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Heather Black: Go Get the Pigeon · Why I Believe

• 0:01
  Hello and welcome back to Why I Believe.
• 0:04
  I'm your host, Michelle Von Ruden, and today's guest is Heather Black.
• 0:08
  Heather, can you give us a brief introduction into you?
• 0:11
  Yep, absolutely.
• 0:12
  Thanks for having me today, Michelle.
• 0:13
  I'm happy to be here.
• 0:15
  I live in Las Vegas, but I am a spicy Carolina girl born and raised in South Carolina.
• 0:20
  And I now work, and we'll get into this in just a minute, as a speaking strategist and event expert helping my clients, mostly Kingdompreneurs, elevate their impact and income
• 0:31
  with speaking at events.
• 0:33
  Awesome.
• 0:34
  Well, cool.
• 0:35
  Thanks so much for being here today.
• 0:36
  So you have an interesting story about a pigeon.
• 0:40
  Do you want to tell us what that is?
• 0:43
  Sure.
• 0:43
  I'll tell you about the pigeon.
• 0:45
  So in 2020, was working full time, had been working full time for a long time as an event planner.
• 0:52
  And in 2020, everybody knows what happened in 2020.
• 0:56
  And God started prompting me to start my own business.
• 0:58
  And I was like, oh, you're cute.
• 1:00
  But no, thank you.
• 1:03
  Again, thank you.
• 1:05
  And
• 1:06
  He persisted and I continued to resist because I'm a little stubborn, a little hard headed.
• 1:10
  um
• 1:13
  April 7th of 2021, I was driving home and I saw this pigeon in the road and he was kind of limping a little bit and I was like, oh, I figured he got hit by a car.
• 1:23
  He was probably injured.
• 1:24
  And I just said, God, how can I help your pigeon?
• 1:26
  He said, go get the pigeon out of the road.
• 1:29
  And I said, excuse me, what?
• 1:32
  You want me to do what?
• 1:33
  And he was like, go get the pigeon out of the road.
• 1:35
  And so I'm sitting in my car.
• 1:36
  had parked at home by now.
• 1:37
  This was like a quarter of a mile from my house.
• 1:39
  I was like, am I really going to go get this rat with wings out of the road?
• 1:43
  Is that what I'm about to do with my life?
• 1:46
  And God says, go get the pigeon out of the road.
• 1:48
  I was like, I guess I, I guess that is what I'm doing.
• 1:50
  And so I walked back to the pigeon and as I'm walking back, like I don't have a box.
• 1:55
  Michelle, I didn't have a towel.
• 1:56
  I just had myself, my phone and my keys.
• 1:59
  I did not know what I was going to do with this pigeon.
• 2:01
  I know nothing about pigeons.
• 2:02
  I know nothing about birds.
• 2:04
  And I certainly don't know anything about injured birds.
• 2:06
  And so I was like, what am going to do with this pigeon?
• 2:08
  What do want me to do with it?
• 2:09
  You know, and God's saying, just get the pigeon out of the road.
• 2:12
  And I'm like, okay.
• 2:14
  But what happens after I get the pigeon out of the road?
• 2:18
  And so in my brain, like I'm planning, okay, I know a veterinarian that I can call, but I got to figure out how to get him back to my house.
• 2:23
  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to carry this pigeon for a quarter mile without something.
• 2:26
  So I'm like trying to get this pigeon.
• 2:27
  And God's like, just get the pigeon out of the road.
• 2:29
  I know you've said that, but what happens after?
• 2:33
  Like you want me to just leave him on the sidewalk and he'll just thirst to death or dog-wean him?
• 2:37
  Doesn't seem very helpful.
• 2:39
  Just get the, yep.
• 2:40
  Please don't say it again.
• 2:41
  Please.
• 2:41
  You've said it.
• 2:42
  I got it.
• 2:44
  You just weren't listening, Heather.
• 2:46
  I know right?
• 2:47
  Just get the pigeon out of road.
• 2:48
  I was like, okay.
• 2:49
  I was like, I'm gonna get the pigeon out of the road.
