WHOA That's Good Podcast - Has Your Heart's Desire Become an Idol? | Sadie Robertson Huff & April Rodgers

Episode Date: May 15, 2023

Sadie has known April Rodgers for a long time and is so excited to welcome her into the studio for a tough, but encouraging conversation about trusting God through the difficult times in life, and taking what the enemy meant for evil, and turning it for good. April is a former financial planner and now hosts a podcast and has written a devotional book. April talks about the phone call she received that changed her and her family's life, when her brother was in a horrible car accident that took his life. But through hearing from others about how much her brother had meant to them, especially those who heard about Jesus from him, she was convicted to more quickly share Christ with those she encountered every day. April encourages us all that when we're tempted to ask if God is REALLY good, or if God is really for us in the dark times, we need to recall and rely on what we know to be true about who God is, and that should get us into God's Word! Sadie and April talk about the call of ministry and how it doesn't matter how "big" or "small" the platform might be, ministry is always important! And for anyone going through a terribly painful time right now, know this: If there's a shadow, there's light! You can trust in your Savior who is with you every step of the way until you're on the other side! https://give.cru.org/whoa or text WHOA to 71326 — Get a free copy of Sadie's book "Live on Purpose" with your gift! https://athleticgreens.com/whoa — Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D & 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase! https://www.mykitsch.com/whoa — Get 30% off your entire order RIGHT NOW with code WHOA! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What's up, sisters and friends? Happy Monday, everybody. Y'all, I'm so excited for today. Y'all are gonna be so excited too, because I have one of my friends in mentors, April Rodgers on the podcast today. And if y'all have not heard of her book, made the shine and his 90 day devotions

to enjoy and reflect God's light. You gotta go get this book, and we'll encourage you so much and help you just be the light of the world. And April, I'm just so glad that you're on the podcast because we had lunch recently. I know. And after having lunch, I was like,

everybody needs to hear this conversation. It was so good. I know. I know. It was actually our first time to have lunch. Our husbands have lunch. Yes. Often they have to have all the fun.

We should let them have the fun. No, we were like, what's happening over there? Why aren't we going to lunch? And so we did and you just encouraged me so much through that lunch by just listening to my story and like telling me some of yours and it was just awesome. It was really a blessing. I know.

There's so much to discuss. Like we have a lot to talk about. We do have a to discuss. Like, we have a lot to talk about. We do have a lot to talk about. We have a lot to talk about. So for those who don't know April, April, she helps lead the women's ministry at our church. And she's also in a mentor on the Elisister app. So some of you might know her from that.

Like I said, she's written a book. She's done several things. But tell us a little bit about your life. What's life look like? Your husband, your kids, all things. Married to a great man named Adams, we have been married almost 22 years. Oh, wow. Really like that.

I mean, like, it is flying by. That's awesome. And then we have two beautiful daughters, Addy. She is 16 and L.S. 13. So my life looks a lot like your life is going to look in the future. Yes. But it's really so much fun. I love being a girl mom.

And, you know, that Adam's is a really good girl dad. Yes, he is. Which is great for Christian to have that influence. And I think that's what is cool whenever we went to lunch. I was like, whoa, my life is going to look a lot like yours one day. Like, two girls in ministry and all the things. So it was just fun to learn from you. And now I'm glad a lot of people are going to get to learn from you.

And it was really cool. So I told you this, but just for context for those who are watching, you know, we took in a lot of just DMs that you guys sent about topics that you y'all were struggling through. And someone said in just the verse of how God takes within a minute for evil and he turns it for good And you know how can that be true? And so a lot of what April and I are gonna talk about is leading us to that to that a verse to that thought Before we get there which I'm excited to get there I want to know how you and Adam's met because you sure this with me and I love this story and girls out there

love a good meeting story. It is a dramatic love story. It is true. We didn't have that much time to go into the whole thing. But Adam's and I actually went to college together and we were not boyfriend, girlfriend. We were mainly just friends because he was dating a 40 sister, sister among I was adding a attorney brothers and his and so it was like off limits. I forgot that part of the drama. There's so much to the story. I forgot even that part. But I was in sociology when I won and I walked in and I saw this guy and I was like

he is so cute. I need to know more about him. So I found out that he was a drummer and I found out what fraternity he was in but then I started to find out that it wasn't going to work while we were in college, but we had the same major, so we had all of our classes together, and we were in these study groups, and he, since he was a drummer, he would have like those little hands happen and I was like, well, to throw him out, honestly. But I loved that because our relationship was built on friendship. First, which is really a great foundation to build a marriage upon in the future.

