Episode 70 |Finding Purpose Through Pain: The Brave Way Home with Ben & Crystal Woods

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Welcome to Lead with Hope, the
podcast where we explore the

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power of hope, leadership, and
resilience in today's world.

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I'm Brandy Kelly, and each week
I will bring you stories,

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insights, and actionable advice
from leaders, innovators, and

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change makers who are using hope
as their compass to navigate

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challenges, create positive
impact, and inspire others to do

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the same.
Whether you're a seasoned leader

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or just beginning your journey,
this podcast is here to remind

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you that no matter the obstacle,
hope is the fuel that can drive

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transformation.
So, let's dive in and discover

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how you can lead with hope.
Welcome to the Lead with Hope

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podcast, the show where we
explore what it means to lead

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with habits, optimism, purpose,
and excellence in every area of

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life.
I'm your host, Brandy Kelly, and

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today I am joined by two
remarkable guests whose journey

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of faith and resilience has
touched countless lives, Ben and

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Crystal Woods.
For over 25 years, they've

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served in vocational ministry in
so many ways, from touring

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musically to campus ministry at
the University of Illinois,

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young adults ministry and local
church, and now leading their

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own non profit organization.
They are the founders of the

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Looking Out for the Left Out
movement, a ministry that

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beautifully embodies the heart
of hope, inclusion and

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compassion.
Ben Crystal, welcome to the

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show.
Thanks for having us.

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We're glad to be here.
So to get the conversation

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started today, what is bringing
joy to your life?

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Maybe a scripture, a quote as a
favorite coffee, something in

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the simple moments that's
bringing joy to your life right

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now.
Joy is is a fun topic for me.

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I think it's it's I've had a lot
of of study about it.

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And so in my quiet time this
week, I've been studying through

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Colossians.
And so it says may be filled

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with joy, always thanking the
Father that he has enabled you

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to share in the inheritance that
belongs to his people who live

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in the life.
So that's bringing me joy just

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to think through the fact that
God has rescued me, has redeemed

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me, and has set aside an
inheritance for me ahead in

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heaven that brings a lot of joy
to me.

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Yeah, I always think about,
well, my mind goes immediately

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to Hebrews.
I love Hebrews and I spent a lot

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of time in Hebrews because it's
it's, it's written to tired and

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weary wayfarers.
And so it's the reminder to keep

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hope in front of them like a
just a holy perseverance.

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And in Hebrews 10, where it just
says, let us hold on swervingly

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to the hope we profess for he
who promised is faithful.

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And so that that is language my
heart always needs.

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And it's language that I seek to
keep in front of me.

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And it allows me to see the
reminder that joy, joy is a

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gift, but joy is also a choice
because it's so much, it's not

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like happy happiness, right?
Joy, joy is an entirely other

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category.
And it can be found even in the

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hardest of things.
And so I, I would say family,

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being with my family always,
always makes room for joy to be

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evident, even in the heart.
But a little sidebar thing that

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brings me joy.
I love to be in my tree house.

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I spent a lot of time in my tree
house.

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I'm pretty convinced everybody
needs a tree house.

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And, and I hang out with my
fish.

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I have a koi pond and some might
think that's absolutely crazy,

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but I never thought I would be
fascinated with just sitting and

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watching fish swim around
joyfully and without a care in

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the world.
And for me, I just love hanging

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out with my fish.
Yeah, Great.

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Then that's great.
We have to find joy in the

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journey, right?
I mean, it is a choice.

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And sometimes we get so focused
on all of the things we have to

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do and that mindset piece, I
have to rather than I get to.

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But just finding joy in the
simple things in life, joy in

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the journey.
I love that.

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Yeah.
Because the journey is not

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always easy.
Sometimes it's hard.

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And I know you have both walked
through seasons of deep sorrow,

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but also seasons of deep
purpose.

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Romans 828 reminds us that God
works all things together for

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good.
I love that scripture.

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It's one of my favorites.
So how did that truth shape your

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story and lead you to the birth
of the LOFTLO mission?

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Looking out for the left out.
Well, I mean, I think there's,

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there's something about Romans 8
that not only is there a lot

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going on in that, but God works
good for those who love him and

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are called according to his
purposes.

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And I think it's important to
remember every word of that, but

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also to remember those seats
aren't cheap.

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Yeah, I believe that with my
whole heart.

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But I also know that you can
remember Scripture teaches that

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God is a God of redemption, and
he takes pain and he redeems it.

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So I can either partner with him
in that or I can impede him in

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that.
And so I think Romans 8 reminds

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us, because it also talks about
Romans 8, talks about how we are

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honestly joining the chorus of
creation, longing for Christ's

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return, for all things to be
made right.

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And so it is.
It's an invitation to partner

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with him, to allow the sorrow
and the pain and the hurt and

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the heartache that people
encounter here in this journey

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and set it before him for him to
infuse purpose into it, for him

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to transform it into work that
will bring glory to his name and

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still good to our lives.
So I would say that's shaped our

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life.
It's shaped our grief.

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But you know, like for us, when
I think of lookout for the left

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out, lookout for the left out
actually started in prayer on

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the way to school with our sweet
center daughter Kala, when she

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was seven years old in first
grade on Carver St. not far from

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our house.
Just our normal routine of

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talking about the choices she'd
make and the kids she'd be in,

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the friend that she would be to
those who need a friend like

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her.
And honestly, just a simple way

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of like, how are you going to
love?

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Who needs loved well today?
And we would talk about that.

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And then when we turn on Carver
St. on the Carver St. we would

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just pray for God to bear that
fruit in her life.

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And so it was my turn to pray
one morning.

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And we just rotate back and
forth and this right before I

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do, this little 7 year old voice
from the back seat just says,

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Daddy, we should be praying for
all these people and all these

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homes we're driving by every
day.

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And I was just struck by that
because sometimes when we're

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driving, we're not really
thinking about praying for other

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people.
Sometimes we're thinking about

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praying against people when
we're driving, depending on the

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frame of mind you're in.
And Kala wanted to pray for

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people she couldn't even see.
And that just it struck me.

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And so the very first morning
that it came out of my mouth was

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in prayer that God would give
her the eyes to look out for the

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left out.
And it just stuck.

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It stuck with her.
It stuck with me.

