After the Message: History is Watching

Thank you for joining us today for After the Message.

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All right.

Callie.

Yes.

Welcome.

Thank you.

After the message 2.0.

Hey.

How are the girls doing?

They're good.

They're living their best life at summer camp.

They asked me now the other day, can you pick us up at five?

I'm like, you don't miss me?

Like, well, I mean, well, I do, but like, okay, I see.

They've had enough of being the house.

So are you picking them up at five now?

No, absolutely not.

Gotcha.

Um, yeah.

So last week we actually got to uh instead of just you know watching it, we actually got to be a part of it.

Which is crazy.

Yeah.

It's weird.

It is weird.

Be like, oh, we're like in person again.

Yeah.

Yeah.

What did you think about it?

Being together.

Yeah.

I mean, I like being together, especially because everyone didn't see this.

So we had worship before.

Yeah.

And I mean, I love worship on your own, but when you're just with people, it's like the best thing ever.

So it set like such a good atmosphere.

So it felt like church.

Yeah.

Which I enjoyed.

Yeah, it was good.

And it's kind of like I think Justin said it in one of our staff meetings.

How the live worship aspect was and for all the people listening.

Sorry, guys.

Sorry.

The live worship was for the people that were just there witnessing and not it wasn't like recorded or anything.

But um yeah, I think I think we should just jump right in.

So, first of all, what what's your role at Celebration Trip?

Well, I mean, we all wear a lot of different hats.

Yes.

Because it's church, it's ministry, but but what's yours specifically?

So I wear a lot of hats, but technically I oversee an umbrella at the church called care.

Uh-huh.

And under care is care for our church, our city, and our world.

So basically, care, outreach, and missions.

Okay.

And Sunday, uh, and I guess it's more than Sunday, but Josh and I have campus pastors on Sunday.

Okay.

So yeah.

Cool.

Anything at any time can kind of fall under those, under those hats.

For real.

So which is it's almost like small business.

I don't know if you've ever been a part of a small business.

I have not, but it makes sense from what I hear.

Yeah.

You just gotta be able to do it all.

Yeah.

When I I worked for I worked for my mom's small business for a while.

And when I say small, like I found out the other day that small business is up to like a hundred something employees or 200 employees or something.

They still consider that small business.

Well, I consider small business what I know to be a small business, which is like five people.

Yeah.

Six people.

Yes.

So that's what I would think.

Yeah, exactly.

So when you're in that small of a business, you're literally doing 40 different things and stuff.

100%.

So I think that's how Josh and I came up though.

Like we worked on staff.

Our first like real I get paid to do this ministry jobs was at a really big church.

Yeah.

But we were trained to wear all the hats.

So you don't just do one thing.

Gotcha.

You learn how to be a utility player.

And if you don't know how to do something, you just say, Yeah, sure.

And you figure it out.

So you just work hard and look things up on YouTube if you have to, or so what was what was your first role, you and Josh?

Missions.

Okay.

So it kind of makes sense that you're still doing it.

Which it does.

It's crazy.

It's kind of come full circle.

Um, what's funny is we met in Bible school, which most people know, um, went to school for ministry, but specifically worship, which we have done and did do.

Um, and then uh when we came on staff to do missions, people were like, what?

Wait, they're worship people.

Yeah.

And um, I remember our boss um who hired us, he was like, No, they're the ones.

This is what they're they're meant to do this right now.

And I'm so glad he did because I don't know if we ever would have gotten into that world.

And um it's it changed it changed my whole life.

Yeah.

And so I'm I'm so glad and I'm glad it's come full circle because I love it so much.

And I feel like everything that I do now somehow actually really falls into that world.

Like that's what shaped me.

What do you mean?

So any kind of ministry for me comes from like mission-oriented thinking.

Yes, I gotcha.

Yeah.

So, you know, I've been in Cambodia and led worship with a bunch of little girls on a tile floor, you know, sitting on a tile floor, right?

Singing like broken singing in Brooklyn English.

Yeah, and it was the best experience of my life.

Yeah.