• 2:51
  But if he's dead or he's bleeding, I'm not touching it.
• 2:54
  just want you to know the parameters of which I'm willing to do this.
• 2:58
  Some boundaries, Lord, some boundaries.
• 3:01
  And so I get back to this pigeon and he's not even trying at this point to walk across the road.
• 3:05
  He's just holed up in this little bitty ball, terrified, like his eyes were as big as a pigeon's eyes could possibly get.
• 3:11
  And I'm sure he's like, now, now what?
• 3:13
  Now what is happening?
• 3:15
  And so I get onto the road and I tell him this, and I don't want people to think that's like a major highway, right?
• 3:19
  It was a busy road, it wasn't like traffic just flying around.
• 3:22
  want y'all think I'm out there like bouncing off cars or anything to get this pigeon.
• 3:26
  And so I'm sitting in the road and I tell this pigeon,
• 3:28
  Hey pigeon, I got to get you out of the road.
• 3:31
  And I don't know what's going to happen after that, but we're going to figure it out.
• 3:33
  And I'm like, this is where I am in my life.
• 3:35
  I am standing in a road talking to a pigeon.
• 3:39
  Perfect.
• 3:40
  This is great.
• 3:41
  This is great.
• 3:43
  And so I said to the pigeon, because I'm sure he's understanding everything I'm saying to him.
• 3:48
  I said, don't peck me, but I'm going to pick you up and get you out of the road.
• 3:52
  And.
• 3:54
  I have my brain, my human brain, which is about this time is probably about the size of the pigeon's brain.
• 3:58
  The way I'm processing this is like, I'm just going to touch the pigeon and he'll just instantly be used to having my hands on him.
• 4:05
  I'm going to scoop him up, put him on the sidewalk, and then I'm going to run back and get a box.
• 4:09
  Right?
• 4:09
  Like I've got it all planned in my head.
• 4:10
  I'm a call the veterinarian.
• 4:11
  It's all going to be fine.
• 4:13
  So I put my hands on the pigeon and he flew away.
• 4:18
  He flew.
• 4:19
  Just like that, he flew away, flew across the street, over the wall, over the houses, gone, out of sight, this pigeon is gone.
• 4:25
  And God said, I told you, you just had to get the pigeon out of the road.
• 4:30
  You don't have to have all the steps.
• 4:32
  You just need to take the first one.
• 4:35
  And I said, oh
• 4:38
  you mean like my business?
• 4:40
  And he was like, I mean exactly like your business.
• 4:43
  Now get out of the road.
• 4:44
  Cause I'm still standing in the road.
• 4:46
  And it was just this moment that like, wow, he's not going to give you the whole staircase, right?
• 4:52
  You have to take that first step and then the next step and then the next step.
• 4:56
  So that is my pigeon in the road story.
• 4:58
  And it still took me another year before I got serious about my business because I'm very stubborn.
• 5:03
  oh
• 5:06
  so there's questions here.
• 5:07
  Okay, so you went home and you were at home and you knew that you were gonna go back and get this pigeon out of the road.
• 5:14
  Why didn't you grab a box then?
• 5:16
  So I was so, okay, that's a very good question.
• 5:18
  So was actually in my car and I live in uh gated community.
• 5:23
  And at the time, the only way in or out was...
• 5:26
  um
• 5:28
  with when somebody goes in or out with your clicker or with a key for our pedestrian gate, which I didn't have on me.
• 5:34
  And I didn't want the pigeon to get ran over while I'm running upstairs to find a box to get the key to do all the things, right?
• 5:40
  Like it was like, there was a car going out right that second when I made the decision.
• 5:45
  And I was like, this is the moment.
• 5:47
  Like I've got to go and get this pigeon out of the road because I knew, like I said, it wasn't like a major highway, but it is a busy road.
• 5:53
  And I knew who was probably gonna get hit and ran over.
• 5:55
  And then I would be responsible for his.
• 5:58
  I'm
• 6:01
  Okay, that makes sense.
• 6:04
  So I gotta ask you, what was your faith and what was your relationship with God like prior to this?
