BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Welcome to Be A Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities, and the world! I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited to for you join me on this journey.
On this show, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our own lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come.
Our guests will be individuals who have built a legacy in various fields – ministry, business, sports, and community service. And what's unique about our guests is that they're committed to the Wisdom Pledge. That means they're not just sharing their own stories and experiences with us, but they're also paying forward and sharing wisdom to empower the next generation.
So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place!
So grab your earbuds, get comfortable, and let's dive in!
BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Bishop Howard Tillman: Faith, Fatherhood, and Finding Your Purpose
Send us a comment about the Be a Baller Podcast Episode. Thanks for support.
Bishop Howard Tillman, New Covenant Believers' Church, takes us on an extraordinary journey from his humble beginnings in Springfield, Ohio to becoming a visionary church leader and international evangelist. With remarkable candor, he reveals how his father's unwavering work ethic and his mother's spiritual guidance shaped his understanding of manhood and faith.
The conversation takes a powerful turn when Bishop Tillman describes his spiritual awakening – moving from merely attending church to developing a genuine relationship with Christ. This transformation ultimately led him to make one of the most challenging decisions of his life: leaving his promising banking career to follow God's call into full-time ministry with only two speaking engagements lined up and a new mortgage to pay.
What follows is a masterclass in faith and fatherhood. Bishop Tillman shares how he balanced his demanding ministry responsibilities with family life, even making the bold decision to announce to his congregation that he would miss church to attend his sons' soccer tournament. "Your children are your first responsibility, not the church," he explains, "and no day is sacred when it comes to your children, not even Sunday."
For today's fathers navigating our complex world, Bishop Tillman offers profound wisdom about creating communities where men can be transparent about their struggles and support each other in becoming better fathers. "You can't grow if you're not transparent," he notes, highlighting how vulnerability within male friendships creates stronger families and communities.
Whether you're a father seeking practical guidance, someone exploring faith, or simply drawn to inspirational life stories, this conversation will leave you with powerful insights about purpose, legacy, and what it truly means to show up for the people who matter most. Listen now and join us in building stronger communities of men who defend, strengthen, and fortify one another.
I think it's important that men learn how to formulate communities of men, to be supportive of one another, to help engage us in being good fathers, to be that example of community. I say it is to defend, to strengthen and to fortify one another when men can be in a community of other men who have like desire may not be perfect, but they have the desire. But just being associated with men can assist you in becoming the best father you can be you in becoming the best father.
Speaker 3:you can be Welcome to Be A Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world. Your host, coach Tim Brown, is excited for you to join him on this journey. On each episode, we'll be talking about how to be intentional, about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our lives but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come. So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place. So grab your earbuds, get comfortable and let's dive in. It's time to be a baller.
Speaker 4:Welcome to Be A Baller Podcast. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown, and we're excited to be a baller. Welcome to Be A Baller Podcast. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown, and we're excited to have a special guest on today's episode during our fatherhood series, and that's Bishop Howard Tillman, founder of New Covenant Believers Church in Columbus, ohio. Bishop Tillman is the father of three sons, nine grandchildren, and is married to his lovely wife, glenda. Bishop Tillman is truly a visionary and a leader in our community. Bishop Tillman, welcome to Be A Baller podcast. I'm glad to be here with you. Yeah, and I'm excited. I've been waiting, I've been blessed to watch. Well, I came to Columbus in the 70s, early 80s or whatnot, so I heard about you and then when I watched you building that beautiful facility over there and just watching it grow and all the great things you've been doing in the community, and then I taught some kids that were part of the church when I was at Sunshine Christian Academy, I was Jacob Elsey's teacher and all that. So I know the work, I know the work.
Speaker 4:I know the work, I've seen the work and I remember you guys had that men's group and he did a ministry with young boys at one time, boy, you guys discipled some young men, young ambassadors yeah, oh man, I watched that thing, man, and those guys, I see those guys today, you know, just watching. I know we're going to get to the podcast, but anyway we're going to get to the stories, but anyway I just got to applaud you for so much that's come out of there that people don't even realize. You know who started it with you, you know, and what they're doing today, you know, and I want to applaud you for that and thank you for that. Yeah, thank you For making that impact.
