After the Message: Father's Day

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Josh, how you doing, man?

I'm good, brother.

How are you?

I'm good.

Good, good.

How was Father's Day?

I loved it, man.

It was my favorite Father's Day yet, which has only been a total of two years.

Hey.

But it was my daughter saying happy Father's Day about 45 times during the entire day.

What'd you guys do?

We hung out with my parents in Jacksonville.

Okay.

And so they had like a pool in the back and stuff.

Yeah.

I realized like Father's Day is all about like the kid.

Because without the kid, you don't you're not a father.

You know what I mean?

It makes sense.

It makes sense.

But uh I love that that was she enjoyed it, and I'm like, this is it brings me such a different level of joy I haven't experienced until I was a father.

We were doing a staff meeting or something or a staff prayer, and you were like, man, fatherhood, or maybe we were just talking, but fatherhood's the one of the most life-giving things that there is.

100%.

And I'm obviously not a dad, but I just kept kind of replaying that statement over in my mind.

It's like, well, maybe one day, you know.

Yeah, hey man, you'll get there.

The one thing I will say, don't rush that.

Yeah.

It is a lot, it's worth it, but don't rush it.

Yeah.

For sure.

Jen and I talk about it all the time, and she's like, well, maybe we'll push it back another.

We're just having fun, you know, like we're just enjoying.

Do it.

Keep keep doing it.

Fight the good fight, man.

It was like when I was talking about uh I was talking to people before I asked Jen to marry me.

Hey, convince me to get married type thing.

You know what I mean?

Like, right.

Why do I want to do that?

Right, right.

And so it's kind of the I kind of view the with the same thing, like, all right, why do I want kids?

You know what I'm saying?

And to hear you say that was encouraging.

Dude, uh I think uh this past week's message with Pastor Charlie and Pastor Keith is something that you and I have both had conversations about in the past.

Many times.

And I think it's only fitting that we get to do it here in this setting.

Sure.

Uh to share those conversations.

So I think my first the first thought that popped into my head was the my generation, and to use the buzzword, the millennial generation is super concerned or um, you know, we're always thinking about am I doing the right thing?

And especially the especially if you're a Christian, you're thinking, Am I doing what God wants me to do?

So calling, you know, like is is this what I'm supposed to be doing?

And if it's not, what is that?

And I guess my my question to you is do you think that it's more heightened in our generation as before?

Or do you think it's kind of always been that way?

You know what I mean?

Like the question of what's my calling?

Or in the anxiety of maybe I'm not in my calling.

Right.

Do you think that's a real thing?

Um I think, especially in our generation, dude.

Like you said, so many people are I think there's a new level of fear in the world in general, right?

Sure.

We won't even go into that, which we can, but there's a new level of fear, especially with our generation of I don't want to waste this thing.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah.

I don't want to waste my life, I don't want to do this, so I better make sure, especially Jesus followers.

What if Jesus is calling me to do something and I'm not doing it?

Yeah.

And are that's where anxiety kicks in, that's where depression kicks in.

Yeah.

And at the end of the day, like like Charlie and Pastor Charlie and Pastor Keith both said, the first priority, your 1A calling, is being a Jesus follower.

Are you nurturing that?

And being in ministry and youth and young adults, the one thing, the most popular question is what am I supposed to do with my life?

Yeah.

I've not answered it for them.

I'm like, hey, you should do this, you know, but helping, pastoring, and guiding people of and what am I supposed to do with my life?

And the first answer or guiding response should be from all Christians is strengthen your relationship with Jesus.

Uh I'll never forget when I first felt my 1B calling, right?

Of call to ministry and um was uh I have a Uncle Keith in Louisiana.

He pastors a uh a church in there.

I love him so much.

And the first person I called, I was like, I feel like I'm supposed to be in ministry.

What does that even look like?

And he said, make sure your relationship with Jesus is priority because it's the only thing that lasts forever.

So with that mindset, if that is the one thing that lasts forever, is my relationship with Jesus.

If that's not priority, everything that I try to do after that will feel like I either in the wrong calling, falling short, I'm depressed because I'm not hitting my goals, all of these things come into play.

So Yeah, I I had a theory too that I wanted to bounce off of you.

Yeah.

I think one of the things that makes it so difficult is there are so many options now.

Do you get what I'm I can go so many different roads?

Yeah.

