Episode #6 Behind the Mic: A Worship Leader's Testimony!

What does it mean to lead others into worship while keeping your own heart fixed on Christ?

In this episode of Called and Running, we sit down with Austin Miles, a worship leader passionate about helping people encounter Jesus through authentic worship. Austin shares his testimony, the joys and challenges of serving in worship ministry, and what he's learned about surrender, humility, and keeping Christ at the center.

Together, we discuss the difference between performance and worship, the responsibility that comes with leading God's people, and how true worship extends far beyond Sunday mornings. Whether you're involved in worship ministry or simply desire a deeper relationship with God, this conversation will encourage you to pursue a life of worship in spirit and truth.

Join us as we hear Austin's story and explore what it looks like to use our gifts to glorify God and point others to Jesus.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." — John 4 

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:00

It's not yeah it's not it's not about how you feel. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

But it's about who he is and what he's done for. What are we here for?

SPEAKER_06 0:15

What's up guys? Welcome back to Callin' Running. My name is Jonah Rowan. I'm here with uh Dakota Christensen, uh or better known as Uncle Cody. What's up, guys? And uh we are so blessed to have uh special guest uh awesome miles on today. Thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

Pleasure is mine, bro. I've I've gotten I've got the uh the the ability to kind of hear you guys and just kind of talk to you. Me and Coda have been getting close. And uh Joe and I expect the same thing for you, bro. So absolutely it's been good just to see what God's doing with y'all, man. Honestly, I'm I'm I'm excited for where God's gonna take y'all.

SPEAKER_04 0:51

Yeah, us too, man. This has been like a wild journey, man, but it's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_05 0:56

Come on, man. It's a lot of fun. It's worth it.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

Yeah. Right? A lot of ups and downs, a lot of roller coaster, but when you get to the end of it, man, you get to you get to stand in his face. Yeah, yeah. It's a blessing. Yeah, absolute blessing. Let's go, man.

SPEAKER_06 1:07

Yeah, man. Um So I I I really wanted to get you on after the first time uh I was in church, and I just saw you up there just worshiping your heart out, man. And just crazing your heart out. I was like, wow. Yeah, how does somebody get to that point? So I I just man, I I want to hear your story. Yeah, like where do you come from? Where do you um or how did you come and know the Lord?

