WEBVTT - Let The Lord Be Your Counsel 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.120 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:12.600 In your opinion, what's been the best super team in 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:13.680 sports history? 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:14.880 Oh, good question. 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:21.400 Best super team loaded with talent. I'm going 90s bulls. 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:25.680 I think you're gonna. You. Thank you. We are in Chicago, 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.040 so I gotta go. I got to go with the 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.000 the repeat the three peat. And I know there was 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:38.320 some personnel changes in there, but Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen. 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:43.200 Dennis rodman, Dennis Rodman for the I think he was 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:47.160 around for the the the later the later ones. Yeah. Yeah. 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:48.720 What do you say? Super teams. 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.919 Any sport. As much as I hate to admit it 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:56.240 because I don't like the team, uh, the New England Patriots. Oh, yeah. 0:00:56.280 --> 0:01:01.260 Six Super Bowl wins. Uh, under one quarterback is, uh, 0:01:01.380 --> 0:01:04.940 something that's never happened before. No quarterback, I think, has 0:01:04.980 --> 0:01:08.340 had over four other than Tom Brady, who's had seven. 0:01:08.340 --> 0:01:12.220 He did one with another team. Uh, but it's uh, 0:01:12.780 --> 0:01:14.380 I mean, it's an impressive feat. 0:01:14.420 --> 0:01:14.860 Yeah. 0:01:15.180 --> 0:01:17.300 I think he won his last one with him in 2018. 0:01:17.300 --> 0:01:21.460 He was I think 40. He was 40 something, 42, 0:01:21.500 --> 0:01:24.100 43 at that time. So that's pretty insane. 0:01:24.100 --> 0:01:27.459 That is it's impressive. What do you think? You listening? 0:01:27.700 --> 0:01:31.020 I pick any sport. What's your favorite super team? This 0:01:31.020 --> 0:01:33.979 was a team that had great success that was loaded 0:01:33.980 --> 0:01:37.980 with talent, any sport, any era. Give me your favorite 0:01:37.980 --> 0:01:43.420 super team 855 five, 7898. Text messages only for this 0:01:43.420 --> 0:01:50.420 one 800 555 7898 we've got 1985 Chicago Bears says 0:01:50.460 --> 0:01:53.700 1934 who's my other one? Yes. Is that the year 0:01:53.700 --> 0:01:56.700 they won the Super Bowl, or was that 8485? Was 0:01:56.700 --> 0:02:03.690 the year okay 90s Detroit Red wings. Oh, they were amazing. Yeah, 0:02:04.210 --> 0:02:06.010 that was the era. Really? I don't. 0:02:06.010 --> 0:02:09.650 Know names. I'm sorry, but I remember the team. Yes, absolutely. 0:02:09.690 --> 0:02:12.130 Well, keep them coming. What do you say your favorite 0:02:12.169 --> 0:02:15.730 super team? 805, 55, 78, 98. 0:02:15.730 --> 0:02:17.649 And I know going back to Chicago. I'm sorry, but 0:02:17.650 --> 0:02:21.850 I bleed cubbie blue. I do. Okay. The 2016 the 0:02:21.850 --> 0:02:26.250 World Series Cubbie team, they bought the World Series back 0:02:26.290 --> 0:02:27.010 to Chicago. 0:02:27.050 --> 0:02:30.210 I thought we were doing dynasties. I'll take it. My favorite. 0:02:30.210 --> 0:02:30.810 Sports. 0:02:31.650 --> 0:02:34.889 Dynasties. Multiple years dies. Not a dynasty. A really good team. 0:02:35.370 --> 0:02:38.090 I mean, super team. As in, just, like, loaded with talent. 0:02:38.090 --> 0:02:41.170 Usually that leads to at least some success. Okay, but 0:02:41.169 --> 0:02:43.250 it doesn't have to be a dynasty. And that certainly 0:02:43.250 --> 0:02:46.530 was a special group. They got it one year and. 0:02:46.570 --> 0:02:48.290 And the personalities on that team. 0:02:48.290 --> 0:02:49.810 Yeah, it was fun. It was a good year. 0:02:49.810 --> 0:02:50.090 Yeah. 0:02:50.090 --> 0:02:53.650 That 20 tens Blackhawks. Yep. Oh yeah. That was a 0:02:53.650 --> 0:02:58.989 good year. The last women gymnastics team USA. I mean, 0:02:59.030 --> 0:03:01.430 they said. And the one before. Well, any team that 0:03:01.430 --> 0:03:04.589 Simone Biles has been on, that's pretty true. She is 0:03:04.590 --> 0:03:10.230 her own super team. Yes. When you are, when your 0:03:10.270 --> 0:03:14.910 skill level and athleticism and ability to perform those certain 0:03:15.350 --> 0:03:19.470 feats are so far above everybody else doing the same thing, 0:03:19.470 --> 0:03:22.510 I think you become a super team. Got another vote? 0:03:22.550 --> 0:03:27.470 Vote for 90 Bulls. The 2018 Golden State Warriors. And 0:03:27.470 --> 0:03:30.030 then they gave me a breakdown. Prime Steph Curry prime 0:03:30.030 --> 0:03:32.270 Klay Thompson prime Kevin Durant. 0:03:32.389 --> 0:03:33.149 That's good. 0:03:33.870 --> 0:03:36.310 And others. But if you don't follow basketball that may 0:03:36.350 --> 0:03:40.830 bore you. Let's see. Okay. Jesus and the disciples. Absolutely. 0:03:40.830 --> 0:03:44.550 I'm with you on that. There you go. 1970 Brazil's 0:03:44.550 --> 0:03:49.310 soccer team with Pele. Oh, yeah. The Cubs in 1969 0:03:49.430 --> 0:03:52.430 and Cubs in 2016. 1969 Cubs. 0:03:52.470 --> 0:03:55.100 They were close. Yeah, they didn't bring it home, but yeah, 0:03:55.100 --> 0:03:55.900 it was a good team. 0:03:56.180 --> 0:04:00.540 1980 US Olympic hockey team, the Cincinnati Reds. The big 0:04:00.540 --> 0:04:04.100 red machine. Mia Hamm in that group in women's soccer. 0:04:04.140 --> 0:04:07.420 I remember that. What was that? Was that was the Olympics. 0:04:07.460 --> 0:04:11.180 Was that 2000? Oh, look that up for me right here. 0:04:11.340 --> 0:04:16.300 Another vote for bears 85 the Edmonton Oilers, mid 1980s 0:04:16.339 --> 0:04:17.300 early 90s. 0:04:18.060 --> 0:04:19.860 I don't know anything about the Edmonton Oilers. 0:04:19.940 --> 0:04:22.140 Got some real, real sports fans here. You got a 0:04:22.140 --> 0:04:23.740 date on that women's soccer team? 0:04:23.980 --> 0:04:25.660 Yeah, it was a World Cup. 0:04:25.700 --> 0:04:27.140 It was me. I do remember. 0:04:27.180 --> 0:04:31.860 91 and 99 Olympics. Yeah, and then two gold Olympics. 0:04:31.860 --> 0:04:33.180 I'm trying to get the year on that. But yeah 0:04:33.180 --> 0:04:33.900 that's right. 0:04:34.460 --> 0:04:37.380 Dallas Cowboys with is it Staubach? 0:04:37.820 --> 0:04:38.300 Staubach. 0:04:38.339 --> 0:04:38.859 Staubach. 0:04:38.900 --> 0:04:39.219 Staubach. 0:04:39.260 --> 0:04:39.500 Roger. 0:04:39.540 --> 0:04:40.140 Was that the. 0:04:40.140 --> 0:04:40.860 Quarterback. 0:04:41.420 --> 0:04:43.900 I'm going to quickly I know a lot about basketball. 0:04:43.900 --> 0:04:46.260 But the minute you get me into any other sport. 0:04:48.940 --> 0:04:49.540 Who's that. 0:04:50.380 --> 0:04:53.560 Side note I had to I had to do the score. 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:55.320 So the scores table at the. 