A Life of Devotion with Dr. Ronnie Floyd: Spiritual depth and devotion for a Christian life.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd served as the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, a multi-campus church in Northwest Arkansas, for over thirty-two years. He was elected Pastor Emeritus of Cross Church upon his call to serve as the President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. Since January 2022, he has been preaching in churches across America, consulting with ministries and organizations, coaching pastors and leaders. In this episode Brad Jurkovich and Dr. Floyd discuss the power of mentoring the next generation, the importance of a deep walk with Christ and making a difference with your life. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hey, welcome to the Brad Jerkovich podcast. Really praying that God's doing some great things in your life today. But I gotta be honest with you, today is just extra special for me on our podcast because I've got my friend and really mentor in ministry, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, with me today. So, Dr. Floyd, thanks for being with me, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

That an absolute joy. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

I love it. You know, you have served at Cross Church of Northwest Arkansas. How many years did you serve there as a senior pastor? Almost 33 years. Wow. It's amazing. It's an incredible ministry in Northwest Arkansas. Great vision. I mean, you you built off a great legacy, and then just God just used you to take it to incredible levels, my friend. So your your passion for ministry and your family, uh, of course, you love football. That's always a good thing. Um, and we're gonna talk about all of that today. But uh really, it's really cool to have you here. Um, and I appreciate how the Lord's using you in these years as well in just a lot of different ways, and we'll unpack that. But I I wanted to be able to share this podcast today, Dr. Floyd, that when I met you, you remember how old I was?

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Nineteen.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I was nineteen, yeah, that's right. And I had just moved from Southern California to Northwest Arkansas.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

I'd never seen that many cows and chickens in my life.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

At that time, it was all there was. That's true.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

No, it's so true. But you but you're not originally from Northwest Arkansas. Where are you originally from?

SPEAKER_01 1:26

I was I was originally from Texas. Yeah. Was raised in Texas, had pastored a little bit while I was in Texas before God called me uh many years ago to Northwest Arkansas.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yeah. So you'd been there uh several years, I think, by the time I got there in '91. Yeah. Because you got there in was it 85? 86. Okay. So you'd been there several years, a church was exploding there in Springdale, Arkansas. And um, you know, I was a young kid, surrendered to ministry, 19 years old, was going to John Brown University, which is about, I don't know, 40 minutes maybe from Springdale.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

And I got to st to serve as an intern with Craig Miller.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

And Craig, you know, just a dear brother. But you mentored Craig, I want to say, right? When he was a teenager.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Yeah. Yeah, I I was Craig's pastor. Yeah. In fact, the first time I went to uh see uh my first day there, I remember meeting Craig. He was so shocked to see me. And um it was a at a football game and he was carrying something he shouldn't have been carrying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, drinking something. Yes. And uh, you know, ended up getting saved and getting called to preach and just an amazing story. Yeah. Uh and God bless him, he's in heaven today.

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Yes, he he is. And you you often would use the word radical for Craig. I mean, he just had a global ministry, really did. And I'm so thankful that he believed in me at 19, hired me, you know, let me serve at the College of Missionary for a couple years, and our mutual friend Brad Graves, you know, you you you invested in Brad, of course. But it really the reason I share some of that is not only did I get to serve there for a couple years, Dr. Floyd, um, but you invested in me and you even introduced me to Stephanie. That's right. I got married in 93 and you did our wedding.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Those were pivotal years for me, man.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

And I I just I think for me, I'm just very thankful that as busy as you were, as busy as you always have been, you took the time to invest in someone like me.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

You know, a kid from California, new to Northwest Arkansas. Um, what does it mean to you to invest in the next generation or mentoring? I think that's a big word you've used over your over your ministry.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Everything.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

You know, people asked me when did I start investing in, you know, the next generation. I said, listen, man, I I've done that 40 years. I mean, I as soon as I moved to Northwest Arkansas, I mean, student ministry became big. I mean, I just I just said we got to change this, it's got to change. We must do this, must do that. And really I've had that commitment all those years and had have had an incredible passion. I mean, even what brings me here today to your city is investing in the next generation of leaders because of what I'm doing here uh at for Louisiana Baptist University and seminary, being their commencement speaker today. Yeah. And that's what moves me to do that.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

And uh I'm always moved. Uh anytime I can invest in it. In fact, I wish I could spend my whole time doing it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Because because God seemingly has anointed and blessed that part of my life, and really cross-church.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

I mean, for many, many years, uh many, many people came through.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