Speaker 4:And then just watching, watching you and the vision, you know that you're truly a visionary. You always seem to be one step ahead of the curve. You know Folks trying to figure out what they're going to do next. You know what are they doing next down there, man, the Focus Center, you know, and all that man, it's just truly been a blessing for me. Why don't we start just talking about growing up in Springfield, ohio, and as we talk about this podcast, about fatherhood and just men, what were some of those men that impacted your life growing up.
Speaker 1:Well, it starts with my father. Yes, and I think he was the—I had an uncle. He was really my mother's cousin. His name was Howard Douglas and he was one of those special kind of persons that I thought was very unusual for the city of Springfield. He owned his own business, serviced cars, but he was also a fisherman and just a super nice person and really believed that you could be anything that you wanted to be my father. He came to Springfield in the 40s, okay, and he moved from Huntsville, alabama, to Springfield I think he was around 13 or 14, 15, something around there in that age and the reason why they moved they wanted to get away from the cotton fields.
Speaker 1:And there were jobs opening up north factory jobs that were good paying jobs and they migrated from Huntsville to Springfield. And I tell the story all the time about my dad that I never saw him stay home from work.
Speaker 4:Come on.
Speaker 1:I was in Springfield. Well, I was in Springfield until I was about 18. All through elementary school back then, you know, junior high not, you know Right, right and high school never missed a day of work, constantly, constantly. I don't remember my dad being sick and if he was sick he never told me Right, but he was consistent in terms of going to that job and he worked overtime. I remember one time we were going to Cleveland. My father would take us to Cleveland almost every year because he had some cousins in Cleveland. My father would take us to Cleveland almost every year because he had some cousins in Cleveland. We would literally pick him up and he was getting off work.
Speaker 1:And we would drive. He would drive to Cleveland and back. Then to get to Cleveland from Springfield you had to go O Route 4.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:And that was—he was driving all night. So my dad was a church person. He was a different because I saw some of his family members involved in certain kinds of behaviors that he was never involved in.
Speaker 1:He never drank, he never smoked, he was adamant about us going to church. He was a disciplinarian. I mean my mother, you know, she was the one that kind of gave us instruction as to how, and of course, if we did not, she would go and say, well, the children are out of order. And when he came in, you know, he brought everything into order.
Speaker 2:One way or the other. You know, back then it would have been today.
Speaker 1:We know Right, yeah, we know Right, right, yeah, he was he. He was um a good model in terms of work. We said about my dad he, in terms of work. We said about my dad he never, he, never. He came up in a time we didn't talk much about family. Right, right, now we go visit family but he didn't talk much about it. But he always encouraged us with my mother you got to do better than us. Amen.
Speaker 1:Because he was only he didn't get out of elementary school. My mother didn't get out of junior high school so neither of them graduated, so they always told us you have to do better than us. You have to go to school, you have to get quality grades, you have to be a good student, and they kind of drilled that in us as children.
Speaker 4:So there's a whole lot more I could say about it no, no, no, that's good, that's good. That was that time. It was during that time. They said man, work, you know we, yeah, work yeah.
Speaker 1:That was their contribution to the family.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:They felt that they were caretakers, responsible for having the necessary financial funds whatever needed to be done. We weren't rich Right, by no means. You know. We didn't buy our first—he bought his first house in 1961, and he was happy All that time. He rented. But he was consistent. We had a coal furnace. My father would go out and get the coal, put it in the furnace for heating it. So we were. It was in the day. He was always there and in fact I'm doing.
Speaker 4:No, no, no no.
Speaker 1:In fact planted a garden every year. We had onions, greens, tomatoes. He would do it in the backyard, even in places he was renting. He would do a garden in the back and of course we had to pick the tomatoes and all those kinds of things after he planted them. And so, yeah, he showed me hard work is something that needs to be a part of your life, amen, amen.
Speaker 4:I know you grew up with strong values of prayer, the word and serving others. Can you share with the audience about your faith journey, your personal faith journey?
