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Leading the Next Generation to Follow Jesus: Why Your Example Matters - Ep.4 · Hunger & Thirst

• H&T: Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Hunger and Thirst Podcast. I am your host, Joshua. And joining me today for the first time is one of our teaching pastors, Mr. Sam Pharris Sam, welcome. Hey, thanks for having me. Glad to have you. And been a long time coming, getting you here in this seat. So it's been an absolute pleasure. Excited about it. Excellent, man. so just to kind of get everybody caught up a little bit, I I've known you since I was actually in middle school. You were one of the youth pastors here. So it's full circle moment that I get to see coming back into the faith and into it's a grace rather. actually getting to see you on stage in the pulpit preaching now. So, why don't you tell everyone a little bit about you, kind of how you got started in ministry? All right. Yeah, it's just reminds me of when you were in the youth, my beard was the same color as your beard. Now it's little bit more gray. But no, I got started in ministry, you know, at a early at a really early age. But coming into the faith, I started really young. My great grandfather, he they my great grandparents raised me before I started going to school and and you know, they they really say it takes a village to raise a child. I was raised by village. That's all. And the just the the spiritual aspects of his life, the way he the way he lived and the way he spoke to me and and taught me things. That really kind of put a good foundation in for the for the faith. And then my mom and stepdad finally started going to church when I was a teenager. And so it is with a small church. About twelve, thirteen, I gave my life to Christ in a small little Free Will Baptist church. And you know, just it was God ordained. My my mother was on her knees beside me as I gave my life to Christ. at that small church and and so I just got started really young. it was then Sarah and I we started started dating and and started going to church with her. Yeah. Y'all we're high school sweethearts. High school sweetheart. That's adorable. Started started liking each other about seventh grade actually. So No way. It's a middle school sweethearts. Absolutely middle school sweethearts. But so I just like love at first sight for sure. You know with that one. But no, it she started helping in children's church at at her church when she was just a teenager. So I just started helping there. And then we had a one of our youth pastors, they they just up and left. So but in the transition of finding a new youth youth pastor, we were actually volunteering in the youth as we were in youth. So it was a it was a strange thing, but it just it really ignited my love for Just spreading the sp gospels, spreading just planting those seeds in the young person's mind by getting them in the their walk with Christ and And what church actually means and what being a follower of Christ means. Yeah. And so it just started a at a pretty early age and that's basically all I've ever known is some kind of student ministry, which is a a huge blessing. Yeah. And it kind of goes hand in hand with everything that I've personally witnessed of just your involvement with the church. Like you just always have had this youthful energy about you. Like, even now, like I'm only thirty four and you could outrun me. Like you can outpace me with energy man. But it does. It Yeah, that's the thing. I love it. It does keep me young. I can tell. You know, I I'm kinda got it like a Peter Pan syndrome. And I think growing up's overrated in in in a way. So I gotta see you wear that costume for Hollywood. I don't know about that, but I think I actually but I wouldn't be surprised. But it does. It does keep me young and and it does keep me energetic and 'cause it makes me work now, especially with the youth and the teenagers. I have to okay, get out of, you know, dad mode, you know, get out of teacher mode and and to get on their level and to see what they're going you know, what they're going through and yeah. And so it it takes me a a little bit more work for me now because there's, you know, other people that are younger than I am. True. That that are serving and it's easier for them. So with me it takes a little bit more work to to stay current in what they're dealing with. But being a teacher, seeing them in the classroom kinda helps that as well. So Yeah, I was gonna say, like your your profession is being an art teacher, correct? Yes. At one of our local elementary, middle schools. so you just have this gift for working with youth. And I think that's absolutely shown through my personal experience, having you as a youth pastor, like it is so fascinating to see how easily it comes to you because for me, I've just I have no idea how to relate to kids like my own nieces and nephew. Like I I try and I'm just like I can't I can remember what I was going through at your age, but like times are so different now. Did you feel like it was easier to relate kind of backing up to your original you know introduction into you were in the youth and part of leading the youth? Was it easier to relate to kids when you were also kind of a a kid yourself, like a teenager? Or is it easier now that you've kind of you've you're a father or you've been a teacher for so long? Like how did you kind of shape that? I think that and honestly, I think now I'm a better youth leader because I I have seen I have seen more. But I think it just come easier when I was younger. Yeah. But but sometimes you got y you know, you act too much like a kid, you know. Yeah. So you've got to blind leading the blind. It's kinda it's kinda difficult when you're you know, just a little bit older than your youth, you know. 'Cause you gotta you know, they gotta respect you true at the same time as you're guiding them and teaching them. So I think I think now I've got a better balance with that. But yeah. I could see how that'd be a little a little funny when you're like finishing giving a a sermon and you're like, Tommy, can your mom give us a ride to to Chili's later? I mean, I funny stories, you know, when we first started coming to Grace, you know, we were, you know, rolling people's yards, you know, and you're just having fun, you know. And I'm in the middle of all this. Yeah. So allegedly. Yeah. Allegedly. Never got caught, but yeah. Things like that. But yes, I mean it's I have learnt more and but it There's some challenges and in some ways it's easier. Yep. I remember one of the just fun anecdotal stories that I have, speaking of challenges that, you know, you might get thrown into situations you're not used to. Pick up where I'm leaving off here if you remember about that one ski invasion where Teresa and Roger weren't able to Teresa being our our lead youth pastor at the time, wasn't able to go on ski invasion. So it fell on you and Sarah and we get to the checkout counter to start the weekend or check-in counter at the hotel and like none of the reservations are d I was a kid, so I was y goofing off in the background, not understanding the the sheer panic that was probably going on. Like, tell me about those kind of moments of You can finish that story but just overall moments of yeah, it you have all these children that you're responsible for and it just goes off the rails immediately. Yeah, it's in that particular time, you know, it's you know, Teresa trained us pretty well. Yeah, you know. So it was it we knew what to do, but like you said, it kinda fell on us and me being me, I kinda just like I I watch everyone and Sarah, you take care of this. And and she pretty much did 'cause she's you know logistical, you know, she's on top of that kind of stuff. So I let her take lead in there and she got it all taken care of. But that was one of the most powerful and spiritual winter conferences for myself because, you know, we you all you guys gathered around us and and prayed with us and for Teresa and for Roger. And it was just a really powerful experience that You know, that we were kind of, you know, nervous about about leading that, but we had been prepared for that. Teresa done an excellent job preparing us for that situation. Yeah. As nervous as it made us. Yeah. But but, you know, we just kinda went along and it helps having a a good youth group. It helps