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Yeah, man. Um I get I get asked that question a lot because it mind you, um, I'm just all over the place. And like if you ever get a chance to see me worship what you guys do, you guys have, uh I I don't know what I'm doing up there. You know what I mean? I'm just like, I know these words, and I'm gonna sing these songs, and I I have the ability, and God's giving me that gift, man. But worship is just this, it's it's a one, it's a lifestyle, it's not just a platform. That's the biggest thing. Um, but when I get when I get to be able to just throw my hands up or scream or do whatever, um, one, a shout out to Cross Point City for allowing me to to to be that, right? Because not everybody, never but not everybody's on board with like you know, this, this, this black guy going crazy on stage. Um I've seen it. I've been in places where they're like, man, hey, can you just uh I'm like, no, I can't. So I don't know what you want me to do. Holy Spirit's telling me to do that. It's gonna be that or it's not gonna be anything. So um, but yeah, man, to answer your question, like to get to that point is um it's experience, bro. Um just just a life with the Lord. And I think when when you look back on everything the Lord has brought you through, um that has to be the response, right? It has to be the response of saying, Um, God, he's good. Man, he's good. And when I hear when I hear words like, you know, who else is worthy? Like, come on. That that's a realization to a lot of Christians, right? Like, and and I think it speaks to really the success and the struggle of of the Christian lifestyle. Like, who else is worthy? Like, who are you really giving your praise and your worship to and your time and your focus? Like, who else is worthy of that? Yeah. Um, so I go crazy when I hear that line. I go crazy when I hear the bridge. I hear, you know, yeah, you can, you know, you can sing like you know, when death was arrested, like these little things, little lines just kind of stir my spirit up, man. I'm always like that's always my response, but my story, man, really um, it's not one of like crazy, like I dealt with this, but you know, obviously people have a lot of struggles or they deal with sin in their life and you're trying to overcome it. Like, I think that battle's always gonna be there. We're always fighting spiritual battles. But um, just a kid, I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Um, moved out to California, uh, Oakland, Oakland, San Diego, California, um, for a while, for a few years. My mom, you know, my mom and dad were kind of rocky at the time. And um, you know, they they just weren't on the good places, so they ended up separating when I was around four years, four years old, and we ended up moving down to Atlanta. Um, so people always ask me like where I'm from, and I'm like, well, I've been in Atlanta the longest, so I'm I'm a down south guy. Um you know what I mean? So I think I think it's been super dope, honestly, bro, just to be able to to kind of grow up in that culture and see it, you know. So I think for me, like I was always just this this kind of like cool, you know, calm, collected, like uh, but I always I always needed to be around people, right? I've always had this love for people. And um coming up, that was that was a it was a gift of mine, right? Being able to relate to people and talk to people and be relational, be popular. Um, but it also came with with his challenges, right? Like when the enemy wants to, you know, put you in this place, he'll put you around put you around things where sometimes your your gift can be can be your fall, right? So I I hadn't I had no problem talking to people, I had no problem. I could walk up to a stranger and have a conversation, man. I think that's just what the Lord has kind of gifted me with. But uh before before Christ, like it was it wasn't used for the right things, right? It was used for picking up girls and having conversations and being in relationships. So um if we've been completely transparent, man, when I was when I when I was a young child, I I suffered through molestation. So that was that was a big part of my story. Like I want I want somebody, and it was it was a a friend, uh a friend of the family and uh an older man. And um one of those things for me, bro, really was I I went on this cycle of like, I'm gonna I'm gonna prove I'm not gay. Like I'm gonna prove that I don't I don't have this issue. I I'm gonna prove that nobody can nobody be I'm not gonna be defined by that story. I'm not gonna be defined for that, that trauma in my life. And it sent me down a path, bro, where just like I was always trying to please people. I was always trying to make sure that you never got to like never got too close to where you can see my secret or see my, you know, see my trauma. Um so I I went on the complete opposite. I'm gonna date all the date all the girls that I can. I'm gonna I'm gonna talk to everybody, I'm gonna be popular, I'm gonna be the guy in the limelight. So nobody ever sees my darkness, right? So um that was a lot of my story, man. A lot of my story. So when God gripped, when God got me, um, I want to say probably I was saved in 2001. I was 12 or 13 years old. I think when I started taking the Lord seriously, um, was probably right in the middle of college where it was just like, what are we doing? Right. So I always had the opportunities of, you know, when I was in high school to lead, to lead in church and lead in the high school ministry there, and but I always had that struggle with dating. I always had a struggle with having to be around somebody, having to be in a relationship, having to feel wanted because um that was the biggest thing for me, right? Like my dad, um, which is which is great now, we have a great relationship now, but it wasn't always that, right? Like, so after you know, my mom and my mom and dad got um got divorced, you know, early in my childhood, like when we moved to Atlanta, that's where I didn't have that, right? I didn't he wasn't around a lot. He was in the same state, but just you know, we we didn't get to connect in that way um till till years later. So um I was always trying to fill a void, right? I was trying to fill this void, like why is okay, if he's not gonna love me the way that I want to be loved, and I have to fill that. I have to fill that with something. Um and oftentimes it was women, you know. I never and I never dealt with I never dealt with sexual sin um until I got to college. And then so I think where the enemy was just like, okay, so you love being in relationships, you love being wanted, you love feeling this feeling. I'm gonna I'm gonna pervert that. And when you try to get into relationships, I'm gonna have people that have no intention of being with you. But they're going to be in your life to show you uh that you're wanted in this in this way, and then they're gonna abandon you. So it was just this a never-ending cycle of like and you know, just trying to be wanted and feeling abandoned by people because what because what'll happen is right, so it's this weird dichotomy, right? Like you you have this gift of gab, you can talk to anybody, you can be in relationships and and do all these things, but when you believe that um sex is is one of those things that is a key component to relationships or how how it's supposed to go, when you do that first and you're like, Well, I hope that you love me, and then when they don't, they're like, Oh my oh my gosh, like I'm I'm I'm being abandoned again. So now not only am I I'm being abandoned and trying to run through these relationships, now I have this this stigma on campus of like, oh, he's a womanizer. Oh he's oh he's he just he just dates women and have sex with them. And mind you, I was serving in the you know the the the Baptist collegiate ministries there on on campus. So now you get this stigma like, oh, he's not really about the Lord, he's not really about this, he's struggling with this sin. Where it's like we've had this conversation today, Jonah. Like, like that's what it okay. If I'm if I can't run to the church, then where can I run to? Um, and so that was a lot of part of my a lot of part of my story, bro. Just really trying to make sure that the Lord was going to get glorified through through my walk and through my life. Um, and the enemy just had had had ways of putting, you know, a lot of people say he's like the puppet master, the enemy made me do it. It's like that's that's so farthest from the truth, bro. Like he sets the stage and you just act in your flesh, acting your fleshy desire. So for me, bro, like it was that that's what it was. I I chased, I chased being in the limelight, I chased being the center of attention. And um, so I think even when I got into worship when I was when I got really into worship around 2012. Um, this is the first year of our marriage. You know, I met my wife in college, and um my college years were kind of that struggle too, just trying to figure out what the Lord wanted from me. And um he gripped me, man. He gripped me right around right before probably a year before I got married. And um I struggled, I struggled as a husband. I struggled as trying to be this biblical, biblical man that my wife needed. Um and that's kind of when I got into worship, bro. I I had the gift, right? So it was just like, okay, so let's let's have some fun. It was uh, you know, a church out in Dallas, uh Westridge Church, shout out to shout out to uh Pastor Brian and Pastor Paul and uh my guys Jason and Spencer. Um just love over there, man. It's just a great great family, great people to be a part of. Um but I also think when I started there, um mentally I wasn't where I needed to be. I had the gift, could sing and do all the things, but I was still I was still chasing attention. It was just in a different, different form. Yeah. Right. So like I'm leading worship and you know, oh my gosh, man, love what you do, love your energy up there, man. I I understood, I I realized that I was I was seeking that. I would go up there and I would do these things and I would you know go crazy and jump around and because one that's that's how I worship, no, no doubt. But then I found myself like walking out to like the atrium and being like, I hope somebody says something to me. Like, yeah, I hope they liked it. Like, you know, so um had I dealt with I dealt with that as well. And I think what what happened is that my gift became an idol. Like I I was I put it on the pedestal and like well if if I'm not doing that, then what am I doing? Like that's so easy to do, bro. Oh my gosh, so easy. And like having that ability and being able to worship in that way and worship on a platform and have people see you. Westridge is not a small church. Crosspoint city, we we're seeing it's busting at the scenes. Oh my gosh. So we're having to get a bigger building, you know what I mean? It's crazy. Absolutely amazing to be able to do that, bro. But you know, on a weekend, I think the first weekend I did at Westridge, it was an Easter weekend. I think we saw 10,000 people that weekend. Five services, um, five or six, I want to say. Um that's a lot of singing, bro. It's a while, and this is my first time, so I'm doing spoken word, I'm rapping, um, and nobody knew that I could sing, which is what was really crazy. I remember the the creative arts pastor coming to me and being like, Hey bro, I know you're walking up on the first song and you come back on the fourth. Like, do you think you can just stay up there? Because I feel like you walking out and then coming back is just like a weird transition. Do you feel like you could like stay up there and just kind of mouth the words? And I was like, Well, I I know the songs, I could I could just BGV, you know, that's perfect. Like, you can sing, and I was like, I was like, Yeah, like I could, I can hold a tune, you know, wouldn't being like I'm a great like singer or whatever. Um, but I was like, yeah, bro, I could I can sit up there. So we got to do that, and that was the first time we had like been a part of like somebody who was investing in you, right? But it was right same first year I got married, and uh we were looking for a church home, and it just happened to be that. And I think I I did that Easter service at West Ridge, and like three weeks, three or four weeks later, we like had joined the church. Um, had brought the family, and I just had one son at the time, and he just fell in love. My wife fell in love, and we just fell in love with that community there, man. So when God called us to Cartersville, uh we had just moved back from DC, about four years in DC, and um came back to Cartersville because that's where that's where my wife, her family, and they all grew up, like Calhoun, Adairsville, Cartersville. Um we were working on, we had two kids working on on, we didn't even work on the third. Third came as a surprise. And we were like, uh, what in the world? Okay, cool. So we got got three three kids, and she tells me she's pregnant with the third, and I'm like, babe, we're barely above water with the two kids, like here in DC. Now anybody anybody knows northern DC, Northern Virginia, DC. It is expensive, bro. Yeah, yeah, it's ridiculous. Northern Virginia treats it like they're you're 45 minutes outside of outside of DC, where they treat you like you're like 10 minutes outside of DC. One because you can get to DC pretty quickly, yeah, but I'm also like, man, this is this is expensive. I always knew this. I have I have a cousin out there who's like, uh, you know, yeah, we paid 526 for our house. And we do this. I'm like, oh, you paid half a million dollars for your house. Like, but let that sink in. Like, so people when you when you get into those, like those neighborhoods and communities, people are like, oh yeah, but I spent 520, I spent six twenty. No, you spent over half a million dollars on your house. Make sure that that because I would show them, like, hey, this is what half a million to get you in Georgia. And they're like, what in the world, bro? And I'm like, so so just kind of had this thing, like, okay, we need maybe we need to get back. So when we had, yeah, when she said she was pregnant with the third, we were like, we gotta go back home. We gotta figure out and get some round people who are gonna help us out. We got some family who can help us out. And uh, that's what got us back to Cartersville, man. And we we came back and I served at West Ridge for another like three years or two and a half, I want to say. And uh when God called us to Cartersville, man, it was just like, you're I want you to be, I want you to serve at the local church in your community. Um, and what that brings, bro, is accountability, right? Oh, yeah. Because you're being seen, and I'm I'm not only and I'm I'm I'm a coach by nature. So any sport my kid plays, county or city, I'm I'm there. Yeah, I'm one of those guys yelling from his stands or like you know, by a second or third game, coach is like, Do you I need an assistant coach? Do you want to? Yeah. I'm like, man, look, I I know team sports, like the back of my hand, basketball is my forte. Uh, but baseball, soccer, football, like all the all the sports my kids have played, they all have the same principles, right? Once you learn how to play the sport, all of it's team sports. Yep. So people parents would hear me, you know, screaming from the because I I don't know how to be quiet at games. And my wife hates it, but it is what it is. Same here, dude. I'll be honest with you, but I think my 15-year-old kind of hates it too, but it is what I mean. I don't know, I don't know what you want me to do, man. Do you want to get better or what? You know, so um I think it's the biggest thing, but I'd growing up there, so you know, when we got here, we got back in 2019. Um, I think I came to West Virginia in 2022, and um, it's accountability, bro. Like, I see people at Walmart, I see people at Target, I see people at Publix. And mind you, if for people who don't know, it is a predominantly, I'll say it's predominantly white church. Yeah. However, um, a lot of cultures there, a lot of people coming in and out. So being the black guy on stage is like I get noticed around Carsville all the time, and I get asked, like, are you are you you sing it, you say a cross point, right? And as funny as it is, bro, it's it's accountability, right? It's it's I could be yelling at my kids, beating my kids in the middle of Publix, and it's like, wait, don't you sing it? You know what I mean? So it's it's witness accountability. So I think being able to coach the ball fields and being able to be out there with the kids and and the students and just kind of um seeing that and being a part of it, man, has been absolute, uh absolute blessing to be in the city that I live in and serve and worship in the city that I live in. Um has been great, man. But that that that struggle to answer that question, a long-winded answer for that question, uh, it's just experience, man. It's just struggle. It's uh this dependency on the Lord. And then when He He meets you, um it's that's that's where my mind goes every time I get to worship, uh my some line and some song will happen. It just it just brings it, bring the spirit, the Holy Spirit will bring back to remembrance. Like, remember remember when we met you right there? Remember when we caught you right there? Remember when we we we carried you along when you couldn't carry yourself? Remember that late in the midnight hour where you didn't have anybody to talk to? Greach. This was the show that you got to lean on, and all those things start flooding back into my mind. And I'm like, Father God, you're just you're just good. You're good by nature, like you're you are a good father. That's right. And when he's able to do all those things, bro, in the way that he's he's able to do them. Um, I mean, me screaming and jumping up on stage is that's the least I can do, right? That's the least I can give. So man, that's that's where it comes from, bro. All of it just floods back in. I keep remembering. I think I think a lot of what we have to remember ourselves do is about the gospel as well. Like it's an everyday thing. You have to remember that that once we were we we were we were in sinful nature and and Jesus had to come down and die for us and you know be crucified for our sins. So um you think about those three days, you think about him raising and being ran to the right hand of the Father, and now who's advocating for us to what you know constantly.

