Aubry Butters | The Sons & Daughters | Episode 43

In this episode, Aubry Butters talks about life on and off the field - from softball and bowling to Aubry’s heart for inviting people to church.

Aubry shares what it’s like to witness to others within the public school system and how her faith shapes the way she approaches everyday conversations.

She also tells the powerful story of how she first came to Christ through the influence of two classmates in her middle school class.

#ForHeavensSakePodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

If it wasn't for Greenway Middle School, if I didn't go there, I wouldn't have gotten saved because there were two people in my class. I remember them. They were like my best friends growing up. I don't want to talk to them now, but I hope they've been so it was a boy and a girl. The boy was talking about how he got saved by Jesus. And the girl talked, and it was like, yeah, I did too. And I'm like, wait, what are y'all talking about? Like, I didn't know. I mean, I love Jesus, I did, but I didn't know what people say. And then they told me about it, and that little thing for me was public school. It was that boy saying, I got saved by Jesus. And that girl agreed with him. And just that little thing made my mind realize, like, what am I doing? Like, I need to get closer with Jesus.

unknown 0:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Welcome back to For Heaven's Sake. We are still in our Sons and Daughters series, and I have a very special guest with me today. Her name is Miss Aubrey Butters. She is so cute, too. And she is very special. We'll get into her in a minute. But before we get started, I was just gonna ask her before we started rolling, and then I was like, let's save it for the cameras. What are some of your favorite things?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

So some of my favorite things are to go bowling, do softball, reading my Bible, and I just got a new hobby. It's bedazzling. Like I love to bedazzle. Wow. Yes, that's so cool. I bedazzled at least three things and I've had it for like four or five days.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

So the favorite things question came from I actually had a Galantine's Day party not too long ago. And one of the rules, somebody, the host that put it on, I won't say her name, but Jenny Morgan, she invited me to a Galantine's Day event at her house, and she had one rule. She was like, Y'all don't have to bring anything, you don't have to do anything except for six of your favorite things. Okay. Well, apparently she said one of your favorite things and by six of them. So I bought six things instead of I bought six individual items instead of six of the same item. So people were showing up with like six scrub daddies, six lotions, and I brought a six Starbucks gift card. What a jewel that gave us free coffee. I brought, I bought garlic bread, chapstick, one garlic bread, one chapstick, one candy bar, one bag of chips, one Walmart Moo Moo, and I just let them fight over it and a notebook and I let them decide which one they were because I didn't follow the rules. I know. I I love Walmart Moo Moo's. I have almost all of them. They're very special and near and dear to my heart. Jenny asked me yesterday, um, do you wear that around the campground? Because I don't know if you know, I live in a camper right now. We live on a campground, and I was like, Do I? Like, that's all I wear around the campground. That's all they see me in is my Walmart moo moo and my slides, and I just walk around and do the things. But back to your favorite things. You are a very good softball player. Thank you. Tell us about softball.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

So, softball has definitely been the only thing that I have done for my whole life. I will say I've done it since the age of three or four. I played t-ball to start with, moved up to softball, and then I started playing travel ball whenever I was about ten years old, I would say. And I started catching. Absolutely fell in love with it. I was always told I was too small to be a catcher because I will be honest, I was the size of a toothpick.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Your sisters are very small, too.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Yeah, I was probably smaller than them, honestly. Yeah. And I just had a love for the game. I don't know where it came from. My parents say it was because my brother played baseball, and that's where I developed it. And it's just always been something a part of me, and anytime anybody asks me anything, or like I would just say, like, people know me through softball. I'm committed to go to college, and it's just always been a part of who I am, and I like just want to stay a part of it because it is the one thing that has stayed by my side through everything I've ever been through, and I feel like God has given me that gift to go and spread the word of Him because believe it or not, there's so many girls out there that will sit there and pray for you even whenever like you just hurt them by accident. Like, I've had one girl, it was for my summer team, it was during summer. We had like a big conflict with the other team because they some of the girls on their other team would just not stop being rude and stuff, and one of the girls from that team came over and she was like, Can I pray for y'all? Because I just felt like the Lord put it on my heart because we were rude to y'all, and I feel like we I should just pray for y'all. And we were all like, Yes, of course. Like to me, softball, I feel like people take it in a different route than what the Lord meant it to be. To me, it was meant to spread his word for me personally, it's meant for me to go spread his word with the younger generation, and I've really been trying to follow that and not just be like, I'll probably do it tomorrow. Like, I've really and truly been trying to express his word to the younger girls because the team that we have right now for school ball is a bunch of like eighth and seventh graders, and I want them to know, like, hey, this is just not a sport, it's about using your gift to glorify God.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

