The Food for Thought Faithcast with Be Rob
Check out the Food for Thought Faithcast! It’s hosted by Be Rob, who’s got 50 years of experience under their belt. They have an open and honest conversation about a wide range of topics. With Be Rob as the host, there’s no limit to what they can explore. Real Conversations with real people.
www.theberob.com
The Food for Thought Faithcast with Be Rob
Ep.27-How a Car Dealership Became a Beacon of Faith
I’ve got some exciting news to share! There’s a revival happening in our country that’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s an incredible time to be alive, and I believe that nothing can stop what God has in store for this nation and its people. God’s people!
Are you looking to elevate your work life with deeper purpose? In our latest episode of the Food for Thought podcast, we explore the incredible stories of faith and transformation that occur in a local car dealership. Join us as host B-Rob shares insights on how a simple shift toward marketplace ministry can not only revolutionize the workplace but also change the lives of those served.
Delve into the impactful visit of NWA World Champion wrestler Nikita Koloff, which sparked conversations around integrating faith and work. Listen to testimonials from customers who found more than just vehicles—their stories reveal how a faith-based approach made them feel at home in the dealership, trusting the staff to provide genuine care.
This episode also tackles the often-taboo topic of finances and tithing. Learn how prioritizing God in our financial commitments can reshape our views on giving and receiving blessings. With enlightening discussions surrounding the necessity of surrendering control over our financial decisions to a higher power, you'll find encouragement to test your own faith.
As we weave through stories of community and teamwork, discover how building a family-like atmosphere rooted in faith leads to richer engagements—both inside and outside the workplace. With practical takeaways for soulful living at work, we invite you to reflect on how your own faith can shine and influence your environment.
This podcast episode is an invitation not just to listen but to engage spiritually in all facets of your life. Subscribe today and join a community that thrives on authenticity and heartfelt connections!
Hey guys, it's B-Rob, it's the Food for Thought podcast, it's Monday, march 3rd, and it's Motivational Monday, and today was a great day, this in my life, and, um, I just want to tell you I think, uh, I know a revival. When I see a revival and this is absolutely happening right now, at this point in this time, and it's a great time to be alive and um, I uh went to work today car business? Not, not really, but I'm selling cars.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Little used car lot and sales meeting Motivational Monday. I want you guys to hear it firsthand Crescent Automotive, drivecrescentcom, brian Johnson and Jamie Johnson. It's their ministry and it just so happened that the NWA world champion, nikita Koloff, the Russian Nightmare Nightmare, came in today along with Brian and Jamie's pastor, christian, who is from Romania, and it would is. I've never seen anything in my 26 years. You call it 27. I call it 27. You call it 26, whatever you want to call it, but it's been a long time and I've worked for a lot of dealers, but I have never seen anything like this in my life. So I want you to witness what I witnessed and give God the glory today, because it's a great day.
Speaker 4:And here we go, guys, what a blessing to have him in town this weekend. He put on a man up steak dinner last night. I counted about 125 people.
Speaker 5:My count was pretty close. I never focus on numbers. I don't want to be evangelastic.
Speaker 4:Evangelastic. We know somebody that'll do that. I started to shout his name out, but we're honored to have him this morning. Our new employees that don't know him. This is something that happens every few months. He just comes in. Be wrong, I'm getting you in.
Speaker 6:I'm getting you in. Emily he just comes in when he's in town now stand still.
Speaker 5:He visits oh, I miss you hi. Good morning, he needs hi. Sorry, I don't mean to keep you in a row it's just an honor to have him here.
Speaker 4:He's a big part of our business. I want you guys to know he prays for this business, if not daily, weekly. I know that because he'll call and tell me that he's always an encouragement to me. He's my spiritual mentor. He was my superhero growing up and now he's my spiritual mentor. He was my superhero growing up and now he's my spiritual hero in real life and not many people can say they get that experience. But I have it and I want to share it with y'all as much as I can.
Speaker 4:All the knowledge that he has and the encouragement we talk about Bibles in a glove box. Y'all don't know that story. He's the reason. He's the reason. It's not me, it's not Jamie Guilty as charged. He put the guilt on us until we did it. I think Christian can put guilt on you. This man can really put it on you. He's the reason. He wanted me to see this thing as a marketplace ministry. He asked me several times what see this thing as a marketplace ministry? You know? He asked me several times what are you doing for the kingdom? I said I'm giving good deals, I solve problems fairly, I treat people good, I give my employees a lot of time off. He said I hear you, but what are you doing for the kingdom? And he just kept on about that. And guys, James, share one thing before he starts I want you to talk about the people that B-Rod delivered, that told you why they bought a car here.
Speaker 6:We had a lady. Brian spent all day with a couple, all day Making them comfortable, cutting up, just having fun, getting them a car they were comfortable with. And when they finally came in to do their financing, my spiel is always how did you hear about us? Did you drop by? Are you from here? And she said well, several of the ladies that I go to church with have bought vehicles here. She said so. They urged me to check you out. I was like well, that's great. She said well, that's not why I said okay. She said she had been shopping all over town and in the area CSRA. She had been shopping all over town and in the area CSRA and she said but the night before she came in, she said I went on your Facebook page and saw that you earned an award for your faith in your business.