But as Tom progressed, I stayed here and I was in financial planning. And I thought that I would do that for the rest of my life. I was being groomed to take over my father's business, actually. And Adam was in retail management. And he was up in Nashville and I was in Monroe.

And we start to date long distance because after we graduated, we were like, hmm, well, maybe this will work out now. So we'll start talking on the phone. And he would call me every day to check on his IRA investment. No. And he would call me on the 800 number. And he would say, how are my investments doing today?

Did I go up? You did my socks go up. That's so funny. And it was like $2,000, Citi. I mean, there was nothing in there. But as time progressed, we said, OK, well, let's just see if this will work out. So we start dating long distance, Nashville,

Monroe, Louisiana. And I say, OK, well, it would be good if we could get closer geographically. Well, I found out that I could move to Atlanta. And Atlanta was only three hours away from Nashville, not far. And I took a job there and I was like, this is gonna be great. And as soon as I got moved in to my new apartment,

he gets transferred to Sandy, ain't he? So crazy. And so crazy. She's just terrible. So now, not only are we like a country apart, but now we're three time zones different and I was just to remember he would call me and it would be like seven o'clock his time and ten o'clock my time And I had to get up and get a work done and say and he wanted to talk on the phone forever

Did you ever think during this time? It wasn't gonna work out? I really okay. Yeah, I was like, I mean should I start dating other people? Should he? You know, but the Lord just kept bringing us back together and back together. And I had mentioned that he found the Lord whenever he was a Nashville. A group of guys led him to the Lord. So he was a new believer, but I knew that I wanted somebody who was pursuing a relationship with the Lord because the Lord had already pursued him. Yeah.

You know, but I wanted somebody who was actively trying to have that relationship with Christ and Adam's was at that point in time. And so as we dated like that for a year, I kept telling my employer, I was like, I've got to get to the West Coast. I've got to get over there. And they're like, well, we can get you to Dallas, but we can't get you all the way to California. I was like, that's not gonna do.

So I start interviewing with a many management firm over there, great job. I relic in the bay and say in the yaga, I'm going in from my final interview and he's like, hey, I got transferred to Phoenix, Arizona. Oh my gosh. This is the worst. Yes.

This is just the worst. Like right when you're actually getting excited about moving. I know. Of course. But we had already planned to have the yeehaw come and like take me out. And so literally, I got online, found an apartment, and Phoenix Sarah's, I just started putting my resume out. We have to drive the U-Haul to Phoenix.

He unloads it at my new apartment, but he has to keep driving it to San Diego. Oh my gosh. To turn it in, so that's crazy. He wouldn't get dinged on the money. Oh my gosh. So then. And how long ago, the time period was all that?

Well, that was about three years. Wow. You all dated at London since for three years. OK, so for the people out there dating London since any advice that you have. Hang in there. And now technology is so good. Yeah. And you can see each other on FaceTime.

I mean, back then we just had phones. You know, email. Yeah, email. That's so awesome. So you don't get to Phoenix. And then shortly after. Yeah, shortly after we got engaged. And then after we got engaged,

my employer at Maryland kept trying to hire him. And he was like, no, I'm okay with my job. But because we knew we wanted to eventually get back to Monroe, the Lord worked it out, that the manager over here had a meeting in Phoenix. He interviews Adams, hires him on the spot. And so we got married, went on our honeymoon, came back, packed up our apartments, drive the e-halls back to Monroe, Louisiana,

and he started work at Maryland. Gosh, that is crazy. So at the time, were you still working? I was, yeah. That job too, okay, awesome. And y'all lived in Monroe. You doing? Gosh, that's, y'all's story is so cool and so crazy. And I love. And yellow to Monroe. Gosh, that's,

y'all story is so cool and so crazy. And I love it because it's true. Like, if you know that if God keeps drawing you to the same person, if you know it's the right thing, and whether that's a person or a job or something you're working towards, like, it's so important to stay with it. And so many of us just like give up so soon, or we think, oh, because this isn't make sense, it must not be God. But I've found a lot of times, it's the thing that doesn't make sense.