And that is one of the things. Well, first of all, I want you to know that God absolutely told me to ask you. There are some times when I just know people are gonna be great at this, and I'm gonna ask them because I know they're gonna be great at this, and I mean it's all God ordained, but you are somebody that God laid on my heart and told me to ask. And one of the things going through my little list of things that I do know about you is that and and in past episodes we've talked about gifts and our talents and our abilities and how we use that for the kingdom, but you truly are very good at doing that. I don't know if you know that, um, but you you genuinely are very good at witnessing. Do you know that you are good at that?

SPEAKER_00 7:04

I've never been told that.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

People like I I like people know that you're a Christian. Do you know that people know that you're a Christian? Like that is that's square one to witness in. And that is a powerful testimony when you are associated with Christ without people asking. And people come to church with you, which is amazing. In this world that we're today, it is few and far between where we actually see especially a young person, but really anybody bringing people to the house, which is what we're supposed to be doing, but you not only do it, but you do it very well. So I want you to give the adults a tip and a trick on how you do it.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

I just for some of my friends, they'll sit there and say no, but I always, always, always ask them, hey, like, church is open, would you love to come with me? Like, I would love for you to be there. I don't ever force anybody to come with me. And I always make it a point to tell them I love them and that the Lord loves them too more than I do. I always try to make it a point for them to know that, and I'll always make it a point like, hey, like Oak Park Church is like the best church that I have ever been to, and I would say I grew up in church from the ages since I was born until about five years old, and then we stopped going because we were Baptist at first. We went to a Baptist church, and my parents just didn't feel the connection anymore, so we left. And I will be honest, softball took like all of our attention away from it for a while, and then I went to Oak Park church one Wednesday night and loved it. And I told my mom, I was like, Mom, we really need to go, like, I think this is gonna be a good thing for us. So we did. We went to Oak Park, we fell in love, and we joined the church. Like, and me personally, I was like, I was one of the people that like I didn't understand how some girls would just skip softball and go to church. I was like, what? Like, I don't know, because the sport back then was my life, like that was who I was, and then in middle school, I remember this, like it's like it was yesterday. I was sitting in art class in the front of the room just doing my work, and the boy behind me has said, Hey, softball girl. Softball season didn't even start. I don't know how he knew I played softball, and I just like then it clicked. I was like, I don't want to be known as that. I I really don't want to be known as the softball girl. Like, I enjoyed it, and I knew people knew I was good. And I don't know, after that, I was just like, I don't like that sound, I didn't like that, and I knew right then and there I need a a change in my life. I was like, something else has got to happen. And then I got offered to go to Mobile Christian, and I feel like then I was like, okay, maybe I can make something of this, you know? In Bible class, I was the one that always like I couldn't like tell you what a verse was. I genuinely had no idea. And I knew what the chapters were, and I knew like most of the Bible. I knew Jesus went and died on the cross for me and my sins, and I knew all that. But for me it was very hard to find my identity. And I will say it was two years ago when I wenever I was baptized in April, is whenever I fully found my identity. I will say after my sophomore year of high school, I truly found out who I was, and I was like, I don't want to be known as the girl that played softball. I want to be known as the girl who took people to church, I want to be known as the girl who helped that person. I want to be known as the girl who loves Jesus. And my Bible teacher said that she even told me, she said that I have like increased my relationship with Jesus, and she can just tell by the way like I smile, I make it a point to smile to everybody because you never know what anybody's going through. Sometimes all they need is a good smile.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