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:56.000 Oh, really? 0:04:56.040 --> 0:04:59.159 At my daughter's basketball game, which I've always avoided having 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.600 to do because I don't really like ever doing it. 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:05.039 And so I'm literally on the sidelines at the game 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:08.520 before on ChatGPT going, what do I need to know 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:11.919 to do the score book for my daughter's AAU basketball game? 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:14.440 And then it actually gave me a breakdown. 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:15.000 Oh, did it. 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:18.000 List the name and number of all of the girls? 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:20.120 And I had to track the fouls, and I had 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:22.880 to track the points, and I had to track the timeouts, 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:26.839 and ChatGPT got it done for me. I managed to 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.359 do it without any sort of mishaps. I felt proud 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:30.840 of myself. 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:31.360 Nice job. 0:05:31.800 --> 0:05:32.680 Sports fans. 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:33.440 Go, mom! 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:33.839 She did. 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:38.520 It. Thank you. To 3428 says Carl and crew. You got. 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:39.160 You're sweet. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:39.640 Wow. 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:40.680 Super team. 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:43.359 So nice. I know. Thank you. 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:46.040 Coming up, as we look at the life of David. 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.700 Think about every super team you've ever heard of, and 0:05:49.700 --> 0:05:52.859 I guarantee David had the exact opposite on his team. 0:05:52.860 --> 0:05:57.380 He had to lead the group that nobody would have picked, 0:05:57.820 --> 0:06:01.180 but yet he led them. Well, let's look at the 0:06:01.180 --> 0:06:02.339 life of David coming up. 0:06:02.620 --> 0:06:06.420 He was running from God, but God's love brought him home. 0:06:06.620 --> 0:06:10.500 Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on 0:06:10.540 --> 0:06:11.580 Moody Radio. 0:06:12.060 --> 0:06:16.140 Well, David's team to me was a little like the 0:06:16.140 --> 0:06:18.460 Little Rascals. You ever seen that movie? 0:06:18.700 --> 0:06:20.180 Yes. It's like. 0:06:20.500 --> 0:06:26.020 It's hilarious. It's Alfalfa and Spanky. Oh, yeah. And who 0:06:26.020 --> 0:06:26.740 were the other ones? 0:06:26.779 --> 0:06:27.380 Darla. 0:06:27.420 --> 0:06:28.020 Buckwheat. 0:06:28.339 --> 0:06:28.900 Buckwheat. 0:06:28.940 --> 0:06:32.219 You know, and they were kind of like they gave 0:06:32.779 --> 0:06:35.660 kind of the a little bit of the neighborhood outcasts 0:06:35.700 --> 0:06:36.339 a little bit. 0:06:36.380 --> 0:06:36.700 Oh, yeah. 0:06:36.900 --> 0:06:40.180 Kind of a ragtag bunch. Sure. But they had great 0:06:40.180 --> 0:06:43.500 adventures together. They did want you to listen to this 0:06:43.500 --> 0:06:47.570 out of first Samuel 22, starting with verse one. This 0:06:47.570 --> 0:06:51.690 is David fleeing from Saul. It says David departed from 0:06:51.690 --> 0:06:54.450 there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when 0:06:54.450 --> 0:06:56.530 his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they 0:06:56.570 --> 0:07:00.409 went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, 0:07:00.529 --> 0:07:03.450 and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was 0:07:03.450 --> 0:07:06.970 bitter in soul gathered to him, and he became commander 0:07:07.010 --> 0:07:10.570 over them. And there were with him about 400 men. 0:07:11.170 --> 0:07:14.770 I have always read that little passage and found it 0:07:14.770 --> 0:07:18.370 fascinating that that's the detail that was included. This is 0:07:18.370 --> 0:07:20.610 the list of David's men. This is the description of them. 0:07:20.610 --> 0:07:24.410 It doesn't say every mighty warrior, every man trained for battle, 0:07:24.450 --> 0:07:28.090 every man gifted and skilled. It says everyone who was 0:07:28.090 --> 0:07:33.690 in distress, in debt and bitter in soul gathered to him, 0:07:34.210 --> 0:07:36.890 and he became their leader. Paraphrase just. 0:07:36.890 --> 0:07:37.250 A bit. 0:07:38.290 --> 0:07:42.490 And for some reason I find that fascinating. One why 0:07:42.490 --> 0:07:45.910 were those the people that were drawn to David? could. 0:07:46.350 --> 0:07:49.470 You could speculate, I guess, that David was a man 0:07:49.470 --> 0:07:53.030 on the run. So maybe the outcasts felt like a 0:07:53.030 --> 0:07:54.070 connection to him. 0:07:54.190 --> 0:07:55.510 I could see that, definitely. 0:07:55.550 --> 0:07:58.630 Somebody who's like, well, that guy has nowhere to go. 0:07:58.830 --> 0:08:01.790 He'll obviously he's on the run to probably some people 0:08:01.830 --> 0:08:03.550 on the run a little bit from the King or 0:08:03.550 --> 0:08:06.390 from other people saying, well, if he's on the run, 0:08:06.430 --> 0:08:08.310 you know, he'll protect me if I come with him. 0:08:08.350 --> 0:08:11.750 It's joined forces with this guy. I'm in distress. I'm 0:08:11.750 --> 0:08:15.989 in debt. I'm in. I'm bitter in soul. David, you're 0:08:15.990 --> 0:08:21.310 my guy. And yet David was able to lead this 0:08:21.510 --> 0:08:26.910 ragtag group to great victory. We read on. This is 0:08:26.910 --> 0:08:30.950 now first Samuel 23, verse one, chapter one, chapter later. 0:08:30.950 --> 0:08:33.709 Who knows? I don't know exactly how much time has passed, 0:08:33.710 --> 0:08:37.350 but it is this same group of men. David inquired 0:08:37.350 --> 0:08:39.750 of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, arise, 0:08:39.790 --> 0:08:42.829 go down to Keilah for I will give the Philistines. 0:08:42.870 --> 0:08:46.300 Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went 0:08:46.300 --> 0:08:48.740 to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, and brought away 0:08:48.740 --> 0:08:52.940 their livestock, and struck them with a great blow. Victor, 0:08:52.980 --> 0:08:58.100 that was a victory. Major military victory. David and his mighty. 0:08:58.580 --> 0:08:58.860 Little. 