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It stuck with us as a family.
I remember coming home after

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dropping off Kala at school and
telling Crystal like, set a

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phrase this morning with Kala.
And I don't want to forget this

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because it just felt like a holy
moment.

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And we care deeply about
discipleship in our home.

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We care deeply about the culture
of of discipleship that we

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create in our home.
And so we very quickly adopted

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it as a Teamwoods culture code.
And so that phrase just became

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one of the portable phrases
we've tried to put into the

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hearts of our kiddos so they
would know the love of God, that

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they would know they're loved by
Jesus and how to love others

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like Jesus, to be the ones that
like, know the heart of Jesus

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and the ways of Jesus.
And so that phrase has given us

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a teaching point in the way we
disciple our kids.

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And so, but it's always been
attached to our calla.

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And so.
Yeah.

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That is a beautiful, beautiful
mission and it provides that

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purpose for your pain and just
a, you know, a wonderful

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testament to who Calla was.
And now she's with Jesus and

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heaven and her, her legacy lives
on through the work that you

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guys are blessed to do each and
every day.

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And you take this, this mission
into schools and churches and

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communities.
How do you how do you share

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Calla's legacy through this
mission?

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I think it's just I'm telling
true stories about who Calla is

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and that the fact that she's
just always been known for

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looking out for the left out,
her kindness.

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We've heard so many stories,
countless stories from so many

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like classmates, parents of
classmates who tell us how Calla

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looked out for their kid or
looked out for them has have all

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of these examples, real life
stories of her kindness and

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inclusion and the impact that
she has made on the world.

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We tell kids all the time, you
don't have to wait to be a grown

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up to change the world.
You can start right now and your

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kindness makes a difference.
It can start a wave of a wave of

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kindness that you never know how
big or how far it will reach.

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So we just tell true stories
about Calla and we watch it

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inspire kid after kid in ways
that they think, oh, I could

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look out for the left out in
this way, or I could be kind in

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this way and watch her example
inspire them to their own acts

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of kindness and their own way to
change the world.

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Yeah, and I mean, she's inspired
us and I think all we do is

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share her.
We just share her.

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I think you know, the
organization that we lead the

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Braveway home, I mean it seeks
to serve in so many different

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ways and look out for the left
out is one piece under that

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umbrella.
And when I look at all of the

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work that has been put in front
of us, none of it is anything

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that we sat down with a
whiteboard and we're like, let's

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go do that.
But stewarding Calla's legacy is

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a big piece of the work that we
do because God gave her a

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beautiful calling on her life.
And there's ripples of impact

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coming from that life lived well
constantly.

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And so for us, you know,
visiting schools and, and

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churches and conferences and
camps and retreats and all kinds

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of gatherings of, of all kinds.
I mean, none of it is anything.

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We sat down.
We're like, let's try that.

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It's all been.
We just go where we're invited.

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And when we are invited, it
gives us an opportunity to point

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hearts in the right direction.
And you know, specifically with

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lookout for the left out, it was
synonymous with Calla way before

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sickness ever came into her
life.

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And, and, and honestly, just to
back up a bit to share Crystal

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and I've been married for 24
years and we have 3 remarkable

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kiddos, our Ezra, our Calla and
our Lila.

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And we could take all the time
that we've got as a dad, I just

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talk about my babies all day
long.

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But in 2019, as Calla was
finishing up her third grade

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year, she got really sick and as
a nine year old entered into a

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season of the unimaginable.
And as a family, we then

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navigated, began navigating the
unimaginable and our world

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turned upside down as we learned
very quickly, very abruptly, she

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was battling a very rare and
aggressive, still yet to be

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named brain cancer.
And so we watched her suffer

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through pain beyond what I can
understand and to literally have

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a front row seat to how hard
that is while her team of

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doctors are growing
significantly because of the

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rarity of her case and trying to
manage her pain and trying to

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sort through what steps would
serve her best.

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But we literally watched.
And we prayed and we watched and

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we prayed for her healing.
And we watched people join us.

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Thousands of people from all
over the world fall in love with

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a girl that we know all the
reasons why you would fall in

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love with her.
And she charmed every heart that

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walked into her room.
And they walked out differently

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because they'd encountered her
love and her faith that was that

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was just fierce.
And still that summer, eight

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weeks after learning that she
even had brain tumors, Calla was

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rescued to heaven and home by
her king, right in our arms.

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And so for us, we live life
between her rescue and our

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someday reunion.
And we want to walk that out as

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faithfully as we can.
And so Lookout for the Left Out

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is a piece of Calla's legacy
because it was the story of her

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life Wave for Hard things ever
came into it.

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So, so many people, just as
Crystal said, they just started

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sharing all the ways that their
Calla encounter had marked their

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heart.
So when we go into schools, all

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of that started with an
invitation.

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We had no presentation.
We just had schools ask us to

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come talk about Calla and we had
to fumble through how do you do

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that?
How do you faithfully,

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authentically tell her story,
Honor all guidelines of how you

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tell her story, like mindful of
you're talking to the hearts of

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somebody else's kiddos and how
do you do that with sensitivity?

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But all the invitations were,
would you just come talk about

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Calla?
So we just started sharing about

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Calla and her lookout for the
left out life.

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And so we just approach all of
it as a mom and a dad, telling

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true stories about our family
and about our girl with the

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hopes of it encouraging a school
family or a church family or

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just a family family, anyone and
everyone that we get to

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encounter.
That if we tell true stories

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that have inspired us, maybe it
can inspire you in the way you

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demonstrate and live out radical
kindness to the people placed

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all around you.
And so it is.

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It's unfolded honestly, one step
at a time in ways that we never

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tried to control or shape.
We've just tried to walk it out.

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Well, first and foremost, I just
want to say that I, I'm sorry

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for your loss, but I also
celebrate in the mission that

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the Lord has placed on your
hearts to point everyone towards

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him.
I mean, that's what our purpose

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is in this life, is to love God
and love people.

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But you were talking about
Calla's sickness.

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And as a parent, I can only
imagine you having that tendency

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to want to fix things, to want
to, you know, make it better.

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I mean, that's just our natural
human tendency.

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But again and again in
Scripture, it talks about

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letting go, surrendering to God
and giving it to God.

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And it's hard.
It's so hard if you're dealing

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with the hard things in life.
The Lord makes a way and

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provides you with what you need
to get through the heart.

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And I think about that saying,
God does not call the equipped,

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He equips the called.
And that's exactly what he has

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done through your through your
ministry here.