having, you know, when it's time to play, it's time to play. When it's time to stop and listen, it's time to stop and listen and and And we had that. Yeah. None of us were jumping off the roof at that point. So I think that helped out. You're welcome. no, we weren't the shining examples of, you know, stand up citizens, but we also weren't the worst. So that's the kids being kids. That's the cool thing about youth ministry is that you you're y you can be a kid. Yeah. It's okay. And there's cer there's things you expect. Yeah. And but there's also the things that you don't expect that come up. But more times than not it's it's all good. Yeah. I it it's so funny to hear an adult perspective, like you know the impact that a youth retreat or a winter conference can have on not only the kids, because I remember kind of just the The revel like the the feelings that I had and like the emotion and just the the interaction with the Holy Spirit, like throughout that, just the learning and the teaching, it was just incredible, incredible experience. and as a kid, like we're all excited, like that's our biggest trip of the year. And so obviously we're gonna be excited, but even as adults, like I know y'all got stuff out of it because they had, you know, workshops for, you know, the the youth leaders and the pastors there. So I never got to see kind of that behind the scenes Can you walk me through that as far as like some that stood out to you? absolutely carried on with it. I have I still, you know, when we first started going to winter conference, I have I have notepad after notepad after notepad that I've gotten notes to this day. That I still use. That's awesome. Like I'll go and if if I'm preaching on this, I'll go and Brian Burgess, he he preached on that. I remember that. Mm. You know, I remember that scripture that he that he read, so I'll go back and look at his notes. So winter conference and and any kind of conference we go to feeds me just as much, if not more, than the youth because, you know, it makes me be a better teacher. It makes me prepare more, you know. And it just gets me closer to God as well. So it's not like we're just going there to be a chaperone. I'm I'm there to be fed. And the Holy Spirit speaks to the leaders just as much as he speaks to the students, you know. So That's true. If you're if you're willing to accept it. But Yeah. I love that. And it makes a lot of sense. It it was no shock that once we got back from those trips, we're every single person was followed was fired up. Like whether young or old, like it was and I'm not calling y'all old. Y'all were older. older than we were, thankfully. but that that's such a fascinating thing that you still use those notes to this day. I wish I could find any notes that I had from that time period, I've moved around so much that they are long gone. Well I I write a lot. So if I if I listen to a sermon if I if I I have to take notes. Yeah. I can't just, you know, it doesn't come easily for me just to remember that. You know, I can you know, get a little spark here and there, but I like to see it so I can go back to it. And so still this day I just I write take a lot of notes. Does that help you is that kind of your writing process for like preparing a sermon now? Yeah, absolutely. I when if I get the scripture, you know, I'll go through and I read the scripture verse by verse and write down each s n whatever the Holy Spirit leads me through in verse one of chapter one. You know, whatever it is. And okay, what is he saying there? What are they what are they saying? What what does Jesus want me to know about this particular scripture? And so I'll just write down that and then that starts me off and then then I just go from there with you know, listening to other other pastors peach that preach that same, you know, message and w I just go from there. But even then I'm listening, I'm watching and I'm taking notes as as it's going on. So It's definitely a profound statement too. Like just just listen, watch, take notes, like pay attention to the things that are going on around you. Cause if you're if you're not, then you can miss you can miss a blessing, like just from not paying attention, not having that that system in place. Like I think we talked about it last episode. Like sometimes when I'm reading, it feels like just looking at words on a page because I'm so in a routine that I'm not intentionally spending time focusing on something. It one of the unique things about you is your your background as an art teacher as a profession and then the just the long running history that you have within ministry. One of the one of my favorite sermons that you did was about the picture of the horses. Do you remember that one? Absolutely. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? I was looking through my notes because I I've been taking notes, but I was like, I gotta ask you about this. So I was teaching my students about abstract art and you know, especially just shapes and colors, you know. Mark, he was an artist that that dealt with that. But you know, I'd throw that up on the screen in my classroom and and the kids are like, you know, what what do you see? Yeah. And at first, you know, you get all the obvious answers, you get, you know, it's a lot of colors. You got that. there's a lot of shapes. Yeah, okay. And I really look at it. Really look at it close. What what do you see that might could be hidden in that? And I think that's what's, you know, scripture. You know, there's a lot of things that could be hidden in scripture that that's why you have to deep dive in that scripture. You can't just read it, you know, read it to read it like you would a novel. You have to dive into it. You have to you have to go to God in prayer over that and and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that you would never have got from that. And that's what that painting, you know, represents because there's there's hidden meaning. in in everything if you're willing to look for it. And and so it but what is cool about that is you know th there were kids that were seeing things that no one else w were seeing in that panel. Okay. Yeah. But that's just where their mind was going. That's where their imagination was going. And even though it's horses and and unstable. Yeah. But but they were seeing other things like unicorns and and things like that. But it it got them thinking. Yeah. And I think that's what scripture does for us. It you know, he wants us to think. Mm-hmm. I think you have probably you you're probably one of the best people to ask about this is that you can learn so much unintentionally from just listening to a child speak. You know, Jesus talks about, you know, the the children throughout the Bible of just, you know, no one harm a child. Like i you should have faith childlike faith. Absolutely. Like it it's so much of a a a pure and innocent thing to have that childlike faith and y you being, you know, with the youth and now like leading the you know, teaching past being a teaching pastor, you get where I'm going. But your ability to interact with kids and teach them about faith, some for the first time, some for the thousandth time, like, you know, growing up in youth group. What are some lessons that you've taken away? Just like with the horse painting, like you're hearing kids see things that like, never never heard that spiritually. Like I'm sure that's happened before with just l lessons that you learn from a child. The be ready for any kind of question. Yeah. That's not surprising for parents out there. Some are a lot more comfortable than others, but they will say anything. So you have to be prepared. You have to be on your toes and be ready for an answer. And hopefully it's a good answer. and that's why it's I think it's so much fun and so challenging at the same time is to teach the planet kids. You know, I was just up there today and you know, I had talked to about the Holy Spirit, you know. And how he lives inside of us, you know, if we accept him and and so to to to talk to kindergarten through fifth grade. You fifth fourth and fifth grade is fine. They they've heard that before, but for kindergarteners wait s there's a spirit that lives inside of me or there's a spirit that could live inside of me. Yeah. You know, that's that's a lot to take in. Sure. It's a but the seed being planted, it's something they're gonna