SPEAKER_06 17:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:22

We gotta remember that every day, bro. The gospel is something we gotta remind ourselves of. And I think sometimes the church forgets that. Yeah, you know, sometimes we get we get to like this place, okay. He's saved, he's good, you know, the Lord, he said yes, he raised his hand. What about discipleship? What about the journey? Man, yes. What about that part? So that's what I remember, and I go, man, you know, the enough. The funny thing is that even with my experience, even if I was just remembering the gospel, that's enough for me to go crazy. Come on, man. That's enough for me to run around that stage. But then when I make it personal, then when I think about the moments where I wanted to quit, where I wanted to give up, where I didn't think I was good enough. And the Lord whispers in my ear, like, I made you. You're an image bearer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like, what do you mean? So let me let me speak, let me speak to your spirit a little bit. Um it goes deeper, bro. It goes deeper. So it's that's the least I could do, man, honestly.

SPEAKER_06 18:15

Yeah. I had um which I haven't even told you this um at my old church before I came to Cross Point, which was fairly recent. Um I came across one about four months ago, but I was on the worship team there. And I don't even try to recruit me at all. I I I cannot sing very well at all. I was up there doing my best.

SPEAKER_03 18:36

The tone of your voice sounds amazing. We'll see.

SPEAKER_06 18:39

I I I cannot sing. Um But I really had to repent the way I worshiped. Yeah. Because it was just it was so conditional. Like it was conditional on maybe the way I felt going into it or the way uh the congregation responded. Sure, bro. And bro, it just I made it I made it so much about me that I miss it being all about him. And that's what worship is. And I think that's where a lot of people go wrong in worship now. They'll be like, oh, I just don't I don't like these lyrics, or I don't like this, I don't like it when they have when they have drums or an electric guitar up there. No stop. It's not, yeah, it's not it's not about how you feel. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's about who he is and what he's done for.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

What are we what are we here for?

SPEAKER_04 19:23

Yeah, like yeah, I agree. Yeah, I mean, like I think back to the the story of uh of King David um, you know, starting out in his you know kingly fashion with all the bling on and and and and all the things, you know, and he's like stripping down. He's getting so hot from dancing and and flipping and doing all the things, you know, and just going crazy, you know, worshiping the Lord. And everybody's looking at him like, wow, let's join in. So everybody's together, you know, and then you know, King Saul's daughter comes out and she's like, dude, what are you doing? Like, like you're you're you're a king, like you're not acting like a king right now. And he was like, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to worship the Lord until the day that I die. And if that means I lose my status as king because I look like a fool out there, I don't care because to my king, to my God, yeah, he loves what I'm doing because I'm glorifying him in the way that I'm worshiping him. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

You know, my thing is I I pray that his praises always like forever be on my lips, man. That's it. Yeah. At the end of it, like I I look at just where the world is today, bro, and the like the church is needed more than ever right now. And if we if we don't step up to be that, then we're missing the whole point of the gospel. Like he he died for everybody, bro. Like this idea that that that people like, yes, the Bible, the Bible tells us that you know, people that some people will not inherit the kingdom of God. That doesn't mean that we don't go after every single person. Because he died for every single person, right? He was crucified for all sin, not just the sins of of of some, sins of many. So I think when you look at that man, and and that's the biggest thing. Like we have to we have to be able to chase after people. And if I if I can do that a little bit and contribute to that with my worship and with discipleship and joining in with people, then that's what I gotta do, bro. It's not even a question for me. It's not, it's it's such a wake up, spend some time with the Lord, what's a day, God? And it's like just this preparation, man. I think about basketball. And it's it's team sports is kind of like just where my where my mind always goes.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:32

Um, I tell my son all the time, like, bro, you're not gonna get better if you don't watch film. Like, you're not gonna get better if you don't watch yours if you don't watch yourself play, if you don't watch yourself make mistakes, if you don't watch yourself where you could have seen this, but you did this. Um that's the biggest thing for us, man. This is this is this is our study. This is our film watch. This is what what did what did they used to do? Right? So like I love I love the the mama mentality, a big big Lakers fan. Um so when I look at Kobe And just this mama mentality, it wasn't about like I'm gonna grip my I'm gonna grip my my teeth and I'm gonna I'm gonna have this killer mentality. You know, everybody talks about that, right? I'm gonna give this killer mentality, I'm I'm gonna give you 50, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, you know, jam it down your throat. Like it's like, no, the mama mentality really at its core is like being inquisitive and asking the questions and getting the answers and falling in love with the process. And I say the same thing about us here. Like, if you don't fall in love with reading this, if you don't fall in love with spending time with the Lord, if you don't fall in love with the process of sanctification, then you're gonna miss it every time. And now you just become an easy target. Because if you don't fall in love with this, like we talked about this earlier, like this the scripture tells us that it's it's it's a double-edged source, putting between the soul and the spirit. If you are not reading it, then you're not creating a separation. You're not creating the distinction that you are you are a follower of Jesus Christ if you don't want to learn and listen to what he says. I hear people talk about all the time too, like, oh I'm just not hearing the Lord, or I feel like I'm praying, I'm not hearing his voice with me. Oh yeah. He talked for 66 books. Like, what do we like? All you gotta do is get in there and read it. The question that you have, it's somewhere in there. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like you need to hop in there and and listen to what he says. And the cool thing about it, man, is that some Bibles even put it in red letters, bro. But like what he said, it's it's highlighted. Like you can read those things and listen to what he has to say, man. So I think that's the that's the biggest thing for me is like this is the battle plan. And if we don't get into it, then it's like, how do we become more like Christ?