Speaker 6:She said and that was really touching to me, not only because of what it- was she said but I was asking for a sign from God to show me and give me comfort, to come in and tell me that was the right person to go see. She said a lot of people blow smoke, so to speak. She said I just felt very relaxed and very taken care of from start to finish when I got here.
Speaker 3:She said but that was the reason I came in here.
Speaker 6:She said I saw that you were a faith-based business and it meant everything to me. Said, but that was the reason I came in here. She said I saw that you were a faith-based business and it meant everything to me. And she has the tears I mean I cried when I heard that you know no, that's it.
Speaker 5:That's amazing. Let me just clarify for the record. You know that I didn't lay a guilt trip on about the bible from the good vibes. I just simply offered him an idea and then months later followed up and said did you ever move on that idea? To which he then said no, we haven't, but we're going to now. We're getting now. That was more, that's all.
Speaker 4:So this Frank came. Nikita introduced us to Frank. I had never met Frank. He put us together and Frank, as you all know, does these awards. I think he's done 14 of them from his ministry and Sylvester Stallone got one, leon Sanders got one, tulsi Gabbard just got one, and I don't take this lightly. I mean to me it's a big, big deal. Thanks for modeling Christ in all you do. Your marketplace ministry inspires us all. You both are the best Honored to be your friends. Romans 8.28, hashtag drive crescent. I never expected to sell a car directly from that, but, guys, we did.
Speaker 4:And what that tells us is people are watching us. They are looking for something different. They do want to deal with faith-based ministries, people that solve their problems through faith. Hopefully, what we do here rubs off. I mean, this is a hand-picked team by y'all. Y'all understand that Nobody was here when we started this business. Nobody was forced to be transferred here. Everybody here was handpicked, okay, and the last two people that were in interviews with me, you didn't know us right. What was the first thing we told you about working here? What was the?
Speaker 6:first thing, your business is based off the faith of God, or something like that, absolutely.
Speaker 4:And I said we don't want that to bother you if you're uncomfortable with that, but you need to know that before you come to work here. Same thing with B-Rock.
Speaker 1:We wouldn't be together right now if it weren't for God, absolutely. I'll tell you that, for free, that's all God.
Speaker 4:I gave him a courtesy interview for a different position only because his resume. I recognize some of the people on it and it's kind of unspoken rule in the car business and you see those names. You give courtesy interviews. Okay, he was never getting the job. Five minutes before the interview, tell me what the devil said to you.
Speaker 1:He said you too old man, you done what you washed up, you know you retire from this business one time and you're too old to do anybody's social media or internet, even though I've been running my own company for four years. But I clicked on the button anyway and I was like all right Johnson, because he used to sell cars to Dick Smith, the first job I ever had in the car business In the 90s.
Speaker 6:Well, that same couple that I was talking about. After she shared that with us, brian said hey, I've been in the car business for a long time and I got out of it. He said there's a lot of dealerships that won't even let you have a Bible of your own on your desk much less do what we do. And it wasn't being braggadocious at all, it was just representing. Right, I think, if we step out in faith and represent ourselves the way God wants us to represent ourselves, we just won't.
Speaker 1:It's that story of Jesus walking on the water.
Speaker 6:But that meant a lot to us for her to say that.
Speaker 5:Jesus walking on the water.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's that story that was his sermon.
Speaker 1:Sunday. That's the story. I mean you have to take a leap of faith.
Speaker 4:You have to believe that was his sermon Sunday. That was his sermon Sunday and you know why Peter started slipping in the water. Because he took his eyes off the Lord. Right right, he got scared. He watched the surroundings around him. Anyway, it won't take nothing else away from Nick, but we're so appreciative of you being here, that's easy to do in today's world too, to lose focus, especially with all the distractions and everything. Excuse me, no jump in. That's how we are.
Speaker 2:I was walking down the street five minutes ago and he just happened to pick me up and bring me here.
Speaker 4:I didn't realize that it happens all the time. Well, hey, you know what?
Speaker 3:I was walking down the street five minutes ago and he just happened to pick me up and bring me here. I didn't realize that that's great.
Speaker 4:It happens all the time.
Speaker 2:Well, hey, you know what? We believe that because we've seen that happen, you shared it last night.
Speaker 5:It actually beat over a hundred from my truck, so you saw it.
Speaker 3:You picked me from the truck? Yeah, but anyhow, y'all use the resources you have too.
Speaker 4:But anyhow, y'all use. Use the resources you have to. You be proud that not only can there be a Bible on your desk, but there's a Bible on the car. Be proud of that. If that's pride, be proud of that. Okay, it's not about us, it's about the kingdom. And be glad that you can. You can display God's word. Take it over. I appreciate it.