0:08:58.860 --> 0:09:03.339 Rascals. Mighty little rascal men. Verse 20. This is now 0:09:03.340 --> 0:09:07.740 chapter 27. Very similarly, he goes up and he makes 0:09:07.740 --> 0:09:11.540 raids against different inhabitants in the land, and they have 0:09:11.820 --> 0:09:18.460 victory once again. Key thing here, though, David inquired of 0:09:18.460 --> 0:09:22.420 the Lord. So one of the things I want to 0:09:22.460 --> 0:09:26.540 kind of explore is this. My takeaway from this aspect 0:09:26.540 --> 0:09:29.700 of David's leadership is that when the Lord is your leader, 0:09:30.460 --> 0:09:33.140 you can lead anyone. Amen. 0:09:33.340 --> 0:09:34.380 That's. Yes. 0:09:34.420 --> 0:09:38.780 And so you think about how often you feel like 0:09:38.780 --> 0:09:42.120 you don't have what you need to go into battle. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:46.839 Whether it's the right people, the right skill set, the 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.600 right gifting. David certainly would have been disadvantaged with this group, 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:56.760 especially compared to Saul's army or the Philistines. 0:09:57.160 --> 0:09:57.640 Oh goodness. 0:09:57.679 --> 0:09:58.040 Right. 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.720 I mean, significantly smaller, significantly. 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:05.600 Remember, need I go back to first Samuel 22? Everyone 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:09.439 who was in distress, debt or bitter in soul flocked 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:10.080 to David. 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:10.960 Sign me up. 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:12.520 And became his army. 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:13.040 Yeah. 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:16.200 So I'm curious to know, have you ever felt kind 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:19.840 of undermanned for what you needed? This could have been 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:22.840 from a people standpoint, but anytime. Can you think about 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.440 a time you were in a position of leadership and 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:27.880 you felt like in the natural you did not have 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:31.600 what you needed, but you inquired of the Lord. We'd 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:33.480 love to hear from you this morning. Kind of a nuance, 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:35.160 but I want you to really think about this. The 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:37.960 times when you when you've been tasked to lead something 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.270 you didn't feel like you had what you need, but 0:10:41.630 --> 0:10:46.390 you had God on your side. 800 555 7898. Let's 0:10:46.390 --> 0:10:50.309 hear from you this morning. 800 555 78. 98. 0:10:50.910 --> 0:10:55.430 A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 0:10:55.429 --> 0:10:59.109 in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:10:59.470 --> 0:11:04.710 To be certain, some people have the spiritual gift of leadership. 0:11:05.150 --> 0:11:05.750 Sure. 0:11:07.309 --> 0:11:10.710 Definitively. We see that in Scripture, and you sometimes see 0:11:10.710 --> 0:11:13.470 it in personality. I would say that my son, from 0:11:13.470 --> 0:11:16.190 an early age, we could tell that he had a 0:11:16.190 --> 0:11:19.349 natural inclination towards leadership. 0:11:19.390 --> 0:11:19.750 Yeah. 0:11:20.110 --> 0:11:22.430 And we would see this when he was young, really young. 0:11:22.429 --> 0:11:25.390 It would come out in in funny ways because he 0:11:25.390 --> 0:11:27.950 didn't really know what to do with that. So any, 0:11:28.190 --> 0:11:32.110 any sort of mischief he would get into usually involved 0:11:32.110 --> 0:11:38.610 his misuse of leadership. Classic example. I'll give you two. 0:11:39.010 --> 0:11:41.650 One of the first times he got in not trouble, 0:11:41.650 --> 0:11:44.250 but the teacher had to talk to me, kind of 0:11:44.290 --> 0:11:47.610 just to help rein him in. He was in, I 0:11:47.610 --> 0:11:50.329 think he was five and he was in a class 0:11:50.330 --> 0:11:53.490 of kids, and the teacher pulled me aside afterwards. She said, 0:11:53.490 --> 0:11:56.530 I had to tell your son today he's not allowed 0:11:56.530 --> 0:11:59.090 to release kids to go to the bathroom. I know 0:11:59.090 --> 0:12:02.890 that he feels like he's trying to help, but it's 0:12:02.890 --> 0:12:06.690 best if I am in that role of teacher. I said, okay, 0:12:06.690 --> 0:12:09.770 I can definitely tell him that he can't give permission. Why? 0:12:09.770 --> 0:12:11.610 They listen to him, I don't know, but he would 0:12:11.610 --> 0:12:14.969 give kids permission and release them from the class. And 0:12:14.970 --> 0:12:18.290 apparently they felt like that was authority enough. Another time 0:12:18.290 --> 0:12:21.729 he got a class job. You remember the class jobs? 0:12:21.770 --> 0:12:22.170 Oh, yeah. 0:12:22.210 --> 0:12:26.530 Absolutely. And so he was the bathroom line leader. And 0:12:26.530 --> 0:12:29.250 you would have thought he was president of the United States. 0:12:29.290 --> 0:12:30.370 Because he took it that seriously. 0:12:30.370 --> 0:12:34.690 He took it so seriously. And so apparently this time 0:12:34.690 --> 0:12:37.829 he was maybe overstepping or not doing a great job 0:12:37.830 --> 0:12:41.710 in his leadership gifting because he came home in absolute distress. 0:12:42.750 --> 0:12:43.750 He said, this. 0:12:43.750 --> 0:12:46.709 Is first grade. My teacher said if I get one 0:12:46.710 --> 0:12:49.390 more complaint, I'm fired from my job. 0:12:50.110 --> 0:12:52.350 Oh. Poor baby. Oh. 0:12:52.950 --> 0:12:54.750 I'm going. Okay. 0:12:54.910 --> 0:12:57.150 He took it like he's getting a paycheck that the 0:12:57.150 --> 0:12:58.470 whole family's retired. 0:12:58.510 --> 0:12:58.870 If I. 0:12:58.870 --> 0:13:00.230 Get one more complaint. 0:13:00.270 --> 0:13:02.750 I'm like, what kind of complaints are kids filing about 0:13:02.750 --> 0:13:06.390 the bathroom line leader? I don't know if he was 0:13:06.390 --> 0:13:08.190 letting the line move too slow. 0:13:08.590 --> 0:13:10.189 They weren't in line again. 0:13:10.230 --> 0:13:13.229 Releasing kids too quickly into the bathroom or too slowly. 0:13:13.710 --> 0:13:18.230 So his leadership inclination has been evident from a young age, 0:13:18.230 --> 0:13:20.190 and we just have to try to rein him in 0:13:20.190 --> 0:13:23.230 and help him be in the constraints of what's appropriate, 0:13:23.230 --> 0:13:26.710 given his age and his level of authority. But what 0:13:26.710 --> 0:13:29.910 we take from David's passage of Scripture is in the 0:13:29.910 --> 0:13:33.670 first and second Samuel is that it wasn't necessarily his 0:13:33.820 --> 0:13:36.900 natural inclination toward leadership. I think you could definitely make 0:13:36.900 --> 0:13:39.140 a case for the fact that David was a strong leader, 0:13:39.460 --> 0:13:42.059 even as a young man. I would say so. Goliath? 0:13:42.100 --> 0:13:42.980 Yeah. No doubt. 