Serving God, Strengthening Families, and Guiding the Next Generation Feat. Elder Lee Ford

Faithful Through Every Season — Serving God, Strengthening Families, and Guiding the Next Generation

In this episode of Gospel Unfiltered, host Cornell Bunting sits down with Elder Lee Ford for a meaningful conversation about what it takes to remain faithful through the changing seasons of life.

Together, they discuss spiritual maturity, perseverance, family leadership, mentorship, integrity, service beyond the pulpit, and the responsibility experienced believers have to guide and encourage the next generation.

Elder Lee Ford shares wisdom from his personal faith journey and reflects on the lessons that come through years of serving God, facing challenges, and remaining committed even when life does not unfold as expected.

This episode also explores important questions such as:

What does true faithfulness look like?

How can believers remain consistent during difficult seasons?

What role should elders and mature leaders play in mentoring young people?

How can the church better strengthen families and serve the wider community?

What does it mean to continue producing fruit in every stage of life?

Using Scriptures including Ecclesiastes 3:1, 1 Corinthians 4:2, Isaiah 40:31, James 1:22, Psalm 145:4, Proverbs 27:17, Luke 16:10, and Psalm 92:14, this conversation reminds us that God can use every season, every lesson, and every part of our story for His purpose.

Join us as we go Beyond the Pulpit for honest conversations, real stories, and Kingdom truth. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Yes, yes. Welcome to another episode of Gospel Unfiltered, where we take conversations beyond the pulpit. I'm your host, Cornell Buntin. I'm excited today because my guest today, when I tell you this man is not just an entrepreneur that do things in a masterful way that help individuals all over Southwest Florida, but he's also an elder. And we're gonna touch into that just a little bit. So without further ado, let me welcome Elder Ford on the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

How are you, Lee?

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Appreciate it. Good, good.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

This is good. You know, before we dive into the show, for a lot of individuals that's now starting to follow Gospel Unfiltered that don't necessarily understand what the elder mean, could you explain to them a little bit what what that is, how you get to that level of the ministry?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Well, it comes from who whoever's your the leader in your ministry, your pastor. Yes. And he will interview and discuss promotion and engagement with you after you have proven yourself to be worthy and committed to the cause.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Of the calling. Of the calling. It's good. I like that. You know, for a lot of individuals, they feel like the church is there sometime, but the church is not there all the time. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Well, I t what I say to anyone is this you have to understand, you know, God is God influences and anoints people for certain obligations and responsibilities. Yes. But he don't anoint everybody and everybody is in it. This is true. This is true. People do things because they feel like they should do it or have the right to do it, which they, you know, in America, yeah. Right. If you want to go out and just dig holes in the sand, you can do that in America. Ain't nobody gonna get mad with you unless you dig one of their out or something. But the point I'm trying to make is you have to understand that everything in the world is in the church and of the church. Right, right, right, right. You have to you have to wear your tie.

SPEAKER_02 3:11

You do have to wear your tie, you know. So, and you know, for the new listeners, the ones that don't necessarily know who Lee Ford is, where was Lee grew up? Where you know, what does that background look like for you?

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Well, I'm a country boy. I was born in Alabama. Okay, okay. In a in a small town called LaFelt, Lafayette, whichever way you want to pronounce it, both spell the same.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

And my parents moved to Naples, Florida. I was still taught. And that's where I grew up. I went through all kindergarten, you know, all that stuff through high school in Naples. Left there and went to college in Kansas. Had to come back home. Cover family issues, and even though my college was paid for, I was doing well in it. But life has its own cards. You had to play with hand you dealt.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Came back to Naples and then left that, went to Virginia, Richmond, for five years almost, and then I came back.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

And been here ever since.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Okay, okay. Now, when did when did when did the the calling happen? Like when did you decide you know what? I need a walk with Christ. Like when did that happen?

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Well, at my age, you know, kids didn't have as much choices back then. Okay, okay. It's not like today, nowhere near like it is today. I mean, you you did what you were told.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

And sometimes you weren't told, you just knew it. Okay. When mom got ready to go to church, guess what? You got ready to go to church. You ain't gonna read it. You gotta be ready. You had to be ready too, boy.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

You better not be in that house when daddy gets there and mama going to church, because then you gotta do some explaining. And my father wasn't the kind that wanted to hear your explanation. Although he used to say, me and you need to talk. Right, right. He didn't want me talking. I couldn't talk. He had he was doing all the talking. But ever since I was a kid, I was in the church, me and my brother, all of us. And I used to play the drums as a kid for the church, and I would sit on the front row of the church. We was in the sanctified church mostly. I although I joined church and the Baptist church, Macedonia Baptist Church over in Naples, Florida. Right. And but I was always in, my mother-in-law was always in the Holiness Church, Pentecostal. And I used to play the drums for them, and I was right up close to everything. And every sense I just I just felt like that's something I wanted to be a part of. You stayed close to it. I stayed close to it all my life. Wow. Not as committed as I got older, but I was there. Right. I was always there doing things that I felt was the right thing to do.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Do you feel sometimes people in the church not necessarily honest with what's going on with them? What do you mean? Like they don't really tell you the truth on what's going on, or I think a it's no different than the world outside of church.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Right, right. People feel they have to put on a facade of reality for themselves. They don't, instead of the real reality they're dealing with, they try to camouflage it. They don't want you to know they're going through, they don't want you to know they're in pain, they don't want you to know that they're suffering or whatever.