Speaker 5:I had the opportunity to talk about that at the dinner last night, about lies of the enemy and identifying the lie and then replacing it with God's truth. It has been a fun weekend. It's not over yet either. I've got one more engagement to go tonight in Hartsville, south Carolina. So another man up dinner there. So Saturday night about 175 over at Ward, south Carolina. At the dinner there. He said around 125 last night. I don't know how many will be there tonight. Yesterday morning yeah, yesterday morning, and here with you this morning. It's just an honor to be here with you guys. You know, I was just praying earlier. I'm like what should I share? And the Lord has had me part. Really kind of a new message for the new year. Did you mention the Super Bowl? So it's kind of interesting because the foundation I lay has to do with the Super Bowl and who the trophy is named after Other than him. Who knows who the trophy is named after? Lombardi Lombardi trophy.
Speaker 5:What's crazy about that story? Lombardi is one of only two coaches to ever have a three-peat. Now, in this last Super Bowl, there was a coach hoping to enter into that rare air by the name of Andy Reid. Of course, fly, eagles, fly. We know the outcome of this last game, right, but what's interesting? So Lombardi gets the trophy named after him. He won three and the irony is the only other coach who's ever done that is actually connected to Green Bay. In fact, their stadium, to test his knowledge, the stadium is named, do you know? Lambeau Field. So the only other coach is a guy by the name of Curly Lambeau, who then the field was named after.
Speaker 5:So, anyway, all that to say, lombardi brings all these professional athletes on the first day of camp and he holds up a football. And you know these guys have been playing what 15, 20 years, I mean, if you add up their high school, college, pro what? And he goes man. Pro what? And he goes man. This is a football. In my mind. I'm like thinking, if I was there I'd be like hello, coach. I know it's a football, but he says this is a football and he says we're going to run this football, we're going to block and we're going to tackle the basics. Right, he just went with the basics and, of course, history speaks for itself in his success. How does that apply this morning? Well, there's some basics that the Lord has given me and he said, you know, focus right, because we can't get lost in shiny objects very easily Lots of shiny objects out there. And he said focus on these basics and emphasize these basics to others. And it just starts with putting God in first place, giving God first place, just giving God first place, just giving God first place. And of course, you know, in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 3, it talks about you shall have no other gods before me. And there's lots of shiny objects and or things that we have and can place before him and, in some cases, not even realize we're doing that. And then he gave me an acronym for that word first, and so I'm just gonna just briefly just to share it with you and you can kind of evaluate your own life and see how it lines up with with the acronym and the acronym for first. So F I R S, and.
Speaker 5:And I start out with and these are pretty major areas for our lives when we look at what it is we do. And I start out with the most popular one first, and that's something called finances, because everybody loves to talk about their money, right, wink, wink, right there. You know, it's like people like, hey, stay out of my wallet, leave my money alone. You know, don't talk to me about money. But you know, one of the things he's taught me and helped me overcome and some of you don't know my story, but part of the backstory is we had to figure out from now on, the new folks. I'm not from russia, even though I'm the russian nightmare. I'm not from russia. That was just an image character I portrayed.
Speaker 5:I hail from the great state of Minnesota and from the projects in Minneapolis and in the projects, youngest of four, raised by a single mom, became by default a welfare child, and so I remember all the food stamps and special programs and lunch tickets and how embarrassing all that was. And when I gave my life to the Lord, 17 October 1993, about 11 months after I leave that wacky world of pro wrestling, the Lord began to needed to teach me about finances and the importance of finances, but how to be a good steward of finances. And he had to help me overcome what I would call and it took a while to do it what I would call a poverty mentality, because of the welfare and things you know. Look, we all look back in our youth and probably our younger days, and things, maybe even subconsciously, we don't even realize how it helped, led to how we even think about things today, starting with finances, right. And so I had to really overcome this spirit of poverty, this poverty mentality, and really learn what it meant to be one, a good steward of finances, but then also to give back to his kingdom, as he talked about giving to his kingdom.
Speaker 5:You know, in the Bible, in the Old Testament, new Testament, I relate that word, tithing, which some people are not familiar with but some people don't want to hear about that 10%, the first fruits, giving it back to, bringing it into the storehouse which is your local church and supporting your local church. That that's just a given now, for me it's not negotiable, it's not debatable. For me it's just, I understand the principle and for those I've had some come to me, I literally have had some come to me I can't afford to tell them like, well then you don't understand the principle, you really don't, because I've learned to live, guy, I can't afford to tie them like well, then you don't understand the principle. You really don't, because I've learned to live. I can live better off 90 than 100. It's just the math. On paper maybe doesn't even work, but in god's kingdom it does, and so that's just a given for me. I I just start right there. And then the bible talks about ties and offerings, and for those some churches don't even teach that there's a difference between the two, or don't even. They just don't even talk about it. And I'm like but there is a difference.
Speaker 5:For me, the tithe is just the way I view. It is my deposit, that's my deposit into my spiritual bank account that Jesus oversees. He's the overseer of my tithing account and then he in turn provides me with all my needs as I'm faithful to give my local church, the storehouse, my tithe. Now, what they do with it, that's between them and God. God's looking at my heart right. And then the offerings is above and beyond the tithe. So I'm like, if you really want to raise the bar and really step out there and really trust God in providing, and so for me that goes from addition to multiplication, so as I'm letting the Lord start giving to other ministries. That's where I see the Lord really multiply my finances and then, as he sees he can trust me with my money, that he gives me even more so that I have more to even sow and to give to others. So there's like seven different ministries, roughly, I think.