And so the concern is if I pick the wrong road, what have I done?

You know, and can I turn back and is it too late?

So, whereas you think about generations past or years past, your dad was a farmer.

Hey man, you're a farmer, you know, or your family needs you to work in this is what you're doing.

So I and I think it just strengthens the point of one A is priority, you know, and one B can honestly be anything.

Totally agree.

So totally agree.

I don't know what you think about that kind of theory of it being just what do you I mean, what do you think about that?

Yeah, well, I just and Pastor Charlie kind of hit it on this Sunday's message where he talks about like when we feel called, we think it's just specifically to ministry.

Yeah, sure.

My dad has been doing ministry for a long I mean, I'm 31.

I know like you know, like a solid 20.

Sure, sure.

22, but um I'm 31 and he's been doing ministry longer than I've been alive, and he's a hairstylist.

Yeah, you know what I mean?

Like he's called to ministry, he just so happens to cut hair, you know what I mean, and do highlights and and fades and all that stuff, yeah.

But in that, his 1A calling is being a Jesus follower, and that's loving God and loving people, dude.

The amount of conversations that guy's probably had that have been like vital in people's lives.

Think about how much you talk to your hairstylist.

Right.

I mean, not me, because I get my hair cut once every two years.

Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because I've been I've missed name, man.

I've missed the conversations we had.

Um, but you're so right.

If we focus on the one B calling of what does the occupation look like, because that's for sure my calling, we miss out on all the opportunities for for us to function in our calling, which is just loving God and loving people.

Yeah.

And I just so happen to be a youth pastor.

Sure.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, for sure.

Before this, I was helping manage a fire extinguisher warehouse.

But at the end of the day, like just because I wasn't in full-time ministry, I would never say that I was never in ministry before that.

Right.

You lead a small group, you're in ministry.

Right.

You cut hair, you're in ministry.

Yeah.

Um, all of that stuff.

So I I think the church has done a bad job of saying if you're called to ministry, it's gotta look like you know, getting your paycheck from a church, sure.

As opposed to, I don't know, Chipotle if you work there.

God bless you though.

Dude, I I struggle with that for a long time because you know, I had I had people speak into my like, hey man, I think you could do this ministry thing vocationally, you know, like and so I was like, okay, cool.

Well, what how do where do I s where do I start?

How do I start?

But I was working, you know, at a t-shirt company for seven years.

Yeah.

And so it kind of got a little frustrating, and then it came to a point where I was like, I actually was having a conversation with uh Pastor Justin and he was telling me kind of his story, and he's like, dude, it just came to a point where I was like, if I wasn't on staff, would I still be showing up every Sunday?

And would I still be in group and would I still be serving, you know?

And I was and that just gave me peace.

I was like, Yeah, if if if I never get paid by the church, I'm still showing up.

Right.

And I'm still serving and I'm because I want to be a part of the church.

Right.

Not the service, but the church, the people, you know, and so that's what that's what really helped me is to gain peace in that area.

Was I'd be here if I if I wasn't right getting a paycheck, you know.

And I think the difference from you for you when I when I and I just knowing your story is amazing.

It's one of my favorite stories of all time.

But when you serve and you're a part of the church, when you serve, I'm not serving for the church.

Right.

I'm serving for Jesus, and it just so happens to be in a church.

Sure.

And I think that's where people I mean you heard the term of burnout, right?

That's a fun trigger word for so many people to, you know.

But you will burn out in anything you do if it's the wrong, if you have the wrong perspective.

Yeah.

Like someone serving for you is like, you want to be a ministry, serve.

Well, I'm not serving to get a job.

I'm not serving for like because the church wants me to.

Yeah, I'm serving because it looks like what Jesus does in my own life.

Yeah.

That's the key, in my opinion.

And Sunday is just a small percentage of that serving.

Yep.

It's just a tiny, tiny percentage of what serving is.

You know, it's it's like it goes back to the 1A.

It's your lifestyle.

Yes.

Are you serving your are you serving your roommates?

Are you serving your the person that you're married to or the your girlfriend or your boyfriend?

You know what I mean?

Like are you being are you being like Jesus to those people?

And if you can do that, then you are in your calling.

100%.

Yeah.

Yeah.

One of the biggest things that stuck out to me too that I struggle that I actually personally struggle with was when Pastor Charlie was talking about there's gonna be people that are gonna say, Hey, remember when you were XYZ?

