The Hope Hotline - The Hope Hotline | S01-E34 | 05-12-23

Episode Date: May 12, 2023

The Hope Hotline | S01-E34 | 05-12-23

Real Talk Happy Mother's day to everyone we uh this sunday is mother's day and we have a special podcast we've had uh one on wednesday we hope you enjoyed that and then we have today which is my team we're gonna start out with talia she's the baby of the group the little girl I've known Talia since you weren't even a year I don't think no probably like three months no we did we decided this I think your mother I think your mother said you were just shy of a year was it three months it was three months okay I'm wrong I'm very rarely wrong. It's okay. But are you sure? Yes, I swear.

Oh, my gosh. Shut up, Heather. I say that a lot. Shut up, Heather. Heather deserves it a lot. Heather's got a, like, Heather's very opinionated, like me. So, okay, so Talia's mother, Talia's mother is super, super special to me. She was one of my, well, when I was a youth leader, she was one of my youth kids.

When I met her, no, I met her before this, but we went on a ski trip together. We got pretty close to her on that. She, I had her for a couple years. She is a wild scene, her mother. Wherever she goes, she brings laughter and chaos. That is true. Yeah, that is very true. Your mother is a hoot.

She's one of my favorite people of all her mother actually runs and is the director of our children's ministry on the elementary side because we have two women that run our children's ministry um and her mom's one of them does a phenomenal job if you've if you have a kid in our uh kids rock ministry then you love and appreciate her and everything that she's doing because she's she's rocking the house on that she's doing great i mean the kids you watch this podcast go to another church and are looking for and you're just not finding the right place i don't unless your church is a woke church then yeah definitely come our way but um not trying to pull somebody from their church if they love it and God's called them to that. But if you're looking for a really

great children's ministry for your kids from two, no, what age is Trisha's, Heather? Three. But even our 18 months old, like you do our, what is the age limit for years 18 to 3 Heather runs the 18 to 3 they're learning in there they don't get babysat and the only place you get babysat in this church is nursery and that's because you don't even know how to say dad that mama pretty much but every other minute every other children's age they're actually learning they're not babysat they actually hands-on learning and um so uh it's phenomenal they just do such a great job but back to your mother yeah oh yeah yeah back to your mother um so let's say tell us a little bit about your

relationship with your mother and i she's been told i'm going to say this because when her mother found out that she had to be on this podcast and that her question was about her she told her to talk nice about her so i only believe half of what she says because she's been forced to do so okay so go ahead tell us about tell us about you and your mom's relationship we're very close uh We literally go everywhere together. Let's say she has to go drop Charlotte off at school. She'll wake me up at like 7 a.m. and be like, you want to come with me? I'm like, no. But maybe when you get back, we can go somewhere because we enjoy each other's company.

We feed off each other's energy. You know, I did cheer. She was my cheer coach for like 10 years years so I can never get a break from her ever yeah you guys are close at home we were always practicing it's like we were always around each other so our relationship is very much sister-like but also I try to keep the mother aspect to keep the respect and everything so but, but yeah. You find that hard to do, though? Yeah. Because you're so close. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I know.

Because, well, my mom was never my friend. I kind of ran over my mother in some ways, but she never wanted to be my friend, only because there's times for that. When you become an adult, that's when you become friends with your kids. Yep. Your mother, though, does.

She likes to be young. She likes to try to stay young. Yeah. She's very young at heart. Very funny. She's like the funniest woman I think I've ever met. Tracy's saying yes. She's probably the funniest girl I've ever met in my life.

She is so hilarious. Like, she's a comedian. She should have been a comedian. Everywhere she goes, she has people laughing, which makes it hard when it's mother and daughter, because she probably wants to joke around when really she should be serious. And I can say that's your mother. Yes. But I will say her kids, all of you, your older sister, totally sold out to Jesus, lives a holy lifestyle. How old is Trinity? She's 19. She'll be 20 May 5th.

19, going into ministry. Yep. I'm taking her to Pennsylvania. You're going to PA. Yep. Where she's going to, like, she's called into ministry. So I've asked some of the lady or one particular person to talk to her. It would be good for her. It would be excellent for her.

So Courtney has done a great job. Your younger siblings, they're not old enough right now for us to know where they go. But they're, for the the most parts very well mannered very good kids yep they have their moments but yeah very strong disciplinary and she is but she acts more like a friend sometimes than she does mother yeah yeah yeah i totally get that but hey it's okay right now yep yeah uh it's working out for her most parents that would never it does not fly no no so uh let's see so you're 16 you love jesus yes very very much uh which is rare for a 16 year old tell us about what you think because see here's the thing a lot of parents have a kid your age and they're not they're they're not sold out to the lord

and they're lost the parents feel lost how can i get my kid to love jesus i want them to have the same thing like you love jesus but i will say there was a period of time that that wasn't the case so you can bring hope to a lot of parents because at a much younger age, you kind of were like veering a path. And part of it is because of cheer, would you say? Like not putting church first, not putting having Christian friends first and foremost,

which your mother says she regrets. Like having things in life be more important than like being around a christian uh i wouldn't say christian church because all church calls themselves christian but being around a body of believers that feed off of one another that hold each other accountable i mean because you can even be around other people that call themselves Christians or go to a church that supposedly is a Christian church but none of them hold themselves accountable. They're very woke. It's more of a club atmosphere. So tell us about a little bit about that time frame where you kind of were like wondering even if you were gonna stay a Christian but what

brought you back? Share a little bit about that. Yeah. I mean, as we said, I came to this church when I was like three months old. So I grew up in this church. This is the only church we've ever known. We've only attended this church. So I think having a really great pastor and pastor's wife to lead me along. You were my children's pastor.

So it was under your ministry. So it was nice. It was great. You were hard,'s pastor, so it was under your ministry. So it was nice. It was great. You were hard, but a great way. I mean, if you want your kid to be saved, I think you need to have them grown up in a church and make sure that you are also showing them what a great relationship with Christ is, you know?

I would say reading the Bible to them every night, if they're little, or even, like, as me, as a teen, like, just grab us, make us sit with you and read it, because it's definitely, it'd be a great thing to, when they grow up, know the Bible instead of it being a mystery to them, and you can also lead them along and show them the way. And then I think for me, a big part of why I kind of walked away or like, wasn't really leaning towards God was because of my phone and school and the friends I had definitely watch the phones, big thing for teenagers.

And you know, the only reason, what do you think, what do you mean by when you say watch the phones? Like Snapchat. Without like, and I'm not saying, I'm not saying expose yourself. Yeah, no. Just say, you know, there are things that you never would have done.

Yeah. That you know your friends were doing. Mm-hmm. Like, explain to parents about, like, what the phone, what their kids, I didn't, I don't even know. Like, Snapchat for me, I'm like, now I know my kids are 24 and 22. Right, right. But, like, what the heck, Snapchat, I don't even know. Like Snapchat for me, I'm like, now I know my kids are 24 and 22, but like what the heck, Snapchat, I don't even know. Yeah, so basically Snapchat, you can add anyone.