Speaker 5:Currently I've got missionary friends over in Asia. They've been over there for about 25 years in the Philippines and all over Asia, and so I'm like, yeah, I'm going to support that monthly, you know. And I've got a friend in Eastern Europe, in Bosnia. Him and his wife are missionaries there in Bosnia. Well, there's only 400 Christians in the entire country. You're probably familiar with that, I'm sure 400 out of the entire country. Hopefully there's more than that in this county, but that's in the country, right. And then the wife has a life pregnancy center and so they've saved many babies over there from being aborted over there, which is challenging in and of itself in a mostly Muslim country, right. And so you know, I sold to that.
Speaker 5:I got a friend named Akiva Cohen who lives in Galilee, and what he does is he takes young Messianic Jews, young men and women who've given their life to Jesus, jews who recognize Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and then he trains them up as evangelists to evangelize other Jews, and so I've been a big supporter of him for about 15 or so years. And I just again I go back to scripture. God said if you bless Israel, you'll be blessed. If you curse Israel, you'll be cursed. I'm like I think I like the land on the side of blessing in that picture.
Speaker 5:You know, I've got an old college buddy who plays football. He coached for 39 years. Now he's with the FCA, lives up in Minneapolis. Now I'm like man, I'm going to support him monthly. And up in Charlotte there's an organization called literally Love Life and they set up churches as what they call house of refuge. So when pregnant women come in they're not given the scarlet letter, they're actually embraced and loved on and encouraged to have that baby, even if they want to give it up for adoption. And my pastor, a couple years ago at age 60, rode a bicycle, not a motorcycle, a bicycle from the West Coast all the way to Charleston, south Carolina.
Speaker 4:We had him here. He shared that testimony. He came here. Jay Stewart, yeah, you guys sold the car recently. Everybody drives Crescent. We have him here. He shared that testimony. Jay Stewart, yeah, you guys sold car bodies. Everybody drives Crescent. We have his book. We gave his book somewhere.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and like 3,200 miles on a bicycle and raised a million dollars for Love Life. And then one other, real quick, is called GLOW and it's an acronym for Go Love Others. Well, and they have a ministry. They have a camp up in Kannapolis, north Carolina, but they also take care of babushkas. You know that word, babushka. They take care of the widows and the orphans and the grandmas over in Eastern Europe.
Speaker 5:So just one of the ways the Lord has stretched me is what I'm saying, the area of finances. And then he took me to 2 Corinthians 9. He says but I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one of you give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And this is now, here's a promise, and that God is able to make all grace abound towards you and that you will have all sufficiency in all things and an abundance for every good work. And I'm like man, I'm all over that. What verses was that? Huh, that was 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 9, it says 6 through 8. And I'm like, wow, I want to err on the side of bountifully. So you know it's pretty clear You're going to sow sparingly, well then you're going to reap sparingly. You're going to sow bountifully, well then you'll reap bountifully. That's not always in the area of money, just so we clarify. You know, we kind of equate it to that. But that could be in many areas man, your health, I mean, your friendships, your family. There's lots of ways you can bountifully, god can bountifully supply, because he says in all things with all sufficiency. And so that's one of the areas in the sacrament. First is finances. You know, pretty important to Jesus 11 out of 39 parables he talked about money. Money must have been important. You, important to Jesus 11 out of 39 parables he talked about money. Money must have been important. That's one example. I could probably find 40 more examples in Scripture that talks about highlights, money.
Speaker 5:Interest is the I Interest Interest. You wonder what's interest? Give God first place in your interest by making him your. Let's go back to primary focus. Primary focus, and what I mean by that is when you think about your goals, your plans, your pursuits, your desires, even your dreams. The challenge is for us to give those to him right If we're going to put him in first place in all these areas of our life. Let's submit our interests. What our interests are, what are my goals, what are my dreams, what are my plans? What are my dreams, what are my plans, what are my pursuits, what are my desires? Let me submit them to him and allow him to lead and guide and direct me in all of my interests.
Speaker 5:In Colossians, over in Colossians, just share with you a scripture, real quick, 323 and 24. It says this let me get there. 23 and 24, whatever you do, whatever you do, okay, so you guys are all in the marketplace. You're here selling cars. Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, not to man. A lot of times we get hung up. You know, we think about Brian Jay. Well, they're the owners. You know I'm working for them. No, technically, you're really working for the Lord. He's just through them supplying your needs. They're just the conduit of how you receive your needs through them. But if you work in what you do here as a heartly unto the Lord, then the Lord will honor that and bless that and, of course, bless them, bless you, and the whole business as a whole will be blessed, especially if everybody's on the same page and approaches with the same heart and the same attitude.
Speaker 1:Right, that was one of the things I did notice. Brian said co-worker, not employees. My co-workers are not employees. Good.