0:13:43.700 --> 0:13:47.140 But I love that the detail that's often included is 0:13:47.140 --> 0:13:51.420 that David inquired of the Lord. David really sought to know, 0:13:51.460 --> 0:13:54.580 what is God leading me to do here? And then 0:13:54.580 --> 0:13:58.580 he would lead his men accordingly. So it wasn't this 0:13:58.620 --> 0:14:01.300 sort of just fly by night. What do I feel 0:14:01.300 --> 0:14:04.180 like should be done here? Which is, I think actually 0:14:04.179 --> 0:14:06.060 it takes some of the pressure off when you think 0:14:06.059 --> 0:14:11.420 about leadership, especially if you don't feel particularly inclined toward it, 0:14:11.780 --> 0:14:15.500 that if you are someone who's willing to seek God, 0:14:16.020 --> 0:14:19.660 you can be an effective leader of people. 0:14:19.700 --> 0:14:23.580 Yeah, sometimes. So this is something that that has been 0:14:23.580 --> 0:14:26.460 said when I've been called on to preach, because I'm 0:14:26.500 --> 0:14:29.180 not a a preach every Sunday kind of person, but 0:14:29.180 --> 0:14:32.800 I've done it before. And and going up on stage 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:37.120 is not something that I always feel confident in. I 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:40.920 often feel very nervous about it. I'd rather I'd rather not, 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.560 you know, sometimes. But, uh, I've had people say to me, well, 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:47.880 that's a good indication that you're in the right spot 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:50.680 is because God's given you a gift and you're humble 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.360 enough to recognize you don't have it all. If you're 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:55.600 in a spot of I got this, I ain't got 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:58.200 no problem, then that's usually where you get yourself into 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.840 the most trouble, because you don't think to inquire of 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.880 the Lord, because you think that you're hot enough, stuff 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:04.880 that you don't have to. 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.120 And you think about and not to take a weird, 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.480 you know, kind of a morbid turn here, but you 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.400 think about the people in history who have led a 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:18.720 lot of people astray. Oh, yeah. Down really bad paths. Yes. 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:22.080 And a big part of it was that there was 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:27.280 a natural leadership inclination, the ability to kind of corral people, 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:30.510 to get people to move in one direction. But boy, 0:15:30.510 --> 0:15:34.070 if you're not following God, yeah, you can lead a 0:15:34.070 --> 0:15:35.350 lot of people astray. 0:15:35.390 --> 0:15:38.630 Absolutely. I think of, I think of when Moses was 0:15:38.630 --> 0:15:40.630 on the mountain talking to God, and the people of 0:15:40.630 --> 0:15:43.630 Israel were sitting there and they're like, no, no one's 0:15:43.630 --> 0:15:45.910 here for us. What are we going to do? Aaron 0:15:45.910 --> 0:15:49.550 was was like Moses's speaker. So Moses was the leader. 0:15:49.550 --> 0:15:52.310 But Aaron was a good leader, too, because he spoke. 0:15:52.310 --> 0:15:54.310 And so the people looked up to him and they're 0:15:54.310 --> 0:15:56.550 starting to call on him like, we gotta do something. 0:15:56.590 --> 0:15:58.510 Moses isn't coming down. What are we going to do? 0:15:58.750 --> 0:15:59.190 Yes. 0:15:59.230 --> 0:16:02.870 And Aaron, a good leader who did not inquire of God, says, well, 0:16:02.870 --> 0:16:05.030 let's build this idol, you know, let's give us a 0:16:05.030 --> 0:16:08.150 picture of something we can worship. And and it it 0:16:08.150 --> 0:16:12.990 almost wrecked them as a people because a good leader 0:16:13.430 --> 0:16:16.550 didn't think to inquire of the Lord and made decisions 0:16:16.550 --> 0:16:18.229 that led the people astray. 0:16:18.950 --> 0:16:21.270 And that's a great that's very similar. And I'm glad 0:16:21.270 --> 0:16:23.070 you brought that one up. And I think I think 0:16:23.110 --> 0:16:25.310 it's this is this is the thing I want all 0:16:25.310 --> 0:16:28.030 of us to remember is that whether you're leading a 0:16:28.170 --> 0:16:31.010 few or many, whether you're leading in your home or 0:16:31.010 --> 0:16:34.770 your workplace or a small group or whatever that looks like. 0:16:35.250 --> 0:16:38.210 We don't want to rely on natural gifting, whether we 0:16:38.210 --> 0:16:40.530 feel like we have it or we don't. 0:16:40.570 --> 0:16:41.370 Absolutely. 0:16:41.410 --> 0:16:45.370 The key thing is that David inquired of the Lord, 0:16:45.370 --> 0:16:49.090 and when he sought the Lord, he became an effective 0:16:49.090 --> 0:16:53.290 leader for his ragtag group who was looking to him. 0:16:53.850 --> 0:16:55.930 You have an example of this a time when you 0:16:55.930 --> 0:16:58.690 were tasked to lead and you know you don't. You 0:16:58.690 --> 0:17:01.690 didn't have what it takes, but you inquired of the Lord. 0:17:01.690 --> 0:17:04.449 You sought the Lord, the favor, the direction, the wisdom 0:17:04.450 --> 0:17:08.010 of the Lord and were able to lead effectively. Tell 0:17:08.010 --> 0:17:11.890 me about it. 800 555 7898. 0:17:12.330 --> 0:17:16.929 She's a choreographer extraordinaire and everything is Greek to her. 0:17:17.369 --> 0:17:21.370 Super dei is in the crew. It's Colin Crew on 0:17:21.369 --> 0:17:22.370 Moody Radio. 0:17:22.810 --> 0:17:27.149 You know, sometimes people can really nourish us with their words. 0:17:27.510 --> 0:17:30.389 Have you ever had somebody give you a compliment that 0:17:30.390 --> 0:17:33.270 just really blessed you? 0:17:33.310 --> 0:17:34.470 Yes, absolutely. 0:17:34.510 --> 0:17:35.310 What comes to mind? 0:17:35.350 --> 0:17:38.590 I a couple days ago, I was walking around here 0:17:38.630 --> 0:17:41.669 and one of our, one of our bosses looked at 0:17:41.670 --> 0:17:45.030 me and he said, have you lost any weight? And 0:17:45.030 --> 0:17:47.950 I said, I don't think so. And I said, But 0:17:47.950 --> 0:17:50.869 I'm never I'm never wearing anything different from the clothes 0:17:50.869 --> 0:17:53.910 I'm currently wearing. Thank you so much for saying that. 0:17:53.950 --> 0:17:54.430 That's so good. 0:17:54.470 --> 0:17:55.710 And that was really nice. 0:17:56.790 --> 0:17:58.990 That's so good. That's hilarious. 0:17:59.869 --> 0:18:04.750 When's the last time someone gave you a compliment? In 0:18:04.750 --> 0:18:08.869 recent memory that that you felt really good about. 0:18:08.910 --> 0:18:12.790 I'm trying to think. I feel so bad. I don't know. 0:18:14.270 --> 0:18:16.230 Nothing's jumping to mind. I'm so sorry. 