SPEAKER_03 6:37

Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

But the word is very distinct about that. You're supposed to talk to God and put all your worries and burdens on him. Right. You're not supposed to carry them upon yourself. Right, right. And even though society, on the other hand, teaches us you have to be strong all the time. You have to carry your weight, you gotta carry your whatever, your burdens and everything. You gotta carry your. But that's not God. Yeah. And when you're dealing with your reality, and you and although people look at God as superficial, you know, this supreme person or being that's out there somewhere, you know, not where you can touch him or feel him. Right. But your reality is right there in your face every day. Yeah, yeah. Wow. You have to develop an ability to understand and believe that God is God.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Yeah. We don't have to see him. Right. So for people that wrestle with faithfulness, how would you say, what does faithfulness mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

We've got things so convoluted now in America and the world. Yeah. People have faith and faith. Yeah. Yeah. It's not faith in God. It's not faith in Christ. It's faith and faith. Yeah, wow. You can't have faith in anything that you're not willing to walk in.

SPEAKER_02 8:00

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

I like that. You understand? Yeah. If if I believe in God and I know He got my back, he's with me everywhere I go, and I'm doing the best I can to do the right thing to be, you know, helpful with people or myself or anyone, I have to believe that. And in order for me to believe that, I can't just believe on it. Yeah. I have to walk in it.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

When I when I'm speaking to you this morning, I'm not sitting here as Lee Forward. I'm sitting here not only as Lee Forward, but I'm sitting here as Lee Forward, a child of the living God. Yes, yes, yes. Christ is with me. The Holy Spirit is with me. When I'm sharing, it's not just my words, I'm giving you, I'm giving you what the inspired word is when God for me to share with you. Yes. And I have to believe that. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Now, and I want you to help a lot of the individuals that might be considering, you know, taking that walk or taping that leap, where young believers, how would you encourage them to remain consistent when the excitement has faded?

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Well, let me one thing I can tell you about that one. Yeah. Life ain't gonna give you, it won't fade if you're if you're living life in this world. Oh, there you go. It never fades. What happens is your focus changes. Uh-huh. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

I I I knew a young man who here some years ago committed suicide. And he was a God-fearing person. And I at the time when I met him and I knew him, he had disappeared, and then all of a sudden, this is what happened with him. But we was so group of was talking, I said, listen, let me tell you right now. Yeah. If you believe in God, suicide is something you'll never do.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Suicide comes from self-absorption.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Self-condemnation. You can't believe in God and commit suicide at second. That don't make a whole lot of sense. It don't work.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

You have to lose your connection with God in order to commit suicide or to do something like that because the word teaches that you're not responsible. Right. You're not in control.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

No.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah. Yeah. People who commit suicide feel they're in control. They fail themselves. They fail whoever. They've lost this. They've lost that. That comes from self-absorption. That don't come with a God in it.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Right, right. Wow. Wow. For individuals that wrestle with the big challenges of life, the adversities and stuff, what would you say to them, like, you know, when those seasons come, how do you how do you keep going through those seasons? You just have to have faith in God.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

Okay. Yes. And you have to walk in that faith. You can't just believe in something. Right. And not walk in it. This is true. If you know, I play baseball, I play football, I play basketball, I did all that through school. Well, if I believe I'm a good baller, what good is believing and ain't doing it?

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Right. That is so true.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

I gotta go out there and illustrate my belief.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

And you you illustrate your faith by living in it and walking in it. And, you know, some churches and preachers, they don't convoluted just so much and make it so complicated that people can't follow it. Yeah. I don't do that, I make it real. I break it down to day-to-day, everyday living in life where people can try and figure out how this stuff works.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Right. I love that. I love that. We're gonna we're gonna tap, you know, as everyone knows you know, we tap into the word a little bit. And so the the first piece we want to touch in, and I'll have you, sir Lee, just read this light little scripture for us. Ecclesiastic 3 1.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven. And you wanted the whole thing or something? No, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

No, no, no, just that one verse. For a lot of individuals that hear that verse but don't necessarily understand that you you was just tapping into that a little bit. How can you speak on that?

SPEAKER_00 12:29

What the bottom line is this there's a time to laugh, there's a time to cry. Yes. There's a time when there's life, and there's time when there's death. There are times when you have to kill. I mean, there's a time for everything under the sun that's relevant to one to the other. It's not a condemnation. If it was the our brothers and sisters that go to war for this country.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

That kills the enemy.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Yeah. They're not condemned for that. Because they're they're fighting for purpose of a cause to protect their land and their home, their property themselves. And neither is the other side.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

And you know, it almost seemed like a lot of people wrestle with what that looked like. What can you do, what can you not do when you're just that simple.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

You have every man and every woman in this earth has their own space.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

You have no right to come upon my space to make it your space.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

As though I have no regard and no purpose. I have a right to protect not only my space, but mine. That means my wife, my kids, my dog, my cat, everything. Because that's mine. And God gave that to me. Yes. And the simple rule on that is being a good steward. That's another thing God asked all us to be, is to be good stewards. What does that mean?

