Real Talk Friday - Pastor Roley Thorndike Life of Sacrifice

Welcome to Real Talk Friday with your hosts Rohan Das and Gus Urban.

In this groundbreaking podcast segment, we delve deep into the lives of individuals whose

journey has been profoundly transformed by their faith.

From the trial of adversity to the triumph of redemption, we explore real stories, real

people whose encounter with God has reshaped their existence.

Join us as we embark on a candid and enlightening journey where authenticity meets spirituality

every Friday on Real Talk Friday, part of Logan City Christian Church.

Hello and welcome to episode four of Real Talk Friday.

My name is Rohan Das and I'm with Gus Urban and today again we have a special guest, which

Gus will definitely introduce you to.

But before that, thank you for your support.

We've got incredible views and now we're in a new platform called iHeart Radio.

You can find that on your app store.

Thank you again for what you're doing for us by sharing these videos.

It's really changing people's life and we're so thankful for God.

What God's really doing for this ministry is amazing.

So I'll just pass it on to Gus and Gus can introduce you to our new guest today.

Yeah.

Hi everyone.

Thanks for joining us and thanks for all the support.

Today we have a very special guest, a friend of ours and a friend to this church.

He really helps us out a lot here.

He's been an incredible support and so I just want to welcome Pastor Roley Thorndyke here

this morning.

Good to be here.

Yeah.

Thanks for joining us.

We're going to get into some interesting stories where this man of God has been around a long

time, got a lot of experience.

And I'll be honest, there are times when I'm up behind the pulpit on Sunday morning.

I'm going to be preaching but I'm sort of like, I wonder what Roley's thinking.

Oh dear me.

Because it's sort of, how do you say it, where there's, I have respect for everyone there

but then there's some that just have a lot of experience.

You're sort of like, okay.

But yeah, look, thanks for being here this morning.

Thanks for being a supporter in our church.

Just yourself and your wife Claire, just incredible people.

So to start off with that, yeah, just thanks for being here.

Well, it's good to be here.

Yeah.

Great.

Thank you for being here as Gus said.

I've just recently met you so I don't know your story so this is going to be my first

two listening to what you do and it's amazing because that's what this show is all about.

We're going to share testimony, get to know you and we want it to be a conversation.

Like we're on a cafe drinking, we don't have coffees here but just pretend we're drinking

coffee and just having a conversation because we want to get to know who you are and of

course our viewers also want to get to know who you are.

So we're going to start off by, tell us something about your childhood that you remember or

just talk about your childhood and we can go from there and then we come to the present

time but we're going to start with your childhood.

So tell us a little about that.

Okay, I was born in Greenslopes, born and bred in Brisbane.

There was a private hospital there, Janoma Hospital, I was born there and we lived at

Greenslopes all my school years and then we moved around a little bit after that.

But living at Greenslopes, I lived in a Christian home.

Oh cool.

My mum and dad were Christians and my brother and I was only a young fellow, about three

or something and we moved to North Queensland and just for a period of time was a business

thing that my dad was involved in and we lived in a little mining place on the western side

of the Paluma Range north of Townsville and it was a corrugated iron hut with dirt floors

and we lived there for 18 months and even though it was in the tropics, I do remember

the bucket of water that was under a dripping tap from a tank that was fed into this thing

that it would freeze in winter.

Really?

Oh yeah, because you're on the western side of the range so it gets cold up there on the

western side.

So we lived there for I think it was 18 months or something like that and so that was a different

experience.

It was a mining place, there were tough people around but we went back there, my brother

and my dad and I went back there probably about 1996 or something like that.

We had a four wheel drive and we went up there because my brother was saying, we were there

and there was 20 years ago and there was still this and that around and machinery and whatever

and I said no there's nothing there because we'd been there the previous year and Claire

and I and so it was a bit of like well why don't we just go and have a look.

So we jumped in the car and we took a week off and we went up there and we met a guy

coming the other way as we were coming into a bit of a culvert in a gully there and so

we stopped and had a chat and this guy turned out to be the young fella that used to push

my brother and I around in a wheelbarrow that I have a photo of at home and so we met him

yeah and he's still living there.