SPEAKER_06 23:29

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think um uh it's such a blessing for me to be a part of of this day and age, and just being a part of of what's going on in Gen Z. Yeah. And especially being a Gen Zier myself, like my friend. I'm I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Which I found out today. I was like, wait, you're how old? Yeah, a lot of people get that response when I say I'm 21, but yes, I'm 22. I turned 22 in three weeks. Yeah, three weeks of um nice. Um, but yeah, it's it's so it's so incredible seeing just I mean, I think we all feel it. We feel there's something there's something in the air, man. Yeah, for sure. Like the the wind is changing, the tides are shifting, man.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

Not a lot of them, bro.

SPEAKER_06 24:12

Uh I don't know if you were at a quip last weekend.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

I wasn't, but I've heard countless stories. My wife, my wife got to serve the whole time, and I gotta talk to a lot of young adults who were there. Um it's been freaking amazing, man. But yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 24:24

Dude, equipp was insane.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Yeah, it's a blessing, bro. Insane. Yeah, shout out shout out to CrossPoint. Um, shout out to Carlos. Yeah, you know, Carlos Fernandez, young adults passive across point city. Um, just being able to put that in there, man, and be able to do that and in that fashion and put it together and understand and know that what what that generation needs, yeah, and being able to put a form that says, hey, if this I know what you need, just come here and get it.

SPEAKER_04 24:49

Well, ultimately, just putting his yes on the table with that, right? You know, like he could have like that was not in the budget. You know what I mean? Like that that whole thing was just like, hey, you gotta you're gonna have to figure that out. Yeah. You know, and he could have easily just been like, yeah, nope, that's a lot of work. But dude, like he put his yes on the table and and you know, the Lord provided, man. And you know, because he put his yes on the table, and let that event. I, you know, Jonah and I have talked about this, man, but I have never in my life seen 200 young adults on their face crying and praying and praying over each other and whole room. Dude, like it, like, yeah, like when I so you know, when I got up and went back to my table, man, I just looked and like there was not a single person in their chair. It looked like empty tables because if they weren't at the altar, they were on the floor next to their table. There wasn't room at the altar. Yeah, there was no whole room. Yeah, yeah, man. Like it was such a humbling experience, man. Like you and I were talking about, you know, on the way here this morning, man. Like, dude, it took two or three days for me to process what what happened with that. You know, like that was talk about having your brain rewired. I love it, bro.

SPEAKER_06 26:15

Yeah, yeah. You know, it just man, it rearranged something in my soul. Like I just I have I have like this new I have like this sixth sense now. Yeah, come on. And the Holy Spirit has just been just so just so present in my life. I mean, dude, I've been on prayer walks every night this weekend, dude. I'm just I'm shedding tears, man. Yeah, yeah. Just over this over the brokenness of my heart and over my lost people in my life. And yeah, man, I think we just we we're missing that in today's society. Like we are we have done such a good job at drowning out the whole the uh the Holy Spirit through distraction. Like we can't, we're at the point now where we can't hear uh the Holy Spirit because we are we're so distracted with with the with the doom scrolling, we're so distracted with the with the with the podcast, which super awkward emotional moment. I'm sorry if if you guys are watching this, I'm not throwing shots or anything.

SPEAKER_04 27:15

As long as it's edifying, man, cool. Yeah. I mean, it not to interrupt you, but it's just the thing of like, you know, this is what the enemy does, though. Yeah, yeah, right? Like simple distraction. Like he he takes something like this that is beautiful and fruitful and just like edifying, yeah, and tries to rotten it, tries to throw darts at it, tries to like take you out. Yeah, you know, come on, man. Steal, kill, destroy. Yeah, that's his game. We know that, you know, and and if he can't do it one way, he's he's like a fisherman, you know. He's gonna cast one lure. If that one doesn't work, he's gonna clip it off, tie on the next one. You know, he might get three or four in, but he's gonna get you to bite. Oh, yeah, you know, because he's studied you since the day you were born. You know, he knows everything you've said, all the actions you've made, all the time that you've you've you've cried out in disbelief, and he gets in your brain, man. And and it's so easy to let him just just destroy you and and try and pull you away from something that's fruitful that the Lord's trying to put on your in your life and on your heart. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 28:20

Um I think right now uh people don't know how to walk by the spirit, yeah, because uh they really never have. And they're just they're so distracted walking by the flesh. And I know we wanted to talk about that a little bit. Um it's just so important. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

I think I think I think a lot of what we are talking about, and God's really been dealing with me over the last like years, year and a half, I want to say almost two years, of just this idea of the flesh versus the spirit. Like if we're not walking in the spirit, then we're obviously walking in the flesh. And not only did it give me realization to where I was and where my walk was going, it gave me a grace for people. It gave me a grace for if they're not walking in the spirit, then they're obviously walking in the flesh. And then the Bible tells us that it is he looks at the flesh as hostile to him. Yeah. Right. So if if if if God views it as hostile to him, then how should we view it as somebody who is trying to walk this walk, right? And walk in the spirit. And then you get to this place of like, I'm never, I'll never forgive him. He betrayed me, he he lied to me, he did this, all these things, or she did this, or she did all these things. Where that's the expectation, uh right? If they're not in the spirit, then the expectation is for them to do dumb things. They're gonna do, they're gonna sin, they're gonna do have these fleshy desires, and that leads that leads to a path of destruction, right? The the the the the the road to to to to the Lord is it's a narrow, right? The people are gonna be on that, but the road to destruction is wide. So when we look at that, I think that we have to have more grace for people, and we have to have more grace for people who are seeking the Lord. And I think that when you have that and you have that mindset and that perspective that the Holy Spirit is the only one doing the work, that I one, it gives me a freedom, right? It gives me a freedom to know that this isn't done by my my ability. I'm just putting like like you said about Carlos, he is just putting his yes on the table. And shout out to him for that that ministry has grown in in just um in an amazing way over the past couple of years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And him him being able to just to say, I'm gonna, I'm gonna lead that, and I'm gonna say yes to that, and Lord, whatever you want me to do, I'm gonna do. Um, lives are being changed because of that, man. He's he's one of my mentors. It's his intentionality, bro. Yes, man. You know, he's so. Just loves people, man. Go out of his way to say what's up to you, make sure you feel loved, connecting people with people. Yeah, he has a gift in that, man. So um, but that's that's what it has to be, right? That's what it has to be. Like, if you if you're not in the spirit or you're trying to know the Lord more more deeply, or even if you're on the fence of saying yes to the Lord, like you're gonna fail. You're gonna do dumb things, you're gonna, you're gonna be subject to your fleshly desire. But if we don't have grace for those people, oddly enough, you were once there, right? We were we were there. We didn't come. We had to come to we had to say yes to Christ. And it wasn't this process, this process of sanctification is always ongoing. It doesn't start, you know, the it starts the day you say yes to the Lord, but it's it's not complete. And to that, like and the scripture tells us that to the day to the day he comes, and then he's gonna work into completion. So we're always in that battle, we're always in a spiritual warfare, we're always looking at this process of sanctification. But if we if we don't walk in that, if we don't see that for what it is, then we you'll miss you'll miss the gospel, you'll miss love for people, you'll miss people who are struggling or crying out for the Lord, like you being the vessel or the object that the God's gonna work through to for them to change their lives, bro. And I think for me, that's giving me grace for people. That's giving me grace for people who may, you know, tell tell a lie or don't show up, or you know, it it just whatever it may be. It's giving me a grace for those people. It's giving me a grace to say they just need the Holy Spirit, they just need to have an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, they need to be able to be put in that process of sanctification. Maybe they've they said yes to the Lord a few weeks ago and they're still just trying to work that stuff out. Like that is the spirit of discipleship, bro. Like taking that on, like go therefore and make disciples of many nations, Matthew 28, 19. Like that's that's what we have to do. And if we don't do that, um there's there, I mean, there's such an easy way for the for the enemy to pervert it, bro.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

