The Confirmation (Ep. 24)

In this episode, Pastors Luke Evans and Devon Patton talk about the confirmation of when they knew God was calling them to something specific, and how we can recognize that in our own lives.

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:00

What's up? Welcome to the New Life Podcast. We're back with another episode. Ready to go. Ready to go. Fired up today. Fired up. I'm feeling better. So I was sick the last time we recorded. Were you? Right? Oh, yeah. But you didn't cough. He didn't cough during. No, been doing good. Yeah. Been just chugging DayQill and just trying to get over this cover. I heard you're off red meat. I am. I'm off red meat. Really? Yeah, dude. That's what I heard last time. So probably for the last like 12 years I've had stomach issues. Um finally, he finally decided enough for nothing. If we're being honest with each other, all of us. Um and so I am lactose intolerant, love milk, just kind of going for it. So obviously I've been trying to limit that. Correct. Some dairy, but then I was getting like really, really stomach sick. And so like I was off solids for like a couple of weeks. Strictly smoothie guy. Like drinking smoothies all the time, wouldn't really eat. Like if I was eating, it was like chicken and rice. Smoothie King and Brantford, we need a sponsorship. Dude, Smoothie King and Brantford was getting all of my business. Um, and so I was like, you know what? I gotta try something else. And so sure enough, I stopped. Like anytime I'd have steak, anytime I'd eat cheeseburgers, I'd do something like that, like ground, ground beef. I'd be getting sick, like just stomach sick, like throwing up or just sick, right? And so, like, not feeling well, and so sure enough, I tried it, and it's been I felt great, yeah. That's good. And so my wife got this thing. Yeah, big chicken, turkey, big chicken, big chicken nickname, dude, Big Chicken.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

The big chicken. Well, yeah, I just laugh because you call you call size slim chicken. So you're like big chicken.

SPEAKER_05 1:42

He's Slim Chicken, I'm big chicken. That's sick, dude.

SPEAKER_06 1:45

We're getting tattoos. Um, so yeah, I've been I've done it for the last like week and a half, two weeks, and I feel great. That's awesome. I'm glad that you're 100%. But Nicole found out that it's they think it's traced back to tick bites. So she thinks I got bit by a tick. How does that work? Like they they I don't know. Like the red meat is like red meat. There's a red meat allergen that is it's brought on by tick bites. Wow. And so there's been like a ton of new cases this year alone.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

That's what happens when your wife's a nurse.

SPEAKER_06 2:16

Yeah. So she like heard something about it and then did some research, and she was like, all of your symptoms would match whatever this is. And we lived in a very wooded area before we moved to Brantford, so it's like it could have happened at some point.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Yeah, I guess it's like a popular thing right now. Alpha gal syndrome. Dude, alpha. He's a big alpha gal.

SPEAKER_05 2:36

At least I'm not a beta gal, dude. She's the man.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Big alpha gal, dude. Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

That's what I got. Alright, so that's a new thing. Dang, dude. I don't know if I could do that. Rip. No red meat. No red meat. As long as I feel good. I don't red meat that much. Yeah. Oh, dude, I eat ground beef almost every day. I have a burger every solid. Meal prep, it's a good thing, right?

SPEAKER_03 3:05

It's easy. Yeah. Tacos, maybe, but yeah, no.

SPEAKER_06 3:07

But I'll just have chicken.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

I'm a big chicken guy.

SPEAKER_06 3:09

Big substitute for the chicken. Grilled chicken? Grilled chicken. Is that your preferred crispy chicken? Grilled. Yeah. Because I also don't, I'm not really huge on like fried foods either. But no, yeah, you're a picture of health. It's not about health. It's about how it tastes.

SPEAKER_03 3:28

You don't you said you're not a big fried food guy?

SPEAKER_06 3:31

Yeah, I don't like French fries. I don't like Yeah, you never finish. I would hash fries. I'd rather have like grilled, so I don't like hash fries.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

Does love a good buffalo chicken wrap, though.

SPEAKER_06 3:40

I mean, it's okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

Or a grilled uh grilled chicken Caesar wrap now. Oh, dude. Now we're talking. Yeah. Getting fired up. Well, that's interesting. Well, I'm glad that you're feeling 100%. So I'm feeling good. I'm feeling horrible. UConn lost last night.

SPEAKER_06 3:55

We don't want to talk about that though. I've been really depressed. I called that.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

I've been really depressed.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

No, you called that they'd lose to Illinois, and I have that on record on my phone. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Well, and we also have it on record on the podcast. Yeah. True. But Michigan, I knew Michigan was going to win the whole time. You mean the refs anyway. Yeah, that was. I hate saying that. No, because it makes you sound like here. This is the best way to say it, right? And then I'm done talking about UConn. NCAA should be disappointed with the performance of the referees. Both both ways. It was definitely there's definitely a ton of missed calls, but then there was definitely it was called way more physically on Yukon than Michigan. But the overall flow of the game was horrible. Like if you're the NCAA and you're like, okay, we want people to watch our national championship game. Like if just a casual fan.

SPEAKER_04 4:48

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

And if just a casual fan turned that on and said, I'm gonna watch the national championship game, there was absolutely no flow to it whatsoever. Sorry. Don't cough in the middle of my tape. Sorry, bro. I tried to hold the name and just exploded. It's like if the college football game had like a ton of flags in it. It's like, dude, there's no rhythm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

No, there was definitely like at least 30 stops in the first half. It was brutal. It was bad.

SPEAKER_06 5:10

So I may or may not have watched a crime documentary in the second half. Of course he did.

SPEAKER_03 5:15

Devin Devin was at my house for Devin's at my house for the final four, and Yukon is up whatever. They're up four with like three and a half minutes left. And he's like, Well, alright. He's like, I'll see you guys later. He's like, I'm out of here. And he left. Remember how I said he's that guy?

SPEAKER_06 5:33

Zach was like that guy. Wait, you're serious? And I was like, yeah, I gotta go home. And he was like, what? He was like, you just don't care. I'm like, nah, I don't care.