So that was quite an amazing thing.

So anyhow we moved back to Brisbane and of course it was Sunday school you know I'd never

been to Sunday school prior to that and too young I guess and there was certainly none

in Ewan and so mum and dad sent us to the Sunday school around the road the Baptist

Church and where we lived in Thomas Street the state school was at the top of the hill

and the church Baptist Church was just behind that down in Henry Street and so they sent

us to Sunday school there and you know I can say now that you know that was one of the

best things that they ever did for me to send me to Sunday school and I was happy to go

you know I liked it I enjoyed it I really don't know why other than I was loved there

but I was loved at home as well so the same love that I felt at home I felt there but

I heard the stories of Jesus there and as I said last a couple of Sundays ago you know

my future mother-in-law was my Sunday school teacher and she taught me the stories of the

stories of Jesus and over the years the following years you know I had lots of different ones

that were my Sunday school teachers I ended up teaching Sunday school for a while and

we became part of the church and as we grew up we got married there three children were

dedicated to the Lord there and we were involved in the youth then you know the boys and girls

of grade Claire was in girls of grade I ended up being the captain of the boys of grade

company there and you know but we just really felt we had our home and and we had our children

and and we just really felt that there was there's more to life than this isn't there

you know we love God and and I was saved at Billy Graham crusade in 1959 yeah cool and

so growing up in church you know you you talk about being saved and yes and I'll give my

life to the Lord but you really don't understand and at the age of understanding I think this

is where most people ratify the door the decisions that they've made when they're younger yeah

but I remember that night at Billy Graham crusade and it was an amazing night yeah well

at the exhibition grounds it was packed and there's stuff you can get even now you can

see on YouTube of those meetings there the place was packed and I remember that and we

were there we went in on the bus you know and all that sort of thing we we were there

on the we weren't in the stands for out in the middle of the arena and I was we were

sitting on a rug or something or other and oh actually I was laying down and when the

appeal was on yeah you know he was giving this appeal come and give your life to the

Lord and they were singing you know just as I am yeah and just as I am they will receive

welcome pardon cleanse relief and it was the Holy Spirit yeah but in though then I thought

something is happening in me and I didn't even make the choice but I found myself walking

to the front wow I was about 12 I think 13 or something yeah okay and you know fairly

shy and reserved and whatever and here I am walking out the front of all these people

but God changed my life wow and you know so you know going forward a little bit we got

married and and had a children and things were good but you know this there's got to

be more than just you know getting up and going to work and yeah you know just the normal

things that that we do which was all good yeah that's right but on the inside there

was a hunger for something more yeah anyhow the short story is that we ended up we were

baptized in the Holy Spirit hmm and our lives radically changed at that point yeah we were

we really felt that God called us and spoke to us to leave where we were and and to go

to Christian Outreach Centre which we did okay and we pastored there with Clark for

two or three years I think it was two or three years and then we moved to Warwick and so

but at the in that time we were learning stuff that we'd never heard before the practical

things of Christianity now that's not saying anything against any of the the preachers

at our old church yeah you know it was a new and a living thing that was happening you

know we were starting to experience different things and especially the things of faith

and and and what the practicalities of of of faith and moving in faith and trusting

God for the impossible and things yeah we were we were seeing impossible things being

impossible you know and so we grew and that was good so then we we pastored there for

a couple of years and we were there for a total of about six or something but we with

with Clark yeah and then for the last two years some you know we're pastoring there

and then he asked us to go to Warwick yeah wow and so we went to Warwick and we pastored

the church in Warwick for about seven years and that was an interesting time and a learning

curve of course yeah I could imagine and but it was it was good there are good people there

and there's still good people there and so after that we we really felt with as a movement

we were starting new churches and in Australia and New Zealand Tasmania and which is part

of Australia of course but this you know what I'm saying

that's a debate their maps are our map is a dot at the bottom and their map is a big