go home and they're gonna think about. And hopefully they go home and then they ask their parents about it. Yeah. You know, what what was he talking about? And so hopefully that's just, you know, that they it's a seed that's planted. It's a thought that's planted. And hopefully the Holy Spirit will work work through that. But that's the whole I you know, that's the whole idea. And to see that That's what's so enjoyable for me is the and it's especially to see like kids like you that that went to children's church. We saw you come up, you know, and then you're you're back in church. You're you know, you're doing stuff in the church like this and like it's so awesome. It makes it so worth it. Yeah, you know, and it it's a it's a true blessing, you know, because it's you know, Jeff will tell you, Jessica will tell you, Teresa will tell you know, it is all about planting that seed. You know, you may go off and do your own thing. You know, you may kinda I wouldn't say fall away from the faith, but you might go away from from the church or but that seed's still planted. That thought's still planted. That foundation has been has been built. And I think the more we work on that here and now, more than like you're gonna come back and and and be in church, you know, and then bring your kids to church. Wherever that might be. But that's I mean that I think that's the what God's called me to do and and I'll continue to do that till I can't anymore. Yeah. And you've done an awesome job at it too. You you touched on a great point there. I I wish I had the stats in front of me, but I did hear recently just listened to another podcast. I'm always trying to like retain information and it's impossible like 'cause I'm on the go and I'm ADHD and my head's in a billion different places. Well I have to take notes. Yeah, exactly. but I I did hear the stat of just a child who has a positive experience in church during their, you know, younger years is way more likely to return to church. or, you know, remain in the faith as an adult. And if you have a bad church experience at at a young age, then you're probably not gonna, you know, identify as a Christian or be involved in any kind of faith. I wish I had the stats on that, but I'm sure people can Google and it's kind of common sense of like, yeah, if you have a bad childhood experience, you're probably not gonna like you know if if you got food poisoning from pizza when you're a kid, you're probably not gonna like pizza later on. But That would be a sad life to live. Being being hateful towards pizza. But it it is truly a testament of just having a great experience as a kid in a church. Like it's it sets you up for the rest of your life. And I'm living proof that Y'all were incredible leaders. You were not afraid to say, hey, we messed up or hey, like this was our plan. We were supposed to go play paintball. And I don't know what happened, but we definitely didn't. But we called an oddball and had one of the most fun times. I know you remember where we were absolutely we were riding in that yellow Tonka truck that you had. but yeah, it's it's such a testament of Things will will not go according to plan. Like kids are smart. Like they will pay attention every little detail, whether you think they are, you know, paying attention, they are. Yes. And I'm I'm learning that now as an aspiring, like hopefully to be parent one day. talk me through kind of those moments where you you know like kids are smart and that they're paying attention to your actions, but like when they actually hold your feet to the fire of like, hey no, Mr. Sam, you taught us this. Like practice what you preach, buddy. Absolutely. Do you have any of those lessons? That's that's you have to be authentic. Yeah. You have to be authentic and you have to be up front. They they have to know that you you're not perfect. You know, I'm dealing with a Sue Carson right now. He's a teenager, you know, and and so I'll be praying for you. So we you know, we teach him at home, you know. And then he he's also one of our youth. So we have to, you know, literally practice what you preach, right? But at the same time They have to know that we're human as well. And but I think those life lessons that and this so the students know that you're not perfect. Hey, but you can learn from this. Like you don't have to make the same mistakes that I made. This is why, you know, A B C and D. This is this is why this sounds harmful, not just to you, but your y people that you're around. You know, this this could follow you the rest of your life. And those those life lessons are I think but you have to be authentic. Yeah. And I think that you have to be real with them. And I think that They to see you as a person, you know, not just as a teacher, not just as a coach or a minister, whatever. They have to see you as a person and And just it it really grounds me because, you know, if I think, you know, that I'm falling into a trap or if I'm struggling with something, what what would my students think? You know, what would what would, you know, Billy think of, you know, the way I reacted just then. Yeah. You know. So that's that's kind of the what the way I look at it, you know, if I've got I've got to lead by example. Yeah, you know, and I'm not always perfect and it it's hard to do sometimes. But I just look at those those kids and think, you know, okay, so how can this be a lesson? Right, or how can I make better myself through this? Yeah. It helps to like have that that voice in the back of your head of like there's people looking up to me. There's people counting on me. I remember I was always the baby of the family until my nephew came along and then I actually had someone paying attention to my every action. And that made me grow up real quick. Like e even though, you know, I was still a teen at that point. Like I think I was seventeen or eighteen and when he was born and it it's weird having a child like mimic you, like watch your every step and and it makes you kind of responsible. And it's such an easy and probably cliche parallel to make with like our Heavenly Father. It's like we're watch we should be watching him and trying to emulate him and just mimic him and everything that we do. Very sobering like the no Not the best person when it comes to road rage. You know, that's one of my faults. I think that I always hear because I'm in the mindset of, you know, me and my wife recently married, you know, we're trying to have kids and you know, a lot of our friends have kids and I'll see them in situations and I'll like run through just the analytical brain that I have. Like I'll run through, all right, if I was in that situation, how would I handle this? Like what would I say? And every parent at home is probably laughing at this point because they're like, Yeah, you could play these, you know, hypothetical games, but when you haven't slept in weeks and no idea And like you have a child throwing friend. Fries at you. Like let's see how calm you are now. Absolutely. And it's different for everybody. You know. And we were blessed with Carson. Carson was he was he was pretty easy going, but you know, a lot of a lot of babies, you know, they're get get their days and knots mixed up, you know. We didn't have to deal with that very often. But yeah, you have to be willing to adapt. And yeah, it's never like they say it is. It it truly isn't. Yeah. And time does go by fast. They are I bet it's it's crazy. Yeah. Especially seeing him in our in our in our classrooms, you know, sa him being in the same building as us, you know. Seems like yesterday he's in kindergarten, now he's in eighth grade. Yeah. It's it's crazy how time goes by so fast. Dude, he's taller than me already. I remember when he was a child. he lets everybody know it too. If he's yeah. What a bit of his dad and him right there, like absolutely. Absolutely. I love it. Sure. So you you've got eyes on you at all times, like essentially of just not only you know, through school being an art teacher and then like here at the youth group, yeah, how do you kind of recharge or like keep going when 'cause everybody's gonna have their bad days and like everybody's gonna have those moments where you just you need to course correct. Like, how do you keep yourself accountable, even like outside of all that? That's a good question. I think everyone needs their quiet time. And I think