Speaker 5:I used to same thing so interests, art, relationships, you know, giving God first place in all of our relationships. Mark, chapter 12, you know they came to him and tested him and said hey, what's the most important commandment? You know, very familiar passage, and they're testing him, right, of course. He says you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. This is the first commandment putting God first in all of our relationships, starting with our relationship with him. Right, so have no other gods before me, put me first before anything else. Now I'd like to say this If you're married here, if you have a spouse, you have a family, your friends will have, or should have, an enormous, have, enormous security, knowing that they're in second place and Jesus is in first place. I assure you, if you have your priorities in line and he's in first place, I assure you, if you have your priorities in line and he's in first place, every other relation, whether it's coworkers or family members or that spouse, will be the benefactor of you having that him as your first love and all that, then that will spill out over everyone else around you.
Speaker 5:So, relationships the S in our acronym is schedule and that's scheduling time with God, hopefully, before anything else. For many people, it works best in the first part of the day. Jesus actually illustrated this Now in the morning. Having risen a long time before daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place and there he prayed. Now, that's challenging, like I'm typically not getting up way before daylight personally, and if I do, I'm typically trying to fall back asleep. I don't always fall back asleep, but I'm going to try. Presley spent the night with you, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, I'll be up all night, right, but he illustrated the illustration for me.
Speaker 5:There is is if I do that in the first part of the day or earlier in the day, and it's not even set on.
Speaker 5:Okay, you've got to commit an hour every day to prayer and read your Bible and stuff. You figure that out. That's between you and the Lord. But I mean five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, whatever that time is, regardless of when or how long you have quiet time. Just be sure to set time aside, and I encourage people before your schedule fills up, right Before it fills up. And then, last but not least, the T might surprise you, but the T in our acronym is troubles, troubles. The T might surprise you, but the T in our acronym is troubles, troubles in this life.
Speaker 5:Jesus said we're going to have. There's a scripture he shared in John 1633. He said these things have spoken to you that in me you may have peace in this world. You'll have tribulation, you're going to have trouble. Be a good cheer, I've overcome the world. And so sometimes I guess we're surprised when stuff happens, right, you know, when we fall into trouble or just stuff happens and we're like, but Jesus said, hey, you're going to have trouble. And so what? I encourage people, when trouble does come, go to him first. We're talking about putting it in him first. Don't panic, pray, talk to him about it right away.
Speaker 5:Make prayer your first choice and not your last resort, which a lot of people sometimes seem to do. They've tried everything else, they've exhausted every other option, like, well, maybe I'll pray a lot, let me pray about it. I'm like, no, I'll make that a first priority, right? Maybe I'll pray about it, let me pray about it. I'm like, no, I'll make that a first priority, right? So this acronym of FIRST finances, interests, relationships, schedule and trouble. So I just challenge, I've been challenging people. I'm like, man, are you a good steward of your finances? And if you're transparent and honest with yourself and say no, I probably need to be a better steward of my finances, well, I encourage you to make some changes, whatever that looks like.
Speaker 5:Or maybe just poor use of your time, you're just not a good steward of your time. And evaluate your time and go, man, are my priorities in line when it comes to my time? Am I spending my time wisely? And then, of course, just putting him first and making sure you've established that relationship with him so every other relationship around you, you know, can benefit from that. So that's it, brian. It just uh. Lord, I just thank you for the opportunities to share this morning. Lord, just uh, lay out this acronym as you've given it to me and, lord, just give it all of us a chance, on a day-to-day basis, to evaluate where we're at in these major areas of our life and just, we find we're out of alignment or our priorities are out of whack. Lord that you will help us, show us and help us get them either back into alignment or just get them in alignment so we can honor you and build your kingdom. And, lord, just be the most effective in the time we have here on this earth. In Jesus' name, amen, amen.
Speaker 4:Can I say something about finance and tithing? I know the secret to tithing. I know the hack you can do to make it work. It took me a long time to figure it out, because Jamie and I were given but we weren't tithed. And there is a difference.
Speaker 4:The word give, the word tithe are different, and a lot of people we've counseled, people that struggle financially in this business employees, family members, church members that look up to us and think we've got it made. We don't. I promise you, income may be more, but the bills are more. I promise you, if y'all knew what our mortgage was, you'd pass out. Okay, but here's the difference when we gave, we gave when it was convenient, when it felt good, when we had it. That's what giving is. Tithing is just. Like he said, I'd rather live off 90% than 100%. Here's the hack, here's the way to do it.
Speaker 4:Okay, yesterday was March the 2nd when I woke up and I've said to you this before, on the first of the month. I have a godly wife. She wakes up before I wake up. I wake up early, but she wakes up before I do. She and Julia start texting when I wake up on the first of the month on the kitchen table or yesterday morning it was on the bed stand Our tithe check is written. It's the first check we write First fruits, that's what it says. It says the first fruits of all your income, and so shall your vats be overflowing with new wine.
Speaker 5:People ask me. Let me just tag real quick on that. People say should I tie them on my gross or on my net? How do you want to get blessed your gross or your net? If I have a simple answer you want them to bless your net or bless your gross. You figure it out from there.
Speaker 4:But you know that's between you and.