Tasmania with a dot at the top of Australia but we were starting these churches and you

know so Clark asked me to sort of move around these new churches and you know help pastors

and talk to them and encourage them and whatever so yeah okay I did that for about 18 months

yep okay and that was a difficult time I was away three weeks out of four every month oh

my goodness and if I was home for any period of time maybe could have even been two weeks

or whatever and then might be preaching just locally or whatever it was yeah yeah well

so you know but I found out later on that our children really felt the absence of their

dad and and which I understood that but you know you do what you do yeah and God calls

you to do something you know you do what you do yeah so we we did that Claire was working

over at Christian Heritage Centre and in the admin there and I think she was a heritage

college she was involved there and so anyhow we we we did that and then as we we moved

along we went up the coast and we passed out there for a couple of years and then we got

involved in missions yeah well and although we had been involved with missions before

even way back in when we were young you know there was always at the Baptist Church there

was always the mission Sundays that we had and mission conventions and all that sort

of thing and you know it was it was like when when you know maybe God is calling you to

go the mission field you know and we're sort of hiding behind the chair as it were and

it's always shrink and yeah and all that but we before we were married we went to the Keswick

conventions up in in Mount Tamborine okay and they were just a gathering of of people

they had all different house parties around the place you know where you could go and

stay they were run by mission organisations all right we'd go there and and on the Sunday

Saturday afternoon they they always had a a mission afternoon where missionaries that

were leaving to go to the field would get up and share those that had been in the field

to come back and you know it was one of those things it was really good and yeah this particular

afternoon this pastor that well the leader that was there just said normally I would

ask you the question that you're expecting you know but today I'm just going to ask you

the question would you be willing if God asks you to move to go to the mission field would

you be willing I'm not asking you to go would you be willing and I was sitting there my

wife Claire was sitting beside me I think we were engaged at that point I'm not sure

and her girlfriend was sitting beside her yeah and and I stood up and then I noticed

Claire was standing up and then I noticed that Marg was standing up yeah well and and

God really put something in our hearts then for missions yeah and we were thinking you

know New Guinea we Claire had been to New Guinea before and we were thinking New Guinea

and all this sort of thing yeah haven't been in New Guinea yet yeah okay but anyhow we

God did something for us in missions there and we'd always been involved financially

with with me yeah yeah but in 1991 there we arranged a trip to a mission trip to actually

it was to Russia all right actually to the Ukraine oh and there was about a hundred and

twenty that were part of this team that was sent out this is from Christian Henry Center

and we flew Dubai and then into Moscow and then down to Kiev and so we're involved in

missions there and it was wonderful this was just after the coup yeah about three weeks

after the coup so in the in the 12 months of training that we had in going we learned

a bit of Russian and all that sort of thing yeah you know and was still the USSR but then

it all broke and fell apart and we were there three weeks after that wow and the people

were hungry yep you know because they had there was a vacuum there yeah there was major

change and all that sort of thing so we had teams that were in the main square of Ukraine

and just different teams maybe five or six and there was some in other places well and

you know you could sing do a bit of drama whatever and you'd have a crowd of people

instantly yeah so three weeks before that you wouldn't have been able to do anything

probably not so open yeah it would have been like more communists yeah end up in jail sort

of thing possibly or well I don't know maybe maybe who knows because we were playing this

is planned 12 months prior yeah so I think things change when things were starting to

fall apart you know our plans changed a little bit what we could do yeah it's amazing what

God has done like time this whole process yeah it's good to see that yeah yeah wow so

you'd preach for a little bit you know three minutes okay and just give a simple gospel

message and and and then make the drama or whatever yeah and you know who wants to give

their life to Jesus and be saved you know and you'd get 75 to 80 percent of that crowd

wow and then they dissipate you know and then you might move away but you get another crowd

same thing and so then we had a big had to do some follow-up and yeah things like that

so we got them all to come to an arena there and they asked me to just to share you know

the next steps of after you say you know becoming Christian yeah getting involved in the church

and whatever yeah and they were and they we visited a local church and and and that was

something else yeah but so that was really exciting and then in 1995 we got involved

in China missions and we did that for 18 years and we worked with a church in Hong Kong revival