They could literally be in another like state, like really far. And I think like I added a bunch of boys when I shouldn't have. So I think you should be checking your daughter's and son's apps and making sure that the people they're talking to is good people, you know? Like, I don't think I should have had Snapchat at the age I had it. My mom was like, no, but I went behind her back and I did it anyway.

Yeah. So that was on me. But I definitely think she should have been more strict with the friends I had and when I was using my phone like I shouldn't have had it after like midnight you know or like 10 yeah so I definitely think setting rules boundaries keeping those rules yeah don't break them like they gotta earn your respect that's the kind of thing yeah so uh with snapchat how does snapchat work because I know something something like goes away or something like that. Yeah, so you can choose, now you can choose to keep it there

or you can choose to have it go away right when you exit out of like the text. Oh, the text? Right, so snaps, if you snap someone, like a picture of you, they can save it in chat, but you can still delete it. So it's like there's still ways to like make it go away. So nobody knows what you did. Right, no. But the other person can keep what you did.

Right, they can screenshot it and it'll tell you or there's secret ways to screenshot it and not tell the other person. It's definitely risky, yeah. I wouldn't, I wouldn't let your child tell that. I know something about this because Tom, when he was, I know about Snapchat, I don't know that much about Snapchat.

But I do know that when he worked for the sheriff's office, there would be pictures of girls. Yeah. A lot of men get it and act like a 13-year-old. I had that happen to one of my friends. Where they show, like, they take naked pictures of themselves. Yep. they take naked pictures of themselves. And then they, I don't know how they do it, but like it doesn't go away. Guess, cause you just said you can take a secretly,

take a picture of it. And now the other person has that picture or something like that. And then they would show their friends, this girl. And now people are getting arrested for this now. Yeah, yeah. When you screenshot it, it goes in your camera roll. Oh my gosh.

Yeah. So you have Snapchat? If you have children with Snapchat? Just watch who they have on there. Like, I would say let them, if they're like my age, like 16, let them only have all girls. How did you get your life right with God? What do you think? Your daughter? My daughter. only have all girls how did you get your life right with god what what do you think your daughter

my daughter she was like uh a big sister to me because she would always be like talia you need to delete that person i was like is she bossy like her mother yeah but in a good way because now that made me who i am today uh and in in that you guys cultivated a really close relationship you guys are like best friends now I think that experience at the river radically changed you forever would you not say yeah and you didn't believe in any of that stuff I didn't know about it that's why I was when I got up and Ronnie was like look at me I'm like I was literally like I don't even know what's happening very quickly because people if you don't believe in it or if you do believe in it and you want your

children to experience it here is somebody that's living proof that it does it does happen even when they don't believe in it or don't even know about it so tell them really quick like what happened because that was pretty crazy okay so basically i was standing next to norma and she started worshiping really good you go to the river and it's the stand. And the stand, was it the very first day of the stand? Because I think it was. Yes, I think it was. We were, yes.

It was the very first time we ever go to the river. And it was our very first time we go to the stand. It's their first opening, like, bam. So, but Pastor Rodney didn't know you were with us, did he? Okay, so go ahead. So basically Norma started worshiping really well. And I was like, okay, maybe I should do that. So I started to do that. Influence. Yes.

Positive peer pressure. Yes. Positive peer pressure. And then later on, afterwards, he did an altar call, and I kind of felt, I was like, ooh. I was like, maybe I should go up there. Like, I didn't know what I was feeling, and I didn't want to go alone. So I was like, Norma, I kind of want to go up there. So she didn't go up. She was like, maybe I should go up there. Like, I didn't know what I was feeling, and I didn't want to go alone. So I was like, Norma, I kind of want to go up there. So she didn't go up.

She was like, go up. And then I was like, so I, like, ran my Nana, and I took her up with me. And, you know, I gave my life to the Lord. And then I was standing there, and everyone else around me, a few girls, younger girls, were, like, falling out. And I was like, okay. I was like, Lord, I want this. Like, this is what I want. So Ronnie came over.

He called me out, and I'm going to start crying. And, you know, he was like, oh, what are you feeling? And I was like, I don't know. I'm tingling. I was literally, like, stuttering. I have the video. I was like, I'm tingling. He's like, that's annoying.

And then he started laughing. And then he was like, bam. And then I went out. And my fingers were, like, stuck like this. And I, like, I was laying there. And my mom was like, stuck like this, and I, like, I was laying there, my mom's like, are you okay? I'm, like, blocking her, I'm like, shh, just be quiet, so I was laying there. Because your mom's probably freaking out. She freaks out, and so I, like, sounds like Courtney. So I, like, kind of forced myself to get up, because I didn't know what was

happening, I didn't, like, know. So my hands were still stuck like this. I was going to walk back to my seat and Ronnie stopped me and he turned off his mic back and he was talking to me. And I was like, yeah, just talk, whatever. I was like so out of it. And then he was like, oh, what's your feeling? I don't really know exactly what he said, but he was like, oh, what's your feeling? He's like, this is like what I had for like three days or whatever.

He said his thumbs were stuck like this. So he started like massaging my hand and my thumb eventually like went away. And then he was like, I was like looking at the ground and he's like, look at me. And I was like, and then he was like, are you here? And I'm like, I didn't answer because I was just so out of it. But basically he was like, he talked to me. He was like, you know, that fire on your hands, he was like, you can heal. He was like, you can touch people and you can heal the sick. Basically, that was it. And I walked back and I was still out of it.

Never been the same. Nope. Has that ever happened to you before? No. And my mom didn't, she didn't, like, really, like, believe it until it happened. So when it happened to me, that's when she was kind of, like, freaking out. Because she was also like, okay, this is like real. So it kind of like changed her also.

Oh yeah, cause then your mom got filled with joy, like several weeks later at the river. It's pretty, it's listen, the river is, it's what'd you say? It's the real deal that's come from Heather who didn't really, she didn't not believe in the joy, but she didn't really believe in the joy until Pastor Rodney. Oh, Taya's the one thing.

Oh, Taya changed Heather. Oh, wow. Because here's the thing, really, you didn't know. No. You had no idea. So it's super exciting. So I say to everybody who doubts it don't doubt it have your heart and mind open to whatever god has for you and then watch out because it's way better than any it's way

better than anything you could ever dream or think of it is so powerful it's unbelievable yeah and every single yes every single person in this room now my mom's never been to the river but in her own bed and in her own house she watches it in this room. Now, my mom's never been to the river, but in her own house, she watches it every single day. And my mom's had the same experiences in her own home without even having to go to the river. So be open in your heart. All right, on to the next guest. Here we go. And now we have Tracy with us.

Tracy is my producer. She's our photographer. She's our photographer. She's our everything when it comes to media. True. She leads the pack, and then she has Norma and Talia underneath her. Tracy, your mom lives up north in Mass. She's a faithful watcher. Yes.

I wonder why. Hi, Mom. I wonder why. It has nothing to do with you. Your mom, okay, you're a great cheerleader. Yeah. Your mom's a really great cheerleader. She's a barn bus. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Such a good cheerleader. So she raised, there's three of you. Yep. You're, you have two brothers. Yep. An older brother. No. No, you're the oldest. I'm the oldest. So there's you, there's Doug, and your brother.