Or remember, you know, point to your past and try and pull you down in a sense.

Right.

I don't necessarily struggle with that with other people, I struggle with that with myself.

Like, hey dude, remember when you know what I mean?

I start to talk to myself, like you don't belong here, or you know, because of your things that you've done in the past, like why do you think you deserve this role?

Those types of things.

And if I'm I'm not the only one, I can assume that that's not the only one with.

I mean, have you had experience in that or talked to people who have had that as well?

Oh yeah, like both and yeah, like so my own self, I'm like, I know who I was before Jesus.

You know what I mean?

Like, I was an idiot, if you could say that on a podcast.

Like, I I I I did dumb things, I didn't treat people the way that I I wouldn't even think twice of treating people the same way.

Yeah, just you know, verbiage, all of the things, and then I look back and where I'm in my 1A and even 1b calling right now, and and if you're not careful, there's these voices that will come in, and it was like, dude, uh is this just a facade?

Do you remember who you really were?

Didn't you have more fun then?

Like if people actually only knew, yeah, you know, and and I've talked to many people of I I really want to serve whether at church, outreach, or you know, have the characteristics of Jesus in my day-to-day life.

But what if people find out who I really am?

And that's where you have to remember what God has forgiven you, like that's where that grace comes in, that's where that mercy comes in.

Um you have to constantly remind yourself, yeah, day in and day out.

Yeah.

Um, and we are we are blessed to be able to work in an environment, you know, at church where we can remind each other, walking next door, you know, our offices aren't far from each other.

Yeah, but that's where community is key too.

Yeah.

If you want to be a consistent Jesus follower, you have to be in community because we all have bad days.

Yeah.

And if we're not careful, that past kind of creeps up and gets really loud.

But if I let the voices of my community that are encouraging be louder, and even God's voice really, then I don't like it's not even I can barely hear it.

Sure.

Does that make sense?

It does, it does.

And it it kind of goes in to a point that was brought up on you know, on the message was the one of the ways to to help you foster your calling is to surround yourself with good people.

People that are gonna tell you the truth no matter what.

Right.

You know, Pastor Charlie talked about how his wife he would come home and be like, yo, we're we're staying here 30 years, whatever, you know, whatever he said.

And his wife's like, uh, no, we're not, because that's not our one B calling.

You know, that's we both you and I both know that, yeah, this looks good, and this looks like it could be a great opportunity, but we both know what God's asked us to do, yeah, down the road.

And so you're right, man.

Community, community is huge, and it's even better when it's your spouse being able to tell you.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

And I could be harsh because you know it's your wife, and you're just like, I don't understand what are you are you taking shots at me again because I didn't do the dishes?

Like what it's I thought it was this is a whole community thing.

You would talk about community, wash a dish, like it's the it gets into all that stuff too, but uh but yeah, I totally agree.

Yeah, dude, I think the patience part of it in today's world is really, really difficult to be patient.

Yeah.

Um because everything is our lives are instant.

We can we can get anything at any time that we want, pretty much.

Right.

So when it comes to like, man, why am I not why do I not feel fulfilled in this area because and we immediately go to well it's probably not my calling.

You know, I'm probably not in in the place that I need to be.

And having to learn how to be faithful where you're at is so much more difficult than just a line in a in a sermon, you know.

Say that again.

I mean it is, dude.

Yeah, and and even when you get to a place that you think that you're supposed to be and you're like, oh, okay, well, I'm here now.

What do I do now?

Exactly.

Yeah, because you have to remember the 1A.

I I can tell you my own story.

Being, you know, I'm a year into being on full-time staff.

I believe God's asked me to do this, and I believe that I'm I'm supposed to be where I am.

But there are times when I go, man, is it is this it?

You know, like is this the fulfillment?

Is this all that there is to it?

And that's because I start to forget about 1A.

Like, no, first it's Christ, that's where your fulfillment is.

Right.

Not in not in the church, you know?

I don't I don't know, man.

No, no, no, I get what you're saying.

Yeah, because it's priorities, right?

Sure.

And and if if if A is not prioritized effectively and efficiently, right, then B, even though you've prioritized that and put all your energy in B and your secondary calling, you almost feel like you're failing.

And you will feel like that, even though you're doing your best.

You might get raises after raises.

Yeah.

But you personally feel like, is this really it?