Christian Church who had a ministry to China revival Chinese ministries international and

we work with them and and we led teams you know taking Bibles into China we led prayer

teams we led other teams and did other different things there just to support the house churches

in China so Hong Kong's more relaxed when it comes to that it was then because 1997

it reverted to from British rule you know it was they had it for at least for a hundred

years or whatever and then it reverted to back to China in 1997 okay and yeah while

it was under British rule I first went there in 1995 and when it was under British rule

and I think this is an important thing that we understand that they're the atmosphere

is around and in places you know that you can walk into a building and you can feel

uncomfortable in that it can be you know who knows what was going on in there you walk

into a church and you sense the presence of God yeah so that can be the same over a nation

it can be same over a city yeah and in Hong Kong because it was under British rule which

we know is basically Christian country yeah the atmosphere there was as it was but when

you went across the border into China you could feel it was different wow you could

feel the oppression you could feel the godlessness yeah and and so that was quite an interesting

thing that that's demonstrated to me a major thing of of you know when when God is there

you you sense it and we can sense his presence yeah so we did you know quite a little bit

of stuff there and that was good that that's incredible especially about the aspect of

I guess we read about Israel submitting under God and as a nation let's say back in Old

Testament times where you know when they're obedient and following Christ the blessing

of God upon them yeah but then you look at exile where I wonder how that spiritual atmosphere

must have been back then just before exile or or whatever I wonder if things like that

had changed then we see with America where how that nation was founded under God God

prospered it and blessed it and and I guess the same with Australia where we have such

freedom to you know have church services prayer meetings and all these things it's yeah it's

something I'm probably yet to experience myself but I definitely understand what you're saying

yeah but it'd be you'd have to experience it in order to really understand what you

can understand it to a degree but when you experience it exactly you know that that's

a picture as it were yeah so I mean you can imagine what it'd be like in North Korea oh

yeah you know that totalitarian government there and the rule will China's the same Russia's

the same yeah you know and there would be other countries the same yeah yeah I think

the whole point here is like the presence of God is not there in these nation and you

know that's what's causing the people there is no sense of hope because when we have God

in our heart we have hope and that's very important and because I've well unfortunately

not been in countries like this but I've definitely heard from relatives that are in certain countries

like India who face these kind of issues and they say that sometimes it's like waking up

doing what you're doing going back to sleep and it's like a routine they follow and there's

nothing there's no sense of hope yeah and that's the problem like they see this is this

is exactly what has happened with your trip to Ukraine when people were you know when

people were taken out of that oppression they were hungry they wanted to know oh my god

now I need God I need I need that hope I need to move forward and that's what most nation

needs that's why it's very important for us to pray for nations and that's just because

of these reasons yeah but thank you thank you for sharing that if you'd like I'd like

to take the conversation a bit back to another topic because as you said you've done a lot

of mission work dedicated to your life but you spoke something very important is about

family and you know when you told me about you getting saved in Billy Graham crusade

and I was reading his book and he did say that he faced a lot of problems with family

especially you know Ruth the wife and him being away for so long was putting a strain

in that family of his and from what I can hear you pretty much did the same being away

from family there was strain in that relationship I just want to talk more about that because

I believe there are people who are listening to us or are watching this and want to go

into ministry and they feel that that could put a strain on the family and sometimes it

is very important to address this issue just because I feel it's important so how did you

deal with that kind of strain or you know that relationship with your kids being away

I think the thing is that anybody that's thinking of going to the ministry and thinking

yeah it's going to put a strain on my family and it will have an effect on my family and

whatever the answer to that is yes it will but if you know that God has called you to

do that you're not pursuing a career but you're pursuing a calling that makes the difference

and when grace is needed God gives more grace and so it didn't badly affect our family you

know I missed them terribly when I was away you know it would have been easier to say

look I missed my family too much I'm not going to do this anymore but that wasn't the case