And, you know, the marks of of just loving, investing, spending time with people, as you well know. And um, you know, we we got to laugh together, we got to go through some tough times together, you know. I mean, it it's been a great ride, and I I'm proud of you, love you and Stephanie, and it's exciting to see how God's using you today with your family, and uh praise the Lord, only the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Well, and but I I and I appreciate that. I just I do think um it's important. You have to be intentional to do that.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

And but you look at scripture how God just used those different relationships all throughout the word, and and God honors that. And so, anyway, I just think not only did you invest in my life, obviously you've done that for thousands, but I just think it's really, really important. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on that. Yeah, you've pastored for many years, um, it's changed over the years. Oh, wow, but the calling's never changed. I mean, you know, the the circumstance, the environment, the cultural context, everything changes, but the calling's still the same. Talk to us about being a pastor and just having answering that call, what does that mean? Uh, pastoring, preaching. We talk about that just for a few minutes.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Well, I think the I think the thing that I've come to as I've walked in this in this season of my life over the last four or five years is that ultimately I'm called to preach the gospel. Yeah. I mean, if I am preaching the gospel, everything matters, everything is better. Yeah. Uh when I'm not preaching for whatever reason, you know, I have an open Sunday or I have this or I have that, you know. I mean, it's just different for me. I mean, and I've had to learn that, Brad, because you know, when you're a pastor, you have to learn a lot of things, and you do a lot of things. And I've done pastoring at all levels, thousands of people to a few and all the way to denominational service and other matters I've done. But I'm telling you, it is the preaching of God's word. And I think one of the reasons God has so put that in my heart is my deep commitment for all of these years, really giving God my mornings. Wow. And just giving it to Him. And I still do that. I still get up early, I still give my mornings to God. I am deeply committed to the ministry of preaching and to the ministry of teaching God's Word. And I'm now more convinced of its power than anything else. And calling people to Jesus and calling people to follow God unashamedly, being courageous. I mean, there's just so much happening. We're in a day and time today, there's no middle ground anymore. That's right. And the church has must stand, and we must we must stand on the word of God. And in the spirit of Jesus, of course, not being obnoxious or mean, but in the spirit of Christ, we need to stand on the word and and proclaim the gospel. There's only one way to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in an unashamed manner. And I'm really committed to that.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

I I think the Lord's honor that in your life for sure. Do you do you fear that pastors and preaching today is maybe not as clear and bold as it needs to be? Do you feel like we're just trying to adapt a little more than we should?

SPEAKER_01 8:19

I think there is always the threat of that. It doesn't matter what generation you're in. That's true. Just like it was in my generation of that when I was in younger years, 20, 30s, 40s. But I would say this that the challenge to me is simply this issue, and it's uh it's the issue, Brad, of people calling people to follow Jesus unashamedly.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

I mean, so many churches, um they're not giving time and response time to God, to the messages. Um we would call that in our world the invitation. Yeah. Some call it the altar call. Uh and listen, I'm I'm not legalistic so much that it's got to be this way or that way. Right, for sure. But bless God, if you're gonna preach the word, what do you want the people to do? Come on. I mean, preaching is a decision, and that's what I'm seeing. You uh to answer that question, I'm gonna go back to your original question. To me, one of the one of the one of the biggest changes of preaching, I don't see people preachers preaching for decision. Wow. And that that troubles me greatly. They might do good study, they might do good exegesis, right? They might even inspire you with an application that you know that uh that they give.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

But but application is usually little to what it doesn't need to, what it what it needs to be, and this whole element of now listen, this is what God wants you to do. Right. Yeah. You know, that this is the moment. This is the, as the great Billy Graham would do, this is your moment of decision. That's right. The hour of decision. And for some reason the church has lost that. A lot of the church, not all of it, yeah, but man, we just need to be steady and be faithful in that, regardless of the way people respond. God has called me to sow. He doesn't call me to reap. He reaps. I sow. Right. You know, and the more I sow, the more we reap.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yeah. No, it's that's so good, man. Thank you for speaking to that. One of your foundational um bedrocks of your ministry, Dr. Floyd, has been your time with God, that discipline. You're a disciplined guy. I mean, you could you could coach a professional football team, you've got that prowess, you've got all that. Um, by the way, your great your favorite team is the Cowboys, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:50

That is right.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Do you remember Danny White?

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Greatest quarterback the Cowboys ever had. Wouldn't you agree with that? Or would you say Rodney?

SPEAKER_01 10:56

He's the man in your mind that is the greatest quarterback.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

I love, I love Danny White. Anyway, but look, your your discipline is what I'm saying, though. You know, you could be a coach, you could be a CEO, but God's called you to be a pastor and a preacher of the gospel. But that discipline to meet with God, why is that so vital? Because you wrote you wrote a book, The Power of Prayer and Fasting, right? Or, you know, um how to pray, I think is another one of your resources. Why what has been your journey with that? What is what's the takeaway for guys just listening today, man?