Just to to to get caught up, okay. I I'll give you I'll give you a quick example. This is just an analogy. I don't know anybody who actually went well, yes, I do, but um trying to avoid saying names. This is this is the thing. You get you get deep into your walk with the Lord, you're walking this thing out, and the enemy knows where your struggles are, where your pitfalls are, right? We talked about this earlier, he knows you know you better than you know yourself. And then you get into a discipleship relationship with somebody who struggles with the thing that you've overcome. Right? Mind you, one, that's where you need to be. The struggle that you went through, where you are, how you overcome it, you gotta share that story. But if it is a if if it's crossing a boundary for you, um, something that you've set for yourself, knowing that this is like this is the gateway to all the other things, then you need to be careful about who you're discipling. Right? You need to be okay to put, hey, look, I would love to help you on that, and I have overcome it, but I still struggle with it. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna tell you how I get it, how I got over it, but I'm also gonna put you with somebody who's a little bit stronger than me in that area. You have to be okay with that and understanding no that you don't have to take on everything and making disciples is um not this, not this thing where you have to like, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go go, I'm gonna make 10,000 disciples. I'm gonna do that's great. That's great to have, but there's there's a process to it. And the way that you have to do it has to be through the Holy Spirit. So I think you have to heed that conviction as well. Like, yeah, if the enemy, if if if the Lord is like, this is the person I want you to meet, but it's it's a this this is a season for you that you can point them in the right direction to the person that they need to become, or the person that they can really help them. Um, we have to be honest with ourselves in that because we try to take on so much. Oh and it's like, what are we okay, are we talking about this or are we doing or how are we how are we walking that out, right? We need to be we need to be making making disciples. We need to be walking people through discipleship because that's how people get closer to the Lord. And honestly, when somebody gets saved, the problem for me is that is that we see is that so many churches are living for the numbers and they're living for oh, I had a hundred people raised their hand last weekend. Well, cool. What's the what's the discipleship look like? Yeah. How are you meeting those people where they are? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:40

Where are those people today after raising their hand? Exactly. You know, have you have you know, have you taken a mental note of who that person is? Have you encountered them in the lobby on their way out and just you know, asked them how they're doing, asked them how their walks looking, you know, do they do they need any help? Do they do they have any questions? You know, and like you said, you know, if if you encounter somebody that's gone through something similar to you, you know, um great, you know, but also be watchful and and mindful that you know sometimes it can kind of send you off into a weird place too, because it kind of brings your mind back. You know, we had a similar situation in our group with him, you know, a a few weeks ago where you know, we, you know, uh Jonah's dealt with um some suicidal thoughts, you know, in his past. Um and we had a guy in group that was in that same walk. So yes, Jonah can relate and it's great, but trying to disciple him in that moment for him took him into that dark place and of remembrance of of what that felt like. And so, you know, he had to, you know, bring that to my attention and and and our other you know, co-leader in the group to where we could say, hey man, look, yeah, you gotta lay off Jonah with that. Yeah, you know, and so that's good stuff. You have to be really careful with it too, you know, and make sure that you have somebody like you said that maybe is a little further along than you, maybe in that same area that can come in that's been that's dealt with it a little longer, you know, um to disciple them too. Because sometimes you reach that threshold, yeah, you know, and you have that boundary. It's like drawing a line in the sand. Yeah. You know, the closer you get to that line, the blurrier that line gets. And before you know, you're over that line and you're screwing up.

SPEAKER_06 36:38

Yeah. You know, sure. I think um I think that's where a lot of people can go wrong. It's especially us as men, because we just like to manhandle everything that comes in front of us, and we don't want to need help with anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But um, like I mean, sometimes you just you've got to rely on on your community that's that you're surrounded by because some people are have have checked off the uh sanctification boxes in a different order than you have. And that's when that's why community is so important. So that way if somebody comes to you broken, we're we're gonna, okay, hey, maybe I shouldn't help you here, but I I got a guy. Yeah, and I I want to get well, first of all, we're gonna get you to Jesus, but we're gonna help, we're we're gonna point you in the direction of so-and-so who's gonna help you do that. And that's also like the same thing. Um I had a phone call with another guy in the group uh uh this week who pretty much is struggling with hanging out with um his friends that are still living for the world. And then I kind of put it like this, and I think a lot of really, especially newer believers, have this question um, do I have to stop hanging out with my friends? And do I have to stop um being around them when they're like at the bars or or whatever, smoking weed or or and just not participate in it? I'm like, um I think the question that you need to ask yourself if you're in that moment is how is it affecting your walk? Yes, can I be around them? Can I be around the environment that that they are in and be a light for them without it affecting the light within me? Yeah, that's real, bro.

SPEAKER_03 38:05

Yeah, that's real. I think I think that's great, man, because you you have to understand and know like what your boundaries are and stick and stick to them. You know what I mean? Like the question you too that you're asking is is so pivotal, bro, in in the Christian walk because you can you can hop into something you're you're trying to do right, right? But it's not it's not working because you're putting yourself back into this this temptation. Um so that's good, bro. That's so good. I mean, and that's and that's the that's that's the essence of it, right? When you're trying to disciple and walk somebody through discipleship, you have to be discerning as well. And you have to be able to make decisions to go, okay, this isn't this is a little much for me and where I am in my walk right now. Let me push you towards somebody who walks, man. Man, you have to, bro. You have to. And I think that's the biggest thing about um what I love about Crosspoint is that they just they just come alongside you. And if and but the thing is, because we also have people who, you know, our church is growing rapidly.

SPEAKER_01 39:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:01

And we have those people, oh man, it's it's it's getting too big for me. I'm gonna go to a more what are you getting out of it though? Yeah, because uh I served it, I served at Westridge for almost almost 10 years off and on. And how you make a big church feel small is with with direct connection with small groups, with going into different whatever it looks like, serving um small groups. Um if you're you're coming for the collective message, right? James, absolute monster, that's my guy, right or not. Shout out to shout out to James Griffith. I was talking to him last night about uh uh about about the sermon he just he just talked about and um just tell him it's needed. That man, I I love the way you you preach because it's it's this no-holds barred, like I'm gonna love you, and I have to tell you this because I love you. Yeah, and then when you when you get pastors like that, man, uh a lot of pastors coming up on on online and social media are doing that right now. And I think the biggest thing is that people you have to be preached at. People people want, I I think this is it might be a hot take. I don't know. But I really feel like people like being preached at hard.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

