roberts University and I saw a lot of weird things at ORU and so when I left ORU and went into the ministry, and so when I left ORU and went into the ministry, I more or less kind of backed off of the whole charismatic thing and felt nervous about it. And so there were some people that you know, looking back I regret because I knew they were sincere, but because of my own baggage I was not really friendly with them. And it was really in this last season of my life, last maybe 10 years of my life, where I had a hard departure from the church that I was pastoring for a long time, run into a cancer diagnosis, and I wouldn't call it like my low of lows, but there were a lot of complications and difficulties. And the people that were the most gracious to me you can get emotional about this, but the people that were the most gracious to me were prayer people.
Chris Tapken:Amazing, yeah, yeah. So I think part of it is.
Piet Van Waarde:It's shifted, I get it, I get it.
Chris Tapken:It's when you connect with god's heart. For people, um, that's the special sauce, so to speak, and it really. I was telling those two girls that came in today, um, for for financial provision prayer, and I just said, look, this is going to be weird, but if you stick with it it'll become not weird. And you've had experiences at the prayer bar where wait a minute, what? And then all of a sudden it becomes not so weird. Right, and then it becomes that's a place where I kind of want to go.
Piet Van Waarde:Yes.
Chris Tapken:Because the people are pretty encouraging there.
Piet Van Waarde:Yes, yes, yes, and some great people love people, All right, so one I always like to ask this as the kind of last question yeah, what like if you had a life message or something that kind of really serves as the true north for you guiding principle?
Chris Tapken:what is that for you? Oh, that's awesome, pete, and it's really easy to answer, because it's not from me. Oh, that's awesome, pete, and it's really easy to answer because it's not from me. The Lord gave me, I want to say, six years ago-ish. You're going to define your ministry, and not only that, but your life, by two words Unhurried time. Unhurried time, unhurried time with me, that's what. And so I came back from Houston. I said Candy, who's our worship leader in the barn, and she's my wingman and great friend of yours too, and terrific worship leader and so anointed and so powerful and an awesome singer-songwriter. Yeah, oh, my goodness. They said Candy. God gave me like two words and a week later she goes, got a song. I've heard that song. That's where it came from. I got to tell you this story real quick.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah, so I was asked to speak at a men's ministry event and I was wrestling with how to do the end of the service and that song came to mind. Really.
Chris Tapken:Yes.
Piet Van Waarde:And so I had everybody, just like okay, now we're going to practice, because we were talking about making space for God, and we're going to do this right now, not like tomorrow, when you're in your like, right now we're going to create cause it's a little longer song, yes, and so it's like you know normally when you're like three or four minutes into a song you're ready for the thing to wrap up. But the song itself is exactly the point right.
Chris Tapken:That's where it came from, and Candy just nailed it, yeah, and she grew up like a week. It's like how do you do that? But it's so on point, it's just. But that's my true north, that's my calling as not only a pastor but just a man. And guess what? When I do that, I'm a better husband, better dad, better civic human being when, I spend my unhurried time with God, so, but that's that's really my true North.
Piet Van Waarde:I love it those words. You know what. We're going to put that song in the notes for the podcast. I think people would love it.
Chris Tapken:They're going to love it.
Piet Van Waarde:Yeah.
Chris Tapken:It's a great song, thank you, Candy.
Piet Van Waarde:Well, thank you so much, chris. I know you're super busy, so thank you for coming out.
Chris Tapken:It's been awesome to pray with you, to see your journey to walk with, to just see how you minister to people, how you love people, how you encourage people, how you pastor people Been a great joy. So thank you for the deposits that you've made in our lives too. Oh my pleasure.
Piet Van Waarde:And thank you for joining us for another Sidewalk Conversations and we'll see you next time.