I missed my family and when we came home it was great you know the reunion if you like

was great we did things together and we were still Claire was still busy and all that but

we did things together and really made the choices to do those things rather than just

let things flow along yeah I think that everybody that serves God makes a sacrifice absolutely

everybody I think of missionaries for you know around the world wherever they have gone

but you know I know for a fact in China the many missionaries that have been there you

know they in those days like I'm talking the 1800s maybe in the early 1900s you sail there

on a ship and you know you sort of left your country and you went there I mean it was a

final thing as it were that's right very few of them ever went home yeah and some went

there and and they with their wife and family and and their children one by one died and

then their wife died and then they died and they were there for five months or something

and you think God I don't understand that but you call them they went and the results

and it's up to you what happened now others stayed there and they were quite successful

in their in their ministry and their input into the movement of God in China and the

revivals that were happening there so everybody makes a sacrifice and and when I look back

the sacrifices that that I have made and that we as a family have made have been very small

compared to some yeah true and because we're the Christian life is a life of sacrifice

any absolutely absolutely that see that's that's that's incredible that you you mentioned

that because for where I'm at personally being young in the ministry my wife works full time

three kids it I'm always asking the question how do I do this you know like how do you

balance everything it's not all about my family and it's not all about God where I neglect

my family and it's trying to get that balance of home life and but without neglecting the

ministry or God or anything just trying to get it I don't I don't know do I don't think

we ever get it perfect I'm guessing but I guess there's always time of sacrifice as

you said yeah time apart time where at the end of the day we do put God first but answering

one of my questions is that you said that there's a grace there when you're called

and I sort of feel like that's a big key that's a huge key see if if a person doesn't know

or have that real assurance that God has called them to do whatever the ministry is that he's

called them to when it gets tough the doubts start to come did I hear from God is this

you know it's too hard and the negatives start to come in but if you know that God has called

you you'll stand yeah and I think I know that that is a it's a prerequisite for anybody

you know I mean look even if it was once that even if if it was a Sunday school teacher

you know and and they oh it's all exciting get started with it all and and then the kids

start to fool around and something goes wrong everything gets tipped over and this goes

on week after week you know did God call me you know I think it's it's it's good to know

that when God that that God calls you to do something or if if he hasn't called you to

do it don't do it yeah exactly yeah I think there's always that ups and downs in my opinion

and you can't just because you're at your bottom low be like okay God's I've heard I

misheard God he's definitely not called me to this I think that I think God tries to

make you stronger in the ministry by giving you those experiences that are low yeah and

you know even for me like what you've mentioned was really good because what I can hear everyone

in your family were in the same page they knew they had to do ministry and sometimes

there are some families some people who the whole family are not on board with this and

that's where you know you to answer your question I think you know you have a wonderful family

that support you and are willing to be with you when you're doing ministry and that gives

it's so much boost for you you know self-esteem to do more for God you know even for me like

I'm in a season where I'm doing theology at the moment as you know as a degree and I'm

almost finishing which is this this year but my my profession is in the medical field and

I've studied so much and when God told me to go into ministry or do theology because

I want you to do it I was like really you really want me to do that and there were times

when I was studying and multiple times where I thought okay this is not for me like I have

a lot on my plate I have a lot at the moment maybe I should just quit and there've been

so many occasion where God's like clearly said bought situations and said no you're

not going to quit at all you're going to finish this and I'm almost going to finish this yeah

and and it's amazing like when God has a plan for you and you're diligent and obey his plan

that's it don't doubt it that's what I feel like just keep on doing because he will support

you trust in him you know it reminds me of you know the story in the Bible where Jesus

is sleeping on the boat and the disciples are so scared because there's a big storm

and then he wakes Jesus up and Jesus just says calm the storm and also tells the disciples

trust in me and I think that's when we come into these seasons where we have a huge storm

we forget to trust him yeah it's like you said pastor Oli when we start ministry we

we can see the excitement we have that vision it's like we're just going to set the world

on fire for Jesus and if you didn't see that you probably wouldn't start exactly right

yeah and yeah it's about really it's about those who endure to the end it's that enduring

that's right that and a lot of our sermons in the past what six weeks four to six weeks

have been about enduring being steadfast in the faith and James chapter one and and there's

been quite a lot of this and yeah I guess when we when we give up or quit as tempting

as it may be Satan wins I think the thing is with the family too you know it's it's

the support of the family when I was away at that time they were supporting me oh wow