0:18:16.270 --> 0:18:16.950 No. That's okay. 0:18:16.990 --> 0:18:17.310 How about. 0:18:17.310 --> 0:18:18.830 You? You know, I this. 0:18:18.830 --> 0:18:23.150 Is top of mind because someone complimented me yesterday, and 0:18:23.150 --> 0:18:27.899 it really. It really made my day. We, um. It 0:18:27.900 --> 0:18:31.379 was a professor here at Moody who you're going to 0:18:31.380 --> 0:18:35.900 hear from this week. And after the interview, he said, 0:18:35.940 --> 0:18:40.940 you know, you've really grown in your command of Scripture 0:18:40.940 --> 0:18:44.580 since you first started interviewing, because I've been interviewing him 0:18:44.580 --> 0:18:47.660 now for seven and a half years that I've been 0:18:47.700 --> 0:18:52.020 at probably, I would say half a dozen to a 0:18:52.020 --> 0:18:53.620 dozen times over, at least. 0:18:53.660 --> 0:18:54.940 At least. Absolutely. 0:18:55.140 --> 0:18:59.580 And I said it really took my breath away. And 0:18:59.780 --> 0:19:01.580 and I told him, you know, I said, I've never 0:19:01.580 --> 0:19:03.820 I never went to Bible college. I don't have a 0:19:03.820 --> 0:19:07.780 Bible school education. I wasn't even really a faithful Bible 0:19:07.780 --> 0:19:11.220 reader to my to my shame. Even growing up, even 0:19:11.220 --> 0:19:13.179 though I called myself a Christian, I didn't open the 0:19:13.180 --> 0:19:16.940 Bible very, very frequently. And so I said, I feel 0:19:16.940 --> 0:19:19.220 like kind of as an adult, I've sort of had 0:19:19.220 --> 0:19:22.919 to play catch up, trying to kind of. And so 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:30.000 that compliment the recognition of growth was meant so much 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:30.520 to me. 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:32.320 That's awesome. I mean, what a cool thing and what 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:33.560 I mean, what a compliment to it. 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.840 So like, there's so much more I want to like. 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.320 I mean, I still feel like such a novice in 0:19:39.320 --> 0:19:42.480 terms of trying to understand scripture and trying to make 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:44.960 sense of it and, and then trying to at times 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:46.440 like teach. 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:47.280 It's not easy. 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:49.560 It's not easy. And so it was such a it 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:51.520 was such a kind thing for him to say. 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:53.840 And it's, it's not so much just the compliment but 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:56.400 also the source of that compliment. 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:57.120 I mean. 0:19:57.160 --> 0:20:00.120 I mean, hands down, you know. Wow. 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:02.199 Humbling. Because this is a man who I mean, talk 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:04.719 about someone who has command of the Word of God, 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:06.720 no doubt. But I'm curious to know what's the what's 0:20:06.720 --> 0:20:10.480 the last time or someone gave you a compliment that 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:13.520 really meant something to you, and especially if it was 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.960 something beyond like the the superficial because yeah, it's it's 0:20:16.960 --> 0:20:19.720 great if someone says, hey, I love that new haircut 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:22.790 or have you been working out? Or, you know, having 0:20:23.270 --> 0:20:26.430 being complimented on your physical appearance is nice, but when's 0:20:26.430 --> 0:20:28.590 the last time someone gave you a compliment that went 0:20:28.590 --> 0:20:32.669 a little deeper and really, really encouraged you? Uh, let's 0:20:32.670 --> 0:20:35.670 get text messages on this one last compliment that really, 0:20:35.670 --> 0:20:43.790 really encouraged you. 805 55 7898 805 55 7898. Maybe 0:20:43.790 --> 0:20:47.670 you can compliment someone else today. Look for the good 0:20:47.670 --> 0:20:50.030 that you can see in people and call it out. 0:20:50.630 --> 0:20:53.670 He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then 0:20:53.710 --> 0:20:58.030 he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl 0:20:58.030 --> 0:20:59.790 and crew on Moody Radio. 0:21:00.150 --> 0:21:04.310 Loving seeing these compliments. I asked you this question. What's 0:21:04.310 --> 0:21:08.590 the last compliment you received that really, really encouraged you? 0:21:08.830 --> 0:21:10.550 This one came in from someone who said, I got 0:21:10.550 --> 0:21:12.910 married too late and I wasn't able to have children. 0:21:12.910 --> 0:21:16.109 This past Sunday, which was Mother's Day at church, my 0:21:16.109 --> 0:21:19.450 best friend and her husband thanked me for helping raise 0:21:19.450 --> 0:21:20.250 their sons. 0:21:20.890 --> 0:21:21.530 What a cool. 0:21:21.530 --> 0:21:23.050 Thing. That was beautiful. 0:21:23.250 --> 0:21:25.810 I love that, and I love that she took on 0:21:25.850 --> 0:21:29.290 the the responsibility of saying, well, you know what? Not 0:21:29.290 --> 0:21:31.729 the responsibility. But that's the wrong word. But just saying, like, 0:21:31.810 --> 0:21:33.610 you know what, I can't have kids, but I'm going 0:21:33.609 --> 0:21:36.610 to invest into into other people's lives and be a 0:21:36.609 --> 0:21:39.169 figure that's a, you know, that can help them. And 0:21:39.170 --> 0:21:41.250 she took that on and it was seen and appreciated. 0:21:41.290 --> 0:21:42.130 I love that. Yeah. 0:21:42.130 --> 0:21:45.410 That's awesome. 6476 as my wife told me, I'm the 0:21:45.410 --> 0:21:47.410 father her kids never had. 0:21:47.970 --> 0:21:48.450 Wow. 0:21:49.490 --> 0:21:49.930 Wow. 0:21:50.130 --> 0:21:51.170 That's amazing. 0:21:51.810 --> 0:21:56.250 Wow. Awesome. One Sunday at church. On Sunday at church, 0:21:56.250 --> 0:21:57.970 one of the young adult leaders was talking about the 0:21:57.970 --> 0:22:00.490 fruit of the spirit and said that I represent joy. 0:22:00.490 --> 0:22:03.090 I was in complete shock considering I battle with mental 0:22:03.090 --> 0:22:06.290 health and many days are challenging. So someone telling you 0:22:06.290 --> 0:22:09.370 that you exude joy, even though often you feel like 0:22:09.369 --> 0:22:14.410 it's a struggle. Oh boy. My my adult son said 0:22:14.410 --> 0:22:17.070 that I was the best and most beautiful mom ever. 0:22:17.869 --> 0:22:23.870 Oh, melt my heart. Hayley and I are like, yes! Oh, man. 0:22:23.910 --> 0:22:26.870 You can keep them coming. The text message. Text messages 0:22:26.869 --> 0:22:31.030 on this one. The compliment that you received recently that really, 0:22:31.030 --> 0:22:32.629 really encouraged you. 0:22:33.790 --> 0:22:36.790 This is Curl and Crew on Moody Radio. 