And then that's what I take back into like those moments, you know, shape for me like a Sunday morning.

It's so drastic though.

Like that's such a huge difference.

Cambodia to College Park.

Oh, for sure.

For sure.

So how do you how do you filter that?

Because that would be hard for me.

I mean, I I would start pitting one against the other.

Yeah, I mean, I experienced, I mean, my my very first trips and then coming home were super intense.

Like I when you got back, uh-huh.

Like, so I would travel, I went to Ethiopia.

Yeah, so I just also like I don't do anything apparently, just like ease in.

It's like, oh, there's the deep end, and I like run and leap.

Right.

So my first ever like real mission trips, I I went to Ethiopia.

And it's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole life, and I just was completely wrecked.

Yeah.

So coming home to the states and going to you know, American church and stuff like that, I was just like, oh my god, just you know, ruined.

Um, but in the best way.

And I think what it taught me going to places like that and experiencing God in the midst of what I think people would call nothing goodness, you know, like there is no lights camera action.

It's just a guitar, a sometimes out-of-tune guitar with an out-of-tune singer who really, really loves Jesus.

Yeah.

I mean, like you experience a God there, right?

This is all just such a bonus.

So then when you have the lights, you're talking about the American church that we is a bonus.

It's a bonus, like lights, speakers, sound, good singers, everybody, oh, the whole band playing the right the same song at the same time.

Yeah, like such a bonus.

Right.

But the thing is, when you have that, you know what to look for, though, to make sure that doesn't get lost in like you need the heart of God and like you need the Holy Spirit.

I see what you're saying, and then everything else on top of that is just the awesomeness.

Yeah, for sure.

So well, it kind of segues into the whole mission aspect of something that Pastor Keith talked about.

And I actually did the um did the weekly devo yesterday.

Yes, and from the time of the recording to and the the devo got sprung up on me.

So they're like naturally, hey, uh can you do the devo?

It was like a last minute thing.

I was like, Side note, anyone who just happens to hear this and they're like, you know, I really think I want to go into ministry one day.

Yeah.

Tip 101, be prepared.

Be ready, yeah.

Exactly.

At any minute.

Exactly.

So, and it's also kind of a Pastor Keith thing if you don't know Pastor Keith for sure.

Hey, what's God, uh, what's God teaching you?

Yeah.

And Becca does it too.

What's God teaching you right now?

I thought we were eating lunch.

I don't know.

Okay, sure.

I'm ready.

So yeah, I mean, just if you're not if you're not talking to God, you don't have anything to say.

You're gonna find out in front of people, most likely.

But yeah, so from the from the time of the recording all the way up till yesterday, I'd really been thinking about when Pastor Keith was talking about, you know, extending the hand, when Peter extended his hand to the beggar.

He not only said, Hey, you're healed, get up and walk in the name of Jesus, but he actually extended the hand.

And so I was really thinking about a lot about that because I obviously pray for things.

Sure.

I pray for people.

Yeah, you know, and I always am like, you know, God can do it.

And yes, he can.

Well, what am I doing?

Mm-hmm.

So, and I think I think we all play, we obviously all play have roles to play.

Yeah.

And that's and that's the same with I mean, you look at the Trinity, they play different roles.

Okay.

You know what I think about it.

That's good.

Yeah.

They're all God, but they play different roles.

Like our relationship is no different with God.

Yeah.

It's like he has his his end of the deal and we have ours.

100%.

And it may seem a little unfair because he's God.

But sure.

But I mean, that's that's kind of what you get into.

So basically, what I was just saying is that man, God, God had the supernatural part in the healing of the beggar.

Yeah.

But Peter had Peter had the responsibility to actually put his hand out and get him to stand up.

Yes.

And so I feel like if we can start to mirror that as a church, and I don't just, I mean like church globally.

Right.

The church.

You know, I think we need to get away from like and the church being people, right?

Like made up of humans.

So as humans, the church.

Sunday's a service.

Sure.

Yep.

You know what I mean?

100%.

And it's taken me, it's even taken me a while to to kind of grasp.

Okay, Sunday's not, Sunday's the service.

