Crappy....I mean crafty!! He knew all along!!

This episode is a mix of deep and downright hilarious! 

We talk about how we used to think way too small, prayed for things that missed the bigger picture, and how God was still faithfully working it all out. We also honor the people who loved us well and helped shape our walk with Christ....and YES....we get a little goofy (and slightly tongue tied) LOl!

If you've ever realized God's plan was way better than yours, this ones is for you!

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who needs encouragement and desires to grow in Christ. New episodes release bi-weekly, and we'd love for you to join us as we pursue freedom and walk by the Spirit together

We would also love to hear from you! Good or bad, let us know your thoughts and how we can improve!

https://unashamedww.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

We've had such a fun weekend. We have. I love road trips anytime we get to go anywhere, but especially being silly with you. Y'all, we were we got a hotel because we just got back from hot springs and it was so silly. We're talking about all the things and we're just being silly like we always are. And I'm talking about we're walking in the hallway, we're fishing go eat at Chico Fish, which we didn't even get because they we didn't make it in time. But we're headed to go eat, and I said, We're laughing. I said, Oh, aren't you just so glad God put you in my life? And Denise was like, Yeah, it's so much better since you've been put in my life or something like that. And we get around the corner, and this man is sitting there, like waiting for the elevator too, and all of a sudden it just got so awkward. And so Denise felt like she had to like make sure everybody knew that we had husbands. So it was so dumb, but it was so funny, it was very funny. It doesn't sound funny as talent it now, but it was so funny last night.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

But there was so much more to it, though, because like you were having so much fun with it. Like, I don't know, your life was so boring before you met me. Isn't life so much better since you have me in your life or whatever? And I was like, oh, it's so much better with you in my life, and then there's this man standing there looking at us, and so it was just a very awkward fast, very fast. So I'm like, yeah, I mean, my my husband wasn't near as fun on the last trip we went on as this one or something like that. I don't even know, but um, anyway, as soon as what's so funny about it though is as soon as we get out of the hotel, um, you knew exactly what I was doing. And so then here we went laughing again. So I don't know, those of you that are listening, like, have you ever been put in those awkward situations, you know, where you say something and you're like, oh crap, that didn't sound right. So then actually later when we're in the hotel room, BJ is telling her husband about it, and we're just laughing, and I'm hearing her explain it to her husband, and then I'm like, oh my gosh, now he just thinks we're having an affair. The elevator man, not her husband.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Anyway, from bad to worse.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Quick, so quick, so quick.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

So quick. Yeah, that's how things go with Denise.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

And BJ. Yeah, also with another thing for those of you are listening, you know, we have a newsletter that um BJ puts out all the time.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

We not BJ, we W Unashamed Women's Ministry puts out a newsletter each month. Correct. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

And so we both have our gifts at different things, and so I edit videos and stuff, and I'm not very good at it, but I'm learning. I'll take any tips from anybody out there listening. But BJ usually does most of the writing. She does all the writing. Well, you know, because I am a award-winning author.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

There's that.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

I wish y'all could see my face one day. It won't be long. Hopefully, we'll get back on video one day, and y'all can see my eye rolling.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

You can probably hear her eye rolling. That scratchy noise you hear, that's her eyeball rolling into the back of her head.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Anyway, the point that I was gonna make is that since she does the writing, now she now to be fair, she does always send it to me before she publishes it and says, hey, look over this, see if there's any typos or anything. But always I'm finding that at the end of the newsletter, there's all I'm always the butt of the joke. There's always something. Um, so anyway, there's that. Anyway. But we have a lot of fun together.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Okay, I don't mind being the butt of the joke. I can be the butt of the joke, but it's hard to come up with things that I have been the butt of the joke with while I'm writing the newsletter. So you have to say, hey, make sure you add this, whatever this is, when I was the butt of the joke. I can't help it that your murder mystery included Donald Duck. See, here we go.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Or that you ate an ostrich head. Yeah. I mean, to be fair, I did those things.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