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Well, the story is goes back to my freshman year in college.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Late one night, a friend of mine and I were asked to go and to let this preacher influence my life or answer questions. So late one night, um, and the final question was, he said, Okay, what do y'all want to ask? One final question. And I said, Would you please tell me if I how can I be used of God in the greatest way? I want to do it. And I remember him peering over with those bushy eyebrows and saying to me, Ron, if you will give the first hour of every day to God, there is no telling what God will do with you. And Brad, I was so young, so dumb, so eager, so passionate, so on fire for Christ. I started even in my college years, and all these years, that first part of the morning, not sermon preparation, with God. Today, obviously, a couple hours, two and a half hours, prayer, reading God's word, not looking at anything else. Just re God has nourished it and God's just made the word of God come alive to me. And then, you know, through the years I learned about fasting and really didn't learn a lot about it, just started doing it. And um, you know, God changed my life, I think, ultimately through prayer and fasting. I think that's one of the real keys to how I have been faithful all these years. I've a I'm a chronic um believer in that, and um, and God has done it to shape my life. And you know, it's interesting. Last uh year I had a brand new book come out on the supernatural power of prayer and fasting. And you know, Brad, when I when I did that book, I mean, you know, I mean, I this people will be shocked when I say this, because I've I've written like 26 books, something like that. And and out of all the books I've ever written, I had more interviews, more podcasts, more everything about that book, which when you look in the book market, that that that sliver of market for people that are weird like me is small. But see, America's talking about fasting more than the church is talking about fasting.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

That's a great point, man.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

It's called intermittent fasting. And so I was asked to be on all these things, and I mean it was pretty incredible, yeah, you know, and uh that the book has just exploded. Wow. I mean, and so you know, the point is is not about the book. The point is simply the the the the what God blesses and God honors, and that's what God has chosen at times to impact me dramatically.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Wow. I I I just you can't really short circuit that, can you? No. You really have to pour into it and and make time with it. I I've always appreciated that about your life and testimony for sure. One of the things that you modeled for me early on in my life is as busy as you were, and busy as you could be, want to be, whatever, right, you always made time for Gina.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

And it I I if I recall correctly, you always made sure Fridays were for your time with her.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

That's correct.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

So, how did you carve that out? How did you make sure, even with all the demands, that was just priority? Because your kids are awesome and your family's all again, everybody's got their challenges, but that was special because Gina went through cancer. Yeah, that's right, overcame that.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

You guys have been tested, you've been through some deep waters together. Right. Why was that important for you?

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Well, I had to learn it, Brad, just like many pastors do. And uh, you know, I can remember a stoplight I stopped at. This is before I came to Northeast, Arkansas, and uh I was going home quickly, the boys were like little s little guys. And uh and you know, I was going back to a deacon's meeting that I knew was not gonna be good. Yeah, you know, because I was in one of those kind of churches. Yeah. And uh and you know, Gina was fretting, you know, the kids and you know, you're not home, you know, blah, blah, blah, some and all. And and I remember that day I looked over and I thought, you know, I said, you know, God, I'm gonna stop sacrificing my ministry on the altar of ministry success. And I changed it. So immediately, you know, I'm a systems guy. I created a system, yeah, uh, and where every Friday I took off.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

And um, and that became our day. And it was for all those years until I went to work with the Southern Mavis Convention because Friday was a day that, you know, we we did that. Yeah. And uh they they pretty well, you know, that was part of my job. It's a different kind of job. Right, sure. And so uh so with that, um, boy, all those years we were very faithful. It was rare that we ever missed a Friday. And I I I didn't take engagements because of it. Yep. Um, you know, I mean there was just it. You gotta want it and you gotta prioritize it. And I think that's helped us through the years, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