Speaker 5:God, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4:Nobody's an accountant. But if you want to get in the habit of tithing you and I have had this conversation Because I'm going to be honest with you, all of you here make a good living. All of you make a good living you should be able to afford, put money in savings after what you all make. Raise your hand if you disagree with me. Now, do we mismanage our money, sometimes Absolutely? When you make that the first check, you don't feel it. What I mean is God provides it. Here's where it's a problem. When you pay all the bills and do all the expenses and you do all this, oh, what can we tithe Guys? That's backwards, that's backwards. I'm not going to worry about those other bills.
Speaker 3:And I got them.
Speaker 2:Amy have we got them.
Speaker 4:Yes, sir, okay, I got more bills than anybody in this building, right here. I promise you, we have more bills. We have more bills. The first check is written. I don't miss it. When I say feel it, I mean it's not a problem, the rest of the bills take care of themselves.
Speaker 5:And if I'm going to, be delinquent on something.
Speaker 4:It ain't going to be on God. If I'm going to be behind, it ain't going to be with God. He'll make it. He says it in Malachi, as I prove you now by paying you the tithe tenth, you're opening the windows of heaven for me and pouring out a blessing, there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Speaker 4:Now, do you believe the Bible, yes or no? That's in the Bible, so that's either true or false. But how does it start? As I prove you now by paying you the time, you're opening the windows of heaven.
Speaker 5:And he says it's the one area you can test him in this. He'll test us in plenty of areas.
Speaker 4:The only time God says prove me, that's it prove me in this, test me in this. So I encourage y'all to do that. If you're not doing it and I don't care if you start with 10%, that's between you and God come up with a number. Let that be the first check you write. See the difference. Test him. Prove God, I guarantee you to do. Let that be the first check you write. See the difference. Test him.
Speaker 5:Prove God, I'm geared to you to do it. Watch what happens.
Speaker 2:If I can jump on the coattail of that, brian. Yes, sir, when I got in 2006, when I got out of the Army, I was overseas and I came home and I just had my second child. I got three now, had my second child, I got back into construction, which is what I did when I got out of the Marines previously. Thank you for your service, appreciate it. Anyway, my wife and I were discussing that and she was talking about tithing and we were talking about, as you said, first fruits, so we needed to tithe, so we tithed. Well, we were behind, as many veterans do when they first get out on something, and we prayed about it. We said we're gonna tithe anyway. I don't care about them people, they get theirs.
Speaker 2:Lord gets his first, like you said, lo and behold, an old insurance company that we had years ago had sent us a check that we overpaid them years ago, and it was the exact amount we needed to imagine that, and if stories, what?
Speaker 3:a coincidence?
Speaker 1:We don't believe in this.
Speaker 4:You've got to put yourself in that position.
Speaker 2:She grabbed it in the mail and looked at me and I looked at her and I said there are no coincidences.
Speaker 1:No, it's mathematical possibilities On my time in testimony some of y'all know it.
Speaker 4:You know, we were rebuilding a life, rebuilding a life, rebuilding a business, a business that I had lost and had to rebuild from scratch, and a life I had destroyed and had to rebuild from scratch. And Jamie and I were together doing it and we decided, yeah, we're going to do it right this time. And we were giving. Every month, we gave and I had a revelation. I had a vision. I had a vision, you know it was the vision of the track and Steve Raymond running on it, the guy that calls here all the time in the sales meeting and wants to make sure we're all making money and this and that. And I'm running on this track. And I saw him in dead traffic in Atlanta middle of the day hot Thought I was having a stroke. I literally did all this to check and see and like heads up display. I saw the high school track at Aiken High running and I was on it and he was on it and I was looking down at it with God and all I saw is he was so far ahead of me I'd never catch him. That's what I saw, okay, and I looked at God and said, okay, that makes pretty good sense. He's a hundred million million ahead of me in life. What are you trying to kick me when I'm down or what? What are you trying to prove? And I heard, just like I heard Nikita's voice. You don't. You're missing. You don't see what I'm showing? Look at the track. There's no finish line. So me and him are running a race in an old track. He's worth $100 million. I ain't worth nothing and I'm chasing him and I'm working 18, 20 hours a day. It's right here, I get it here and it goes right back to here. I'm not drowning, but I can barely breathe. On the outside everybody says oh man, brian's got it going on. He's got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you work 20, you can get it going on. I promise you. If you want to sell your soul out, do that. I look at that track. There's no finish line. He says you're both running a race. You're never going to win the next two and a half hours on home. It was a donor road by 20. I remember it like yesterday.
Speaker 4:I pray, I weep, I cry. I say God, what are you trying to tell me? I walk in the house. I told her exactly what happened. I said do you believe me? She said yes, I believe you. What does it mean? I said I'm not sure.
Speaker 4:I said but I've got two things out of it. One we're going to start tithing X amount of dollars a month. She said when you said we already tithe? I said no, we don't, we give. She said okay, how are we going to do it? I said I'm not sure, but we're going to do it.