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And I just celebrate with you
that you are pointing so many

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hearts and souls towards God and
they have that that hope of

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eternal life because of your
ministry.

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The Brave Way Home so that the
nonprofit that we've started has

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really just been birthed out of
that grief where it's just we're

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standing broken before God
asking if you can still use us.

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We want, you have our yes
already.

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We want, we want you to work out
your purposes in us, even when

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we don't exactly understand what
you're doing.

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We still, we still love you.
We still are called according to

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your purpose and we trust it
that if you've allowed it, you

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will redeem it.
And the Brave Way Home is really

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a call to remember that this
life is temporary and that even

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the suffering we go through in
this life is temporary.

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That Jesus really is coming back
and he really is going to to

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fulfill every promise he ever
made.

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That there really will be a day
that he returns and sets all

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things that are so wrong now
He'll set them right and that

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there will be welcomed into an
inheritance and and a Kingdom

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that we don't deserve, but that
Jesus has prepared for us and

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offered to us through faith in
him.

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What there is no more sorrow or
death or crying or pain where

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all those things are gone
forever.

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And that hope that's set in
front of us has really been

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what's drawn us forward in the
purposes he has for us.

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I think if God had told told me
what he would birth from

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Lookout, from the left for the
left out and from Calla's story

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if he had told me.
What we would be doing now, I

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think I would have just hid
under the bed and never come

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out.
But He's been so gentle and so

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gracious to continue to work out
His purposes for us and in US

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until the day that He returns,
Continuing to just allow one

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step at a time, one day at a
time, to just pour out in

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faithfulness and His strength
underneath it.

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And when I look at what He's
done, I kind of look back and

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think, I never would have seen
that coming.

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But one day at a time, He has
built this beautiful picture of

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impact coming from Calla's life
and also just continued

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endurance and obedience in our
lives, all because of his

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purposes working out through
through us and are just yielding

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to what He's doing.
Yeah, he's he's sustained.

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And this is not at all the race
we would have chosen like and

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the beautiful things coming,
they don't erase the pain, but

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they infuse purpose into them.
And though it's not the race we

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00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,040
would have chosen, it is the
race marked out for us.

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And so our choice, you know, run
it, walk it, crawl it, but we're

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determined to finish it.
And you know, something Crystal

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says all the time that is shaped
so much of our day-to-day is we

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00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:53,680
don't have a lot of ambition.
We are not five year plan

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people.
We are not, oh, hey, where do

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00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,400
you want to be at this point?
Like, And it's because life does

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00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:05,680
not look anything like what we
thought it would, right?

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And those things can become
idols pretty quickly without us

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even knowing it.
We don't have a lot of ambition,

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but we have a lot of obedience.
And so we're just determined to

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make our our ambition obedience.
Yeah.

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And so for us, that's what's I
would say allowed us to find

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ourselves in places we never
thought we would be, doing

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00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:38,360
things we never thought we would
do, never wondering whether God

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00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:43,360
has his hands on it because we
can't take credit for any of it.

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And so when I look at our
calendar, it's just filled with

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his faithfulness day-to-day from
sustaining us and reminding us

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that getting out of bed is worth
it, but also watching from the

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front row all the good work he's
doing around us.

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He's just invited us into it.
Now when you take time and you

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reflect, you look back on where
you've been, how far you've

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come, a lot of the people who
listen to this show probably are

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00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,920
five year planners.
They probably are those people

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00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,760
that are striving and and they
have ambition and they have this

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00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:26,680
goal out in front of them.
Habits.

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Would you encourage them to
implement?

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First thing I would say, allow
heavenly thinking to invade your

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00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:43,360
earthly living.
I would say allow the the hard

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00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:48,880
things of this world to point
your heart to Him and allow the

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00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,760
good things to point your heart
to him.

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I would say we're capable of
creating really good plans, but

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they may not be what he has.
And I think one of the things

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that grief teaches us, it's very
disorienting, but it's also very

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00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:17,560
reorienting because our eyes are
open to a lot of things that we

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thought were really important
that aren't and actually never

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were.
And so it's a very refining

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thing.
And grief has a way of being.

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I mean, it's universal.
We're all familiar with it in

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some capacity, right?
But it's also incredibly unique.

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It's why I would never tell
someone even who maybe has a

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similar story as ours.
I would never tell them that I

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00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:47,680
know how they feel.
It's universal, it's unique, but

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it can also be united.
And so to me, I would say

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whether you know all the good or
all the hard or somewhere in

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00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:03,800
between, you don't, you don't
have to walk through trauma to

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00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:09,280
value mission and the the steps
in front of you that are planned

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00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,240
out in advance for you to enter
into.

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But if you're going to walk
through trauma, you had better

354
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:19,440
value mission.
And so to me, the habits come

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back to keeping the promises in
front of you that will pull you

356
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,400
forward.
Truths like if he will allow it,

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00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,480
He will redeem it.
Truths like there's no pain that

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00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:36,120
you know that he doesn't and He
won't waste any of this.

359
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,600
So what are the habits that help
keep those truths in front of

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you?
To me, I must get to the

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presence of God quickly before
my feet at the floor in the

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morning because I wake up to two
truths.

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One, Jesus hasn't come back yet.
And two, there must be mission

364
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,040
at hand and that gets me out of
bed.

365
00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:00,440
So to me, I want every moment,
every moment that I encounter in

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00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,680
a day.
I want His word being the first

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00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,480
thing that washes over me so
that I have the right frame of

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00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:12,480
mind to perceive and and to
navigate any of my moments

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00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:16,160
throughout a day.
So to me, if I'm not anchored in

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00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:21,560
His word, I don't know that I'd
have much to offer anyone else.

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00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,240
That to me is a habit that keeps
hope right.

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Like hope that certain
expectation.

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00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:34,160
It helps me keep a firm grip on
a a robust definition of what

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00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:39,080
hope is, because I think our
instinct is to settle for a lot

375
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:43,240
of insufficient definitions of
really substantive words that

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00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,840
our hearts need.
So that to me would be the

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00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:48,440
primary habit.
Yeah, and.

378
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:54,080
I just echo that I think God's
Word is such an anchor for our

379
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:55,920
hearts.
It's in a world that it's so

380
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,040
easy to fix our eyes on
ourselves, around our

381
00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:00,560
circumstances, or on the things
that are around us.