Yeah.

Church is the people that show up.

So I don't know.

I I just started thinking, like, what am I doing?

You know, who who am I extending a hand to?

And not just like really quick.

Yeah.

That was another thing.

Like, it's really easy for me to go, hey man, here's 10 bucks.

Like, God bless you.

For sure.

For sure.

I don't know.

It's it was kind of convicting.

Oh, absolutely.

It's funny that you say that because I feel like I've kind of been in that same exact space.

Like having kind of those same thoughts.

Um, because Josh and I were literally having this conversation yesterday.

We're driving, and I said, you know, I say this a lot.

What are we even doing?

Yeah.

But like, then I was like, but what am I doing?

Yeah.

Like, what am I doing?

Because I, you know, I've just been, I'm not a social media person.

You understand.

But I um I've been watching a lot of videos and listening to a lot of people because I feel like it's been such a good resource lately.

And I watched a video to this same point.

This lady was just saying, you know, like, you know, your life right now might be the only Bible people ever read.

And I was like, oh man.

Like, and she's like, they can't read it if you're not out here.

Right.

And, you know, she said, you don't have to do all of these things, you know, like I think sometimes we make it too complicated.

Sure.

And she was like, make somebody a sandwich.

Yeah.

Like pass them a bottle of water.

Yeah.

And I was like, oh yeah, because I think I can definitely overcomplicate things sometimes because I'm like, 100%.

Oh, I need to have like this whole thing, and it needs to be a plan, and we have to have this many people, and you know, all the things.

And it was really convicting, like you're saying for me personally, like, what am I doing?

Yeah.

And what could I be doing?

Yeah.

To be the one who's like extending the hand.

Yeah.

And I think the cool thing too, where I feel like the supernatural and the practical meet, where like Peter had to speak to the man and reach out his hand.

And he had to be willing to be interrupted.

Yeah.

He had to be willing to open his mouth.

Right.

And he had to be willing to be used by the Holy Spirit, you know, for the God's Spirit to move and flow through him to be the vessel for this man to get healed.

And then he had to reach out his hand.

Yeah.

Like so much is happening there.

Yeah.

And that's the thing.

There's there's so many roads that you could go down this conversation with.

Yes.

And the immediate road that at when Pastor Keith was preaching it, the immediate road I went down was like, man, I wish I could have seen, could see that.

Or I wish I could be a part of that.

And then you start to, well, are miracles for today?

Are they not for you know?

And then you get into that.

But I think just what if the story was, and Peter did this and nothing happened?

Mm-hmm.

You know what I mean?

Oh.

Because because if you jump down into verse 12, it talks about how he's then addressing a crowd of people because they're all amazed.

Yeah.

So what do you address the crowd with, like when nothing happens?

And you know, and and it that's tough to think like if I go make that sandwich and I go try and give it to this person and they throw it back in my window, or they throw it, or they're like, I don't want that.

For sure.

I think that's a really good point because um it's about then our obedience, right?

Yeah, like because if I go make the sandwich because I feel like, hey, I need to do something, I need to extend my hand, and I extend my hand and someone throws it back in my window.

Well, okay, that's on them.

Like, yeah, and that's fine.

That's you don't have to take my sandwich, but like at the same time, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.

And it's the same thing with miracles and prayer and all that kind of stuff, because you know, we come from a high faith environment.

You and Josh.

Me and Josh, yes, yes, and where like, you know, part of what we used to do is um crusades, which if you're like, what in the actual world is that?

It's literally like the same thing as an open air event, right?

You get a big stage and we would do church on steroids.

Literally, like it's just big and it's an event and it's a whole thing.

But the most awesome thing is that like we would pray for people and you're in places where people don't have a lot of options.

Yeah, you know, and like even like Brian Johnson has said, like, consider it a blessing when God becomes your only option.

Yeah, I've seen people where God's their only option.

So then when that's what you got, that's what you cling to.

Yeah, and so like we pray for people and big miracles happen.

Yeah, things happen.

A little boy like can't speak and speaks for the first time, and his mom's weeping, and the first words that he says is, God is my healer.