Speaker 1:My faith journey. Wow, my mother and father always took us to church, so it was about like every time the church doors opened, my mother had us there, even when they didn't go. My mother said are they having a junior choir rehearsal Saturday? Yes, you're going okay, btu Baptist.
Speaker 1:Trinity You're going, okay. Btu Baptist Training Union You're going. Vacation Bible School You're going. Melchor Singing You're going.
Speaker 1:Prayer meeting for me started every Wednesday in the Baptist Church. You had prayer, my, my mother, my, would go to prayer and she would take us to prayer every Wednesday. We were the only children at prayer. My mother would walk across, she would walk their children across town from the north side to the west side to take us to prayer meeting. So my prayer life started at a young age.
Speaker 1:I had an aunt and she was from Indianapolis and every time she would come to Springfield to stay with us she would pray. She'd be praying. When I went to school in the morning, if I came home for lunch, she was pray, she'd be praying. When I went to school in the morning, if I came home for lunch, she was praying. When we went to bed, she was praying. This was consistent. I never saw her get out of that regiment all the time. So I was being influenced by prayer at an early age but didn't understand it. I mean, I'm going because my mother said go. You know, I see my aunt praying because she wasn't intimidated by anybody. She would come in and she would be praying and you could hear her praying when we left the house.
Speaker 1:I was in a community choir and I had a friend who was Pentecostal I'll put it like that but we were all from all denominations. They started talking to us about Jesus Christ on a different level than I had ever heard, and as they started this discussion with us, I kind of got convicted. Just the discussion. I was accustomed to going to church but I didn't have a relationship. I was going, but I just there was no connection. I was going because I was told to go, I was going because my mother forced us to go, but it wasn't like I want to go, I want to have a relationship. I had a relationship with the church, but not with Christ.
Speaker 1:And so one day I got invited to a church in Urbana by some of the members of the choir, and so they invited me and another young lady. So I'm going to the service, but I have somebody with me. So this is a date. It's not really a church service. I'm going, oh yeah. So this is a date. Okay, it's not really a church service. I'm going, oh yeah, oh yeah. So we get to church and it was a service like I had never been in before and the gentleman at the end of his sermon starts singing I Surrender All and I'm sitting with this young lady right. No guy in high school wants to be seen crying.
Speaker 4:No, that's right, it's a good date, right?
Speaker 1:No, that's right. So I'm on a date, but all of a sudden I just broke down. I couldn't figure out. Why am I breaking down? I walked up to give my life that's when it all started Started right there that journey with him, and it was not long after that that I saw a whole other world that I had not seen before.
Speaker 1:I went to events that were associated with this particular group. I went to events and there were so many young people. I'd never seen that many young people in one place. In my early life I'd not seen that and to see that it was thrilling, it was exciting, it was motivating to see all those young people, and once Iherners young people, I was into it. The journey of faith started then, because my pastor then also was kind of a model for me. He kind of became the person I wanted to emulate in terms of his relationship with his wife, his relationship with his children, and it was a relationship I had not seen. My father was kind to my mother, but this relationship was special, and once he put me in a place where I could meet different people, all of a sudden my life changed. And I'll tell you this one thing I got drafted in 1969 during the Vietnam War and in Springfield.
Speaker 1:Springfield was known not in a good way about how the draft was handled with minorities. And so I got drafted and I had had a bout with asthma when I was younger, and so the doctor who took over my doctor's clients couldn't find my records. So he gave me a notice and the notice said this patient has complaints of asthma, that's all, that's all. My pastor looked at me and said this is not going to keep you out of the Army. So when I got drafted I left. They had a big party for me. I left Springfield on the bus, came up here to Fort Hayes, and when I got to Fort Hayes they asked everybody, anybody that has something, an ailment or sickness, go in this line. So I got in the line and there were gentlemen in there with, I mean, huge envelopes of things that they said was wrong with them.
Speaker 1:And he kept sending them on through. It didn't bother him. So when he got to me I gave him the letter, one sentence, and he said well, how do you feel when you have asthma? I said wheezing, which that was the case, but I hadn't had an attack for a while. Wheezing, which that was the case, but I hadn't had an attack for a while. He looked at me and said I'm going to permanently disqualify you.