0:22:38.390 --> 0:22:41.150 As we look at the life of David, these different, uh, 0:22:41.150 --> 0:22:44.669 different takeaways today, we've been talking about the leadership of David. 0:22:44.670 --> 0:22:46.830 And as I've been just reading through in my own 0:22:46.830 --> 0:22:49.430 personal devotion time, I've been in first and second Samuel 0:22:49.470 --> 0:22:52.350 and kind of looking at David's life for a little bit, 0:22:52.390 --> 0:22:56.030 the leadership aspect struck me, um, he had to take 0:22:56.030 --> 0:23:00.230 courageous stands, sometimes even going against what his men were 0:23:00.230 --> 0:23:04.070 telling him to do, go ahead and and kill Saul. 0:23:04.109 --> 0:23:07.710 The Lord's giving you, giving you him. He's right there 0:23:07.710 --> 0:23:11.710 in front of you. And it sounded like good advice, 0:23:11.710 --> 0:23:16.780 but David knew better Because David walked closely with the Lord. 0:23:17.020 --> 0:23:18.859 And so I'm asking you. I've been asking you. What's 0:23:18.859 --> 0:23:21.940 the time you had to take a stand? Maybe even that, 0:23:21.980 --> 0:23:25.139 when it went against conventional wisdom or what other people 0:23:25.140 --> 0:23:27.859 were even telling you to do because you knew you'd 0:23:27.859 --> 0:23:32.100 heard from the Lord? 805 55 7898 let's go to 0:23:32.140 --> 0:23:34.740 Donna calling in this morning from Illinois. Tell me, Donna, 0:23:34.780 --> 0:23:37.100 have you experienced this in your own life? 0:23:38.300 --> 0:23:42.540 I did. I took care of my mom for ten years. 0:23:42.900 --> 0:23:46.420 And when my mom died, I was the executor of 0:23:46.420 --> 0:23:49.980 her will because I didn't understand wills that much. I 0:23:49.980 --> 0:23:52.780 went to a lawyer so he could read it and 0:23:52.780 --> 0:23:57.060 help me. And in my mom's will, it said the money, 0:23:57.060 --> 0:24:00.540 which was not a lot, should be divided between my 0:24:00.580 --> 0:24:05.660 two sisters and myself. And the lawyer said to me, well, 0:24:05.700 --> 0:24:09.419 because you didn't take any money for taking care of 0:24:09.420 --> 0:24:12.419 your mom for ten years, you should take all the 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:15.960 money that's left. And I said, well, that's not what 0:24:15.960 --> 0:24:20.200 my mom's will says. So I'm going to fulfill my 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:23.720 mom's will because the Lord really nudged me, that I 0:24:23.720 --> 0:24:27.199 should do exactly what was right and fulfill her will. 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:27.919 Oh, Donna. 0:24:27.920 --> 0:24:29.119 I love that. 0:24:29.160 --> 0:24:30.159 And not the lawyer. 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:32.600 Yeah, and you know what? It could have been tempting, 0:24:32.600 --> 0:24:34.360 because if you felt like, you know, there's a little 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:36.280 bit of an imbalance here where I don't feel like 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:39.000 I know as much about Wills. And this lawyer, who knows, 0:24:39.400 --> 0:24:42.320 maybe more than me in this area, is advising me this. 0:24:42.320 --> 0:24:45.760 It would have been maybe tempting to take that advice, 0:24:45.760 --> 0:24:48.640 but you said the Lord nudged you toward honoring your 0:24:48.640 --> 0:24:49.520 mom's wishes. 0:24:50.440 --> 0:24:53.000 Yes, definitely. Definitely. 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:58.560 Donna from Illinois. Sweet story. You know, that's when you 0:24:58.560 --> 0:25:03.360 know you're getting counsel that's motivated by worldly gains. 0:25:03.560 --> 0:25:03.920 Oh, yeah. 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:07.240 That's another one that that should send up that red flag, right? 0:25:07.280 --> 0:25:08.520 No doubt. No doubt about. 0:25:08.520 --> 0:25:11.790 That. This is the obvious move because this will benefit 0:25:11.790 --> 0:25:16.070 you the most. Yeah, sometimes it goes that way, but 0:25:16.109 --> 0:25:19.430 a lot of times it's like, ah, no. Like the 0:25:19.430 --> 0:25:25.150 obvious way isn't always, or even often God's way. Coming up, 0:25:25.150 --> 0:25:26.909 we have a real treat for you. You're going to 0:25:26.950 --> 0:25:32.189 hear an encouragement for caregivers. We just mentioned Donna, a 0:25:32.230 --> 0:25:35.109 caretaker for her mom for ten years. So many of 0:25:35.109 --> 0:25:40.070 you find yourself in that role caregiving, caretaking, caring for 0:25:40.070 --> 0:25:45.869 a loved one. Long days. Sometimes thankless hours. Thankless tasks. 0:25:46.230 --> 0:25:48.550 But God has given you strength to persevere. You'll hear 0:25:48.550 --> 0:25:49.510 a story coming up. 0:25:49.910 --> 0:25:52.590 Your shot of hope to help you through the day. 0:25:52.869 --> 0:25:55.950 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:25:56.710 --> 0:26:00.870 Well, some of the most holy, sacred work happens in 0:26:00.869 --> 0:26:04.630 the unseen spaces. It's not broadcast. It's not up on 0:26:04.630 --> 0:26:10.570 a stage. There's not cameras following Caregivers. So many people 0:26:10.570 --> 0:26:13.930 find themselves in that role, whether it's for an aging parent, 0:26:13.930 --> 0:26:17.850 whether it's for a child. Truly, people of all ages 0:26:17.850 --> 0:26:22.250 could find themselves on either the receiving or the giving 0:26:22.250 --> 0:26:26.290 end of a caregiver relationship. It's an important one that 0:26:26.290 --> 0:26:30.130 isn't talked about enough. Special guest wants to change that. 0:26:30.130 --> 0:26:33.850 She's a caregiver advocate. Jess. Ronnie. Tell me a little 0:26:33.890 --> 0:26:37.050 bit about your journey as a caregiver. You have spent 0:26:37.050 --> 0:26:39.170 much of your life in this role. 0:26:39.450 --> 0:26:43.330 Yes, I have. My story really began in 2004, when 0:26:43.330 --> 0:26:45.850 I went to what I thought would be a routine 0:26:45.850 --> 0:26:49.570 ultrasound appointment for my second child, and it was there 0:26:49.570 --> 0:26:52.450 that we were told he had experienced a stroke in utero, 0:26:52.450 --> 0:26:55.090 and there was very little hope. It was suggested that 0:26:55.090 --> 0:26:57.490 we terminate and try again. My husband and I did 0:26:57.490 --> 0:27:00.649 not go that route. Instead, we decided to put the 0:27:00.650 --> 0:27:04.730 baby in the Lord's hands and Lucas came screaming with 0:27:04.730 --> 0:27:08.990 life on August 12th, 12, 2004, and after undergoing brain 0:27:08.990 --> 0:27:11.950 surgery and spending two weeks in the NICU, we were 0:27:11.950 --> 0:27:15.110 sent home with our miracle baby with just an umbrella 0:27:15.109 --> 0:27:19.470 diagnosis of special needs. And so we went home and 0:27:19.470 --> 0:27:22.590 just settled into life. It was very challenging. He was 0:27:22.590 --> 0:27:26.310 delayed in every aspect of life and he hardly ever slept. 