DJ. DJ. I always forget his name. Why do I forget his name? I don't know. Because it's so easy. I don't know. It's two letters.

Yeah, two letters. So she did a good job. All you guys are saved. Yes. Your brother is on the board for Jonathan. Yep. Jonathan Shuttlesworth, in case somebody doesn't know who Jonathan is. He's on the board. Jonathan. Yep. Jonathan Shuttlesworth, in case somebody doesn't know who Jonathan is. He's on the board.

He attends his church. They're, like, they're planted. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, loving life. So they moved from Mass, where he owned part of the company with your brother. He left everything. Yes.

Because he knew God called him to revival today. Right. Which is huge. Yes yes then there's you yeah and it's weird because how they this all meshes together which we'll get into later yeah uh and then there's your younger brother who's a business owner and successful business owner because you basically he took the business over from your dad correct yeah so and that's not always easiest to do because usually kids run the company right into the ground they don't make it better because they don't have a great worth ethic so your parents did

some really good things yeah so let me ask you this tell us about your mom and why do you think like i know that things weren't always perfect at your house. Right. Like, but your mom had to fight tooth and nail for all of you guys. Like, my mom had to do with me. Yes. Like, it's not abnormal for parents who, like, their kids have walked away and you go, are they ever going to come back? Yeah.

If you have a great intuitiveness, if they grew up in the church, because there's that promise. Train them up in the way that they should go. And when they grow old, they will not depart from it. So here's the thing. Your parents probably stood on that promise. My parents stood on that promise. But just tell a little bit about it.

You don't need to tell about that part of it. But what your mom like it's she has successful kids i mean yeah that didn't just happen yeah no not that your dad didn't play a huge part no he did and he did monster part in it because the priest of the home is way more important than a mom right but we're talking about moms right now we're not talking about that exactly yeah so my mom is amazing hi mom again um I'm realizing as I get older and as I have more people and influences in my life how important a mom's role is. And so my mom is super special. And she grew up a really pure life, too.

So when bad things kind of came into our lives, all three of us, my brother and me, she almost didn't know what to do with it. So that's where my dad was really strong is that he didn't live a pure life. So he knew that promise of God that raise them up in the way they shall go when they are old, they will not depart from it. He knew it to be true, where my mom just was a prayer warrior. And she is known as somebody that never gives up. So when I played basketball from like the stadium, we would hear her and she'd be like, NGU, NGU, never give up. And so she kind of took that into all of her life.

She took that into her prayer world. And she did say one thing she wishes she did earlier, not when we were older and adults, was finding verses to stand on. She didn't even know to do that. She knew to pray and she knew that God would hear her prayers. And she knew verses, but she didn't know to like stand on them and to let them be true, 100% true. So when everybody was kind of wandering away from God, she asked God for a verse and he gave her Jeremiah 31 16. And it says, this is what the Lord says, restrain your voice from weeping and your

eyes from tears for your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord says. Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord. They will return from the land of the enemy. So she didn't know that verse. She doesn't even know where it came from. She doesn't know she was listening, which is another huge thing. She always had the word of God somehow. She was either listening to messages or had the TV on and it was worship songs.

So she was always filling herself. So when she got that word, she told God that, I know my kids are going to return home. And it was mostly my brothers at this point because at this point I was on my journey of really finding God and really committing my life to him. But my brothers were a hot mess at this time. And so, like, I mean a hot mess. I mean, if your kids are a hot mess at this time. And so like, I mean, a hot mess. I mean, if your kids are a hot mess,

trust me, there's hope because my brothers were terrible. And I told my brother this morning, I won't say all of his dirty secrets, but he said I could. That's gotta be Doug. It was. I love it. It was Doug.

So she said, when she got that word, she said, this is your word, Lord. And I know that even if I'm dead and gone, that they will return. And literally, that was in March. I forget what year, 2012, I think. And literally the next month on Good Friday, they were both up at the altar and had given their life back to the Lord and recommitted themselves and have been just thriving ever since.

Oh, yeah. I mean, for you to uproot yourself. Yeah. Your whole entire family. I mean it's not like Doug's not married. No yeah. Not that his wife wasn't totally like it was a big deal for her to move. It was. But she heard the voice. The whole family's up there. Yeah. Yeah. But like she heard the voice of the Lord and she just followed her man and she's doing amazing yeah she is doing amazing i love that girl she is i know super special she is again i like them better than i'm like you i like the wives better than the husband sorry sorry about it guys sorry favor ain't fair yeah i don't know so another thing my mom did too was she didn't just pray for

us when we were younger she also prayed for our spouses so not only are we all serving the lord but also our spouses and now our grandchildren her grandchildren our children are all just next level a totally different level than she was and we are now they're doing things that we weren't doing at that age yeah which is super important i don't think that parents ever think about doing that but we really should pray for our spouses because you can do great all you know if I mean if they're sold out you've got to believe that they'll follow suit but even I like at you know when I turned 18, I was like, I met a hot guy and I'm like, no, Jesus, who's that? You know? Yeah. You're hot. You're hot. So, I mean, it happens. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So praying that they meet the right people, they stay connected with the right people. It's huge.

It's monster big. So now you have, do you, do you want to add anything about your mama? She's just, I love her so much. And I'm so thankful for you, mom. She's a, listen, your mom's pretty awesome. We do love her. Yeah, she's amazing. My girl loves her. Talia loves her.

Yeah, anytime you want to move down here, we're ready for you. Yeah, we're ready. We're ready for you. Well, I mean, big personality. Yeah. She's going to barnstorm the doors when she comes in. I know. Which is okay.

Just saying. We're ready. We're ready. We're ready for you. She's like a thoroughbred. She's like a hot thoroughbred. You know what I'm saying? Like there's different kinds of horses. If you know anything about horses, which I know minimal, but there's the ones that you want out in your backyard just roaming around. And then you got the thoroughbred the racehorse they run hot that's what we have that's your mother makes sense she's ready to go you hear that put her put her in that lineup oh yeah she's coming out the gate fast yeah yeah she'd do well

because i think that's pretty much everybody in this room except for my mother yeah my mother is not a hot thoroughbred okay yeah yeah She's like the, she's like Athena. What was Athena, the horse? She was one of those elegant, like with the long fluffy tail. And that when she ran, her whatever you call that thing. The mane just flows. That's my mother.

I see it. She's not a thoroughbred. I see it. At all not a thoroughbred. I see it. At all. Like a racehorse. Every single one of us in this room, though. Well, Talia's not a racehorse either. She's another one. That's okay.

We have to have a mixture. No, Talia's not even like an Athena. She's not. No. Okay. What is she? She's still working it out? She's still working it out, yeah.

I don't know what she is just yet, but when we find out what the... What? Norma's an angry pony. I mean, all right. She rears her ugly head every now and then. We gotta fix that. So what a blessing. Yeah.

Because you, like, as much as the gospel is preached in this church and as many souls that are saved, you play such an instrumental part, even though she's not in front of the camera, behind the scenes, like all of those lives that are affected from discipleship to salvations, like you own those. It's humbling. Like your fingerprint is on those people. I know. I know.

