Latest / Imagine Media Podcast Network / God’s Goodness | Christian Testimonies, Hearing ... - It Took 50 Years to Find What Was Missing | Eli Brackenbury | Ep. 162

Transcript

God’s Goodness | Christian Testimonies, Hearing ... - It Took 50 Years to Find What Was Missing | Eli Brackenbury | Ep. 162 · Imagine Media Podcast Network

0:00
Jesus came into my kitchen where I was making
0:01
coffee. And at a time after my second divorce,
0:05
where I should have been really chaotic. I should
0:08
have been uncomfortable. I should have been run
0:11
around like a chicken with my head cut off. But
0:14
I was in a moment of peace. It was almost like
0:16
he was standing there, sipping on a cup of Joe
0:18
with me going, you know, as I was looking out
0:21
the kitchen window says beautiful view, huh?
0:24
You know, be still now. Psalm 46 10, be still
0:27
and know that I am the Lord your God. I have
0:29
you from here on out. Just trust me. Hey there.
0:35
Welcome to the God's Goodness podcast. We are
0:38
your hosts, Josh and Shelly Hankins, and we're
0:40
here to share real stories of God's power, stories
0:43
of hope, healing, and miracles that will strengthen
0:46
your faith. No matter what you're walking through,
0:49
we want to remind you that God is good and he's
0:51
still moving today. Let's dive in. What do you
0:55
do when you don't recognize yourself anymore?
0:58
From the outside, your life still looks stable.
1:01
You're handling your responsibilities. You still
1:03
believe in God. No one may even know how much
1:06
you're struggling. You just keep pushing through.
1:09
Our guest, Eli Brackenberry, reached that place
1:12
in his 50s when the faith he'd carried for years
1:16
suddenly felt too small for the questions he
1:18
was facing. Those questions weren't only changing
1:21
how Eli saw himself. They were challenging what
1:24
he thought he knew about God. So could you believe
1:27
in God for years and still be missing something
1:30
about who he really is? Thank you so much, Eli,
1:33
for joining us today. Would you mind opening
1:36
us up in a prayer? Oh, for sure. For sure. Dear
1:42
Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity,
1:44
one with breath in my lungs and my eyes open,
1:47
to have another day to do your will. I hope and
1:50
pray that this conversation not only touches
1:54
the hearts of the spiritually broken or the lost,
1:58
but it brings people closer to the relationship
2:00
that Jesus wants with them. And Lord, please
2:04
guide these words and let the ears hear, let
2:08
the eyes see, let the hearts be open, the mind
2:11
be open, and we'll do this in your will. And
2:15
in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. to that season
2:22
in your fifties. Take us back a little. What
2:25
was your relationship with God like growing up?
2:27
And was faith always part of your life? It was.
2:31
I grew up in the Catholic faith and my dad is
2:35
a wonderful man. I have nothing bad to say about
2:37
organized religion really at all. It just was
2:40
something that didn't resonate with me. And I
2:44
remember a time when I was eight years old, my
2:46
brother was 11 and we went to confession. And
2:49
I didn't understand why we were going to confession.
2:52
It really wasn't something that was discussed.
2:54
We just went into the church and my dad said,
2:56
when that light goes off, go in that door. And
2:58
so I went in there and sat down in a chair and
3:03
between me and the priest was a partition. And
3:06
he asked me what my sins were and I had to lie.
3:09
I had to basically go in there and sin to get
3:12
absolved of sin. And so, you know, I said, five
3:17
Hail Marys and five Our Fathers, and I felt exactly
3:19
the same as when I went in. Confused. I went
3:23
through all the sacraments in the Catholic faith
3:26
that to me is a rules -based, performance -based
3:29
system. I still didn't feel fulfilled. I didn't
3:34
feel like I was any more worthy of God's grace
3:37
than I was the day before. When I was 18, I moved
3:42
out of the house. My soul, my Sanctification
3:46
was up to me. So I ended up being like an Israelite
3:50
wandering the desert for 40 years, not really
3:53
understanding what my purpose was and what my
3:55
identity was. You know, I thank God. I thank
3:57
my father for giving me that foundation of who
4:00
Jesus was, but there was really no sense of a
4:04
relationship there. So I had faith. I was spiritual
4:07
growing up, but I was still confused as to what
4:10
my place in the world was meant to be. And it
4:13
wasn't until... You know, I hit 50 years old
4:16
where I finally answered the knock at the door
4:19
of my heart and let Jesus in. And I'm sure we'll
4:22
talk about it, the challenges that I had faced
4:24
in my life, but it was one of the best things
4:26
I ever did to establish that relationship with
4:29
him. And it wasn't a performance space. I mean,
4:32
I felt like I was the most unworthy person on
4:34
the face of the planet of the love of Jesus Christ.
4:38
And no, he took me bruised, broken, battered.
4:41
I didn't have to perform. I didn't have to get
4:43
my house clean, my proverbial house cleaned up
4:45
before I came. He took me as I was and gave me
4:49
the greatest gift I'd ever received. That reminds
4:52
me of me. I knew Jesus from a young age, but
4:55
when I met Josh, it didn't look like I did. I
4:58
was not living like it. He says it was like a
5:01
carnival and there were a bunch of red flags.
5:04
But when I started going to church and getting
5:07
in the groups and building that relationship,
5:09
then... I gradually, that sanctification process,
5:13
it's slow, gradual, and gentle, but it's there
5:18
if you lean into it. It's a very difficult process.
5:21
And when I say difficult, I mean, more or less
5:24
uncomfortable that you're going to give control
5:27
of your life over to something you cannot see.
5:30
It is a true leap of faith. It's faith over fear.
5:33
And I just got to the point where I'm going to
5:36
take this leap because you have called me to
5:38
do that. Yeah, yes, and it's hard to do because
5:42
we get really set in our ways we get comfortable
5:44
in what we look like comfortable in our skin
5:46
comfortable in our safe spots and Then God calls
5:50
us out in the moment. We have any kind of hardship.
5:52
We run right back to where we were Instead of
5:55
forward we run back to what's familiar like an
5:58
old scar or a rut in the road That's very true.
6:02
There's an old Scottish proverb that talks about
6:04
for every mile of path. There's two miles of
6:07
ditch And, you know, the journey to get to heaven
6:11
is the same for everybody, but the path that
6:14
we take differs. It's sort of like a heartbeat,
6:17
up and down, up and down, up and down. But you
6:19
always want to get on that path of relationship
6:21
versus the ditch of religion and the ditch of
6:25
rebellion. And to your point, you go to where
6:28
you're the most comfortable. You know, I'm going
6:30
to go to church because it optically, it looks
6:33
fantastic. I went to church Sunday. or you go
6:37
to rebellion and you say, I'm going to do what
6:39
I want, when I want, how I want. I don't need
6:42
that relationship. And that's where I found the
6:46
most comfort. Wasn't going back anymore. It was
6:50
always going forward and looking and keeping
6:52
my eyes on him and letting him direct that path
6:55
from which I traveled. Things just became easier
6:58
after I went through a season of discomfort.