Speaker 1:So I walked away that day and I said and I made a commitment to the Lord I said, okay, you do not put me in a place where I have not. Not that I didn't want to go, and not that some of my friends went and I didn't go. I said, if I'm staying here, there's got to be a larger purpose for my life and I don't want to miss the purpose. So I didn't look at it as just me not going. I looked at it as God saying to me there's something I need from you that will require you to be here. And it was true. It was true.
Speaker 1:My journey after that was unbelievable because once I moved to Columbus, my pastor told me not to even come. He said because you'll never get a chance to preach, you'll never get a chance to do anything. The church is too big. It's too big. When I got here, the Lord gave me favor, so much favor. So one year later I told my wife I was in prayer. I was 20 years old, in prayer and I said I'm going to be president of our young people next year. I said that to her. She laughed at me and looked at me in this organization, from district president, to state president, to national coordinator, to then vice president of the international group, president of the international group and this little kid from Springfield.
Speaker 4:Come on.
Speaker 1:A kid who everybody looked at and didn't think much of him. Come on, didn't talk. A lot was bashful, was shy, yeah, come on. Didn't like being in front of crowds, right, and all of a sudden, this little kid that didn't have anything going for him now becomes an international evangelist, now becomes president of an international organization of young people. For me, it's all about understanding that God is your source, and when God is your source, he has a way of unveiling to you a future that was never a part of your thinking.
Speaker 4:Wow.
Speaker 1:Never on your mind.
Speaker 4:Right right.
Speaker 1:And all of a sudden you're doing something, and in positions that didn't fit your personality, nor did it fit you as a young person. But now you are. After that relationship, after that day, my life changed and it became a life of faith.
Speaker 1:You're talking about walking by faith and not by sight. That's what I understood as an evangelist. I'd say I need to say these things as a father. When I got called to be an evangelist, I worked at Buckeye Federal Savings and Loans. I was an assistant manager at Buckeye Federal. We had an office on Longstreet and I was considering making a major in business management because I wanted to be in the finance field. I wanted to become president or maybe at least a manager of the bank and then go higher. I was sitting in my office one day and the Lord spoke to me and said a doctor goes to school to be a doctor. You've been called A preacher needs to go to school to be the evangelist.
Speaker 1:I'm calling you to be, I quit my job in 1975 after I graduated from Union Bible College. Quit Now. I wanted to quit on these terms. I went to my boss and said can I take a leave of absence, just in case things don't work? Out.
Speaker 1:They said, no, we'll give you a leave of absence if you're going to the armed services, but we're not going to give you a leave of absence for this. So when I quit my job I told my wife I think the Lord's really calling me to do this. So I had nothing. I had just bought my first house. We built it from the ground up. My first house, 1975. And Landon was a baby two years old. Then I'm on the field. I have one meeting, two meetings that I know of, that I had after I had anything. I fulfilled those two meetings. My wife was going to work. I, you know, here's the male in me. Okay, I can't stay at home, right, right, I have to go to work. Right right.
Speaker 1:And I'm saying the Lord called me to the evangelistic field. All I have is two meetings. You know, my wife said to me. My wife said to me Howard, god called you. You can't go back to work, she said, you'll be miserable. Well, right then, and there I had the right wife.
Speaker 4:At the end of that. That's the right answer.
Speaker 1:But it was through that that I had learned. Now I have to trust God. If you call me to do this, you're going to sustain me. Even if they write me bounce checks, bouncing checks which they did, bad checks and they bounced he still kept me with no money.
Speaker 1:There were times I had no money. We went to Kansas City and there was a gentleman there, a member of the church. He said there's a van out here I need you all to see, because we were renting vans to travel. So he said there's a van at my, I need you all to see, because we were renting vans to travel Right.
Speaker 1:So he said there's a van at my dealership I work at. So we went it's a beautiful black van, wonderful van. Right, I can't afford this van. My credit's not that good because I'm not making any money. Right, you know, they approved that loan. Huh, but not only they approved that loan, but they told me I'd have so much money now.