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Every man and woman on this earth, if you believe in God, you'd have a couple things that he really wants you to do, other than just to love one another, as he so loved the church. And the thing is this. I knew where I was going, but I'm thinking differently right now. But the point I'm trying to say is this you have every right to do and protect yours. And you have, and God backs that. And being a good steward to certain orders, pray. Give God glory and honor. Yeah. Pay your tithes to the church.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Which is only a dime on every dollar. Right. He asks you for all your money. Yeah. He asks you for a dime for every dollar.

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

And give your offering when you want to plant a seed for something.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

You want to build a house, you want to plant a seed for it. If you ain't got my $50, that's what you give. Right, right, right. God never asks you for something that He don't first give you. Right, right. What really bothers me is people in the church that hear preachers get up there, and a preacher can ask anything he wants to. He can get up there and say, I need five people to give me a thousand dollars. What if you ain't got if God didn't never give you a thousand dollars, he ain't talking to you. It's okay. It's okay not to do that. He ain't talking to you. Right. They want to leave the church, hate the preacher and everybody because they have something they don't have, but that's nobody knows what you got or don't have until you say something. Right. But the point I'm trying to make is people get this stuff distorted. Yeah. It's simple. The word is simple if you read it. Right, right. He never asked you for anything he did not first give you.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Oh, so good. Listen, guys, and you know, in the book of Isaiah, Lee, 40 31. This is why the book of Isaiah is very important, guys. And I need you guys when you get a chance to tap in. But hear what Isaiah 4031 says.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

40 and 31, right? Yep. Okay. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not think. Wow. Now that's encouraging right there. That's a powerful word because but it's it is just that simple though. Yeah. Don't convolute it, don't complicate it. Don't do that. Yeah. Read the word for what it says and take it. Don't add, don't shimmer, don't shake. I watch these people, they talk about the word of God, and then they they get their rhythm going, and boy, they take off on you. And it just looked the people out there looking at them like, what are they talking about? What are we doing? Yeah. You know, yeah. And I I tell I tell young folks when we have these conversations, I said, listen, I said, you see how many you conversate right now? Yeah. That's how you conversate with God.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

All this stuff you see people doing in the church, the Bible even talks about it. Yeah. A lot of people do that stuff for show and fashion. That ain't got nothing to do with the word of God. You God created you just like he created me. He created, he knows your voice. He knows your voice. Just speak to him. You riding around the road in the car, talk to him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Talk to him just like you talk to your best friend. Just say, say, Lord, I don't know what's going on in my life right now. I need your help. I need your guidance. I need your understanding. I need your support. I need to do this. I need you with me, Lord. Yes. Believe that he's with you and do what you got to do. And you'll be surprised how things start working out. Especially when you start convoluting it.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you're touching on all the different parts. Because a lot of people do, and I feel like when they see a lot of that, people that are new, that that want to understand what who God is and how to walk in that, when they see all that, it seems like you put a lot of pressure on them because they're like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Well, it does, because you think you go to you you see a mother or sister or preacher or a brother or a deacon, whoever they are in the church playing.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

And the way they get all emotional and into that, you think you got to do that or you ain't playing.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Right.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

No. You talk to God like you're talking to your best brother sitting at the coffee table having coffee. Right, right. It's got to be. Always remember this. Yeah. He created you. Right, right. He already knows what's going on in your life. You ain't telling that you don't know, but he tells you in his word, make your supplication known. Even though he already knows, right? He wants you to come to him with it. Why? Because that's letting him know you know who he is and what he is. And you're ready. You're ready for it. You want him to help you because you know he can.

SPEAKER_03 19:10

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

You know, it's not that he needed for you to tell him because he don't know. No, he already knows. But for you to magnify who he is, you go with him with your problem and your issues, your concerns, and your questions. Right. That too is honoring him for who he is in your life. Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

You know, and I've heard even believers sometimes say they a lot of times they're in situation, and instead of them calling on to God first, they go to all these different sources to try to get stuff figured out.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Why do you think that's that that that's human nature sometimes? People want tangible things. They want to be able to touch and feel. And but I've known ever since I was a teenager, praying to God for wisdom and understanding.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

That deeper man got it together with myself. So why do I need to go to love for something? Just hold it to the God above and keep walking.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

Right. And He will guide your steps in your path. Yeah. When I left when I left school and had to give up football and all the scholarships and stuff, I hated that because that bothered me big time. But that was, you know, I didn't cry and weep. I went on there whatever I had to do with my folks and everything, and we got it together. But the point I'm trying to make is this. I talked to God about it. Right. I said, Lord, I said, I don't know how this is gonna work out. Right. I said, but I need you to help me be where I would be if I didn't play professional ball in my life. Wow. When I go to retire. I tell then I wanted to retire, 48 years old. I was in college. I was a kid. Right. And it was about two years after that, 50 or so, when it came to me, reminding myself that I made that, I had that prayer. I talked to God about that while I was driving one day and asked him to do that for me. Okay. I said, I want to retire 48 years old. Yeah. Wow. And you know I could have.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

I and I didn't think about it when I was going through it, but I thought about it a couple of years ago. I came across my spirit. So you tell God to that you retired 48 now. Yeah. I said, well, I'm and I thought about it. I said, well, that's great, because I could have. Yes. You know? Yeah. And and today, Saturday, I turned 70 years old. Wow. Wow. That's amazing. That's what he promised us.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Three score and 10.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

The rest by grace. The rest by grace. So I'm gracing up some. I'm trying to get that grace lined up. I don't ready to go yet.