7:02
You have to be uncomfortable to get comfortable.
7:05
It sounds very strange sitting here talking to
7:08
people about my walk of faith because I would
7:11
have never thought I would have gone on this
7:13
path. I would have thought I would have been
7:15
constantly jumping from ditch to ditch. And we
7:18
do that, I think as people because we are uncomfortable.
7:21
We are creatures of habit. I'd rather take four
7:24
left -hand turns and get right back where I started
7:26
because at least I know the journey. I know what
7:29
to anticipate. I know where the potholes are,
7:32
so to speak. I know how the traffic lights work,
7:34
but there's no shortcut to sanctification. There's
7:37
no shortcut to the peace and tranquility that
7:40
Jesus can give you. You just have to take that
7:43
road and relinquish that control of the things
7:47
that you think you need to control and let him
7:49
do it. And the world, you just come out of the
7:52
spiritual bottleneck to where, oh, this is what
7:55
I was missing. I had no idea. But you've got
7:58
to take that first step I like in the transformation
8:02
of sanctification to restoring a car that you
8:05
find in a field Right. Yeah, you find this thing.
8:08
It's seven different colors. No finishes. No
8:11
gas cap. No engine. No wheels The frame is rusted
8:15
and god sees the final product. He sees this
8:18
1963 corvair he sees this as it is fully restored
8:22
with you know, a beautiful blue paint job, he
8:25
sees it as it is whole. And we're looking at
8:28
it like it's just a hunk of junk rotting in a
8:30
field. And our perspective changes when we trust
8:33
the person fixing the car up. And at the end
8:36
of our life, we might just have the wheels on,
8:38
we might have the engine in, it might just have
8:40
a gray primer on it now. It may not have a windshield.
8:43
He took the bee's nest out of the glove box,
8:45
but it's not whole in any way. We'll never see
8:48
the finished product this side of heaven. But
8:51
the moment we enter into heaven is the moment
8:53
that finished product is that realization that
8:56
he had is now manifested on us And yeah, I would
9:00
just want to encourage listeners that you'll
9:02
never be that finished car, but God does have
9:04
a plan for you He sees you as that complete whole
9:08
finished thing that he wanted he what soon as
9:11
he saw you never saw you as anything less than
9:13
what he wanted to make you anything less than
9:16
he wanted to mold you into and It's easier if
9:19
we partner with him and help him put it together
9:21
than it is for us to drag our feet And say no,
9:23
I don't want any wheels. No, I don't want a gas
9:24
cap. No, I don't want that No, I don't want this
9:26
because it's ridiculous. It's gonna happen. Why
9:29
are we fighting it? It's gonna happen Where our
9:32
life will be so much better if we just give in
9:34
while we're alive Absolutely, that's a great
9:37
analogy the restoration part of it, you know
9:40
because I take men in general are task driven
9:44
individuals. And if you were to ask them to restore
9:48
and flip a house, they do it because it's a challenge.
9:51
You know, maybe they do it because they see profit
9:53
at the end of it, but let's pretend they don't.
9:55
They see this thing and what it could be. But
10:00
rarely do we turn and take an introspective look
10:04
at our own lives and think that the restoration
10:07
of yourself is the same as that car or a house.
10:11
And you get a subject matter expert to come in
10:14
and do certain parts of the restoration process,
10:17
but you only need one to restore yourself. I
10:20
think if people were less afraid of trying to
10:24
find an end game, you know, the Bible has already
10:27
been written. We know how the story ends. And
10:30
to be drug along this process, kicking and screaming
10:34
at first, your analogy fits it very perfect because
10:37
we won't see the finished product until the very
10:40
end. but we will be restored whole in the identity
10:45
that Jesus has for us if we allow him to break
10:49
open the door and start working from the inside
10:52
out. Other people see it too. Other people will
10:55
say, you're completely different. What have you
10:57
been doing in your life? Well, that's an easy
11:00
conversation. And I used to not be that way.
11:03
I used to really hate talking to people because
11:06
I was afraid. I was afraid of being judged in
11:08
retrospect, looking back. Growing up in organized
11:12
religion, for me, I was always being judged when
11:15
I walked in the door. I always felt like I didn't
11:17
belong. And when I started walking in the relationship
11:21
that Jesus wanted for me, and I began the healing
11:24
process and the restoration process, he gave
11:27
me the identity, the make model year of me, and
11:33
gave me purpose. And it wouldn't have happened
11:36
if I tried to quantify what's in it for me, which
11:41
I think is another challenge for some people.
11:43
It's like, well, you know, what's in it for me?
11:46
Oh, you know, endless peace that transcends all
11:50
of human understanding, direction, comfort, identity,
11:54
purpose. All of those things come when you surrender
11:58
to the idea that your created identity is not
12:01
the one that God had for you. And wow. I mean,
12:05
I don't see the shiny car. But I know it's coming.
12:09
You know, I look forward to seeing it And that's
12:11
because you see his vision and that's right and
12:14
you're working towards his vision It's when we
12:16
don't see the vision that he has and he's trying
12:18
to explain to us what he wants to do And we're
12:19
like, I don't see how you can do that That's
12:22
what we make the least amount of progress. But
12:23
when we say i'm in lord, what do you need? You
12:25
need that wrench you need this you need me to
12:27
sand that i'm in That's when we see the progress
12:30
really unfold for it trust faith and patience
12:34
I've become a mantra that I use on a daily basis.
12:38
You know, we have to trust that the plan he has
12:41
for us is going to come to fruition at his time,
12:44
which requires patience and having faith in believing
12:48
something that you can't interact with per se
12:50
on a societal level, having faith that that outcome
12:54
is going to be part of his work. And it's going
12:57
to take some time and his timing is always perfect.
12:59
So it takes those three things to really leap
13:02
in here. And if you've never swam before to jump
13:05
in the deep end, you know, just do it, make that
13:09
leap and jump. And those things that were missing
13:12
in your life that you wondered if he could fill
13:13
them with worldly things will be filled by the
13:17
transformation of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
13:20
The rest of it comes if you have that trust,
13:23
faith and patience in him. It took me a better
13:26
part of half a century to get it. And, um, you
13:29
know, the last three years of my life have been
13:31
the best of my life. Because I gave in and I
13:35
said it's all up to you that I'm gonna give it
13:37
to you Mm -hmm. I bet it was like a noticeable
13:40
shift to when you that resistance crumbled and
13:43
you weren't walking into a windstorm anymore
13:46
But you actually you're walking with it against
13:48
your back Yeah, it was like I wasn't swimming
13:52
upstream anymore and struggling and not making
13:55
any progress said, you know Jesus said Turn over
13:58
on your back and flow with the current because
14:00
I'll take you where you need to go. Don't resist
14:02
it. And it didn't require any work. Well, that's
14:05
not true. I guess effort as far as that surrender
14:08
part, you know, January 13th of 2024 was a time
14:13
where, you know, Jesus came into my kitchen when
14:16
I was making coffee. And at a time after my second
14:20
divorce, where I should have been really chaotic.