• 6:09
  Because you were very much talking back and not obedient, which we all have those moments, right?
• 6:14
  We all think that we're not worthy or not good enough and we resist because it's scary.
• 6:20
  ah What was your relationship like prior to the pigeon in the road moment?
• 6:26
  You know, I've always been very real with God.
• 6:29
  I'm one of those people, like I just tell him exactly what I think, what I feel, what's going on.
• 6:35
  He already knows, right?
• 6:36
  Like I recently, in fact, I'm doing a video today to post on social media about what happens when you ask God WTF, right?
• 6:42
  Because sometimes things just don't make sense and you're like, and I did, I was like literally praying and I was like, what the, God, what, what?
• 6:51
  And within an hour I had my answer.
• 6:53
  Like he,
• 6:54
  He gets it, right?
• 6:55
  He totally gets that our poor little human brains can't possibly comprehend everything.
• 6:59
  And I tell him all the time, because I'm not a patient person, and I'm a very stubborn, hard-headed person.
• 7:05
  And I'm like, well, you made me in your image.
• 7:06
  So there's that.
• 7:07
  That's on you.
• 7:10
  That's just on you.
• 7:11
  I don't know what to tell you.
• 7:13
  But the thing I've learned, and at the time, my relationship with God wasn't anywhere near as deep and intimate and strong as it is now because this journey of faith to build this
• 7:22
  business has totally deepened that and built that.
• 7:27
  But I've learned that everything that I've done,
• 7:32
  is all part of the journey.
• 7:33
  He already planned for that.
• 7:34
  Like, okay, she's gonna take two years from the time I start talking to her to start actually doing this.
• 7:39
  So I gotta move this around, right?
• 7:41
  All of that was planned out.
• 7:43
  And now I can look back and see how from the pigeon in the road through the things that happened in that next year, all of those things were aligned to bring me to this moment.
• 7:53
  And so I never think that I'm behind or I'm late, ah that I've delayed the blessings that are coming because
• 8:03
  I haven't.
• 8:04
  It's all pre-destined.
• 8:05
  It's all to develop something in me.
• 8:09
  And I don't know how many people would literally go get a pigeon out of the road, but I'm telling you, if God ever tells you to go get it, you better just go get the pigeon.
• 8:15
  Just do it.
• 8:16
  Yeah, don't ask.
• 8:19
  Just...
• 8:20
  It should be.
• 8:22
  It should be.
• 8:24
  No, my business is created for such a time as this.
• 8:27
  It's my business.
• 8:30
  Yeah.
• 8:31
  So how does faith play out in your life on a daily basis?
• 8:34
  What are you doing to deepen your faith?
• 8:37
  What are you doing when times get hard?
• 8:39
  Because we all know it's never just an easy, straight path, right?
• 8:43
  No, it isn't.
• 8:45
  So I have a very strict, strict, very strong morning routine.
• 8:51
  I get up and I have my Bible reading that I do.
• 8:55
  I have my daily devotional that I do.
• 8:57
  I spend my time in prayer and then I'm like, okay, God, here's my to-do list that I put together.
• 9:02
  You tell me.
• 9:05
  What is on here that's supposed to be and what is on here that's not supposed to be?
• 9:10
  What are the priorities according to your plan because I'm just here to serve and I am a planner.
• 9:16
  That's what I have been my whole life.
• 9:19
  That's why I like to do list and like checklist, but then the day is about doing what he wants me to do.
• 9:24
  And he sometimes he's really funny because a lot of times he'll be like and don't forget to take the chicken out of the freezer.
• 9:29
  Put that on your list.
• 9:30
  Right?
• 9:31
  You got to take the ground beef out, you know plan for dinner.
• 9:33
  And so it's just this
• 9:35
  funny relationship, not funny haha, but like to me it's just to see the development of it over the last two years and how deep it's gotten to the point where I can literally go to
• 9:45
  him and be like, I do not understand the delay.
• 9:48
  I do not understand why this is happening.
• 9:49
  don't know.
• 9:50
  Like literally say WTF and get that answer back to him and get, that's why.