0:27:26.310 --> 0:27:29.949 And we ended up having our daughter a couple of 0:27:29.950 --> 0:27:33.750 years later in 2007. And that's when my journey shifted 0:27:33.750 --> 0:27:37.629 once again. My husband, Jason started having all of these 0:27:37.670 --> 0:27:43.390 unexplainable health problems massive weight loss, disorientation, vision loss, and 0:27:43.390 --> 0:27:45.830 he passed out at home one night, was rushed to 0:27:45.869 --> 0:27:47.990 the local ER, and it was discovered that he had 0:27:47.990 --> 0:27:50.629 a baseball sized brain tumor. He would go on to 0:27:50.670 --> 0:27:53.550 fight brain cancer for three years. We had another baby 0:27:53.550 --> 0:27:56.470 in the middle of that journey and he ultimately passed away. 0:27:56.510 --> 0:27:58.470 August 24th, 2010. 0:27:58.670 --> 0:28:02.790 Wow, Jess, you know, you've I'm sure you've now had 0:28:02.790 --> 0:28:07.900 to tell that abbreviated form of your story many, many times. 0:28:08.260 --> 0:28:13.979 But so much pain and anguish in those years. How 0:28:14.020 --> 0:28:18.380 did you navigate the complicated emotions of trying to, you know, 0:28:18.420 --> 0:28:20.900 rejoicing in the new life of these babies that God 0:28:20.940 --> 0:28:24.940 had given you as you're grieving the illness and ultimately 0:28:24.940 --> 0:28:27.220 the death of a husband while still trying to care 0:28:27.220 --> 0:28:29.980 for a child with special needs. I mean, take us 0:28:29.980 --> 0:28:35.180 to those years. How did you manage? How did God 0:28:35.220 --> 0:28:37.020 bring you through that season? 0:28:37.780 --> 0:28:40.500 You know, I reacted very differently with each of those 0:28:40.740 --> 0:28:46.580 two different scenarios. I really leaned into the Shepherd's care 0:28:46.580 --> 0:28:49.780 when I was pregnant with Lucas, and really relied on 0:28:49.780 --> 0:28:56.620 his strength and surrendered immediately to his grace and his mercy, 0:28:56.620 --> 0:29:01.020 and to this knowledge that his will would be done 0:29:01.060 --> 0:29:05.680 either healing Lucas, or providing me with what I needed 0:29:05.680 --> 0:29:08.760 to be a mom to Lucas, or providing healing to 0:29:08.800 --> 0:29:13.800 Lucas in heaven. And so I experienced that peace that 0:29:13.800 --> 0:29:18.120 passes understanding during that pregnancy. My reaction was very different 0:29:18.120 --> 0:29:22.520 with Jason's illness and battle with cancer, I. I really 0:29:22.520 --> 0:29:25.480 felt like life was unfair at that point. Here I 0:29:25.480 --> 0:29:29.960 had four children under six years old, one with profound disabilities, 0:29:29.960 --> 0:29:33.520 and a husband who was fighting brain cancer for three years. 0:29:33.960 --> 0:29:37.120 And I was really angry. I wrestled with the Lord, 0:29:37.120 --> 0:29:40.640 I wailed, I lamented, and ultimately, about two weeks before 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:44.440 Jason passed away, I dropped to my knees in surrender 0:29:44.440 --> 0:29:47.280 and said, Lord, I don't know why you've called me 0:29:47.280 --> 0:29:51.480 to such a difficult path, but I will obey. And 0:29:51.480 --> 0:29:54.320 in this moment I choose to have faith that you 0:29:54.320 --> 0:29:58.800 know what you're doing. And in that moment of surrender, 0:29:59.120 --> 0:30:03.070 I was able to usher Jason into eternity over the 0:30:03.070 --> 0:30:06.630 next two weeks with that piece that had been lacking 0:30:06.630 --> 0:30:08.030 for so many years. 0:30:08.070 --> 0:30:13.030 Wow. Now, so much of the the journey as a caregiver, um, 0:30:13.030 --> 0:30:16.430 you hear about the kind of the bitterness and the 0:30:16.470 --> 0:30:21.430 and the resentment that can develop not at the person 0:30:21.430 --> 0:30:23.830 who's receiving the care, but just kind of at the 0:30:23.830 --> 0:30:27.670 circumstances that you mentioned, that feeling of this isn't fair. 0:30:27.670 --> 0:30:29.390 I'm sure so many people who have been in a 0:30:29.390 --> 0:30:34.350 caregiver role have wrestled with those emotions. Why? This is 0:30:34.350 --> 0:30:37.229 just not how I pictured life going. What do you 0:30:37.230 --> 0:30:40.510 tell people having faced those same feelings yourself? 0:30:40.830 --> 0:30:44.390 The biggest game changer for me honestly arrived when Lucas 0:30:44.390 --> 0:30:47.750 started to go through puberty. Uh, like I mentioned, Lucas 0:30:47.790 --> 0:30:51.510 is profoundly disabled and needs assistance in every aspect of life. 0:30:51.550 --> 0:30:56.430 He's incontinent, he needs assistance in feeding, he's non-verbal. And 0:30:56.430 --> 0:30:59.450 as he started to go through puberty, he became very 0:30:59.450 --> 0:31:04.210 aggressive towards his siblings, towards me, towards himself. We had 0:31:04.210 --> 0:31:08.290 a lot of behavioural challenges and one day I had 0:31:08.290 --> 0:31:11.370 a book deadline and I was starting a nonprofit and 0:31:11.370 --> 0:31:13.610 I had really important things that I was trying to 0:31:13.650 --> 0:31:16.450 work on. And Lucas was home sick from school, and 0:31:16.450 --> 0:31:20.090 all Lucas did all day long was scream, and I 0:31:20.090 --> 0:31:24.370 was getting very annoyed and irritated that my important things 0:31:24.570 --> 0:31:27.730 couldn't get accomplished because I continued to have to care 0:31:27.730 --> 0:31:31.250 for Lucas and his needs. At 15 years old. And 0:31:31.250 --> 0:31:33.970 as I was rushing around with this resentment, the Holy 0:31:33.970 --> 0:31:37.490 Spirit whispered, this is holy work, Jess. This is the 0:31:37.490 --> 0:31:40.050 holiest work you can do. This side of eternity is 0:31:40.050 --> 0:31:43.730 caring for someone who cannot care for themselves. And in fact, 0:31:44.050 --> 0:31:47.850 in doing this work, you are becoming more Christ like. 0:31:48.010 --> 0:31:50.969 And it was such an aha moment for me that 0:31:51.370 --> 0:31:54.130 I had been in this caregiver role for 15 years 0:31:54.130 --> 0:31:57.680 and had always kind of felt annoyed and irritated, but 0:31:57.720 --> 0:32:01.080 in completely shifting my perspective to see it as holy 0:32:01.120 --> 0:32:03.800 work and the work that was making me more like 0:32:03.800 --> 0:32:07.640 my Savior. Just completely changed everything for me. So much 0:32:07.640 --> 0:32:10.920 so that I had a sign created that said, this 0:32:10.920 --> 0:32:13.240 is holy work, and I hung it above Lucas's bed 0:32:13.240 --> 0:32:17.480 as just a constant, tangible reminder to myself that this 0:32:17.480 --> 0:32:19.800 was the most important work that I could be doing. 