S1: Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: In your opinion, what's been the best super team in
S2: sports history?
S3: Oh, good question.
S2: Best super team loaded with talent. I'm going 90s bulls.
S2: I think you're gonna. You. Thank you. We are in Chicago,
S2: so I gotta go. I got to go with the
S2: the repeat the three peat. And I know there was
S2: some personnel changes in there, but Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen.
S2: Dennis rodman, Dennis Rodman for the I think he was
S2: around for the the the later the later ones. Yeah. Yeah.
S2: What do you say? Super teams.
S3: Any sport. As much as I hate to admit it
S3: because I don't like the team, uh, the New England Patriots. Oh, yeah.
S3: Six Super Bowl wins. Uh, under one quarterback is, uh,
S3: something that's never happened before. No quarterback, I think, has
S3: had over four other than Tom Brady, who's had seven.
S3: He did one with another team. Uh, but it's uh,
S3: I mean, it's an impressive feat.
S2: Yeah.
S3: I think he won his last one with him in 2018.
S3: He was I think 40. He was 40 something, 42,
S3: 43 at that time. So that's pretty insane.
S2: That is it's impressive. What do you think? You listening?
S2: I pick any sport. What's your favorite super team? This
S2: was a team that had great success that was loaded
S2: with talent, any sport, any era. Give me your favorite
S2: super team 855 five, 7898. Text messages only for this
S2: one 800 555 7898 we've got 1985 Chicago Bears says
S2: 1934 who's my other one? Yes. Is that the year
S2: they won the Super Bowl, or was that 8485? Was
S2: the year okay 90s Detroit Red wings. Oh, they were amazing. Yeah,
S2: that was the era. Really? I don't.
S4: Know names. I'm sorry, but I remember the team. Yes, absolutely.
S2: Well, keep them coming. What do you say your favorite
S2: super team? 805, 55, 78, 98.
S4: And I know going back to Chicago. I'm sorry, but
S4: I bleed cubbie blue. I do. Okay. The 2016 the
S4: World Series Cubbie team, they bought the World Series back
S4: to Chicago.
S3: I thought we were doing dynasties. I'll take it. My favorite.
S4: Sports.
S3: Dynasties. Multiple years dies. Not a dynasty. A really good team.
S2: I mean, super team. As in, just, like, loaded with talent.
S2: Usually that leads to at least some success. Okay, but
S2: it doesn't have to be a dynasty. And that certainly
S2: was a special group. They got it one year and.
S4: And the personalities on that team.
S3: Yeah, it was fun. It was a good year.
S4: Yeah.
S2: That 20 tens Blackhawks. Yep. Oh yeah. That was a
S2: good year. The last women gymnastics team USA. I mean,
S2: they said. And the one before. Well, any team that
S2: Simone Biles has been on, that's pretty true. She is
S2: her own super team. Yes. When you are, when your
S2: skill level and athleticism and ability to perform those certain
S2: feats are so far above everybody else doing the same thing,
S2: I think you become a super team. Got another vote?
S2: Vote for 90 Bulls. The 2018 Golden State Warriors. And
S2: then they gave me a breakdown. Prime Steph Curry prime
S2: Klay Thompson prime Kevin Durant.
S4: That's good.
S2: And others. But if you don't follow basketball that may
S2: bore you. Let's see. Okay. Jesus and the disciples. Absolutely.
S2: I'm with you on that. There you go. 1970 Brazil's
S2: soccer team with Pele. Oh, yeah. The Cubs in 1969
S2: and Cubs in 2016. 1969 Cubs.
S4: They were close. Yeah, they didn't bring it home, but yeah,
S4: it was a good team.
S2: 1980 US Olympic hockey team, the Cincinnati Reds. The big
S2: red machine. Mia Hamm in that group in women's soccer.
S2: I remember that. What was that? Was that was the Olympics.
S2: Was that 2000? Oh, look that up for me right here.
S2: Another vote for bears 85 the Edmonton Oilers, mid 1980s
S2: early 90s.
S3: I don't know anything about the Edmonton Oilers.
S2: Got some real, real sports fans here. You got a
S2: date on that women's soccer team?
S4: Yeah, it was a World Cup.
S2: It was me. I do remember.
S4: 91 and 99 Olympics. Yeah, and then two gold Olympics.