• 9:57
  Oh, okay.
• 9:58
  Right.
• 9:58
  Because he gets that.
• 10:00
  I don't understand.
• 10:00
  I don't see the whole staircase and I'm just trying to take the next step.
• 10:03
  And he gets that that's scary because
• 10:04
  because going out on your own and doing this thing without a steady income, without guaranteed benefits, without those things is terrifying.
• 10:13
  And he gets that.
• 10:14
  And so, like he's always encouraging and supporting.
• 10:17
  And I mean, the number of IG posts that he, the time he must spend on IG going, okay, she's gonna be out this time, make sure this post is in her feed.
• 10:26
  Right?
• 10:27
  Because it's those kinds of things that keep you going sometimes.
• 10:31
  Yeah, so what have you done?
• 10:32
  mean, so you talk about like it's really developed over the last two, three years.
• 10:37
  What have you really done to expand this relationship?
• 10:41
  So I spend a lot of time reading my Bible.
• 10:43
  I also spend a lot of time in prayer and conversation with God, but also, you know, specific Bible studies.
• 10:49
  Like I love Kim Avery's Prayer Powered Entrepreneurs, the 31 Day.
• 10:54
  I've done it a couple of times, but this year I am doing it every month that has 31 days in it.
• 11:00
  I'm doing that devotional.
• 11:03
  And so I focus on that.
• 11:05
  I have a Christian women's group that I lead on Fridays.
• 11:08
  We get together, it's called Rooted in Rising.
• 11:11
  and um we just come together and talk about what challenges we're facing, how can we support one another, we do an hour of co-working, and we just pray for one another.
• 11:19
  During the call, we open with prayer, we close with call, and then during the week, you know, we pray for each other.
• 11:23
  We just reach out, we're like, hey, I got this going on, can you pray for me?
• 11:26
  And just developing that community of support, because as Kingdompreneurs, we do business differently.
• 11:32
  And having that support of people who get that.
• 11:35
  ah
• 11:36
  and understand that and support that has been powerful, which is one of the things he's been telling me to do for like two years.
• 11:42
  And I've been like, I can't take on one more thing.
• 11:44
  And then October, he got really loud about it.
• 11:47
  And I was like, okay, okay, I'll do the thing.
• 11:49
  Are you sure right now?
• 11:50
  And he's like, yeah, right now.
• 11:51
  And I'm like, okay, okay.
• 11:53
  So it's a small group right now, but you know, there's four of us that get together on Friday, but it's a mighty group because we're two or three are gathered, he's there,
• 12:00
  right?
• 12:02
  So.
• 12:05
  So you also mentioned, it wasn't just the pigeon.
• 12:07
  You said there's a year gap between the pigeon story and to when you actually started your business, but that it wasn't just all of his nudging.
• 12:15
  You met two people that changed the course, that helped change the course of your life.
• 12:19
  Do you want to tell me more about that?
• 12:21
  Yeah, sure.
• 12:22
  So, as I started after I got the pigeon out of the road and I really did start thinking more seriously about what would this look like and what would I do and how would I
• 12:30
  incorporate my skills?
• 12:31
  What would a business look like?
• 12:34
  One of the things that, you know, I was reading a book and it was like, identify your ideal client.
• 12:39
  who would be your dream client?
• 12:40
  And so one of the people on that list was Marcus Lamonis, which for anybody that doesn't know who that is, he had a show for a while called The Prophet.
• 12:46
  He's the CEO of Camping World.
• 12:48
  He's really a self-made millionaire.
• 12:51
  Grew up in Little Cuba, just a tremendous human being.
• 12:54
  And I was like, oh, well, I would love to work with him and do events with him and, you know, do that kind of thing.
• 13:00
  And I was like, how would I ever meet Marcus Lamonis?
• 13:03
  I'm not in that world, right?
• 13:05
  So I just put it out there.
• 13:06
  And so in October of 2021, I left the job.