She she gives us great content. Yeah. We were talking to Dakota on the way home from heart from Hot Springs, and she was like, Well, you just make it so easy. Which is my daughter. Yeah, Dakota's the biggest daughter. And Denise's like, You I birthed you. You're supposed to always be on my side. And she said, Well, I am always on your side, except for when B me and BJ gang up on you.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Yeah. She said, They both said I make it easy.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

It's fun.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

But you know, like seriously, it's really cool to see how God um orchestrates things. You know, and uh, we were talking about that too on the way back on how just how funny it is. I don't even know if funny is really the right word. Ironic. Ironic, yeah. Cool. Yeah. Awesome. It's awesome. It's good. Yeah. It's not bad. It's not bad. How God just puts things together so much of the time when we like have no clue that God's even working in something, and then we're looking, you know, years later, we're looking back on how all this came to be it came to be, whatever it is. And we were talking about well, hindsight's 2020, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:46

We always hear that. And uh one of the things that came up was, well, two things. You know, when I went to Africa for the first time, we got asked so many times when we were in Africa, was it your heart's, has it always been your heart's desire to come to Africa? And I was like, no, like I'm I was too simple-minded to dream that big. I didn't even know to make it a heart's desire like to go, and how God could still fulfill even bigger than what we think we can imagine. Um, and then on kind of on the flip side of that is as we are finally getting ready to move into our new home and and really looking back at how when I was the missions director at Flint Baptist Church, and I got to go on my first missions trip, and Dr. Danny Pickens, who just passed away today, uh had invited me to go and um to Africa. That was different. Sorry, I'm getting my stories mixed up. Dr. Danny Pickens had uh had helped me get connected with Dexter Jordan to help me plan my first mission project as missions director of Flint Baptist Church. And because I didn't know what I was doing, you know. I mean, I had been working mostly with benevolence and community missions, and so this was my first big project to do something for somebody. And he was like, Dexter Jordan, that's who you need to connect with. He will help you. It'll be amazing. And so I called Dexter, we get this planned, you know, however many months later, we're headed to go do this mission project. And my husband was with me, and he had recently just gotten back from Cuba, and um he is just grumbling the whole way this hour and a half long drive. And I was just so hurt and mad at him, and I was just mad as a snake. I'm like, how dare you? Like, you can just you go to Cuba and give literally the shirt off your back. True story that he did. I mean, he he walks around Cuba barefooted because he gives some homeless man in Cuba his shoes, but yet you are grumbling to go help this little old widow lady with her roof on her house because it's my project. I'm so mad. But it was through that, by the end of the day, where Jay is introduced to Dexter Jordan, who then invited us over to see his gunshot, and my husband leaves Dexter's house that night as Dexter's gunsmith, and now here we are fixing to buy a home. How many years have passed since that day? When did y'all since that day? It's been at least 15 years, but probably more than that. I mean, probably closer to 17 or 18 years ago, the reality. And never in a gajillion years would we have dreamed our heart's desire today is moving into to his home, who ended up mentoring my husband for well over 15 years, not only as a gunsmith, which is now his full-time profession, but also just as a friend and a very much like a father figure to him. And uh and his wife Sue, who has just poured into our lives. They've loved our kids, they've loved our family well, and and and really just represented what it meant to serve the Lord in so many capacities. I mean, even when we were getting ready for Graciously Broken for their new home to open and we're looking at what f was it flooring or it was uh I can't remember it was uh flooring, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

So uh you sent me his information and got us connected or whatever. And um I never even really met him. I did talk to him on the phone, like maybe once or twice. Yeah. Um, but he basically just said, Hey, don't worry about it. We'll we'll take care of the floors. And I'm like, sir. He said, We'll we'll take care of it. And and and they did just that. Like they had all these people come over and they just took care of everything and and did such a a great job. Um, but they they loved on, you know, like you said, they knew how to love on people, and it's kind of cool to see as we were talking earlier. I mean, y'all have to understand we've been in the car together for three and a half hours, you know, coming back. And so we had so many conversations about so many different things, but uh talking about how um Danny Pickett Pickett Pickens Pickens, Danny Pickens loved well, right? And he taught you so much just watching, yeah, right, and then introduces you to Dexter, who him and his wife, uh Sue, has loved on your family like so, so well over the years. And it is awesome to look back and see that you and Jay got to be a part of the people that they loved on well, and how being a part of that, being loved on well, taught y'all how to love people well.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

