Episode 6

Hi, welcome to Words of This Life podcast. My name is Pablo and here we share real and impactful Christian stories from believers who love the Lord and his word. Through these testimonies, we want to showcase the virtues of the one who's called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Virtues that are at work in everyday people, shaping their character, guiding their actions, and shining forth his life into the world. We're so happy you're here with us for this episode and let's get right into it. Hey guys, welcome back to the Words of This Life podcast. My name is Io and I'm here with my co-host Pablo and we have two special guests with us today. That's right. Uh David and Ree. Excited to be here. Great. Thank you for making the time to be here. Yeah, sure. This is going to be a fun episode. I I can already feel it. Yeah. So, uh today we're going to talk about uh knowing God and knowing God's will. Um, and we're just going to dive into David and Arisa's testimony and just glean the experiences that you guys have had and we'll see where the conversation goes. But I think it's always appropriate to just start from the beginning. Uh, how did you come to know the Lord? What kind even what kind of household did you grow up in? And, uh, when did you receive the Lord and when did he become real to you? So, cool. Yeah, I'll start. Uh I grew up my my father uh went to church. Um and I uh went with him. This was really a one of the closest experiences I had with my dad. Uh it was something that you only he and I shared. Then my my mom um didn't go to church. So uh this was really a time that uh I could get to know him. And uh so a lot of my association with church was was just with my dad was just this is an activity we do together. And and that was until I was about 11 or and I I began to realize that uh through my dad speaking to me that that this was uh a relationship that he didn't go to church because that was a thing that he did. He went to church to uh to know God in a deeper way and to know him in the other believers that he that we went to church with. Uh my dad I think he recognized that a lot of my pursuit towards you know going to church with him you know doing all doing all these things with him was based on my my love for him and and he was always very careful to not I would say take advantage of that to so when when I asked him what it meant to be saved he told me of But he was very careful not to pressure me in any way cuz I think he knew that if he told me that I should do this, I would do it for him. Sure. But not for the Lord. Um and and eventually I did feel that I needed that there was something that I I needed something. Uh I needed a savior. And uh the same was true of my baptism when I was I was baptized about a year later and you know uh a number of of of other believers had been baptized at at church and it was kind of going around and I was driving back from church one day and I said, "Dad, I think I should be baptized." And he said, "Okay." Asked me why. And I I said, "You know, I I watched the people get baptized this week and it was really powerful and I feel like I I need something like that." Um and he he said, "Okay." Okay. And then he he didn't mention it again. And then the next week I same thing drive back I said I I want to be baptized. He said okay I haven't brought it up because I don't want to I want it to be your choice. And so anyway that was kind of um that was a real experience of of the Lord for me. Uh and then I I kind of proceeded in Did you say you were 11? Uh yeah. By the time I was baptized I was 12. 12. Yeah. And I proceeded in a pretty good way until I went to college. Um, you know, skip forward a little bit. And, uh, when I got to college, you know, I I wouldn't say I fell away, but I I just let other things uh compete with the Lord for my time, for my interest. uh you know I would still go to go to church meetings but I would also you know I had a lot of friends who were very much not meeting um involved in a lot of drinking and things and and uh so I I I had this kind of I felt that I had a very good balance so to speak of well I'm I'm still doing something towards God but I'm also still doing something uh you know that's for me um you know and this kind of proceeded in this uh parallel structure until I uh I got to go on a trip um when through the university uh we went to Europe. We were you know studying we were studying World War II and European front and we got to spend some time in various you know battlefields and wow we felt very um felt very scholarly it felt very prestigious and um we did a lot of drinking and partying as you might expect also. Uh, and I was on my flight back uh from that trip and I um I was I was actually I was scrolling through pictures on my phone of all the all the very you know like all the cool academic sites you know the you know the the American cemetery there in Normandy and uh you know the there's a a monument to a a the Soviet soldiers the Soviet fallen in Berlin kind of a a monument of of conquering that's still there. It's uh um and well at least was then uh and I uh you know I was also looking at pictures that I had taken when I've been partying and stuff and I you know I I I just had this sense I I had this sense within me that it just it was it was like the bottom fell out. It was like missing a step on on the stairs and you just have this sense what if what if this is it? Like I just went on this great trip, you know, the university paid for it. Yeah. I I had this great time. I was so was with all my intelligent friends. We were doing having so much fun. You know, we're exercising our mind, you know. Uh we would later say our flesh was really getting let loose. It was it was great. But what if I peaked when I was 21? Yeah. And I I just had this I'm you know, we're over the Atlantic. I just had this sense of dread like how am I going to top this experience? Am I just going to be looking back to this for the rest of my life? And I had this realization or I had this sense uh and it was from God in my spirit. I I know now, but at the time I just said, "If there's anything real, it has to be God." Uh if there's if there's anything that's going to be a an ongoing a thoroughgoing an ongoing source of fulfillment and satisfaction, it has to be God. Wow. And so when I got back, I I you know, I I reached out to uh some some of the the people I went to church with. Yeah. And uh you know, I said, "I want God to be real to me." M and uh you know uh what some some one person said you know was very like oh wow I didn't realize you were having all you know this struggle and then another another dear brother said yeah I know that's he says something like I've been praying for this for a long time and so that's why things happen. Yeah, I do believe it. So, uh you know, um I uh completed school. Uh I went uh to a Bible school after that. Uh I just, you know, I didn't certainly didn't go to school with the intention of uh that being my post-graduate plans. But you know, the Lord really stirred in me um to give more of my time to to to give myself to really be uh to to be for him to stud to to study and to dedicate my time to know him. So I did that and uh you know I again I I felt like I kind of hit a plateau kind of like I did after I baptized. I was baptized and it it was very good. It was in a good spot. And I would say the next and really kind of the the last like watershed moment in my life was uh I I went um I went to love. Uh, I was helping that, you know, the church there was doing a a big event for their campus group and I I had gotten a chance to volunteer to go and and cook cook barbecue and we were we had been there, we had cooked all day and and I so I just kind of sat in the back of, you know, one of the like the last session and the the the college students there were speaking about Noah like the the the the weekend time had been about Noah, about knowing, you know, Noah had this vision that God was doing something and, you know, for however many years he he built the ark. There was no evidence of rain. He just had a speaking from God. This is happening. You need to build the ark. And as these, you know, 19, 20, 22 year olds are speaking, I'm God is speaking to me. Are you building an ark or are you are you Are you living in parallel again? Are you just happy to be, you know, happily married, have a nice job, and go to church? Are you happy to have is that enough for you or are you building the ark? Wow. Do you is do you go to church because you've seen that I am doing something or are you going to church because it feels nice for you? And wow. Yeah, it was it was pretty strong. Pretty strong, bro. I was, you know, it's a long drive back from Leach to Austin. And let me tell you, I was uh I was sitting in the back of this pickup truck. I mean, it was in the cab, but I was sitting in the I was sitting in the cab. We were pulling the the barbecue pit back and the brothers in the front are talking big old storm, and I'm just I'm praying and I'm just kind of I don't know what to say to God. I don't know what's But I Anyway, ever since then, the Lord has really taken me to a a different spot. Wow. And I hope I have not reached a plateau that he has to kind of shake me out of again. But Wow. Yeah, that's that's really kind of been my my experience. That's Yeah, that's I I enjoy hearing about the um the two instances where you've mentioned kind of two structures or two parallels, you know, like God sometimes, you know, the Lord calls us and then we we kind of like go to a parallel life away from his calling and then sometimes we merge again and event. Anyways, that's wonderful that the Lord in his mercy kind of