SPEAKER_03 5:41

Watch the entire game. And then with like three minutes left, he's like, Alright, guys, I'll see you in the morning.

SPEAKER_06 5:46

See you guys. Gotta get to bed. That's great. I know what I I mean. Yesterday we went out to eat for my son's birthday. And I finished my meal, and there was like French fries. Like, so I didn't eat his fries. And I one, I don't really like French fries, but Nicole had like put some ketchup down, and I was like, Well, that looks pretty good. And I like picked it up and I was like, nah, I'm gonna ruin my last bite. Nicole just like looked at me and she was like, What's wrong? I was like, dude, it's just classic. If I know I like that's it. If I know I gotta go home, I gotta go home. He's that guy. It's all right, but we love him. That's why we love him. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

We have a sponsor today, don't we?

SPEAKER_03 6:20

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unknown 6:40

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SPEAKER_03 6:41

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SPEAKER_06 7:10

Yeah. So they'll set it up for you.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

Like at your home, you can go do a they'll come set it all up for you, or if you have a place you go, they can install it. They can the whole deal. They can do it all. All your tanning needs because who doesn't love a good glow? Who doesn't love a good glow? I can't wait for summertime. My wife makes fun of how white my face looks on this podcast. I'm gonna walk in and say, Can I have the Mateo?

SPEAKER_05 7:35

That's what I'm gonna do.

SPEAKER_03 7:36

That's it. That's it.

SPEAKER_05 7:39

Because once he said Electric Sun Solutions tanning, I was I couldn't wait to throw that in. It's just that nice olive color like Mateo and Spencer. Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 7:48

Oh natural looks so nice. Yeah. I need it before the because I'm pasty guy. You know, I get out there. And then I always have the farmer's tan.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

So my farmer's tan is getting started because of um lacrosse. Yeah. Yeah, dude. Dude, no worse tan line.

SPEAKER_06 8:02

Is the sun bright enough now to give you a tan already? Dude, Spencer used to work at the church when he was like in high school, uh like out in with Glenn and doing facilities and doing maintenance and stuff and work outside. And so when Spencer was in high school, he used to wear the tank tops. Oh, yeah. He had the farmer's tan. Just he'd wear the same like three tank tops every other day. Like, and then he just had the tank top tan line. It was crazy. Dude, his neck looked like a leather wallet. Yeah. Yeah, dude. Cow hide, dude.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

It was Imagine the tan line in those shorty shorts he wore to Southeastern. It was rough, dude. Yeah. Look at him.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Always a little shadow, always a little shadow here, though. Sun Sun couldn't get there. That was for Zach. He loves when we make fun of it.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

He's talking about it last night. He was like, oh dude, when you guys make fun of Spencer's Adam's Apple dude, that's the funniest thing. Yeah. The best. Oh man.

SPEAKER_06 9:01

Alright. So today to start, before we get into what we're going to talk about, Pastor Luke has a recommendation for us.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

Well, you didn't have nobody had prepared a fun fact unless you have a fun fact. I do not. And so I said, well, why don't we give the people some sort of recommendation? Maybe a place that you have eaten.

SPEAKER_06 9:18

A New Life podcast sponsored recommendation.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

Recommendation. Maybe something you've listened to, maybe something you've read, maybe a place you ate, place you took your son. You never know, right? Okay. Um, so mine is big, I've been heavy, I've been heavy into the mid 2010s worship, like kind of bringing it for the last 15 years you have been. I know. That's true. That's true.

SPEAKER_05 9:44

When did it take a break?

SPEAKER_03 9:45

But the other day, and then again this morning, I was listening to the first Hillsong Young and Free album that ever came out, 2013. Yeah. And I've been on a big young and free uh kick listening back to them. Well, yeah, Aiden's been back surfacing. And what's his name? Pappas is is rotating around. He does worship stuff. Yeah. Uh and so I listened to that. And so big recommendation. If you've never listened to Hill Song Young and Free, I would highly recommend it, especially their first few albums. Are really good. Yeah. Sinking Deep was listening to that today. Song is absolutely ass, dude. They have so many Highs and Lows. Real Love was revolutionary. Highs and Lows, Real Love, dude. It's I'm telling you, it's the other one that Lacray is on.

SPEAKER_06 10:29

This is living. That one is a bottom.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

The crazy part is, too. Yeah. Dude, the crazy part was wild. The wild part about it is that it's I mean, that that album's 2013, Sinking Deep. I listened to this morning. That's 13 years ago. Like that came out when my son was born. Yeah. But it holds up. Like, like I was listening to, you know how you listen to some worship music and you're like, oh, we could never sing that in church. Now it's like a completely different style of vibe or whatever. Oh, you could rip. Like you could rip singing. This is living. We said Sinking Deep, and Mateo said no. Yeah, this is living we could do. That's just Mateo. You know how you get somebody that's like so good at something that nothing ever makes the cut. It's never good enough. Like he's so good at music that you'd be like, oh, this song's gas. You'd be like, nah, it's trash. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:16

Hey, I don't know. My recommendation would be. What? Nothing. I just don't. I can't wait to see what you're about to say. My recommendation would be, um I got nothing, dude.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

I really have nothing. For real? Nothing? I was the what about the beach in 40 degree weather like you did yesterday? Highly recommended.

SPEAKER_06 11:42

So yes, parents. Under again, under five. Under five. Parents. Parents. Under five recommendation. Just tell your kids what they want to do. Okay? Yeah, don't ask. Don't ask. No, no, no. I mean, we did that yesterday with our son for his birthday. We're like, what do you want to do? And he was like, I want to go to the beach. And we're like, dude, it's 40 degrees out with a wind chill of 36. But we went to the beach because once that was in his mind, we're going to the beach. I sat in the in the car. Okay. That guy. Listen, I pulled the car up to the biggest. You had the baby. We had the baby. The baby and Nicole were on the beach. You're like, I was in the car by myself. Listen, but this was my bad because Nicole was like, bring a coat. It's gonna be cold and windy. And I was like, it's not that bad out today. Whatever. So I was freezing. I had like a thin sweater on. Alpha gal. I'm the alpha gal at the beach, baby. And yeah, so there were people walking around. So I like pulled the car up to where like I could back the trunk up and just sat in the trunks to block some of the wind. Back that trunk up. Yeah. So you're like a soccer. That's my recommendation.