And normally is God. That's right. That's right. And normally it's like, oh, okay. And there's something God's teaching you in that. And then there's sometimes where it's clear, okay, this actually, you know, we're long distance and there's more problems in the distance.

And this is actually just not supposed to be, but I love it. And like I said, how did we not have those years of friendship? Mm-hmm. That we built upon, we probably wouldn't have made it. Yeah. You know, but it has to be knew each other for four years. It's true. We studied together. We had had pretty much all our classes together.

We had that ability to build upon it. That's cool. Okay, so y'all move back to Monroe and then shortly after your family went through a big tragedy. Like that. And so tell us a little bit about that. The Bible means so much to me. It has brought me so much joy, so much hope.

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Message and data rates may apply. Available to us. Adjesses only. So Adam and I had not even been married a year. Whenever my brother was going to come stay with us for the weekend, my parents were going to go on a vacation vacation and we were really excited about it. My family was wonderful. Like we grew up, I wouldn't say the perfect family,

but we just really enjoyed spending time together. And my parents didn't really give us a bunch of gifts growing up, but they made sure that we went on family vacations. And I love that because we have all of these memories together. So I loved it that my brother Jeremy was gonna come stay with us for the weekend and I had all these big plans and it was a Friday afternoon

and I kept calling them on the phone and I couldn't get three to him. And I wasn't that worried initially, Sadie, because it was like, he's a kid, he's, you know, young. And he's gonna call me back whenever he wants to. But then as the night started going on, I started to kinda get that little feeling in the pit of my stomach, like maybe something is wrong.

And then we got a phone call and the person on the other end of the line said, you need to go to the hospital immediately, your brother's been in a bad car accident. And so at that point, I had hope, you know, and I remember jumping in the truck and Adam says driving as fast as he could, I have to the hospital and I had been given medical relief. So I run into that hospital and I'm waving that paper around like do

whatever you have to do to save his life. And they took us into this room. My sister was at the hospital as well. Like I said, my parents were out of town. So it was just as it was Adams and Julia and myself. And they took us into this room. And it's a room that you never want to be in. And it was Adam, Sonjily, and myself. And they took us into this room, and it's a room that you never want to be in. And it was there that I was told that my beautiful, hilarious, larger than life, brother was dead.

Wow. And I remember thinking like, like there was no hope that it was just final. There was nothing that could be done. And the days that followed were dark, really dark, really dark for our whole entire family. Through the generosity of other people, they sent a plane to get my parents

and they were able to come home that night. But there were so many stories, even in the darkness, there were stories with little glimmers of light. So for instance, people would come and they would say, Jeremy witnessed me on the playground at Lay Junior High. Wow. You know, and it was all these different little things.

And he had a journal that he kept of sermons that he was going to preach. No way. You know, so we always said that he would have been the one to have been that person, but then he was gone. And then what do you do with that? And so for me, after that time, you know, I had a had a spiritual father who really was faithful to walk me through that season of darkness.

And then as I was able to make it out onto the other side, I remember thinking, I want my life to count for something. And it woke me up, Sadie. It was like, I wanted to be more eternally minded. I didn't want my life just to pass me by. And I didn't point anybody to Christ. I didn't lead my life just to pass me by and I didn't point anybody to Christ. I didn't lead somebody to Him. Like Jeremy had wanted to do.

And I found myself in Bolton to want to talk about Jesus and to talk about my faith, whereas I might not have had He not passed away. way. And so as I started to to wake up, as I said, it far than me, this desire to want to do something ministry related. Wow. That's so easy. I remember, you know, I was just a kid when that happened, but I remember knowing about it because it was a really big deal in a community whenever that happened. So I know that was such a dark thing that you'll walk through, but I remember knowing about it because it was a really big deal in our community whenever that happened. So I know that was such a dark thing that y'all walked through, but I remember being at lunch with you. And you mentioned it and then you said, you know, I really felt like when he passed away, I really was like, I want to be more like that. I want to be more minister minded. Maybe I could do something like that. And I just found it so interesting that his passing

really changed a lot of your hopes and dreams because you're sharing with me some of your hopes before and then after. So if you talk a little about before he passed away, like what you thought the dream life would be and then as a gift of maybe, yeah. Yeah, I mean, so like I said, I was being gramed to be that financial advisor.