Speaker 4:That was about 17 years ago, 18 years ago, and I can tell you this right now I've never knocked on ever. Okay, I said there's one more thing, honey. She said what's that? It gets to your time, your management. I said the kids are in school. They get out at 2.30. One gets out at 2.50. One gets out at 3 o'clock. I said when it comes time I pick them up, I'm going home. He said okay, you're going to leave the house by yourself. I said no, I'm going to stay with them. I'm going to make sure their I'm going to coach the ball. I'm going to go to every event they have. I'm not going to miss anything from this point forward. Nothing, not a scrimmage, not a rehearsal, not anything am I going to miss? She said, let me get this straight. You want to start tithing X amount of dollars a month and you want to go home every day at 2.30.
Speaker 5:Give more work less.
Speaker 4:I said what did I say, honey?
Speaker 5:That's exactly what I'm telling you, I want to do that's awesome, you know what?
Speaker 4:happened. God opened doors. He put people working for me that weren't working for me. That began to create income. I became a delegator. At that point I wasn't a delegator, bill. You remember those days when the cars were packed down there and I was wholesale? I'd make appointments at 9 o'clock in the morning and 9 o'clock at night, would I not? And it was just like this. And on the outside it looked like my God. They got it going on. On the inside we couldn't breathe. She started writing that tithe check every single month, the first check for the amount of money I told her to, and we've increased it every single year since then. I ain't going to tell you everything's perfect, because it's not, but I'm going to tell you I don't ever feel that amount of money at all. I've never had a month where, whatever I tithe, I was short that amount of money, the math works God's into addition and multiplication, the enemy's into subtraction.
Speaker 5:So if you want your finances, you know you want air on the side of addition and multiplication, then I encourage you.
Speaker 4:All friends he's talking about like I give to his ministry. I give to Frank's ministry. I do it several ways. The offerings he's talking about, like I give to his ministry. I give to Frank's ministry. I do it several ways. Sometimes it's a check, sometimes it's servicing his car, taking care of things, sometimes it's putting him up in a hotel room whenever he comes to town. Those are my offerings. That's what I do. We put him up this weekend. He didn't ask me to. That's our ministry. He knows better than to ask. All he does is say Ham will be in town here or there. That's a way we can give to the kingdom so he's not pulling out to stay at Motel 6, somewhere you know, because it's been a tight month. Okay, I don't want him to have that. I didn't mean to interrupt you. That's what offerings are Over and above.
Speaker 4:You give to your physical church. If you ain't got one, I'll help you find one. I'll tell you a good one to write the check to. I give Bill respect. Years ago, when we were going to Crown, you'd give me money every week and you said I don't go to church. That's what you told me, didn't you? But I want to tithe and you gave me money every single week and I put an envelope for you and I stuck it in there every single week. He said he was so convicted about the physical church I was going to, and it's real easy right now to forget the physical church. What's the key, to start with, it's how they handle that money, because you can complain about anything in the thing.
Speaker 4:I'm church chairman of a church chairman of a church. I'm chairman of church council of a church that gave more to the pest control place last year than we did to missions, and I'm ashamed of that. Okay, I can't physically fix that by myself. Is it on my heart? It is, but you know what? Am I going to cut my tithes back because of that? No, I'm not. No, I'm not. And I'm going to let God deal with the people that allotted more money for pest control than they did for missions. And he's already started doing it, has he not Christian?
Speaker 1:Well, this is church right here, two or more gathering his name.
Speaker 4:Creed, I just wanted you to jump in here. I know you're busy, but just hang on.
Speaker 3:So I have a testimony and a part of it to share. So my testimony that God just spoke to me to share with you is last year about this time in March, I knew that God will end my time in Romania. Because I was working in Romania, I was having a work with orphanage and I had a work with another refugee school Ukrainian refugees and I did all of that for years. From the beginning of the war I was involved in receiving refugees and then I was thinking, okay, I will go to another place and then I don't have to be involved in other things here locally. But in March last year it came to me very obvious that there is a sector, a special sector of people that are never helped, and this sector were mothers, refugee mothers with children with handicap. So they are tied to their childcare and they cannot work.
Speaker 3:Many people are complaining about the Ukrainians and say you know it's a lot of hate, you know for them. Because they say you know they have a very, very low image in most of the countries, because they say, oh, they have these troubles going on, why they come to us. So the Lord put on my heart to have 17 single mothers, together with my wife, that have children Now all together they are 75. To care about their needs monthly. And I started to do that and then I said, well, I will about to go. Who will take care of this ministry if?
Speaker 3:I'm going Because I know we will start to discuss about my departure. And then the Lord told me don't stop here. You need to do something more, and that something more was you need to preach the gospel to this group of people, but you need to connect them with some missionaries so they will plant a church. I need you to help me plant a church for the refugees. This is what was the word of God for me. It's the first refugee church in the entire region of Romania and I was praying okay, well, what to do?
Speaker 2:I have no money, I have. You know, I was relying on outside funds.
Speaker 3:My salary was very low, you know. I didn't, you know, have much and I was thinking how to do that and I was already taking care of more than 70 people, and then 70 more added to that, and then to start a church. It's impossible because I don't own a business or things like that, but God owns me, so I know who I belong to. So then we started the program and these ladies came with their kids and then I found two missionary families that they were refugees. One was Russian, a Russian missionary who, after the war started, decided to stay in Ukraine and help in the war zone and give their life, you know, on the front lines for defending the Ukrainians. A Russian. And this Russian man planted four or five churches in Ukraine, in Crimea, and he ended as a refugee in our country. Now, because he's Russian, he's not received back in Ukraine and he was kicked out from Ukraine because they said you are Russian, hang out, brother you want to hang out, this is your kind of talk.