382
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,760
The goals even that we have.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus,

383
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,360
we recognize that this world is
temporary, that we're just

384
00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,880
wayfarers wandering, not
wandering.

385
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:15,320
We are walking through,
following a shepherd on on our

386
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:19,440
way to the promised land ahead
of us that it it tells us that

387
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,240
the things that we walk through,
they have purpose.

388
00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,760
But this is not the end game.
This is not the final

389
00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:28,800
destination that we have a
permanent home set ahead of us

390
00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:35,680
that we just walk to faithfully
and I think in disappointment

391
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:40,840
with the things of this world,
it births this hope in the next

392
00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,840
and it's what will enable you to
walk through even the hardest

393
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:49,520
parts of life in this world.
But God's word anchors us with

394
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,840
that perspective, an eternal
perspective that reminds us that

395
00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:54,960
this this world is not our
permanent home.

396
00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,960
We're looking forward to a home
yet to come.

397
00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:02,680
So having your, your hands, your
mind, your, your, your thoughts

398
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:10,760
in God's word every day, it, it
informs your, your whole life as

399
00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,600
to how and what direction you
are living for, what direction

400
00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,120
you are pointing your efforts
toward.

401
00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:21,760
It's it's it's the guide that
keeps you going in the right

402
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,200
direction.
Yeah.

403
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:28,560
And I think as believers, we're
called to a forward-looking

404
00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,000
faith, like we're called to a
certainty.

405
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:38,240
And I think that can shape that.
I mean, you live here, but you

406
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:43,120
will love there and that will
inform the way you live life

407
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,520
here.
I, I think of CS Lewis, you

408
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,880
know, he, the phrase, you know,
'cause sometimes people will

409
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,400
say, like, well, don't be so
heavenly minded that you're no

410
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,560
earthly good.
And I'm, I'm, I'm of the, the

411
00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:59,480
camp of what an incredibly
bankrupt way to approach life.

412
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,960
CS Lewis would even say that
like the the people who have

413
00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:07,720
become so ineffective, the
reason why they've been so

414
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,320
ineffective in this world is
because they've not thought of

415
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:14,440
the next.
And his call is to if you, if

416
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,320
you aim at heaven, you'll get
earth thrown in.

417
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,520
But if you aim at earth, you get
neither.

418
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,240
And I think when you allow
heavenly thinking to invade

419
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,400
earthly living, I think it
allows you to see every parable

420
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:31,240
that Jesus teaches.
That's what they are, right?

421
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,840
Like, I mean, it is, it is a
heavenly truth and an earthly

422
00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:38,280
story.
Like it all starts unlocking the

423
00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:40,960
way we walk out faithfully in
obedience.

424
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:45,400
Our lives here because we aren't
wandering, we're wayfaring.

425
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:51,240
And a wayfarer by definition is
someone who walks by foot.

426
00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,840
So back to that journey that you
were talking about in the

427
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,840
beginning.
There's no other means or mode

428
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,360
of transportation to expedite
the journey.

429
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,400
You walk it out.
And I think that's why when you

430
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:06,160
look at Psalm 23, everyone knows
Psalm 23, right?

431
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,720
Like I though I walk through the
valley of this child of death.

432
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,360
It doesn't say you run, doesn't
say you get to run around.

433
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,240
It doesn't say you skip.
It doesn't say you get to frolic

434
00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,720
through it and bebop through it.
But it also doesn't say set up

435
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,640
camp and live there.
It says you walk, but you walk

436
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:28,160
through.
And so I think ultimately, some

437
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:33,640
of the habits always #1 being
anchored in God's Word so that

438
00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:37,400
the promises that He's given are
the promises that pull you

439
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,720
forward.
Because help us, it doesn't mean

440
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,080
hopeless and the worst things.
They're not the last things.

441
00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:46,040
And so we have to be mindful of
that.

442
00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:51,920
But the way we hold on to those
habits, we'll begin to see our

443
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:55,240
grammar change.
Like you said, we're pretty

444
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,800
quick to rattle off all the
things we have to do instead of

445
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,400
see them through the lens of the
things you get to do.

446
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,200
And what would that change about
your day-to-day if you use

447
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:11,920
language like that, right?
So bigger habits, or even

448
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:16,040
smaller habits, they get more
habits that aren't all about

449
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:22,280
routines, they're about
obedience, and they will shape

450
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,200
everything from there.
Yeah, and it all starts with

451
00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,520
your mindset.
It's a mission, just as it is

452
00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:31,920
written in our church.
You know, the the mission

453
00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,560
statement, Love God, love
people, serve all.

454
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,840
And hurting people, hurt people.
There's a lot of people out

455
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,840
there that are carrying those
scars and that grief and that

456
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,040
hurt.
And they need a hope that's

457
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,360
bigger than what we can provide
here on earth.

458
00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:53,200
And pointing them to Christ is
the way to give them that hope

459
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,200
and to help them to heal and,
and to take that next step

460
00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,840
forward in that mission minded
mindset.

461
00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:05,600
One of the most beautiful parts
of your work is how you use your

462
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,600
story to help people find
belonging.

463
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,360
I love that.
And I think we were wired for

464
00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:14,640
connection.
That's how God created us.

465
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,680
So what advice would you give to
someone who's in the midst of

466
00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:21,800
suffering or loss, searching for
meaning or trying to build

467
00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:25,640
something hopeful out of the
broken parts that you talk

468
00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,520
about?
I always think in our

469
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:33,240
disappointment with life, it's
really easy to push away from

470
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:35,800
God.
But really the answer is not to

471
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:37,560
push away from him, it's to
search for him.

472
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:41,480
And I think when you search for
Jesus, you see the suffering of

473
00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:46,360
Jesus and you know the character
of who God is that his stuff,

474
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:51,080
his our suffering is not his
fault, but that he loves us so

475
00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:55,440
much that he would stoop to join
us in it, to taste it himself.

476
00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:01,360
And so I, I think just searching
after the character of who God

477
00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:06,360
is to just remind your heart,
even in the disappointments that

478
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:10,440
God loves you, that God sees
you, that he's not finished with

479
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,960
you, that he's not angry with
you, that he is a God of

480
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:18,120
compassion and mercy who comes
close to us in our brokenness

481
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,920
and sits with us in it.
He never leaves us alone in it.