And so I wanted the corner office. And I thought I was going to wear my suit every day and be that person. I was not cut up for that job. I'm just going to go on the record. I was saying that. I probably could have done it. But my husband ended up doing that. He's so much better than I ever could have done it, but my husband, in it, I've done it, he's so much better than I ever could have been.

And the Lord already knew that. And I think that that's interesting today because the Lord set it up. That's cool. For it to kind of switch and for the atoms to have that career and financial planning. And for me to let all that go. Yeah. Is that hard? Oh, yeah. Yeah, because I feel like that is hard.

Like some people, you know, you feel like you're entitled to have like the thing that you were so hard for, for so long for, and then sometimes God will just pivot that plan. And so how was that pivot for you? Like, I mean, it is beautiful now looking back, but at the time, like letting Adams kind of take that and you starting to transition the unknown future. Well, it's interesting because the Lord did that. Like, he pretty much moved me out of that space so that I would be set up to start to go down

the path of ministry because it really wasn't until Addy was born. My first daughter was born that I said, okay, I'm going to go ahead and work part time. Well, then I was trying to find a suitable daycare for and nobody would take her, you know, like they were awful. And then I tried to find a nanny, and then everybody kept falling through the cracks. And Adam said, well, why don't you think about saying it high with her?

And I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna do that. I'm like, no. And I remember being at a conference, and I could feel the Lord just pressing upon my heart, okay, just try it, just trust me, trust me, and see. If I won't do this for you. And so I did, so I decided I was gonna stay at home with Addy.

And it was during that time that I started teaching Bible study because I couldn't find anybody to lead a Bible study for me and this woman said, you do it, God put it on your heart and you can do this, and it was that one active obedience that set off this whole chain reaction that's still going on today. God, I said so cool. That is crazy. I love that so much. I love that. I think that sometimes we think when one thing goes wrong, the whole plan is ruined, but just remembering that God's not It's crazy. I love that so much. And I love that, you know, I think that sometimes we think when one thing goes wrong, like, oh, the whole plan's ruined,

but like just remembering that God's not surprised by that thing going wrong. And, you know, sometimes we think that time is like, you know, time waiting is time wasted, but time waiting is not time wasted. And like if the Lord's asking you to take care of your kids for a season, you might be like, well, if I say home, then how am I going to do this ministry? But if the Lord's

asking, then like he has something in that time that the Bible study that who knew that was going to be it. But you, um, you are so good at speaking into the waiting season. We just recently had a cultivate LA that my sister puts on and you hosted, it was so good. You hosted a prayer for the waiting and it was so good. I just thought like man so many people need that prayer over their life but also just to hear someone that has had to wait and is now on the other side of waiting.

And so speaks truth into the waiting seasons of life because you've had a couple in your lifetime. to the waiting seasons of life because you've had a couple in your lifetime. You know, some seasons of life are just easier to be healthier than others. I mean, pregnancy, hard season of life to stay healthy, post-partum, also a little bit hard. But there are small things that you can incorporate into any season of your life that can bring health and wellness to your body. And that is why I'm a big fan of AG1 by athletic greens. Whether you're into cardio, low-impact workouts, or love to live weights like Christian, AG1 has all the things your body needs to meet your goals.

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gut healthy, this is a great way to start. Christian has gotten so many friends also on AG1, because we talk about it all the time. We take it with us whenever we travel. We just throw it at our backpack. It's super easy. The travel stuff is very convenient and it was actually traveling with it. They got his parents hooked on it because they sell that we had it. But AG1 was designed with ease in mind so that you can live a healthier lifestyle and a better lifestyle without having to do a lot. It's all about just making healthier choices here and there, there's little choices going a long way.

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athletic greens is giving a free one-year supply of item and D and five free travel packs with your first purchase. Just go to AthleticGreens.com slash woe that's AthleticGreens.com slash woe to check it out today. So whenever you said about the waiting it's something that we do but it's not it's not just sitting back and doing nothing. You know, sometimes we think in the waiting we're just going to sit here and we're just going to twirl our thumbs, but we're not. It's an active verb to wait as to entwine ourselves to God.