So I think it's really cool the way that you said that and laid that out because that is how I know you. Like I do see you as I'm like, gosh, she is a on fire. Like you bring people to the church, you love those people that you bring to the church like like a pastor. Like, really honestly, there's something very pastoral about you. You care about shepherding people, and that's all that word pastor means. You care about watching people go from not knowing Jesus to knowing Jesus to having a relationship with Jesus to being a strong believer. You care about every single step of your friend's process and knowing Christ and the fact that you're 17 years old and that I can look at you and point that out. I don't know how if you know how like really rare that is and special that is. You have something so special about you, it is so refreshing to, and I know I'm not that much older than you, but like all the the generations above, like literally, you're one of the people that I look to to go, like, we're gonna be fine, we're gonna be okay. This generation has Aubrey Brothers in it, like it's going to turn out fine, and all of Aubrey Butter Butter's little disciples that you're pouring into, like you're a disciple maker, you're an all-star. And I also know that you play softball. So, but one of the things I did want to like touch on is that in today's world, and sometimes rightfully so, not always, but we do look at sports as like taken away from the church, like you shouldn't be choosing any you really, I mean, shouldn't choose ever anything over God, okay? But you really are very you very well use it as a tool to get people to the church house in a world where we do choose to be distracted by activities in general, but sport, since that's what we're talking about, like we often want to pick other things over, but you're not picking it over, you are genuinely using it as a tool to bring people to the body of Christ so that you know him. And I just want you to know that I see that, and I think that you're so special, you are really special and cool, and you softball is not the only thing you play. Recently, you've taken up another sport, right? I have. You want to tell us a little bit about that sport?

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Bowling, yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Honestly, which you also play with your Christian friends, Ainsley, yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

I love her. She was one of the ones I brought to church. Believe it or not, she was so nervous to come. Not kind of my business to tell, but it's okay. I love her. She was nervous to come at first, and I was like, dude, just come with me. You'll be fine.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

But now not only her, her family comes and her servants.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

And she got baptized not long after me. I truly was so proud of her, and just watching her grow into Christ, like, it's just making me so happy because she's also doing the same thing I'm doing, like, and everybody sees it. Like, her light shines so bright too, and I'm so proud of her. But we really connected through bowling, I feel like, and I feel like that's why the Lord wanted me to play that sport too. But I was in Spanish class and I got called out of class to the office. I was like, oh no, what did I do? Because I'm one of them ones that's like, What did I do? I like I didn't do anything wrong. And the bowling coach just held up the jersey and was like, Hey, do you like this jersey? I was like, Yeah, it's pink, it's cute. She was like, Okay, well, you're on the bowling team. I said, Wait, huh? But I learned to love it, and uh last year we brought our Bibles and we sat down and we talked about Jesus, and then we went into the hallway and just played cards with everyone, and it's been such a sweet time, and it took my mind off of like so much stress about softball because softball don't get me wrong, like I still stress, I'm not perfect. Excuse me, and like I don't know, it was just like a good like thing to do, and it was just new, and I needed something new in my life.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

So are you good at it? I am so I was in I was in a bowling league when I was about 19 or 20 years old, and my bowling league's name, our group, was um 99 problems. That's what we called it, because they couldn't get me to bowl over a hundred. I was so bad. And like literally like 11 games in a row, I had like 98, 99, and I just could not bowl over a hundred. Wow. Not a good bowler.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

My highest is 174. Wow. Ansley's is like 200 and something of it.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

I would never get a one. Yeah, didn't she post on Facebook? Like almost 300. Yeah, yeah. It was like Caleb was like, um, Caleb, this girl literally almost bowl to 300. I'm a loser. I'm like, yeah, well, no, you're not a loser, but they they got it going on.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

They're athletics. See, she won hand bowls, like we curved the ball. Like, our ball will start on this side of the lane and just go that way. I two hand bowl, like I use both my hands to bowl. It's like it's so much there's so much science behind it. It's weird, and I'm like, I would not expect that in bowling. Like, I just went up there and rolled the ball and hope it knocked a pen down on me.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

That's definitely all I did. I just threw it and hoped for the best.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

That's what a lot of girls do, but it's just so fun, and it it was new, it was definitely new.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