SPEAKER_03 12:57

You were like the soccer mom in the car watching her kids play soccer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:01

But then, so I say all that to say is me and Nicole were like, Sai was like, Can I just go home and play with my toys? It's my birthday, like that's what I want to do. And we were like, no, we need to go out to eat. So we went out to eat. We went to Dockside in Brantford. It was really nice by the boats and everything like that. There was nobody there. It was just us. It's the same as Dockside and Stratford. I didn't even know there was a restaurant. No, there's one in Brantford. Uh oh. Is it the same people? Maybe. I don't know. Look it up. Yeah, go ahead. But we were like, we had our own little like private area because it was like midday, early dinner. The dinner was delightful. It was like a lovely time, and I was like, man, this is great. Like, because we recommended it as adults. We made a decision.

SPEAKER_03 13:42

Can I then piggyback on top of that? Since we have two guys here who don't have kids yet, and you who have younger kids. That that principle will never change in your entire life. My kids are 13-11. I swear to you, my wife's like, go ask the kids what they want for dinner. I'm like, no, I'm not a point. My kids have never agreed on where to go to dinner or order dinner or make dinner ever. They've never both at the same time said the same place. And it never it just never ends well.

SPEAKER_05 14:12

Completely sidetracked. Dude, Nicole's gonna be so bad, but she barely listens, so she might not even get to this one. Um she's gonna be even more bad.

SPEAKER_06 14:20

Yeah, is um like does does summer ever do this where like the kids will have like a problem or like something, and she's like, Oh, was it like like style have like a badge, or he'll start crying, and she's like, Was it a nightmare? Yeah, and it's like you're putting something in there, and he's like, Yeah, and she's like, Was it a spider trying to crawl into your mouth and bite you?

SPEAKER_05 14:42

And you're like, What are you why are you doing? And he's like, Yeah, he's gonna say yeah to anything.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

That is so funny. Literally, every single time we were was it a clown in your room and he had a knife in your neck?

SPEAKER_05 14:54

It's like Brody, it was now.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

Brody, Brody used to have stomach issues in his little, like, like everywhere we'd go, every time we went on a trip, he'd get like nervous about something and he'd throw up like everywhere we went, like airplane, dude on the ride, everywhere. So now he's older, right? We go out, we go literally every he hasn't thrown up in years. Every single time, Brody's like, oh man, my stomach. Like, she's like, Summer's like, You gotta throw up. Do you need to throw up? She's like, You should probably go throw up. Like over Thanksgiving, he had a stomachache. She's literally in the bathroom with him, being like, just do it. Just stick your finger down your throat, just throw up, it'll make you feel better. I'm like, babe, like just leaving alone is not just putting, I mean, and she's like, Oh yeah, maybe there was you know, maybe there was a bit of animal feces in the food that you ate today. Like, just throw it.

SPEAKER_05 15:41

Does that even need to come up?

SPEAKER_03 15:42

100%. Yeah, just just placing it, just placing the horrible thoughts in their minds. That's unbelievable. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_06 15:50

Yeah. Alright, so that's my recommendation. Don't let your kids pick. Don't let them pick. Yeah, don't put things in their brain. Nope. It doesn't need to be in there.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Mine's a mine's a food recommendation. Okay. So I think the best pancakes are Trumble Cafe. Oh, that's a fact. Trumble Cafe is not my recommendation because Shout out Mary's. No, shout out Mary's. But if you live in the valley, the second best pancakes I've ever had.

SPEAKER_06 16:15

Fritz's snack bar.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

No. I have a shirt from there. Okay, moving on. Um, Lucky's Deli. Oh, dude. So they're Lucky's Deli. It's this little, it's an Asian-owned um convenience store. Yeah, like a little like deli. So they have like a bunch of like, you know, Asian like snacks and things like that. An Asian-owned convenience store that is a deliberate. That also sells pancakes pancakes.

SPEAKER_06 16:42

And great bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Interesting. It's so good you would never expect that.

SPEAKER_06 16:47

And the lady screams at their daughters, dude. Who are working there? She's like, get back to work, obviously. In Chinese. Japanese. Yeah, whatever. Do we know what? She just screams. I think it's Chinese.

SPEAKER_03 16:59

Do we know which Pacific Rim country?

SPEAKER_06 17:01

No, we do not. I have not asked. But it's great. It's so good.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Now that we don't live over there anymore.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Wow, that is a nice thing.

SPEAKER_06 17:10

No one's in the valley anymore. Pancakes. There's people who listen to this in the valley. Go to Lucky's, get some pancakes.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

Yeah, stop by. You're hardly. I mean, you live Spencer's going like this because his parents live in the valley. That's where he sleeps. That's never where he is. He lives in the Shire. In the Shire. He works in Trumble and his fiancee lives in Trumble. He's not only sleeping.

SPEAKER_06 17:31

He sleeps on a food company, if we're being honest. Yeah, out of that.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

It's Mary, dude. Let's go. Couple months. Couple months. Man, how good is Mary's pancakes, though? Now you got me thinking about it.

SPEAKER_06 17:43

So good, dude. Your mom makes pancakes. Mary Dorot. Mary, shout out Mary Doria. I've got to get out of that house, but the pancakes are keeping me there. Do they listen? Yeah. Yeah, do they listen? Mary. Mary.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

See, that's what we mean. There's people that listen that don't ever tell us that they listen, so we don't know. Does she not listen? No, she listened. I don't know Mary Doria.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

Are you lying or are you not?

SPEAKER_03 18:05

He just said she's gonna be excited that we set her out. She's gonna listen to this one. He's gonna tell her to listen to this one. She can't wait for Spencer to get out of the house. Yeah. I know that's a fact.

SPEAKER_05 18:14

That's a big fact.

SPEAKER_06 18:16

Alright, so what we're what are we talking about?