And whenever we wait like that and we wait expectantly for Him to do something that he has promised that he's going to do for us. It's the end that it's not just, okay, well, I'm just going to, I'm just going to wait and see if this turns out. No, it's like expectantly waiting crying for the Lord to show up and to be the promised keeper that we know him to be. Okay, so different seasons of waiting, waiting on Mr. Right, Okay, so different seasons of waiting, waiting on Mr. Wright, you know, what if you are waiting on the Lord to bring your Mr. Wright and you've been waiting forever? Well, maybe as that the Lord wants you to find your full satisfaction in him. Yeah, that's good. You know, and no man can feel the shoes of Christ. It's good.

You know, so we have to learn to put our full satisfaction in him first. And as we entwine our hearts to his, it's then that we'll say, like, Mr. Wright, probably will. Yeah, it's so true. And it normally is the moment when you hear people say, the minute I said I heard, that's my story. And then the next day, or that next month, whatever,

that's so cool. Then you met him. But for me, where the Lord really taught me this lesson was three years of infertility. It's interesting because I said three earlier and I didn't realize it was three years of infertility too. Wow. That's 36 months of hoping and praying.

Yeah. The sugar may pregnant. 36 months of having and praying that you're going to be pregnant. There are six months of having a negative pregnancy test. There are six months of showing up to somebody else's baby shower and having to sip the punch and oon-ah at all the little onesies and act like, you know, you're not heartbroken because you want that baby in your arms. And I just remember to cry out to the Lord of like, Lord, you put the stream inside of my heart. If you don't want me to be a mother, I need you to take this from you. I need you to just to take it away.

And I can remember him saying to me, and he was speaking through his word, through Psalm 37, where he said, I will give you the desires of your heart but you're gonna learn what it means to delight yourself in me first April. Wow. And what he wanted me to know is like if he did give me that desire without me learning to delight myself in him, would I have turned that baby into an idol like what I have worshiped her while or would I if I'd learned how to delight myself in him then I would you know I wouldn't be attempted to do that.

It was a little hard and painful listen to learn but I'm so glad that I did. Because now I try to view things through that lens. He is a promise keeper. He is a good God. He does not leave his children in the dark, but he also wants us to the light in him. And when we do that, then those desires do come because desires aren't bad. Yeah. Like he puts those desires for a godly husband, for children, for job promotion,

for a big hope or a dream that we have. Inside of our lives, he puts that there, but he wants us to know that he is our ultimate delight. Yeah, gosh, that's so good. He wants us to know that he is our ultimate delight. Yeah, gosh, that's so good. I love how you said that. Like if I wouldn't have learned to delight myself in him, would she have become an idol? And that's so true.

Like desires are a good thing. But when desires become idols in our life or desires become over God himself as a delight of our life, that's whenever it does not go good. And people get hurt. You get hurt. You will not like you said. Like he, a man will not be able to fill the shoes and the expectations that you have that you really just need to find in Christ first. And so gosh, that is such a good way of saying that. And I love how you said waiting is not just sitting there twiddling your thumbs. I think that sometimes we think of waiting as like literally a waiting room.

Like when you're waiting for the doctor and you're like, oh, it's just so boring. I can scroll and just waste my time. There's like waiting. It's like, no, waiting is not like a waiting room with God. Like waiting is working and the waiting. It's being intertwined by God. You're learning stuff and the waiting.

I was just talking to a friend about how I'm reading this book and I was like, I don't really know if I can tell you anything like, I'm learned from this book because it's so far over my head That I don't know if I could repeat it to you, but I know I am getting stuff because I've just Because in conversation stuff will come out and I'd be like, oh, I've read that in that book And I don't even realize because I couldn't form a beautiful sentence of what I'm learning But the maturity in me is growing the knowledge of my is growing. And sometimes it's like that seasons with God. It's like, I can't tell you exactly what is happening,

but I can tell you that I'm growing in it. I can tell you that I'm intertwined by God with God in it. And I think back to your ministry comment of, you felt like the word it's calling you to ministry. And then God's also saying, stay home with your baby. Well, how do those two go hand in hand? You're entering like a waiting season, but still in the midst of it,

you started a Bible study, and you were being intertwined, you were so working. And I think for me, like sometimes people ask me the question, well, they'll be like, city, I wanna do what you're doing, you know, I'm waiting for that.

And like, you're gonna be waiting because you know, you don't just wait and all of a sudden, because what do you think I do? Because if ministry to you as a platform, are you waiting for a sage? Are you waiting for a book deal? Are you waiting for this?