S4: I'm trying to get the year on that. But yeah
S4: that's right.
S2: Dallas Cowboys with is it Staubach?
S4: Staubach.
S2: Staubach.
S3: Staubach.
S4: Roger.
S2: Was that the.
S3: Quarterback.
S2: I'm going to quickly I know a lot about basketball.
S2: But the minute you get me into any other sport.
S4: Who's that.
S2: Side note I had to I had to do the score.
S2: So the scores table at the.
S3: Oh, really?
S2: At my daughter's basketball game, which I've always avoided having
S2: to do because I don't really like ever doing it.
S2: And so I'm literally on the sidelines at the game
S2: before on ChatGPT going, what do I need to know
S2: to do the score book for my daughter's AAU basketball game?
S2: And then it actually gave me a breakdown.
S4: Oh, did it.
S2: List the name and number of all of the girls?
S2: And I had to track the fouls, and I had
S2: to track the points, and I had to track the timeouts,
S2: and ChatGPT got it done for me. I managed to
S2: do it without any sort of mishaps. I felt proud
S2: of myself.
S3: Nice job.
S2: Sports fans.
S4: Go, mom!
S3: She did.
S2: It. Thank you. To 3428 says Carl and crew. You got.
S2: You're sweet.
S3: Wow.
S2: Super team.
S4: So nice. I know. Thank you.
S2: Coming up, as we look at the life of David.
S2: Think about every super team you've ever heard of, and
S2: I guarantee David had the exact opposite on his team.
S2: He had to lead the group that nobody would have picked,
S2: but yet he led them. Well, let's look at the
S2: life of David coming up.
S1: He was running from God, but God's love brought him home.
S1: Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on
S1: Moody Radio.
S2: Well, David's team to me was a little like the
S2: Little Rascals. You ever seen that movie?
S3: Yes. It's like.
S2: It's hilarious. It's Alfalfa and Spanky. Oh, yeah. And who
S2: were the other ones?
S4: Darla.
S3: Buckwheat.
S4: Buckwheat.
S2: You know, and they were kind of like they gave
S2: kind of the a little bit of the neighborhood outcasts
S2: a little bit.
S3: Oh, yeah.
S2: Kind of a ragtag bunch. Sure. But they had great
S2: adventures together. They did want you to listen to this
S2: out of first Samuel 22, starting with verse one. This
S2: is David fleeing from Saul. It says David departed from
S2: there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when
S2: his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they
S2: went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress,
S2: and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was
S2: bitter in soul gathered to him, and he became commander
S2: over them. And there were with him about 400 men.
S2: I have always read that little passage and found it
S2: fascinating that that's the detail that was included. This is
S2: the list of David's men. This is the description of them.
S2: It doesn't say every mighty warrior, every man trained for battle,
S2: every man gifted and skilled. It says everyone who was
S2: in distress, in debt and bitter in soul gathered to him,
S2: and he became their leader. Paraphrase just.
S4: A bit.
S2: And for some reason I find that fascinating. One why
S2: were those the people that were drawn to David? could.
S2: You could speculate, I guess, that David was a man
S2: on the run. So maybe the outcasts felt like a
S2: connection to him.
S4: I could see that, definitely.
S3: Somebody who's like, well, that guy has nowhere to go.
S3: He'll obviously he's on the run to probably some people
S3: on the run a little bit from the King or
S3: from other people saying, well, if he's on the run,
S3: you know, he'll protect me if I come with him.
S2: It's joined forces with this guy. I'm in distress. I'm
S2: in debt. I'm in. I'm bitter in soul. David, you're
S2: my guy. And yet David was able to lead this
S2: ragtag group to great victory. We read on. This is
S2: now first Samuel 23, verse one, chapter one, chapter later.
S2: Who knows? I don't know exactly how much time has passed,
S2: but it is this same group of men. David inquired
S2: of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, arise,
S2: go down to Keilah for I will give the Philistines.
S2: Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went
S2: to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, and brought away
S2: their livestock, and struck them with a great blow. Victor,
S2: that was a victory. Major military victory. David and his mighty.
S4: Little.