And I think people need it. And I think we're in such a season where uh society, you need like I'm not gonna water this down for you. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna be, I'm I'm not gonna give it to you a little, you know, you know, sit by sites. No sugar on top. It won't have to like when I'm doing you a disservice if I'm giving to you with sugar on top. Because it's not that's not how it was, it was it was presented to me. And so when I get into the scriptures, bro, and I'm like, this isn't this isn't right. And this isn't right, and I'm gonna come to you and I'm gonna love you because I love you, I'm gonna tell you. And I think Jane, that's how James approaches every message. It's like I love you so much that I have to tell you that what scripture says and what we're doing and what we look like and what decisions we're making, and how that is a fleshly decision decision, or that's a that's a that's a holy that's led by the Holy Spirit. I think he he doesn't sugarcoat it, he brings it to you hard. Yeah, and yeah, you appreciate that as a man, one. Yeah, um but as a church body and as a shepherd, like you're like, man, that is that is loving. He's one of the most humble guys I've ever met in my life, man. Yeah, I remember a couple years ago we walked into a hospital room. We had a friend of ours whose wife had just got diagnosed with cancer, and um, he he had called us and like, hey, we're praying, we're collectively praying around three o'clock on this day. And you know, we get there, I get there about 2 45 or 2 50. And um walking in and James is already in there. So didn't even know that that he that he he knew our friend. And um he's like, dude, what's up, man? I had just been at the church maybe like a year and a half year or something like that. And um he's like, dude, man, love, love your family, bro. Love the way you guys are worshiping. What's going on, dude? We hadn't had conversations off and on before that. Um, but then he's just like he's like, man, I'm like, dude, this church is growing, bro. And like it's it's it's busting at the seams, and we're trying to figure this thing out, what the Lord wants to do. And he's just like, Man, could you believe like the Lord would pick like filthy rags like us, bro? Oh, I can't believe it, dude. Like, what in the world? And I'm this is this is our pastor, yeah. Right, this isn't just like a minister who's on who's on staff. This is the pastor of our church, and he's like, bro, two like stupid guys like us to lead in in this way. And I'm like, one, first off, don't put me in your league. I'm I'm not I don't pastor the church like you, James. Right. He said, but you're on platform. And he and he kind of got me together too. He's like, bro, but you're on platform, so people see you. Like I may be I may be the face, and that people are gonna see me a lot more, but you're on platform and you're you're a part of this and what this looks like in this growth. And like, imagine the Lord picking us, our messed up selves, to use us in this mighty way, man. And he's like, it it it baffles me and it blows my mind every time I think about it. And I left that room, we pray, we pray for the wife, and uh thank God that that shout out to that. She is she's in remission, um, talking about this a year and a half later, uh, which is just a blessing in itself. Yeah, praise God. Um but I walked out of that room not not thinking like oh man, my my pastor, my pastor is this or that. He's just a humble guy, bro. And he he has this gift of of preaching and leading. And he's he's he is so he's so humble about it that he's just like I'm just gonna get to do it. And when you have that mindset and that perspective, that's how that's how if you don't have that, that's how pastors fall.

SPEAKER_04 43:19

Yeah. Like that. He's blown my mind with that, man. Like just how many times that I've heard people or even myself go up to him and I'm like, dude, that message was dope. You killed it. And he's like, nah, man.

SPEAKER_03 43:31

That's the Lord, bro.

SPEAKER_04 43:32

He's like, that that wasn't me. Like, I appreciate the gesture, yeah, but that wasn't me. That was God. Praise God. Not me. Do not praise me.

SPEAKER_03 43:40

We were we weren't meant for that, bro. Yeah, we weren't meant for that type of praise.

SPEAKER_06 43:44

Yeah, yeah, that's right. Um, I mean, I think uh I think Crosspoints just done an excellent job at at managing the resources and especially the uh large influx of people who have who have who have come our way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And um, that's what's so awesome about it. I mean, We've got people who are just they're just cramming in the door just to hear some some good sound preaching who's not afraid to talk about uh maybe some issues that the a lot of pulpits have been unclear on. For sure. Um and it's it's a beautiful thing to be a part of, and we've done a great job managing the resources with that and and seeing to individual needs. And um Yeah. Man, I think uh I think a lot of people can it can get to the point to be like, oh, I don't like that church. It's got too many people. Yeah. Well, these same people are are going in, uh, not not all, but I'm just saying there's a good number of people that are that are saying that it'll go in, listen to the sermon, and then they're leaving by the time they're starting worship at the end of the sermon. And they're they're not talking to anybody. It's like you have made zero effort to to communicate with anybody or make any real connections. Yeah, for sure, bro.

SPEAKER_03 44:51

For sure. Yeah. It is um, bro, you're preaching to the choir, man. Being up on platform and being able to lead worship, um, absolute blessing. I wouldn't I wouldn't change it for the world. Any anytime that I that I get to do that, um, it is amazing, right? That I get to to be up there and worship the Lord in the way that I do. Um, but at the same time, um, you get to see everything. And when we like for people who don't know, so we the way we the way we kind of structure the structure the gathering is you know, you have a few songs at the top, you have the the host and the pastor, he brings the message, and at the end there's the response song. So you sing a song after it kind of to kind of bring the whole message together, kind of allow you to hear the words and hear what what the preacher and the uh the pastor had to say and what the Lord had had wanted to say through him. Um and then the song at the end is is to kind of put the stamp on it, right? Like to give you an opportunity uh to kind of take in everything that you just heard. Yeah, um, and so when I see people like walking out, like when he's like, all right, we're gonna sing this song together, or or during the prayer, or like as we're as we're getting ready to start the song, and you know, people are walking out the door and stuff, like, man, is it is it traffic? Is it getting the kids? What's more what's more important than trying to be in the presence of the Lord? And I and I understand it though, people some people gotta go, they have things to do, maybe they gotta get to work or whatever. Um, some people just trying to get out, right? And I want to be what's a lot of traffic, like, yeah, but the presence of the Lord is what's important, and being in the presence of the Lord is what I'm focused on. Like, even even when I'm not leading, I'm in, I'm I'm right there in the middle of the gathering, like like hands up raised. What's the what's the response on what are we singing? And then because it's a response to everything the Lord just said through our pastor, yeah. Um, so I'm like, I'm just I'm just never in a rush. And my wife hates me for that sometimes, but I just think I'm like, I want to sit here and be in your being in your presence, and I don't want to be anywhere else. Then I know if your presence is gonna be here, that's where I gotta be at. Like I have to be where you are, yeah. Um, and so it always kind of breaks my heart a little bit, and you know, our our pastors have have talked to me about it, and you know, because I've I've brought it up, and it's like you got just gotta focus on the people that are there, bro. Focus on the people who are who are trying to um be in his presence and lead with you and do all these things. So that's the focus for me, bro. Because I I mean I I was mad. I there was there was a season where I was just like, if I see another person walk out of here before this before this song starts, and it's like what's more important? We go back to who else is worthy, like what else is you giving your time to? What else are you putting in the place of where the where the father should be at? So yeah, what are you in a hurry for?

SPEAKER_04 47:26

Bro, what what what what what do you have outside of this building in this moment is is better than what's going on right now? Like you're like you said, you're missing the gospel, you're missing the point. Yeah, you know, like you're able to walk out of that door, get in your car and go enjoy whatever you're going to enjoy because Jesus died for you. Yeah, bro. That's it. You know, like so what's more important?

SPEAKER_03 47:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:49

You know what I mean? It's insane.