Or if ministry to you is sharing the gospel, then you should do that now. Like, and I hope what you see me doing is that. It's not just podcasting or writing or whatever. That is an overflow of What's the platform that I'm using to do what I'm really doing and bringing people the hope of Jesus and the confidence and who got is and who they are in him And so talk to me a little bit about just the idea of doing ministry And what that looks like to start and kind of what it looks now, because I think people think ministry is like this platform, and I think ministry is just so much bigger than that.

And like ministry, yes, it takes time to build it, but it also takes maturity. And that's the word that you use is that you start to feel the maturity, start to come and rest inside of you, and then you could dispense that out into other people. And people will say to me something like, oh, you're so wise or something like that, well, that's because I walked with the wise.

I mean, like, cover says that. If you want to be wise, you walk with the wise. It's good. And being able to mentor is because so many people have poured into me. I think that if you're in the season of writing a ministry, like finding some mentors, writing somebody to talk to you and speak the truth into you and then pour into the scriptures for yourself. You can start a Bible study. You can do retreat ministry. You can you can start a Bible study. Yeah. You can, you can do retreat

ministry. You can do all of these different things. You know, it's like, it wasn't like somebody just knocked on my door and said, Hey, right, a divisional for us or ride a Bible study. I mean, I, I had the Lord first had to mature that in my, and then I was able to say, Okay, well, my next step is to go to seminary. And then I did go to seminary. And then we're two kids. We're two little bit of kids. And it was doable though, you know, like the Lord made a way for me to do it. So I graduate with my masters of theological studies. Well, there's no job waiting for me on the other side of that. So what's the next step? Well, the next step is to keep walking in obedience and start to put out devotionals on a

blog or in a video or different things. And as I'm doing that, I'm still serving locally. And I'm still leading women right to the cross. Yes. And I think that that's such an important part because people ever look to demonstrate that's right in front of your faces. It's so true.

It's so true. And you know about the retreat ministry that we've been able to cultivate here in Northease, Louisiana. And how beautiful has that? I would have missed it. If I would have been so hyperfacused on doing ministry like what you're doing Yeah, you know what I mean? So you have to be obedient to where the Lord is pitching for that season

And then he's going to increase that for you as you go. So true Y'all, to be honest, if I let back Emma old earbook pictures, it is just absolute cringe because I don't know about y'all, but for me, the worst hair days would happen on the earbook picture day. And that still happens. It's like you're about to be in a wedding, you have a photo shoot or something's big and it's like, that's when you're going to get the pimple, that's when your hair is going to look bad. And sometimes those bad hair days and blemishes catch us at exactly the wrong time.

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love people, and those are the people that are in front of us. And I'm not saying just because I have a platform that reaches a little bit broader, that doesn't mean that I shouldn't still be very aware of the people right in front of my eyes, and I'm still called to that and vice versa. But I do think it is so cool that you're just like, I'm not gonna miss what's right in front of me.

And to be honest, like the retreat ministry that we have here has literally changed me and Christians lives, both of us and our marriage and trans-worms. And so I'm like, if people were not obedient to the call of local ministry, then I would not be who I am today. Then my husband would not be our marriage would not be what it is today. And you know, same for me, if I'm not obedient to the call that God's called me to do on a global level, then they're people who wouldn't be touched by the message. And so, you really do have to be obedient to what God's saying.

And if that's five people in your dorm room, then that's five people in your dorm room. Watch it multiply, you know? If it's 100 people in your church ministry, it's 100 people, or if you are in the financial planner that You did go that route who's in your office, you know, and so I just love that, you know Don't just look at ministry as a job title. It's it's so much bigger than that It's it's a calling on under your life as a follower of Christ. Yeah for everybody and so I just I love that and your story

It's just so cool and so you did write a book. What are the process of starting to write the devotional book? Like you said, no one was not going on your door saying, right? This, but how did that happen? Well, it's funny because I was in seminary. And so I was writing paper after paper, after paper for a professor. And I was writing for a man. And I was like, I do not want to write for me. I want to write. And also also went into seminary very not evenly because I thought we were just gonna test about Jesus and learn about him.