It's just, and that's the same. People forget. You don't have to be the voice. You just have to the one of the vessels to make the voice get out there and i'm thankful that i get to be over there yeah because this is like sometimes it's prying teeth to get some of them to to help out but i love you and i can't thank you enough another part of this amazing team and we are going to move on to our next guest which is heather heather needs to look at the camera we just had the countdown and she's not paying attention she's actually looking to tell you who's taking pictures right now i wasn't i was looking at your

mom she's looking at my mother apparently are we we starting over then? No. We're not starting over. We're just going to go with it. We're not starting. She asked me. She's like, do we get start overs? And I was like, sure. We're not starting over. I lie. Okay.

Heather, this is like out of everybody, you would think my mom would be the worst right now. No. Heather is the worst. She hates this more than life itself. More than life itself. But you itself but you'll live but i like life so you like life but you don't like this true at all very true now heather you are tom's assistant uh-huh that's a fun thing huh it's easy it's easy way It's easy. Way easier than you. He's low maintenance. He is very low. Am I low maintenance?

No. I'm not high maintenance. Yes. You are. Definitely high maintenance. As a person, I'm not high maintenance. True. No, I agree with that.

Yeah. But work-wise, yeah, I'm high maintenance. I'm like pretty strict. I like things a certain way. And you like them a certain way too. But because I don't think like you do and you think differently than me, it's sometimes very difficult. But I like to do a job, get it done.

And you like to do 20 jobs at once. Because I have to. Okay, we'll just stop there. You're fantastic. She'll pay me later. Oh my gosh. There's no way to do 20. I have like 20 things.

There's no way to just do one. Because more than people just need more than one thing done. They can't wait to get the one thing done. Some things take longer to get done. True. I don't think we should go into this this is mother's day well which this is what this is but let's just go to the first question oh my gosh that's so dang funny oh this girl i'm right no you're really not but it's let's see here's the thing they're all

agreeing with me but here's the thing it's easy it's easy to think that when you're not in the other person's shoes true yeah so and i it's easy for me to say well you can't do that because i'm not in your shoes right yeah so like i get your point even though you're wrong. But now let's go on. So, Heather, like, we go back a long time. Yeah, a really long time. Like, 17 years old. You were 17, I believe. 17, 18.

Probably 17. And Tom fell in love with you at a ski trip. Yes. Okay. They would do these in our youth group we would um go on these youth ski trips everybody looked forward to them like it was a big deal there's like a youth of 100 kids so much fun but what was great about them is the um you had a great time um skiing in the day and then at night they would do these incredible like it would be a great time skiing in the day, and then at night they would do these incredible, like it would be a great time, I mean, late at night

with praise and worship, like worshiping, but mostly it was teaching and Bible study and just learning and then being transparent. Everybody was just so real. Not everybody. I would say that. All I remember is the skiing. I hate to say it. Everybody was just so real. Not everybody. I would say that. All I remember is the skiing. I hate to say it.

Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, my gosh. That's not good. That was a long time ago. Oh, I just remember such great times of, I didn't go on this one. But I was 17. Yeah.

And you guys were adults. So, like, for me, it was going to ski with friends. Yeah. And Travis. Yeah. Truth. Travis, her husband truth so because you guys just started dating at that time so she was in love but the thing is that Tom loved about you was is your transparency because me and Tom are big on transparency huge yeah in our own personal lives and in the lives of people that are around us we have no fakey fakes we don't like fraudulent like you got to be the real deal or that's the reason why we

mostly to ourselves and or you'll be exposed all right it will because truth is always exposed that's what the word says whatever is being hidden will be exposed in the light you cannot do it so but the thing that he absolutely loved about you is you're such an honest person you did not play any games at all your your testimony was just he came home i remember him coming home and saying this girl she's different she's like honest and transparent and her salvation when she got saved it was real he's like she knew what she was doing and it was real and you have never ever since the moment you got saved you've always walked the straight and narrow correct yeah you never nothing you which is very rare because in your house when you grew up you were raised by your mom and your grandmother which I just found out you didn't know your dad until you were 10 right yeah I thought you met I thought you knew

who your dad was but you didn't have much to do with them but it was until you were 10 so your grandmother you lived with your grandmother as much if not more than you did with your mother correct yeah so uh and my grandfather and your grandfather who is like your grandfather was your grandmother wasn't your blood grandfather correct my step grandfather step grandpa but he treated you better than almost any blood you've ever like he really was a genuinely they stepped in as parents yeah they were i mean i have my parents but they stepped in as parents. Yeah. They were, I mean, I have my parents, but they stepped in as my parents and really filled the voids that were there. And who I am today has a lot to do with them and my parents

because we're all shaped differently by experiences we've gone through. But to be the more steady, steady influence in my life. Yeah. At that time. And there's a lot of, there are a lot of people out there right now, grandparents raising their grandchildren. And like, you're a great product of like, as a grandparent, if you're doing that for your grandchild, raising it up,

like you're a great example of the investment that they'll get the return on which is huge it's huge because what you do in ministry is monumental for this ministry you've been with us pretty much since day one I don't think you were at any of our meetings that we had at the house but I think you were at our very first real church service and you've never even when you moved away they tithe here they called this church basically their home church and then when you move back obviously every time you came back here and home because he was in the military every time you came home you came here you even lived with us for periods of time like

vacations or like when you were in transit when you were on vacation even when i was on vacation you lived in my house like care of the pig yeah took oh lord let's not even talk about that so cute um so let's let's not go on with the pig so uh that's a secret that i'd prefer to be kept we have no secrets we have well there are some secrets that prefer to be kept. We have no secrets. Well, there are some secrets that need to be kept. That is one of them. But here's the thing, like close, close, close

for a very long period of time, you've had like, I'm not gonna say like that your childhood wasn't perfect, but it just goes to show people who gives an excuse of having the not most normal childhood, like you were raised by your grandparents, but it just goes to show that you can be a solid believer. You can't let life circumstances kind of have that victim mentality of,

oh, well, that wasn't me. I wasn't like that, so I can't be like that. No, you guys rose above. Even Travis wasn't raised in the most normal of situations at all. And both of you are solid. So how do you think that, what made that come to be for you guys? I think growing up, not knowing that it wasn't normal. We didn't know that it wasn't normal the way we lived.

And I really can't speak a ton for Travis. I mean, I can, but I won't. Yeah. We thought how we were raised was normal. So we didn't really have anything to compare it to until we were older and we could then see others around us that, wait a minute, this is different. Why is this different? Why does this look different? And I know when I had first started going to youth group for Travis,

not for youth group, not for God, not for God. I went for Travis. Um, but then stepping into that and seeing how relationships could be different and how the world way, which is all that I had known. My grandparents did take me, I had known my grandparents did take me I should say my grandmother did take me to church um occasionally I don't remember being at church a lot when I was little but it was very religious sit down stand up and it was a Baptist church we weren't Catholic church but it was very structured structured I mean it's very religious and I remember VBS one year. That's all that I really remember. There wasn't there wasn't any solidness to it at all. So I think growing up and having not having the example and then seeing an

example, we were like, OK, whatever that is, we want that. Right. Regardless of what it has to do to get to that, we know what we've been dealt on this end, and we're not interested in that. And not to blame our parents or anyone that we were in contact with with our family, but just to know that that is the way of the world, and we don't want the way of the world. Right.