And the answer is no, it's not, if if your relationship with Jesus is not priority, number one.

So for us, it's very, it's very interesting because we work for a a church, right?

And we could we could preach the best message, we can organize the best event, we could have whatever it is, you know, like we we ordered enough communion cups, you know what I mean?

Like, we could nail everything, we could have the best youth night, uh, sub-30, uh anything.

Yeah.

But if the person putting it on, which let's say it's me or you, if we did not spend ample amount of time with Jesus and in his word and in prayer, it might be incredible.

And you know what's crazy?

People might actually get something from it.

Yeah, that's what's crazy.

Yeah, but the person that God was supposed to use the right way feels empty inside.

Yeah.

When actually he was supposed to be filled up.

Right.

And I think people feel like they're not doing good enough in their jobs when you're like, I just I just wanna I just want to serve more.

Uh or I'm I'm burnt out, whatever the case is, it's it can be so frustrating.

Yeah.

When actually you're just like, hey man, when's the last time you read your Bible?

Yeah.

Uh yeah, like there's that pause, right?

And you have if you have to remember and you're like, dude, this morning was awesome.

Here's what it said in Psalms.

Yeah.

Or what whatever your you know your thing is, but we will always be frustrated if our relationship with Jesus isn't prioritized.

Yeah, I agree.

Every time, even if it's your quote unquote dream job.

Yeah.

Even if you said yes to an opportunity that God put in your way, like you did.

I said yes to this.

I believe I'm called to this.

Yeah, but I'm frustrated.

Well, let's look at the root.

Or I'm offended, let's look at the root.

I'm tired, let's look at the root.

Right.

And if Jesus is the sustainer of all things and I'm deficient in these things, I just gotta go to him.

And it sounds easy, right?

It does, man.

It but it's just not.

It isn't.

And again, it goes back to are there people in your life that are gonna be willing to call that out and say, hey dude, I've noticed this.

Are you gonna be are you even gonna be honest with yourself?

Sure.

And call that out.

Right.

Bro, but you've done that with me.

You know what I'm saying?

Like just because I think you can read minds, and maybe that's a spiritual gift or some weird gifting that you picked up somewhere, but I think you're a reserved human being, and I I wish to be like you a lot, and so would my wife would love me to be like you.

But in that res like reservation, you are able to examine things and observe things, and because you have that gift, you're able to say, Hey man, are you doing okay?

Yeah, whereas that person and even me at times, where I'm like, you know, man, I'm not doing okay.

You're like, Well, tell me why.

Yeah.

And you're able to pastor people without necessarily having all the quote unquote answers.

But pastoring a lot of times looks just looks like listening.

You look at Jesus.

Yeah.

Hey, are you okay?

And he listens.

Yeah.

Um, anywho.

No, yeah.

I'm thankful for having people in my life like you, and you specifically, to call stuff out on me where I'm like, yeah, no, maybe I'm not doing okay.

Maybe I am sad.

Maybe I'm too excited.

Yeah.

Yeah, man.

That's good.

Um I'll just say that you're you're welcome.

Just you're welcome.

It's hard to have people talk about you sometimes, I think.

No, 100%.

What do you think uh for for fathers specifically?

You know, what's been your biggest, what's been your biggest experience and one of the biggest things that you've learned as far as you're obviously called to be a dad because you are one now.

Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

What's what's been some some great lessons for you in that?

Man, I I I just think there's another magnifying glass of my life behind closed doors because that's where my family is.

And so, and even though she's two and a half years old, she picks up things that I'm like, oh, I don't do that.

And they're like, What?

What would you say that word?

Like, why'd you say it like that?

Why did you do that eye roll, man?

It's because maybe when I'm talking to my wife and I'm annoyed at something, I do an eye roll.

And then my little two-year-old, who I'm thinking is watching Peppa Pig, is looks at me and watches my eye roll.

So, you know what I mean?

And so when my wife calls me, your daughter's not listening.

Wow, what's going on?

She just did four eye rolls.

I'm like, that's weird.

Maybe she learned that from you.

She's like, it's cause you, Josh.

Uh and so I I learned that like not only just because I'm in ministry, people watch me, not only because I'm a Christian, people like my own daughter watches me because I'm her father.

Yeah.

And it's just another reminder that if I'm about this Jesus life, which I 100% am, it am I constantly fighting to be more like Jesus?