14:24
I should have been uncomfortable. I should have
14:26
been. run around like a chicken with my head
14:28
cut off. But I was in a moment of peace. It was
14:31
almost like he was standing there sipping on
14:33
a cup of Joe with me going, you know, as I was
14:36
looking out the kitchen window, it says beautiful
14:38
view, huh? You know, be still now. So I'm 46,
14:42
Dan. Be still and know that I am the Lord your
14:43
God. I have you from here on out. Just trust
14:47
me. And that tangible feeling. Yeah. I mean,
14:51
I will remember that for the rest of my life
14:53
because that's when he became the friend. that
14:57
he talked about in the Bible. You know, you are
14:59
my friends. You know, you're not just a constituent.
15:02
I'm not measuring our friendship on the amount
15:05
of money you tithe or how clean you are. You
15:08
know, when he recruited the disciples, he didn't
15:11
recruit the eighteen. You know, the people that
15:13
had memorized the whole Old Testament of the
15:16
Bible, he recruited those people that he knew
15:18
when he impacted their lives, he was they were
15:22
going to be able to carry that message. Because
15:24
they became believers in who the Messiah was
15:27
and so I became that You know, I became a very
15:31
faithful individual not going around knocking
15:33
on doors or anything like that But it was a relationship
15:36
now that I could come to him whenever I needed
15:39
him and then wait I've made my you know, the
15:43
spiritual warfare that's going on outside of
15:45
ourselves. I Wait for the answered prayer and
15:48
it'll come it'll we come because I'm a faithful
15:51
faithful servant of him. So That's okay, and
15:55
that provides you a whole lot of peace I don't
15:56
ask him to perform and he doesn't ask me to perform
15:59
the only command was follow me Mm -hmm, and I
16:03
do it reminds me of I tell this story all the
16:06
time of a time when my son was going to bed Late
16:10
we let me know them stay up when he was really
16:12
little maybe two and a half three years old and
16:14
Has been paid a hard bedtime at like eight, but
16:16
I decided one night I was gonna let him stay
16:18
up and finish it moving here. We didn't get a
16:19
bed till after ten And I carried him upstairs
16:22
because he was asleep and I remember thinking
16:24
this was definitely impressed upon me This wasn't
16:26
my own thoughts But I remembered because why
16:29
would I think about it as I was carrying him
16:31
around the corner of the banister to get to the
16:33
stairs I kept thinking I don't remember if he
16:35
was a good kid today for he was naughty if he
16:37
would did something amazing if he did something
16:38
bad I don't remember any of that but it was my
16:41
sheer joy to carry him upstairs because of my
16:44
love for him and Then I occurred to me that that
16:47
is exactly how our father views us He's not measuring
16:51
us based off of what we've done. He's not measuring
16:53
based off of what we failed, but he comes to
16:56
us because he loves us. That's not a factor.
16:59
There are things where he looks at that, but
17:01
that's not how he looks at it when he looks at
17:03
us as a whole. He looks at us with love, nothing
17:05
but love. And as I got to the top of the stairs,
17:08
he had me flip that script and he wants us to
17:10
come to him. not because he answered our prayers,
17:13
not because he's always there to put out our
17:16
fires, not because he's someone I can depend
17:18
on, but because he is my father, to just love
17:20
him because of who he is solely, and everything
17:24
else falls in line. Yeah. Yeah, that's what happens
17:28
when you put him first. You know, he becomes
17:31
that father, that heavenly father that will comfort
17:35
you through everything, will not judge you. They
17:38
might roll their eyes and go, I told you not
17:40
to do that. But you know, let's, you know, now
17:43
let's do it the way that you should do. I mean,
17:45
we're always learning in one form or fashion
17:48
on how to strengthen this walk in this relationship.
17:51
It's not a one and done surrender. You know,
17:54
you have to do it every day. You're asked to
17:55
pick up your cross and carry it and sacrifice
17:59
yourself, crucify yourself, the old self to follow
18:02
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18:46
Now, back to more of God's goodness. I've heard
18:49
before, and I echo this, is that there's no such
18:51
thing as a perfect repentance. Yeah, there's
18:55
no such thing as like you said a one and done.
18:57
There's no well Lauren. Yeah, I've done messed
18:59
up I'm not doing that again, and then then you
19:01
don't Why would we need a savior if we could
19:06
stop it so quickly Well, you know how long have
19:10
you two been married? 16 years Okay, so when
19:13
you said I do at your wedding. Did you stop trying
19:17
to court her? Did you stop trying to have a stronger
19:20
relationship with her? No, I mean, that's a rhetorical
19:23
question. It's something that you build and you
19:26
work at and work through. And sometimes there's
19:28
difficulties. Sometimes there's, you know, fantastic
19:31
seasons of your life. But the worst day of your
19:35
life was controlled by God. And yet here you
19:39
are surviving. And so as you know, I think of
19:43
it, you know, I've been married twice. I married
19:45
my first girlfriend from 1986 here just this
19:48
last June, who came back into my life after I
19:50
built my foundation on God, because I made a
19:53
promise to God that I was not going to fall in
19:55
love with another person until I fell in love
19:57
with him. And a few months after that, she just,
20:02
there she was. And we were always friends on
20:04
social media, but we never really interacted.
20:08
And, um, we started communicating. She had just
20:11
gone through a a divorce of 30 years and I had
20:14
gone through one of 19 years and we just connected.
20:19
And it was the most divine gift, I think, aside
20:23
from my own relationship with Jesus that he provided
20:26
me because now you understand, now you can support
20:30
the one I've always had for you. And so I introduced
20:33
you to your wife when you were 13 and then you
20:35
guys went off and made a bunch of mistakes. Then
20:38
came back together when you were both ready to
20:41
support each other from a Christ centered relationship
20:45
standpoint and You know that would that's just
20:48
one of many gifts But it really sort of proves
20:51
that when you work on this relationship with
20:53
Jesus when you work on walking with him only
20:57
Intentionally on a daily basis and you put him
21:00
first things will happen in your life that cannot
21:02
be created by yourself I mean, I spent a long
21:06
time trying to create the identity that I wanted
21:08
and I was falling off my bike all the time. Like,
21:12
what's going on? Why is this not rolling straight?
21:15
And it was because the person who was creating
21:18
my identity was me and who lies to yourself more
21:21
than you do. And so I trusted the one that would
21:25
never lie to me, that would never abandon or
21:27
forsake me. And those things changed every aspect
21:32
of my life. Because of that constant love that
21:35
he has for me, even though I felt unworthy at
21:38
first. He didn't care. And it became how I approached
21:42
a lot of interactions with people that I knew
21:44
on a daily basis, you know, out of love and compassion.