called you. Yeah. And just that's really encouraging. Yeah. You know, I mean feel like I've monologued for a while now, but I just what one one thing is, you know, the Lord's calling to me like he's speaking to me in the airplane, speaking to me through those those brothers there in love. Those like the call when he spoke to me there on that airplane didn't lose its impact. What happened was I just kind of started to make like I carved out space for myself. Yeah. So I to me I feel when the Lord calls us uh this needs to remain that front and center. This needs to be you know even we need to consider you know praying that that our the call that the Lord gives to us would remain as the go as the the first fame in our pursuit. We're we're pursuing him not because it's the thing we've done in the past. We're pursuing him because he is calling us right now as he called us at whatever moment that was. Amen. Amen. That's wonderful. Yeah. should go on with Yeah. Um, so my uh I grew up also in a a Christian home of sorts. We were uh consider us we were Christians or Caster goers where Christmas and Easter was when we attended church. Um so first time I hear that. Yeah. Yeah. Uh so we attended pretty regularly when I was really young and then like uh sports and taxes and stuff like that. We just it was like okay Sundays are no longer for uh going to church. It was for football either watching or playing it. Um so anyways I go I always considered myself a Christian but um you know wasn't a regular church goer. Wasn't really taken that seriously. And about freshman year of high school time which I'm sure is the case for a lot of uh freshmen in high school. I started to uh do things some of the things that David was talking about in his college time where you know just started getting into drinking and partying and stuff like that and still would have called myself a Christian the whole time but uh was not the center of my life and I was living as if there was no God essentially um and was really enjoying it. Lots of fun and excitement and uh but yeah uh lack of God at that point but I was um part of a Christian ministry called Young Life. Um, basically everybody at my school was part of it. They were just like kind of the thing to do on Friday nights or Monday nights depending on your age group. Um, it was lots of fun. Like we'd go play sports, sing. Um, there always be a little message at the end. But um, they have the best uh, summer camps in the world in my opinion. So always always planning on going to camp that summer. Seventh grade, eighth grade, nth grade and 10th grade I went to camp. And at this point, I'm probably in the lowest point when it comes to the like just a a life full of the flesh. Um, and uh I'm not feeling guilty at all at this point. But, you know, looking back, I was like, yeah, that was I was in the pits. Um, and I heard the gospel for about the hundth time in my life. But that time, for some reason, God was like calling me out. He hearing about Christ and his dying on the cross. I just had the most stark realization that he like I could like feel his suffering and realize that that was because of how I'm living right now and just felt so much guilt and like oh how like what I'm doing today and what I'm living for today is the reason he had to go through this. Um, and so it it was this experience that night where the the weight of my sin. I felt it for the first time. And then also that night is the first like I felt it all lifted like he paid the price. And I just had a very um emotional night and experience of receiving Christ as my savior for the first time. Um, and knew that something had to change in my life. So, I went to my uh kind of mentor there and said, "Hey, so like what do I do now? Like I know like I I've confessed to him kind of how I've been living. He might have already known all that, but I told him like I know I can't I've got this girlfriend. I probably need to break up with her." Like all that stuff. And he probably told me a lot of things, but the one thing that he told me that stuck with me was you need to uh read the Bible every day, every morning. So, uh, and he started doing that with me, but I I really took it to heart and maybe one or two days since then, since I was 16, that hasn't happened. But basically, since I was 16, I've been able to read the Bible every morning. Uh, that's just testimony. Yeah. And, you know, the Lord just had a ton of mercy on me because it is so easy to uh have that kind of camp high and then go back to your old life two weeks later. But the Lord just had a way of uh kind of replacing my friends. Like I stopped hanging out with them. Like it was like a hard cut off, but he got me other friends who were believers who had similar experiences within a week or two. And so my social life became affiliated with Christ. And um also we really wanted to pursue the Lord together. And what that meant for us was, you know, we instead of hanging out late every night on the weekends and even sometimes the weekdays, it was we're going to go to the coffee shop in the morning when it opens and we're going to read our Bibles or read some Christian books. Um, and I just I was not a reader before then, but uh like I was a cliffotes or whatever we used back then, but um I just fell in love with the Bible and Christian truth and doctrine. And uh not exaggerating to say that we'd pro I'd probably spend 4 hours every morning before school cuz we get there at 5:00 when it opened and then school started at 9:00 just reading stuff. 10th grade. 11th grade. 10th. Yeah. Going into 11th started 11th grade. 11th grader reading 4 hours a day. Yes. It started with less. It was more chatting and then reading together. But um yeah, it's like the most responsible thing I've ever ke Well um anyways I just I just was voracious reader because the truth was fascinating to me like I just this experience just happened to me and I want to learn everything about this Jesus and the Bible and I want to understand it and there's a big looming question right after that too which is like okay what church do I go to like what's there's all these denominations what's the right one I asked my mentor that and he didn't tell me thankfully like at his church or something he was just like ah it's tough question I just had a lot of questions bubbling up as I was trying to understand the Bible. Um, and I think by the end of high school, so all that stuff was great. Uh, but it also by the end of my senior year, I had lots of opinions about what the Bible was about. Was sorry, was most of the Bible reading alone or was it in groups with your parents or with It was a lot of it. Um, I'd be like with the a couple of my friends that I mentioned earlier, but we'd kind of be all reading our own thing. Sometimes we'd be reading the same thing and having more fellowship about it. But I went from like reading like Crazy Love by Francis Chan, some like classic Christian books and like Bonhaofer to then like a systematic theology book and like you know Calvin and stuff like that. Um, and so like I uh it was all great in a sense, but also like I said made me super I was like a hardcore Calvinist by the end of high school and also was a firm believer in the charismatic like movement and gifts of the spirit. Um, you know that they're active today. People are still doing healings and miracles and that kind of stuff. Not so much like Pentecostal but charismatic. The nuance doesn't matter right now. like point is came to college full of uh my own opinions about what the Bible meant. Um and in college I uh met some uh Christians who really helped me to understand uh what the Bible's actually talking about. Uh cuz I was picking out these kind of side doctrines and really honing them in. It's like I meet with my buddies and it's like hey so do you realize like God's will is the only will like you know your will really isn't a factor like I'm just like picking arguments with people with my Calvinism like yeah so so darn but um you know that's not the the central purpose that God is trying the message he's trying to convey in the word. Sure. Yeah. And I got a lot of help to see like what is Christ what is God trying to do today? Um, and that just changed my life. It was like I just had this kind of puzzle pieces of the Bible. I knew some verses that supported my doctrines, but like the full picture. I couldn't quite see it. Um, and I just really got a lot of help to see like these lines in the Bible and like wow what it's talking about and what he's been doing from like see things that kind of like little seeds planted in Genesis and then like they're picked up on throughout and then Christ comes as the fulfillment of these things but they're still being taken all the way to Revelation. And um I just I probably was in more like Bible studies in college than in classes um just cuz it was like fascinating to me. So, off. Um, anyways, I'm probably spending too much time on all this, but uh college was awesome. Uh, there were some it was ups and downs, but that I feel like that's kind of a theme through it. And, um, yeah, I also actually ended up going to a kind of postgrad Bible school um, after working for a bit. Um, almost was going to go to Germany to um, be like a missionary, serve the Lord there. um that didn't end up working out. Um but I fully believe like the Lord wanted me here where I am now and that was only like a few years ago and now I'm married, happily married man and uh newly married man. And uh yeah, I think that's a good like overview I suppose. Yeah. Yeah. One thing that uh you guys both mentioned, and I'm only going to ask you guys this just so the viewer knows, these two uh were podcasters as well at one point. And