And uh we you you and I even had a conversation about how um like talking about scripture, you know, about how we sometimes we can be the greatest witness to people, not standing in front of them, sharing them scripture or pointing them to scripture, which we both believe scripture is God's word and and it does not return void and all of all of that. Like we that's our blueprint for life. It's God's blessing that He has given us. And uh, but people watch us and it's how we love people and it's how we treat people that truly matters at the end of the day when it comes to the human population, right? And so going to the way they loved on y'all and just looking back now, and so I was like, do you think God's stand, you know, like in heaven right now, looking down, just smiling, because y'all BJ is I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

She's so over and y'all I'm not. I'm well maybe maybe a little.

SPEAKER_02 12:06

No, I'm so excited because they're getting to get in this house and this process has been so long.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

I mean, it in the in the in the scheme of eternity, it's been a drop, right? But for our world and the busyness of life and ministry and work and family and all the things, it has been a brutal process since really August is when when Dexter's son, Bradley, first called Jay and said, Hey, I'm here with mom. And she said that dad wanted you and your wife to have our home, have their home. Would you be interested in buying it? And and so that was August 6th of last year, August 7th. And and now here we are, you know, middle of April, and it's just coming to fruition. But I don't remember the whole point of that. Where was I going with that?

SPEAKER_02 13:02

Well, uh just how God orchestrates things, you know, and and you um there was a piece of property at one point in your life that you kept driving by looking at that. And I remember you calling and telling me about that, and you were like, Denise, it's just so beautiful, and one day God's gonna give us that piece of property. That's that, oh, I and I think you even looked into it to see how much it costs and stuff, and you were just praying that because you thought it was that was y'all's dream is to have property and to live on um, you know, the acreage, acreage, and have a farm or whatever, not necessarily all the animals, all that, but you just wanted all that space. Yeah, cows.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

I want cows. I've always wanted cows and I've always wanted goats. And but it's so funny, like, even that, where like I'll say, now I'm like, well, I guess my dream of cows is gone. But it's not sad. Like the reality is is that now I have a new dream, I guess. Like now my heart's desire is to be in this new home and to like it's it's literally, we haven't even moved in yet, but it's our home. And again, just thinking about how you know, it reminds me of that old country song, some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. Yeah. And I mean, we just really I remember begging God as I because that that land was it was a beautiful piece of land, had a pond on it, and my husband's always wanted acreage, and it was right around the corner from a ministry that I was highly involved in, and I and I thought I was gonna be involved in for the rest of my life, you know, and and then God has changed that. But I didn't know that at the time. And so as I'm begging to God for this land, and girl, what if he would have given it to me? What if he would have been like, okay, that's what you want. I'm gonna give it to you. And I'd be stuck there now.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Yeah, because then if they called and said, Hey, are you interested in this? Then I mean, it would have been a such a harder decision to make on okay, here, but we've always wanted land. Do we let go of this to go there?

SPEAKER_01 15:03

But it would have been a much different circumstance to have to process through for sure. I mean, we've loved our little two acres that we've been on, you know, but this would have been it would have been a different picture for sure. And just again, how God, I don't know, just the trying to balance out really wanting, you know, the scripture says that God will give you the desires of your heart. But then really trying to wrap my finite mind or my human mind around what does that mean? Because the reality is is I can't even dream big enough for God's heart's desires for me. You know? And I don't know, it's just God is really good at being God, Denise.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