SPEAKER_01 18:19

You tell us?

SPEAKER_06 18:20

Yeah, it was your idea. So we had this idea, and by we I mean me, because I'm a genius. Um, and I thought about let's just tell some stories today, but like personally, like share a little bit of like what God has been doing. Encourage people moments in our lives that where it like it just clicked. Like the Holy Spirit spoke something to us, or where we were struggling through a situation, or we didn't know what was gonna go on, but it just kind of clicked like in our faith because we're people too, right? There's not we are we are like we have moments where they're great and we're on fire, or we're well, they've been in church forever, so this is what no, there's moments where we doubt or we have fear about things and God kind of pushes us and his Holy Spirit speaks to us, and so it's it's just kind of like that moment where it clicked, or that moment where it clicked The Confirmation, the confirmation moments, or yeah, that's that's that's a good way to put it. That's a good title. Write that down. Write that down quick. The confirmation added in post. Add an impost. And so the one that I thought of for me was like a little bit more recently, and why I wanted to share this one was because it's for the people who again you've been on the walk for a long time, or you've been in church for a long time, and there's you think, oh well, this is just it it is what it is. Like this is all there is. Like I'm doing I'm doing great things, I'm doing what God has asked me to do. So there's not there's never an opportunity for him to ask for more, or I should be doing something else. And so like I had been working in youth ministry, I've been here for eight years, um which is wild. That is about it. Yeah, time flies, dude. So so I've been here working in youth ministry for eight years. Like I came back, started this decide to to work with Luke in the youth ministry, and and God called me to to ministry and and that. And so I was like, oh, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and like things are going great. Like, youth is is awesome. Like, we have a great youth group, we've got a great group of kids, and I was like, this is it. Like, I've done what I've needed to do. Like I've I'm just gonna keep rolling with this. And so I was like, that's how I felt. And so we were going to and I wasn't in this like place of like oh I'm not doing my job, or I'm not doing anything. Like everything is like uncertainty. No, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna lose my job if I don't do something else, or this is not what I want it to be. No, no, no, everything was going great, like everything is going great, like at this moment, I mean right now as well, but and so we took the kids out to Columbus, Ohio, and we went to the teenagers. Yeah, so we took a group of students out to to fine arts, um, and the fine arts festival, it's amazing. Um, we do one locally, but then we do one nationally, and so the kids all qualified and they're there and they're competing. And Mateo runs our fine arts program for our kids, he's the one who sets them up and helps them and and works through what songs they're gonna do and different things. So they're performing. Um some of them are writing poems, some of them are submitting photography, but some of them are singing, they're playing an instrument, and they're performing in front of judges, getting scores, and then like but it's our worship band, it's all these different things. And so I'm a good youth pastor, I'm a good friend to the like to our leaders, to our kids, and I'm cheering them on, and I'm there. I'm sure there's pictures that they have of me last year with my shirt tucked in and my fanny pack on. Like, I'm just the youth pastor, just doing what I'm proud dad moment, right? Of just going and and just cheering them on, and I'm super amped up and I'm praying with the kids before they get up to perform, and I'm telling them, like, oh no, you got this. Like, we've had kids who they have like a panic attack before you get up there, and you're like, No, you got this. Like, God gave you a talent, God gave You an ability like you need to use this for his kingdom. And I'm like saying all of this stuff to these kids. And I'm like, I love I love to sing. Like you guys have, if you've come to church, you've now heard me sing on Sunday mornings. I love it. Like, I think I love worship. You're very good at it. No, I am I'm alright. I am adequate. Um, but it's I love to sing, I love to worship. Like if you guys know me, like if I'm in the car, like and I'm listening to worship music, it's not like oh, we're just like singing along to the song. It's like, no, I'm worshiping like the Lord. I'm at a rally, it's exactly like I'm getting into it, like I'm crying on my way home sometimes. So it's like I love worship. Yeah, Luke's doing his air drums. It's it's the best. And so I'm like sitting there in the in the thing, and my son in the like meeting, I think it was one of the first nights we were there, and I'm with my son, and he starts fussing, he's two at the time, and so I'm like, Oh, I'll take him. It's in this big arena, Bridgestone Arena, I think it was something like that in Columbus. And we're there and we're walking around just through the thing, through the arena, and I'm listening to the worship team sing, and I'm like, Oh man, I love this song. Oh, it's a beautiful song. I remember singing this song in the car. Like, and I'm just like, it was this weird moment, and it was like the Holy Spirit was like, So why don't you do that? Yeah, like why don't you sing?

SPEAKER_03 23:19

You're encouraging other people.

SPEAKER_06 23:20

I'm like, I'm sitting there, I'm encouraging them. I'm encouraging our kids. Hey guys, we're going to service tonight, make sure you enter into worship. I'm sitting there listening to the worship team, and I'm like, oh man, I love this song. This is fantastic. This is great. Look at this move of God through worship that's happening here. And it was like, so why don't you do that? Like you sing. You used to sing on the worship team when you were in high school, or like when whatever, and I went to college, went and did my own thing, didn't want to sing, came back, sang background for Jason a couple times, was not into it, like was not this is not what I need to do. I'm the youth pastor, I don't need to be doing all that. They're gonna think it's weird, the kids are gonna think this is weird. Like, there was every excuse in the book as to why I couldn't, but I've just had some but it was that moment of, and then I came back and told Mateo and was like, hey dude, like this is what happened at Nationals, like the Lord spoke to me, and this is what he said. And Matt was like, Alright, cool. And I was like, So let's go right now. Like, I was like, So I need to see if I can do this, right? Like, it's not like oh great, like this theory, no, no, no, like, yeah, eventually, dev, if you want to sing on like a Sunday in the background or whatever. Like, I was like, Can we go to the church right now? Like, and let's go like run through a couple of songs and like let's see how it sounds. And like, I'm sure those first ones were brutal, but it was like, all right, let's just practice, let's just let's figure this out, and it was that it was that moment that okay, no, I can do this. And Jason had come over and listened and was like, He had said that, and I thought about that on Sunday. Was Jason was like, Easter next year, like you'll be singing, and I was like, Oh, okay, cool, like sounds good. And he had said, I didn't tell Jason that, but he had said that in that initial thing, and I was like, Yeah, I'll just help out. And he was like, No, you'll be leading. Wow, and I was like, No, I don't think so. Like, I'm good, and so I gotta go tell him that I'm relief right now. Oh, get him up here, but it was it was cool, and it was like, What's that? Like, that's the confirmation of like what again the Holy Spirit had spoken to me, and then now the opportunity, and again, like I hope it encourages somebody to just do that, is like there's gonna be things. Maybe there's somebody here that like you sing, you play an instrument. You need to try out, you need to do those kinds of you need to step out in faith. There's so many people, it's like you'd never do it, but it's again the Holy Spirit has put it on your heart, like you will need to do it.