And it's just another tool that you're using, and it really is. It's so cool. And you know, you talked about how you know you got called to the office or whatever. Which, if it was me, I would have been crying before I got there. Uh, there's nothing more intimidating to me than an office. I cannot, I cannot stand having to go into anybody's office. It scares me to death. I don't I have no idea why. I don't know what it is, but offices freak me out. So, but you said you got to the office and you lifted up she lifted it up. Like she lifted up the and asked if you want to be in it, and like you weren't seeking that out. But I think some of these doors that are opening up for you are opening up because you are faithful in what you do, and God is giving you more and more avenues to reach people through fun things that you like, and that's just so neat. And I cannot wait to see where you're gonna be in like 20 years and what gifts like you're gonna I can you're you may rule the world, Aubrey. I'm not even playing, like I'm a big fan. I would vote for you, okay? Go run, whatever you want. Like you really are, you're so genuine, you're so pure, you're so kind, and you're so special, and you're doing wonderful things, and I really just wanted you to come and speak, like, because you are such a light to the world in general, but this generation. And one question I wanted to ask you was like, what is it like is it because it's been I've been out of school for 10 years now, but um is would you say that because you're good at it, so it makes me want to assume that it's easy, but what do you think is easy about witnessing within your school? Because you've both been private and public now. Is it easier to witness where you are versus where you were, or so public school, honestly?

SPEAKER_00 19:56

If it wasn't for Grand Bay Middle School, if I didn't go there, I wouldn't have got saved because there was two people in my class. I remember them, they were like my best friends growing up. I don't talk to them now, but I hope they're doing good for themselves. It was a boy and a girl. The boy was sitting there talking about how he got saved by Jesus, and the girl chimed in and was like, Yeah, I did too. I'm like, wait, what are y'all talking about? Like, I didn't know. I mean, I loved Jesus, I did, but I didn't know what being saved was. And then they told me about it, and I was scared I was gonna go to hell. Genuinely scared. I was like, Oh my gosh, like I'm not saved.

SPEAKER_01 20:38

Uh-huh. But but that is really I've I've not talked to anybody, at least recently, that like really chose to follow Jesus inside the public school system. Like students with and do you think maybe that's part of the reason why you witness the way that you do inside the school system so hard?