• 13:09
  been in for five years and found another job and because again I'm just like I'm not sure I'm ready to take this leap and when I started working on it they had a conference coming
• 13:19
  up in April their annual conference and the key the opening keynote speaker was Marcus Lamonis and we had they had someone that managed their keynote speakers and so to keep
• 13:32
  them from being you know harassed and people coming up and you know blah blah blah
• 13:37
  and all those things.
• 13:38
  Well, the person that was supposed to handle him, the handler, had to be on stage at the same time he was supposed to arrive and they needed someone to meet him.
• 13:47
  And so I literally on Sunday night was watching it literally fall into place for me to be the person that met Marcus Limonis at the door when he arrived to greet to take him to the
• 13:56
  ballroom.
• 13:57
  And so I got to meet Marcus Limonis, had a great conversation with him and I was like, okay, that's how that is.
• 14:03
  All right.
• 14:04
  And so like this whole time I'm like in my brain going, m and then on Wednesday we had a keynote speaker, never heard of this guy before in my life and his name is Cameron Hughes
• 14:16
  and uh
• 14:17
  his
• 14:18
  His speech was meant for me.
• 14:20
  Like everything that he said was about just get up, follow your dream, do the thing.
• 14:25
  Don't worry about failing.
• 14:26
  You might fail, but if you do, right, just get up and do the thing.
• 14:30
  And I knew in that moment, in that moment that this was what I was supposed to do.
• 14:34
  I was supposed to just get up and do this business.
• 14:37
  And he actually, when I launched my business in November of that year, he actually became my first client the day I launched my business because that's how God works.
• 14:47
  Yeah.
• 14:48
  So sometimes the signs just keep coming and you try to ignore them, but eventually you reach a point where you're like, okay, all right, I'll do the thing.
• 14:57
  Mm-hmm.
• 14:59
  I think that's really cool that God stepped up and put the right people on your path and helped you start your business.
• 15:06
  But let's go deeper.
• 15:08
  What other times has he impacted your life significantly, like personally?
• 15:13
  Oh, sure.
• 15:14
  mean, like, all of my life, honestly, if you look back at it, but like, in 2004, I was getting a divorce from my husband because it was an abusive relationship.
• 15:25
  And I had to get out and I had to get safe and I had to do all the things.
• 15:31
  And looking back, I can see where God was in every single minute of those decisions, every step that I took.
• 15:38
  to the point that the day I moved out and we were taking some stuff to the storage building, it rained, it snowed, and there was a rainbow.
• 15:46
  Like, God was like all in the business of it.
• 15:51
  And years later when I was selling my house in 2012 to move to Las Vegas, I had no idea that there had been a lien put on my house because my ex-husband had let our house go into
• 16:03
  foreclosure and I had settled my piece of it.
• 16:05
  So, there should not have been a lien, but there was still a lien on my house.
• 16:09
  And so, I could not close.
• 16:10
  It was found during closing.
• 16:12
  You know, they're checking the title of all of those things.
• 16:14
  I had no idea.
• 16:15
  And I had this very, very small window that I had to get this cleared.
• 16:21
  And before I could sell or the closing was going to fall apart.
• 16:25
  I turned in my notice.
• 16:26
  I was going to be out of a job.
• 16:27
  Like the whole thing.
• 16:29
  And literally the day that it had to be done by 12 o'clock, the day we were supposed to close.
• 16:35
  And at like 11.45.
• 16:38
  they finally released the lien on the title.
• 16:41
  wow.
• 16:42
  Yeah, and it was like one of those moments where was like, Michelle was like, God, you've got to do this because I'm gonna still have a mortgage.
• 16:49
  I'm gonna be out of a job.
• 16:51
  I'm going to like be stuck with this.
• 16:52
  Like it was just this so, so stressful and so scary.
• 16:55
  Like I was running around trying to get all this paperwork together and do all the things.
• 17:00
  And because it should have been released years before and I had no idea that it was there.
• 17:04
  And then like literally it happened.
• 17:06
  Like there was less than 15 minutes left before the cutoff.
• 17:10
  Wow.
• 17:12
  That's like.
• 17:14
  How do you stay strong in times like this?
• 17:17
  Like when your faith is tested and you're like, you know, this or make or break it for me in this moment, right?