SPEAKER_03 25:42

And maybe, you know, our plan was to each give one, but maybe just for time's sake and just to kind of dive into that a little, maybe maybe we save ours and we just dive into that a little bit because I as you're saying that, what m what was coming into my head was the idea that you know, I think the thing that stands out is you said, man, everything everything was good. Yeah, like everything was good, like and and again it goes back to some of the other things that we talked about, that when when we take what God has given us and we're obedient with it and we do what we're supposed to do with it, God will give you more. Yeah, right. So, like if if if I give my son responsibility and he goes and he does well with that, I I'm gonna give him more responsibility. I'm gonna give him more opportunity, more freedom, those things. So it's like, you know, that that's what jumped out to me was like, you know, there could be somebody watching that's like, like you said, they're they're in a they're in a place in life where they're like, This is great, like I'm doing everything that I'm doing everything that God has asked me to to do, but I would encourage people to pray for pray for more. Like don't seek don't just get more complacent or like plateau in your in what it is that God is doing in your life. If God has entrusted you with something and you apply that and you apply biblical principles to it and you work on it, we won't talk about you like you're not here, but Devin's a great youth pastor, and like he just said, I mean, he's taking kids to Columbus, Ohio to use the gifts that God has given them. So it's not like he's you know this deadbeat youth pastor that's like, yeah, get yourselves there, whatever, blah, blah, blah. Like you, you are doing what God called you to do, and in the midst of doing what God has called you to do, God then says, All right, you know what, you've been faithful in this. Let me let me pour out some more on you. Yeah. And I think that we all in here could obviously give testimony or stories in our lives of where God has done that, but just to people that are watching, like pray and ask God. Like, I I know you might think like, oh, it's overwhelming. That's a lot, this lot, but like if it means that we get to do more for God, we should we should never like disparage the opportunity to to ask God for more. God, I want more. I want you to do, I thank you for what you've done, but I want more. I want more blessing, I want more opportunity, I want more giftings, I want more uh chances to to use the talents and the abilities that you've given me.

SPEAKER_06 28:09

And and well, I just had so many people ask me too afterwards, and like that's kind of why I wanted to include that. Was like, oh, well, I didn't know you sang, or I didn't know you did this, and it's always my response is that is I did like when I was younger, or didn't have the confidence to, or didn't really like like it or enjoy it, but it was this shift of like it's not, and we tell people all the time who sing, or our students, like it's not this performance like I don't want to stand up on a stage in front of everybody, you don't want to stand up and talk in front of everybody, but it's like what has God entrusted you with? What has he told you to do? So and he's given you the gifts and abilities to do it, then you you must do that. Like you have to, like you, you should, like you, you have to, you will not be satisfied until you do. But it's and so it's like that's what it was for me. It was like, oh no, I I this is what God, His Holy Spirit has told me I absolutely need to do. And so it's like, okay, can this be a blessing to one person? Can I have one person that this encourages them to where they start to use their gifts? Can I have one student on a Wednesday night who gets up and starts to sing because well uh uh Pastor Devin told me to sing up here and he's not gonna do anything that he's he's not gonna tell me to do something that he wouldn't do himself, and it's like and that's kind of where I was. And now again, we know all right, if God's asked me to do this, like I need to do that, like I absolutely need to do it.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Which is so cool because I was thinking about it. We had uh a worship night the other night in youth, and I think that was the first time you sang in youth in youth to those specifically, like not at an event or something like that. You know what I mean? I thought it was really cool.

SPEAKER_06 29:49

Which I again thought it would be weird, like, but even after like all these kids see me on a Sunday morning, they know I sing, they know like I help out with worship and different things like that. And I was like, Eve again, but that's what the devil will do, right? He's like, No, it's gonna be strange, it's gonna be weird.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

And it wasn't, it was great, it was but again, God's in the right, so I'm not trying to over-spiritualize it, but like God's in all the details, and I tr I truly believe that if if you if you were their worship leader and then you tried to become their youth pastor, I think that's a different vibe than you becoming their youth pastor, building them up, them seeing you, them building connection and relationship with you as their youth pastor. Now all of a sudden, God blesses you with this opportunity to now lead them in worship. I think that that makes them feel more comfortable to worship because of the familiarity that they have with you, right? Like that that God's even in the details of like structuring out what it is that He wants to to do in our lives and stuff, and like it like it's not my testimony or the story that I was gonna share, but it's even I can even see it in my own life of like God using me to be the youth pastor to like a lot of the young people that are in our church, and now I get to be their one of their pastor pastors, right? Like, and so it's this it's that transition of like, you know, if I had just come back from school and just started preaching with my dad, I don't think it would have hit the same as like, you know, I'm I'm building these relationships with these young people that are growing up and now, you know, they're in ministry and they're doing different things. It's like there's that structure and that order to things that God does of like, all right, let me trust you with this. If you can handle that, I'll give you this. If you can handle this, I'll give you this. And it's that it's that reward system, right? It's the it's it's the currency of heaven of the you know, the reaping and the sowing and the you know the the blessings that God wants to pour out in our lives, and I think that that is just like a really cool example of how you know of how God does it and how God works like that.