SPEAKER_03 21:59

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

I want to go to him, but not just yet.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

You understand? I ain't ready to go yet. But if I look at my where I am today, for the poor little kid that grew up in the small town in Alabama, Lafayette, Lafayette, you know John Talmud, right? Yes, yeah. That's where he's from in his family.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Oh, he is. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

He's the only him and Jim, there's another guy here named Jim. Them the only two people in this whole entire world I know came from that little town. I was born in Alabama. It's great. And um, I'm not gonna go into detail, but where I am right now, yeah. To 2035, 2039. I don't even think I'd been doing that good if I played Pro Ball.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Wow, wow. He'll do it for you. He will, yeah. If you realize though, your life is not about you. Right, right. If God takes you through something, He's doing it not just for you, He's doing it for those around you. Yes. Ooh, nuggets. You can't like the stuff I do. You work with me. You help me with the giveaways, the outreaches I do, and all that stuff. I don't do that for me. I can go to the pub, buy whatever I want, eat whatever I want. Right. My kids, they got their Christmas, they can do all that. I don't do that for me. Right. I let God use me to bless that one kid that prayed that night for a good Thanksgiving dinner. Woo! Come on. For him and his family. Or her and her family. That one kid. Yeah. You know all the meetings we have. You know the partners. You know all that effort we put in to make sure this thing gets off well. Yep, yep. One kid. One kid. Man. If you keep God's life that simple, you won't have any problems with your own. This is true.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

This is so true. Woo! Listen, and if because you're dropping so much nuggets, one of the things here, Lee, and a lot of people, you know, they don't fully understand this. But you know, when you attend church, and people say when you attend church, it automatically produces maturity. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Well, if you're listening to the word that the preacher speaks, you can have 200 people sitting in a congregation or a thousand. Yeah. You can ask five of them people what they heard, and every one of them will tell you something different. That is so true. That is so true. That's the mysteries of the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

That's been people have been saying that for thousands of years. Don't matter who's in that church, everybody hears different things when he preached. He preached the same scripture, we like we read the word. Right, right. Okay, how many people out there listening? Yeah. Depending on where they are in life, and their connection with God and what message he wants to get to them, is what they heard. They heard, okay, yes. See, they call that the mysteries of the gospel. Because you, the preacher, you don't, you only speak in one, you speak in certain words, you're not speaking a thousand different variations of something. You just speaking one.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

But the mysteries of the gospel is that when God delivers it to your ear, you as a person sitting out there in the audience, listening to this word, he's giving you your message.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

Right, right. So you have an assignment after you leave church.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

You get you get fed.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

And you get what we call the wisdom and getting fed by the gospel, that you would take that gospel. Because what happens is just like I told you about my prayer to God, about my about my uh retirement and all that stuff, yeah. You be living life. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I like that. But God had a way of making sure you don't forget what he's done for you.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

That is so true. That is so true.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

We all living. Yeah. We're doing what we're doing, and we forget the process when we in it.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

God reminds us when we need to know it, what he wants us to know and remember.

SPEAKER_02 26:04

So in Hebrews 5, 12, and I know this is quite a little bit of read. So I won't, I won't do this to you too much, Lee. So Hebrews 5, 12 to 14 says, For when for the time ye are to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. Oh yes. We're gonna unpack that for you guys a little. Well, we're gonna have Lee unpack that for you guys a little bit. I I got you guys, okay? 13 says, for everyone that useth milk is unsinkful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. That's right. We we're gonna unpack that as well. I I promise you guys. 14 says, be strong, but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who are reason of use have their sense exercised to discern both good and evil. There's there's so much there, and I know a lot of people is like, oh we don't know, Cornell, but what what would you help them to understand?

SPEAKER_00 27:29

The bottom line is this yeah, when you bring a baby home, you don't give him no rib out. You cannot, it ain't gonna work. There's no teeth, there's nothing that about it, and he can't chew it. You can grum it, but he can't do nothing with it. For real. Right, right. You give him some similar uh that mama's breast milk. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, as that baby grows and develops physically, yeah, to the point where he starts getting teeth, or she starts getting their teeth, right? You can up, you can level up what you feed them because they can consume it.

SPEAKER_02 28:07

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

This is not complicated. What God is saying is when you first come in the ministry of the gospel of God and Jesus Christ, you have to be fed with milk first. It's your time. You don't wake up tomorrow and you the poke or something like that. You have to come in and learn as you grow and develop, and they're only supposed to be giving. This is another thing churches won't do a lot of. They want to preach messages. They're talking about Paul Peter, John, and all that. And they talking about scenarios and things that they went through, how it relates to them today, but they forget a lot of people out there don't even know who John Paul Peter is. They don't even know what they just went through. Right. They won't take the time for them to learn. I know they say, where we got Bible study. Right. People who are new in the church ain't coming to Bible study, they just come into the church.

SPEAKER_01 28:59

Right, right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

You have to take time to lay things out for people so they can follow you. Yeah, yeah. And a lot of preachers don't want to take the time, and ministers don't want to take the time to break all that down for people.