And it's just like, what?

Like, yeah, so that still happens today, right?

I've seen it in my lifetime, right?

But that doesn't mean that that happens 100% of the time.

And then it's depends on us.

Like, okay, but am I still gonna believe?

Am I still gonna choose to believe that God is good and that God is who he says that he is, and I'm still gonna do what he asks me to do?

Because then it's also like, you know, if I pray for somebody and something doesn't happen, or I extend a sandwich and they throw it back at me, like that's really more a hit to my pride.

You know?

Sure.

And and so trying to remove myself out of it and be obedient to like what God's asked me to do.

Well, you think about I mean, if you want to go straight gospel, you think about like Jesus on the cross and all of them saying, like, go ahead, save yourself.

And he could 100%.

You know, he could, but yes, that wasn't that wasn't the point.

The point was to stay there.

Yes, that's so good.

So that'll breach right there.

We can do it.

Um another thing Pastor Keith talked about was which I never knew, and I wish I did like I need to figure out how to study more of the archaeological and uh contextual elements of what scripture was written in because you get in like this Bible bubble, you know what I mean, and you only read this like heightened spirituality of the Bible instead of Pastor Keith.

Literally talked about the steps of the temple being different shapes and sizes.

He would know that.

Yeah, he would know that.

But and he said that was intentional, it's so that whenever you walked, you were aware of your steps, you were aware of, hey, I'm going into God's presence.

And I think so oftentimes, and this is what's been really I hate to say it, but it's actually been like kind of a blessing through the quarantine is you you're literally you're watching your next step and you're aware of your surroundings and you're aware of what you're doing.

Whereas before you get into this rhythm of I go to work, I come home, I cook dinner, I put the kids down, Sunday comes, I get there early, I set up, we do church, I break down, you know what I mean?

So it just becomes this perpetual, and we all and we're all we all do it.

So the great thing about that analogy and that picture is like you were talking about earlier, being able to be interrupted and being able to actually know how to pivot whenever something happens.

It's so easy to be like, dude, I'm so sorry, I don't have time.

Oh, so easy.

And I'm one of those people, I'm like one of those regiment people.

Like, if you ain't early, you're late.

Yes.

So I've really had to work on that.

Like, man, if I'm late, I'm worried about what people are gonna think about me.

Like, look at this dude jumping in here late, you know what I mean?

As opposed to what if I was actually doing something for someone, and not to use that as a cop-out, but but I mean, what if it was really happening at work?

Yeah.

So I guess what uh one of the things I wanted to get your perspective on was the organization, because you have to be organized if you're gonna do church-wide outreach, right?

You know what I mean?

And you have to you have to have your basis covered because we are an organization and we are liable for certain things, and you have to, you know, yeah, you can't just do all the things all the time.

Right.

So, how how do you balance the structure of ministry and outreach and care versus the interruption?

Do you get what I mean?

Yeah, that's a good question.

I don't know if I've really ever thought about that specifically.

Because sometimes you gotta think outside the box and you gotta be able to pivot and you gotta be able to say there's a need, how do we meet this need, uh-huh, but also do it in a way that's responsible.

For sure.

Do you get what I mean?

Absolutely.

I think um, again, like you know, our old boss used to just he would come in our office, right?

We're like working and when we're doing missions, like you're planning multiple trips to happen at the exact same time with hundreds of people.

And he would come in and be like, All right, let's go.

Where are we going?

We're gonna go pack groceries.

Okay, yeah, I'm like right in the middle.

And he's like, Oh no, no, you're never too busy to serve people, yeah.

And then I was like, Okay, you're right.

Yeah, and I think that that really helped because Josh and I still say it, you know, I think he can get a little more all consumed.

Um, and you know, I'll tell him, like, never too busy to serve people.

Yeah, and it's just like a such a good reminder.

Um, because for me, like, I just naturally am bent towards things being organized and doing what you're supposed to do.

And like these are the rules, and we just we're doing X, Y, and Z.

Yeah.

Um, and I think God has blessed me on the flip side to just, I don't know, be very aware of where people are at and what's really going on and things that are happening under the surface.