Am I constantly being disciplined against my own fleshly desires to be more like Jesus?

Because if I am, guess who's looking?

My two-year-old daughter.

My wife sees it, you see it.

People I pastor, people that help me.

Uh so it's just more eyes are on me, which is a lot of pressure, but if we fold under the pressure, we didn't learn anything from.

But if I if I lean into that pressure of like people are watching me, let me use this as good energy to motivate me to be a better Jesus follower.

Help my own relationship, help me to pastor better, uh, you know, things of that nature.

Does it ever does that ever get overwhelming for you?

Uh-huh.

That's a quick answer, right?

Yeah.

Uh it does.

But that's where you have to have, you have to have, again, this goes back to what we talked about.

You have to have good people in your life that tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear.

And flip that, and we can edit that out.

But you get what I'm saying.

Like, they hey man, what do I need to hear at this time?

Bro, I got you, I got Justin Todd, I got my Mike Sathoff, I got Dylan Bentley, I got Dan Rafter, I got people in my life.

I got Carmen Delacruz.

I got people in my life that I love very much that when they look like it's too much on me, they know me well enough to say, hey man, are you doing okay?

And there's that time where I can't just pressure, pressure, pressure.

There has to be some exhaust somewhere.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Um, so you gotta make sure to have people in your life that that will just listen to you, that will just forgive you when you're acting like an idiot, that'll just call you out when you are acting ridiculous.

Yeah.

Um you have to have people in your life.

And you don't have to work for a church to have those people in your life.

Yeah, that's really good, man.

And that's that's one of the biggest things I wanted to get to, because you're super passionate about that.

What if like let's say tomorrow, for whatever reason, this was taken away from you.

You know what I mean?

Or I mean how do you cope with that?

Because you're thinking, you know, this is God, you called me to this, you know, and you and I have talked about that.

Yeah.

I I don't know, man.

That would be that would be really difficult because you're like, okay, wait a second.

I gave up 401k, I gave up all these other things to follow you in this, and now you're taking it away from me.

I and I think for even if someone's in the business world, you know, God, I followed you with my business plan, you know, and I and now you're taking this away from me.

Because, dude, in the climate right now that's happening, right?

Nobody is nobody's safe in the in this economy.

Nobody, you know, so I that's what I've really been thinking about.

Man, if this were to be taken away from me tomorrow, how would I respond to it?

That's a great question.

Uh, I would bring up my dad again.

Yeah.

So during this lockdown, my dad's a hairstylist, and they own their own uh hair salon in Jacksonville.

And so hair salons have bit were closed for almost two months.

Well, that's my my my dad works there, my mom works there, and my brother works there.

And so that's our family business.

Yeah.

And so you're telling my family that they can't work for two months.

Okay.

Okay.

And I asked my dad, we're on a walk when I visited him uh at the end of April.

I was like, Are you doing okay, man?

Because like that's that's my suit, like he's my hero.

Um, and I asked him, I go, Are you doing okay?

Yeah, man.

And he works 14 hours a day.

Since since I since I was born, I remember that.

And he goes, Yeah, I'm doing okay.

And I'm like, he's like, you know, I mean, bills are still coming in, but and the one thing he goes, man, if my faith doesn't work now, then it's never gonna work.

Wow.

If my faith in Jesus doesn't work now, then it's never gonna work.

In crisis when I income's not coming in and bills are.

What do what do you do?

And I go, if I if I say that I believe that Jesus is my provider, provider isn't just like it's good when it's good and it's awful when it's like provider's always there, no matter what.

Yeah, and so he reminded me of that.

Like, granted, I I never thought I would be in a place where my dad, he's not like he's not earning money, but his son is like that's a weird place.

Yeah, but even my dad in the worst, like it looks awful, but he reminded me that man, if this all goes away, guess what?

I still am.

I'm a child of God and I'm a Jesus follower.

Yeah.

He goes, Josh, it's fine.

Yeah.

He goes, I grew up in Vienna sausages anyways in Robin.

I'm like, Dad, because you're sure because that's not we're Asian, like, you know, and he's like, no, it's because we were poor.

And I was like, all right, cool.

Just wanted to make sure.

Um, but he reminded me that like if faith doesn't work in bad times, we're tricking ourselves if it's working in good times.

Yeah.

And so if we gotta lean into what is my what are my beliefs actually in?