You know, it's and I've never thought about this until just now. Um, as you were saying, you know, God will give us the desires of our heart. And then also the Bible tells us not to follow our heart because our heart will deceive us. Our heart is deceitful, it's deceitful, right? And um, and just now when you said that, it just hit me that really deep down as humans, our the desire of our heart is not necessarily to have things, like we want things or whatever, but really it comes down we want peace, we want joy, we want like our hearts really, every person really kind of wants like in the soul. I guess I'm thinking deeper instead of thinking material things and all this, that will God give us some of those things. Yes, I'm not saying he won't, but now I'm just sitting here thinking about that scripture and I'm just wondering, you know, God knew that deep down in our heart we all wanted more.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

Well, like more than just the surface things, and like you wanted that, you thought you wanted that land because that's pretty and exciting, but deep down he knew there was a greater desire than that. Well, and that you didn't know that you wanted.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

That I didn't even that I wouldn't have even known to want. There's the time there's there's my clock. Saved by the bell. You know, speaking of timing, I want to invite you to our events, and I don't, it's it's never about selling you things, but we have our heart's desire is to disciple women and to build a community of women that can find a safe place to connect and grow closer to the Lord. And we have a Jefferson retreat coming up in June that we would love for you to be a part of. We have some spots available, and then our conference, the unashamed warrior women conference, strengthening warrior women for Christ, is coming up in that's not the right date.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Well, I was showing you the dates for the retreat in Jefferson is June the 26th through the 28th. Yeah. Uh can we talk about that for just a second? Yeah, let's talk about a cool thing.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Oh, it's so cool. I'm so excited about it. Oh my goodness, it's gonna be so good.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Um, it's kind it's something that we've never ever done before uh as far as our retreats. And it's not like we've done a ton of retreats, we've had a few of them, but this one's so much different because we're going to watch a movie called Nefarious. And the retreat is going to be about this movie, like the discussion is going to be about this movie and spiritual warfare. And it's something that um we all know is out there, but we don't talk about it a whole lot. It almost gives us this doo-doo-doo doo vibe, and we don't want to discuss it, or we're scared to talk about it because we're afraid the enemy's gonna get us. Yeah, so we try to stay away from it.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

That's what I was gonna say. It reminds me of when people say, Well, I don't pray for I don't pray for patience because then God's gonna give you things to test your patience. And like, we don't want to pray for spiritual warfare because then we're gonna see it.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Yeah, well, I don't want to pray for spiritual warfare for sure. I don't want to pray for that one.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Uh for spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

Yes. But just like the patience, we gotta have it because everything in this world will test our patience every day. So why not just go ahead and pray for it, right? Uh, but the spiritual warfare, it's around us every day. I think the enemy is so sneaky that we get manipulated and we don't even know that we've been manipulated. Right. And in such little, little subtle ways.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

Little series of yeses. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

That's that is uh that is one line out of that movie that I'll never forget. It's a s it starts with a series of little yeses. Yeah, it's just crazy. We compromise, right? So anyway, the whole retreat um is going to be a little bit different. Everything's included, but we're gonna be kayaking and those who want to kayak, if you don't like that, then that's fine. But we're gonna have some games outside and inside and just have fun. It's gonna be a fun time, but we are gonna have some serious discussion. So if you're free and you'd like to come, we would love for you to do that. Just uh hop on our website to get information on that.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

We're on social media, and the price for that is $350, and that includes all your food, lodging, all the supplies, everything. So it's gonna be a it's gonna be a really fun event. And and we have somebody coming in.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Uh Allie Haynes is coming in. I'm gonna go ahead and see. She already confirmed. Uh I hadn't talked to her in a while, but I think she's a woman of her work. But she's gonna come in and uh bring some stuff, and we're gonna do some type of craft that see we're gonna do some, we're gonna do some crap. Can't even correct it now. Craft and art project. C-R-A-F-T.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

It's not gonna be crafty at all.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Uh like make it maybe making some type of wreath for your door or something for your home. And she's really, really good at that. So that'll be fun.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

And if you're not a crafty person, don't let that scare you because it'll it'll be easy. Like you don't have to be super talented because I don't have a crafty bone in my body.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