And it is writing 20 page papers in T right V and format. It's a lot of work. So I said, you know what Lord, I wanna do something for you. And this is back when blogging was the thing and everybody in their sister had a blog. Yeah. I was like, okay, I'm gonna start a blog. You know, I just want to do this. And so every Wednesday, I would just put out a little piece of light and a little piece of hope. that consistently over and over and over and over again. Well then the radio session picked it up and then they said okay well we want you to come in and start to put this out on the airwaves. I'm like okay I'll just do that. And then the next thing I know I had a whole thing

and then Dave Spring said okay well we're gonna put it in a table. Wow that's so cool. It was just acting in our beaties and just taking us that and using what you have like always say like you need a lot less than you think you need to do the thing that God's putting your heart to do you really just need faith and you need obedience you know and I think if you have those two things you have the faith to believe that God can do it he says you can do and you have the obedience to follow and wake up every day and work towards it I mean that's really what you need I think what your story at Anvast camp is similar story started

blogging and then next thing you know, here it is. And then I just had someone on the podcast, Katie Davis. She is kisses from Katie girl. She adopted like 13 girls in Uganda. She moved there and she was 18 years old, had 13 girls bad times. She was 23, got married over there, crazy story. But the reason she is known is because she started a blog and then people just started following it. People started listening and you just use what you have, you know.

And if it truly is who you are, then it will last. If you're building a platform that's on something that is not who you are and not to do who you are, it will fall. As soon as I always say it's like building your foundation on your makeup foundation, like your makeup foundation, it will crack, it will get cold. It will get cold. It will get cold. It will get all kinds of messed up.

I've got plenty some powder right now because that foundation just doesn't last because it's a fake foundation. That's not the real color of my skin and makes me look good, that's not me. But if I build a foundation on who I really am, then that that last, but not even that, I got a bit of foundation on who God is because I'm shaky. I'm wavering. And so I just love your story. And, you know, we talked about how we're going to go to the verse because,

you know, you've had things in your life that are really hard. I mean, we're just touching on some high level things like your brother passing away, waiting for a baby, you're currently walking through a health situation that's been really hard. So taking that verse of what the internet for you will go turn for good, how do you find truth in that whenever life is hard? And I think hearing your story,

you can see the truth in it because you see the good. How did you get made to shine, you know, and all this hope from the heart things? You know, you see that, but can you kind of, let's go a little bit deeper into that verse. Yeah. This episode is brought to you by Soul the Genero. As Soul the Genero, touch isn't just for screens.

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And I think you and I both love light. You know, we talk about the light of Christ all the time and It's hard to find the light when days are really dark, right? And whenever you're walking through that valley of the shadow of death There's a shadow But the shadow means that the light is right around the corner So as we have these things that happen to us We're gonna we're gonna have things that happen to us, we're going to,

we're going to have things that cause us to be in the dark, whether it is from external circumstances, which would be like losing a brother, having a health scare or having things that happen to us and it's by no fault of our own, or we're going to have internal things which would be seen or just making poor decisions and having natural consequences that happen because that both of those can lead us to a place of darkness. But if we can number one, if we're in that because of the sand and we repent and return towards the life, follow Christ or if we're just walking through a bad season, how do we find the light in that?

And how do we know that God is still good? And what the enemy meant for evil, God can turn for our good. And it goes back to me to trust. Like, Sadie, that's it. Like, trust. Do I trust that he is for me or he is against me? Is he trustworthy? And I had to come

to that place. Like I had to understand that just because Jeremy is no longer on the surface, it doesn't mean that I am not going to see him again or be that God wants me to stop living. He didn't want me to stop living. He wanted me to pick up that man all and to go and to do the things. And so I love the verse. I can't read it. Please do, yes. Because I think it applies to,

my ministry and to your ministry. And it says, you intended to harm me. This is Joseph who's talking about how his brothers had intended to harm him, and the brothers come and they're asking for forgiveness at the end. And it says, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

So good. And I think about you, and I think about your boldness to go into prisons and to preach the gospel and to have a big conference and to make a bold ask who wants to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And they were baptizing so many different people. And I think about for me as well like what the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for good and it was for the saving of lies. Good.

So then that way these other people could hear about hope and about lights. Good. And then that way they could come to it, to that other side, you know? So if you're sitting there and you're thinking like, I don't know, I don't know, like, I don't know, I don't know if he is for me in this situation. You got to go back to trust. Is each person worthy? Who does God say that he is?