that's so important because you don't get very much of it because if you know if I'm not teaching, I'm coaching. If I'm not teaching coaching, you know, I'm preparing for a sermon or or or teaching upstairs. So you don't get a lot of time. So you have to take time for yourself. You have to you have to get it for me it's quiet time. I've I've got to be alone. I've got to be alone. with with whatever I'm studying, my Bible and my notepad, I have to be alone, you know. And so I think that's so important is that quiet alone time because, you know, if you're frustrated, you don't want to be frustrated around other people. That's so easy to to to get frustrated and take it out on someone else that don't deserve it. So it it it takes that quiet time just to slow down. And so that's that's what I do. You know, just go outside and walk. You know, you know I've I've spent a lot of time just praying and and just having a conversation with God walking around my yard, you know. That's that's how I recharge, you know, ask for forgiveness. You know, okay, this situation I could have handled much better. Yeah. And and that's that's kinda w the way I deal with it. And so but it's again being authentic and and being real and and being ready to to repent. Being being mindful of okay, you messed up and calling yourself out. And and when I was younger I'd always think if, okay, what would my granny think? You know? So that was like that'll get you. That would yeah, absolutely. No one disappoint Granny. So, you know, that's what I always thought. So what would granny think if I was in this position or or what, you know, if I'm doing this or if I'm at this place, you know, what would Granny think? So then that just, you know, well God's looking at us the same way. Yeah. You know. Okay, this this place is not the best for you or that response was not the best, you know, and and and you feel that. But I have to have a quiet time, you know. I think it's important and it it's I love how different all of our different teaching pastors are. Jeff, he's his quiet time is either like taking one verse and just studying on that, or he has like fifty tabs open on his laptop. I've seen that laptop. Yeah that was bad. I've heard people compare like that's how my brain feels sometimes. It's like I have fifty windows open and I'm not sure which one's playing music. And like that's what's what my head's like on a daily basis. And then your your strategy of like, hey, my note. My Bible, like that's my quiet time, separated from everybody else. Or I'm a big fan of the walking around in the backyard. Especially and I I have to take my dogs out and like it's either an hour event or five minutes and I never know which one. They're either chewing sticks. So I have plenty of time to talk to God in in the freezing cold now. now that winter's. I think it's the way he wants us to communicate with if he's our head when wherever you're at. Right. Is Jesus is our friend, you know, we we have to we have to approach him like that, you know. We have to have that childlike faith. We have to we have to go to him and just have a conversation. Have a conversation with with God. It's so important. Yeah. It doesn't have to be this holier than thou speech or anything. It's literally like I'm just in the car in the backyard, like whatever it takes. And those are the some of the most I've had some of my biggest conversation with God over plate of eggs. Like it's not like Lord bless this food. It's like I I mean, I'm confessing, like I I'm and I'm still like crying into my food. We we can be scrambled. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Breakfast is cold, but it's blessed. Absolutely. So walk me through kind of the first time. you've had such an experience with the youth. Walk me through the first time you've actually were called to be a teaching pastor. I know Uncle Dennis, or p lead pastor Dennis, founding pastor. Yeah. He's like, All right, we have one pastor. What if we have four? Well, I but I thought, you know, I thought I had, you know, everything planned out, right? I'm I'm I'm volunteering with the youth, you know, maybe be youth pastor one day, maybe, I don't know. But I always said I will I'll do anything, but I don't want to be up on stage. I don't wanna deliver a ser sermon. And that was my first mistake was was saying I I don't wanna do that. And but you know, when he first we were we were at a our cr end of the year Christmas dinner and he gave us his twenty twenty vision. And you know, Theresa and I looked at each other like, Is he talking about us? They can't be talking about us. Now there's another Sam and Teresa running out here, right? But you know, Jeff says it all the time, you just say yes. Yep. You just say yes. And we did the youth s Sunday and he's like, I want you and Therese to lead it. You guys, here's your material. You know, you're gonna teach part of it. She's gonna teach part of it. And that's we kinda team preached. It was pretty cool. I th that's how we all got, you know, Jeff and I got started too and yeah th he just kinda got us along, you know, and I wouldn't say spoon fed fed us, but yeah, you know, he allowed us to mess up. And that was one of the most nervous things I ever went through, nerve wracking things I went to is is preaching a sermon in front of Dennis and only Dennis. That's exactly what I'm But you know, it just where God has placed me in the classroom and being a coach. It just it just felt natural. And it and so I I have to You know, even the teaching children's church, you know, I'm I'm preaching to children. That's the way I look at it. And and so it yeah, I kind of you know, speak more on their level. But you know, I just he's called me to teach and it's my job to teach. But and here we are, you know. And I like to look back at, you know, some of my first sermons and ugh you know. But and still working on it because I tell people all the time there it's not a competition. When we first got the team together, everybody thought that you know, we're all three wrestling around for who's gonna be the next pastor. You know, I think that was ordained from the very beginning who was gonna be our next pastor. And but they thought, well, you know, we're con you're competing for it. But I really look at it as co opetition, like Teresa makes me better. Jeff makes me better. Yeah. You know, and I think that we we feed off each other. And it's not that we're ever trying to one up each other. Mm-hmm. That's not the point. But it we I think it we do make each other better. And I think it I think you know that it also makes our congregation better. Because they're getting it from different different perspectives. They are, you know, getting three different voices. Yep. You know, and four when Dennis was with us. You know, so I think that thinks this is so important. Yeah. 'Cause each of one of us have different backgrounds. So each one of us have different experiences. Mm-hmm. And and I think it's awesome. I love listening to Jeff. I love listening to Teresa. Yeah. So Teresa's my favorite, by the way. Browning points achieved. No, I think that's That is such a a a unique thing and beautiful thing about how we do things here that I've always loved from the second that started coming back of like the rotation of just different perspectives. It's like, I really don't know what to even compare it to. There's probably a great analogy that I'm blanking on right now, but it is that difference in perspective and backgrounds and like they're just y'all are gonna hit different s different sections of the Bible j in your own unique ways. Like The last one that you did about Judas betraying Jesus, like that was that was such a good idea. I'm still getting I'm still getting stuff from that. People are still coming to me. Yep. And you really don't really think about him, but like he he walked with Jesus like the like the rest of the disciples. You know, he witnessed everything, yet he still had this this this heart issue that he had. He had this greed about him and he wanted something from Jesus. Yep. that wasn't for him. He had something else in mind than what Jesus was there for. But I think we can do that a lot, you know, in our own walk. You know, we want s certain things from Jesus. And when he doesn't fit that need, then we kind of, you know, leave him in the background. And I think that's too often okay, Jesus