We really gotta be careful with that word. Um, but anyways, um yeah, and if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. You can sit and eat on some chips and drink you some sweet tea and watch everybody else. It's fun.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Yeah. We've already got the menu planned, so we got everything ready and laid out. It's gonna be a lot of fun. So, yeah, $350 for you know, a full weekend girls get away to dig into the movie Nefarious and Scripture Warfare and uh and come away stronger, hopefully. Yeah, it'll be fun. That's the goal.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Yeah, so um, for those of you that are listening, I'm just wondering is there something you can think about in your own life? That you can look back on now and say, I never in a million years would have thought this would have turned out like that. Or I never thought by meeting this person, God would have brought, you know, this into my life or whatever. Like he's so, you know, I always think it's dumb your little statement you make, to be honest. But I have found myself saying it. God is really good at being God. He's good at being. I have heard BJ say that so many times over the years. And every time I hear her, I'm like, well, yeah. I mean, obviously he's God.

unknown 22:38

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

See, she just gets irritated with me. I laugh at her if she gets irritated with me. Y'all, literally, I'm sure her eyeballs have scratches on it for all the time she rolls her eyes at me. It's not true. It is so true. It is not. We have pictures of you looking afraid of me.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

That's not irritation. That's more of just, oh, I cannot believe she just said that.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

There are so many times, there are so many times where I am speaking on a stage, not even unashamed related. And she will just be like, looking at me like, I cannot believe you just said that word in the church.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Or whatever. Well, I'm looking at you right now because I can think of an instant recently that we won't bring up.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

I don't know. Oh well, you can bring it up. You ain't gonna say names. Oh my gosh, y'all. Someone passed away. And a good friend of ours in ministry had a relative that passed away. Yes. And she BJ mentioned it. Okay, I wasn't planning to mention it first off. I was just explaining that this person wasn't gonna be here because she wasn't gonna be here. I wasn't giving a reason. I understand.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

Okay, someone in the audience felt like she needed to say it and kept saying it from the row, like like trying to get BJ to mention why. And so she does, but then BJ just says something like, um, she dead.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

He died.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

I was like, Yeah, he he died. He died, and and you can just hear the the energy in the room which just sucked out of the room, like, oh my gosh. It was so awkward. And she's just standing on stage and I'm giving her this look. Like, fix it, fix it. I can't believe we just said that.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

There was no way to fix it.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

No, there wasn't.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Well, and then okay, in context of my own broken world mind, me and my youngest daughter always have this stupid thing that we do when someone passes away, like Chandler from Friends or Loretta Lynn or my dog Charlie. So we'll say, We just we're stupid. But so it's like, yeah, so and so died. And then if I say it, my daughter will say, Yeah, like Charlie. And then I'll say, and Loretta and Chandler. And like we just kind of go back and forth. And so when that happened, all I could think was, Yeah, he did, like Loretta and Charlie and Chandler. Like, like it, and so I can't say those things because it's not funny to anybody in the world but me and my youngest daughter. And so there was there the point of the story is there was no way to recover.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Okay, so what I know is those of you who are listening right now understand that there's a reason why I should give her those.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

There is a reason. Moving on. There is a reason. I do I deserve almost, almost every eye roll. Well, I deserve them too, so you deserve the laughter you bring to my life. I deserve to be the butt of the joke.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

And I deserve the eye roll. If it can make somebody laugh, I'm all about it. Whatever, I'm good with it.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Yeah. You say that, but you sure have been whining a lot about being the butt of the joke. Well, are you being sensitive? Do you need a tissue?