21:48
And because I owe that I owe my life to God and
21:52
Jesus coming into my heart. I owe my life to
21:54
that. And that's how we become the salt of the
21:57
earth is, is we're not asked. If you do this,
22:00
you become the salt or the light. No, you already
22:03
are. Do you get it? Do you get it, guys? You
22:06
already are. So just go do it. Go share me with
22:11
people that you think you can help. And it makes
22:15
all the difference in the world to have that
22:17
relationship. What are some practical steps you
22:22
would suggest to quit listening to your own image,
22:25
your own words? about you, whether they're true
22:28
or false, whether you build yourself up in the
22:31
good seasons or tear yourself down, your identity,
22:34
what are some practical steps that you would
22:36
say is what benefited you to trusting what God
22:40
said about you and ignoring what you said to
22:42
basically let him take control? I think from
22:46
a practical sense, not theoretical, but lived
22:49
experience, the thing that I did was I got quiet.
22:55
I got still. so that I can hear what Jesus was
22:59
trying to do for me. Because the world is going
23:02
to come at you whether you're ready for it or
23:04
not. And, you know, who do you want to boat with
23:07
you during your tough seasons, your storms? And
23:11
I had spent a long time trying to paddle a boat.
23:15
I can't paddle a canoe very well. It's been years
23:17
since I've been in a canoe, but it's very shaky.
23:20
It's unsteady. I got T -Rex arms, so the oars
23:23
don't work for me. And so I just got to a point
23:27
where I wasn't in a desperate situation where
23:30
I think a lot of people will pray out loud, you
23:32
know, if you do this for me, I know I'll be a
23:35
better person. I wasn't in that position. I didn't
23:40
find God in a church. You know, he, he found
23:42
me in my kitchen. And so that in itself is, was
23:46
a shock to me that I didn't have to go to a brick
23:50
and mortar place to have this kind of relationship.
23:53
And the other thing I think from a practical
23:56
sense is do not be afraid. I think in King James
24:00
version of the Bible, there's over 365 times
24:04
where it says, do not be afraid, fear not. Different
24:08
variations of do not be afraid are in there.
24:11
So we're constantly promised that he's going
24:13
to take care of the fear, the anxiety, the doubt.
24:17
You know, if you begin to doubt your beliefs
24:19
and believe your doubts, you're going in the
24:21
wrong direction. You know, we want to doubt our
24:23
doubts and believe our beliefs and to stop and
24:27
pause and think I've tried everything else because
24:30
that's what I did. Therapy, self -help books,
24:34
counseling. I did all that stuff. I did all the
24:36
things that the world would tell me, well, you
24:38
should probably do this. You'll become whole
24:40
if you do. And I wasn't, I wasn't whole. These
24:43
are other people's opinions on how I should live
24:45
my life. And I took the one opportunity to trust
24:48
the thing I can't see and interact with. to actually
24:50
give me that identity that I was struggling with
24:53
to find. And so it was a simple, okay, I'm tired
24:57
of swimming upstream. I'm just plain tired. And
25:02
so let's do this together. And I didn't ask him,
25:06
if you're real, you're going to fix me because
25:09
it requires your interaction. It requires your
25:11
effort. It requires work to be done on your part.
25:14
But I was open and willing to do that. And so
25:17
that became the daily surrender part. Like, I
25:19
don't know what you're doing, God, but I trust
25:21
you. You know, every day, every day when I get
25:23
up before my feet hit the floor, I thank him
25:25
for the blessings that he's brought into my life
25:28
and the blessings that are going to come. And
25:31
what is your will for me today? And on the outset,
25:35
looking back, that was probably very strange
25:38
for me to say that as the person I was. But it
25:41
became something just like a daily practice,
25:44
like putting on your shoes, put your left one
25:46
on first, your right one on, you know, however
25:48
you do it. putting your pants on one leg at a
25:50
time, but you include God in five minutes of
25:53
your day because that's the one that's gave you
25:57
the gift of that day. You woke up from a coma
25:59
to do what his will is for you. And you don't
26:03
have to perform to do that. That was probably
26:06
the last thing is, is you will feel like you're
26:09
incredibly unworthy. You will feel like you are
26:11
not deserving of this grace that he's going to
26:13
shower upon you. But have that trust, faith,
26:16
and patience to take a step forward every day
26:19
towards him, but him first. That becomes, before
26:22
you pick up your phone and see what your social
26:24
medias are doing, pause for a second, be still,
26:27
and thank him for the fact that you're alive.
26:30
And then how are you going to use your life today
26:33
to impact another? Maybe it's holding open a
26:36
door. It doesn't mean you have to go up to a
26:37
stranger and say, can I pray for you? I think
26:40
interaction with people has become almost foreign.
26:43
to where people are frightened to talk to other
26:45
people. But acts of kindness, Jesus walking around
26:50
Capernaum, healing people for no reason. He healed
26:55
them on the Sabbath, which was against the law,
26:59
but he did it out of love. And he did it out
27:01
of, I wouldn't say duty, but he did it out of
27:03
love because he didn't want to see another one
27:05
of his children suffering. And so we are all
27:08
children of God. And if we allow our heavenly
27:10
father to heal us, the process begins to where
27:15
the daily practical steps I just talked about
27:18
are almost natural because you see what's happening
27:22
in your life. You see things improving. You see
27:25
less stress. You will have trials and tribulations,
27:28
but take heart. I've overcome the world. And
27:32
so you don't have to look back. You don't have
27:34
to look back at your past failures. We all fall
27:37
short of the glory of God. But how we take that
27:39
step forward in faith and intention is how we
27:42
make progress in our life. And we get behind
27:45
the things we put behind us, what no longer is
27:48
for us. And we move towards the light, towards
27:51
him. And it becomes a very, very easy daily walk
27:55
because you're putting in first every morning.
27:59
Yeah. Thank you. I think it's something all of
28:04
us can use. You know, my wife and I have gone
28:06
through seasons. Had unemployment for a little
28:09
over two years where I worked in oil and gas
28:11
and we had some money saved up so it wasn't like
28:13
a big panic mode and I just couldn't find work
28:16
back into it and Man, I could tell you that we
28:20
felt like there was fear completely surrounding
28:22
us But we refused to listen to it because we
28:25
felt safe. It was like we were immersed in fear,
28:27
but they couldn't touch us It was yeah, it was
28:30
an incredible feeling and it's because of our
28:32
relationship with God not because our relationship
28:34
with church Not because of a relationship with
28:36
our friends who were telling us one thing and
28:38
God was telling us another. We chose to listen
28:40
to God and we made it through. Man, so many blessings.
28:44
There are too many to go through on your podcast.
28:46
I know exactly what you're talking about though.
28:49
I was unemployed for, it wasn't two years, but
28:51
for about 90 days and I had some money saved
28:54
up and I prayed about where am I supposed to
28:58
go? Because when one door closes, another one
29:00
opens and it's better. You're being steered down
29:03
a better path. And so I applied for one job and
29:07
it was a job that, you know, I wanted for years.