So then, you know, if you are doing something and you're accomplishing an outreach task, right?

Remembering that there's people involved.

And I try to like do simple things like look people in the eye, yeah, and and smile and like let them know, like I see you from person to person.

And like I see you in your humanity as a human being that deserves love and respect and dignity, and then just you know, waiting to just kind of see what happens and like feeling like if I should talk to someone like just a little bit more, or just ask, like, how are you doing?

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, you're like, how are you really doing?

You know, just yeah, and trying to be super aware of what's really happening in the moment while also accomplishing a task.

Yeah, and it is kind of like a a balance, it is, and it's like a juggle and and a tension almost that you have to manage because it's easy in anything ministry and outreach and missions and care to okay, this is my goal, these are the tasks to meet my goal, but I'm I'm a I'm a minister first, sure, and that just doesn't mean me, like that means me as like a Christian, sure, a follower of Jesus.

Like I'm that first, right before everything else.

So trying to always and I'm I don't do it perfect all the time, like by any means.

No, yeah, you know, I don't think any of us nail it 100% of the time.

Yeah, I would love to be like, yeah, for sure, but just trying to find that balance and manage that tension, yeah, and remember like what's most important.

Yeah, I well for a lot of people, structure is easier because you don't really have to think, you know.

It's safer, it's safer you know where how to navigate within that structure.

Yeah, yeah.

But I I do think I do think that we're coming into a time.

Where we're gonna see more spirit-led moves.

For sure.

You know, people like, and this is something I said in my divo yesterday.

I was like, you don't have to wait on us to be used by God.

Like, you don't have to wait for Serve Day.

Serve Day is great because Serve Day is a reminder.

Man, I can do this and all the time.

And Serve Day is a great way for you to get connected with organizations that you're passionate about.

Yes.

So like Daily Bread, for example.

Yes.

Love them.

We serve there all the time.

But if it wasn't for Serve Day, we may have not had that connection and more people may have not had that.

Oh, I didn't even know these people were here.

Yes.

I didn't even know this was a thing.

100%.

And it's an opportunity for us to do something collectively.

Because it is cool.

It's awesome for us to come together and do something together that's big and we're all working together towards this big goal, which is like loving our city.

Right.

So that's awesome.

And then it's also like this like what you're saying is like, oh hey, like this is something I feel passionate about.

This is something I feel strongly about.

Like I can jump in here.

Yeah.

So you know, having these big corporate things are great, but it is a reminder.

We don't have to like I don't have to wait for Nate.

Like, I don't have to wait for Celebration Church.

And I'm not saying like go out and be irresponsible.

No.

You know what I mean?

Like, don't be an idiot.

Don't be dumb.

Don't be that guy.

You still have a witness to protect.

Exactly.

You know what I mean?

Exactly.

Which is which is another one of the other things that Pastor Keith talked about was we're being watched.

You know?

And man, if if we could respond as the church in a way that was like it took it, it like took the world back a little bit.

Like, whoa, look what they're doing.

How how awesome would that be?

Like I'm trying, I know we're recording right now, so I'm trying to like just clap my hands like a wild person.

I'm a little bit listen.

Um, yeah, there you go.

Well, I'll give you some snaps.

I'm here for that.

Yeah.

100%.

But what does that look like for an individual?

What does that look like for someone that's like I'm on Zoom calls all day right now?

You know what I mean?

Like, and we're starting to reopen a little bit and stuff, but I don't know.

I've been thinking about this a lot.

Like, yeah, well, how I started it off.

Like, man, what am I doing?

Yeah, and it's not necessarily the fact that I have to be doing something for whatever.

It's just the fact that I I don't want to waste any more time like not being not being active in my community and showing people Jesus, you know.

I heard I'm gonna try to like say it the right way, but like someone basically essentially said, love shows up, right?

And so how can you show up?

Like that resonated with me so much because I think about the people that I'm close with, right?

The people that I'm like, these are my people.

Yeah, it's because they showed up for me.