SPEAKER_03 47:51

You gotta do it. And shout out shout out. There's there's a book on uh John Walker. Um, great, great, just a great writer. Um, I think it's the the relentless elimination of hurry, I want to say that it is. Um, but this book, man, just convicts you into thinking like like you are so focused on worry and hurt I want to say it was hurry. Um, but this like just always go go go. You know what I mean? And yeah, the problem is that um you're missing a lot. Yeah, and you don't think that you are because you have this uh focus, I'm always doing something. How how often do we have do we hear when you ask people how you doing, man? Man, it's busy, bro. It's just busy, bro. What are you filling your time with? Is it a healthy, is it healthy busy? Or are you just feeling you you're just filling your time because the enemy's great distractions? Enemy's great at just putting stuff in front of you. And if I can just uh allow you to really uh be in a place where I don't have to do anything, I can just put things in front of you. Like I just put little distractions. Busy, busy is a is a is an operation of the enemy, man. Like with if it's not if it's not healthy, and even even still, there's there's a healthy component to it where you need you need to pull things back a little bit. Um you know when you look at the Christian lifestyle, it's a slow lifestyle, bro. It's not it's not a fast pace, it's you know, God can grow things at this amazing rate, but if you're not sitting down with the Lord, being in his presence or reading his word or spending time with him, um, then you're kind of missing it. And I think when you have to look at this slow pace that we have to live, sanctification is a process, right? That's a slow process. Yeah, like you, you get the presence of the Lord, amen. Holy Spirit's on you now, amen. But every single day you gotta you gotta die to yourself, you gotta die to your flesh daily. And when that's that's a that's a never-ending thing, bro. So it's it's a slow process, like it has to be that, you know what I mean? So uh that's my love for just people, man. Like we we gotta slow down ourselves. We have to to to put back into perspective where the Lord wants us, where he has us, and how we're gonna walk in that. And when did his presence stop being enough? Uh-huh. When did being his presence stop being enough for us? That we can say, Lord, if you didn't do anything else, uh, what you've already done is enough. That you sent your son to die for us on the cross, that we can ob we have the the option to spend eternity with you. Yeah, that's it. That's enough. You you didn't have to do anything else, but you're still doing it. You're still meeting me where I am, you're still dealing with my fears and my insecurities, you're still meeting me in my relationships and on my job and in and and school. Like you you don't have to, but he does anyway because he loves us. Yeah, because he's a good, good father. Hebrews 12 tells us that, right? Like, why would why would he not discipline us? Why would he not keep us? I think about that as a father of three and three boys, three rambunctious boys. Yeah, and I think to myself, like, man, I just want them to get it. And I want them, I want to instill these principles in them, and I want to I have to discipline them because if I don't do it here, the world's gonna do it when they get out there. Why would not why would not the f my father in heaven not do the same thing? Why would he wanna why would he not have that same feeling of I have to make sure that they are disciplined and I have to give you disciplinary actions for your these are consequences, man. Yeah, you made the decisions, but you have to sit in that. It doesn't mean that I don't love you. It means that I love you and I love you so much that I want you to be able to to walk in the right thing after making these bad decisions. I think about that as a father, man, and it just it just changed the way that I looked at the Lord. I'm just like, man, he he is a good, good father. He's gonna be there for me. He's going to, he's going to uh to to make sure that I make the right decisions. But and when I make those bad ones, he's gonna I'm gonna get disciplined for them. That's right. He's gonna love me through them. Yeah. And he's gonna always be there for me for ear, you know, uh, ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on. And you know, late when I'm like, okay, God, I don't know what else I'm doing, I don't know how I got here. And he's like, I got you. That's mercy and grace. So it's it's a it's a model for what uh you know we should be as dads. Yeah. And um when when that when that when that hit home, bro, when Hebrews 12 just kind of, I mean, it's just it's just one of those things, man. You're like, oh, okay, I got it. I get it now. Yeah, you know what I mean? So it's a blessing, bro.

SPEAKER_06 51:50

Yeah, I mean, when we mess up, he might send a a whaler away to swallow us up and spit us out three days later. Come on, man. Y'all know why? Because he's a good dad. Yeah, he's a good dad and he loves his kids.

SPEAKER_03 52:01

I like the little name thing you did there. It's good.

SPEAKER_06 52:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 52:04

Hope you guys caught that.

SPEAKER_06 52:06

Yeah. Um, but anyways, dude, I just man, I can't get over it, man. Yeah. I cannot get over the gospel. Yeah, come on, bro. At all. Got to. I just I can't I don't understand why in the world God would send his son to die for me on the cross. Like and that he would use me to be a part of his mission now. Yeah. Like he doesn't need me at all. You think you need the boy who gave him uh who gave him the fish and the loaves to turn it into all that food to feed the 5,000? Yeah, man. No, of course not. But he loves us enough to say, hey, I don't need you to be a part of this, but you know what? I want you to be a part of what's going on, man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 52:43

When people get that, bro, it's it's gonna change the world, man. Yeah. When people get that, like I don't, I don't need you. Like, I'm gonna I'm gonna accomplish anything that I'm gonna accomplish what I want in the world, right? And I'm gonna do it through people. You have the option, right? Because that's because that's that's free will, that's what love looks like. Yeah, right. If I made you love me, is it real? Is it real? If I just said, no, no, you have to love me. Like it's not that's not genuine, that's not sincere, that's not sincere. And the Lord says, I'm gonna give I'm gonna give you this this this option of free will, I'm gonna allow you to choose me. And one of the realest things I think I've ever heard here recently, like the last, like you're like, at the end of your life, God's gonna give you what you asked for. And I'm like, eternity my Lord. Like, He's gonna give you if you if you live the life of sin, you decided you denied him, you didn't want to, I'm gonna give you exactly what you asked for. And it's not that I didn't give you the opportunity, I gave you the opportunity your whole life to say yes to me and live this lifestyle. Is it easy? No, not at all. But if it was, everybody would do it. Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_04 53:45

Well, you wouldn't you wouldn't need God if it was easy.

SPEAKER_03 53:48

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 53:48

You know, exactly. If everything came naturally, beautifully, easy, you know, not only would everybody do it, but why would we need him?

SPEAKER_03 53:56

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:57

You know what I mean? That's real, bro. So I mean, um, I think back to something Matt Tuning said this past weekend. Um, something I've been trying to get better at in my life is he was talking about uh uh this little the this group of students that went on a field trip um and they were uh looking at like some old pastor's house or something like that that had passed on, and it was like a historical monument, and they were there. And they went into the the bedroom of the man and they noticed that there were these divots in the floor next to the inn table. Um and they're all like, you know, what's up with that? You know, and the the person that was like leading him through the tour was like, Well, that was where he would hit his knees. Oh wow, you know, every morning, every afternoon, every night before he went to bed, and would just pray to God, cry to God, beg God, plead with God, and and just you know, love God, man. He would hit the same spot so much that it divided the wood floor where his knees would hit. Come on, man. Um, and it was crazy because he he went on with the story and he said, So everybody had left, and I think it was like there was like 30 students, and 29 was what made it to the bus, right? So the the teacher, the instructor was like, Where the heck is the 30th person? You know what? So they go through the house, they're looking for him, or whatever, and they find him in the man's room with his knees in the same spot praying to God and worshiping God, and that was Brother Graham. Really?