So for us us I think we grabbed onto that early and we're both very we're very different but we're very similar in a lot of ways which I think has helped us grow together as husband and wife and how we do things and when we decide to do something together we're doing it it together. Like, it doesn't matter. So I think just being firm on what we believe in and what we want the final outcome to be and putting Christ first in our life, everything else just falls into place. And I know people say that. And, oh, if you just put Christ first.

No, really. It's that easy. If you literally just put Christ first, everything else is easy. The little things and the big things. It doesn't mean you won't walk through things, but it is easy. Yeah, absolutely, it is easy. Now, you guys, and I know your relationship probably, I know a lot of people's relationships, a lot of the marriages.

We have such a big church now that I can't say that I know all the of people's relationships a lot of the marriages not we have such a big church now that I can't say that I know all the marriages in the church but uh but out of in the 17 years we've had this church from the 17 years of having it to present day and the marriages that I know very very well which I can say I know quite a few just from counseling and stuff like that, but probably the one that's most like Tom and I's, and that is very, very good, very, very solid, is you and Travis's.

You guys don't fight very often. And you don't fight very often, not because that's not something that you've made it be it's just because you guys are best friends and you choose not to fight you choose you know in life you really should pick and choose which what is what is most important most everything's not worth fighting over right it's just not there's no value in it so but you guys uh you didn't like i grew up in a two-parent home tom grew up in a two-parent home up until when we started dating that's when his parents got divorced but up to that point he's only known now you and travis are opposite of us travis did not he his he grew his

mom raised him and your grandmother basically and, and your mom raised you, right? So how people, oh, again, we always go back to making excuses as to reason why our lives don't reflect what the word of God says. We don't, we, we always want to not take responsibility for our actions and behaviors. So it validates our lifestyle. Now, you guys go against that because, again, I say, like, you don't hardly. And listen, you're my neighbors. I would hear it.

But not only that, I'm around you guys all the time. Have been since you're 17. You guys got married in my daggum backyard. We did. Okay. Secretly. But they got married. In mygum backyard we did okay secretly but they got married in my backyard i have video of it with pictures i'm just saying yeah from the moment you've i've known you dating to the present you guys have consistently been the same you've grown together

spiritually absolutely he's the priest of the home you're're a hard, listen, you're like me. You're a tough nut. Like you're kind of hardheaded. You like it your way. Yes. You're very strong willed. But in the midst of all that, you're a very submissive woman. Like if he says it's going to go that way, you're like, okay, then it's going to go that way.

And you do not give him a nasty whatever because it's not going your way you just okay it's more or less like the decision's been made now everybody's going to come together as a unit and we're going to make this we're going to go this route every and in a christ-like way which is correct you know sacrifice of praise you're going to be happy through the process. And you're not going to act snotty and rude because it didn't go your way. You're not like that at all. And I'm not either. But I haven't always been completely like that.

I think I am like that. But there's always a learning process as you go through marriage. And, like, he used to love video games. Like, love video games. And I was okay with video games. but not like nine hours a night, which moderation, that's not moderation to me. But when Travis and I talked about it the other day, what we do for each other,

if there's something that spiritually speaking we're interested in, we're definitely going to encourage each other and we're going to help each other get to that point. But if it's something like playing video games I would get mad and I tried to use all the wife wifey things to persuade that didn't always work didn't um and I would kind of be pouty I would be pouty and then one day I was just like you know what can you just lay in the bed with me and he'll probably laugh at this because I'd be like can you just And then one day I was just like, you know what? Can you just lay in the bed with me? And he'll probably laugh at this because I'd be like,

can you just lay with me until I fall asleep? And then you can go play all night long. I could be out for like an hour. And he'd be like tiptoeing. And I'd be like, where are you going? That sounds about right. He's like, I'm going to play video games. You're sleeping.

I'm like, well, don't leave yet. And then finally I got to where I was like, I don't even care. Just go. So now it doesn't leave yet. And then finally I got to where I was like, I don't even care. Just go. So now it doesn't, it doesn't bother me. But there were times where I would, we didn't act appropriately, but we learned from it and realized that's not worth disagreeing about. It's silly. It's a video game, whatever. Not to say that they should do that all the time because when we don't want them to go, it's because we want them. It's not that, not always. Well, in my case, it wasn't that I didn't want him to go it's because we want them it's not that not always well

in my case it wasn't that i didn't want him to do it i just wanted him to be with me but definitely as a godly influence you guys are our number one i love you yeah i mean super special always will be god you know i say this to women out there who have children or who have never had children. God will put very special people in your life that may or may not need you. Yeah. Because you probably would be okay on your own. Truth be told, you're a very strong person. Yeah.

But he loves us so much that he puts people in our lives that are the little cherry on top Travis Knight we would have been fine yeah but because he loves us and because we've been obedient to him it's your father he loves us so much that he wants the best for you so he's gonna and he constantly we have people come into our lives all the time that we're like, wow, you're pretty fantastic. Yeah. But you guys are the top. And we shall stay the top. Ain't nobody taking my place, girl.

But I will say women out there, you know, it says in the scriptures that the older will teach the younger. So there's things like you just, you don't know where people are at. You don't know what they walk through through but you can absolutely minister to them you can put into their lives and then you see you reap the rewards of it because like even though you are already who you were I look at her so many times and I'm like literally she could be my daughter because you have traits like me you even talk like me certain times do you know what i'm saying i do yeah there are things you say things like me sometimes i do yeah and i think part of

that is just being around us so much it rubs off on you but i also think that's just who we are that's who god designed us to be for the certain roles that we play. And typically people like us can't work together. No. Because it doesn't work. No, it doesn't work. Because we're very... But typically... We're always right.

Well, she's always right. That's true. And typically most people that are like Tom and I don't, because we're both very strong. But if you handle things biblically, it always works out. But I say to women find somebody because there is somebody that needs that mother figure in their life you're not replacing the real mom but you can play a vital role in showing Christ being a I say spiritual mom but being being a godly

woman in someone's life to help direct them love them and be that for them it's it's super important it doesn't happen overnight but it will happen if you're diligent and you invest it really will happen and there's lots of girls out there right now who need it so and you're my girl forever and ever yay forever and ever all right on to my next guest which is gonna be my little girl norman my biological it's gonna be my biological daughter all right let's go And now we have on deck my daughter, Norma. Oh, my gosh. Retake. No.

I love that. Restart. Oh, my gosh. You know what you're getting into. I'm sorry. I know. You are my child. Once again, we pick up muscle. Oh, my gosh.

Escape matrix. My mother says amen to you. I say you are my child, and she goes amen. So we're just like, okay, so Norma, you do media. You take pictures. You do videoing for Tracy. You do podcast, church service, just like Talia. And then this podcast, correct?

Yes, ma'am. You also are the receptionist at the church and she answered those calls not always we know so if you've called the church and the phone didn't get answered blame her sorry she cleans the church and this place is monumental in other words pick up after yourself it's me helping me out oh my god so yeah you wear many hats here at church and now you've started doing some traveling so she's feeling the call to crusades and missions with Bia and Daniel. Love you guys.