he didn't answer this prayer, or I didn't get the job, or you know, and we betray him. We betray him by, you know, way less than thirty pieces of silver. Okay, he's okay, he's not doing this for me now, then okay, I'm not gonna pray today. Or I'm not gonna go to church today because if he's not gonna show up, I'm not gonna show up. I think we get like that. And Judas was there for everything. And yet he still had this mindset and this heart issue about what he thought Jesus was going to do. And he wanted someone to to rescue them from Rome. He wanted that true king. Yep. And but he heard Jesus' words, but yet it still didn't change him enough for him to repent and give his life to Christ. But he was so close. You know, he was so close. I it just just hearing you talk about it already given Mitch Hills again. There's so many people that you could probably think about. I don't know, so many, but there's many of us out there that as soon as we hear a message like that, a thought goes in our head of like Am I guilty of that? Like or or you're immediately like I'm yeah, I'm you know, public enemy number one when it comes to just exactly what you described of just having whether it's church hurt, like having that negative experience in a church, you know, early on. I've heard people talk about, you know, they don't go to church because something like that happened. Or you had, you know, an unanswered prayer. Like all the examples that you gave were perfect of like We want to put Jesus in this s little box. Absolutely. Like we want him to fit in this box versus us to be molded in his image and that's what we're called to be. Is there other sermons that stick out like that? I know that was one of the more recent ones. Is there one that has just burned into your brain that you're like, that's the one? Not specifics, but I think, you know, talking to people in the congregation and and and seeing our our book come out of Revelation, you know, because that was so difficult because to You know, Revelation is just hard to read, you know. It's scary it's hard to say. It's very scary. But just a deep dive into that. And, you know, if I went back and looked at that same scripture, I'd probably preach it differently. I who n who knows? But yeah, that series was just really stuck out to me as a as a challenge, but also very rewarding to know that this world is gonna end and it's gonna end badly. But we we can cling to the cross. We have that assurance that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. You know, whatever happens. You know, if we're here in the tribulation or if we're, you know, whatever. If we we're raptured before it happens, if as long as Christ is in your heart, He's your Savior, He's your Lord, it doesn't matter. But this world's gonna get really bad. You know. There's bad things that go on all the time, you know. And It's gonna get worse before it gets better. It's gonna get worse before he comes back. But in the end we win. I love that about Revelation. You you know, you we win in the end. You know, the battles are gonna be hard, but we know who wins the war. And I think we just cling to that and and but yeah, I I love the the series on revelation. It's just very eye opening. And and and I haven't really got to go back and read our book yet, but I I can't wait to spend some time and go back and and and critique my own sermons, you know. And okay but but yeah. It's hard not to get off stage and be like, I wish I would have said it this way. I only do announcements and like the most simple, like, I sh could I could have said this bullet point better. Like you just kinda kick yourself. I can't imagine a full sermon at that point. But I am very excited to read the book on Revelation, that teaching pastors wrote that all like Dennis and Jeff and everybody wrote together. is there any part of you that Is still trying to figure out like your rhythm. Like do you feel like you have a good kind of you found your voice, as some people would say. Like I I some singers like, I found my voice. Like I'm I'm a country singer, not a rock singer. Like have you found your voice as a pastor? Yeah, I think you gotta be you gotta be open, you know, to and take criticism. And criticism's not easy. It doesn't it doesn't it it doesn't feel good a lot of times. Like for me it's it's the pronunciation of a word. Like I try now not to go up on stage and mispronounce a word, even though it's gonna happen with my southern, you know, dialect. It it's gonna happen. Yeah. But I try not to do that because I I can't misres misrepresent God's word or a word in God's word, you know. So I I work on that. But but yeah, you you you take, you know, the the advice that Jeff gives me. I take the advice that Tracy, you know, gives me. You know, they It's hard for me to go back and watch my own sermons. Like it's it's still it stresses me out. Like I know there's things I need to work on. I know there's things I need to fix. I don't need to go back and watch my video to know those things. But it's good to to to to go back and watch it. But that's something that that I have to be stronger in in my soul to go back and actually look and rewatch the sermon because it's important because we have it's it's an amazing job, but it's also one that that we have to take serious. And if there's anything that I can do better, I I've got to be willing to work on that. You know, starting out it was like catchphrases like we would and it's like, okay, you go back and watch yourself. How many times did you cross your arms? Or how many times did you put your hands in your pocket? Or how many times did you say or or whatever? And you and you work on those, but it's still it it's never gonna be perfect. But I think, you know, I the more I just turn it over to the Holy Spirit. And not rely on me. You know, before I go on stage, that's my prayer is like, you know, just knock me out of the way. You know, I'm just up here. You put me here. Speak through me. And and that's that's the prayer. Like I can do all the research, you know, I can I can do all the study, but it's it's gotta be his word. It's gotta be his voice coming through our voice. And but it is it is a humbling experience to see yourself on stage and and to watch it on YouTube and to watch it back. I'm like Ugh. So I I I mean, I know I'm up there. I know I'm doing it, but I don't like to rewatch it. But Yeah. I don't blame ya. And very well said. It's it's not our voice. It's the Lord's voice. Like speak through us, like knock me out. I love that. Knock me out of the way. Not get out help me get out of my own way. No. Knock me out of my own way. That's that's that visual that I love. Like it's sometimes you just have to get straight up knocked out of the way before God can really step in and do something in your life. And it's answering that call. I I've seen a pattern start to develop talking with Jeff, talking with you, talking with other people that are kind of getting their feet underneath them, so to speak, in and getting into the faith or getting involved in a church. It's you have to just start saying yes, go out of your comfort zone as far outside of it because that's where God's gonna lead you. Like he's gonna lead you in those deep waters, but he's gonna be there. But that first step's always always the hardest. You know, I going back to when I was, you know, thirteen in that small church. Yep, you know, the pastor gave the altar call, you know, and there's like thirty people in there max. And And the Holy Spirit was speaking to me and and I didn't really know what he was saying, but he just said, Hey, hey, if you want to be saved, raise your hand. And so I, you know, head bowed, you know, my eyes closed, I raised my hand, you know. I thought that was it. I thought, well, I'm just gonna admit it. Yeah. And when he was done praying, you know, he looked up at me, he met gave me eye contact, you know. And he's like, Come on. You know, it's come on. Yep. And I took that step. I'm I moved out. You know, I I moved into the aisle and I walked up. It hit my knees. And that's for anyone. It's that first step. And for so many people they don't want to take that first step. But if you take that first step, everyone the the rest of the steps are easy. Yep. You know. So I took the first step and the Holy Spirit, you know, just pushes you the rest of the way. You know, if you allow him. But