SPEAKER_03 55:37

That's a b that's a bl that story to me, bro. Like we when you just look at times in your life where the Lord meets you or the Lord puts something in front of you, and you're like, you have this choice to say yes or no. Or you know, you think back to when you finally say yes, and you start to know your discernment kind of kicks in, you start to look and see man, you were calling me here, you were calling me there, you met me here, you met me at this place. And this is the moment that I put my yes on the table and say yes to you. Gosh, that's so good, bro. That's so good. I think I think about the woman in Luke 7 where you know she's just she's just weeping, weeping at the feet, right? Tears are falling, and she's wiping with her hair and putting the oil and anointing his feet, like and and Simon asked, like, what do you like what are you doing? If you knew who she was, like the like scripture tells us that she's a she was a uh a woman of the city, is what it is what it says. Yeah, so probably a prostitute or you know, something along those lines. It's like okay, cool, but if that's not what if that's not the person we're trying to talk to, if that's not the person that we're trying to present the gospel to. And she was so overwhelmed of who he was, she was just crying at his feet, bro.

SPEAKER_04 56:42

That she was probably taking the one thing that she had of value. That's it. You know, like we're talking about like oil in these days, it we're talking about possibly a year's worth of salary to have a lot of. That's what it was, yeah. You know what I mean? Like they're they're they're they're literally giving him their first and their best. Yeah, you know, because he's gonna give his first and best for them, you know. And it's like it's one of those things where like, you know, going back to you know, the sermon this past weekend that James gave, man, just like being okay with being obedient with what you give.

SPEAKER_03 57:21

Yeah, yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_04 57:22

You know what I mean? Like remembering that nothing that you have on this earth is yours to begin with, not a dollar, not an object, not nothing is ours to begin with. It's all given to us as a gift in the first place. So, how can you not surrender that back to him?

SPEAKER_03 57:41

Good, bro.

SPEAKER_04 57:41

You know what I mean? And like that that sermon hit me because he he he's kind of preached very similar sermons in the past, and it hits me the same every time. Yeah, yeah, because it it's it's it's a re-humbling, always, you know, of like, man, like you know, the the money that I made this month is only because of him.

SPEAKER_02 58:02

Come on.

SPEAKER_04 58:02

That's right. You know what I mean? The only reason why I've been blessed with that is because he blessed me with it.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 58:07

So how can I not turn around and give my first and best of that back to him and his kingdom to help reach somebody else that you know maybe uh not um not heard the word yet. Yeah, for sure. You know, like showing the well in Africa this past weekend, like, dude, I started crying.

SPEAKER_02 58:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 58:28

You know, because I was like, man, like uh, you know, some people, man, are only giving 10 bucks or 20 bucks, 25 bucks, whatever. And that's fine because at the end of the day, that 10, 15, 20 that you give each week or that you give each month, that went towards that well in some way, shape, or form. Like it doesn't matter what you give, it's the fact that you give it. That's it.

SPEAKER_06 58:50

Dude, I had to I had to really repent when it came to my finances and when I had started coming here because man, I just I really had this mindset, oh, this is mine that I made this money and uh I get to decide what to do with it. Yeah. And uh I remember at my old job, I would uh we do construction while I was in downtown Atlanta, and um I was around homeless people a lot, and I probably got I probably got stuck stopped like a dozen times per day, like, hey bro, you got a dollar. And the answer was always no. Because it was in my in my mindset, like I'm not gonna give them money and they potentially maybe go and buy drugs with it or alcohol. And dude, I got rocked because you know what? God gives me money all the time, and I do stupid things with it all. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And now that I get to be a part of the mission of God, it's like wow, I get to be a part of something that has eternal value. That's so good. I get to affect people's lives for the gospel financially, and it's just such a blessing to be a part of that. And I mean, even scripture says the Lord loves a cheerful giver. So when I see that, when I see that dollar amount come out of my bank account every Sunday morning, it's praise God. I get to be a part of that.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:02

It's a blessing right there, bro.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:03

Absolutely. It's a blessing, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:06

Well, I think that might be a good place to put a pin on it for the day because I think we could be here for for hours and hours and hours talking about that all the time.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:17

No doubt, bro, no doubt.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:19

Um but yeah, man, like it's been truly a blessing, you know, um, that you put your yes on the table to just come hang out with us this morning, man. It was it was awesome to have you in group. Yeah. Um and just just diving right into group too. You know, it's it's so easy to get into a group that you're not normally in and just kind of sit back and let everybody do their thing, man. But you just you came in and just participated and like you had been there for weeks and months, man. It was some people love that. Some people it was it was so much fun. Um but just to dive into the word with you this morning's been been awesome, dude. Yeah, bro. We we need to do it more often. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:58

But you guys got a you guys got a good group of guys here.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:00

Um, honest, uh I think that's all honest, humble guys. And I think that's where if you get that, man, you can you can you can change the world. That's right. It only took 12. You know what I mean? So, like being able to do that, bro, like you guys have some good people here, some good conversations. Obviously, Romans, Romans 8 is is absolutely amazing. You guys have the book of Romans.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:20

If you guys have not read Romans 8, go read it. I suggest that's great.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:25

For sure, man. And it's it's been good, bro.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:28

Yeah, well, yeah. Uh, like he said, thank you so much for being here. Definitely, bro. I just wonder, would you would you mind closing us in prayer? Would you pray for our audience?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:35

Yeah, man, definitely, bro. Awesome. Let's do that, man. Yeah. Um, do hats. I'll be like you guys. Um, Father God, thank you so much just for who you are. Thank you for uh meeting us here in just this place and in the middle of Atlanta, just being able to speak to um what you want us to speak about, Father God. Asking that you would just continue to meet us where we are, continue to uh be who you are, Father God, that we would continue just that you would just put a thirst and a hunger into the generation that is chasing after you, Father God. That it would if it starts with men, and it starts with men. If it we we understand and know that that that people run to you, Father God. So I ask that you would just uh just just put this healthy fire into the men of the kingdom, Father God, that we could just run to you and lead in a way um that is pleasing to you, Father God, that knowing that when we get to the end of this thing, that we are just looking to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant. Um, Father God, thank you so much just for uh being who you are, for your grace and your mercy. And I pray for the people listening to this, Father God, that they would continue to chase after you, that they would give a hunger and thirst for your word, that we would jump into being able to spend time in your presence and being able to uh read the words of what you said, the life that you live, Father God, the gospels to the to the letters that Paul writes to uh just everything in between, Father God. And I pray that this doesn't get wasted, that people would have a hunger and thirst to pick up your word and read more about you, Father God. So I ask that if the if a vehicle or the medium is it's a podcast just like this one, Father God, I pray that you continue to anoint it. Father God, I pray that you continue to have your hand in it and to guide it and to allow it to be what you want it to be, Father God, that if your presence in your spirit is not in it, then we don't want to be a part of it, God. Um that you would just but in that and in that podcast and in that that uh that music or that worship or that praise, whatever it looks like, Father God, I pray that it pushes people to be in your presence and it pushes people to have a hunger and thirst for your word, that that is where we get change from reading that it says the that the that the uh the scripture is uh a double-edged sword splitting between splitting between the soul and the spirit, Father God, that we could become more like you by reading your word. God, so give us that hunger and thirst. So I just pray over the person that listens to this right now, Father God, that they would see you for who you are, feel your grace and your mercy, and feel your love, and uh just get a hunger for who you are and chasing after you and everything that they do, God. We love you. And it's in your son's precious, matchless name that we pray. Amen. Amen, amen, amen. Man, love y'all, man. I love what y'all got going on, man. Lord is doing something, man. Let's go. So, guys, I I'm amazed to see what you guys are doing, and thank you guys for putting your guests on the table, bro. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:10

Well, thank you guys for listening. Uh, we will see you guys next time. Peace.