SPEAKER_03 29:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:11

And I know in the older folk done been there for 20, 30 years, yeah. They heard every message three or four times over and over and over. Right. They the ones that get flustered with hearing messages over and over and over, but you gotta understand this baby sitting next to you.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

And they need that feedback. You need to break it down for that baby.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

You need to help them understand how this relates to them today. Right, right, right.

unknown 29:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

And how these pillars in the Bible and these representatives in the word of God is there for them to use as a stepping stool to help guide them through processes. They're not expected to know everything or anything much when they first come in. Yeah. It's just like a baby being born. You got to break them in with that, and that formula milk causes a hook a lot more than real by sometimes. But the point, the point though, is you have to do that. That's everything. That's everything.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

So someone asked me this question, and I said, you know, I'm gonna throw that Lee and uh get your perspective on it. So they ask, can someone be gifted but spiritually immature?

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Definitely. You guys heard it. See, this is another thing I don't see many people talk about it like they used to back in the old days, but gift comes without repentance.

SPEAKER_03 30:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

See, every person in this world, human, yeah, in the world, is born with a seed in there.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

A gift. And the word is real simple about that. He said your gift will make room for you. Right. Right. You know what that means, right?

SPEAKER_03 30:54

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

That's why if you find somebody who has a passion for what they're doing, you wanna know why they're so successful at it? Passion is contagious. Yeah. If you're passionate about anything, you're gonna connect people. People gonna get connected with you. Right. Without much effort, because that's your passion. That's you. That's what God gave you to make room for you on this world. Now, you know how many billion millions of people on this earth. Oh, a lot. You still got your gift. That's true. God gave you that when you was born. You ain't gotta come down and give it to you again. Right. You already got it. The key is finding it. A lot of people get so wrapped up in the world that they don't understand that this may not be what their gift is. You see people work jobs and they can't stand it. They don't like going every time they look out, they're looking miserable, depressed, and oppressed. Well, you're missing your gift, baby. Take some time and think about what in life you really enjoy doing. Right. Right. What in life? What do you like? Where you get your kick at? Yeah. And tap in. And tap into it. It's just like artistic kids. Yeah. What we found what a lot of studies know is that what they find is the vast majority of those kids are gifted. Yes. They are, I mean, gifted. Not just play play. They for real gifted. But the key is this. Yeah. The parent gotta take the time to try to figure out what that is within their child.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Yeah, yeah. I like how you touch that. Now, let me ask you, as an elder, you know, for uh, you know, individuals that are in the church, because you know, people get in their feelings sometimes. How how best for you, like fitting, when you talk to someone or you, you know, correcting them, whatever, reprimanding, whatever, how could you do it where you don't make them feel humiliated?

SPEAKER_00 32:54

I ain't worried about that. They used to tell me you knew, you know, you know what you when you know they they they used to tell everybody in the truth. Now this is what it is, this is the gospel. I'm not making this up. Yeah. If you don't want to hear the truth, don't talk to Hill Ford. This is the church now. Yeah, this is God's house. Yeah. Why would you tell somebody? Yeah. Well, you know, if you don't want to, you know the truth now, don't go to Hill Ford. L Ford ain't gonna filter nothing for you. Right, right. Nothing just got the sugar coat of editing. And no, no, because that ain't the way you're gonna get it. You I mean, you need to get hit upside the head sometimes. Yeah. And the only way you're gonna get it is get it the way it is.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

And uh, you you know I did the program with Lee County. Government helping the small businesses, entrepreneur businesses. I had like 230 clients. Yes. We did almost over $800,000 in grant money to the country and all that stuff. I went in my office two weeks, they went and filed an NAACP complaint against me. Come on. Because they said they ain't like the way I talked to them. Oh, wow. The people you're helping. Yeah, some people, I don't know who they never told me who did it. But they said it was like two or three of them came down and they filed an NAACP complaint. Wow. But Milwaukee came to me and saying that Lee, we know you. Yeah. He said, You can work with me when I'm doing my thing. He said, I know you, I know how you is, don't worry about it. Right. We ain't going away with this. Right. I said, Well, I wasn't worried about it, but that's what that's I'm me. Yeah. And I'm not gonna tell you something, then you go out there in the real world and find out, well, why didn't he tell me this? Right, right, right. No, what you're gonna say, oh God, Mr. Ford told me this. Yeah, right, right, right. That's what I want. Yeah. I don't want that other thing. Why didn't you tell me he didn't tell me this? No, baby. Yeah. If you come to me with a question, yeah, if I got an answer, you're getting it the way I get it. I ain't gonna sugarcoat it, I ain't worried about you crying and hurting your feelings and all that stuff. That ain't got nothing to do with the real life.

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Right, right. For individuals with questions, like, how how can they serve God beyond the pulpit? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Your life.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

All this, and I'm I'm not against none of it. Please don't misunderstand me. Shouting, singing, praying, all that's good. Yeah. You need to honor God every way and every way you can. But the real true worship in God is how you walk your life. Right. Yeah. How you live your life. And you ain't perfect. Nobody is. I'm not. Nobody. He said that no man is perfect under the sun. Right. Right. No man. No man. So don't worry about that kind of stuff. You mess up, just say, just say what he told you to say. Lord, please forgive me and keep moving. Don't stop. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, how many times you fought? What do you say? 70 times seven times seven, something like that. Something way out of number? You ain't gonna, you can't live long enough to do that in a day. Right. That's in one day.

SPEAKER_03 35:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

So don't ever concern yourself with that. Because that's how the what we call the devil. That's how the devil does it. He gets your mind convoluted and confused.