their their podcast, which is it was called What does the Bible say about that? It's now the Bible podcast. Check it out on Apple. Put a link in the box. Oh gosh. But your guys' podcast really helped me when I was in when I was in a student. Um I I the truth that you guys enjoyed you definitely gave it to like gave it to me through those podcast episodes. But you guys both mentioned that you know fellowship in college um gave you kind of like a truth um some vision of the Bible that has ruled your life. Mhm. And you know, if it's needing having the the bottom taken out from you or being opinionated but also kind of confused. Yeah. Um what happened? You know, what what truths what part of the Bible was like just so striking that you had these 180 changes? Mhm. Yeah. It's uh there are lots of truths that really like jump out when you said that, but I think one specifically is kind of what I was hinging at earlier about like the central focus of the Bible. Like there's lots of interesting doctrines and verses you can glink from the Bible like, you know, is baptism via immersion or sprinkling. There's kind of a hint of sprinkling in Titus, but most of them seem like immersion in Acts and in Matthew and or you know the predestination stuff like Romans 9 is Calvinist favorite chapter and it's most confusing to anyone who's honest I think. But um yeah realizing so one of the truths really stuck out to me was this thought that God's purpose is not to save sinners period like as like that's the central focus just rescuing people from damnation. Um which really kind of was maybe my central truth. I mean, I talked a lot about predestination, but that was like the core of the gospel to me. But realizing that God actually created man with a purpose in mind before he had even sinned. Uh, and that purpose being his desire to be united to man, to have a relationship with man, and to transform him into this creature that's um not just an animal on on the on a low plane, but someone that can be with him for eternity um to give us immortality, as Paul says, and eternal life. and um realizing there's more than just the cross and my repentance from to be saved and like now I should give money to church and be a good person to preach the gospel like oh God has something past the the you know Goltha that he wants to do in me. Um that was really transformative for me of like not just understanding the Bible but direction for my life like oh this is what I need to be doing or I need to be involved in this somehow. Mhm. Yeah. Big truth. Yeah. Yeah. Uh well, you know, the thing that like I mentioned, the thing that really that like that I missed the step on I missed the step on the stairs was uh this question of meaning was and you know that touches on what Reese just said, but you know I one of the things that really touched me was that I had seen people that I had gone to church with who I knew had meaning in their life And I thought I had meaning when I was doing all of these both you know academic I like to emphasize it wasn't all just partying but um you know I was I I thought that I was I thought they had they had meaning because you know their meaning is church and their meaning is God and that's wonderful good for them but my meaning is this other thing and that's fine. And when I suddenly had this realization that there is a there is a an a terminus there's a finite end date of any meaning that is that is derived from the earth I realized that meaning has to be a lasting meaning could only be with God something someone eternal and so you know people what I saw and this is coming back to your question about truth is I I realized kind of retroactively I had I had unconsciously registered these people are touching the reality of some really high and common verses among us you know like Galatians 2:20 and Philippians 1 for to me to live is Christ and my you know my spirit had kind of absorbed even without my conscious recognition that that person that person that I see he's full of meaning Because Christ is his life. His life is not just for Christ. Christ has become his life. And so that's what that's what the purpose of that person's existence is. It's the purpose of my existence. And my meaning is going to be unfulfilled and finite and temporal. And I'll be just be chasing the next high until I accept this is the meaning. And so yeah, the truth that Christ that we were created, that Christ would fill us, he would become our life, he would become how we live, how we interact with one another would be Christ. Yeah. Wow. It's really good, man. Yeah. I I was I wanted to go back to um David in your testimony, the moment in love when you you heard, you know, about Noah from those those young believers there and uh what did you what was the summary kind of message there from from God uh in that moment? What do you think? You mentioned, you know, God speaking to you, are you here for me or are you here for yourself or you here for me? Yeah. How the has God built up on that revelation? Uh has there been more to that revelation that started there? And what what what do you think really God was hinting at there? Yeah, that as well. Yeah. You know, uh well, I mean, so we look at the at Noah and Noah, God says, "Surely I'm going to flood the earth." And uh so build an ark uh so for the preservation of yourself, your family, and life. Uh, and that vision governed how Noah lived. So, everybody else was doing something. I I've often wondered, this might be off topic, but was I mean, was did Noah still farm or like what was he doing for food? I mean, like it does mention I think 120 years I think that was the eat something. Yeah. But, uh, he was building the ark. But, um, yes. So, that was that was the purpose of Noah's life was based on that vision. And that vision, you know, certainly that would save Noah, but it was about s preserving life on the earth, preserving the animals, preserving his family. So, the thing that really spoke to me that God spoke to me. I want to be clear, this wasn't like an audible voice, but it was pretty clear in my spirit. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's a that's a Reese level experience. Uh but is are you are you doing church for for yourself? Are you are you going because it makes you feel like uh well this is a thing that good people do and the fact that I do it means I'm a good person. This is uh you know this is a place where I have some community some social interaction and people like to do that. Or are you doing this because I God am doing something. I am I want people who are building the ark. Yeah. I want people who are living according to the vision of what I've said in the Bible that that I want I want a people I want a church that represents me on the earth. So are you just among them? Are you just among the people that are living for that or are you living for that? Wow. Mhm. I don't know if that answers your question, but yeah. Uh, no, that's that's good. I I think maybe I don't know all believers, but most believers have that moment. You know, you you find Christ, but eventually you you find like what is Christ after? Yeah. Like it happened to me, too. I mean, I don't want to this is about you all. I don't want to share too much, but um I was I was in the book of Ephesians and then I just realized after reading it and being in it, this is years ago. I just realized, man, when you kind of like take a peek in God's heart and you just see what's in his heart, it's all the church. Like, I just realized it's it's every time it's the church, right? There's something there. You know, he he reveals himself to you, but when he wants to reveal something else is the church. So, anyways, how about you, Ree? When did that is there a moment I don't know that when like Yeah. We went from Christ to what Christ wants, you know? Yeah. Well, I think um I'll answer that, but I think it related like it's I think more I feel like more believers and this was certainly the case for me and this what all of my friends and I would ask all the time the typical question and you know there's a famous book I forget like a purpose- driven life what's his name uh anyways very famous Christian book Warren yeah Warren yeah many Christians ask what is God's purpose for my life what is God's will for my life what am I supposed to do I supposed to be a doctor? What college do I go to with my question in high school? And uh what you know, it's like am I a missionary or this or that? And the question never really dawned on me until it was kind of presented to me that like what does God want? What is God interested in in doing? Um and really once you figure that out, then it's really it's a lot easier to figure out what do I do now? Like if I figure out God's interested in building a giant ark on the earth, I should go help Noah like the structure of this thing. That's a pretty simple like I can figure out God's will for my life. It's whatever over there. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I'm over there if I'm like he his the will for Noah is the ark. I need to go farm. Like I'm going to be dead, you know? Um so I did have a moment in college, but it was like just a a a whole change in the question I was asking. of like what is God's will for my life to what is God interested in? What is he doing? And the church being kind of I think the the answer there with a lot of nuance and details around that. But yeah, I think one thing that's interesting is that you actually posed that question to me at one point. Really? Yeah. Uh it was it wasn't anyway you just said you most people say what is God's purpose for my life? But then you were like, "Let's rephrase like let's just edit that question. What is God's purpose?" Full stop. Yeah. And I remember that was like a what? Yeah. I've never thought about that, you know. Um but anyway, um so you guys you guys saw something when you were in college and you guys both decided uh you know, seminary, uh Bible school, some kind of like program to give yourselves to the Lord and what he's doing. That that was what the Lord was leading you to do at that point. But then you get to a point where you leave that program and now you're back with a greater sense of independence. uh what did those first years look like uh leaving the program and how did the Lord continue to train you to to hear his voice and know his will and follow where he was leading you you know yeah uh you're right that was a uh you use the word that was a greater sense of independence and that was definitely my experience you know uh uh for myself I um and also Ree actually we both came back to where we'd been before. You know, we both came back to Austin. We'd come from here. Um and so there was definitely, you know, there was a lot of a lot of pre-existing, you know, not necessarily not negative things, but uh things that you you know, relationships and and and people that you don't have the thought like I didn't have the thought that I needed to check with God about. I I know how to interact with this person. I know how to interact with this situation because I've done it before. And uh that kind of that is a it's a real learning. It's a ongoing learning for me that we need to be actively checking with God about everything about how we how we interact with other people. Believe it or not, God, the sovereign one, hasn't a plan for for all of our interactions. And yeah, it's a good thing he's infinite because there's a lot of interaction. But but God has an intention in how we interact with co-workers, with people around us, with our spouses, and we can check with him or we can just try to operate on our own. And anyway, all that to say, uh, that was a big point of learning. I had some I had some failures when I first got back and I I had, you know, I had some existential thoughts about, did I, why did I do this? I spent two years, I gave myself to the Lord and now I'm just as bad as I was before. I'm worse than the Benny thing. Uh and uh but I feel like that time that adjustment from a kind of a structured environment, a specific consecration that I had given myself uh to be under to be for the Lord uh and now in a a to consecrate in a much broader environment uh really in a sense it's easier to consecrate yourselves when you are only have a structure around you. Uh but when you need to when you need to consecrate yourself and no one but you and the Lord are there to check on it, it's it's uh it takes more it takes a deeper realization of what the Lord is doing. So that was something that the Lord kind of worked on me in the first two or so two or three years that I was uh after I came back. Um but yeah. Yeah. And I mentioned this briefly in my uh testimony part, but um I was actually pretty I was planning on going to Germany after I finished actually. Um that was after uh you know the question what does God want me to do? What's over my life is still a legitimate question like building the ark is not as clear as in Noah's day, right? Like where are we going to be doing the building and um in what capacity? So after a lot of, you know, prayer and consideration and then fellowship with different Christians that I really respected both here and in Germany that I'd gotten connected to. It just seemed like that was where the Lord was taking me. Um, and so I just like it was a little kind of a scary thought transition. I I know as much German as anyone who's done Duolingo for six months would know. And um it was just like I don't like it wasn't like I'm excited and thrilled about a foreign adventure. It was like that's where I felt like God wanted me even though it wouldn't be comfortable or nice. Um but back to the thought of like what is God's will for himself once I think you're aligned with that you have a clear like understanding and and controlling vision revelation like this is what it's all about. then God's leading you in the little things where you would be what you would do um are less uh important I suppose or even you know that's right Paul he led Paul to Jerusalem and he got imprisoned and then you know was stuck in Roman imprisonment for years and it's like was it God's will for him to go to Jerusalem like well he wrote you know Philippians and Ephesians or maybe not Philippians kosh anyways he like wrote some of the greatest books in the New Testament in that time. Um, so I think all I'm trying to say is uh God is perfectly within his right to lead us down a road that causes us to be hit by an 18-wheeler. Um, and like if that was his will, like like the point is not getting to the destination, it's being in in the the in what God's doing on the earth. So yeah, I felt like I was to go to Germany. a lot of things happened where that just became impossible and it was really devastating for me for a while. Um, but looking back on it now, I just seen the Lord's been able to do a much deeper work in parts of my soul that weren't open to him at the time. Yeah. Um, and also I got to meet my lovely wife in the in the meantime. Um, so yeah, that I' there's been a lot of learnings on my part of like what does it actually mean to be in this like vision of what God's doing? It means like a lot of suffering and a lot of like feeling like you're going the right way and then getting hit and then um but God's doing his central work that whole time and that's really what he's interested in. Not putting me in the right country or the right job. Yeah. Yeah. you know on that just uh you know like you mentioned when looking back you're seeing the Lord was able to do so much stuff in you and obviously arrange for your your dear wife yeah for which are very happy uh you know I I have consistently been touched by uh two verses at the end of Genesis you know I'm going to share but it's uh you know so Jacob arrives in in Egypt and he says as uh and he uh Joseph brings him before before Pharaoh and and says to him, you know, he introduces uh Pharaoh and Pharaoh kind of doesn't really seem to know what to say. So he says, you know, how how old are you? And and and Jacob says, you know, uh few and evil have been the days of my sojouring and they have not attained to the days of my fathers. And but then in the next chapter, he is blessing the sons of Joseph and he says, "The angel, the God who has shepherded me all the days of my life until this day, bless the boys." And so the boys, you know, we have this in our in our daily experience. It may seem that we are in the few and evil, but we look back and we realize that that has been God's shephering to us. He has shepherded us all of the days, including the ones we thought were few and evil were also God shephering to us. Yeah. So, a lot of times we are stuck only in the present. And of course, we're we're finite. We're stuck in time. This is the thing that we can see and it's it sucks. Yeah. But we but we realize and the Lord is building faith in us. Yeah. Through our experiences that in the midst of those things, we are being shepherded. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, I've always really appreciated those those that pairing of verses. That's really good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I just this came up in in another podcast um uh episode, but you know, really what I want to say is likeyou helped me a lot during those years when you felt like you were being hit by an 18-wheeler. And uh I heard uh before it's somebody told me it's like sometimes the Lord has a a heart to gain the worker and even transform the worker. Um and that was your experience. But you know, just like you said, while um Jacob or Israel at the time said those days were evil, he was able to bless someone. I felt like you you blessed me during my college years and I didn't know you were like suffering. It's it's the craziest thing. There was this uh experience when we were skiing. I don't know if you remember this. Oh yeah. Yeah. The first time I was skiing, oh my gosh, it was so bad. It was so bad. Like I kept falling, but Reese stayed. you stay and you kept picking me up. I kept falling. You kept picking me up. Everyone else was just Yeah. going. But that meant a lot to me because when I was at that trip, I I felt like a an impostor. Like I wasn't supposed to be there. And honestly, each time you pick me up, it it felt like the Lord was saying, "I'll keep going." Like these brothers will keep you keep you going. They'll pick you up. Um uh but anyway, like and then we had those those uh those uh Bible studies towards the end of my senior year about church history. Mhm. And honestly that set the course of my life. I saw that I'm in this like divine history. Wow. But um in a earlier podcast we said that you know you don't know what happens on the residual domino effect if you say yes to the Lord in the moment. But while he was gaining, he was also gaining me too. And it was like Anyway, that I'm just I'm just enjoying what you guys are sharing. But that's real. Yeah, that's real. Anyway, amen. Um, you know, a lot of our viewers, I think some, a good number, I think, are in the early 20, mid20s, early 30s, you know, like either finishing school and facing some decisions in life, you know, three of which I just wanted to see if you have any experiences on these. where to live, where to marry, what job to take. You know, I saw these three. If if if Texas and X sales are the answer, there are first everyone moved to Austin. No. Um follow Lord. But yeah, on these three