29:12
What was never able to get. And it opened up.
29:15
So I applied for it and my brother, God bless
29:18
him. He says, well, what's your plan B? You know,
29:20
he kept sending me these job applications and
29:22
I never applied for him because this is, I felt
29:26
like God wanted me to be in this position. And,
29:29
you know, that was in February and then late
29:32
April, I had an interview that I guess went okay.
29:37
I got word that I was too transparent, which
29:39
was interesting. But then, you know, about a
29:43
week after the interview, I get a phone call
29:44
from the recruiter saying, you know, we're going
29:46
to hire you. Here's an offer. And I had to kind
29:49
of put the phone away from my mouth because I
29:52
looked up to heaven and I said, thank you. And
29:55
I got a little bit weepy because I put all the
29:59
faith and trust that this was his plan for me.
30:02
And if it wasn't, that was okay. If they would
30:04
have called and said, we're moving on different
30:06
direction, that's fine. That means there's something
30:08
else out there for me and it's better, but he
30:10
didn't. And it provided, Oh, it provided many
30:16
things. You know, one thing is, is my wife had
30:19
an option to work or not work if she didn't want
30:22
to work. And you know, she's got grandkids that
30:25
she'd love to spend some time with here locally.
30:27
So it just provided things that I couldn't provide
30:31
on my own. So those blessings that you talk about
30:34
that you go through these seasons of the Valley,
30:38
I guess. And you think it can't get any worse.
30:42
Oh, well, sure it can. You know, but if you wait
30:45
in that Valley, you know, I picture all the Israelites
30:48
on the other side of the Red Sea, poking at the
30:50
dirt going where, where, when did we go into
30:53
the promised land? And Moses happened to tell
30:55
him, just be patient. You know, I have some manna
30:57
and some quail and things will be fine. And if
31:01
we wait in that season, there's a purpose in
31:02
that waiting. There's a purpose in that waiting.
31:05
And it's a very difficult time to wait in God's
31:07
waiting room. But, you know, if we could all
31:09
throw 50 cents in a vending machine and pull
31:11
the handle and get our prayers answered right
31:13
away, we'd be God. That's not how it's built.
31:16
It requires faith in Him for those things to
31:19
happen. And it's easy for us to focus on us rather
31:23
than the way God has to tie us all together.
31:26
It'd be easy for us to all grant our wishes immediately
31:30
But what does that look like in the grand scheme
31:32
for everybody else? For instance, I love rain.
31:35
My wife does not so she'll pray for sunny days
31:38
and I will not pray for sunny days And so he
31:42
gives me rainy days not every day and he gives
31:44
her sunny days But not every day, right? So if
31:47
he focused solely on my prayers and gave me cloudy
31:50
days every single day, nothing would grow There
31:53
you go. And so he can't just cave in to each
31:56
and every one of our own personal selfish desires
31:59
Not that he won't give us things that we want
32:01
But he will always give us what we need And it
32:05
may not look like what we want it to look like
32:07
on this side of heaven Right because we have
32:09
this idea that we know what's best without actually
32:12
knowing anything People think faith is believing
32:15
in something unbelievable and I like to find
32:18
it is is having trust in something You don't
32:19
fully understand Yeah That's a good way to put
32:23
it. Yeah. Thank you God is so far Beyond our
32:27
understanding and then we keep trying to bottle
32:29
him in to a human perspective and wonder why
32:31
we're wrong And very very true and I know that
32:38
I've laughed at it I know that he's not upset
32:39
with us because we struggle with our understanding
32:42
I know that he doesn't look at you and me and
32:45
my wife and everybody else and think man When
32:47
you were for you did this I'm gonna blame you
32:49
for the rest of your life He is not looking at
32:51
us to say oh you have OCD Therefore I'm gonna
32:54
punish you worse than someone else who doesn't
32:56
have it because you're failing because you can't
32:58
help yourself Right. He's not looking at us with
33:02
a gavel in his hand waiting to see a slip up
33:04
and I think a lot of us look at him that way
33:06
as a God who's waiting for us to mess up a God
33:09
who's waiting for us to slip up and he's really
33:11
just a God who's waiting for us to love him back
33:14
That is literally all it is Everything else is
33:17
so far from the truth. It doesn't matter to him,
33:21
right? When we accept Jesus we have been judged
33:24
correctly. We're judged already We're not going
33:27
through this second judgment of punishment Yeah,
33:29
there is gonna be another another sort of judgment
33:32
where he kind of dishes out based off of merit
33:34
But that has nothing to do with us being with
33:36
him in the kingdom of heaven Nothing at all.
33:39
You could be the worst Christian on earth, but
33:41
love Jesus and you were going to heaven i'm not
33:44
encouraging listeners to just give up right if
33:47
you love jesus there should be self -development
33:50
and his development within you but don't look
33:53
at some don't compare yourself to somebody else
33:55
don't compare yourself to a pastor that has 800
33:57
people that love him and he's led thousands of
34:00
people to jesus and you've led one person because
34:02
i promise you that one person means more to god
34:04
than anything else You just have to be you the
34:08
way that God created you there is no special
34:10
assignment for you except for what God has for
34:13
you And I can't answer what that is For each
34:16
one different for everyone's correct. I'm not
34:20
evangelical my wife, you know, she has this podcast
34:23
I'm with her on it and God told her to do it.
34:25
We're one flesh. So I do it with her It's not
34:28
my calling to reach the nations. It's not my
34:30
calling to reach the whole planet I'm doing it
34:32
whether because we're one flesh. We're one person
34:34
now because we got married I'm more of a one
34:37
-at -a -time person. I love having just to talk
34:40
about Jesus with just one person. I do it with
34:42
my co -workers all the time, you know, late at
34:44
night. I work EMS, and it'll be a totally morning,
34:47
and I'll just start a conversation about Jesus,
34:49
you know, or we'll have a really bad call and
34:51
say, hey, guess what? And then I'll just throw
34:53
Jesus in a conversation. And they've come to
34:56
the point where they don't even groan anymore.
34:57
They just start having a conversation back. They're
35:03
stopping the resistance. Well, it's because they
35:06
know I'm not gonna stop and they know that I
35:07
don't use Jesus as a kujo I don't ever condemn
35:10
them. I don't ever attack them. I don't ever
35:12
use Christianity as a means to make them feel
35:15
bad about themselves. I don't do any of that
35:17
I work with people with different sexual orientations
35:21
and They're actually closer to me than the ones
35:23
that aren't and they'll listen to me about Jesus
35:25
more than the others It's because I never attack
35:27
them. There's never a thing where I try to use
35:29
the love of Jesus against them That's because
35:31
I want them to understand who he is and who he
35:34
is. It's not human ideology Mm -hmm. And so or
35:38
I'll meet somebody in a gas station that'll just
35:40
come up to me and start talking to me I'm introverted
35:43
and so I want to run away and after maybe he's
35:45
like seven minutes now all of a sudden I see
35:46
an opportunity so I start encouraging this person
35:49
and then I start talking this person and then
35:51
I'm like man My conversations now been 23 minutes
35:54
and I got to get back to my truck and go That's
35:56
how God does it to me knows that I'm not going
35:58
to look for them He said, he brings them to me.