• 17:23
  Not for life, but in the moment in that timeframe of your life, right?
• 17:27
  So how do you stay true to the faith?
• 17:29
  How do you keep holding on when some people would be like letting go and trying to take matters into their own hands?
• 17:38
  I think that for me, I think that we all tried to do that, right?
• 17:43
  We all try to take matters into our own hands, which usually slows down the process.
• 17:46
  And that's one of the things I've learned in this business is to let go of the outcomes.
• 17:50
  I mean, and I do pretty well about 60 % of the time.
• 17:56
  I'm like, but, but are you sure I need to let go of this?
• 17:59
  And I think it's just.
• 18:01
  Learning that looking back at those times where he has pulled you out of what you thought was going to destroy you, right?
• 18:08
  Taking you through those times when you thought this is the end.
• 18:10
  I'm not ever gonna get over this.
• 18:12
  This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me.
• 18:14
  And then looking at the blessings that came after you let go and just say, okay, like I had no control over whether that company was gonna release the title and time or not.
• 18:23
  I had done everything I could do.
• 18:24
  My realtor had done everything she could do.
• 18:26
  And at that point it was really in God's hands and it happened.
• 18:29
  And just looking back at the number
• 18:31
  that you've prayed for something and God's came through and maybe you didn't get exactly what you prayed for, but maybe you got something better or you found out later that this
• 18:40
  was the reason that that door closed, right?
• 18:43
  And oh, I really shouldn't have had that job because now they're laying off people, right?
• 18:48
  Like when you look back with that 2020 hindsight vision that we talk about and you go, oh, you protected me from that or why did this relationship end?
• 18:58
  You know, I had a period in my life where I
• 19:01
  I had a really important relationship and I was just devastated.
• 19:04
  My dad died from a terminal illness and it was just like, eh and I was having this conversation with God on a drive.
• 19:11
  I was like, I don't understand why you couldn't fix this relationship.
• 19:14
  I don't understand why you didn't just take care of this.
• 19:16
  You can do anything and you didn't do this for me.
• 19:20
  And he was like, well, I can't just fix them because he, he didn't ask.
• 19:25
  And I'm like, please don't come at me with your free will.
• 19:27
  Right?
• 19:28
  I don't want to, I don't want to hear about free will.
• 19:29
  You could have done this if you wanted to.
• 19:32
  And he was like no I can't and How do you think this makes me feel and I was like, what do you mean?
• 19:37
  How does this make you feel and he was like This is my child who I dearly love and he is in pain and he is hurting and I could fix it But he won't let me how do you think that
• 19:47
  makes me feel?
• 19:51
  Right
• 19:52
  And so in that moment when you realize that there's something much greater than you, and so then I was like, well, that's probably not about me and that's probably not a good
• 19:59
  feeling.
• 20:00
  And he was like, and I can do the same for you.
• 20:02
  And I was like, what do you mean?
• 20:04
  And he's like, all this anger and this hurt and this regret that you're carrying around, I can take that from you.
• 20:10
  I can heal that.
• 20:12
  All you have to do is ask.
• 20:13
  And we forget that sometimes, like we just suspect him to do, but he really wants us to ask.
• 20:18
  And so as I was driving down the interstate at probably 75 miles an hour, shh, I'm telling anybody, but you know, I'm a driver and I literally prayed like, okay, then fix this,
• 20:31
  right?
• 20:31
  Fix this heart, fix these wounds.
• 20:33
  And before the words were out of my mouth,
• 20:34
  the pain was gone.
• 20:35
  was all that baggage that I was carrying from that relationship from the loss of my dad was just gone.
• 20:40
  So in those moments where things are tough and you're like, God, are you even there?
• 20:45
  mean, and yesterday I had it, I was praying, I was asking for some direction and he wasn't saying anything.
• 20:49
  I was like, I can't hear you.
• 20:50
  I don't know why you're quiet right now, but I trust that you're gonna give me the answer when it's supposed to.
• 20:56
  You have to go back to those times when he's pulled through and rely on that and just walk in faith.