Speaker 1:So the Lord provided me to have favor with a lot of people. So I called some of the people that were really into our ministry as an evangelist and they said I said I need XYZ dollars. You know, in a matter of less than a week they gave me the money, put the money down, flew to Kansas City and picked up that van. Living by faith only because of the voice of God and when you hear the voice of God, you have to rely on him to do and to perform for you what needs to be performed. Because you didn't make the call, he did, he did. Therefore, he wants to show you he can take care of you. Even if it looks like your world is crashing, he still wants to take care of you.
Speaker 4:Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. You know you're the visionary behind founding the End Time Revival Evangelist Crusade. Can you share some of the highlights during that time?
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness, One of I started that. I'll tell you how I started that. One of I started that. I'll tell you how I started that. I was in a. We were in our graduation at A&M Bible College. There's a gentleman by the name of James, bishop James Johnson. He's from Kansas City and he was ministering to an afternoon session in preparation for our graduation and he spoke from the book of Ezekiel and in the book of Ezekiel, Elijah sees a river and he goes out in the river and it's up to his waist and he goes back to the bank and the river was overflowing, its banks and everywhere that water went. It healed the land.
Speaker 1:While Bishop Johnson is talking, I have this vision of the crusade. I start writing it down while he's talking. It was birthed in that session and we started traveling then, then and having crusades. It was difficult because in that day it was unheard of, especially by African.
Speaker 4:Americans.
Speaker 1:It was almost unheard of. So we would travel to city to city. What kicked it off for me was a crusade we did here in Columbus. I had no money and I all of a sudden it came to me I need to do a crusade here. I didn't want to do it at a church because I didn't want any churches to think that church is happening.
Speaker 1:Okay, it has an advantage because, it's going to be there and I might not get community support. Yeah right. So, praising me, I picked the largest building at that time, which is Vest Memorial, to have the crusade. Everybody thought he's crazy. It's absolutely ridiculous. We did that crusade. I can't tell you how many people gave their life to the Lord. It's unbelievable. So that's what we did.
Speaker 1:I supported, not just through the crusade but as an evangelist. We would start churches, initiate them, start them in fertile ground. There were no churches in particular cities. Part of my team would go with me to assist in starting those churches. So I did that. We traveled. We never went to Europe, but we went to Antigua, we went to the Bahamas, to Boston, los Angeles, san Antonio, texas, indianapolis, Montgomery, alabama. So we were traveling and then we started a choir. So we were traveling and then we started a choir. I only started a choir because of Sharon Johnson and Tommy Adams. They both had a skill set of writing music and I said okay, we need to find a way for you to promote your music.
Speaker 1:So, I was a big proponent of promoting other people. So I said we've got to find a way to do this. So we found a way to do that. That's how the choir got started. But the crusade was. People still talk about that crusade and what we did that was in the late 70s, early 80s.
Speaker 4:You know you also are the founder of a new covenant. I believe it was church. Yeah, how did that come about? What was that? I know that's another one of them. Good stories. Good stories About God. I was in well before Birmingham.
Speaker 1:I was in Birmingham, Alabama. Before that. I knew it was time for me to move from the evangelist to the pastorate. I knew it was time for me to move from the evangelist to the pastorate. I knew it was time. Well, I had been getting requests to different cities and so, and my great desire was to go to Washington DC and be pastor in Washington. And I can't tell you, Brother Tim, what kind of desire. That was a very, very big desire. I really wanted to go to Washington.
Speaker 1:I drove to Washington, my wife and I. We started mapping out what the church is going to be like. We got to Washington, we met with real estate agents, we searched out school districts and met with some people. We were pretty good, we felt pretty good about what we were hearing and I was on my way. So we left driving back. We talked about everything we were hearing and I was on my way. So we left driving back. We talked about everything we were going to do. When I got back to Columbus, you know, if you don't want to know anything, the last thing you should do is pray. So I went into prayer.
Speaker 1:So I went into prayer and all of a sudden it started coming to me about Columbus. I didn't want to do that.