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Yes, like there's so many Christians out in public schools, and I feel like people don't realize that. Like, they sit there and bash all them. I'm like, no, there's no reason to do that. There's so many Christian leaders in them public schools, like sure. I'm a bryant, like some a lot of them kids come to Oak Park Church and sweetest people ever, and people I grew up with sit there and pray every day, and it's like watching them do that. I'm like, y'all need to like be going out and inviting people to church. Like, I don't know if it's just me that does that, but I'm like, go invite them. Like, it doesn't hurt to ask a simple question. And private school, I will say it's way more open to be like a Christian. I don't know if public school kids just like fear because like it is a lot of people. My graduating class is like 50 something, and theirs is like 300. Yeah, is a big difference. So, I mean, I would be nervous too, but it wouldn't stop me. At private school. I will say, like, it truly has opened my eyes to the Bible. Like, we have men at my school, like, how do I explain it? They like can just sit there and say a verse in like the back of their hand. I'm like, how can you do like I that's what I'm trying to learn? Like, I want to be able to know the Bible. I want to be able to tell the person, all right, pull up this verse, this is what it says. Like, that's what I want to know how to do. And I feel like if I didn't go to my private school, I wouldn't have learned all of that. I truly wouldn't have grown my faith if it wasn't for mobile Christian. Like, they do such a great job at helping people grow their faith. If like you would just pay attention, you know. I don't know if it's just because of who I am, but I truly pay attention. Like, I want to know Jesus, I want to know everything he did, and I want to strive to be like him every single day. And to like softball being a tool, my dad tells me that so many times. I'm swear it's embedded in my head at this point. He's told he's told me so many times softball is a tool and you need to use it. And so I've put it to everything. Like he told me it's a tool to get to college, it's a tool to open your business. Because if you didn't do softball, how would you know how to work hard? How would you know, okay, I have to do this in order to get good at this? Like, I need these drills to get better at my hitting, I need these drills to get better at my fielding, my catching, everything. I mean, there's so many little things that go into it. I feel like a lot of people don't see. And that little thing for me was public school. It was that boy saying, I got saved by Jesus, and that girl agreeing with him. And just that little thing made my mind realize like, what am I doing? Like, I need to get closer with Jesus. And I I was too scared to actually say something to my dad, so I wrote it on a piece of paper, and I gave it to him. And the next day I got saved driving to softball practice. My uncle led me through the prayer over the phone, and I was saved by Jesus Christ right then and there. And then I didn't find my identity in him until my sophomore year of high school. And truly, like, I feel like if it wasn't for softball, I wouldn't have had all these doors open for me. I wouldn't have everything that I have right now. Like, my favorite verse that I got put on my arm, Ephesians 6, 11 through 13 says, put on the full armor of God and evil shall not stand against you. Obviously, that's not the whole thing, but it's just the gist. And being a catcher, like that verse really hit home for me because I put on like armor, I guess you would say. And that verse has truly stuck with me my whole life because I know if I wear the blood of Jesus Christ, what can stand against me? Absolutely nothing, because I have Jesus living in me and he is right beside me at all times, and I truly believe that. And I feel like that's just what a lot of Christians struggle with in this day and age is trusting him and just waiting for him. I even struggle with that too. I'm be honest. I really do. I struggle to just sit there and wait and trust him, but I know it's all for his glory and all for his plan. Like everything I do, I want to honor him. I don't want to be known as the girl that like was mean to you or any of that. Like, no, like, yes, I've had conflicts with people. Everybody has. I mean, you've had an argument with someone, I'm sure. And if you said that you didn't, then you're lying. And I will be honest, I've had conflicts with people. I have, I've argued with people, and I've was the bigger person, and I went up to them and apologized and was like, hey, I'm sorry, that was a spur of the moment type of thing. I'm so sorry, like, and I just hope you confide it in yourself to forgive me. And after that, we're all good. Because I feel like that's what a lot of people don't do is take like responsibility for the things they did wrong. And I feel like I will be the first person to tell you, like, I'm sorry, because I know that's what Jesus wants me to do. Like, like one time he literally told me he was like, Go up to them and apologize because they're not gonna go up to and apologize to you, and you need to say you're sorry. So I did, and I just try to obey him as much as I can. Like the podcast, whenever I tell you, I was so scared to come up here and speak. I was like, Do I really want to go? But I don't want to disobey God.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

So And you know, most things like even in my adult life, there are things that you're saying that I can't tell you get a better. It's still always hard to wait. It's always hard to listen. Not always, but most of the time hard to listen. And um, it's hard to be obedient, and there's a lot of things in my life, especially when it comes to like w sometimes God's just gonna ask you to do things that are bigger than you. Most of the time he's gonna ask you to do things that are bigger than you, and we do have to lean into his strength for it. There are a lot of things in my life that I've said like verbatim, I I would absolutely hate to do that. But in the same sense, like I would absolutely hate not to do that when it comes to even like witnessing, like oh, I don't necessarily want to be in a weird situation where I'm telling somebody about Jesus that doesn't want to hear it, but also I can't imagine not doing it. Like the outcome of not doing it makes me sick. Like the doing the podcast, I'm not gonna lie, the first like whole season and even still sometimes. There I do not want to do it, but I also don't not want to do it. Like I'm always, and that's that wrestle between flesh and like divine, like you constantly are wrestling with your flesh says no, but God's saying, like, do this, but also you do, you have to lean into his strength, he's calling you to higher things, and that's not something we could do on his own on our own, and that's how he gets the glory. And so, I mean, when it comes to some of the stuff you're saying, unfortunately, some of the stuff never gets easier, but um you just have to know that he's with you, and he is with you. I see him, and he's with us all, but his hand is on you, he is working through you in an incredible way. And I don't want to like beat a dead horse if the answer's the same, it's okay. But like you've spoken about several encounters with Christ that you had. One of those encounters was like in school where those two kids said they were saved and you wanted to know like what that was about. Like that was Christ talking to you in that, like, hey, you hear like there you can have that too. The thing is, all Christians should want and strive to invite people to church, but not all of them do. So was there a s separate encounter where you were like, I've got to bring people to church with me? Or was it something that came with your salvation? Like you're like, I'm saved and I want everybody else to be saved too.