SPEAKER_06 31:46

Yeah. And I think again, whatever you end up doing, I think if your mindset is the right thing of like, yeah, okay, God told me to do this, so I'm doing it. Whether that's serving in the parking lot, whether that is serving in our kids' ministry, whether that's leading a song on a Sunday morning, it's the same mindset or preaching a sermon. It's like, God has told me to do this, I'm gonna be faithful. And again, in whatever we're doing, small or big, your whole mindset and your whole attitude is God's getting the glory for this, or I hope that somebody is encouraged by my actions and the things that I'm doing, like that's all the fulfillment that you'll ever need. Like it's it's not, it's it's God looking down on you and saying, Well done, my good and faithful servant, but it's also there's people who come up to us and they thank us for what we do in youth ministry. And it's like, do we need that? Thank you. No, we would have done the job anyway. But it's okay, this look at my kids and what happened with them, and like look how different their lives are now because of youth ministry. Look at how how more connected our family is because of our awesome kids' ministry. Look at uh on a Sunday morning, we're talking about depression and anxiety, and I I wanted to come back to church because of that topic, but I got saved and I got but it's like, oh, all right, great. Like, God, you're so good, like you're saying. Like, look how it all comes back together.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

Yeah, whenever it's based, whenever, whenever whatever you do for God is based in humility and based in a sense of I'm not worthy to be doing what I'm doing, but because God has blessed me with opportunities and gifts to do it, I'm gonna do it, like you're saying, unto the Lord. And people notice that. Like I've grown up, we've grown up in church our entire lives. Like you can tell, I can tell within two minutes of someone preaching or leading this a song if they're all about themselves or they're all about Jesus. The performance of it.

SPEAKER_06 33:34

You can you can tell immediately where people's humility lead and volunteer, and it's like things aren't perfect or things don't go well, and then they stop showing up. Or it's uh it's like that's not why were you in this?

SPEAKER_03 33:44

Or when people ask the volunteer, but when you tell them to do something where they're not gonna get seen. Yeah, you're like you could pick up chairs for two years and wait, I can't I can't lead a small group. It's like, no, you can pick up those chairs. Oh, never mind, I don't want to do anywhere. All right, well then you weren't they weren't all about it to begin with. Like God God couldn't use that, you know.

SPEAKER_06 34:03

Um, so again, the verse to kind of just piggyback that I picked for my testimony, my story, so we wouldn't leave without sharing some scripture, is um John chapter 16, verse 13. It says, When the Spirit Um of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. And so again, it was just again, this verse is perfect for what happened in my life. It was the Holy Spirit, he's speaking to me. You can rely on it because it's the truth. He's going to come with the truth, the whole truth. And then you're gonna see it too, you're gonna see it come like come to fruition. You're gonna see it happen. You're gonna see those things that he has spoken to you actually come about. And so I saw it in my own life and my own testimony. And so I encourage you, if he's telling you to do something, even if you're in this good space, don't think uh oh well, there's this pastor who's been there for eight years and he's doing his job and he's doing his supposed to he still told me, No, there's more that you need to be doing.

SPEAKER_03 35:02

So there's always always more that can be done, definitely. And we gotta trust and know that God's in control of getting us to where he wants to take us. Yeah, definitely. And you took action, you know, you didn't immediately. I mean, we've been talking about that with all the things we've been talking about recently, especially last week with the armor and everything. Yeah, it you you know, you're putting all that on to go do it. You gotta go do it. But when we take the step, and like you're saying, you do it out of humility, you do it out of a place of servanthood of like, man, I've got out whatever you want to do through me, um, I'll go and I'll do it. And there's a lot of anxiety, which we're talking about over this over this month in church. There's a lot of anxiety involved in that, of like, especially if you're not an arrogant, you know, if you're doing it the right way, then you're probably gonna have some anxiety of like, I'm not qualified for this, I don't know if I can do this. But I would much rather, and I think I think God, I don't want to speak for God, but I think based on his word, I think God would much rather, and based on the characters we read about in God's word, I think God would much rather have someone that's a little apprehensive than someone who is overconfident and arrogant, and yeah, yeah, I could do that, you know, I'm I'm ready. Like I would much rather have someone that's like, I don't, I don't know, like I I don't like because then I know God's gonna work.

SPEAKER_06 36:19

That's like I can't emphasize this enough. Like it could be like something so seems so small or so insignificant that like yesterday, I gotta tell my wife this. I didn't tell her yet. But yesterday I was thinking about it this morning in a prayer meeting. She has cousins and their father passed away, and so she was just talking with them, and like they they're they know the truth, and they they they are are trying their best and they're but obviously this is a tough situation, and Nicole knows the truth, like she knows like God's word, and and she's she is like wants to be encouraging, and it was this time of like and I heard her on the phone with her cousin, and she's like, I just don't sometimes I don't know what to say to you, or I don't know how to approach this. And it was this like real, genuine like honesty that she had with them, and I looked at it and I was like, but what is God doing? Like, God put that on her heart to be like, No, you need to talk to them about what they went through because you know the truth, because you know where peace is, because you know where comfort comes from. And so I know that God put that on her heart, and so even through that like awkwardness of how do I bring this up and how do I approach this with them, like, do I think that God could use her to lead them to Christ or to give and bring a peace that they've never understood right now? It's like, yeah, but is that leading a song on Sunday morning? Is that preaching to a thousand people on Easter? No, but it's a the Holy Spirit is is working through that situation, is putting that in her heart of like, man, I really want my cousins to come to know Jesus. And just that obedience of like, I'm gonna approach this in the best way that I can. It might be an awkward conversation on the phone of like, hey, do I reach out to you guys on holidays when I know that you're missing your dad? Like, and that's how she put it. And it's like, yeah, no, we'd we'd like that. I know it's weird, and it's awkward. It's like, okay, well, then God could use even that small little moment of little thing, of little obedience, of little taking, like you said, a little bit of action, a little bit of step. It might be awkward, it might be weird. Still step out.