the first step's always the hardest, you know. Yeah. You touched on something beautiful there. It started it started in here. yeah. It started you were praying. Like it was all in your he in your head at that time. I couldn't tell you what what the message was about. I couldn't I couldn't tell you. But I do know that he gave the altar call and I do know that, you know, I needed Jesus. Like Yeah. And okay, that's that was the Jesus that my great grandpa was talking about. That was the Jesus that that my granny had been has been speaking about, you know. And it just It was an amazing, amazing time. I'll n I'll never forget it. You know, I've rededicated my life, you know, since then. But you know, at an early age, you know, it was real, you know, no doubt about it. You know, Jesus saved my life, you know, at age thirteen. Yeah. You know. I straight it, you know, a little bit, but but he never left me. And and that was just knowing that Knowing that he he saved me, knowing that, you know, I'm gonna see love that I'm gonna see my great grandfather again. I'm gonna see loved ones, you know, that went on before me. As as a teenager that just that hit me so hard to know that this life was not the end. Yeah. And I think that was the biggest thing is that I realized like okay, that's what he was talking about. That's what my great grandfather was talking about when when he walks with me, he talks with me, that this life is that Jesus wants to be present with us, but it this life is not the end. That he wants us to be with him for forever. Yeah. And that's just that's an amazing thing that he would want to be with us forever. Yeah. And I think that's such a a great kind of full circle moment on the book that was written about Revelation. not the book in the Bible of Revelation, but our our pastors and teaching pastors also wrote a book on Revelation. So just to clarify that. But it's it's scary if you don't understand the story. Like we know the end of the story. Absolutely. It's a happy ending for those who believe. And I think that's where You know, it's it's hard to kind of wrestle with those facts sometimes. Like just being honest, like it's scary to think about. just the what if, you know, rapture or pre tribulation, post tri I don't know. Like it just the thought of, you know, passing away is scary. Like, how's it gonna look? Are we gonna be just floating and it like you start to ask yourself those questions and then you read Revelation and it's like Jeff said, I'm afraid to fly, but for me, I'm like, let's let's do this. How high you know, yeah. This is this do this view's gonna be awesome, you know. Yep. So but yeah, I mean it's it is a scary thing in a in a way, but also we have the reassurance. Yeah. Scary like a roller coaster. It is. Like it's I know it's gonna be Good. Like I know it's gonna be fun, but it's scary. Like at first drop of Absolutely. Yeah. Well, it's kind of ironic. We're not dropping down. We're we're going up like up the hill. Up the hill. I just put the mental image together. I'm like, yeah, that's probably a horrible analogy to use. but is it fair to ask, you know, if you have not necessarily a favorite, but What are some favorite aspects of and you've already kind of touched on a few of them that I know of the what are your favorite moments or things that you notice from teaching youth as well as teaching adults and like kind of the overlap? Because some adults can act like kids and some kids can act like adults. but one of those. Yeah. I just think for for the for the like if I'm talking about, you know, children's church, to me, if they're going home. And they're saying, you know, Mr. Sam said this or Mr. Sam, you know, taught on this. That is the most rewarding thing ever. Like I I love teaching the youth. That's great. I love speaking up on stage and in big church. Yep. But the most rewarding thing is what I did this morning up, you know, up upstairs in the children's in the children's church. Just being able to speak into their life and and just get them to know Jesus. They may not understand Jesus yet. They may not understand, how Peter was able to walk on on the water, Yeah. But, we've been t talking about that for the last few weeks, how he's gonna make us fishers of men. And and that's what I'm and that's what we're doing. That's what we're called to do. That and and so I'm taking that and I'm using that for my own life. Like I'm going out there like I normally do when I go fishing, I usually only catch the little fish. Right. But those little fish add up and I look at these kids upstairs and those are my little fish. Right. And to get them to go out and okay, I get it. That is that is the most rewarding thing in in teaching g in general is like I get it now. I understand it now. And that's the most rewarding thing for me. So I think still it's the most difficult 'cause I'll tell you Teaching the kids upstairs for fifteen, twenty minutes and for me it's longer now and they I get in trouble but yeah. 'Cause I get in that in that preaching mode. But that's the that's the that's way more rewarding for me because for me it's planting that seed, right? And for adults we can go out there and we can we can take a sermon and rewatch it or, you know, you know, watch it online and take some more notes on it or or study it again or Or studying another pasture, you know, going to a different source. We we had that ability. You know, little kid in second grade, they're not gonna do that. You know, they've got other things to do, right? So there's the Legos to build. So what our teachers upstairs absolutely. So what our teachers are teaching upstairs, you know, whether they think they're qualified or not, right? I I've been doing this for a long time. I still don't feel qualified. But that that is so important that that we're planting seeds in those young minds that that gets them thinking and it then they know that they're not alone. That and for the for the youth to to see I know that some of them are struggling. You know, I see I see them in my own in my own building at school, you know, so that they're struggling. And so to be able to not only be a mentor for them in the classroom, but be a mentor for them here and and to pray with them and and see their walk and it's just an amazing thing. And it it's It's something I don't take lightly and it's so rewarding. But it also it's heartbreaking at the same time. I'm sure. Right. Because when I first started we you know, we talked about all the time, you know, you're back. But how many hundreds of kids have come through here? I know. And you think, Okay, what are they doing now? Well, some of them are in youth ministry. Some of some of them, you know, are pastors, but we're the we're the rest of Yeah. Just hopefully that those seeds that were planted, you know, they the Holy Spirit's gonna to water that and eventually wherever they are, they will they will grow. in in the Lord and their walk with with with God because just a small lesson or a colouring sheet that was explained to them in a in a different way and and they got it. So I think that's one of the most unique things that you've gotten to witness is the it's such a powerful statement of all those kids that came through here, where they are like hopefully they're in a church. We would love to have them back here and reminisce and tell stories. I still, you know, just chop it up and tell a bunch of stories with you and Teresa and Roger and all them. Some of my favorite memories and Michael as well, 'cause he was in youth group with me. it's I think Just from where I remember cause like I said earlier, when I'm looking at my nieces and nephew grow up and I'm remembering like, when I was that age, like, like let me pray for you. Like I remember what I was doing, like, let me pray for you real quick. it's gotta be hard being the teacher and watching them 'cause teenagers go through so much nowadays and especially with the advancements in social media technology, I'm fascinated like when I talk to my niece of like How do you even like when I was going through MySpace had just started like it wouldn't even exist when I was in middle school. Like it was a high school thing. And so it's like the the the pressure and the the just social kind of boom that has happened online, like being a teenager and in a church, like and being in faith, like you're watching some of the hardest