SPEAKER_00 29:51

Really and truly, I feel like it just came natural for me to ask someone like, Hey, do you want to go to church with me tonight? Because I mean it's fun, like I love it. And if it's something I love, I'm gonna invite someone to it. If I didn't love it, then I was bound to love it either way, so there's no saying if I didn't love it. I mean, I love it and I was gonna love it either way.

SPEAKER_01 30:14

Like the whole saying, like, church is better with friends. Like it's true. Like you wanna bring your friends and bring those people. I mean it's such special. And like you truly do you're ever the more and more you talk, I'm just like reminded of like the woman at the well who ran into town. Like the moment she met Jesus, she was like, I gotta tell y'all about this guy. Come see. Like, you are like you really are and are still, and the fact that it's not worn off, and like you're telling the story from middle school, and like you have kept this fire for like come and see, come and meet this man named Jesus. Come and see this guy, and like knowing that you have that burn and that fuel. I really I just I want more than anything, I'll everything you said. I wanted you to come on, I wanted you to speak, I wanted you to tell, but like also really I just wanted you to say everything you said to inspire those that are not doing it because we've gotten lazy. Christians today have gotten lazy, and it's it's sad. You we should we should all if we all had what you had, we would have to sell Oak Park and go to another place, like we wouldn't fit, like and I just you get me fired up, and I wanted you to fire them up, and yeah, I think you did. Did they fire did she fire you up, Brandon? She fired you up, you should you fired them up. So if do you have anything else you want to say before we leave, or maybe if you want to s kind of challenge people to invite people to church?

SPEAKER_00 31:56

Or I definitely challenge everyone to ask someone to church. I mean, even if they say no, ask them the next week, be like, hey, the offer's still open. Let them know the offer is always on the table because I mean Jesus didn't give up on me, so why should I give up on someone else?

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

I mean, there's no reason for me to say I'm not gonna invite them to church. Like, no. To me, that's just like crazy talk. Like, you always, always, always should ask somebody. Like, even if it's someone new that you just met, ask them, like, hey, do you go to the church? And if you don't, you should come with me, because it's nice. Like, whenever you said you see the light in me, like that just reminded me of all the girls in my Bible class, like at my school. We have encouragement projects where we have our name on a paper, and everybody writes something sweet about that person on that paper. I know I wasn't supposed to read it, but I did. I was like, I'm so impatient, I need to work on it. But I read it and it honestly made me tear up because just hearing everybody say that they see the light of Christ in me, like even them girls at my school that I don't even talk to some of them. Like, I'll always smile at them though. Like, I will smile at anybody, it does not matter if I like you or not. But I try to love everybody like they're my neighbor and like they're like Jesus. I try to love everybody. It's hard, don't get me wrong, but just seeing that all them girls say that they see the light of Christ in me, and it just makes me feel like I'm doing something right, and so I think that's what keeps me striving to be that person that everybody needs. Like everybody needs someone to sit there and invite them to church, and really and truly, I mean, like you said, we don't have a lot of people that do that anymore, but that was just something in me that like just came naturally because I remember how excited I was whenever I got saved and whenever I got baptized, like I was so excited, and I guess that just made me want to keep inviting people to church and never stop being who I am, and like even if I got judged for it, it didn't matter what they think because I was always doing it for Jesus and because he did die on the cross for me, and I will forever like it doesn't matter, like I will forever remember him dying on that cross for me because I couldn't have done that. I wouldn't have been able to take the weight of the world and done that. But what I can do for him is invite people to church and just ask a simple question. That's it. That's what we all can do for him is invite people to church and let them know his name. That's the least we could do for him.

unknown 34:50

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

What a powerful challenge and testimony that we've heard from Aubrey today. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Heaven for Heaven's sake, and I can't wait to see you next week.