SPEAKER_02 26:08

No, I don't think I'm very sensitive. I'm sensitive in some areas, so but like it's only good fun.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

We're laughing with you.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

Oh, yeah. No, it don't bother me at all. It really don't. You did eat an ostrich head. I did. And I did pick up the Donald Duck Mystery of Peanuts book and took the picture myself and sent it to you. So, you know. And I did eat an ostrich head. Oh, that's so gross. That's very gross.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Anywho, the way that God orchestrates details. I think about like a the Marionette puppets, and he's not a puppet master up in heaven just controlling all the things because we have free will and we have desires and personalities and wants and all of the things, and those are very real, and he is not a master of all. I mean, he is a master of all the things, but he's not controlling all of the things like that, as far as I don't know how to I don't know how to say what I'm trying to say. What am I trying to say? Like he's not controlling the he's not making us do anything. Thank you. But he is in control of all the things, and so I just think of him up in heaven with these strings putting, you know, putting you at this missions table to talk about Haiti at a conference that I'm speaking at, and then my phone ringing, canceling a celebrate recovery event, and you saying, Well, you can come to my celebrate recovery. It's the same night. And next thing you know, we have done these conferences and retreats, and you're one of my dearest friends, and we have laughed and cried and stressed each other out, and we have this podcast now, all because our paths happened to cross at a missions booth. Yeah, and here we are. My husband is getting his dream home that we wouldn't have even known to dream because he begrudgingly went on a missions project with me. You know, like there's just I don't know, there's just so many, like the the the bigness of God is so amazing. And I I feel like it's one of those things that you know, the Romans, is it Romans 623 or 823? What is the Romans where all things come back like the full circle? Um why can't I think of that scripture? It's not 623 because that's the wages of sin is death. It's not that one.

SPEAKER_02 28:40

Um all things, what is to good the good of those who love the Lord. Is that the one?

SPEAKER_01 28:47

Is that what where everything comes back? Like it he he works out the details, is the bottom line. And there he is a god of details, he is a god of grace, a god of mercy. And the reality is, is we're not here to just be happy, but he wants us happy. Like you had mentioned on the way here, like I bet God is just up in heaven, giddy, because you're so excited about this house. Right. And I hope that's true. And then I was thinking, no, he's up there thinking this buffoon was wishing for some piece of land that didn't have nothing to do with her heart's desire, you know.

SPEAKER_02 29:24

Yeah, but and I just think it's kind of the opposite because I'm he knows what's best for us, and he knows what will really, really make our our soul happy. Yeah, you know, and even when we don't know, he does. And so when he get when when we finally surrender or we say yes, or whatever the thing is, or we realize it, you know, sometimes it's just a matter of it's not that we said no or we didn't want it, it's just the fact that we didn't even recognize it. And that moment that we recognize it, that there's so much joy that comes out. I just think he's just like, and there it is.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

Yeah, now she got it.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

Yeah, even like uh you're talking about like me eating that ostrich head, you know. Um, I didn't eat the whole thing, but I did taste it. And it really was, I can say today that is the grossest thing I've ever put in my mouth. But um, but like even in that, that was setting in Haiti up upstairs at a missionary's house, right? And at dark, where some Haitian person brings that around, and like I never in my life would have thought I would be doing missions. That I love missions. I love missions, and not just going out of the country on missions. I just love any kind of missions, but I do particularly love to go out of the country. I love to see different things and and to get to be used and be a part of that. Like it's just an an honor, right? But I never thought that would have happened. But even in that, like I remember the very first mission trip that I ever went on, and it was to Mexico, was the first one, right? And that's who did you go with? Uh, my pastor and uh came.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

Well, I was gonna say, because in this conversation too, I had asked you who do you feel like has shown you how to do this thing called Christianity, basically. I don't think those were the exact words I used, but who who mentored you, who taught you? And and you you said, well, my pastor, brother Charles. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