peaks and valleys that these kids are going through. Like just being a teen in general is gonna be hard. So like How do you I mean, how do you counsel kids through, you know, you touched on it like you see at church, you tell like the word and then you see at school and you're just like, Hey, you doing okay, buddy? Like or on the football field, like, hey, doing all right? Like what can I help you with? Yeah, that's I think that's one thing why a team is so important. Because when it comes to social media, I'm not the guy to go to. Yeah. I'm not on Facebook. I'm not on TikTok or Twitter or Give my kids all hard time and call it, you know, space face and all that stuff. I'm not I'm not that guy. So I don't see it, but I know it's present. I know the the draw to it and I know the pressures that come from that. You know, it it's almost I don't wanna get dark here, but we you know, we talked about Judas, you know, committing suicide, you know, that's growing up, it when I was a when I was younger, yeah, it might have happened, but we didn't know about it. Yeah. Like you didn't know about everything. Everything wasn't thrown in our face. And they see everything now and there's way more mental issues going on than than what my generation boy you know, my friends went through. Like I c I can't even imagine, you know, that because they are in the spotlight all and a lot of that's self inflicted because they put their selves out there. Yep. But if their friends are there, they're they are there. And it's it's so hard, you know, having, you know, Carson, you know, they're we we watch so much, okay, what he's on, you know. Mm-hmm. We still get nervous about him playing Roblox. You know, that's yeah it's a game. But a lot of things can happen from that. And so it's and that's what's so good about having a team because Jeff and Jessica, you know, they can relate more to that. Lucas they can relate more to that social media thing. But just the knowing that it's out there and knowing how dangerous it can be. It's a great tool. It's awesome tool. Yeah. But it can also be a a scary place because it is so influential to them. I think it's you they have to have strong relationships with with the w their mentors and their and their and their teachers and and their family. Yeah. So they're not so influenced by the influencers that have no business speaking into their life. Yeah. Because they're more likely to go to TikTok than they are to open their Bible. You know, so that that's a scary thing. It's a scary place for their minds to be and their hearts to be. It is. And that goes the same for adults too. Absolutely. I d I guilty as charged. Like I yeah, I get space face as well. Like I'm going to use that term for everything now. That's another reason I don't like going back and watching my YouTube videos. Yeah. Because I'm tempted to look at the comments. Mm-hmm. Right. And I read I could read 90 comments that are positive. Yep. But that one that's negative, that's the only one I'm going to dwell on. And if it does that to me, I can imagine a preteen or a teenager looking at a negative comment and it just wrecking from a schoolmate that they know. Absolutely. And then just So if it's if it's happening to me, I know it's happening for everyone else. Man, it's It's the scary, sobering reality of kind of where we're at right now with the world. But you know, It's not all doom and gloom. There's hope. There's hope in, like you said, having a team around you, like having that that group that you belong to and that just knowing that they're there for support. Like no matter what you're going through. Absolutely. yeah, I I I think that's absolutely necessary to make very loud and clear is like having that support group. truly is the best thing you can do. What are some other tips? I mean, you've worked with youth for so long and, you know, in the in the big church. What are some tips that you have for parents out there that are trying to get their kids involved? I know part of what we always talk about is, wrestling to get your spouse to go to church. he just wants to go play golf or wants to go hunting on Sundays. It's hard to get him in church. But I think it's glancing over, getting a a kid involved in church that wants to go and not pitch a fit. Well, I think it you it's cliche and it's a horrible excuse, but It comes out of time. You know, and and we get too busy. It's easy for us to get busy, but I think, you know, it's something as simple as like, Hey, we're gonna pray before we eat or or before you, you know, you go and pray at night with with your family. Yeah. I think that's so important. You may not, you know, you may want to watch the game. Yeah. Right. And you you don't want to tuck your your son or daughter in. You want to watch the game. I get that. Pause it. You know, pause it and go pray. Yep. Right? You can be man enough to go pray. You know, 'cause I struggle with that. You know, it's just like don't just tell somebody you're gonna pray for them. I'm trying to okay, I they need prayer, let's pray right now. Mm, you know. And so th I'm working on that myself. Like, I need to get out of the way. If God's telling me to pray for somebody, pray for right there. Yeah. Don't just say, I'm one to pray for you. It's an easy cop out. Right. Yep. So You don't have I don't have it all figured out. You know, I only have one son, you know, I have kids everywhere else. But so it's not easy. But we try to we try to pray with him every night. We we do Bible devotions with him, you know. And so and he calls me out and I and I love that. And That's why I said you ha you kinda you gotta be authentic. He knows that I mess up and some of the hardest things to do is is to repent to him. Like, okay, I didn't handle that right. You didn't deserve that, you know. You know, I'm just little things like this morning I forgot my watch at home. Right. And I blamed him because I was helping him. He it wasn't his fault. Yeah. You know, what even close to being his fault. So that's the thing. I'm sorry, dude. You didn't deserve that, you know. And he He's always quick to forgive. But, you know, it's it's you have to have a relationship. And I think so much we get disconnected from our from our kids because we get too busy or we you know, our hobbies become more important than our kids. And that can happen with any anybody, you know. And so I that's like when, you know, when I was younger in when in in ministry, but I was I was teaching, I was, you know, playing softball. I was bowling. You know, I was doing something all the time and I got so busy that, you know, it started, you know, affecting my marriage and then so then I had to say, okay, I need to take some stuff out of my life. That way I can pour into the people that are important in my life. And you gotta it's it's sacrifice. So you have to sacrifice some time and you have to sacrifice some things that you like to do in order to be a better husband, to be a better father and mother w or whatever. So I think that's a lot of time we can't get too busy and we use that as an excuse so much. Yep. And And it cannot be an excuse. Mm-hmm. We even use it as a greeting, like, Hey, how you doing? Staying busy. Like it's not good. Like you have to and I think that's part of a spiritual journey, is stripping everything out of your life that does not belong to him and that does not produce fruit. And that is the ultimate it it's We talked about last week here. when we were talking about revival, it all starts within you. And you said it with your faith journey overall as a teenager, it started within you and then became a physically outward motion to where you were called and you actually took that first step. And and it wasn't my plan. You know, it wasn't my plan, but God put people like Sarah in my life, like I would have never, if just me, hey, you wanna teach no. But, you know, Sarah, you know, being there when being a partner before we were, you know, even married, you know, she was important to me. So what she was doing was important to me. And so I went along with it and Because I was she put me in that position and God put me in that position then it just w it went from there. But it wasn't my plan, you know, it wasn't what I envisioned. Yep. But it's the people that that God put in my life and the situations that he put me in that thank God he did. Or who knows where you know, what