you know in prayer okay yeah yeah Claire was working so there was financial support there

as well yeah because it was I was not we were just trusting God that you know there was

no income from it yeah there were some love offerings and whatever that covered their

expenses in the trips but for our for our family living and home expenses you know Claire

was doing that covering that and so we supported our children while they were at school one

our eldest girl Suzy she was at work and Deb and Pete were doing their high schooling yeah

and and at Christian Aruz College so you know we supported them they supported us and as

a family we supported each other you know yeah and so that made it a lot easier yeah

you know if there's if there's difficulty in the family well then you know but I know

some pastors who've had great difficulty in their family you know some with maybe rebellious

child or yeah you know the death of one of their children or something like that and

they've carried on simply because they know that God had called them to do that yeah and

as we've been sharing recently it's not all the ups is it's not all when it's all rosy

and everything else it's in the tough times yeah that's when God can really teach us things

that he can't teach us at any other time yeah yeah yeah no exactly yeah and I guess that's

what really helps me is I know my wife is a hundred percent behind what I do exactly

my my my kids it they make it easy but I guess them being raised in a Christian home where

mum and dad both on the same page as born-again believers were equally yoked as husband and

wife and so then being raised under that it it does make it a lot easier for for children

their understanding of the word they're going to children's church receiving that that foundation

on Sunday mornings but not only that at home we make it a priority because we're always

out and about we're always doing stuff so we always try and find that time where we

can come together at least a couple times during the week at night where we all lay

on our bed and just read the Bible last night we were talking about how demons were being

cast out just because of a question my son had so we went through acts and Paul and Philip

the evangelist and just through that sort of thing and it helps I guess keeping God

in the home as much as possible for me at in the earlier years I would be so full of

zeal for the ministry that I found it easy to forget about home whereas now it's as

I'm slowly maturing I guess you could say I'm really trying to get the balance the two

out where I'm I'm still being a husband and a father at home and not just a minister so

see we're really imperfect people aren't we oh and because we're imperfect people we don't

do perfect things all the time yeah yeah and but God is a God of grace yeah and he helps

us yeah you know and as I said before it is a sacrifice yeah yeah and you know if it's

a sacrifice sacrifices another sacrifice unless they hurt yeah yeah exactly right and one

of the things I found which I was a bit shocked in the beginning was that I was surprised

of how many times my wife was right I'm the man of God here and then later on you go well

she was right you are maturing but as funny as that is I tell a lot of people now as I

look you know you've married you're a couple and especially in the ministry pay attention

to what your wife says I found that incredible so maybe not all the time but yeah I was surprised

of how how right she was in some situations where I thought it was all good so I think

when when when we you know I went to China for a couple of years on my own you know like

Claire didn't come you know she was at home yeah our children were they were moved out

of home at that point and and the Lord really spoke she didn't want to go to China she was

happy for me to go you know and and then the Lord spoke to her and said it's time for you

to go you are and so we did that together and and and doing it together is I'm supporting

her she's supporting me you know in all that we did and and we had some great adventures

and and it was tough some of it and and all that sort of thing but we were able to do

it together and and that was a good thing and and our kids supported us in that as well

I mean they weren't saying are you silly for doing that or whatever you know they were

supporting it and Peter and his wife came one year yeah okay with us and that's a big

nester no no oh yeah Peter came Peter Helvison came oh yeah one year yeah okay my son Peter

came oh sorry yeah your son yep and oh that's fantastic yeah so you know but that that mutual

support and and just trusting God yeah you know the opportunities of faith and I mean

we could go on and on and on couldn't we absolutely yeah yeah yeah yeah no definitely that's good

that's good well thank you for sharing these this is such important conversation I think

and having this conversation over real talk Friday I think a lot of our listeners and

views really appreciate this because it's a struggle for me too because as you said

sometimes you feel like your wife's correct undoubtedly but also growing up I've noticed

that sometimes there were things that I used to tell my dad and he used to think about

it like huh this makes sense you're smart I'm not but yeah thank you for sharing that

we are very glad to have you on the show so we want to unfortunately with time we are

kind of constrained on what questions we can ask you but we would definitely encourage

viewers if you do want our guests to come again on the show reach out to us we would

love to have them and send us your questions send us whatever you'd like us to ask and

we will definitely ask our guests because I think that's very important we want to answer

your questions we all want to also help you understand and come on with this journey of

podcasts with us because it's very important you guys are the ones that we are doing this

podcast for and it's very important so thank you Raleigh well what we're gonna do is just

talk about your present work for the remaining of the show and what you're doing now because

we really want to hear about that okay well I'm retired and I retired a bit late but anyhow