36:01
Right. And I understand this and I'm okay with
36:04
this and he's okay with it. Otherwise he would
36:06
change it because he can do whatever he wants.
36:09
And I would come down to whatever he wants. That's
36:12
the trust part. I mean, that's sort of really
36:14
the trust party state. There are no unused goods
36:17
in God's world. And so he took your introverted
36:21
self and put you in a position where you maybe
36:24
needed to be uncomfortable, but that person might've
36:26
needed you. And so who do you use? Who will you
36:31
send? Send me. You're saying Mike, it's always.
36:35
There's no might about it. This is what he does.
36:39
He does it all the time. It's amazing the things
36:42
that get put in front of you when you follow.
36:46
Words that come out of your mouth that aren't
36:49
your words. There's a lot of times where my wife
36:51
will say, well, what kind of questions did these
36:53
people ask you? I said, I don't really recall.
36:56
you know, because the answers are always coming
36:59
from a place with Jesus in mind. And to me, he's
37:02
put these words on my heart to share and not
37:05
necessarily recall. There's a line in Finding
37:08
God at 50, my first book that says, I grew up
37:12
thinking that God was a divine hall monitor.
37:15
And I wanted to bring that up when you were talking
37:18
about that, because it's very easy to see God
37:20
as somebody that has a gavel. that isn't looking
37:23
for a reason to write you up and send you to
37:25
the principal's office. And it is the exact opposite
37:28
of that fact. But I grew up in the sense that
37:30
I don't belong here. I'm too dirty. You know,
37:33
I've done things. And you know, the relationship
37:37
aspect of it is, I don't care. You know, come
37:41
on, come to me. All who are weary and heavy ladens,
37:45
you know, and, and that was my life. And so,
37:48
yeah, I grew up thinking he was a hall monitor
37:51
that there was no way I was ever going to get
37:53
to this point in my life. And he used me in the
37:56
midlife as a vessel. That's to me is sort of
38:01
was my calling to spread the message of hope
38:03
and my testimony in a very down to earth non
38:06
preachy sort of way, because I think a lot of
38:09
people fear that. I think I fear. the religious
38:12
backlash of their own worthiness. And I was that
38:17
way. You know, I was that way. And telling the
38:19
story is really, I think, open people's eyes
38:21
to the possibility that, well, I can do that
38:23
too. You know, I didn't go to school for it.
38:26
I don't have any esoteric ability that is beyond
38:29
somebody else's understanding. You know, so my
38:32
encouraging word to anybody listening is just
38:35
to try it. You know, stop worrying about yourself
38:38
too much and think about the father that loves
38:41
you greater than anything in the world. And what
38:44
does he want for you? He's not here to bruise
38:47
you and beat you up and shame you. He's here
38:51
to take all of that away so that you can be the
38:55
start, the process of restoring yourself into
38:58
this thing that you will find in the end, a beautiful
39:01
thing that God has created in his image. There's
39:05
a song lyric and I forget the name of the song,
39:07
but it's I've done nothing to lift and I'm paraphrasing.
39:10
I've done nothing to lift him up. So there's
39:13
nothing I can do to let him down. Great. I think
39:17
a lot of us like to think that we have to get
39:21
ourselves right with him before he'll listen
39:24
to us, which defeats the whole purpose of needing
39:27
a savior. which defeats the whole purpose of
39:30
Romans saying, while we were still sinners, he
39:32
sent his son for us, right? It defeats the whole
39:35
purpose of all of that, he comes to us. An old
39:37
pastor of mine, Pastor John Kent, he would make
39:40
this example and he'd say, it's like you're standing
39:42
in a room, this nice big round room, and in the
39:45
middle of this room is this big huge pile of
39:46
garbage, and God is on the other side, and we're
39:49
like, man, I gotta get to God, so I gotta start
39:50
cleaning this junk up. And we start cleaning
39:52
this up and it's never going away because it
39:54
just keeps adding to it with every bad mistake
39:56
We make and he's just over there patiently waiting
39:59
for us to call out to him And when we said lord,
40:01
I can't do this. He walks around this pile of
40:03
garbage Stands beside us puts his arm around
40:06
us. This is man. That's quite the mess you ready
40:08
to get started No judgment no nothing. No. Wow.
40:12
I can't believe you made it so filthy I can't
40:14
believe you couldn't do it yourself. I can't
40:16
believe you didn't come to me. I can't believe
40:17
none of that none of that He comes to us, he
40:20
partners with us, and he puts his arm around
40:21
us and says, man, that's quite the mess. Let's
40:24
get started. Yeah, let's do it together. Yeah,
40:28
he'll never get through this without my help.
40:29
And at the end of your life, that garbage will
40:31
still be there, and then he'll say, hey, I got
40:34
something else for you. And then he'll just dump
40:35
it all. He's a good try. Thanks for working with
40:38
me. I appreciate working with you. I liked working
40:40
with you. I'd liked talking to you I liked having
40:43
you be in my space with me as we were working
40:46
on this and that is the essence of that intimacy
40:48
that he wants with us Amen Very well put I like
40:54
that. I'm gonna steal it. Oh, yeah. I got credit
40:57
to John. So you don't want I don't think it's
41:00
in a book. So we go ahead. No I mean, it's just
41:04
a good visual that he's standing there. You see
41:07
him. And the only thing between you and him is
41:10
this proverbial pile of garbage that you don't
41:12
have to clean up first. Not by yourself. You
41:15
just have to acknowledge the fact I need help.
41:17
Oh, okay. You have to invite him in to your life.
41:22
And not just leave him in the clean room with
41:24
the plastic on the furniture. It's like every
41:26
room. Not just the one you have for his company
41:28
where you have little entomans on your counter
41:30
And and you've got your furniture looking like
41:32
grandma's house all of it the hoarder house the
41:35
whole house He wants to see the whole thing.
41:37
He wants access to it So when you let him in
41:39
your heart, you can't just let him in the clean
41:40
room You ever let him in everything. He already
41:43
knows he can see through your windows. He's not
41:45
an idiot He already knows your size is a mess
41:48
Yeah, or else he wouldn't be standing there.
41:51
Correct, you know and to that point I think of
41:56
homecoming You know, you got to get a tux and
41:58
you got to look great for that one of, you know,
42:00
and a lot of people need to get their tux, but
42:02
they got to lose weight first because they don't
42:05
want to look bad in a tux because Jesus is coming.