Yeah, you know, like you know, Josh and I adopted going on two years ago now, like and be going from not being parents to parents and just through the transition and stuff like that, like the people who held us up during that time, you know, those are it takes a village, thank God for you and Jen.

Like, you know what I mean?

Like we those are our people because they showed up, yeah, you know, and so I think about that like who am I showing up for?

And that has such a big range.

So I can think about it as in a couple different ways, right?

So I work here, so I'm surrounded with co-workers, like this is still my job.

Yeah, am I showing up for them?

Yeah, am I if I if I notice someone's like just off or like down or whatever, like, hey, you doing okay?

Or I hear that someone's sick, you know, like what can I do for you?

And in the same way, we're in a world right now that's hurting.

We're in a world right now that is in pain and people are experiencing pain.

Yeah, you know, like a whole community of people is it is is literally in pain and crying out to be heard and to be seen.

Yeah, how am I showing up for those people?

Yeah, and not in the way as to be a savior.

I'm not here to save anybody, I'm not here to speak for anybody, I'm not here to be a voice for anybody.

I'm here to say, How can I love you?

Yeah, I can sit with you, I can listen to you, I can feed you.

Yeah, I'm not a cook, but I order you some pizza, you know, chick filet.

Listen, whatever I can do, because I think it's so easy sometimes to think like um showing up means that we have to have like all the answers, or we have to like come with the solution.

Or the biggest stage.

Or it's like oh yeah, or yeah, or it's like, okay, I need to start a nonprofit, right?

And I need to do this, right, and I need to capitalize on this moment or whatnot.

How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have you packed and brought outside and handed out to people?

Yeah, for sure, you know, yeah, and and something that I just keep getting reminded of over and over again in the past three months is the greatest commandment.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mine, love your neighbor as yourself.

Yes.

Who's my neighbor today?

Yes.

Some days it's just my wife because it's only me and my wife.

Yes, because we're stuck in the house.

Yep.

But other days it's it is that it is your literal neighbor, or it's the person that you come into contact with at a coffee shop or a store or a restaurant or on the street, or some days it's your coworker when you're back in the office, you know.

And I'm just really trying to simplify, simplify my my days by that, like who's my neighbor today?

And how do I love them like I love myself?

So good.

And it's way easier said than done.

Oh, absolutely.

Because in a moment, I can turn to like agenda or I can turn to to-do list.

Or I don't really like that neighbor right now, so I'm just gonna pretend someone else is my neighbor.

Like that's there's so many ways out, you know?

That's real.

And um, just you know, like that story of the Good Samaritan, and then the man asks that Jesus is talking to who is my neighbor, and he says, you know, the one who showed mercy.

Yeah.

Talk about like, oh shoot, okay.

Right.

Who am I showing mercy to?

Oh, okay.

My bad.

Okay, I will tomorrow's a new day.

I'll just, you know, starting to do it.

Good morning, mercies from God.

Literally, literally, because you know, that's what God did for me.

And that's what God did for all of us, right?

Like, the that was like his greatest act of love was like to show mercy to a people who got themselves in that predicament in the first place.

Yeah, you know, and so I'm like, man, then who am I showing mercy to?

Who am I going and intentionally being like, hey, what I have is yours?

Oh, for sure.

And and again, kind of back to the point, like the point is the world's watching.

Yes.

So yes, when when Peter uh addresses the crowd, he says, like, what are you guys so surprised at?

Because everybody was watching, everybody saw this happen.

Like, what are you so surprised at?

This is what happens when you have the power of Jesus, right?

You know what I mean?

And so I think for us, that should almost be that should almost kind of be our response to like somebody see, let's let's say someone, their marriage is turned around because they they decide to get God involved.

And a family member is like, what happened?

You got you guys started going to that church, or you guys started doing this whatever, um, this Jesus thing, and yeah, well, our response should be like, Well, what do you think?

Of course, you know what I mean?

Yes, it's so good.

But God, you know, yeah, but God, but God, yeah, like there is no like I think that's so good what you're saying, because you know, if we're getting it right, that's the answer.

Sure.

A lot of times I can fall into the the branding of celebration.