0:32:20.360 --> 0:32:23.840 What guidance would you give someone, Jess, who just does 0:32:23.840 --> 0:32:28.160 not feel equipped for the role of caregiver? Maybe they're 0:32:28.200 --> 0:32:33.160 they've entered into it unexpectedly or reluctantly, or wishing somebody 0:32:33.160 --> 0:32:35.680 else maybe in their family would take on this role. 0:32:35.680 --> 0:32:39.160 I know these circumstances can be very complicated. Somebody listening 0:32:39.160 --> 0:32:41.960 right now who does not feel equipped for what God 0:32:42.000 --> 0:32:43.840 is put in front of them. 0:32:44.280 --> 0:32:47.080 Yeah. None of us feel equipped. It's not a role 0:32:47.080 --> 0:32:50.800 I think many of us would choose. And I think 0:32:50.800 --> 0:32:54.000 it's a recognition that we were chosen for a reason 0:32:54.000 --> 0:33:00.180 for this season, and along with an acceptance of that, 0:33:00.180 --> 0:33:05.020 there's also an acceptance, I think, that we need to 0:33:05.300 --> 0:33:09.060 allow people to help us. As caregivers, we are really 0:33:09.060 --> 0:33:13.300 good at holding tightly to this martyr caregiver syndrome, where 0:33:13.300 --> 0:33:15.420 nobody can do the job as well as we can 0:33:15.420 --> 0:33:18.300 do it, and we are fine and everything's fine, and 0:33:18.300 --> 0:33:19.900 we're just going to put our head down and we're 0:33:19.900 --> 0:33:22.980 going to get it done. And we don't allow people 0:33:22.980 --> 0:33:25.780 the blessing of being able to step in and help us. 0:33:26.300 --> 0:33:29.740 And I know I'm guilty of that as well. Through 0:33:29.740 --> 0:33:32.180 my many years of caregiving, people would ask, how can 0:33:32.180 --> 0:33:34.460 I help you? And I'd say, we're fine, I'm fine, 0:33:34.460 --> 0:33:37.740 and I wasn't. I was drowning, and I would just 0:33:37.740 --> 0:33:42.180 really encourage any caregivers going through that to surround yourself 0:33:42.180 --> 0:33:45.900 with people who can provide those breaks, because if you're 0:33:45.900 --> 0:33:48.220 not taking care of yourself, you're no good to your 0:33:48.220 --> 0:33:51.140 loved one. And so allow those people to step in 0:33:51.140 --> 0:33:54.200 and provide those meals, provide those breaks so that you 0:33:54.200 --> 0:33:56.800 can also take care of yourself during this very trying 0:33:56.840 --> 0:33:57.880 and busy season. 0:33:58.360 --> 0:34:00.600 Now you are the founder and the executive director of 0:34:00.600 --> 0:34:04.680 the Lucas Project, which is dedicated to serving parent caregivers. 0:34:05.120 --> 0:34:08.640 You and your husband, your husband, Ryan, you have now 0:34:08.640 --> 0:34:12.680 remarried and have a blended family with eight kids, a 0:34:12.719 --> 0:34:15.600 busy household, I'm sure. Tell me a little bit about 0:34:15.600 --> 0:34:16.520 your ministry. 0:34:17.000 --> 0:34:19.440 That was born out of that very intense period that 0:34:19.440 --> 0:34:22.600 I was sharing about with Lucas going through puberty. My 0:34:22.600 --> 0:34:25.200 current husband, Ryan, ended up in ER a couple of 0:34:25.200 --> 0:34:28.160 times with panic attacks that resembled heart attacks because we 0:34:28.160 --> 0:34:31.600 just never got a break and we were drowning. And, 0:34:31.920 --> 0:34:33.960 you know, people were willing to step in and help 0:34:33.960 --> 0:34:38.040 with Lucas when he was younger and, you know, cute. Um, 0:34:38.360 --> 0:34:41.440 and people will help with a child in briefs when 0:34:41.440 --> 0:34:45.160 they're 6 or 7, but when that child becomes 15, 16, 17, 0:34:45.160 --> 0:34:47.719 nobody wants to step in and help with that anymore. 0:34:48.080 --> 0:34:51.670 And so we just felt extremely isolated and overwhelmed. And 0:34:51.670 --> 0:34:55.470 I thought, if we're struggling this much. Other parent caregivers 0:34:55.469 --> 0:34:59.190 also must be struggling with a lack of having a break. 0:34:59.590 --> 0:35:02.790 And so I just hopped on Google and googled how 0:35:02.790 --> 0:35:06.230 to start a nonprofit and filled out the paperwork, sent 0:35:06.230 --> 0:35:08.629 it in, and apparently a few weeks later, I was 0:35:08.630 --> 0:35:13.870 a nonprofit founder. Um, we partnered with a local school district, 0:35:13.870 --> 0:35:17.390 and we started to offer five hour chunks of time, 0:35:17.390 --> 0:35:20.229 one Saturday a month, to the special needs families within 0:35:20.230 --> 0:35:23.910 our community where they could drop off their child for 0:35:23.950 --> 0:35:26.669 a safe, fun filled day. And they could go take 0:35:26.670 --> 0:35:28.150 a break. They could go on a date, they could 0:35:28.150 --> 0:35:30.390 take a nap, they could run errands, whatever they wanted 0:35:30.390 --> 0:35:33.350 to do just to take a break from their caregiving duties. 0:35:33.710 --> 0:35:38.070 And the ministry just grew to also include providing recognition, 0:35:38.070 --> 0:35:42.350 resources and respite to these families. And now we offer 0:35:42.550 --> 0:35:45.950 a multitude of different programs and services on our website. 0:35:46.230 --> 0:35:50.810 Now you've written this book, caregiving with grit and grace. 0:35:50.810 --> 0:35:53.529 I'm sure much of both is needed. That is the 0:35:53.530 --> 0:35:57.890 daily work of of caregiving. So much grace is needed. 0:35:58.170 --> 0:36:01.650 How have you reframed the narrative? I know you talk 0:36:01.690 --> 0:36:04.370 about that in this book. The narrative of how things 0:36:04.370 --> 0:36:08.089 have played out with Lucas, as you have taken on 0:36:08.090 --> 0:36:10.170 and embraced this as holy work. 0:36:10.570 --> 0:36:14.090 Yeah, for years I viewed Lucas as, you know, somebody 0:36:14.090 --> 0:36:16.210 who needed to be fixed. If we could just find 0:36:16.210 --> 0:36:18.810 the right therapy or the right nutrition or the right 0:36:18.850 --> 0:36:21.730 service or support, then we could, you know, get him 0:36:21.850 --> 0:36:26.730 to a typical, normal, you know, human being. And it's funny, 0:36:26.730 --> 0:36:28.810 the Lord has used all these years of caring for 0:36:28.810 --> 0:36:31.290 him to show me that Lucas is exactly the way 0:36:31.290 --> 0:36:34.770 that God intended Lucas to be. Um, and his very 0:36:34.770 --> 0:36:38.210 life just screams Glory to God through all of the 0:36:38.210 --> 0:36:42.290 things that I've even been able to create as his mother, 0:36:42.330 --> 0:36:46.530 because of my experiences of caring for him. And so 0:36:47.010 --> 0:36:50.239 it's just been a beautiful process to understand that he 0:36:50.239 --> 0:36:53.839 is loved and he is accepted, and he is perfect 0:36:53.840 --> 0:36:56.080 just the way God made him. And just like we 0:36:56.080 --> 0:36:59.120 will all receive our ultimate healing in heaven one day, 0:36:59.400 --> 0:37:02.400 he also will receive that ultimate healing. But right now, 0:37:02.440 --> 0:37:07.200 his whole life is just such a beautiful, humble. He's 0:37:07.200 --> 0:37:10.879 the most humble individual you could imagine. He doesn't care 0:37:10.880 --> 0:37:13.040 about any of the accolades or any of the things 0:37:13.040 --> 0:37:16.279 that his life has even brought about, and it's just 0:37:16.280 --> 0:37:18.400 an example to the rest of us, I believe. 0:37:18.760 --> 0:37:21.279 Jess, Ronnie, our guest right now, and I know her 0:37:21.280 --> 0:37:25.680 words of understanding, of support, of encouragement are a balm 0:37:25.680 --> 0:37:27.880 to so many of you listening who are in a 0:37:27.880 --> 0:37:31.040 caregiving role. I want to point you to a keyword 0:37:31.040 --> 0:37:33.840 where you can get more about the book, the resources. 0:37:34.200 --> 0:37:38.800 There is a podcast as well. Text grit to 800 0:37:38.800 --> 0:37:46.400 555 7898. Grit. Grit to 805 55 7898.