482
00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:27,160
So I think, I think the
temptation is to push away from

483
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:33,800
God in our sorrow, but the key
to finding hope in it is to come

484
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:38,520
close to him, to really take a
look at who he is and and his

485
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:43,280
character and his unchanging
love for you even in the middle

486
00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:45,200
of your sorrow.
Yeah.

487
00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:52,080
And I think taking a step like
that and reminding yourself he

488
00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:58,160
doesn't leave you, he doesn't
leave you, he doesn't forsake

489
00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:03,200
you, he doesn't abandon you.
And I, like I said before,

490
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,720
there's no pain that you know
that he doesn't, right.

491
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,880
But I would say another step,
building off of that step would

492
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:15,719
be your grief is yours to carry,
but you don't have to carry it

493
00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:17,960
alone, right?
Absolutely.

494
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,440
Like you don't have to carry it
alone.

495
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:26,760
And I think our culture
conditions us downright

496
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:31,040
disciples us to, to white and
knuckle our way through

497
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:39,760
something to, to, to the point
of we, we will carry everything

498
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:45,280
as if it's all on us to carry by
ourselves.

499
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,120
And I just, I just don't believe
that.

500
00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:49,880
I believe it is yours to carry
you.

501
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,560
You have to do your grief work,
as people will say, but you

502
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:55,480
don't have to do it by yourself.
No.

503
00:34:56,159 --> 00:34:59,920
And so to enter into community
with others that are familiar

504
00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:04,960
with pain beyond their
vocabulary, yeah, can be a

505
00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:09,400
beautiful way to walk forward,
not by yourself, but together.

506
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,360
And as hard as it is, it is a
privilege to come alongside

507
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:18,400
those people and to help them as
they're, they're dealing with

508
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,960
those hard times, those
difficulties, those struggles.

509
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:27,360
And you know, that is one of the
ways I believe God uses your

510
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:31,400
pain for a purpose is by helping
other people carry that burden

511
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:36,640
and walk that out.
It's hard though sometimes to

512
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:42,760
not push away from God, not push
away from people because people

513
00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:45,840
are going to hurt you, people
are going to disappoint you.

514
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:48,560
Sometimes there's betrayal
there.

515
00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:50,880
You know, even Jesus had a
Judas.

516
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:57,480
I'm reading a book right now and
it's called Lead Like Jesus and

517
00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:01,720
it is such a beautiful book.
Jesus Christ gave us the perfect

518
00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:04,400
example of what a leader should
be.

519
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:09,400
The character is right there in
in the text of of that book and

520
00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,200
also in the Bible.
Of course, that's always the

521
00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,920
best source for our information.
As you said, we need to surround

522
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,880
ourself with the community, a
circle of people that help us to

523
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:22,120
get through the hard to help us
to be the best version of

524
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,720
ourselves, to be more like Jesus
every day.

525
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:29,920
But what advice would you give
to people who they've been hurt,

526
00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:35,520
they have maybe dealt with some
betrayal, and they're struggling

527
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,360
to lean into that relationship
and that friendship that they

528
00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:43,080
need to help them become the
best version of who God created

529
00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:46,880
them to be?
My first thought would be no

530
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:53,280
matter the circumstance, even
when we know deep pain, others

531
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:54,960
have betrayed us or have hurt
us.

532
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,640
We all need truth tellers and
grace givers.

533
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,440
We all need truth tellers and
grace givers.

534
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:09,680
I I think trying to walk
anything alone is just not what

535
00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:13,920
we're designed for.
And and even in the pain that we

536
00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:22,400
carry from the trail from
someone else, we're not designed

537
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,080
to carry that by ourselves
either.

538
00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:28,400
And my guess is if that's where
someone is, they already have

539
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:32,080
all the evidence necessary to
convince them.

540
00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:36,120
This doesn't work to carry it by
myself, right?

541
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:43,240
I would even say there's an
element and it's harder, but

542
00:37:43,240 --> 00:37:46,680
there's an element of
forgiveness that has to unfold.

543
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,200
I'm no stranger to people, but
trained me.

544
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:59,680
I'm no stranger to people taking
advantage of me and hurting me

545
00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,000
deeply.
I'm not no stranger to that.

546
00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:09,640
But allowing, I would say it's
possible to forgive someone that

547
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,640
isn't even sorry.
And I know sometimes we're when

548
00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,160
we're when we're growing up,
we're taught well, like when we

549
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,840
can get into a fight with a
sibling, right or something.

550
00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:23,760
And what whatever it is, even at
a little age, a young age,

551
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:28,160
sometimes the the pattern is
like you say you're sorry and

552
00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:30,880
you say I forgive you.
And it's like, I ain't sorry,

553
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,800
you know what I mean?
And then you say I forgive you.

554
00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,200
But you know, as soon as mom and
dad leave the room, it's like, I

555
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,920
just wanted you to know, like,
I'm coming for you next chance I

556
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:44,200
get, right?
Like we follow the routines, but

557
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:49,160
we don't allow the power of them
to actually unfold.

558
00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:54,000
And I think so much of the time
to to forgive someone means to,

559
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:57,760
it literally means to untie
them, to untie them.

560
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:02,200
And it's possible to forgive
someone who's not repentant,

561
00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:06,560
someone who's not sorry or even
remorseful, even if they've been

562
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:11,520
caught, right?
And that can actually free you

563
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,400
because you're not having to
hold the rope anymore.

564
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:17,320
You're not having to hold the
knot in place anymore.

565
00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:21,600
It they may stay in the same
spot and never walk away in

566
00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,760
freedom.
But the reality is freedom

567
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,120
follows forgiveness, but you
have to enter into it.

568
00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:31,280
And that goes both ways.
But reconciliation can't happen

569
00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:34,240
until there is repentance and
there is forgiveness.

570
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:39,520
The restoration is the whole
other process after.

571
00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,040
And I think what happens is when
we are carrying the hurt from

572
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:46,920
other people, what happens is we
just try to lump it all into one

573
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:48,880
thing.
And we've told ourselves so many

574
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:53,640
times, you say you're sorry, you
say I forgive you or forgive and

575
00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,560
forget.
And it's like you're not capable

576
00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,440
of that.
You're not capable of

577
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,720
forgetting.
Which means that would speak to

578
00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:08,640
why Jesus says 70 * 7 when he
has asked how many times am I

579
00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:12,520
just supposed to forgive?
What he's getting at is a

580
00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:15,880
posture.
Of forgiveness, because

581
00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:18,240
otherwise you're going to be
holding a whole bunch of ropes

582
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:20,160
to keep a lot of people in
knots.