S2: Rascals. Mighty little rascal men. Verse 20. This is now
S2: chapter 27. Very similarly, he goes up and he makes
S2: raids against different inhabitants in the land, and they have
S2: victory once again. Key thing here, though, David inquired of
S2: the Lord. So one of the things I want to
S2: kind of explore is this. My takeaway from this aspect
S2: of David's leadership is that when the Lord is your leader,
S2: you can lead anyone. Amen.
S4: That's. Yes.
S2: And so you think about how often you feel like
S2: you don't have what you need to go into battle.
S2: Whether it's the right people, the right skill set, the
S2: right gifting. David certainly would have been disadvantaged with this group,
S2: especially compared to Saul's army or the Philistines.
S4: Oh goodness.
S2: Right.
S3: I mean, significantly smaller, significantly.
S2: Remember, need I go back to first Samuel 22? Everyone
S2: who was in distress, debt or bitter in soul flocked
S2: to David.
S4: Sign me up.
S2: And became his army.
S4: Yeah.
S2: So I'm curious to know, have you ever felt kind
S2: of undermanned for what you needed? This could have been
S2: from a people standpoint, but anytime. Can you think about
S2: a time you were in a position of leadership and
S2: you felt like in the natural you did not have
S2: what you needed, but you inquired of the Lord. We'd
S2: love to hear from you this morning. Kind of a nuance,
S2: but I want you to really think about this. The
S2: times when you when you've been tasked to lead something
S2: you didn't feel like you had what you need, but
S2: you had God on your side. 800 555 7898. Let's
S2: hear from you this morning. 800 555 78. 98.
S1: A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is
S1: in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: To be certain, some people have the spiritual gift of leadership.
S3: Sure.
S2: Definitively. We see that in Scripture, and you sometimes see
S2: it in personality. I would say that my son, from
S2: an early age, we could tell that he had a
S2: natural inclination towards leadership.
S3: Yeah.
S2: And we would see this when he was young, really young.
S2: It would come out in in funny ways because he
S2: didn't really know what to do with that. So any,
S2: any sort of mischief he would get into usually involved
S2: his misuse of leadership. Classic example. I'll give you two.
S2: One of the first times he got in not trouble,
S2: but the teacher had to talk to me, kind of
S2: just to help rein him in. He was in, I
S2: think he was five and he was in a class
S2: of kids, and the teacher pulled me aside afterwards. She said,
S2: I had to tell your son today he's not allowed
S2: to release kids to go to the bathroom. I know
S2: that he feels like he's trying to help, but it's
S2: best if I am in that role of teacher. I said, okay,
S2: I can definitely tell him that he can't give permission. Why?
S2: They listen to him, I don't know, but he would
S2: give kids permission and release them from the class. And
S2: apparently they felt like that was authority enough. Another time
S2: he got a class job. You remember the class jobs?
S3: Oh, yeah.
S2: Absolutely. And so he was the bathroom line leader. And
S2: you would have thought he was president of the United States.
S3: Because he took it that seriously.
S2: He took it so seriously. And so apparently this time
S2: he was maybe overstepping or not doing a great job
S2: in his leadership gifting because he came home in absolute distress.
S4: He said, this.
S2: Is first grade. My teacher said if I get one
S2: more complaint, I'm fired from my job.
S4: Oh. Poor baby. Oh.
S2: I'm going. Okay.
S3: He took it like he's getting a paycheck that the
S3: whole family's retired.
S2: If I.
S5: Get one more complaint.
S2: I'm like, what kind of complaints are kids filing about
S2: the bathroom line leader? I don't know if he was
S2: letting the line move too slow.
S4: They weren't in line again.
S2: Releasing kids too quickly into the bathroom or too slowly.
S2: So his leadership inclination has been evident from a young age,
S2: and we just have to try to rein him in
S2: and help him be in the constraints of what's appropriate,
S2: given his age and his level of authority. But what
S2: we take from David's passage of Scripture is in the
S2: first and second Samuel is that it wasn't necessarily his
S2: natural inclination toward leadership. I think you could definitely make
S2: a case for the fact that David was a strong leader,
S2: even as a young man. I would say so. Goliath?
S3: Yeah. No doubt.
S2: But I love that the detail that's often included is
S2: that David inquired of the Lord. David really sought to know,
S2: what is God leading me to do here? And then
S2: he would lead his men accordingly. So it wasn't this
S2: sort of just fly by night. What do I feel
S2: like should be done here? Which is, I think actually
S2: it takes some of the pressure off when you think
S2: about leadership, especially if you don't feel particularly inclined toward it,
S2: that if you are someone who's willing to seek God,
S2: you can be an effective leader of people.