I'm retired but I mean I don't think that as Christians we never retire you know we

retire from work and I think yeah we retire from one thing to do another thing yeah I'm

not actively involved in in ministry at the moment but you help us out a lot here past

the Gus and and and pastor Rob they you know asked me to share occasionally here and you

know I'm happy to do that and so I I still keep in touch with the ministry in Hong Kong

that has that ministry to China and and when when we were going to China we actually set

up the office in Australia for that ministry and we ran that in Australia and so I shared

in different churches at different times for that but I'm not doing that anymore either

yeah but keeping in touch and wherever I have an opportunity to share about about China I

do that yeah yeah and the opportunity to share in church and to preach you know I'm I'm happy

to do that when I retired I didn't want to just sit and do nothing but I'm glad that

at times I can just sit and do nothing that's right yeah and doing nothing can mean reading

a book I wanted to read it can be just to sit and look at the garden it can be just

to sit in those times yeah and think about God and how good God is and and and you know

what he and just talk to him and fellowship with him and so currently you know I'm sort

of not in the ministry as it were yeah at the moment but happy to minister whenever

but you're not sidelined either there's still that that bit like for for us what we experience

it's great having people such as yourself in our church where you offer that strength

of support where it may not seem like much to you but when when we're say going through

whatever or where we're flat out we can't keep up or we're trying to juggle everything

having having mature spiritual godly people such as yourself that can get up and support

from a pulpit in the back room speaking at a men's breakfast or whatever it is still

definitely being used by God and making such an impact for sure when I when I was at Greenslopes

Baptist Church there we grew up as a young boys and and as a young boy and as a youth

and then as a young man there I used to look at the older men in the church who were probably

about 40 but there was some others there who were you know quite elderly and all that and

what you say is true the strength and and the the input that they had into my life in

a you know in a mute sense you know not the spoken word so much yeah although it was that

but it was more their life that they lived in front of me you know if these men can love

God the way they do I can love God the way they do that that helped me if they if they

if they are interested in missions then I should be interested in missions it was an

example that they were setting yeah and if they were able to live a godly life then I

can live a godly life exactly yeah and and I know we don't have we don't focus on on

people as our examples yet we do because Jesus is our example but but if if in all my years

I can't be some sort of good example to other people then I failed yeah as a person even

you know yeah like Paul said imitate me as I am an imitator of Christ as I imitate Christ

yeah and so that that that was a real strength to me and yeah you know if that is what you

feel that that I can be definitely seem to be doing here well that's a good thing as

well no definitely and even for me as seeing you from the pulpit and how you minister before

or after a sermon and and that it there's so much experience there as well like I remember

one time you were telling me of how the things you've experienced when the spirit of God

moved all those years back and and learning the ways of God and and and seeing how the

spirit moves and being sensitive to the spirit and all these sort of things that as a minister

we don't just rock up and do our thing whatever we feel like doing there's that that sensitivity

there that Holy Spirit you're in control of this meeting this morning or whatever it may

be and just being able to be led is it's a it's a total different thing well you know