So like I do have a very good friend, Sheila, who um she I think I said other than Sheila because I knew Sheila was the one, but and and but with Sheila, that was more, you know, we were uh best friends, and that was taking scripture and she was teaching, you know, I was learning with her, and she spurred me along when it came to reading the word and studying, and she was the person I could call when I'd read, and I'd be like, like I remember the very first time I started reading the Bible, and I I didn't know. And so what I mean, it's a book, so I went to page one, you know, and I just start reading the Bible. In the beginning. In the beginning, and I just started reading, and I remember getting to a section where it was listing off how old all these people were, and I or or it was talking about Moses or somebody, but anyway, somebody was like a hundred and something years old or three hundred and something or whatever it was, and I just remember in that moment, I'll never forget, I was sitting on the bed looking at this, and I picked up the phone and I called Sheila and I said, Hey, there's people in the Bible that was like 300 and something years old. How does that even happen? Like, so she was that person. It was probably older than this, probably like 900 and something. Right, but it was just like something I was reading at the age of whatever, and it could have been that, but I just like she was the person I could call, and just I wasn't worried about how she thought of me, you know, like feeling stupid. Like I was just excited about the word, and I'd never been excited about the word, and I didn't understand any of it. I knew nothing really about it, and I just remember like she was the person I would call, and I remember in that moment when I asked her that, I remember her laughing. And she said, That's right. And she goes, and actually, there's one older than that. I remember, you know, her going through it. So she helped me in that way. But really in life, if I was to go back, I would say, my pastor has taught me more than anyone, and he doesn't even know it.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

Yeah. Uh unless he hears this episode and now the secret's out. Right.

SPEAKER_02 33:25

You know, um, yeah, and because he has taught me by me watching him. Yeah. Um being real in all circumstances. Yeah. He really is the same guy, guy on stage preaching as he is in a van in Mexico or Africa or wherever it is, or he's the same guy that's out on the tractor in his overalls that's running the tractor on the church property, um, straightening something up. And and so I watched him love people of all walks, all colors, money, no money, whatever. I just saw how he treated people. I saw him get upset when people weren't treated fairly. Um kindly. Kindly. Um, I was sharing with you, I don't think I ever even finished the the story about, but just a quick version of it uh when Katrina came. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, we had this um at that time here in Longview, um, there was a store set up. It was an empty store, and everybody in town were bringing all these things and dropping it off so people who had came from New Orleans could walk in and a family could get shoes and clothes and all the things, right? And um, I just remember me and him had happened to sign up about the same time when we were working together that day, and he was getting so frustrated because there was a limit. And it would say you could only have like whatever. I I don't remember what it was now, but it was like you can have two shirts, one pair of shoes, three pairs of pants, whatever, you know. And so when they got up to the register, they weren't paying for anything, but you had to show it to the people and they put it in a bag for you and they marked it off. And so when me and him was at the register, you know, he was like, it's okay, it's okay. Like he just put it in there. And I remember him looking at me and he him saying something to the effect of um, these people have lost everything they owned, and we're gonna tell them that they can't have a third shirt. Yeah. Like those type of things. Um, and then there was this little girl that was looking for this particular uh stuffed toy or some doll. I think it was a doll, and she was looking for that, and we went over, taking this little girl, and we looked all through the toys trying to help her find this particular doll that she lost at her home. We never could find it. And they got all of their things and they went out, and and I'm doing something else. And I turn around and I just happen to look up, and I see outside in the parking lot, my pastor is standing out there with the little girl and their family, and I see him reach to his back pocket and pull his belfold out. And he took money and he bent down and he handed it to that little girl, and he talked to him, and he turned around and came back in, and not once did he say, I gave that little girl. He never said a word about it. And that was all those years ago, and I can see it like it happened yesterday. Those type of things taught me I haven't always done it well, right?

SPEAKER_01 36:24

I would say I've not done it well more than I have done it well.

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Correct, me too. But I want to do it well, me too. And I learned so much by watching him on mission trips out of the country, how he's led things in our church. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

I love that when we were at breakfast and just the thought, you know, I said, uh, I hope when I'm 81 years old, there's two ladies sitting at a restaurant having breakfast thinking, man, she loved me well. Yeah. Talking about me. Yeah. You know, yeah. They're probably gonna be talking about you. Just kidding. They will, they will be talking about you.