S3: Yeah, sometimes. So this is something that that has been
S3: said when I've been called on to preach, because I'm
S3: not a a preach every Sunday kind of person, but
S3: I've done it before. And and going up on stage
S3: is not something that I always feel confident in. I
S3: often feel very nervous about it. I'd rather I'd rather not,
S3: you know, sometimes. But, uh, I've had people say to me, well,
S3: that's a good indication that you're in the right spot
S3: is because God's given you a gift and you're humble
S3: enough to recognize you don't have it all. If you're
S3: in a spot of I got this, I ain't got
S3: no problem, then that's usually where you get yourself into
S3: the most trouble, because you don't think to inquire of
S3: the Lord, because you think that you're hot enough, stuff
S3: that you don't have to.
S2: And you think about and not to take a weird,
S2: you know, kind of a morbid turn here, but you
S2: think about the people in history who have led a
S2: lot of people astray. Oh, yeah. Down really bad paths. Yes.
S2: And a big part of it was that there was
S2: a natural leadership inclination, the ability to kind of corral people,
S2: to get people to move in one direction. But boy,
S2: if you're not following God, yeah, you can lead a
S2: lot of people astray.
S3: Absolutely. I think of, I think of when Moses was
S3: on the mountain talking to God, and the people of
S3: Israel were sitting there and they're like, no, no one's
S3: here for us. What are we going to do? Aaron
S3: was was like Moses's speaker. So Moses was the leader.
S3: But Aaron was a good leader, too, because he spoke.
S3: And so the people looked up to him and they're
S3: starting to call on him like, we gotta do something.
S3: Moses isn't coming down. What are we going to do?
S5: Yes.
S3: And Aaron, a good leader who did not inquire of God, says, well,
S3: let's build this idol, you know, let's give us a
S3: picture of something we can worship. And and it it
S3: almost wrecked them as a people because a good leader
S3: didn't think to inquire of the Lord and made decisions
S3: that led the people astray.
S2: And that's a great that's very similar. And I'm glad
S2: you brought that one up. And I think I think
S2: it's this is this is the thing I want all
S2: of us to remember is that whether you're leading a
S2: few or many, whether you're leading in your home or
S2: your workplace or a small group or whatever that looks like.
S2: We don't want to rely on natural gifting, whether we
S2: feel like we have it or we don't.
S3: Absolutely.
S2: The key thing is that David inquired of the Lord,
S2: and when he sought the Lord, he became an effective
S2: leader for his ragtag group who was looking to him.
S2: You have an example of this a time when you
S2: were tasked to lead and you know you don't. You
S2: didn't have what it takes, but you inquired of the Lord.
S2: You sought the Lord, the favor, the direction, the wisdom
S2: of the Lord and were able to lead effectively. Tell
S2: me about it. 800 555 7898.
S1: She's a choreographer extraordinaire and everything is Greek to her.
S1: Super dei is in the crew. It's Colin Crew on
S1: Moody Radio.
S2: You know, sometimes people can really nourish us with their words.
S2: Have you ever had somebody give you a compliment that
S2: just really blessed you?
S3: Yes, absolutely.
S2: What comes to mind?
S3: I a couple days ago, I was walking around here
S3: and one of our, one of our bosses looked at
S3: me and he said, have you lost any weight? And
S3: I said, I don't think so. And I said, But
S3: I'm never I'm never wearing anything different from the clothes
S3: I'm currently wearing. Thank you so much for saying that.
S5: That's so good.
S3: And that was really nice.
S5: That's so good. That's hilarious.
S2: When's the last time someone gave you a compliment? In
S2: recent memory that that you felt really good about.
S4: I'm trying to think. I feel so bad. I don't know.
S4: Nothing's jumping to mind. I'm so sorry.
S5: No. That's okay.
S4: How about.
S5: You? You know, I this.
S2: Is top of mind because someone complimented me yesterday, and
S2: it really. It really made my day. We, um. It
S2: was a professor here at Moody who you're going to
S2: hear from this week. And after the interview, he said,
S2: you know, you've really grown in your command of Scripture
S2: since you first started interviewing, because I've been interviewing him
S2: now for seven and a half years that I've been
S2: at probably, I would say half a dozen to a
S2: dozen times over, at least.