Yeah, we love them. So let me ask you, okay, so you pretty much all your life, because we've been doing this 17 years as far as this church, for the most part, all you've known is church. At least what I can remember, yeah. Yeah, being a preacher's kid. And you guys didn't. Tell us, us like what's it like being a pk it has its moments um overall i say there's more pros to it than cons um but the cons are pretty big um but overall the pros are like you get to make friends with the most amazing people like pastor rodney and pastor jonathan like you get connected with all these amazing people daniel and bia like i get to make friends with the most amazing people, like Pastor Rodney and Pastor Jonathan.

Like, you get connected with all these amazing people, Daniel and Bia. Like, I get to go do that because I'm a PK, or a pastor's kid. PK means something different in South Africa. I think it means, like, to be slapped or something. Oh, really? So that's why Daniel makes fun of me. He's like, PK! But there's a lot of pros to it.

But the cons are, are like they're pretty negative like i overall like you lose a lot of people in your life because especially in this church you lose a lot of people in your life that you're pretty close with because different beliefs and stuff like that um so that's like one of the more uh negatives thanks i'm moving back and forth. That's one of the negatives is losing people. But overall, you make better friends in the end, if that makes sense. Probably didn't say that correctly. People with longevity. Yeah, people with longevity like Tracy and Jer.

Like all those amazing people came in after we lost a lot of people during like COVID. So that's a pro. I actually take that back. It's more of a pro than it is a con to lose those people. Um, another con is people just being very comfortable with you. I think over comfortable because they do hear about your life and a lot about your life that sometimes they'll come in and kind of just cross boundaries a little um but overall it's not nothing too bad so for me it's not it's not horrible so because your dad is very transparent when he preaches yes and so what happens is people think that they know you better than they do yeah and so and I think everything is

very I don't think, for the most part, there's no ill intent when people come up and they either joke around or they say things. But because you don't know them, you're kind of like, what? Sometimes people can say things that aren't very nice. You know, being in ministry is quite unique. I always have said it's kind of bittersweet in some ways. The sweet is way sweeter than the bitter. But like what people do is if they get offended, they'll take it out on your kids. People have been nasty to our children um because they're offended by tom or something like that

or even just the conviction of the holy spirit um so people can be mean um and or just their nature is not always the kindest so sometimes people just vomit whatever they think and they they think that they can say whatever they want i think that's one of the reasons why preachers kids oftentimes walk away from the church is because of the things that they're exposed to and uh the unkindness that is shown to them uh because of their parent one of their parents is a pastor or something like that. So it's their opportunity. Sometimes I literally have had a woman just seek her out because she was mad and offended over, I don't know,

it was the most silliest thing. And I know people will say, well, it's silly to you because you're the, but if people knew the situation, they'd go, that's crazy. like she wasn't right in her head but she literally would seek her out when nobody was around to just be out of her mind rude and nasty um i mean sticking fingers and faces and you just sit there and go, what's wrong with people? I mean, nobody does those things. But if it can happen, it will happen sometimes to a preacher's kid because people feel like they have the right for whatever reason.

Some of the stuff that's happened to my kids, I just sit there and... It's more funny now. It can be because you guys have looked at it in a spiritual response but some people don't and that that that behavior says if that's what christians are like i want no parts of it but the problem is is you have to look at the fruit of that person and go where they are they really saved the odds are and i know that that woman she's she's a little nutty so her fruit is not good and um so whatever the case may be but being a preacher's kid can be tough being on staff a lot of times people walking on staff a lot of people see the inner inner inner workings of

ministry and they were like i want no parts of of ministry because they see that it can be kind of septic sometimes what you're dealing with and um and you see the realness of the people you work with and if they aren't willing to say I'm sorry and be raw and real then you sit there and go you're a fake Christian and sometimes people in ministry are fake, but some, you know, at the same time, they have faults and failings and you're going to see those things. And you have to be willing to, like Heather was saying, offer forgiveness for those faults and failings. I am, I'm hard-nosed. I'm a hard-nosed person. And when I, I uh when we do things around here it's gonna meet a certain standard and if it doesn't meet that standard you're gonna hear it from me but I'm also big

on praise like if you do it right and for the most part it does go right around here but when you do it right you're gonna be praised for it you're to be thanked no that's not true it's not that's not where's the tablecloth you do a good job you do a good job my bad um but you're also learning you're young and you're trying to figure it out and in your defense you've had other jobs but they were nothing that look like this and this is a whole different world. And so part of it is training. That's just life. I'm super blessed. Just for me as a mom, and you see your daughter flourish,

and, you know, I'm super proud. Norma, I don't hardly ever, like, I talk about my kids, and I'm very, very proud of them, of who they've become and who they are in the church. My son is more quiet. He's not very quiet, but in the church he's very quiet, and he's a special person. My daughter, though, you do a lot. You do a lot you do a lot and and the thing is is when you see your child uh worshiping the lord in spirit and in truth and ushering in other people and leading

them in into worship you're so proud i mean you people have said to me like are you like so proud of your daughter like when you see her up there and I am but here's the thing it's what I expected yeah it's what I I don't expect any less so for me it's like uh when I moved into this building people are like aren't you so excited no it's what I expected because I know who God is, and I know what his word says, and I know that if I do it, what the return is. So it's what I expected. But it still doesn't take away of how absolutely proud I am,

not of what I feel like I've put into her, but I'm so proud that she sees who she is in Christ. She steps up to the plate, and she's willing to do whatever it takes, even go to a place where nobody wants to go. When her and Jer left for Africa and they went to that town that nobody wanted to go to, they took their lives into their hands and they did it without hesitation. And for that, you just sit and look at people like that because people will always say, Lord, I'll do anything that you want me to do, but please don't make me go to Africa.

I said that. But here's the thing. Both her and Jer ran to Africa. And it's like what Pastor Adonica said to Pastor Rodney when he was being arrested. I remember her, she said, or he said, she was putting on her makeup, I think it was. And she literally said to him, run to the roar. And I will say that's exactly what Norma does, what Jarrah has done when they went over there. But I will say it's so awesome to see your child run to the roar. My son, when he goes out to fight, all these guys come out to this rap music. It's horrible what they're coming up. My son runs out to oceans playing no it wasn't it's worthy oh he runs out to worthy yes and worthy or worthy of it all worthy

of it all both of my kids make a stand and a statement for the lord and they know who he is in their lives and part of that is what tom and I have instilled in them but another part of it is it's everything that they had to do they're at 18 years of age it's no longer me and Tom it's all them so that's them and for that I love you and I'm I I don't I don't say enough I'm like my dad don't cry I'm like my dad my dad was not a big I like my dad. My dad was not a big, I'm proud. He did when he got older and stuff like that. But to get something out of him like that, you knew you had to accomplish something big.

And I'm not a big praiser in that regard. But when a praise is due, I give it. So it means something when I say it. If I praise you, it's because you deserve it. And I don't flow out that fluffy stuff. So seriously, so proud of my daughter. I am. When she's up there and she's singing her heart out and she's loving on Jesus, this mom is proud. So it's one thing I can do. Yeah. I love you very much. And on to the next guest, which is my mother.