Do you get what I mean?

Like come to the church type thing.

Oh, yeah.

Which I want obviously people to come to our church, but ultimately, if if you read that passage, it's it's for God's glory, you know?

And so instead, sometimes I can begin to put the church over the church's name or my reputation over God.

Does that make sense?

Like come here, like come to the church, come here, like yeah, growing the church, all the things.

Yeah, not bad things, not inherently bad, yeah.

But when you but when you put it over someone's relationship with Christ, right?

I don't know.

That's that's the most important.

Yeah.

And we should be, you know, like we said earlier, like we should be the reflection of Christ, like we should be the reflection of Jesus when people look at our life, they're going, wait, yeah.

What am I?

I mean, either you're you have something I don't have, or I want that, or you know, that should be what draws people to us, and that's what should draw people to us as a body.

Well, and even if you're even if you're like a lifelong Christian, you're a career Christian or something.

Sure, yes, because I've been I grew up in Christian home, right?

Like church, that whole thing.

And you're still developing, like you're still evolving because of Jesus.

And your life is still showing.

I think I think so often we get lost in the um the huge like conversion story of someone.

Yes.

I don't have that story.

I don't have the story.

I have the I had the grew up in a Christian home, dad was a pastor.

I don't like I don't have this like crazy testimony, right?

But if someone can still see Christ working in me, then that's still a witness.

Absolutely.

Someone's still watching me evolve.

Like, yep, man, I remember you used to be kind of like whatever, on edge all the time or whatnot.

Like, I feel like you you've loosened up a little bit, like you have a little bit more joy, you know, and I mean or whatever.

For sure, for sure.

Or dang, man, like you've been saving up, but you know what I mean?

You better with your money, like, yeah, I'm trying to be a good steward, you know.

Hey, that's so good.

That's a good point.

We don't talk about that a lot.

That's really good.

And that's the thing too, like, you know, in talking to you or talking to any, like, you know, people, we should be able to show people how we recognize our need for a savior.

Correct.

Like that's what that's what our life should really be.

Like, whether it's a you're a career Christian or you know, you you just got radically saved, you know, and I look at different people that you know I follow or look up to, which I'm, you know, it's a small handful because I'm just really particular that way, but um, and to just see them so like they're pastors or leaders or Christian, like, and they're just so passionate about loving God and loving people, and like this expression I heard recently is just wildly obsessed with Jesus.

Yeah.

Oh my god, like if that's what people could say about me.

Sure.

When I think of Callie, what do you think?

She is wildly obsessed with Jesus, and that was the that's what my life told you.

Yeah.

Here for it.

What else could you ask for?

Lit, I would be like, I've I'm my life mission complete.

Like, take me now, Jesus.

I've done it.

And I mean, it's a great testimony too for for Christians who are listening.

Like, I always I say all the time, the closer you get to God, the more you realize your need for him.

Absolutely.

So, you know, the the closer you get to the light, God, the more you realize, man, I got a lot of oh, for sure.

I got a lot of blemish.

For sure.

You know, those hotel or like life in mirrors, yeah, it's like that.

Yeah, for sure.

Those things are brutal.

Yeah.

Awful.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And too, for like even now being in the ministry side of it, I told someone the other day, I was like, you know what?

I think God calls people to ministry.

The people that he calls to ministry are the people that he needs to keep a closer eye on.

That's why we're here, Nate.

That's what I'm saying.

That's amazing.

I think, I don't know.

I think that sometimes it's okay to admit, like, yo, if I wasn't here, if I wasn't doing this, for sure.

You know.

Yes.

I think about different, like, influential people and why they were so influential was because they were so real and genuine and honest with either this is where I came from, yeah, this is what God did for me, this is who I am now.

And you're like, oh my, whoosh, yeah, God can do it for you.

Right.

Or people were like, I don't have it all figured out.

Yeah.

I don't have all the answers.

Well, think about Peter's story, the guy who performed the miracle.

Yes.

He, you know, the guy that he said in his name, he was the one who he denied that name three times.

Yeah.