SPEAKER_03 35:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

Then you start judging. And that's another thing. He don't want you doing that either. He said, Judge not, lest he be judged.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

If I judge you, then the same methodology I used on you to judge you, he uses it upon me.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

Yes, yes. This is true.

SPEAKER_00 36:13

So you don't want to do that. You just want to live your life, take care of yours best you can, and ask them to help you do it. And if you can help somebody help them, it don't hurt to speak. I love it. It don't hurt to smile. It don't hurt to just listen.

SPEAKER_03 36:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

You ain't got to do nothing nobody tells you or ask you to do. You can listen and it won't cost you nothing but a little time.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

Would you saying that? What would you say are some of the practical ways believers can serve their communities?

SPEAKER_00 36:43

It's so simple. Miss Maddie lived down the street. I'm just, example, I don't know who Miss Maddie is, I'm just throwing it out there. Right, right. But Maddie down the street, she lost her husband a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. She's there by herself. Go around and say, Hey, Miss Maddie, how you doing? I just want to check on you. You need anything? Can I help you with anything? Yeah. They ain't telling you to move in with Miss Maddie or move Maddie in with you. Right, right, right. But what you want to do, you want to be, the Lord teaches this. You start in Jerusalem, which is your home. Your house. Yeah. Every man, in order to be a good steward, need to realize this. His house is his first priority. All the way down from the from the from the wife to the cats. Yes. And the dog. And if you got little rodents running around in your house, those are yours too. Right. I'm serious. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. You get that under control, then you reach out to your neighbor. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 37:39

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

You go there, you deal with those. You help your neighbors if you can. You do all that to support your neighbors and in your community. Yeah. You go from your community to your city. Yeah. From your city to your county. It just grows all the way like that to this country that you're a part of. That is our responsibility as stewards. Yes. It's not just something you want to do. Right. And men don't understand who they are and what they are.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Just like in the Bible, men have the ability to anoint their kids to be successful. You can just bless your kid to be successful. God gave you that when He made you a male.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

He did that. Every man, every man was born with this in them.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Right. Now, for a lot of people that are a little confused on what responsibilities look like, what would you say to them, responsibility does towards poor, elderly, people that are incarcerated, you know, homeless, at a disadvantage? You mean what like like you know, for some people would say what responsibility does the church have towards these type of individuals?

SPEAKER_00 38:59

If individuals did what God said that they should do, yeah. He said, when you feed a hunger, a hungry, hungry person, yeah, you feed me.

SPEAKER_02 39:11

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

Ooh, ooh, that's big right there. I just break it down. I ain't going to convolute it, you know, because I don't want to confuse nobody, but it is that simple. Yeah. When you help somebody hungry, you feed them, you're blessing God. Yes. When you help somebody with thirst and give them water, you're giving it to God. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 39:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

Don't take it as you're looking at this bomb. Because right now you know this. We all talk about this among church folk. If Jesus walked down Martin Luther King right now, right out here on Jackson or whatever street this is, everybody in here, everybody that sees him today will think he's the biggest bomb that ever lived. Wow. But they don't understand that that's the man.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Because they look at you based on what you look like. You never know.

SPEAKER_02 39:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

And I'm like this. Yeah. I bless people. Right. But if my spirit ain't in it, I'm not in it. I'm not doing it. What I mean by that is if somebody comes up, I walk up on somebody and I see them in my spirit and me say, go ahead. Yeah. I do it. If my spirit is a little vexed, I just keep moving. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

This is encouragement for other churches. How can churches avoid becoming disconnected from the communities around them? Leave the church. I like that. It's simple as that.

SPEAKER_00 40:31

They had me speak at a prayer at a meeting rally one time with all the preachers. They had about 20 and something of them. And they flew on and gave me the microphone. They never did that again. That's been a while. But what I told them was this. I said, your ministry don't stop at the walls of your church.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

And I said, you need to get outside there and make sure that the youngest in your church is having is at a good school, being educated properly, getting all the benefits of education in school.

SPEAKER_03 41:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

You got to check your elderly people, make sure they're living in a safe community. They're not in their house afraid to stick their head out the door or anything. They're well safe and protect the communities.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:12

Your job is their life, and your life is their job. And you need to make sure you're doing everything you can to help them live it.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:19

And make sure they're not hungry. Right. You go into somebody's house and they ain't got no food in their refrigerator or nothing but a bottle of water. You need to be there to bless them.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

You do. You do. You do.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

But if you never step in their house, you never know that.

SPEAKER_02 41:33

Right. Will you? Yeah. Wow. And that's that's good encouragement. And hope you guys are taking note of those pieces. I want you to, and I know there's a lot of individuals that said, you know, we still want to understand the book of Joshua and what that look like. And you know, for a lot of you guys that are young to the word and the stories and all that stuff, just understand. You know what? We're not going to touch that yet. We're not going to touch that yet. I'm going to have Lee read Joshua 24 verse 15.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve. Whether the gods which are your fathers served, that were on the side other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorius, and though in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and now, we will serve the Lord. Come on.