SPEAKER_03 38:18

But it'll definitely be awkward. Yeah, it'll definitely be weird. Anytime you step out in faith, I think there's a little bit of apprehension involved in it, and so definitely some anxiety. Um, but that's what God uses, you know.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

Yeah. And I think all four of us in this room, even have been on both sides of the coin of you know, the Holy Spirit gives us these nudges to go do something, and sometimes we've done it, and other times, you know, we haven't had the strength or the faith. And it just feels so much better to do it. Oh, there's nothing worse than not doing it. And you're like, just think about it forever. There's still things that I think about that I'm like, man, like I should have done that. But like when you go through with it, it's like, man, like God used me. Yeah. Like, how cool is that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

And wanted to use this. Bro, last summer we were at I don't think I've ever even told anybody this. Last summer we were in Cape Cod and we were at this place and we were about to we were buying something, and it was just it was one of those days, right? And like, you know, people were just being annoying and stuff, and I uh we were shopping and I didn't want to shop, and so I was like, I'm I just want to get out of here. Like, let's go to dinner, let's go to the hotel, like I'm done, you know. And my son was with me, and the girl at the register she saw I have a bigger anchor tattoo here, and then I have this one on my finger. And she was like, Oh, she's like, any significance like to the anchors or whatever? And I was so I just was so ready to like get out of there that I was like, Oh no, I just really like him, and I like paid and I left. And Brody was with me, and I got out, I got out, and I like we got in the car and we drove away. And when I tell you, it it eats at me like like I think about it all the time. I had I had my son there, like I had this woman, like I had the opportunity to be like, Well, the anchors are for Jesus, he's the anchor of my soul, like blah blah blah. Like I had had it all in my head of like what I should have said, like what like and I and I could and I could have been a you know a better example to my son and stuff like that. And so like the moments like that, like that you miss, like the they they they'll they'll eat at your brain and at your heart of like oh man, I like that was the moment, like I failed. I I messed up, you know. Yeah, and so it's like like Mateo's saying, if you have an opportunity to take the moment, take them. It might be weird. It might I could have said something to that lady and she'd have been might have been like, you know, I'm a I'm a witch, get out of my store. Like, I don't know. But but the fact that I missed the moment haunts me way more than any reaction that I would have got from anyone. Yeah, and so it's like man, you gotta take the moment, and when you're faithful in the moment, God'll God'll give you more of them for sure.

SPEAKER_06 40:45

That's good, dude. That's good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

So we'll share ours another time. Yeah. Maybe we'll do a little series on this or whatever, but because as you were talking about yours, I was like, there's no way we're gonna be able to tell all three of ours and at least and give them and give them their rightful, their rightful do, right? Because mine's different than yours, yours different than ours. Like it it it not give it, you know, you want to give it the time that it deserves. Because I think I think that's a word for somebody. I don't know who, but somebody's somebody's no, there's gotta be people.

SPEAKER_06 41:16

There better be. There is better be people. There is there who are sitting listening to this, or they sit on a Sunday morning and they were like me, and they they have some gift and ability or talent, working with kids, working in like hospitality, working at our connection booth, working, um, or they play an instrument, or they do something, and it's like, ah, that's somebody else's job, or there's somebody else who could do it. Or I'm not good enough to do it. Or I'm already doing so much for God. Why would he want me to do more? It's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:45

I talked to a guy on uh Easter Sunday that was helping us break down that you know plays drums, and you know, uh your dad was telling me that you know, some people think that oh, they're like good, like they have enough people. Just come serve. Yeah, just serve. Come serve.

SPEAKER_03 42:01

Gotta put out a we also probably wouldn't we probably shouldn't end this podcast without talking about how awesome Easter was. Easter was great. Record attendance, 2,700 people in church, over 125 people grabbed salvation packets, which is pretty cool because that means you gotta not just raising your hand like I want to get saved, you gotta walk out, you gotta go to the thing, you gotta fill out a card, you gotta get the packet, you gotta carry it to your car. So you know, scores more people raised their hand, but at least 125 plus went and grabbed that packet. Um, and just God is just doing some some awesome, awesome things. It was great. It's a great, great Easter Sunday.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

It's always a lot of work, but it's like getting there on Sunday morning and seeing it fill and feel like so worth it.

SPEAKER_06 42:47

The thing that I always like is relish the right word? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:51

Depends what you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_06 42:52

You're hungry, is on my hot dogs. Um no, uh is like that. I like uh enjoy and like yeah, relish. Like I I don't I don't know another word to to say, so that's a good word. Like it is getting everybody in the same room, like uh all of our services here, like again, everybody comes on Easter, and then for the most part, like you get a thousand people, and that's almost our Sunday attendance, you know what I mean? It's like everybody's in the same room having the same experience. That's what's really cool to me. Yeah, I'm sorry, but it's like it is like it's it's the problem that we have on Sunday mornings, which it's a good problem to have that we have to have multiple services and everything like that. But it's that's the that's the coolest thing for me. Is like people from first service and third service, because it's Easter, they're all going, and because we encourage people to get there early for the first service, like looking out and seeing everybody and seeing Danny have to sit on the stage, dude. Dude, that was so funny.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

Seeing you turn around people don't like think like when we're on stage, like we don't see like things, but like I saw you start laughing, and then I look over at Drew and he's laughing, and then I just see Danny walking in like Dude, it's like and then he got off.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

If people don't know our buddy Danny, he's an anxious guy. Yeah. He's always worried about something. And he showed up a little late because they invited some people. It was a good excuse to be like but he got put on the seats on the stage because we couldn't fit fit everybody in this in the auditorium. And so he got put on the stage. And those of us who know him, the minute we saw him walk up there, we're like, oh, he's gonna hate this freaking out. And then he walks over and tells the usher, like he had seen him asking this usher if he could leave the stage, and they told him no, and he had to go sit back down.

SPEAKER_06 44:37

But we were singing that like fourth song, and I was I turned around three different times while it was singing on stage just to look at him, and he I he would not look at me, and we got off, and he was like, dude, I couldn't do it. He's like, I know you were looking at me, but I couldn't look at him. He's like, I was just staring at Spencer. Shout out, Danny.