SPEAKER_02 37:02

So, you know, I like I do I pray that one day um like we leave a legacy to our children, our grandchildren, and just to people that can say, yeah, you know what, them two boneheads, as our friend Tammy calls us all the time, those two boneheads, they were goofy as I'll get out, but you know what? They love well. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

I want to love well. I want people when they meet me, whether it's at the Walmart or on the church pew, to think, wow, she loves Lord, she loves Jesus, she loves her family, and she loves being well. So do you love well? Are you are you fulfilling God's heart's desire for you by loving people well? Yeah, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 37:53

Good question. And I challenge you too, like, just to think back and how God orchestrated things in your own life. Even the things you think were bad, like not getting something you just knew was for you. Right. Or some type of even just a tragedy or whatever. I mean, it could be the worst thing to the least, you know, just how some things happen that you just thought there is no way we're gonna get through the situation or whatever, and just seeing how God orchestrated it and and um made a difference in your life. Now you can see the purpose in it. Like it doesn't mean that he caused it to happen, but he he allowed it for whatever reason. Somebody made a choice along the way. Um that's a whole nother podcast.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Yeah, we need we do need to talk about that. God allows everything or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

Maybe that could be our next one, you know.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

But anyway, all right. Well, thanks for joining us, y'all. We are so close to getting to go to weekly. We're still on every two weeks right now, so please like, subscribe, share this podcast, and just know that we are working towards getting uh to move to an every week episode instead of every two weeks. We're excited about that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

And hey, if you're looking something for something to do fun uh with your friends towards the end of the year, we do have the Unashamed Women's Conference coming to Hot Springs. Like we said, that's where we've been, um, setting everything up there and looking at the conference center. And it is going to be so fun and exciting.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Okay, and just for the record, I have clarified and I have gotten verbal communication from somebody that knows something. You do not have to get naked to go to the bathhouse.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Yep, I've avoided it every time because I have heard so many stories of people going. Have y'all ever heard those stories? I mean, I've heard these stories where people have gone in, they're like, they were holding up a town, just told me to get naked or whatever, and you know, just different things. And I'm like, I ain't going in there, I ain't getting naked in front of nobody.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

I made a promise at the Amen conference that I was gonna go with one of our friends to this bathhouse. And so we're talking about that, and I said, Oh yeah, I'm gonna go do that. And she's like, You're gonna go get naked at this. And I'm like, I ain't getting naked, I'm gonna wear a bathing suit. And she's like, No, you gotta get naked. And I can get naked, I'm not doing that. That is not real. I said, You there's no way you got to get naked. Now, I also did not know you were in a private bathroom.

SPEAKER_02 40:27

Right. So there's options, right? And so that's what I was saying. Like, you don't have to go into the Yeah, yeah, no, I don't think you got to get naked to go in with this group thing. I only knew about the private thing where you get in a tub.

SPEAKER_01 40:43

She's telling me about it. Oh, I know. Because I'm like, well, why would you go to a private tub? Like, oh, I think about, well, if I'm gonna go do this, I'm gonna do it with Denise and Kim and whoever else, you know. Like, I don't even the concept of a private bath is weird. To me, I'll take a bath at home. Yeah, like I can, I can, I'm not gonna drive to Hot Springs, Arkansas to go to a conference to take a bath by myself, you know. So in my mind, it's just a group activity. We're gonna all do this together.

SPEAKER_02 41:09

And in my mind, it's a private thing, not a group activity. Communication is very important.

SPEAKER_01 41:15

It is be clear with your communication because then she's like, I'm like, I'm like, we're gonna do that. And she's like, I ain't doing it. I'm like, yes, you are. I made a promise that we're gonna do this. And she's like, I ain't getting naked. I'm like, Well, I ain't getting naked either. Anyways, welcome to our world.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Yeah. Hey, join us in Hot Springs in September. Uh, again, it's on our website, but we love to have you there. UnashamedWF.com.

SPEAKER_00 41:41

You've been listening to Table Talk with BJ Garrett and Denise Bowens. To support this ministry through prayer or giving, visit our website at unashamedw.com. May you be encouraged, rooted in truth, and unashamed.