Ta-da! This is what brought all this into the world. Amazing. I'm going to blame it on God. Amazing. You're an amazing woman. Thank you. I love you.

Well, I'm talking about me. Oh, you're an amazing woman. I know that. I'm talking about your amazing woman, you're an amazing woman. I know that. I'm talking about your amazing woman because of me. We're starting out great. Yeah. This is how most of our communication happens. Amen.

I wanted to, for parents who have had kids that have walked away from God and they're believing for them to walk back, this is all the time because narrow is the way and there's few that be that find it. So, and broad is the road to destruction okay so there's a lot of parents who are standing for their adult children their teen teenagers and things like that that are standing on the word or maybe they didn't even grow up there you know they got saved late in life and they're believing that their kids will come and have a walk with God even though their kids you know they weren't saved when they were raising their kids and so now they know better and there's

a hope of their kids being saved now I walked away when I was 18 got my life right at 24. But that, I spent some years away from the family, and you didn't even know where I was at for part of that time, which was. Three years. Yeah, it was a very tough time for you. So there are parents that are watching this that have known, that know where you've walked or know that, know right, you know, are experiencing what you walk through and it's hard it was tough there were you know there were times where you cry and

you're not a crier you know you don't cry at all I think that's why I don't cry I never saw like I grew up in a home nobody cried you just got over it you don't get it doesn't accomplish anything yeah so we feel worse and your eyes hurt so in my house in our house nobody cried like the only time you're allowed to cry is if you were bleeding right and that you better be bleeding bad yeah otherwise dry it up I mean I heard dried up all the time so I'm not a crier and I'm okay with not being a crier um because like I said this morning I cried you know when I was having some time with the Lord but uh that was a tough time for you so like what can you tell people like what that was like and and you and dad like you

you had to do some things to get me back but But I will say that the truth, the Bible says to expel the wicked man from among you. And you basically had to do that with me. You made me make a choice, God or world. I chose the world. And, but that's, it says in the word, it's very clear that if you expel the man, the wicked man, that it's a better chance of them coming back and serving the Lord and getting their life right. So that was the best thing you guys ever did for me. The other best thing I think that my dad did is the one thing, and then I'm going to let you talk,

but the thing that dad did and I think that parents can take away from, if there's anything you can do when your child does return and you probably told them that everything that was going to happen to them was going to happen to them or you could predict the future and you may not have said it to them, but now they come back and now it's a time where you could say, I told you so. Dad never said that to me. And he had a lot of opportunity because everything he predicted and everything that he said that I would walk through.

Now, he also lived a wild life when he was younger. So he knew what was out there for me and what was waiting for me. So you never did anything like that. But he did. So he knew what the odds were was going to be but the thing is is he never ever ever said I told you so to me which was on my side of things invaluable like I it helped me so much knowing that I didn't have that hovering over my head never once and I even remember going to him saying thank you for

like once I got my life right and I was spiritually sound I remember going to him and saying thank you for never doing that to me and you know I would never he would never have done I mean dad was a hard person but he would never have done that so go ahead and talk about that and help parents because I send parents to you all the time in church I send people to you all the time in church. I send people to you all the time that are walking where you walked, and they always inevitably say, that was huge for me. First of all, your church family is extremely, extremely important because at the time you decided to walk away, you were in leadership. You had been in a leadership church where we still attended attended but you and your brother had moved on to another big

Mac it would be considered mega church today both churches so when you pretty much grew in and were a leader there and then when you left that church you were in leadership at another really big church and so the people and most people knew you because your father as usual was very involved if there was a he was on it. Our pastor even got a motorcycle so he could ride together. We just knew a lot of people, which meant they knew you. And so when this happened, parents would come to us and say, we can't believe this is happening. We're going to start praying for our children because they never, you never expect somebody to walk away, but they do. And once you're there and you've heard from the parents

who said we never expected it, then the parents that it's happened to come out of the woodwork all over the place. So we had our churches praying for us. I know the church that you had moved on to definitely prayed for you because anybody who watched the podcast a little while ago heard about your friend Chris. She was praying for you. Your brother was still gone there. They were praying for you. The good thing is if people want to talk to you about it, don't get into conversations. Be happy that they're praying,

but don't, you don't have to let your kid, yeah, it turns into gossip because they want to feed on it and say, well, I know this about hope. Well, good or bad, we didn't even know anything about you for three years. I tried to reach out to you and then you wrote me the letter saying please back off I don't want these letters yeah so I did it so we just could only pray although while you were gone your brother-in-law tried to get your social security number and he was bound to go through any kind of government agency to find you didn't work didn't have. But then when you decided to come back, because so many people in town knew you, even though it's a big area in northern Virginia, most people know your personality.

You don't know a stranger, so everybody pretty much knew who you were. So one of the guys that was one of your dad's clients called and said, Hope's back in town and she's working for such and such. So he said, he told me, let's get in touch with her and we'll ask her to go out to dinner. Yeah. And so we went out to dinner. I did call her, didn't know what she was going to do. She was very receptive, so we went out to dinner, but we let you talk. Don't ask questions. Just be happy they're back in your life. So you just talk what you could.

And then soon after that, we were given, some friends of ours had a timeshare in Ocean City, and she was brave enough to go on a family vacation with her brother, sister-in-law, brand new nephew, and Faith, her sister that you've heard us talk about. You were trapped once you were there, but it was just like you'd never been gone. And then soon after that, she moved home. But I wasn't saved through any of this. No, she was, no. Not for several years later. That was wild.

Yeah, but we didn't ask questions she did move home amazingly her dad did not put a bunch of restrictions on her because when she moved to Florida she was in her mid-20s and he did tell her you have to be home by midnight. I think oh brother that's gonna really go over you went ahead with it probably didn't mind because Tom by then you were probably dating Tom or soon after and she and Tom spent a lot of hours in the driveway so a curfew didn't matter she was literally home that they were in the driveway chatting but so let me let's let's fast forward so what would you say to parents that their kids they don't know where their kids at they don't know what their kid is

doing you had you were praying dad was praying then you you only confide into a small margin of people it's like faith when you pray over somebody's healing you only pull in the people who believe like you do for healing that Right, that's what we did. If they knew you. But they also knew not to. Those that we asked to pray also knew don't ask us questions because we're not putting out information. We're not putting out disbelief. We knew you were going to come home.