42:08
So not only do they have to clean up their house,
42:10
they have to clean up their health and they have
42:12
to, you know, do all these, all of these things,
42:15
name the thing. It can be anything, but start
42:19
with him first and he'll help you do the things
42:22
that you're looking for. that you think you need
42:24
to fix. You'll have a partner in your life that
42:28
is the best and most helpful and loving partner
42:30
that you could ever have. Because there's no
42:32
judgment, no shame. He's there for the benefit
42:36
of his child. 100%. Last spring, I came across
42:44
something I honestly didn't expect to pay this
42:46
much attention to. At first, I was just interested
42:49
in the idea of saving money on everyday wellness
42:51
products I was already buying anyway. But then
42:54
I started noticing people I personally know getting
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paid weekly from a membership they were simply
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sharing with others. That's what made me really
43:02
pay attention. Because it's not about stocking
43:04
inventory, pressuring friends, or chasing customers
43:07
around. It's a membership that gives people access
43:10
to high quality products at lower prices. And
43:13
if you decide to share it, there's a compensation
43:15
side attached to it too. After seeing real people
43:18
get results from it consistently, I realized
43:21
this could genuinely become a long -term income
43:23
vehicle for the right person. If you've been
43:25
looking for something simple that actually makes
43:27
sense in today's economy, you should at least
43:30
take a look at why so many people are paying
43:31
attention to this right now. The info's in our
43:34
about section. When we were going through that
43:37
hard season of 27 months of no discernible income,
43:41
my main Bible verse that I clung to was... The
43:44
Psalm 46 10 be still and know and so got the
43:48
shirt and all the things to remind me Just it's
43:52
all good. It'll be fine Just yeah stay close.
43:57
Mm -hmm. Yep be faithful be obedient and Those
44:02
things take care of themselves because he will
44:05
never abandon nor forsake you And he did not
44:08
there were so many ways that things just circumstances
44:12
wove together that wanted to record them in like
44:16
a journal, but to explain them, one thing would
44:19
have led down one rabbit hole and then another
44:21
and then another. And then it's like, how do
44:22
I even explain this? It's crazy. It's a hard
44:26
thing to explain. And it's even harder for people
44:29
to understand. Oh, yeah. We'd have mailbox money.
44:34
Oh, yeah. Settlement for a job I worked for a
44:37
week and a half. I was like, I don't like your
44:39
place. And then four years later, I'm getting
44:41
a settlement for it. I'm like, what? There was
44:45
a class right some months ago I didn't even know
44:47
about. And they found me like four addresses
44:48
later. Yeah. Wow. So you were meant to get that.
44:51
He probably need more for the settlement than
44:53
the working at Walmart. You have no idea. My
44:56
father had a vasectomy after my older sister
44:57
was born. And it healed, which is a very rare
45:00
thing to do. So here I am. My mom was an alcoholic
45:05
and she did a lot of drugs while she was pregnant
45:06
me as born addicted to nothing Like I I know
45:09
I know that I know that I am meant to be here
45:12
Yeah, I think a lot of people say that they know
45:15
that they know the rest of my life I don't know
45:17
what's going on But I trust God because of the
45:21
fact that I know that I know that I'm supposed
45:22
to be here He reaches us all in a way that we
45:25
best understand. And that's the one way I best
45:27
understand that even when I'm in my hopelessness,
45:29
even when I'm in points where I think that failing
45:32
him so miserably, no matter what, even when I
45:34
think that he'll turn his back on me on my darkest
45:37
days, I keep saying, I will never ever, ever
45:39
forsake you. I will always tell people about
45:41
you, even if I can't get it right. And I know
45:44
that that warms his heart. I know that he said
45:45
he, cause he knows I'm a knucklehead. And so
45:47
I know he's not, I know he's not judging me in
45:49
those moments, but he loves my heart to keep
45:51
telling other people about him. You say you have
45:53
a 15 year old son? Yeah. Okay. So did he play
45:57
tee ball growing up? No, he doesn't do any sports.
46:01
He's very inclined to not do sports or understand
46:06
them. That's okay. I sit here. So my 21 year
46:10
old son played baseball and he started in the
46:13
tee ball. And, you know, he would be in all that
46:17
age group. They're always out on the field and
46:19
they're chasing butterflies and scooping up dirt
46:22
with the bills of their cap. And they're not
46:23
really focused on what's going on in the game.
46:25
But as parents, you know, in the stands going,
46:28
that's my boy. Right. That's my boy. Oh, my gosh.
46:31
He's doing such amazing things. And as a father
46:34
would to their kids like, oh, my gosh, they may
46:37
not be very good at what they're doing. They're
46:40
mine, you know, so God looks down at all of us.
46:42
And even though we make some of these goofy mistakes,
46:44
he looks down, he's incredibly proud of what
46:47
he's made. When we have accepted him, we get
46:51
adopted into his family and we become that child
46:54
of God that we were always meant to be. He looks
46:56
down on us and is insanely proud of us. Thinking
47:00
the most proud that you were of your own children
47:02
and then multiply that times infinity. And that
47:05
is the proud feeling that God has for all of
47:08
his kids on earth. You know, that have accepted
47:10
him and have walked with him and have that relationship,
47:13
that intimacy that you talked about with him.
47:16
He looks down on us going, no matter what our
47:18
mistakes are, you silly boy. Let me get you up,
47:21
lift you up, you know, dust you off and patch
47:24
you to go on forward. We can't fail him. We can't.
47:28
And to have that feeling of knowing that there's
47:31
nothing I can do that will outweigh the grace
47:35
of Jesus Christ in my life. That's incredibly
47:38
comforting. You know, you make a mistake, you
47:40
stumble, a righteous man falls seven times. And
47:43
a righteous man is always walking forward. They're
47:46
going somewhere. You know, don't confuse movement
47:49
with progress, mind you, but they're always progressing
47:51
towards that sanctification that we're looking
47:54
for. And we'll fall. And if you're not righteous,
47:56
you're going to stay down on the ground because
47:58
you can't go anywhere laying down. But when we
48:01
get up and we dust ourselves off and we move
48:04
forward and we're taking those steps forward.
48:06
We may fall seven times. We're going to get up
48:09
eight, you know, because we're always going forward.
48:11
We're progressing in that relationship. Do you
48:14
have a specific scripture that you held onto?
48:17
I have a couple. I'll go back to TikTok. My TikTok
48:22
feed was always full of funny stuff, lighthearted
48:24
things. And I was at a, you know, when my ex
48:26
-wife had moved out, I spent a few hours cleaning
48:29
the house and I was tired and I opened up TikTok.
48:32
And the first thing they came across, my TikTok
48:34
page. was Psalm 46 10. And, whoa, I'd never seen
48:41
scripture on my TikTok before. And I thought
48:43
that's very strange. This is before the moment
48:45
in my kitchen, the night before the moment in
48:47
my kitchen. And so I liked the video. And the
48:49
very next video that came over was Exodus 14
48:51
14, which is roughly the same, you know, be still
48:54
and know that I the Lord your God will fight
48:57
your battles for you. So I was being prepped
48:59
for this transition, this transformation in my
49:02
life. with those two scriptures. And I lean on
49:05
the Psalm 46, 10 quite a bit because the world
49:07
is going to push me like you're walking in a
49:10
crowd. You can't go at your own pace. You have
49:12
to go with the crowd space or else you're going
49:14
to get trampled. And so I'm always remembering
49:17
step out of the rest of the world and be still.