SPEAKER_03 44:56

Shout out, Danny, dude. That's hilarious. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Oh my gosh. Dude, you know what? Actually, I've never heard this has nothing to do with anything, but I've never heard your uh point of view of this video. So I I was going through my camera roll and I found a video of a Six Flags youth trip that um it in the car was uh Summer, Izzy Nar, and Derek, and they were asking Derek some questions. And at the end of the video, Derek realizes he's like, wait, we forgot uh Jake and Spencer. Yeah, we left them at the mobile station, dude.

SPEAKER_03 45:29

So so like it's my wife did. I wasn't driving. No, no, no, no, I no, my wife did, yeah. So what you got a call? Solid youth leader. No, because this was I mean, they didn't have phones. Jake, was it you two or just Jake? I thought it was just Jake.

unknown 45:42

It was just me and Jake and this other kid.

SPEAKER_03 45:44

Uh uh Justin.

SPEAKER_01 45:45

What was it?

SPEAKER_03 45:46

Justin long hair. Yeah, so my wife everybody in in perfect summer mode got everyone in the car and was like, all right, we're going to six. It was at the the mobile off the mirror on like north in North Haven or whatever. And she's like, All right, everybody get a snag, I'll get in the car. And she's, you know, driving down the street and they're laughing, they're asking Derek who he likes at school or something. They're like middle schoolers. And and someone's like, wait, where's Jake?

SPEAKER_02 46:13

And she's like, Oh my gosh! And she just has to get off the exit, drive back, get off the exit, drive back, and here's like three middle schoolers just sitting there waiting, like, oh, you guys forgot us.

SPEAKER_03 46:22

Like, needless to say, we never let my wife drive any kids anywhere ever again. Oh, she's gonna hate me for bringing it up.

SPEAKER_01 46:28

It's so funny, dude. That video gets me every time.

SPEAKER_03 46:30

She remembers our own kids sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 46:32

That's crazy. Yeah, bro.

SPEAKER_06 46:36

We could we could do a whole podcast with funny youth funny youth ones. That would be so funny. That would be crazy.

SPEAKER_01 46:43

Some of them I can't repeat. Yeah, we can't share them. You've seen that. There's some other podcasts that like specifically tell stories like crazy, crazy stories.

SPEAKER_06 46:51

Yeah. Dude. That is hilarious. The wonders. We've already shared all about Spencer and Mateo anyway, so it's fine. Oh, we got so many stories.

SPEAKER_03 47:00

So many stories on them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 47:03

Next pod.

SPEAKER_03 47:04

You gotta go to lunch, right? Time to you late? I'm late already, but it's fine. Devin has a lunch appointment that he has to get to. What a guy, huh? So we're not gonna play a game today.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

What a guy. What a guy. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 47:16

I don't think you can do that. I don't. No, that's sacrificial. I know you can't do that. We're going straight to hell. That's crazy. Yeah, you guys. I can't believe I repeated it.

SPEAKER_06 47:24

You guys are crazy.

SPEAKER_03 47:26

Well, we hope that you enjoyed today's pod. I hope that if yeah, just we're getting more and more spiritual. I know. Also, uh, just quickly, the socks? Dude, I was gonna ask what I mean.

SPEAKER_04 47:39

So I had two socks today. As I normally do.

SPEAKER_06 47:44

Yeah, I was like, it was early this morning and I was in a rush and I just grabbed two socks. So this one is Wait, that one doesn't match? Nope, this one's golf themed. There's like bags and golf balls and stuff on the bottom. And very green. Very green.

SPEAKER_05 47:56

And then this one is just a white wool. So it was dark, alright? I don't know. Uh, the craziest combo I've seen.

SPEAKER_04 48:09

This one's also super.

SPEAKER_06 48:10

Why are you getting ready in the dark? Because it's early. You don't flip any lights on? We don't believe in electricity at my house.

SPEAKER_04 48:18

Dude, before we go, no light.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

Candlelight. Before we go, I have to tell this super funny story about the city. I'd have to leave. He fine, go. No. Dude, my first midweek ever. I'm going to the Bible clubs. Like attending. Oh, like when you're little. When I was little. It was in fourth grade. So you saying this reminded me. Spencer walks in late. It's Mr. Dave Steinbeck teaching the class. Yo, still teaching that class. And he's like, Alright, like, you know, we had those bright orange fire bibles. He's like, all right, open them up. And Spencer like grabs down and picks up his book, and it's this like Percy Jackson book. And he's like, Oh, I thought The Lightning Thief. He was like, Where's where's your Bible? He's like, Oh, my room was dark. I thought I grabbed the fire Bible. It's like it's a bright orange book. This thing is pitch black. How did you think about it? Plus, it's not the morning, right? It's a Wednesday not Thursday night, right?

SPEAKER_02 49:12

And that was my first time.

SPEAKER_05 49:13

Also, how that's steered into your memory.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

Also, Spencer drives all the way there in the car with it, brings it into church, knowing it's not the Bible. Like, what are we doing? Yeah. That's cool. Something's never changed, dude.

unknown 49:29

It's me.

SPEAKER_01 49:30

In front of everybody. Made fun of you in front of everybody. What a loser, dude. This kid just brought a Percy Jackson book about Greek gods. Loser. Get a friend, loser. And then we became friends right after that. And then and then because I knew Jake before I knew Spencer, so I we walk out into the foyer, and Jake's like, oh, this is my boy Spencer. And I was like, Oh, this kid's your friend? I was like, well. The rest is his history. Look at us.

SPEAKER_06 49:53

Here we have been separable ever since. Crazy. That is crazy. How is the book? That's one of my favorite books. It's a great book. One of his favorite books.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

Oh, he stole it. Oh, he stole it. Don't spoil our alert. Come on.

SPEAKER_06 50:12

Oh, yeah, he and the lightning thief.

SPEAKER_03 50:15

Isn't it a movie? Yeah. Yes. I'm not going to watch it.

SPEAKER_06 50:18

It's also a book, too. Alright, move on. You gotta go. I gotta go.

SPEAKER_03 50:25

We hope that you have a great rest of the day. Devin's gonna go to lunch now. Can't wait. Burrito for lunch. See you next week.