583
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,440
And they may never be sorry.
But the truth is you're the one

584
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:26,120
who's actually being held
hostage because your hands are

585
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:30,240
full of holding everyone else.
And that makes for the most

586
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:33,240
miserable, miserable way to walk
through life.

587
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,840
And I'm not saying it's easy.
By no means am I saying it's

588
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:43,360
easy, but I would say taking on
a posture of forgiveness to

589
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:47,320
those who have hurt us.
The only way it's possible is to

590
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:52,120
remember how the Lord has
forgiven you, and when you do

591
00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:58,080
that, you can forgive people for
doing really, really hard things

592
00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:00,600
and it will free you.
Agree with you.

593
00:41:00,640 --> 00:41:03,680
It it it's again that act of
letting go.

594
00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:09,560
It, it's that act of forgiving
and moving on and not holding on

595
00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:14,160
to those ropes so tightly.
But oftentimes when we shift

596
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,400
into a fear mode, which when
we're holding on to all that

597
00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:20,480
stuff, a lot of times that is
because we're fearful, fearful

598
00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:22,720
of something.
And, and that could look

599
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:26,480
different for different people
listening to this podcast right

600
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:30,400
now.
But if you are fearful and you

601
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,200
are holding on, I would just
encourage you to let go and to

602
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:39,080
give it to God and that will
provide you the freedom that you

603
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:44,640
need to step into your God-given
purpose, your God-given calling,

604
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,360
which for the two of you is so
powerful.

605
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:51,200
The mission of looking out for
the left out is so incredibly

606
00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:54,560
powerful.
Can you share a specific story

607
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:58,720
or an example, something you
have seen through your mission

608
00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:02,440
come to life?
It might be a child, a family, a

609
00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:06,760
community moment that captures
what looking out for the left

610
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:12,640
out is all about.
I, I just, my mind goes to the

611
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:18,000
story that God is writing in
from Calla's life and and in her

612
00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:24,280
legacy, part of what Calla was
doing.

613
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:29,560
She started a slime shop to
raise money so that she could go

614
00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:33,280
on a missions trip to Romania.
She learned that they were kids

615
00:42:33,720 --> 00:42:37,040
we're living in really
dangerous, difficult situations

616
00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:40,480
there at a lot of risk and
without a lot of people to take

617
00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:43,280
care of them.
And so Calla just decided she

618
00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:47,120
wanted to go to Romania her she
wanted her dad to take her so

619
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:51,480
she started a slime shop to
raise the funds necessary for

620
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:58,360
her plane ticket and Calla and I
built her website together she

621
00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:00,040
made all her prototypes
together.

622
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,880
She filled all her orders and
and the first day that she put

623
00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:07,840
her website up she woke up to
like 50 orders for slime.

624
00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:10,400
She's totally ready to drop out
of school and.

625
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:14,240
Her her eyes were like this is
awesome but also very scary.

626
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:20,000
Like I got a lot of work to do.
Yeah, so Cal is slimed up.

627
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,360
We've we've just always kind of
volunteered with her.

628
00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,000
She and I have made her slime
together and she taught us her

629
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,320
way to make slime and her way to
pack things up and and send them

630
00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:33,080
out.
And Calla got sick and she was

631
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,880
rescued to heaven before she got
to go to Romania.

632
00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:39,640
But her slime shop has just
remained over open.

633
00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:44,280
We've just never closed it and
we continue to sell.

634
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:49,000
Calla's slimes made Calla's way
to people who step into this

635
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:53,680
story, who want to be a part of
what she had started in

636
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:59,280
Altogether, we've raised over
$229,000 through Calla's slime

637
00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:03,000
and every single penny of it.
It is our privilege to pour that

638
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:06,760
all to the same organization in
Romania, to serve the same kids

639
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,880
that Calla started her slime
shop to serve.

640
00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,440
It's a reminder that Calla's
story is not over, that God has

641
00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:17,400
infused such purpose and power
into her simple acts of

642
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:24,080
obedience that have resulted in
and continued to pour out in

643
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,800
this beautiful way to provide
for people in Romania, just like

644
00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,480
Calla's heart was originally
pulled toward.

645
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:33,240
Yeah, and we've watched.
Oh, go ahead.

646
00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:39,800
When you go into schools, you
share Calla's story and then you

647
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:45,760
make slime with the, the
families, the children, the

648
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:50,000
teachers in those organizations
in those schools.

649
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:54,040
And you know, you came to our
church and you shared the story.

650
00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:57,000
And I was so moved by the story,
which is why I reached out to

651
00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,240
you in the 1st place to invite
you on the podcast because I

652
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,040
think everybody needs to hear
this story, this story of

653
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:06,200
there's so much to it.
There's there's mission.

654
00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:11,760
You guys are so mission minded.
You're focused on what is truly

655
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:15,280
the most important thing, which
is loving God, loving people and

656
00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:18,040
serving all.
But it all comes into a

657
00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:21,880
culmination when you sit down
and you actually make the slime

658
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:23,600
with the people that you're
serving.

659
00:45:23,880 --> 00:45:28,720
And I think that any school
leader that is listening to this

660
00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:32,320
podcast should reach out to you
guys and give you the

661
00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:34,880
opportunity to bring this to
their school and their

662
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,960
organization.
Because we need more kindness.

663
00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:41,760
We need more belonging.
We were wired for connection.

664
00:45:41,760 --> 00:45:45,480
And there are so many people out
there that are lonely and they

665
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:49,120
don't have that sense of
connection and belonging.

666
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:52,680
And we crave that.
We crave that because we have.

667
00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:55,360
That's how we were created to
be.

668
00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:59,760
That's what God's, you know,
grand plan for us was to be

669
00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:03,000
connected first and foremost to
Him and then to people.

670
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:08,320
Well, and for us, like, like
we've shared before, like we

671
00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,200
never sat down with a whiteboard
and we're like, let's go try and

672
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:15,120
do school assemblies.
We just kept getting asked and

673
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:16,880
we were like, we have to learn
how to do this.

674
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:24,400
And growing up in the 80s, like,
I remember dare just say no.