SPEAKER_02 42:58

Okay. So Lev just rolled that out for you guys. And I'm gonna just take you guys back just a little bit. So Joshua was, you know, he was one of those guys that was among Moses that actually believed that they could take over Jericho. Like, you know, but ain't what, because you know, a lot of people were like, you know, what why all these people die off and that only Joshua and Caleb got to go in with their generation of younger kids? Just so you guys know, it was only Joshua and Caleb that believed they could take over those giants. Okay. We're not gonna give you no more right now, but how would you, you know, with what you just read for them, and I know they're here in a lot of it, and some of it should connect, but you know, they in a simple way, what would you say to that?

SPEAKER_00 43:50

Well, uh without all that, yeah. You're either gonna believe in God and Jesus Christ. It's the Trinity group, which we never talked about. It's the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yes. Okay? Yes. Either you're gonna believe that or you're not. Right. You can't be in the fence. Right, right. That that don't work in this. It don't work. Yeah. You know, if you're on the fence, you're not believing in God, you're believing in the devil. You're you're it's you're on the flip side of this. But once you make up your mind that you want to be a God-fearing and God-believing person, and you talk to him about it, and as you grow, you will grow into it. It don't happen overnight.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

There's no such thing as that. You're gonna slip, you're gonna fall, you're gonna say something, you're gonna cut somebody out, you're gonna do all that you always did.

SPEAKER_02 44:38

And you have to work on you. Yes. For families that are walking in this now, well, like you know, understanding who God is and all that stuff. How would you encourage them on how to handle disagreement?

SPEAKER_00 44:55

What you what you the key is this. Always the word teaches this and we teach it, everybody does, but people kind of like over gloss over it. Yeah. In all your decisions and efforts and moves, you should always first talk to God about it. That's it right there. Say, okay, Lord, what should I do? Yeah. And one thing I do, and I know a lot of people don't do this, but this is one thing I always do. When things are going raggedy in my life, and everybody knows what that is, time they're gonna come to your house. You ain't gotta ask for it. You ain't gotta go around the corner and buy it. It's coming anyway for free. Yeah. I always do a self-inventory before I say anything about anything about anybody. What is it that I'm not doing that I should be doing, or what have I done that I shouldn't have done? What is going on with me in this that's causing the situation that I have? I always do a self-inventory and a self-check on myself. I love that. And we always, as faith people, need to realize something. We're not always aware when we do stuff that's not right. Right. When you pray for forgiveness about anything, you said both known and unknown sin. Yes. Because you can offend somebody and not even realize it.

SPEAKER_02 46:10

Yeah. And you answer the question without the question even asked. But I'm gonna ask the question for all you guys that are like, okay, is forgiveness possible when trust has been broken?

SPEAKER_00 46:23

You have to understand something. You giving forgiving somebody ain't about them, it's for you. Come on, guys. You're not, you're not, I ain't giving, I ain't forgiving Miss Mary because uh Miss Mary. I'm forgiving Miss Mary for myself. I want to be free from all weights and luggage. Wow. Because if you notice something, when somebody's really on your spirit and you ain't forgiving them, guess who controlling you? It's no longer you.

SPEAKER_02 46:51

That's it's true.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

They are.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

That's it's true.

SPEAKER_00 46:53

They got every living moment you got. They on your mind, they're on your spirit. You can't eat because you're thinking about them, you can't sleep because you're tossing it, turning over. You don't want to give nobody that kind of control influence in your life. You want to say, Lord, please forgive them and forgive me in Jesus' name and keep moving. Just keep moving. Whop on, forget all about it.

SPEAKER_02 47:12

Ooh. This is hey, I hope none of this is going over your guys' head because listen, you need this. You guys need this. You know, a lot of people struggle with, you know, what that looks like. And then even understanding the path to move forward, like knowing someone I've hurt them. And and maybe they say the word, you know, I forgive you. After hearing what you're saying, for a lot of individuals, you know, they they say they don't want to see that person no more, but then they still seeing that person.

SPEAKER_00 47:52

What else would you say to them? You just have to keep saying it till you get it. Yeah. That's it. It's time. You don't help y'all now. Yeah. Like I just told you, I turned seven this Saturday, God willing. Yes. I ain't getting where I am overnight. Right. I didn't have this 70 years ago. Right. Or 69 years ago, whatever you want to put it. The point is, though, you grow into these things, but you grow in it by practice. You keep doing it till you get it.

SPEAKER_02 48:21

I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 48:22

It's one of the biggest things I ain't women, you know, I love my sisters. I do. God knows I do. When I say sisters, I ain't just talking about church women. I'm talking about all women.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 48:32

But boy, they got this thing with women, other women who either jealous or envious and all this stuff. They hate this, they hate that. You know, it just run them up the wall or something.

SPEAKER_03 48:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:44

But I tell them this. You can't let your, like I said a minute ago, you can't let nobody absorb all your time. If you don't forgive nobody and move on from it, you ain't gonna never be free. It'll be you. You're giving this person all this power over you when you do that.

SPEAKER_01 49:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

Just let it go. Right. And I tell them this too. This is the most part what I was going with. This is there's two things you don't have to pay for. Right. Well, there's more than two, like four of them altogether. But I'm gonna talk about two that we're talking about right now in the text. Yeah. Jealousy and envy feels like hate to all the person that is targeted at. Right. Wow. And you don't have to buy none of that. Yeah. You just being you. Yeah. You ain't done nothing, but these women get caught up in that thing, boy. They go to war with it, boy. I'm telling you. I said, let that mess go. You can't stop, you can't do nothing about nobody that's jealous or envious of you. Right. Right. They just looking at you and they got this attitude. Yeah. You ain't did nothing, you just being you. Yeah. But that's what we do, and that's the hardest thing to get some women to get. Oh, man. I mean, I don't care. I mean the same story, the same conversation over and over and over. I'll be saying, Lord, please help me with this. Because they ain't getting it. Right. They get upset. But please understand.