49:20
I had that from a little click bracelet. I think
49:22
I got on a TikTok shop. I had that verse on it.
49:25
So it was always on my wrist. And I recently
49:27
gave it to my wife's ex -husband who's on his
49:30
own walk. And I said, this has served me well,
49:34
you know, use it as a reminder that the transition
49:36
that you're going through this transformation
49:38
is going to be very difficult. And when you feel
49:41
those difficulties coming, lean on this first,
49:44
because it is a promise to you that if you are
49:47
still, he's going to fight your battles and know
49:50
that he is the Lord, your God is your savior.
49:53
So don't worry about what the world's going to
49:55
tell you. you know, don't transform or conform
49:58
to the things of this world, but be transformed
50:00
in Him. And so that is probably one of my favorite
50:04
verses because it was the beginning of this journey,
50:07
this cleansing process that I went through. And
50:11
I got through the bottleneck relying on that
50:13
verse to where now the world is, I see it through
50:17
the eyes of the identity of the person that God
50:20
always wanted me to be. So that's probably one
50:22
of my favorite verses is Psalm 46 10. I love
50:26
it. I could appreciate that very much though.
50:30
Yeah, yeah. Now you mentioned a first book. So
50:33
I looked that up and the reviews were phenomenal.
50:36
So tell everybody about the resources you have
50:38
because it's not just a book. Well, no, it's
50:43
not. EliBrackenberry .com will talk about the
50:46
books there. There's a contact. me link there
50:50
where I do talk to a lot of people that have
50:52
reached out out for some of these podcasts in
50:54
a myriad of different attitudes. I think what
50:58
you are doing is a bull crap because I did all
51:01
the things and my wife still got cancer. And
51:07
when you say you did all the things, you know,
51:10
the discussion was more about, you know, but
51:12
what's your relationship like? What are you talking
51:14
about? I went to church every Sunday. And then
51:17
that opened up a different conversation. So,
51:20
you know, this website, I struggle sometimes
51:22
on the daily, I go through some seasons of difficulty
51:25
and I blog about them. I blog about how I got
51:28
through those things. You know, I care more about
51:31
the message than the marketplace. There's three
51:33
different books that are for sale, working on
51:36
publishing a fourth one called The Restoration
51:38
of Man. Because I think a lot of times men in
51:41
this society are asked to be the leaders, not
51:43
just in financial leaders or moral leaders or
51:47
ethical leaders, but they're asked to be spiritual
51:49
leaders. And if they haven't healed completely
51:52
through that relationship aspect that Jesus wants
51:55
with all of us, they can't become the leader
51:57
of their community, their family, their church
52:00
groups or anything like that. It starts there.
52:03
Those are descriptions and everything around
52:05
the website as well. But it's a one -stop shop
52:09
to where you can read about and you don't have
52:12
to purchase a thing. I'm not looking for that.
52:16
The marketplace is fantastic, but that's not
52:18
why I did it. You know, my purpose of calling
52:20
once my identity was formed through him was to
52:23
share the message with people in different aspects
52:26
of life. You know, the midlife, even the Gen
52:29
Zers, there's a book for Gen Zers about that.
52:31
how they're kind of struggling to find purpose
52:36
in life. You know, they're comparing themselves
52:38
to all their friends on social media that are
52:40
getting married or have the perfect job. And
52:42
so they think they're failing. And I think a
52:45
lot of Gen Zers have that problem, you know,
52:48
becoming equally out. Once I married my wife
52:50
now, I now realize it with Christ at the center
52:53
of our relationship, the third twine of our rope,
52:57
we're always running towards him, whether we're
53:00
in the middle of something or not, you know,
53:02
for arguing, fighting, we woke up on the wrong
53:05
side of the bed, whatever. We're always both
53:07
going towards God as individuals. And so that
53:10
means we're always going towards each other and
53:13
it opens up different ways to communicate honesty,
53:16
transparency, love the way that, that Jesus loved
53:19
the church. So, you know, there's all those different
53:22
resources there. These, I put links to podcasts
53:26
that I've been on because I think people want
53:29
to know. That there is your, you know, they might
53:32
have a lasting question of, is there more in
53:34
my life? And I had the same question. What can
53:37
I possibly do at 50 to make an impact and a legacy
53:41
for myself? And what I found is that it wasn't
53:44
for myself. The legacy that I was giving to my
53:48
kids and writing these books was it's never too
53:52
late for you to make a decision to follow him.
53:55
It's never too late. It's not easy. But it is
53:58
the best decision you'll ever make if you can
54:00
get out of your own way. And so that's where
54:02
those, that's where people can, can go. I mean,
54:05
clearly the thief on the cross is probably the
54:07
best indicator that it's never too late. That's
54:10
right. He was literally in death's door and he
54:13
knocked and the door was open to him. Yep. You
54:16
know, and I've heard in sermons in the past,
54:19
you know, when you face your judgment, what are
54:22
you going to say? Well, the guy in the middle
54:24
cross said I could come. You know, it's as simple
54:28
and as difficult as that. Yeah, not because of
54:31
anything I did, but because of everything that
54:33
he did. That's correct. Amen. Well, I want to
54:40
thank you so much for coming on our show. I want
54:42
to thank you so much for being open and vulnerable.
54:44
It's not always easy to talk about past marriages.
54:47
It's not always easy to talk about struggling
54:49
with God when we're on a podcast about God. I
54:52
just wanted to just appreciate that you are open
54:54
and vulnerable with us and we appreciate your
54:56
story. I love a lot of the similarities that
54:59
we have you and me personally and how we come
55:02
to Jesus and the things that he has talked to
55:03
us about including in the kitchen is where he
55:05
always gets me. I just really appreciate that
55:08
and I want to thank you so much for being on
55:10
our show. I want to thank you for having me.
55:12
It was a wonderful time, great conversation.
55:15
And I think there's going to be some listeners
55:17
out there that, you know, between the three of
55:19
us might answer some questions and give them
55:22
some courage enough to make the same walk that
55:24
we did and make the decision to say, I'm ready.
55:28
Well, I hope this has been a blessing to all
55:31
the listeners and you know, if you wanted to
55:33
partner with us, we have linked to our links
55:35
in the about section that has different options
55:38
and that will help us get the message out to
55:40
more people and just build the kingdom for God.
55:43
And so with that, we will talk to you next week.
55:48
Before you go, if this episode encouraged you
55:51
or made you think of someone in your life, share
55:53
it with them. You never know how God might use
55:55
one story at the right moment. Thanks for spending
55:58
this time with us today. And don't forget, God
56:01
is always working, miracles still happen, and
56:04
your story matters too. We'll talk to you next
56:06
week.