S3: At least. Absolutely.
S2: And I said it really took my breath away. And
S2: and I told him, you know, I said, I've never
S2: I never went to Bible college. I don't have a
S2: Bible school education. I wasn't even really a faithful Bible
S2: reader to my to my shame. Even growing up, even
S2: though I called myself a Christian, I didn't open the
S2: Bible very, very frequently. And so I said, I feel
S2: like kind of as an adult, I've sort of had
S2: to play catch up, trying to kind of. And so
S2: that compliment the recognition of growth was meant so much
S2: to me.
S3: That's awesome. I mean, what a cool thing and what
S3: I mean, what a compliment to it.
S2: So like, there's so much more I want to like.
S2: I mean, I still feel like such a novice in
S2: terms of trying to understand scripture and trying to make
S2: sense of it and, and then trying to at times
S2: like teach.
S3: It's not easy.
S2: It's not easy. And so it was such a it
S2: was such a kind thing for him to say.
S4: And it's, it's not so much just the compliment but
S4: also the source of that compliment.
S2: I mean.
S4: I mean, hands down, you know. Wow.
S2: Humbling. Because this is a man who I mean, talk
S2: about someone who has command of the Word of God,
S2: no doubt. But I'm curious to know what's the what's
S2: the last time or someone gave you a compliment that
S2: really meant something to you, and especially if it was
S2: something beyond like the the superficial because yeah, it's it's
S2: great if someone says, hey, I love that new haircut
S2: or have you been working out? Or, you know, having
S2: being complimented on your physical appearance is nice, but when's
S2: the last time someone gave you a compliment that went
S2: a little deeper and really, really encouraged you? Uh, let's
S2: get text messages on this one last compliment that really,
S2: really encouraged you. 805 55 7898 805 55 7898. Maybe
S2: you can compliment someone else today. Look for the good
S2: that you can see in people and call it out.
S1: He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then
S1: he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl
S1: and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: Loving seeing these compliments. I asked you this question. What's
S2: the last compliment you received that really, really encouraged you?
S2: This one came in from someone who said, I got
S2: married too late and I wasn't able to have children.
S2: This past Sunday, which was Mother's Day at church, my
S2: best friend and her husband thanked me for helping raise
S2: their sons.
S3: What a cool.
S4: Thing. That was beautiful.
S3: I love that, and I love that she took on
S3: the the responsibility of saying, well, you know what? Not
S3: the responsibility. But that's the wrong word. But just saying, like,
S3: you know what, I can't have kids, but I'm going
S3: to invest into into other people's lives and be a
S3: figure that's a, you know, that can help them. And
S3: she took that on and it was seen and appreciated.
S4: I love that. Yeah.
S2: That's awesome. 6476 as my wife told me, I'm the
S2: father her kids never had.
S3: Wow.
S2: Wow.
S3: That's amazing.
S2: Wow. Awesome. One Sunday at church. On Sunday at church,
S2: one of the young adult leaders was talking about the
S2: fruit of the spirit and said that I represent joy.
S2: I was in complete shock considering I battle with mental
S2: health and many days are challenging. So someone telling you
S2: that you exude joy, even though often you feel like
S2: it's a struggle. Oh boy. My my adult son said
S2: that I was the best and most beautiful mom ever.
S4: Oh, melt my heart. Hayley and I are like, yes! Oh, man.
S2: You can keep them coming. The text message. Text messages
S2: on this one. The compliment that you received recently that really,
S2: really encouraged you.
S1: This is Curl and Crew on Moody Radio.
S2: As we look at the life of David, these different, uh,
S2: different takeaways today, we've been talking about the leadership of David.
S2: And as I've been just reading through in my own
S2: personal devotion time, I've been in first and second Samuel
S2: and kind of looking at David's life for a little bit,
S2: the leadership aspect struck me, um, he had to take
S2: courageous stands, sometimes even going against what his men were
S2: telling him to do, go ahead and and kill Saul.
S2: The Lord's giving you, giving you him. He's right there
S2: in front of you. And it sounded like good advice,
S2: but David knew better Because David walked closely with the Lord.