I would be doing now or where I'd be. But That that's the awesome things about, you know, about this walk is like, you know, who put you where? How did you get here? And that's why use your what God where God placed you, use it, you know, and and be willing to change. And change isn't changes not easy. No like change at all. But, you know, it's like when we redone the upstairs, you know, that that was hard. Yeah. To see some of that stuff go away. The old powerhouse painting on the wall with two big buses. Like you know, I miss it. But I look at those look at the pictures that we took of what it looked like before and and what it looks like now. It was so worth it. Like should have been done a long time ago. Agreed. So change is good as long as it, you know, it affects you in a positive way. But you know, it's what God wanted. And it it it's just amazing the what he'll do if you'll just a a let him and and get out of his way. Yeah. I will say wish God would have wanted us to keep the nineties bowling alley carpet. that was just the coolest. It's like we actually gave a tour to one of our former youth this this morning and they're like, I remember the carpet. And I'm like, I'm glad that carpet's gone. Yeah. It was cool. It was cool. Nostalgic. But no, I think that's absolutely a wonderful sentiment of just we have to be willing to change and let God chisel some of that that bad stuff out of our life. for even if it was good stuff and it no longer serves a purpose, like being able to make room for that that new blessing that you're stepping into. And that is kind of symbolic too of the the kids like myself that grew up and graduated. And then it was time for us to move on and you know, go start learning what we had to learn from the world and then ultimately return back to a church and just luckily for me I get to come back to where it all started and see, you know, familiar faces. It's always felt like home here. And that can be a good and a bad thing 'cause I came back with my wife. And I felt right at home, but she I never even put two and two together that this was a new place for her. All these people that I'm like picking right up where I left off, like she's doesn't know any of them. So it was scary for her. And I totally tuned that out at first, but But she's on stop here. Yeah. So now she's family with everybody. So is there any other things that you've just kind of thinking back on that you wish you would have done different or or that you learned from that you're like, man, if I could just let somebody know that, you know, try this thing or do this thing or like, this is the verse. Put it in your back pocket, memorize it. Is there any like kind of life advice for folks that are heavily involved like you? I was just gonna look at look back on some smaller things, like situations that I was, you know, I could have been a better youth leader. I could have think for me. It's it's the relationships and some kids that that if I didn't relate to you know, I kind of didn't spend as much time with them as I did someone else. Mm-hmm. And that's the thing that I'm still working on is I have to give this person just as much time that that I do that someone ha that has the same interest that I do. And to me that's something I always work on is is is treating each individual Not treat them the same but but they want to be noticed as well. True. So I have to be willing to talk to the teenage girl and be silly, you know, that way she will open up, you know, to her youth leaders. Yeah. As the same way as as one of my soccer players that come to our youth group. You know, I already have that relationship. I already have that that built in. That camaraderie and so before in the past be like, okay, almost like this is my group. Yeah. And and but People over here, those are the ones that need to be spoken into more. Yeah. Right. So that's a lot of regret that I have is so many of our youth that yeah, I may not have had the same kind of interest, and it was harder for me to to to have conversations with them. It's just hard to relate it. Hey, how was your day? Yeah. Hey, what's going on right now? Who knows how that conversation could have changed could have changed their entire life. Yeah. You know, so That's a that's a regret. So that's something I work on now, even though it's it's it's difficult to to to have conversations with 'cause gosh, kids are so different, right? Yeah. They're so totally different, you know, from different walks of life, different interests, different it things they like and th it is so hard to relate to some of them. True. But I again that goes back to why it's so important to have a team. I in children's ministry or or in youth or even in big churches. Yep. is having that that team that if well that person's not responding to me at all. They they don't get me at all. Yeah. Then then Jeff will or or Jessica will. They'll have that relationship with Sarah or or Lucas or Brooke. Yeah. You know. And so it's like, you know, big church, if someone may not particularly like the way I preach, but guess what? Next week someone else is up. Right. And so it I think that's so important. I it it it's all about a team, right? You you one coach doesn't coach a football team, they have a staff. Right. And so I think teams is very important, especially when you're dealing with with a team. Mm-hmm. Like our church is a is a team. And so so many times we forget that, that it's not an individual th individual thing that that we are a team. We are a family. Yeah. And one parent it's hard for them to do. One pastor it's hard for them to do. So you you definitely have to have a team and and and great people in the background that that don't get credit that they that that should. Yeah. Like, you know, people that put all this together, you know. Yep. So it it it's really important. But yeah, that's a that's one of my big regrets is is just the individual that man, I could I wasted that opportunity. Yeah. I wasted that moment. That instead of playing basketball, I could have been over here talking to that person and their life may be totally different. Yeah. So that's a that's a big life lesson for me is don't leave anyone behind. Right. Go go get the one. Right. The ninety nine are gonna take care of themselves. Go get the one. Man, that gave me chills. That that absolutely is you've led by example. I I do wanna say to you and all of our youth pastors, back then and current, y'all have some of the hardest jobs i in yeah, being in in worship, like being, you know, a lead pastor, like those are all challenging, but like being on the front lines of the youth group, like I'm I along with I'm sure everybody else that has been in a church understands just how much y'all do. Just wanna say thank you for pouring into our youth, pouring into to me and like just everything that y'all done, leading by example. It it's just been a wonderful experience and I can't think of a better place in it than right there. yeah, that that was just a powerful statement of never be a afraid to leave those ninety-nine to go for the one follow from Jesus parable there. Yeah. Sam, it's been an absolute honor and a privilege to sit down here and have a conversation with you, especially after a Tennessee win yesterday. I have to give that a shout out. Would you care to do us do me the honor of praying us out? Absolutely. Heavenly Father Lord, we just thank you for this day. We thank you for all your many blessings. Father, we just thank you for this this awesome team. We thank you for Josh. We thank you for this podcast, Father, that you're gonna use this to to further your kingdom. And we're just so thankful and so grateful. Father, we just lift up everyone that's watching this right now. Father, you know their hearts and you know their minds. Father, we just pray that that you just lead, guide them, direct them. And Father, we just just strengthen us each day to to go to you first and to put you first. And we just thank you and and Lord just not to be cliche but Lord that we just hunger and we we thirst for you. That's what that's what this is all about is we that we hunger and thirst for you, that that you are a source of strength and you are a source of of life. And we just turn it all over to you. Father, we just lift them up. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Thanks again. Thank you, Josh. Appreciate it.