Speaker 1:I told my father-in-law. I said, papa, I can't do this. I don't want to do this. I would rather be in Tupelo, mississippi, than to be in Columbus. He said, howard, you got to do whatever the Lord tells you to do. I said okay. So I went to Birmingham. I was in Birmingham doing a crusade While we were preparing to go out for that evening service, I had another vision again.
Speaker 1:This is about a vision that had nothing to do with the New Covenant, but it was a vision. It had nothing to do with New Covenant, but it was a vision. I could see a door and I saw this door and there was a key in the door. I was waiting on the door open and the voice spoke to me and said Turn the key, okay. Then the voice said Open the door. So when I opened the door, this flood of water just came in where I was. I knew then that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about the church. So before I went out to the stage, I called my wife and said we're starting the church. When I get back it was about 30 days. She said we're starting the church in 30 days. We don't have your money, we can't do this. My brother-in-law got the PA system together, put it in the van, the trailer we're driving back. We named the church, we talked about church all the way home.
Speaker 1:When we got to Columbus, I knew what I was going to do. We got to the King Center. That was our first place.
Speaker 4:King.
Speaker 1:Center's first place. I didn't have any money, but the gentleman said to me you know what? We need to find a way to do this, because the King Center needs some money, right, now. We never missed a lease payment at the King Center. That's how the church got started through the King Center and of course, the rest is history based on what happened then.
Speaker 4:Right, right, you know, as a global ambassador I'm sorry global evangelist and church leader, how do you manage the demands of ministry while ensuring quality time with your wife, children and sons and grandchildren?
Speaker 1:Oh well, let's say it like this my grandchildren have a life of their own. Ok so, but I think what we did and I'll say this as a father who traveled a lot when my children were young, so a lot of praise goes to my wife for being a caretaker for my sons- but when? I would come home, I would try to spend as much time with them as possible. You know we both I like sports, so we'd go to the gym, work out, shoot baskets.
Speaker 1:You know, had those kind of father and son relationships, and my children got to travel with me to a lot of places Nice so they could see me and understand who I was at home and understand who I was away from. So they knew that the man he was at home was the same way he was in public the man he was in public was the same man he was at home. So it was the consistency and the provision I tried to make sure that I provided for them the best of my ability take care of them, make sure they had what they needed, but make sure they also understood that Christ Jesus was the center of our life and everything we had. I had to help them understand Everything we have is based on this walk of faith and what God has done for us. So I believed in that.
Speaker 1:There was another thing I did when I started the church because I wanted to pass a message on to all my members who had children. One Sunday I told them. One Sunday I told them. I said I'm going to be gone next Sunday because my sons have a soccer tournament in Baltimore.
Speaker 1:No everyone in Baltimore is outside Washington and I'm sorry but I'm going to miss church next Sunday because I'm going to be with them. I'm trying to send a message that you should never allow church to be the reason why you don't support your children.
Speaker 4:That's good.
Speaker 1:And no day is sacred when it comes to your children. That's good. And no day is sacred when it comes to your children, not even Sunday. If you have to do it on Sunday, there are 51 other Sundays in a year or whatever that you can be there. But your children are your first responsibility, not the church, and I didn't learn that. I learned that from being with my pastor, but I learned that my children I never wanted my children to think about church in a negative way.
Speaker 1:And this, for me, was important to tell them okay, you guys can be anything you want to be, you can do anything you want to do. You live a holistic life. Be true to your family, be true to your relationship with Jesus Christ. And. He will bless you in every area of your life.
Speaker 4:That's good you know, what advice would you offer to fathers seeking to mentor their children in faith and character?
Speaker 1:In faith and character. Well, here's, here's my speech about that.
Speaker 1:Every father every one of us have a sphere of influence and there are multiple spheres Job, community, family and, if you're at church sphere of influence, in your sphere of influence, you must always understand that whoever is in your sphere of influence is in your life so that they can experience something from you.
Speaker 1:It is essential, then, that you understand it is not just your speech but also your behavior, and with your speech and behavior surrendered to Jesus Christ, you actually put yourself in a position so that those people in your sphere of influence are able to see what it's like when a person surrenders their life, in speech and behavior, to Jesus Christ. The best mentoring tool is not just your voice, but your actions. Your actions and your voice give harmony to give harmony in terms of your relationship with God, but also gives those who are watching you a view of what it looks like when a person is fully committed and surrendered. So I always say I wasn't always there, but my speech and behavior mirrored what I said and what I preached, how I led, and I think that that had an impact on my children without a doubt, without a doubt, amen, amen.