Speaker 4:right here it is, it is, I hear you and I appreciate it.
Speaker 6:But I got another appointment Y'all talking about the Lord.
Speaker 4:Hey, I want to talk a friend of mine too, nikita Koloff, world champion wrestler. You remember him, I know you do.
Speaker 2:How you doing, sir, Nice to meet you man.
Speaker 5:I'm talking to you. He's a drive wrestler. If I had time I really would stay Next time.
Speaker 2:We've got an appointment.
Speaker 5:Thank you, sir.
Speaker 3:He's a good people.
Speaker 5:So the Russian. The Russian said what do I tell him?
Speaker 3:So and he received a ban from the Russian government to go back ever. So he he was slain between Ukraine and Romania. He's caught up in Romania Now. This guy is a preacher and he has a doctorate in theology and he's a very humble man and he had no source of life, no source of family, and the Lord told me to take care of his family. Now, I didn't have enough source, so I start. Before I left Romania, I found myself, you know, having about $2,000 left in the ministry. It was unnamed ministry money and I gave it to one of the families and I said, before I leave, I leave this money with you and it should last this till February next year, and then we will figure out. And till February. So now it's March.
Speaker 3:So what they did? They planted a new church. People are coming to Christ, they got baptized, the Ukrainians, the Russian pastor now he's a pastor, he leads a Ukrainian refugee church. And I told him he said how, how will I live? Because he, he needed the rent, the place to stay. And I said the Lord will provide. So I succeeded, by God's help. So I give my tithes and offerings and beyond to that situation and I also give to India, to another missionary and also to Kenya. But I do this with know my son. So my wife had
Speaker 3:a surgery and we don't know how to figure out to pay the bill. But you know, but God knows. But the idea is I did this out of faith so I succeeded to find him a place to rent and pay for that rent. And then he asked me what about March? And he relies on me. These two families, the kids, are doing missionary work every day. They work with teenagers Ukrainian teenagers are prone to drug abuse, to many things, and they are bringing them and teach them life skills every day in my mission center. And nobody wanted to invest in that center and there are some costs and nobody I spoke with many people, nobody wanted to help and I was like sharing, and nobody had in their heart to say, hey, I want to have this church.
Speaker 3:The name of the church is House of Life, refugee church in Transylvania, romania, and this church is doing two works. One is working with teenagers that are, you know, they are prompted to go and steal from cars because they are living in poverty, or they come to this place called Ascend, it's called Ascend Center, and they are ascending to know the Lord. They're just growing the Lord and now there's a movement that is going on there and I don't know how this will go from now on, because it's March. That's the burden.
Speaker 3:I carry this with me every night and I pray and I stop. Every morning I wake up and say what will happen next. But the Lord told me today to release that burden. Please pray for me, because I should stop and say you know, I'm in the United States, I can do something else, but the Lord doesn't let me. You know, I just my heart is breaking for these mothers with handicapped children and to see them coming to church, to see them receive real hope and they receive food and help. It's amazing, you know, I cannot stop doing that. So just pray for me.
Speaker 5:That's incredible.
Speaker 4:You know what's really cool about that? You go to that time frame. This time last year you were over that orphanage. Okay, you never heard of us. We never heard of you. What happened this Christmas with that orphanage? Yes, yes, this company raised over $5,000 in sin His orphanage. How many kids? 20 plus.
Speaker 3:Altogether about like 35 maybe Counting the adults, the adults. And the other teenagers, some of the babushkas.
Speaker 1:Some of the babushkas.
Speaker 5:I guess I would just say you know, on paper the math doesn't work most of the time. Like you're, like how?
Speaker 6:Wait what how? It doesn't work most of the time.
Speaker 5:You're like how, wait, what, how? It doesn't work most of the time. But that's where the but God comes in. You know, in our finite minds you're like this doesn't work on paper, the math just doesn't work. That's where you just got to trust God, put your faith in Him and just honor the principles, honor Him and honor the principles. Honor him and honor the principles and he'll work out the details from there. So, hey guys, a friend of mine, bill and David, that's right, we've got a little buddy with him there. Who's our little buddy? Evan, nice, nice, all right. He's a longtime friend, supporter, builds a man camp alumni yes, I am. And a big supporter. He runs our Facebook alumni page. So he puts a lot of money, big money job. That's right.
Speaker 4:I've got enough females now. I could send the male staff to a man camp this year and probably hold things down. There you go what you think. Well, bill, would your phone go off if we've been all the way up here?
Speaker 5:I actually probably would what's funny is I get guys all the time like the guys have a guy. I met him at a business meeting. I'm telling him about the camp. He's like do guys volunteer just to come and serve? I go, they do I go. However, in order to qualify on staff, you have to actually attend it first so you can experience for yourself and then, when you come back, you better appreciate what you went through and how to best serve those others who are coming.