topics, uh these truths that the Lord has revealed in your life along the way, who he is, what he's doing on the earth, how has how has the Lord Yeah. when you face these decisions where to live, where not to live, you know, how has the Lord been involved with these truths operating in you about what the Lord is doing? There's really I don't think there's a simple answer. Um because God exists outside of time and doesn't usually speak audibly to us. Um I think there's a couple of like key principles that have been like really central in my life when I'm trying to make those kinds of decisions. Um, one of the first is, you know, the Lord. If we come to the Lord, uh, for these big decisions and like those are the main times. We're kind of like I mentioned the cresteraster goer. We're kind of like the that type of scenario for wanting to interact with God. Like I'll come to God when there's a big decision to be made and then I'll put him to the side until the next one comes up. Um, and a lot of times if you're that kind of a Christian, which I have been several times, it's like you find he's pretty uh mute at that point. Like God's hiding himself from me. Um, so I think a key for this is having a regular time with the Lord where we are getting these little speakings. And by when speakings, I mean like shining light on a verse in the Bible or putting someone on your heart when you're praying to then pray for them and like learning tag because God in my experience isn't usually audible and clear, but there's like a sense within and there's light shining and there's just direction where it's like I have there's a verse in Romans that it's called Roman or Paul talks about a life and peace as like a guiding principle. Yeah. Um, so learning to kind of get this sense with the Lord in our regular mundane lives really helps with the bigger decisions later. It's good. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. I mean, I totally agree. Uh um, you know, I it's it's just on your point, it's important to remember that the Lord himself is a person. Totally. And if you know if I have a you know if I if I only speak to you when I need something it's going to you know that that might make me feel a little uh used. Oh yeah. So you know uh I well I won't expose too much about uh my my my courtship with my now dear wife. Um but you know I I felt that the Lord was putting this person on my heart and I I did not I I didn't know what to do. So I did uh I did so I did one thing and I I went and I I shared with a brother that I was very close with and I said hey brother this I don't know what this means. Uh, I mean, this is, you know, this she's she's younger than me. She's my my wife is five years younger than me. Um, and you know, that's, you know, I'm 26, she's 21. That's a big gap right now. I mean, now that I'm 36 and she's 31, it doesn't feel as sick. But, uh, uh, at this school at the time, yes, she was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's she was had just completed her junior year. Uh, you know, I mean, she's still got a year of school. This is not the the regular timing of things. Uh what is happening here? The technical rule is divide by two add eight. She is just in the range. All right. Sorry. Keeping but so anyway I shared with this brother um that I was very close with and I said I don't know what to do. I I like and I kind of expected him to say yeah you should stop thinking about that. Uh but what he said was we should pray about this. So we prayed. Uh and then he said, "Now you need to pray by yourself a lot." And so and and then I did this and I you know later on I I said, "You know, it's been this period of time I've been praying. I still feel this way about this woman." And I and he said, "Well, then we we met again. We prayed again." And he said, "You know, really, we're just doing what John says." So John in his epistle he tells us that uh he says that I'm writing to you because I want you to have fellowship with me with with the John the writer and he says and indeed our fellowship is with the father. M so he was this brother kind of without giving me the the background was bringing me into this simultaneous fellowship where I'm connecting to God personally but I'm also connecting to God through the other believers and so there's a fellowship between us there's a fellowship between God and myself and then together we're going to God so a lot of times in my experience this is how the Lord Lord speaks is in when we involve kind of all of this these aspects of both his speaking through himself the head directly to us and his speaking through the other members. Yeah. Um, you know, of course, you know, we we should be, you know, wise about who we open our situation to, of course, but uh I in my experience, a lot of times the Lord has, in a sense, it's like he's reserved his feelings, kind of held back his his response until I've been open with at least one other member because, you know, God's view is that we we his church are we are a corporate body. There's there is a relatedness between the members and if it's if I could get you know all my answers quotequote just from the head then I would never need to bring the real me the real situation to the other brothers and so the Lord in this way I feel that he he is waiting for us in a in many cases to to open things to him directly and then to open them to the a member of his body also and to pray together in that way. So, I mean, I'm not trying to make a method out of this, but this has been my experience, you know, uh uh I one more smaller example. I I I took a promotion at work several couple years ago now. And um I I was really kind of hesitant about it cuz the job that the lower position I had had given me a kind of a a shortened schedule so I could really I had a whole day on Mondays where I could be with be with the brothers and you know get into the word, pray. It was was it was great and I would have to give that up to take this other position. And I opened it to a, you know, a group that was meeting at my home at that time on every Tuesday night. And I said, you know, this position, I think I'm going to get it if I apply for it, you know, and we prayed together. And nobody said, well, you should definitely do it or you should definitely not do it. But afterwards, I we after our prayer, I had some peace like you said. I had I had a feeling of peace as I considered the position, I considered the application. I just had this feeling of peace like go forward, do it. And that I I really took that as the Lord's answer through the prayer of you know this group that I was close with. Yeah. I I want to add to the um because I you reminded me of experience I had when I was uh I was working after college before going to the Bible program and um I just got this the sweetest job out of college. Like it wasn't a glor glamorous job when I got it but then we got acquired. there's all this growth and then I was able to get promoted really quickly to where I was doing really well and but I I committed like I want to go to this program once I've paid off my student loans and it was like 8 months into the job I paid off the loans it was like done I'm free to go and uh there's a verse I think it's in Jeremiah I'm wrong word says uh the heart is deceitful above all things who can know it Um, and so I just appreciate what David said. It's like uh the being in Christian community and with brothers and sisters that uh we can pray with and be held accountable with is crucial because our heart is easily deceived and deceives us. Yeah. Um because there is the Lord in our in our being that he has the ability to speak to us, but we also have this evil fleshly heart that he's trying to transform that can be deceiving us. And so I'm have this great job and then all these excuses come up. You know, if I work another year, I could pay my way through this program myself and have a little bit stored up and like why wouldn't I do that? Like it makes sense to just, you know, even though I committed like once my loans are paid, I'm gone. The love of money is a root of all evils, right? And I was saying this noble reason how I would use this job for the next year, but really I just liked making money. Um, and I was with this brother who I'd been fellowshipping with this whole time and just he was able to speak kind of a frank word to me that made it really clear and like shine light into my deceitful heart and it was done and I quit the job went and the Lord was very gracious to give me a little outward sign in this moment cuz uh that company got acquired by a private equity group and the whole Austin office was gone in two months after I quit. It was just like the Lord I think he did that just for my sake to show me. Yeah, you should follow pastor spirit and wow. Yeah, that's good. So, do you two have a like if you're going through a situation that needs some fellowship? Do you have a go-to person that you have a person that is a brother or Yep. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It's changed over the years. There's always I feel like I find that so good that you have someone that immediately comes to head that you can think of going to. Mhm. What would you say to a young believer who maybe doesn't have someone, you know, maybe is a, you know, Sunday going to church and it's just there and maybe parents are not believers or whatever and they don't have someone. Well, how would you or or they even find it hard to open up, right? I don't know if you guys were like that at one point where it was hard to open up, but like what tips do you have? Because if you don't have that fellowship, Yeah. you're living like a 50% Christian life, you know? But anyway, our fellowship was with one another and with the father like David said. Yeah. Yeah,I I just briefly say I mean I I've always found it more helpful to fellowship with someone who's a little bit older than me, a little more experienced and seems to have been around the block a time or two with the Lord. There's just a lot of like uh wisdom and rich like deposits of the spirit saints where that God's been working in for years, you know. Um, and a lot of times it's a lot easier to approach them like going to a fellow believer and like opening up that that was always harder to me. But like going to my youth minister in high school or you know someone is kind of more of in a mentor role. It was always like they're looking for that like they want to shepherd Christians. So I think that's a great place to start. That's good. Yeah. Yeah. I mean my first thought when you were you were talking Pablo is I it's really good uh it's really good to bring that matter to the Lord you know if you are I mean I know it has seems like a copout answer to say that you should pray about it but in reality this is you know that's certainly this is something the Lord wants you know we see throughout especially the writings of Paul the emphasis on the body and of the the other members of considering the other members you know Corin Thians he talks about this in Philippians he talks about this and he says so this is definitely on God's heart and I would say if you if you offer a prayer like this Lord who can I be joined to Lord give me someone else that I can pray with certainly that is something that's a prayer God is really excited to answer uh but and you know how how can you open to someone well I mean certainly I I it's I have that's something I I struggle with um even to the present. But one of the things that really helps me is like the brother I was thinking about I won't say who that is but the brother who I was thinking about uh I know that whatever I share with him is he's going to take seriously and he's going to pray about it. M um so knowing that the knowing the other person that you're speaking to has this kind of view that that our lives should be for for Christ in the church. Yeah. It means that whatever you you bring to them is that's that's how they're going to take it is that and they're they're going to pray about it. They're going to take it seriously and they'll pray in a uh way that will join your problem. Yeah. to the Lord and his the Lord the spirit the supply of the spirit to to you in your situation. Yeah, that's really good. Just I agree with you know both of your points. Re someone older to me that's so true. you know it has to be someone has more experience um and then uh to pray about it and I and I and I feel that you know one of you mentioned of that you know when you go to the Lord and it's only when you have needs it's you almost get a non-response right yeah I feel like with members of the body it's the same thing you don't just want to go then you know you want to be known by someone a way that is continual you know like totally I have this practice whenever there's a conference at church or something I always find this brother and I just have a meal with him or something, you know, just so that whether there's something going on or not, sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't. There's still the the just the continual fellowship, you know, like he just knows me, he sees my face, like, okay. And then when something's going on, then it's not as awkward, you know, bring something up, you know? So, for sure. Yeah. I think anyways, I find that that I I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for those relationships that you guys are mentioning. Yeah. Um, you guys both mention something in your decision- making that might be foreign to the viewer. Um, but when people uh are making decisions, they usually make a pros and cons list. They might make a costbenefit analysis, you know, matrix or uh they might look at the risk, their assumptions and all these things. But you guys talked about having peace. What is what does that mean? Where where did that term come from? And I was reminded when you were saying the procon list. There's a verse and David you can keep me honest here. I think it's in second Corinthians. It's either that or first. Um I think it's second but Paul is talking about hey it's somewhere else but he's talking about uh how there was a door open to him in Macedonia meaning like God has opened up a an avenue for the gospel to be preached. Um then it says Paul says but I had no peace. He said, "No peace in my spirit." Uh because Titus, my brother, had not come yet to give news about the Corinthians. But point is like environmentally the right move was to go forward into Macedonia and preach the gospel. But Paul inwardly in his spirit, it says, had no peace. Yeah. Um, and so I think that, yeah, the the practical list building, which I am guilty of doing that all the time, and it's actually really smart to do in practical situations, but with the Lord doesn't always work. Um, but there's like a it's hard to describe, but when you when you feel it or you know it, you know it. Um, peace is just a sense of like I, you know, I'm at peace. I People know peace. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Um, but that you can be praying about something and and I think it's also helpful. Sorry, there's another verse comes to mind where when Paul's going into uh into Europe for the first time. I think it's in Acts 16. It says he was going into I think Asia and the spirit stopped him. Yep. He was going into, you know, somewhere else and this spirit of Jesus prevented him. Yep. It's like Paul was moving but the Lord was able to stop him. So he was on the move but responsive. He wasn't just praying in a room until he got an answer. Um, it's like as we move, as we're doing going in a direction, there needs to be a a continual kind of uh conversation with the Lord. We're talking about like we're always in an open fellowship with him. So that whenever we feel that sense of lack of peace, maybe that's easier to feel than peace is the lack of peace. Then you know I'm off course. I need to turn. The Lord's turning me. The Lord can move a boat, right? That's moving. Turn it. That's moving. The static boat's really difficult to turn. Classic metaphor. Yeah. Yeah. Uh well, you know, I I kind of have a little log jam of different things I want to say, but uh you know, for the sake of time, uh you know, uh I I really appreciate this definition of peace. Um, so 2 Corinthians, sorry, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, uh, Paul concludes that that epistle with, uh, he says, "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace continually in every way. The Lord be with you." And you know, uh, there peace is uh, equated to the presence of the Lord. M. So when when we experience uh just like Reese was saying, when we're taking a step, we know if the Lord is with us or not by the turmoil in us or the complete lack of it. Yeah. And when we when we sense the stillness, that's a real indication the Lord is with us. He as the Lord of peace is is with us. And you know just an interesting story on on um along with uh the the door in in uh second uh first second Corinthian second you're right that Titus you got me um is uh you know in in Mark Mark 1 uh the Lord has this you know he he's he's in a village he's doing he does a miracle and then he uh he's rises up very early while it was still night he went out and went away and Simon And those with him hunted for him and they found him and said to him, "All are seeking you." And you know, you would think this is such a great Jesus. This is the thing. Didn't you come to for the people to see you? And but the Lord the Lord went away and he prayed and he said and after he prayed, he said, "Situation's great, but uh we have to go." He said to them, "Let us go elsewhere into the nearby towns that I may preach there also because for this purpose I came out." And so, you know, we we don't follow God according to the environment. We follow God according to his speaking. You know, I can't tell you why the Lord did not stay where he was and preach to the the whole the whole town was seeking him. This was great. Yeah. Yeah. Peter hunted for him. I like that verb. Uh Uh and but God but the father told him we need to go to another village and the Lord just said that's right that's what we're going to do. So in our in all of our choices, we need to, you know, we need to consider like we were talking about uh the fellowship, the prayer, the the the peace, the feeling that the Lord is satisfied with our choice. And you know, the environment is the environment. The Lord, it's very easy for the Lord to uh to all to change the environment so easily. He's God. Yes. The thing that he won't intervene on is the human heart. Yeah. He for for him to for him to just you know uproot you know to say to this so easy yeah so easy so easy he's the creator but for he has said I'm I'm not going to to command the human heart to love me wow so that is the thing that we need to that is the thing that he is waiting on us is for our choice to love yeah you know I like this this point of peace I think it's so sweet that for for us to learn to do things but guided by peace I want I wonder if If this is related to this question on Pisa, you shared with us on a call we had earlier that at one point you were considering moving to another city. Yeah. To to strengthen the the community of the church there and eventually you didn't go or something like that I think. Is was there this peace experience there like having or not having peace in that? Can you share a little bit about your