Speaker 4:You know this is a different time, living in this fast-paced world. You know everybody just go, go, go, go go. You know how can fathers maintain a strong spiritual foundation and be present for their families in this fast-paced world of the internet and 50 channels on TV?
Speaker 1:I first of, and 50 channels on TV. First of all, we have to be committed to being a father. And next we have to understand what that is.
Speaker 1:Yes, once we understand what that is, I just think it's important for, let's say, men I'll leave just fathers a title, just men. I think it's important that men learn how to formulate communities of men to be supportive of one another, to help engage us in being good fathers, to be that example of community. I say it is to defend, to strengthen and to fortify one another when men can be in a community of other men who have like desire may not be perfect, but they have the desire. Some may be in the group who don't even have the desire, but just being associated with men can assist you in becoming the best father you can be.
Speaker 1:So I think, more than just coming to church, there needs to be community of men who commit themselves to fatherhood, to commit themselves to manhood and be supportive of one another, enabling them to make sure wherever I am, I'm going to do something to make sure wherever I am, I'm going to do something to make sure that my sons and my daughters get my best. And if I'm struggling, I've got a community of men who allow me to be free enough to talk about, maybe things that are bothering me, maybe interfering with my being the best father. If I've got a group of men who allow me to be transparent. That's going to give me even a greater, going to put me in a situation that will allow me to grow, because you can't grow if you're not transparent. Transparency allows you to grow because it means I can say and be free to talk about who I am and you not be offended.
Speaker 1:She'd be there to support me.
Speaker 4:Amen, Wow, Well, you dropping some gems in here, Jack. Give some good life lessons, Jack, as we come around the corner. You know this is a legacy podcast and we talk about building a lifelong legacy. First off, what does the word legacy mean to you?
Speaker 1:To me, it means leaving something behind, tangible, that speaks to who you were while you lived. That's good.
Speaker 4:That's what legacy is to me and specifically what legacy are you building in that framework of what?
Speaker 1:you just described. I don't know if I'm, when you say, building it. I think my life's work is my legacy. Yes, yes, and I think that that's how I'll be remembered. I'll be remembered because of my life's work and I think that's how you live your life. Yes, you live your life. Sometimes you don't think about legacy. Most times you don't. What I think about is how valuable is my life? What am I doing with this valued life? And is this valued life making a difference? And if I'm doing something to make a difference, then I feel that that will be my legacy, Because I've done what God wanted me to do and I followed through on it, and it's made a difference in people's lives.
Speaker 4:Well, bishop, I want to thank you for your time and I want to thank you for living a life well lived that people have watched, and I just want to thank you for just the power, making us all understand the power of prayer. But two, following up, you know, not just you know, praying for something and starting something and, like I don't know if you said, do that. No Lord said do that. No Lord said do that. You know and do it and it's truly been a faith walk. Just looking over your life, it's truly been a faith walk. And then you can see it in your children and your grandchildren. You know how they have caught that. They have caught that faith and I know it's truly a blessing, you know you working with your sons in ministry yes, you know ministry, yes, being able to see them, you know, see their families and not having to look for them. You know where they're at. You know that's truly a blessing, you know.
Speaker 4:In that regard, but I just want to thank you for being that visionary and all of you done for uh, not just Columbus and for the world, you know for the world, and I'm looking forward to what, what you know for you. So thanks for being on the show and being a part of this fatherhood, and sharing with dads and men how important we are, and you just remind us through this podcast about how important men are. Yes, how important men are. So we're not perfect, like you said, we're vulnerable, but we're there. Yes, sir, we're there, we're present, absolutely, and our families know we ain't going anywhere, right, they know where, and so I'm going to appreciate you for all that. So, thanks for being part of the show today. Thank you, appreciate you.
Speaker 3:Appreciate you. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be A Baller podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.