• 21:02
  And that is way easier for
• 21:04
  for me to say than it is for me to do sometimes.
• 21:06
  I'm not gonna sit here and be like, it's just bruises and peaches and cream every day.
• 21:11
  No, literally it's not.
• 21:13
  There are tears, there are struggles, there are why, why is this happening?
• 21:18
  Why is it not happening?
• 21:19
  Why am I not seeing the results of all the work that I've done, right?
• 21:24
  But you guys gotta know that his timing is impeccable.
• 21:27
  It is perfect every single time.
• 21:30
  Well, I think it's so important that you point that out, right?
• 21:32
  Just because you develop this relationship with God and with Jesus, it doesn't mean that your life is going to be perfect and it's going to be without trauma, without pain and
• 21:42
  hurt and suffering.
• 21:44
  Right?
• 21:45
  I mean, it's, you're going to have life because we get into that free will conversation.
• 21:50
  We all have the, we can make the choices that we choose to.
• 21:54
  And sometimes we make choices that aren't right for us.
• 21:57
  And I say sometimes, but I think that's more often than not, right?
• 22:00
  And because we don't know the plan and we don't know where we're headed and we're gonna suffer and things are not always gonna be perfect.
• 22:10
  And I think sometimes people are like, okay, I'm gonna build this relationship with God and we're gonna be buddies and then life's gonna be great and there's gonna be no
• 22:18
  problems, but that's really not how it works.
• 22:20
  No, it really isn't how it works.
• 22:22
  And we forget we are living in a broken world, right?
• 22:25
  Like the devil is out working.
• 22:28
  overtime to keep God's blessings from us so that we do doubt, so that we don't move forward, so that we don't fulfill the plan, right?
• 22:36
  Like, he doesn't want us to do those things because then the kingdom grows and then he, we all know in the end who's gonna be victorious.
• 22:44
  But right now, that's not the case.
• 22:46
  We're living in this broken world.
• 22:48
  We're sin, including ourselves and our own hearts is there and it exists and we have to be aware of it.
• 22:53
  So sometimes, yep, I take over control and I'm like, this is my to-do list.
• 22:59
  You know, I'm gonna do this today or I'm gonna watch TV and not do my Bible reading because I would rather you know, Veg out to Netflix, right?
• 23:07
  These are the things these distractions that we have we face them every day and Some days I'm better than others, but I'm never perfect I'm never gonna be perfect and I just go to
• 23:17
  God as this imperfect child that I know that he loves and it's like, yep I knew you're gonna do that and this is how we're gonna get around that because I've already moved this
• 23:27
  little you know
• 23:28
  Mm-hmm.
• 23:28
  oh
• 23:29
  think.
• 23:30
  And it's a daily, hourly, I mean I prayed right before I got on here, right?
• 23:36
  I pray before I get on my calls.
• 23:37
  I do, I try to keep that line of communication open throughout the day but are there days where I get busy and I get to the end of the day and be like, did I even pray during the
• 23:46
  day?
• 23:47
  No, I didn't.
• 23:48
  Well, maybe that's why I didn't get that response.
• 23:50
  Right?
• 23:50
  Like he wants to be part of your world.
• 23:53
  He wants to, you know, imagine you've pulled in this
• 23:58
  was in my devotional today from the prayer powered entrepreneur was, you know, just imagine he's pulled up a chair right next to your desk and he's sitting right there.
• 24:05
  He's waiting for you to ask him, what do I say in this email?
• 24:08
  Do I reach out to this person?
• 24:09
  What do I say on this call, right?
• 24:11
  He wants to be that involved in your life.
• 24:13
  And I think sometimes it's hard for us to do that because we're trying to be in control.
• 24:21
  Yes, I think it's hard for us to let control, especially when, I mean, I feel his presence with me, right?
• 24:28
  I carry Jesus with me, but for some people who haven't really developed that relationship, it's hard to really say let go of the control, surrender when they haven't experienced a
• 24:39
  relationship, right?
• 24:42
  And so how do you...
• 24:44
  is maybe a rhetorical question, but how do you help people understand that He really is here?