Yeah.

Because things are good in good situations, is that really faith though?

Is that really trusting Jesus?

Right.

But when you don't earn income and your wife doesn't, and your sons don't, and you're saying, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus will provide for us.

I don't know what it's gonna look like, but I trust in that.

That's security.

That's that's true security.

100%.

And that's not security that can be found in a 1B calling.

No, because that was taken away.

Right.

Um, and if this is taken away, like I'm not a youth pastor named Josh, I'm Josh who loves Jesus and people.

Right.

I just so happen to be the youth pastor right now.

Right.

And three and a half years ago, I just so happened to be a fire extinguisher warehouse manager, you know?

Yeah, but none of that changed.

I worked at Urban Outfitters before that, you know.

Like I I still I still loved people then, even though when they brought ridiculously inappropriate books at the catchment stuff, I'm like, okay, gotta bring this up.

Hey, how are you?

Yeah, you know, dude, I'm I'd love to hear some of those stuff.

Maybe not on the podcast, but I'd love to tell them to you.

Okay.

It's just yeah, yep.

How uh how important is prayer to you when it comes to calling?

I mean, how much did you pray?

Did you did you ever pray like uh God get me on staff at a church, or did you pray like God lead me in the direction, or what were your prayers like?

I used to do God give me on staff at a church.

I used to.

And then everyone that uh that was kind of in the same boat as me got on staff before me.

And you're like, well, that's is that how it's supposed to work?

Like I don't know, I for sure know they don't pray as much as me.

Um because he told me.

Uh but I used to pray like, man, God, get me this job.

And I realized that I'm putting too much value in the job title and not as much value as just trusting God with whatever, wherever and whatever he gives me.

Because if he didn't give me that job and I prayed for it, then in my in Josh Delacruz's brain, he goes, Well, that God doesn't really love me as much as I think he does, which is foolish, obviously.

But I know that I'm just gonna keep letting myself down when he hasn't.

If I pray that God give me this job and then my brother gets hired.

God give me this job and then my friend gets hired.

Yeah.

So I had to change and I go, man, what really am I hoping for?

A job title where the paycheck comes from?

Or am I am I hoping for, man, to be fulfilled in a way that because I'm operating in all of my giftings and all of that, but I'm still able to do what I'm one be called to, which is to love God and love people.

So it's switched to me, uh, with me.

And I I even talked to my wife and I go, we need to pray that God would open doors and close doors.

And let's not label a door.

What do you mean by that?

So when so open door, like people pray for opportunities, but they're very specific.

And I think there's power in praying for specific things healing, um, opportunities, provisions, all of that stuff.

So maybe this just applies to me.

But I'm like, for me, I was so focused on in one specific minute detail of where I wanted God to call me that it shut down all my like I almost felt like a horse with the bl the blinders on.

Yeah.

So I had tunnel vision.

Well, God was like, you're missing all the people and opportunities to the left and right, right beside you.

Right.

Oh yeah.

So I had I, me and my wife were like, let's pray for that God would open the right door and that we would recognize that that's the door that God opened for us and that he would close all the other ones.

But I it it's almost like a like you like you you view a hallway, right?

Hallway, tons of doors on the left and right.

And or maybe like a room.

If I walk in and I'm tunnel vision, I only see that one door is open or closed.

But what if, and maybe it's like I can't really make out what it is, but the one right beside me is wide open.

I'll never see that if I'm focused on one specific door.

It's closed now, but what if it opens?

You're like, dude, right beside you is the door you need to walk through.

Yeah.

Um, so for me personally, my prayer has been like, it's always I always pray for guidance.

Even if God wants me to stay in a season or transition in a season, like continue to guide me.

Because if I settle in a place where God's never called me to settle, I'm missing out on what he has for me.

Yeah.

So it's constant.

God continue to guide me.

Yeah.

Have you ever been there?

In a place where you settled and God wasn't there?

Or had do you think that you've you've constantly, you know, to the best of your ability, been in places that uh that that God wanted you present?

That's an interesting question.

I don't mean to put you on the spot, but it's No, it's all good.

Um But I mean I try and think about and I guess it doesn't really it doesn't really matter or it doesn't really do a whole lot of good besides the fact of avoiding it down the road.

You get what I mean?

Yeah.

I think people can get comfortable in their spot.

Yeah.