S2: And so I'm asking you. I've been asking you. What's
S2: the time you had to take a stand? Maybe even that,
S2: when it went against conventional wisdom or what other people
S2: were even telling you to do because you knew you'd
S2: heard from the Lord? 805 55 7898 let's go to
S2: Donna calling in this morning from Illinois. Tell me, Donna,
S2: have you experienced this in your own life?
S6: I did. I took care of my mom for ten years.
S6: And when my mom died, I was the executor of
S6: her will because I didn't understand wills that much. I
S6: went to a lawyer so he could read it and
S6: help me. And in my mom's will, it said the money,
S6: which was not a lot, should be divided between my
S6: two sisters and myself. And the lawyer said to me, well,
S6: because you didn't take any money for taking care of
S6: your mom for ten years, you should take all the
S6: money that's left. And I said, well, that's not what
S6: my mom's will says. So I'm going to fulfill my
S6: mom's will because the Lord really nudged me, that I
S6: should do exactly what was right and fulfill her will.
S2: Oh, Donna.
S4: I love that.
S6: And not the lawyer.
S2: Yeah, and you know what? It could have been tempting,
S2: because if you felt like, you know, there's a little
S2: bit of an imbalance here where I don't feel like
S2: I know as much about Wills. And this lawyer, who knows,
S2: maybe more than me in this area, is advising me this.
S2: It would have been maybe tempting to take that advice,
S2: but you said the Lord nudged you toward honoring your
S2: mom's wishes.
S6: Yes, definitely. Definitely.
S2: Donna from Illinois. Sweet story. You know, that's when you
S2: know you're getting counsel that's motivated by worldly gains.
S3: Oh, yeah.
S2: That's another one that that should send up that red flag, right?
S3: No doubt. No doubt about.
S2: That. This is the obvious move because this will benefit
S2: you the most. Yeah, sometimes it goes that way, but
S2: a lot of times it's like, ah, no. Like the
S2: obvious way isn't always, or even often God's way. Coming up,
S2: we have a real treat for you. You're going to
S2: hear an encouragement for caregivers. We just mentioned Donna, a
S2: caretaker for her mom for ten years. So many of
S2: you find yourself in that role caregiving, caretaking, caring for
S2: a loved one. Long days. Sometimes thankless hours. Thankless tasks.
S2: But God has given you strength to persevere. You'll hear
S2: a story coming up.
S1: Your shot of hope to help you through the day.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: Well, some of the most holy, sacred work happens in
S2: the unseen spaces. It's not broadcast. It's not up on
S2: a stage. There's not cameras following Caregivers. So many people
S2: find themselves in that role, whether it's for an aging parent,
S2: whether it's for a child. Truly, people of all ages
S2: could find themselves on either the receiving or the giving
S2: end of a caregiver relationship. It's an important one that
S2: isn't talked about enough. Special guest wants to change that.
S2: She's a caregiver advocate. Jess. Ronnie. Tell me a little
S2: bit about your journey as a caregiver. You have spent
S2: much of your life in this role.
S7: Yes, I have. My story really began in 2004, when
S7: I went to what I thought would be a routine
S7: ultrasound appointment for my second child, and it was there
S7: that we were told he had experienced a stroke in utero,
S7: and there was very little hope. It was suggested that
S7: we terminate and try again. My husband and I did
S7: not go that route. Instead, we decided to put the
S7: baby in the Lord's hands and Lucas came screaming with
S7: life on August 12th, 12, 2004, and after undergoing brain
S7: surgery and spending two weeks in the NICU, we were
S7: sent home with our miracle baby with just an umbrella
S7: diagnosis of special needs. And so we went home and
S7: just settled into life. It was very challenging. He was
S7: delayed in every aspect of life and he hardly ever slept.
S7: And we ended up having our daughter a couple of
S7: years later in 2007. And that's when my journey shifted
S7: once again. My husband, Jason started having all of these
S7: unexplainable health problems massive weight loss, disorientation, vision loss, and
S7: he passed out at home one night, was rushed to
S7: the local ER, and it was discovered that he had
S7: a baseball sized brain tumor. He would go on to
S7: fight brain cancer for three years. We had another baby
S7: in the middle of that journey and he ultimately passed away.
S7: August 24th, 2010.