• 24:49
  I mean, if think about it back in the times when Jesus walked the earth, the disciples questioned Him and they were there seeing it with their own eyes.
• 25:00
  So to be able to walk in faith without seeing and just waiting for those times to appear, because I mean,
• 25:09
  As you stated, you had your pigeon story and I've talked to numerous people now who have had miracles happen in their life.
• 25:15
  But until you experience that, I think it's really hard for someone to be like, Josephus, surrender, you're good.
• 25:23
  He's got you.
• 25:25
  Yeah.
• 25:26
  yeah, it sounds like a platitude.
• 25:27
  sounds very cliche.
• 25:28
  Yeah, okay, thanks, but you're not dealing with a life-threatening illness.
• 25:31
  You're not dealing, you're not facing bankruptcy.
• 25:33
  You're not trying to figure out how to pay the rent when you just lost your job.
• 25:36
  You aren't dealing with that, right?
• 25:38
  And I totally, totally get that.
• 25:40
  And there's not an easy answer because that's just a platitude, right?
• 25:44
  When you're dealing with in those moments, how do you let go and let God?
• 25:48
  um And sometimes the answer is you don't, you still hold on and you just hope that he pulls you out of
• 25:55
  it and until he does you're just not gonna have that faith you really have to walk the walk to see how it plays out and
• 26:05
  He will though, but you if you look back over your life, you'll see plenty of times that he probably did like and I always I get for because I drive fast and I have places to go I
• 26:14
  got things to do and So sometimes I get irritated with red lights, right?
• 26:18
  Like come on really come on.
• 26:20
  Seriously.
• 26:20
  I gotta go right?
• 26:22
  But I've learned to use those moments as time to pray and be like, okay Thank you for stopping me with this red light because you're probably keeping me from being in an
• 26:30
  intersection I don't need to be in and thank you for you know, the green lights that are gonna be on the rest
• 26:35
  of this journey, right?
• 26:39
  Thank you in advance.
• 26:40
  And sometimes it works out that way and sometimes it doesn't.
• 26:43
  But that's because I'm not supposed to be somewhere I'm not supposed to be, right?
• 26:47
  And it really, it just takes time and practice to do it.
• 26:52
  And I'm not perfect at it.
• 26:53
  There are times where I get really, really frustrated that I'm not where I want to be right now in my business.
• 26:58
  I'm not where I expected to be in my business.
• 27:03
  But I know who's in charge.
• 27:04
  And I know because I've seen it happen time and time again.
• 27:07
  But when you're brand new, when you're just learning, you just gotta hold on.
• 27:11
  It's the roller coaster ride.
• 27:13
  It is truly, and some days that roller coaster ride is like this.
• 27:17
  And some days it's more like this.
• 27:20
  But it's all worth it in the end.
• 27:23
  Because I can't imagine trying to get up and do this by myself because I don't have the capability.
• 27:29
  I just don't.
• 27:31
  Absolutely.
• 27:32
  All right.
• 27:34
  If there's one thing you want listeners to take away from this today, what would you like them to know?
• 27:38
  What's your message?
• 27:40
  The message is when God tells you to do something even if it doesn't make any sense at all to you like go get a pigeon out of the road whatever that first step is he tells you um
• 27:51
  take it it's probably not going to make sense um but the reward will be worth it because not only did I rescue the pigeon but I got a clear message for myself too so just take
• 28:03
  that first step whatever it is that he's calling you to do um it will be worth it
• 28:09
  Wonderful.
• 28:11
  With that, why don't you go ahead and let us know what is your favorite Bible verse?
• 28:14
  What keeps you going?
• 28:16
  Yeah, so um one of my favorites is, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
• 28:22
  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future, from Jeremiah.
• 28:28
  Nice.
• 28:30
  Well, Heather, thank you so much for being here.
• 28:32
  I've really enjoyed our time together.
• 28:33
  Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story, not only of the pigeon, but how God has played a part in your life and continues to make an impact every day.
• 28:44
  Yeah, thank you for having this platform and allowing people to share their stories, Michelle.
• 28:48
  Thank you.