675
00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:27,920
And I remember like school
assemblies.

676
00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:31,360
I remember magic tricks and I
remember dudes tearing phone

677
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:33,440
books.
Like those are some of my

678
00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:35,400
memories.
And I remember when the first

679
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:38,680
school asked us, I was like, are
we going to walk into a

680
00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:43,160
gymnasium with 700 kids that are
expecting magic tricks?

681
00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:45,680
Like I don't what, what can I
say?

682
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:49,560
What can I not say?
I can't skip the hard parts, but

683
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:57,320
how do I authentically tell
Calla's story, honor her, but

684
00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:03,200
also honor all the the obvious
guidelines of how you share in a

685
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:07,200
public school and with
confidence that it will serve

686
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:11,040
these these kids.
And what we learned pretty

687
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:14,680
quickly is that kids don't need
you to skip the hard parts.

688
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,440
They know hard parts.
What they need are examples of

689
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:21,920
people who know hard parts and
still have a way through.

690
00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:29,240
And what we have learned over
and over and over again is the

691
00:47:29,240 --> 00:47:32,320
simple approach of just being a
mom and a dad.

692
00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:37,720
Telling kiddos that they are a
treasure, that they are a gift,

693
00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:42,320
that they matter and so does the
person sitting next to them and

694
00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:45,360
the way they treat them changes
everything.

695
00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:50,840
Because the truth is, goodness,
we We can all go back to the

696
00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:53,440
halls of high school, or the
lunchroom in middle school or

697
00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:58,320
even the playground at recess in
elementary school, and we will

698
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,960
not remember all the things that
everyone accomplished.

699
00:48:01,440 --> 00:48:04,440
What we will remember is how
people chose to treat us right.

700
00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,680
That's what we will remember is
who was good to us and who

701
00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:11,040
wasn't.
There's that much power in your

702
00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:16,720
choice to to show kindness, to
live kindness, and to love

703
00:48:16,720 --> 00:48:21,320
people that way.
And all we do is just tell true

704
00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:24,240
stories of how Kala has done
that.

705
00:48:24,560 --> 00:48:28,520
And we have that opportunity to
remind them they don't have to

706
00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:31,040
wait to be an adult to change
the world.

707
00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:34,440
Your choices now matter now
because you matter now.

708
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:40,480
And so all we've done is when we
teach, lookout for the left out

709
00:48:41,040 --> 00:48:43,240
and then we spend the whole day
visiting classrooms.

710
00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:45,600
I think that's what's been so
beautiful.

711
00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,240
We didn't even know you could do
that until the principal asked

712
00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:50,760
us if we would.
And we were like, sure.

713
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,040
And then we were like, we need
those are so beautiful.

714
00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:56,320
They were like, we need to tell
everybody that we're willing to

715
00:48:56,320 --> 00:49:02,280
do that, right.
We've we've taught 187 school

716
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:08,000
assemblies in over 140 schools
and we have been in over 1300

717
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:12,120
classrooms in the last two and
not quite half school years.

718
00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:19,800
We have got to teach lookout for
left out to over 47,000 students

719
00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:24,200
in schools.
And one thing we did not, I

720
00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:28,800
don't know why we didn't see it
coming, but that was the slime

721
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:32,440
days that came after because
everybody wanted to work for

722
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:36,000
Calla Slime shop.
They wanted to volunteer and

723
00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:39,520
they wanted they wanted to be a
part of what she'd started.

724
00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:45,920
So yeah, we, we have learned how
to make slime with several

725
00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:48,040
hundreds of kids at the same
time.

726
00:49:48,520 --> 00:49:51,600
And I remember the first school
that asked us, I was like, we

727
00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:55,160
don't know if this will work.
Like if this tanks, we all go

728
00:49:55,160 --> 00:49:57,160
down together.
That's what happens.

729
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:00,680
Like if we just nobody throws
anybody under the bus, we're all

730
00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:04,400
in this together, good or bad.
And it literally went so

731
00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:07,600
beautifully.
It became the blueprint for what

732
00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:12,040
now has been how we've made
slime with over 12,000 students

733
00:50:12,040 --> 00:50:15,960
in schools.
We've made over 8000 lbs of

734
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:20,240
callous slime written in her
handwriting with thousands of

735
00:50:20,240 --> 00:50:25,840
kiddos all over the place, and
every bit of it has been an

736
00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:29,160
example of how it's not about
slime.

737
00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:33,520
Slime is just a reminder about
the open eyes, the open heart,

738
00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:37,400
and the open hands behind it.
Our eyes being open to see the

739
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,240
needs of others, our hearts
being open to feel the needs of

740
00:50:40,240 --> 00:50:43,920
others, and our hands being open
to meet the needs of others.

741
00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:46,440
That's how you look out for the
left out.

742
00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:51,280
That's how you love people.
Well, and I've learned more

743
00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:54,240
about slime than any grown man
would ever think they needed to,

744
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:57,240
but I've learned it all from a
very very special 9 year old

745
00:50:57,240 --> 00:51:00,760
girl.
So it's a privilege to work for

746
00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:03,400
her slime shop.
And you're expert slime makers

747
00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:07,440
now, I'm sure, right?
Yeah, you can teach people to

748
00:51:07,480 --> 00:51:11,040
make slime all over the world.
Yeah, we just got home from

749
00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:17,720
Egypt and Oh my.
Absolutely wild and whimsical

750
00:51:17,720 --> 00:51:23,000
and wonderful.
And yeah, we, we've made so much

751
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:25,800
slime with so many students in
schools in Egypt.

752
00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:31,360
And and again, just a beautiful
thing to watch it serve as such,

753
00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:34,560
a reminder of things that matter
most.

754
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:40,840
Yeah, I'm in awe of what God has
done through callous story and

755
00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:43,520
it gives me hope.
That is what's giving me hope is

756
00:51:43,720 --> 00:51:47,240
hearing stories like this, where
God is at work each and every

757
00:51:47,240 --> 00:51:49,720
day and the big things and the
little things too.

758
00:51:50,040 --> 00:51:54,040
So what is giving the two of you
hope right now in the world?

759
00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:58,000
The vision of the brave boy home
is that we are just wayfarers,

760
00:51:58,800 --> 00:52:02,240
faithfully following through
this world with our eyes fixed

761
00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:04,520
on Jesus and our hearts set on
heaven.