If you don't know, then you got to dig into his work and you got to find out. And you mentioned my health. Recently, the Lord led me to happen elective mastectomy. And it was really like one of those things, it was like, wow, like this is going to be hard. And it has been. But my cancer, my, my chances for breast cancer had risen. Substantially, my, my mom's breast cancer survivor,

the Lord is healed her and she's whole. But I thought for my future, for my husband, for my girls, it was important for me to believe the Lord was leading me to do this. And had I not trusted him through this whole process, it would have been easy and those weeks of recovery just to say, like, oh my oh my gosh yeah I have made a huge mistake and there was some noise that I was probably like what about that but I trust him yeah I trust him so completely and he's dropped little stories throughout the whole recovery showing me I led you to this and I'm gonna get you through it it It's cool. It's like whatever it is

Whatever somebody's doing. Yeah, you have to know that you can trust your savior and that he's on the other side It's good. There's a shadow. There's light Well, I just think you said it earlier that you wanted a eternal perspective and I think that Part of that trust is knowing that God's using for many eternal view and not just as temporary view that we see them in. And truly like with Joseph's story, at one point of the story it looks just horrible. And the next point of the story it looks just horrible. And the next point it's just horrible. I mean he goes from being thrown into a pit by his brothers saying that he's dead, so into slavery, he's

now, and you know, pot of her house and gets accused of doing something he didn't do falsely, he's misunderstood, he goes to prison for years, it's something like, this is horrible, but then you give it time, you know, and look at what the Lord did and how God was actually getting him into a position where he's second in command and has this authority and is able to Help them literally not go through the famine that they would have had to or as they did kind of provide for them And so it's like whoa you can see it through that But do you think Joseph could have seen it when he's sitting there in the prison cell like that would have been hard

But but as time goes on like he began to see but what Joseph is really cool because he really did like it says in all that He did that the Lord made him successful like every season like even the hard ones like God still was there God was still doing something at it God was still working in that waiting and then you look at your story and and some of these situations it just you said when your brother died it seemed hopeless like it was dark you know and moments of waiting has your sip in that punch that then tastes too sweet in the moment. You're like, ah, black hurts. Yes, but then you look at it later and you're like,

but look at what God did. And in some stories, it doesn't always turn out to wear on this side we see the good come. I mean, even in Hebrews 11, where talks about all these people of faith and it says, and all these people went on to pass away without getting all that they had promised. But then it says, for God, had something better in mind for them that was to come. Eternity, right? It says, he wasn't ashamed to be their God.

Because he knows he's trustworthy. He's like, I know what's coming. It's so good. I promise eternal life, and it's with me, and it's so good. I promise eternal life and in it's with me and it's so good. And so I think sometimes like we have to know that God's perspective is just different than ours. And like trusting that he really does have our future. And it really is good. And whether the future's tomorrow or the future's eternity, like thank God we have a hope of eternity. Because without the hope of Jesus, what do you have to So hope in, what other option is there and that the world's giving us? I haven't heard of a good one.

So I mean, you know, there's that, but I mean, the gospel, that is the good news. And so it's so good. Well, your story is beautiful and seeing where God's taking you and what you're doing. And I mean, you're just getting started on putting so much out that people can get excited about.

And you have a podcast, so share everybody your podcast. Okay, let's call the Reflecting Light Show and you can find it on YouTube or you can search for it under Iple Rogers. Awesome. I'm R-O-D-G-R-S. Awesome, y'all go check it out. She also has the Made Des shine devotional book and more projects

on the way. So it's just a blessing to get to learn from you April and I'm glad that all of you are going to get to learn from her story too. And I'm sure that so many of you can relate to just a lot of things that she's talking about whether in the past you went through something harder. You're currently walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but I love how she said it. There's a shadow there is light and there's just so much hope in that. And notice in each part of her story that even in the hard parts, there were glimmers of light that were sprinkled into the darkness. And so I just pray that you would have eyes to see that in the midst of dark seasons,

that you would have the eyes to see the glimmers of hope, and the glimmers of light that God might be doing. And that might be you having to shift your perspective a little bit in this moment but just believing that for you all and I hope that you have a fantastic week. I hope that this strengthens you and your walk with Christ and again we're just so grateful April that you came on to that guest. Thank you for having me. you