Um right before uh the actually the week I got hired on full-time staff here at Celebration Orlando, my buddy, uh, my brother, Leighton German, Pastor Leighton in Fort Lauderdale, he called me.

And we talked for like two hours.

I was like, man, what's it gonna be like?

What do I do?

Like, I don't want to make a mistake.

Yeah, which guess what?

You're gonna make a mistake.

So um, and all of these things.

And the one thing I I have it written down in my office, and he goes, Man, the one one thing I would urge you to do is never lose your urgency.

And I think there's so many things behind that, but really it's if I if I don't lose my urgency, I never say stagnant.

Right.

Because at the end of the day, people are dying and going to hell.

I truly believe that.

So there is an urgency that I have to remind myself that that's a reality.

People are living without hope.

That's awful.

People are living in so many different negative things where the the true solution, I believe, is Jesus.

Yeah.

Let's get out there and do it.

Because if I become stagnant or super comfortable, I forget.

I forget that I should have been at uh, you know, OCC.

Yeah.

I forget that I should have actually called that person that God put on my heart.

Right.

I forget about all these things.

Right.

So I don't know if that answers your question.

No, it does for sure.

And it's just it's just helpful to know that it's just good to know, hey man, that's a real possibility.

Whether you're on church staff or you're not on church staff.

Yeah.

Or you work in the marketplace, like wherever you are, there needs to be some sense of urgency.

Not like, not panic.

Yes, there's a difference.

There's a difference.

Panic and urgency, totally different things.

Yep, yep.

You know, but there does need to be a sense of urgency, like, hey man, we're on a mission, you know.

And it kind of it kind of goes back to this the sermon before this week.

It was, you know, Peter extending the hand, the miracle that happened.

God did the miracle.

Yes.

But Peter had to extend the hand to help the man up.

You know what I mean?

And it was it worked through Peter in that way.

That's the same with us.

There there's some things that only God can do.

A lot of things that only God can do.

Right, I agree.

But it's our responsibility to extend the hand and and and to continue to have that missional focus of hey man, there's people that need hope, you know?

Yeah.

And I don't care what you say, like you don't you don't have to be, you don't have to be paid staff, you don't have to be a missionary, you don't have to work at a non-profit, like you can be doing that at at working bagging groceries at Publix.

Yes.

100%.

But we but the but God needs this, like wants this people as well.

Yeah.

Just as much as He wants the the pastor who's going to be podcasted and viewed a thousand times.

That's what people don't want, I I think, miss a lot of times.

Just as much as people like he needs Jesus followers in the workplace just as much as people that work for a church.

You have to have that.

Yeah.

Because not everyone's gonna walk through a church, but everyone is gonna walk through a public.

You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

Or they are gonna go to a restaurant, or they are gonna go to Starbucks, or they are gonna get their, you know, windshield replaced at an automotive place.

Like being the hands and feet of Jesus a lot of times wasn't in a church building, if you look at Jesus' life.

Right.

And so I and I uh just to add to one of the points you made is Peter extended a hand.

A hand is not your mouth, obviously, right?

But so many people they feel like, you know, being the hands and feet of Jesus is is speaking out.

Which I'm not saying don't say anything, sure, but so many times your actions speak louder than words, if not all the time.

And so the people that the Jesus followers that can reach the most people are the people that are, in my opinion, are the people that are the reserved people that are down to serve any and all human beings, but they're but they're calm and they're quiet and they're reserved.

I look at you 100%.

I look at Dylan Bentley, you know, very quiet, reserved guys, but you know what?

Who serves more people like my my dad too?

Very quiet, reserved, loving people that before they even say anything, they might they extend a hand.

What do you need?

Yeah, that just speaks volume to me.

Yeah, and it and it looks very similar in a lot like Jesus.

Yeah.

So or it can go in the opposite direction, and kind of like you were talking about with your daughter, the IRL, and people can start to pick up on bad habits.

Sure, there's that too.

Yeah, man.

People are watching, dude.

Man, thanks so much.

Of course.

Appreciate you coming on and uh thanks for having me.

Yeah, it's been a good talk.

Always, man.

It's always a good talk.

Love you, dude.

Love you too, man.

Thank you for joining us for After the Message.

To learn more about Celebration Church here in Orlando, you can follow us on social media under the handle at Celebration ORL or visit our website at celebrationorl.org.