Let your words be few. Yeah, your words be few and stand on what god has told you yeah depend on the holy spirit which we should be doing for our kids anyway which is proof which we should have been doing more before you ever walked away yeah if i had been praying more for your protection and and leading of the holy spirit this may have never ever happened yeah it's a valuable lesson so if you have small children pray that they're not tempted and if it and when they are tempted they reject it they don't they are they recognize it for what it is and then they just reject that temptation it's super valuable too because if you're going to pray for your kid's spouse you should be praying obviously for um

when satan comes to steal kill and destroy that he's not he's not successful in that yeah yeah which is a good uh you know i never even thought about like that but yeah to pray i mean we pray for hedge of protection because we think the hedge of protection is safety but you don't think of hedge of protection as far as the the enemy coming against them to try and pull them and pluck them out which is huge yeah so you cried you cried but you were still strong you guys still stood strong and then you guys were faithful when i came back i remember all those things i remember the dinner i remember the yeah i died going and having lunch with dad first and and then uh then going out those are all sweet times so when you do get

that opportunity to come back together with that family member i would say definitely let them talk because that was huge if that that i got and i wasn't even honest with you guys while i was talking to you i was lying my butt off the whole entire time but it didn't matter because we were all together and you guys didn't question me so but true but here because nobody was forcing anything on me uh nobody was pushing christianity down my throat um i know you guys were praying like crazy you had to have been uh just waiting for the holy spirit to keep whittling away from that that hardness of heart but because of all those things and never enabled bad behavior though no never enabled bad behavior uh just we're always in the wings waiting for just the right moment

and then it happened we were shocked you wanted to move home. It was. That was the Holy Spirit. Because basically when your brother died. Yeah. My uncle was killed in a car accident suddenly. And just before he had had this car accident, I had this bad dream. God came to me in a dream and basically said, you need to get your right life. If you don't, you will die. I remember calling you.

Do you remember? remember yeah one daughter moved out got married in that same weekend her dad went north and moved her south yeah so and then your brother got killed in that car accident that scared the crap out of me and i was like oh you can die quick yeah and so i was like, I don't want that to happen to me. Even though I had that dream, I never got myself right with God. Then your brother died. Didn't still get right. I was scared.

Yeah. Then your dad died one month to the day of my uncle dying a month later. And I didn't get my life right until I came in April and visited. Started in January, ended in April. In April, I was like, you know what? I'm moving home. So I waited until my sister moved out, got married, and then I came down in August. But it's crazy because never give up on your kids.

No. And there's never too early a time to start praying for them they're if they're in children's church you're flourishing they become a problem to the enemy this church is full of problems to the enemy because this church speaks out he's not happy with what happens here god is fabulously happy and that's why we pray for each other. Pray for the oldest and the youngest. Because until we enter heaven's gates, anything can happen. Absolutely. I will tell you, there's nothing like a good mother.

And even if you feel like you have failed, as a mother, you can always fix that. You can always, always fix. You know, my mom, when we used to get in trouble, and we were, oh my gosh, we were so bad. Well, not so much my sisters, but me and my brother. Lords of mercy. We were bad. We were just so naughty. I remember my mom would get so frustrated, and she would threaten you, and your dad gets home, and beg beg beg beg beg please please please don't don't tell him and then she would it would be it could be as late as three o'clock in the afternoon we're gonna start the whole day over we'd be like thank you jesus we're starting the whole day over i only got two more hours before he gets home yeah which meant we'll start the whole day over meant it didn't matter what time of day

it was she was forgetting everything that had taken taken uh place prior to up to that moment thank you for that word um and i would say to you who don't feel like you've been a great mom, start the whole day over. Yeah. It's never too late to start the whole day over and just forget about the past and move on. And that might mean that you have to eat some crow. You might have to, you know, potentially not just ask for forgiveness,

but beg for forgiveness. Whatever that looks like and whatever that is, your kids need you. You've been blessed to be a mama. There's lots of women out there that would love to have had children that have not been able to have children. And so don't take that for granted. No matter how old they are, they still have a place for you. And whether you believe it or not, that heart has a void in it that you only fit in.

And so you need to take that risk, put yourself out there and renew that relationship to whatever degree that means. But if you're a girl like me who walked away and there's a bit of a hardness of heart towards your family member maybe they deserve it and maybe they don't maybe it was you instead of them I would just say to you there's nothing like there is nothing more important than reconciliation there is nothing and if God was willing to send his son in order, because that's how important it is to be redeemed and to restore, then we as parents and children need to go to that same length.

If it's not healthy, it's abusive, and it's something that needs to wait, then you wait, and you pray and do spiritual warfare so that restoration and redemption can come. But if it's just stubborn, willful pride, get over it. Because we only live a short time on this earth. And so much you forgive, you are forgiven. And that's the facts. None of us, we have so much to be be forgiven for none of us can afford not to forgive so start today like you know you got saturday and sunday to make a phone call and say i love you

i'm not saying that we're gonna get back together 100 immediately even that didn't happen with my family. It was a process. But the process started and it finished with us totally coming back together. And so I would strongly encourage you to do the same thing with your loved one, your mother, your father. If you're a daughter, contact them. Parent, contact your kids. Again, you only have a short time on this earth. There's not enough time to hold distance and keep you guys apart from what really should be taking place. Memories are being lost. Children, grandchildren do not have relationships with their grandparents.

I mean, it's a big deal. It's a big deal. When you heal the heart, you restore so many things. It's bigger than what you could ever imagine. And so I would say to you, first of all, maybe it starts with you healing your heart with salvation, understanding what's been done for you. Again, God no longer wanted an animal to be the sacrifice for sin so that he could be closer to us. He sent his one and only son. Who would do that? No one would do that.

The only thing that was willing to send his only son was God himself. What a sacrifice for him to make. And then for Jesus to say, I will be that sacrifice. God, you send me, I'll do it. And through that, we have such a closeness and we have the Holy Spirit that dwells within us right this, right this, right this minute. And probably if I'm speaking to you and this is, is, is making sense to you and your heart's beating out of your chest or you're crying or you know that this is touching you in a way that you cannot even explain that's the Holy Spirit and he's drawing you in and he wants you to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and then the healing process begins across the board with so many different relationships people places things like you would not even

imagine how far and how deep and how wide it goes and it only gets better after you make that decision so if you're ready to make that decision i ask you to pray with me and my mom and uh we'll stand with you and know that once you make this decision, sky's the limit. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you right now. I ask you to be the Lord and Savior of my life. I ask you to forgive me of my sin. I ask you to help me to turn and change my ways.

I ask you to help me to forgive those who I need to forgive and restore the relationships that need to be restored. From this moment, I live for you. What you say to do, I will do. And what you say not to do, I will not to do. I praise you. I thank you. And in Jesus name we pray. Amen. If you said that prayer, let us know. We want to pray with you and stand with you. First and foremost though, if you really need to get a relationship restored now's the time it's mother and father's day in the next couple weeks and I'm just telling you there's nothing like having your parents by your side again I've I've lost my dad I'm grateful for the time that I had with him I'm not saying my dad was the greatest thing since sliced bread but he he's pretty dang good. He's not probably the best that some people have had. He's not the worst. Okay.

And you can, and I only say that because people will have excuses as to the reasons why, no, you don't understand who my dad was or what. I'm just saying to you, he's still your dad and nobody's perfect and nobody's perfect. He's, she's still your mom. They're still your dad and nobody's perfect and nobody's perfect she's still your mom they're still your kids get it fixed because coming from somebody whose dad's not around you'll miss you think you won't you will miss the times that you do not have and you'll wish that you would have had more time so take advantage of them being around and get that relationship going and if you do have them and you don't call them enough you don't see them enough whatever it is make it happen short time on this earth so grateful i love you very much you're the best mom oh my gosh so

grateful that you're my mama best mama ever we love you we thank you and we will see you on the podcast next week real talk real talk real talk