I I have to say that and I'm not to have to say I want to say that that I owe so much

to Clark yeah Taylor he he taught me these things he he didn't only say this is what

should happen but this is how you do this okay yeah this is how you you move in the

spirit if you like yeah and you know he would run conventions and seminars and all that

sort of thing on that over the years which he did and and it was a matter of gleaning

so much all the time but I had never seen that before yeah I had never heard of it before

and when I first saw it when I first saw him operating the word of knowledge and calling

out people who had different physical conditions and whatever and God moves on him and healed

them yeah you know my eyes were bugged yeah you know I mean I thought wow this is really

something yeah and it wasn't a matter of just then he kept it to himself he freely shared

that with with with those in the leadership yeah and and whoever else attended those

conferences but you know when we were pastoring there he he was able just to personally share

some things and and all that and and so I owe him that yeah and a big vote of thanks

that that that he openly just shared that yeah you know but still it's a matter of faith

yeah and though you know every time that that we might minister in that way it's still a

step of faith because whatever we do with for the Lord it's it's a thing of faith absolutely

and to operate the gifts it's a gift of the spirit and and you can either choose to operate

them or not you know yeah and it's like when we're baptizing the spirit and we can speak

in tongues but do we often speak in tongues you know that's a choice that we might exactly

so yeah I really appreciate Clark and yeah he's a good man yes he made some mistakes

we all made mistakes yeah but you know he was one who who could move in this in in the

spiritual realm better than anybody else that I knew anyhow yeah yeah like he said it's

the saying that he said it's perfectly natural to be spiritual and I can't remember do you

know you would know it's to be God wants us to be perfectly natural naturally spiritual

and totally I can't something or other I can't remember I remember him saying that when he

said it I'm like yeah it's it wasn't about being this hyper spiritual person it's about

being a real person with the spirit of God inside that's right yeah yeah and a real person

with the spirit of God inside can play cricket or you know play football and you know fool

around and and and tell some good clean jokes you know yeah yeah yeah but then to be able

to change from that into the realm of the spirit quickly yeah you know yeah it's it's

he taught us how to do that yeah yeah yeah and yeah excellent excellent amazing I think

one time we'd love to have you again I know there's been a lot of testimonies of what

you've seen over the years what you've experienced God do I think I've seen where there are people

that are online that are actually against the spirit and healings and all that sort

of thing and and you know if that's what they believe will they'll have the fruit of that

so you know but for for those who are genuinely seeking God and I love hearing testimonies

of the power of God and what he's done setting people free and healing and and even like

salvations of people being transformed by the power of God just hearing those testimonies

build such faith and and then you know like God this is for today and so I'd love to have

you on again one time yeah well we've seen many miracles yeah people being released of

you know terrible conditions of sickness and yeah and seen many people say which is the

greatest miracle of all beautiful it is it is yeah well thank you thank you so much for

being in our show we have to unfortunately cut it short now wrap it up yeah not cut it

short but thank you again for being here we are truly blessed by having you in our show

and thank you for having me and all the glory to the Lord hey absolutely everything that

we've talked about it's because of him yeah so what we like in the show is before you

leave or before we close you say a prayer for our podcast and our viewers and that we

would really love that sure yeah heavenly father we thank you that the modern technology

allows us to do these things so that people around the world even can hear these words

and that people will be encouraged we pray Lord for this podcast that wherever it is

is listened to wherever it is watched on on video on YouTube Lord we pray God that people

will listen and those that do listen Lord would be touched by your spirit they'd be

drawn closer to you Lord their doubts would be turned into faith and father that they

would love you more and honor you more and father we do honor you and we thank you for

this opportunity to share today bless Gus and and the church here Lord and and my host

father I thank you for Rohan Lord you would bless him as well father in his studies and

Lord we give you all the honor and all the glory and all the praise in Jesus name amen

amen thank you everyone for joining us on our episode 4 of Real Talk Friday again we

appreciate the support that you're giving us and please keep on subscribing to our channel

liking sharing because we want God to really move through us and this church so thank you

again and we'll see you on another episode of Real Talk Friday.

As we conclude our episode of Real Talk Friday we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our

listeners for joining us on this enlightening journey but our journey doesn't end here join

us every Friday as we continue to uncover the real stories of real people where authenticity

intersects with spirituality in profound ways together we'll navigate the complexities

of life finding inspiration and hope in the remarkable narratives shared within the walls

of Logan City Christian Church.

Thank you for tuning in and until next time may your faith journey be filled with grace

understanding and the unwavering presence of God stay tuned for more Real Talk every

Friday on Real Talk Friday.