762
00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:13,040
I think for me, hope is always
just going to be tied up with

763
00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:17,160
Jesus coming back and with all
of the things that he set in

764
00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:19,880
front of us, that he doesn't
leave us alone to walk it by

765
00:52:19,880 --> 00:52:22,600
ourselves.
He's walking with us, but that

766
00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:26,080
he's just given us this heart to
run to other people who have

767
00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:32,760
been disappointed with things in
life and hurt by some of the the

768
00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:34,960
brokenness in our world right
now.

769
00:52:35,240 --> 00:52:37,600
To remind them that home is up
ahead.

770
00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:42,200
That Jesus is not finished with
you, That there is great joy

771
00:52:42,200 --> 00:52:45,920
ahead even though for now you
have to endure many trials for a

772
00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:49,720
little while.
But that that every promise He's

773
00:52:49,720 --> 00:52:54,480
made, he will keep.
And so for us, for me, hope is

774
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:57,240
being able to wrap my arms
around fellow wayfarers to

775
00:52:57,240 --> 00:52:59,640
remind them this world is not
our permanent home.

776
00:52:59,960 --> 00:53:01,920
We're looking forward to a home
yet to come.

777
00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:06,680
That Jesus is faithful, that he
is close and that he keeps every

778
00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:08,320
promise.
And he's not finished yet.

779
00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:08,600
Yeah.
And.

780
00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:15,160
When you see people live
differently because they've

781
00:53:15,160 --> 00:53:23,400
encountered substantive hope,
certain expectation, well, that

782
00:53:23,400 --> 00:53:26,440
just spurs you on, right?
Yes.

783
00:53:26,440 --> 00:53:32,200
It begets more hope.
And so I feel like we have

784
00:53:32,200 --> 00:53:38,800
example after example after
example of moments where people

785
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:42,760
are entering into things that
they never thought they ever

786
00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:46,520
would because of a hope that
pulls them forward because it's

787
00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:49,080
anchored in the right place and
it's anchored to the right

788
00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:50,760
someone.
Yeah, so.

789
00:53:51,200 --> 00:53:54,920
Yeah.
So for the listeners, if you're

790
00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:59,080
going through a hardship, a hard
time, you're feeling broken or

791
00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:01,560
hopeless, I want you to hear
this.

792
00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:04,520
I want you to hear that God's
not done.

793
00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:10,120
He's not finished yet.
He is the hope.

794
00:54:10,880 --> 00:54:15,120
He is the source.
And so I want to encourage you

795
00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:22,640
to lean into that, maybe dust
off that dusty Bible, open it up

796
00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:26,520
because the promises are all in
that book.

797
00:54:27,120 --> 00:54:30,000
Start there.
That's a habit that you can

798
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:34,280
count on each and every day.
So Ben and Crystal, for our

799
00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:38,640
listeners who want to learn more
about this powerful mission of

800
00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:42,640
looking out for the left out,
how can they get in touch with

801
00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:44,720
you?
Yeah.

802
00:54:45,080 --> 00:54:48,800
I mean, I think one of the
there's a lot of things that

803
00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:52,000
we're a part of.
And so maybe the easiest way,

804
00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:57,040
the bravewayhome.com is a it's
kind of like a gateway to all

805
00:54:57,040 --> 00:55:00,280
things that Team Woods is up to
our eyeballs in.

806
00:55:00,720 --> 00:55:05,080
And that's how we serve in a lot
of different settings for

807
00:55:05,080 --> 00:55:08,920
schools.
Look out for the left out.com is

808
00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:13,320
a great place to go because
that's become its own just

809
00:55:13,560 --> 00:55:17,360
movement of sorts.
And so that's a great resource

810
00:55:17,560 --> 00:55:21,880
if they're looking to get their
hands on some slime love like

811
00:55:21,880 --> 00:55:25,680
calla.com.
But each of those kind of gives

812
00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:28,560
a pathway into everything else
that we do.

813
00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:31,360
So I know it sounds crazy to
have three different websites,

814
00:55:31,360 --> 00:55:33,840
but they all kind of came about
at different times.

815
00:55:33,840 --> 00:55:38,360
Love like Calla is the website
that that Crystal and Calla

816
00:55:38,360 --> 00:55:40,640
built and designed together when
she was 9.

817
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:44,160
And so when you when you go
there, it looks like a nine year

818
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:46,080
old did it because a nine year
old did it.

819
00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:50,520
And we've sought to keep it that
way because that's so precious

820
00:55:50,720 --> 00:55:53,480
to us.
So, but look out for the left

821
00:55:53,480 --> 00:55:58,040
out.com is the way for schools
to get connected and everybody

822
00:55:58,040 --> 00:56:02,560
else the brave way home, whether
it's a church or it's learning

823
00:56:02,560 --> 00:56:04,480
about some of the other work
that we're doing or even

824
00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:07,480
connecting with our podcast and
and whatnot.

825
00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,240
That's the easiest way.
It's been a wonderful

826
00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:14,760
conversation full of hope and
God's faithfulness, and I just

827
00:56:14,760 --> 00:56:17,080
pray blessings over you and your
ministry.

828
00:56:17,080 --> 00:56:19,880
And again, thank you so much for
coming on the show today.

829
00:56:20,560 --> 00:56:21,840
Thank you.
Thanks so much.

830
00:56:23,720 --> 00:56:26,520
Thanks for tuning in to Lead
with Hope, where we share

831
00:56:26,520 --> 00:56:31,000
stories and strategies to help
you rise, lead, and redefine

832
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:34,360
what's possible.
If today's episode inspired you,

833
00:56:34,800 --> 00:56:38,600
please take a moment to like,
subscribe, and leave a review.

834
00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:42,600
Your support helps us reach more
leaders like you who are ready

835
00:56:42,600 --> 00:56:45,680
to lead with heart, purpose, and
resilience.

836
00:56:46,440 --> 00:56:50,960
Don't forget to visit
sparkhopeedu.com for resources,

837
00:56:51,400 --> 00:56:55,760
upcoming events, and tools to
help you build a culture of hope

838
00:56:55,880 --> 00:56:59,640
in your life and leadership.
We're so grateful to be part of

839
00:56:59,640 --> 00:57:02,800
your journey.
Until next time, keep leading

840
00:57:02,800 --> 00:57:03,280
with hope.