S2: Wow, Jess, you know, you've I'm sure you've now had
S2: to tell that abbreviated form of your story many, many times.
S2: But so much pain and anguish in those years. How
S2: did you navigate the complicated emotions of trying to, you know,
S2: rejoicing in the new life of these babies that God
S2: had given you as you're grieving the illness and ultimately
S2: the death of a husband while still trying to care
S2: for a child with special needs. I mean, take us
S2: to those years. How did you manage? How did God
S2: bring you through that season?
S7: You know, I reacted very differently with each of those
S7: two different scenarios. I really leaned into the Shepherd's care
S7: when I was pregnant with Lucas, and really relied on
S7: his strength and surrendered immediately to his grace and his mercy,
S7: and to this knowledge that his will would be done
S7: either healing Lucas, or providing me with what I needed
S7: to be a mom to Lucas, or providing healing to
S7: Lucas in heaven. And so I experienced that peace that
S7: passes understanding during that pregnancy. My reaction was very different
S7: with Jason's illness and battle with cancer, I. I really
S7: felt like life was unfair at that point. Here I
S7: had four children under six years old, one with profound disabilities,
S7: and a husband who was fighting brain cancer for three years.
S7: And I was really angry. I wrestled with the Lord,
S7: I wailed, I lamented, and ultimately, about two weeks before
S7: Jason passed away, I dropped to my knees in surrender
S7: and said, Lord, I don't know why you've called me
S7: to such a difficult path, but I will obey. And
S7: in this moment I choose to have faith that you
S7: know what you're doing. And in that moment of surrender,
S7: I was able to usher Jason into eternity over the
S7: next two weeks with that piece that had been lacking
S7: for so many years.
S2: Wow. Now, so much of the the journey as a caregiver, um,
S2: you hear about the kind of the bitterness and the
S2: and the resentment that can develop not at the person
S2: who's receiving the care, but just kind of at the
S2: circumstances that you mentioned, that feeling of this isn't fair.
S2: I'm sure so many people who have been in a
S2: caregiver role have wrestled with those emotions. Why? This is
S2: just not how I pictured life going. What do you
S2: tell people having faced those same feelings yourself?
S7: The biggest game changer for me honestly arrived when Lucas
S7: started to go through puberty. Uh, like I mentioned, Lucas
S7: is profoundly disabled and needs assistance in every aspect of life.
S7: He's incontinent, he needs assistance in feeding, he's non-verbal. And
S7: as he started to go through puberty, he became very
S7: aggressive towards his siblings, towards me, towards himself. We had
S7: a lot of behavioural challenges and one day I had
S7: a book deadline and I was starting a nonprofit and
S7: I had really important things that I was trying to
S7: work on. And Lucas was home sick from school, and
S7: all Lucas did all day long was scream, and I
S7: was getting very annoyed and irritated that my important things
S7: couldn't get accomplished because I continued to have to care
S7: for Lucas and his needs. At 15 years old. And
S7: as I was rushing around with this resentment, the Holy
S7: Spirit whispered, this is holy work, Jess. This is the
S7: holiest work you can do. This side of eternity is
S7: caring for someone who cannot care for themselves. And in fact,
S7: in doing this work, you are becoming more Christ like.
S7: And it was such an aha moment for me that
S7: I had been in this caregiver role for 15 years
S7: and had always kind of felt annoyed and irritated, but
S7: in completely shifting my perspective to see it as holy
S7: work and the work that was making me more like
S7: my Savior. Just completely changed everything for me. So much
S7: so that I had a sign created that said, this
S7: is holy work, and I hung it above Lucas's bed
S7: as just a constant, tangible reminder to myself that this
S7: was the most important work that I could be doing.
S2: What guidance would you give someone, Jess, who just does
S2: not feel equipped for the role of caregiver? Maybe they're
S2: they've entered into it unexpectedly or reluctantly, or wishing somebody
S2: else maybe in their family would take on this role.
S2: I know these circumstances can be very complicated. Somebody listening
S2: right now who does not feel equipped for what God
S2: is put in front of them.