experience? Yeah. uh you know, we uh my my wife and I uh we had been we' prayed for a while about this matter about uh you know, the the church community here in Austin is really strong. You know, there's uh there's a specific city that we knew that had, you know, a much smaller group and that um you know, could we go? I mean, you know, we have some flexibility and uh you know, we went and visited and and you know, we as we were before we were going, as we were there, we of course were praying together and we prayed with the the believers there as well. And of course, they you know, they wanted us to come, but you know, uh they said, you know, we'd we can't tell you, you know, it's it has to be from from from the head. And you know, we we got back, we we felt very strongly that we needed to go and visit. And when we got back, I I didn't I didn't really have any feeling to go. Uh and I, you know, I I wondered, you know, is this just my choice? Is this like, oh, my my personal preference is to stay where I am, and I'm not allowing the Lord to speak. M but I we continued to pray and you know I was really confirmed by my wife having the same feeling that we had we we definitely needed to go and we wouldn't have peace until we visited there. Yeah. But once we once we came back we just had peace to remain where we are. And you know in a sense it's kind of like why why did the Lord have us go? I that's that's not my business. But that's right. But we went and we had peace to be there and we had peace to come back and we have had peace to remain in Austin. And that's you know you know one of the things that I and I know we're short on time here but I I I Okay. I love this verse uh in uh another verse Genesis about the matter of the going to get Rebecca. Yeah. and and and uh the servant there says you know I'm taking her back. Yeah. Is this and then Laban Laban he says he says the matter the fate is from Jehovah. Yeah. We cannot answer you good or bad. And this is really our this is how we make choices in in the Christian life is we realize if this is of God it's not a matter of right and wrong yes or no. It's it's question of is it of God or is it not? Amen. Yeah. And that's and God is expressed by peace in us, right? Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Amen. Wow. Well, I think we're almost there, huh? Time. Yeah. Should we do these questions, these last questions quick? Your your rap fire questions. We like to end each episode with a few rapid fire questions. So, just the first thing that comes to mind. Um, I'll just try to get through it really quickly, but favorite book in the Bible and why. Um, I'll go with second Corinthians. I have not heard that. Okay, go ahead. Uh, it's like the most autobiographical kind of book. A lot of in-depth stuff about Paul's life. And my favorite verse, uh, chapter 8, verse 9 is in there. Okay. Everyone can go look it up afterwards. Yeah, that was going to be the second question. You ruined it, but anyway. Uh, yeah, I'll go. I'll go John. Um just uh the the depth of what is revealed about the Lord. Um uh you know the real reading if you just read through John 17 viewers out there just read through John 17 prayerfully and it I mean wolf what a what a chapter. All right that's good. Um it's and the next one is the verse. Yeah. Favorite verse in Oh gosh. Uh I knew it was coming. Yeah. Um, apparently yours is John 17. No, I I mean the thing is I can't say I understand John 17. So uh you know I don't know what what all um I'm stalling here. Um yeah uh probably 1 Corinthians 1:30 uh that that of God you are in Christ Jesus. Yeah, wonderful deep verse. Well brothers, thank you so much. Wow. What's up? What was your favorite verse today? 2 Corinthians 89. What does it say? It talks about like a definition of grace. Christ who being rich became poor in order that we might become rich in him. I mean uh big question is what was he rich in prior that we're becoming rich in now? Anyways for that go to his podcast with anger. We're going to we're going to put a link in the description so you can listen to that answer. But anyways it's been great to have you brothers. Thank you so much Reese and David. Thanks for the invite. And anyways, follow us, comment, like, and uh we'll we'll be back next week with another episode. Subscribe button. Smash the subscribe button like Reese said. All right. Thank you guys. Thank you for joining us today. Don't forget to hit that like button, subscribe, and leave us a comment below. We love chatting with you guys. We've got so much more content and powerful testimonies coming your way. So follow us on our socials. And until next time, stay safe. Keep speaking about the words of this life.

Hi, welcome to Words of This Life podcast. My name is Pablo and here we share real and impactful Christian stories from believers who love the Lord and his word. Through these testimonies, we want to showcase the virtues of the one who's called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Virtues that are at work in everyday people, shaping their character, guiding their actions, and shining forth his life into the world. We're so happy you're here with us for this episode and let's get right intoit. >> Hey, welcome to the Words of This Life podcast. My name is Io and I'm with my co-hosts >> Pablo >> and we're here with two uh really dear guests, Preston and Gilmo. >> Yes. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Thanks for having us. >> Be here. Good morning. >> Thank you for making the time. It was a treat to have a couple Yeah. >> on the podcast and um I'm looking forward to this conversation. >> Awesome. >> Yeah. So today we're going to talk abouta pretty special topic. Um we're going to talk about leaning on the brothers and sisters in the church. >> Um and we're going to get into your experience. Uh even talk about you guys are new parents. Um maybe we're going to talk about uh your marriage story. But um I guess it just makes sense to start from the beginning uh individually. How did both of you meet the Lord? What kind of house did you grow up in? And when did the Lord become real to you? >> I grew up in a Christian household. Uh,and the first time I was asked to receive the Lord was when I was in fourth grade. Um, but I didn't have a real experience of him until I was about 13 years old. So I was in seventh grade. And um, I went to a winter retreat and there was basically an altar call. And I just remember being in tears >> and um just praying to receive the Lord and uh you know just there was a fire within me after that. Um yeah >> and I grew up in um a Catholic household. Um my mom loves the Lord veryvery much. So she was kind of like my role model growing up. like I would always see her praying um and just yeah praying for our family and interceding for us. Um and along the way um you know I also um developed that love and prayerful life with God. Um, but I would go to school and I would see that my friends like were bold about their faith and I was like, whoa. Like, how is it that they're so bold and I'm not? You know, like they just seem like to have something different. So, um, just in talking tothem like, you know, they were, you know, they would say that they were Christians and they were just like really like awesome um, classmates to be honest. And so that just put in me like a thought like, huh, like there's Catholics and there's also Christians, you know. Um, my mom would always tell me though like we're Catholic Christians. >> And um, and so, but my point is that when I was growing up in the Catholic church, I never knew that I needed to receive Christ into my heart. Like I,even though I loved God and um, prayed to him, I never knew that he needed to live inside of me. Um, so, uh, fast forward to college actually, um, I was on the speech and debate team and my friends, um, shared with me that I, like had I ever ever received Christ into my heart. >> Um, and that was new to me. Um, so I said no. Um, and so they asked me if I wanted to pray and I said yes. Um, actually no, I didn't say yes. My bad. Um, I was listening. Um but I couldn't bring myself to pray out loud because inCatholicism um you know you pray with your inside voice. Um and so I I was like not willing to do that. Um like for someone else to hear my prayers. Um but later on God reminded me like hey like what about receiving you know me into your heart? And so I just stopped what I was doing at home and I prayed to receive him into my heart. And I remember it was such a sweet experience um because after that I went outside and I remember like the sky was bluer and the trees were greener and I was going through a hard time at that particularpoint in my life but all of a sudden like everything just seemed that much better and I knew that there was this person living inside of me. Um and so I don't know life just seemed a little bit brighter. Wow. >> Um, yeah. So, that's how I grew up and received the Lord into my heart. >> Wow. >> Wow. That's was really sweet. Feel like for uh some Catholics receiving the Lord personally into their heart becomes such a real like dynamic experience. You know, someone in my family too, mymother was Catholic for a long time. She actually by a little girl was uh helped to know that the Lord is living. Uh is my my mother's kind of spiritual mother's daughter. So she's a little girl. My mom was a diehard Catholic just like my grandma was very very Catholic. And one day my mom was um making her bed and uh she had a picture of Jesus on the wall. And um the little girl asked her, "Oh, why why do you have that picture?" And my mother said, "Oh, it's becauseyou know if someone you really really love dies one day you would like to have a picture to remember them by." >> And the little girl said, "Yeah, but they would be dead. But Jesus is alive. He's alive." And then that was a little seed that got my mom like re began her turn, you know. Well, >> so anyways, I I I just wanted to ask you like how did the realization of Christ living in you become more and more real as you began you continue your life with the Lord? >> Yeah, for sure.