SPEAKER_03 50:08

Oh, man.

SPEAKER_00 50:09

If this lady or this guy, a men go through this too. Yes. If a man or a woman is jealous or envious of you, it feels like they hate you.

SPEAKER_01 50:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

They don't hate you. Right. They don't hate you. Yeah. They just jealous or envious of you. Yeah. They're not you. Right. Wow. And you're giving them power over you because you feel like they hate you, and you're going around getting this attitude and saying things you know you shouldn't be saying. Right, right. And and all this stuff that you need to let go. Let it go. It'll be alright.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

Listen, guys, and we're in the final segment here of the show. And I know, I know you guys want more. And we we would love to give you guys more. But listen, listen. We got you guys. We got you guys. More will come. And listen, if it the man is great, we will bring Lee back. So he can he can feed you guys some more. But going out, Lee, with with this, you feel right now there is a communication gap between generations? Oh man.

SPEAKER_00 51:23

You know, I used to, I was a kid once. That's right, I was. Yeah. And I remember how I used to feel about older people, but I wasn't like kids today. I really wanted to sit around old people and listen and learn from them. And that's what I did. I learned a lot from the old guys. I mean, they will share whatever you want to hear from them. They'll give it all to you. It's just free of charge. But these kids today, in my church, I make them, we got the mothers are trying to walk out the church. They're running over them to get out before they they don't wait to let the mothers out. Right. They don't wait to let their own mama out. I make them stop. I make them go back in the church. I make them stand there and wait on everybody to come out. Then that's okay. Now you come. You respect your elders. You don't run over them. Right, right. And they walk by you, don't speak in the mornings. They come in there. I make them go right back out to church, come back in and speak to everybody in line. I make them do it. They see me now, they do it. But I mean, they know what I'm gonna do. Wow. If they don't.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:20

The kids today has too much I need a I wanna. Right. It's not like it was when we were kids. Yeah. Definitely not like it was when I was a kid. Right. We didn't get those choices.

SPEAKER_01 52:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:31

Whatever your mother fixed for dinner, that's what you ate. Right, right. And if you didn't eat that, guess what? You had to wait till the next day to get something else. Because you weren't going to her refrigerator once she closed down that kitchen. That's the way it was in our house. Yeah. And that's the way I grew up, and that's the way my kids grew up with me. You ain't, I ain't give you no choice. Now, when they like when they did good in school, they get the report card that they're good grade, they get to go wherever they want to go for dinner.

SPEAKER_03 52:55

Right.

SPEAKER_00 52:55

Even if it's just a pizza place or whatever they wanted, that's what they got.

SPEAKER_03 52:59

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 53:00

And but regularly, oh no, I ain't asking me what you're gonna eat, what your mama put on this table and be happy. And um, but these days, my grandson, oh my god. Yeah. We have it out all the time, because I can't believe, oh, I don't eat that. What do you mean you don't eat that? If you ain't gonna eat that, you won't eat nothing else. Not in my house. You guys hear that. That was wrong with them. They get that, they get to pick and choose whatever thing they want, then they don't want to work.

SPEAKER_03 53:27

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:28

You say work, yeah. Man, this like cousin them out or something. What do you mean? Go in there and take that garbage out there and put it in trash. Now they don't buck with me now. They don't buck, they don't buck at me. Yeah but boy, everybody else, yeah, they catch it. Let me walk in the house. Wow. Boy, you hear the best thing coming.

SPEAKER_02 53:46

Best kids, best grandkids, always. So, you know, as we close out, Lee, we normally let the guests do a light little close-out prayer. So we're gonna have Lee bless you guys real quick. We're gonna close out with a quick priority.

SPEAKER_00 54:03

My Heavenly Father, we want to first of all say thank you. Thank you for this opportunity to come together and share and fellowship one to another. Lord, we ask you to bless the hearts, minds, and souls of each and every one that is within our voice. Yes. Lord, we ask you that you elevate them to a level of understanding. Open up their eyes that they may see, ears that they may hear, and their mind that they may receive that which you desire them to receive. Yes. Father, bless Brother Bunton.

SPEAKER_04 54:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 54:34

You're already gonna turn them around, Lord. You know, help them out with this physical thing and you're bringing them back full force. And Lord, we thank you for that. Yes, Lord. Lord, we ask you to give each and every one the strength of courage to be able to have a conversation with you.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 54:48

For whatever need or place they may be. And bless this day for all. In Christ Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 54:57

Woo! That was beautiful, guys. There you have it. I want to thank you guys for joining us for another episode of Gospel Unfiltered. A special thanks to this week's guest, Elder Lee Ford. Appreciate you, sir, for sharing. This is so cool. You guys got a lot of nuggets. You guys are welcome. And listen, remember, guys, your story matters, your testimony has power, and God is still working even in the chapters you do not understand. So I just want you guys follow, subscribe, like, share, all of what you guys do, support the show. I appreciate you guys. So until our next episode, where we have another decorative guest right here, gospel and filter. That was beautiful. Thank you.