S7: Yeah. None of us feel equipped. It's not a role
S7: I think many of us would choose. And I think
S7: it's a recognition that we were chosen for a reason
S7: for this season, and along with an acceptance of that,
S7: there's also an acceptance, I think, that we need to
S7: allow people to help us. As caregivers, we are really
S7: good at holding tightly to this martyr caregiver syndrome, where
S7: nobody can do the job as well as we can
S7: do it, and we are fine and everything's fine, and
S7: we're just going to put our head down and we're
S7: going to get it done. And we don't allow people
S7: the blessing of being able to step in and help us.
S7: And I know I'm guilty of that as well. Through
S7: my many years of caregiving, people would ask, how can
S7: I help you? And I'd say, we're fine, I'm fine,
S7: and I wasn't. I was drowning, and I would just
S7: really encourage any caregivers going through that to surround yourself
S7: with people who can provide those breaks, because if you're
S7: not taking care of yourself, you're no good to your
S7: loved one. And so allow those people to step in
S7: and provide those meals, provide those breaks so that you
S7: can also take care of yourself during this very trying
S7: and busy season.
S2: Now you are the founder and the executive director of
S2: the Lucas Project, which is dedicated to serving parent caregivers.
S2: You and your husband, your husband, Ryan, you have now
S2: remarried and have a blended family with eight kids, a
S2: busy household, I'm sure. Tell me a little bit about
S2: your ministry.
S7: That was born out of that very intense period that
S7: I was sharing about with Lucas going through puberty. My
S7: current husband, Ryan, ended up in ER a couple of
S7: times with panic attacks that resembled heart attacks because we
S7: just never got a break and we were drowning. And,
S7: you know, people were willing to step in and help
S7: with Lucas when he was younger and, you know, cute. Um,
S7: and people will help with a child in briefs when
S7: they're 6 or 7, but when that child becomes 15, 16, 17,
S7: nobody wants to step in and help with that anymore.
S7: And so we just felt extremely isolated and overwhelmed. And
S7: I thought, if we're struggling this much. Other parent caregivers
S7: also must be struggling with a lack of having a break.
S7: And so I just hopped on Google and googled how
S7: to start a nonprofit and filled out the paperwork, sent
S7: it in, and apparently a few weeks later, I was
S7: a nonprofit founder. Um, we partnered with a local school district,
S7: and we started to offer five hour chunks of time,
S7: one Saturday a month, to the special needs families within
S7: our community where they could drop off their child for
S7: a safe, fun filled day. And they could go take
S7: a break. They could go on a date, they could
S7: take a nap, they could run errands, whatever they wanted
S7: to do just to take a break from their caregiving duties.
S7: And the ministry just grew to also include providing recognition,
S7: resources and respite to these families. And now we offer
S7: a multitude of different programs and services on our website.
S2: Now you've written this book, caregiving with grit and grace.
S2: I'm sure much of both is needed. That is the
S2: daily work of of caregiving. So much grace is needed.
S2: How have you reframed the narrative? I know you talk
S2: about that in this book. The narrative of how things
S2: have played out with Lucas, as you have taken on
S2: and embraced this as holy work.
S7: Yeah, for years I viewed Lucas as, you know, somebody
S7: who needed to be fixed. If we could just find
S7: the right therapy or the right nutrition or the right
S7: service or support, then we could, you know, get him
S7: to a typical, normal, you know, human being. And it's funny,
S7: the Lord has used all these years of caring for
S7: him to show me that Lucas is exactly the way
S7: that God intended Lucas to be. Um, and his very
S7: life just screams Glory to God through all of the
S7: things that I've even been able to create as his mother,
S7: because of my experiences of caring for him. And so
S7: it's just been a beautiful process to understand that he
S7: is loved and he is accepted, and he is perfect
S7: just the way God made him. And just like we
S7: will all receive our ultimate healing in heaven one day,
S7: he also will receive that ultimate healing. But right now,
S7: his whole life is just such a beautiful, humble. He's
S7: the most humble individual you could imagine. He doesn't care
S7: about any of the accolades or any of the things
S7: that his life has even brought about, and it's just
S7: an example to the rest of us, I believe.
S2: Jess, Ronnie, our guest right now, and I know her
S2: words of understanding, of support, of encouragement are a balm
S2: to so many of you listening who are in a
S2: caregiving role. I want to point you to a keyword
S2: where you can get more about the book, the resources.
S2: There is a podcast as well. Text grit to 800
S2: 555 7898. Grit. Grit to 805 55 7898.