And um and now we do a little bit more together, right? You know, because I'm not in in that role as a pastor anymore. Uh probably sometimes she wishes I wouldn't be with her all the time. You know, you're good. But we're not, yeah, we're not, we're not good. I mean, we're not always uh, you know, together by any means, because she has a full life and I have a full life. Right. But we probably could use even that that uniting a little bit more uh intentionally now than we were when we were in that mode of, you know, we were always gonna do this. But it changes when your kids leave. Yeah, it changes that the life is about seasons, yeah, and you have you know everything becomes seasonal with that. But you know, if this engagement, for example, today would have been on a Friday, I would have asked myself a different question. Sure. Years ago, I probably would have said no. Right. I might have still said yes, but I would have tried to work, you know, work in that because it's still important to me that we have time.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Well, I and the reason I asked that too is I just think with your with your life and testimony, all the challenges, all the ups and downs, victories, valleys, all of it, longevity, and just how you've you know stayed faithful to the Lord, and you're as fired up today for Christ as you were when you were 19 and 20 and so forth. And I just appreciate that, and I think on the family front, that's just a huge area and issue for all of us. Absolutely. And it's just been nice to see that model, and you and Gina have done that phenomenal, and the boys are incredible, and their own families have modeled that. So I just I just wanted you to touch on that. But sure. One of the things, just before we kind of wrap up today, I just your passion for America and and for America, hearing the gospel and prayer and revival and awakening. I you were um I got to be a part of something, National Day of Prayer and a rally there in the time at um at the Capitol.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

So you you've led in some of those, you know, national efforts. What what's your burden with that and why why is that important? Or what are you praying for for today?

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Well, really, you know, all that burden came on me in 1995. Okay. I felt God gave me a word that one day I will see America experience a mighty spiritual move of God that that will, you know, transcend all denominations, all generations, all ethnicities, all races, and uh, you know, and all people groups all over the all over the country and the world. And you know, I've I've talked about that a lot, I've preached about it a lot. Um I've seen it where I sensed that God was, you know, really on the on the brink of doing some of those matters. I felt like that in the late 1990s. Yes. Um in that in the in the mode of the Promise Keepers movement and beyond. I felt like there was a moment um but we but we didn't step up, you know, as a church. I I felt that there were moments along the way where showers might have come. I feel like we're now in a moment that really encourages me greatly. God is doing some things. Yeah. Uh and some of that has to do with a lot of people being saved, which really is what true awakening is. Yeah. Awakening is not the church going into a worship movement or it's going into a you know into some great moment here or there spiritually. And nothing wrong with that. Right. I'm all for that and want it every day. But but you know, spiritual awakening is when God just begins to to set down in communities and people are saved. Yeah. Things are happening. We're seeing that today, Brad, on collegiate campuses.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Yeah, you really are.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

You know, in a powerful way, and there's not a lot of explanation for it. I mean, uh, even recently I've been in some movements of that where, you know, God just sat down and there there were people that came to be saved. And what's interesting about this versus other moments, it's being expressed through the through the means of baptism. Yeah, sure. You know, and and that is very unique. Um and uh that probably you know bothers a few, but the point is that people are wanting not for salvation, I think that's being made clear by those that are speaking. But the point is for the for they for the means I want to be identified with Jesus in my life. Yeah. You know, and uh and so I'm really encouraged about that. I think there are some good things happening. Yeah, you know, I was the president of National. Day of prayer for two years, and I and when I went to my my ex responsible with the Southern Maps Convention, they asked that I not do anything but that. And you know, I reg I regret deeply ever giving that up.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Yeah, that was because it was such a moment for you, and God really used you there.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

But I really felt, you know, I felt okay, God's calling me, I've got to release that. Um, you know, and and I and I did, and you know, that's in the hands of God. I can't control all that, you know. But but, you know, even when I was president of the Southern Maps Convention, we had two nights on Tuesday nights of both conventions I led. There was thousands of people that participated in a prayer gathering, a prayer experience. So I'm deeply committed to that. And I've gone to churches and denominations and various various settings in leading those efforts. And uh I believe that prayer always precedes every great move of God historically, uh, biblically, and that's going to be true of our day. Yeah, and I do think there is a growing commitment to that.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

I wish that churches would be a little more intentional on prayer. Uh, you know, Jesus says, I want my house to be called a house of prayer for all the nations. Yeah. That's pretty clear. Yeah. You can't get more clear than that. Right. And he said it at a real important time in his life, you know. And um and and once he said it, it should, it should, it should be deep in our hearts. Yeah. And there's all kinds of ways you can make it a house of prayer. Yeah. And I pray that God will do that in churches all across America.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Well, you've led that way, you're leading that way. I I thank God for your ministry and influence and example. Um, it's just been awesome to have you share a little bit today on the on this podcast. And just trust that God continues to just give you great favor um, you know, uh in the years ahead. And thank you for being a friend and um, you know, just somebody to look to and just say, okay, God, that's that's pretty special. And it just it's been a lot to have you here today, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Appreciate you, Brad, and always love you.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah, love you, man. Well, thank you guys for joining us today on this podcast. I hope you've been uh as encouraged as I am. Uh, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, God uses him. Check out several of his resources, his books, his podcast, all of that. Uh, God bless you guys. Pray that God uses you greatly this week.