So his his witness is a little bit even more drastic because it's just like, hey, a while ago, I told a bunch of people I didn't even know this cat.

Yes.

And now I'm saying in his name, get up and walk.

He's a hot mess, but he loves Hemsome Jesus.

Yeah, for sure.

I'm here for that.

Like, yes, that means I can live and like do my thing and I'm gonna be okay because look at Peter.

He's in the Bible.

And it's not an excuse to just like do whatever you want.

No, nobody's talking about being wild or crazy on purpose.

Yeah.

I said uh I was like preparing some, I was preparing for like a team night, and I was talking about authenticity.

And I was like, what is authenticity?

And and just this thing, this phrase kind of came to like authenticity isn't an excuse to do whatever you want.

It's uh it's the opportunity to relate to someone.

Oh, for sure.

Like I can I can be authentic and I can relate to you because maybe I've been there, done that, or maybe I've had that same experience or thought or whatnot.

But I maybe I'm not condoning it.

Well, I feel like that to me then makes me think of grace, right?

Like I think grace is just the most beautiful thing I've ever heard of, learned about, and experienced.

Because it doesn't, you know, because I think sometimes people get concerned or worried, like, oh, well, just grace is like a license to sin, but like not at all.

No, because when I think about the grace that God's extended to me and showed me and like what grace has done in my life and how it's freed my life, why would I want to do anything like to be ungrateful for that?

Right.

Grace is empowerment.

So I feel like if I'm like, listen, let me tell you what God's grace has done for me.

On the daily, on Lord, on the daily, in the big moments, in the small moments, like I know I know God the way that I know because of like the extreme darkness that I've experienced in my life, and that's where the grace of God showed up for me.

Yeah.

So then I can be authentic and real and say, like, I'm not like my life isn't just some like fairy tale story with like butterflies and and rainbows.

Like, but this is where I experienced it.

Who wants that anyways?

Who wants butterflies?

It's in a minute.

Not my thing.

Not my thing.

Anyways, so fine.

Just go ahead.

What yeah.

Anyways, so um, yeah, like that allows me though to be authentic.

Sure.

And it allows me to say, like, I'm not perfect, I'm not who I want to be, I'm not where I want to be, because I'm I'm never gonna arrive there.

Yeah, not if I'm always moving forward, because as long as I'm moving forward, I'm growing.

And if you're not growing, you're dying.

So you're asking your husband, what are we actually doing?

What are we actually doing?

What am I doing?

And then you know I'm having like a life crisis on the daily.

Yeah.

But like that allows me to be authentic.

It allows me to say, like, I'm I'm a flawed human being that needs that needs God and needs his grace.

Yeah.

Um it kind of that kind of goes full circle with the message too, because without grace, without the grace that's been shown to us and that empowerment of grace, we can't extend the hand in the first place.

And if we do extend the hand, it's not from a right point of view or it's not, it's not from a good motive.

No, for sure.

So I think that I think this right here is where the biggest opportunity for the church is once everything dies down, are we still sticking around?

Are we still in the fight?

Whether it's you know, whether it's racial injustice and civil rights or poverty, like when those types of things go away and it kind of we kind of get back to quote unquote normal, right?

What are we doing?

Yeah.

Are we are we just putting on events?

Yeah, or are we extending the hand?

Yeah.

I don't want to put on events just to put on events.

Right.

Like I want to be one of those people that's still standing.

Like we have this saying about leadership, right?

Like first in, last out.

And I think that that applies if you're a follower of Jesus because like you you're that means you're leading in some form, right?

We should be first in last out.

We should be standing when the dust settles.

Yeah.

You know, we should be there to help pick up the pieces and help rebuild and to be the ones continuing to extend the hand and saying, like, I'm not going home.

I didn't come here to go home.

Yeah, because people are watching.

Yes.

Give them a sandwich.

Thanks for chatting.

Yes, thanks.

This is great.

Yeah, it's good.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

All right.

Thank you for joining us today for after the message.

To learn more about Celebration Church here in Orlando, follow us on social media at celebration or L or visit our website at celebrationorl.org.