>> Yeah. I don't know. Um well I think I after that I um I went to so I went to a junior college um and then I transferred uh to my university. Um but in that time frame I think when I first received Christ into my heart um I was told that you want like he wants to have a relationship with you which was new to me because >> you know growing up that's not what I was taught. Um, I was taught like you pray, it's someone that you fear, you know, it's someone that you I don't knowlike there's other mediators, right? Like I would go like if I had sins that I needed to repent of, then I would not come straight to Christ. I would go to the priest, you know? Um, and so learning to have that relationship, you know, to like open to him, to talk to him um about anything, right? And at first it's kind of foreign because you're like what? How do I talk to this person that you know like I can't see and you know he's up there you know you know you just have all these thoughts.Um but then um so that's I think initially like just learning to have conversations. Um and then what like really changed my life is that I learned that I have a human spirit >> and that man is made of three parts. Body, soul, and spirit. And that was and that he's spirit, you know, and so he's made us with the spirit so we can contact him in our spirit. Um and someone shared with me um that we can turn to him at any point like at that point in my life um you know like you I was used to like goingto something or someone somewhere you know to like make me happy you know it's like oh um anyway something outward but actually I don't have to go anywhere I just turn you know to my spirit and I can touch him in my spirit and then there I can find what I need that joy you know comfort whatever and that was like revolutionary for me I was like whoa you mean I don't have to go something and do something but I can just turn he lives inside of me and I and like I can you know get him you knowand like what he is I was just like that that like was revolutionary for me >> yeah that's wonderful so >> yeah that was revolution inary for me as well. Like I had this idea that I needed to go to church >> uh with >> you should you should meet with other believers. But >> I I felt like I needed to go to my pastor or even my mom if I wanted to get to God. But uh learning that like you said you have a spirit and that the Lord is in you and he's always there isrevolutionary. M >> um so I wanted to ask you Preston um when you knew just got saved was there like that some kind of ambiguity? What was your early years like as a Christian? >> Yeah. So that weekend that I got saved, I you know I mentioned that a fire was lit in me. >> Yeah. But um I didn't have very good friends um and they considered themselves atheists um and so I came back home and I shared with them uh what I had experienced and they were really quick to dow that flame. Soum the next I guess I don't know about 7 years all through high school I became really cynical cynical towards other believers considering like some of them to be hypocrites and >> um but I still kept uh like the habit of going to church growing up and you know going to a place going to church >> um not realizing and that it's not a place but a group of people. >> A called out group of people. Um >> and so when I got into co when I got to college um one day I was out eating my lunch. II think I was a junior in college and um this guy came up to me. He starts talking to me about Jesus. I had just started reading the word. I didn't understand the word. I was reading Revelation and if you don't have any understanding of what's being spoken in that book or any background or if you've never read the Bible and you jump into that book, it is it's scary. Uh it's hard to understand. There's so many symbols that like unless you know what you're reading, you you're not going tounderstand it at all. >> Right. >> Um and so uh we started talking. He asked me if I'm a believer. Um, I said yes, I am. Uh, but I would probably consider myself more a believer like a Christian in name more than anything at that point. I don't think I had been really helped to understand the word um, understand, you know, like what Gilma said, my spirit and how to turn to the Lord who is living in my spirit. You know, the Lord's living like you were saying, >> and so he's living now in us. And whenyou receive him, he comes to dwell in you. >> You know, I think that's the thing that's really beautiful and unique about Christianity. There's no other religion or or anything where God comes and dwells in you. >> Um, and I had never been shown that. And so, he's talking to me and to be honest, the whole experience was really foreign. And also it's it felt really weird. Um, you know, I'm like, "Who is this guy? Why are you talking to me?" Uh, you know, even though I was a Christian, I'mlike, "Why are you talking to me about Jesus?" I think that's just our culture, >> you know, like you don't talk to other people about their religion >> or about your religion or anything like that. You know, you keep politics and religion, you know, to yourself. Those are two things that, you know, as Americans that we don't talk about, >> right? And um and so at the end of that conversation, he he says, "Would you like to meet again in the future to talkabout these things?" And it was I'm like, "No, this is weird. You're weird. Uh I would prefer to go about my business, but this, you know, this must be the Lord's sovereignty." But for some reason, I just um there was this very hesitant yes that came out of my mouth. And so we uh >> and and afterwards I'm kicking myself because uh I didn't know many verses at that point in time, but I did know like let your yes and your no, you know, let your yes be yes and like turn no. Andso, um, uh, so I was like, "Oh man, I got to meet with this guy again next week." This is like at the early days of cell phones, so you couldn't like just like text somebody or or you know, or ghost them. Like that didn't that wasn't a thing at the time. >> Um, and so we started meeting and he brought this other guy with him and both of them they took a special interest in me just to take care of me. M >> um I was working on campus at UT. So that's my alma mater. Go Horns.Uh >> we got a lot of those youth stuff. >> Um they would come and and visit me at work and drop off little Christian booklets to me. And then um the other guy that he invited, he started going and working out with me. And um and that that actually that was really sweet um to have somebody just join you in the thing that you're into. I really I love working out >> and I was into really weird workouts at that time. I was doing this thing called method natural where you use yourenvironment to train you. So I was like carrying logs and >> uh like throwing rocks. It's like Rocky four type stuff. Um and and he was scrawny and so he's just dying the entire time. >> One day we went on this run. I had this route that I would go and it's a 9 mile route and he's running with me and he is just huffing and puffing and >> um they previously they had talked to me about um this thing that I had never heard of but it's in the Bible. It is throughout the Bible and that's callingon the name of the Lord. >> Mhm. Um like you see it in Acts uh you know Paul was going around and persecuting those who who called on the name. >> In in Psalms you see it in Lamentations you know uh you see it where you know do not hide your ear from my breathing from my cry right you're calling on the name of the Lord. And um and even in Romans you see it. All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Amen. >> And so he is just dying and >> he needs to be saved. He's kind of heneeds and that's the beautiful thing is like it's not just our initial salvation as Christians. >> It's our day by day, moment by moment salvation. >> That's right. And it's not like the Lord just ejects us from whatever situation that we're in. But >> as the living God living inside of us, he enters into us, becomes real and manifests himself in those situation. >> So we're running on and he's he's just like, "Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus." And thenthey had taught me this other thing and this is this is one of my favorite things. Uh they had taught me to say, "Lord Jesus, I love you." M >> um you know there's that that verse uh in the Old Testament, kiss the son lest he be angry with you. And that's just a way for us to kiss the son. You know, just say, "Lord Jesus, I love you." >> And so he's like, >> "Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus." I had never really done this before. Um, like I'dnever really just uh called like I had done it in a in a very shallow way, but we're running and something just clicked uh in me. I was like, "Oh, yeah. Why don't I just try that?" >> And I just called and I I said, "Lord Jesus." And I said, "Lord Jesus, I love you." And kind of like Gilma's experience, like I can tell you exactly where I was on a trail. It's uh the Johnson Creek Trail. It's like right between Mopac, uh, like going down toTown Lake. >> Oh. Um, I could tell you how the sky looked. I could tell you it just like something became really real at that moment. >> And, uh, like it was like turbo boosters when I was running. I energized when I did that. So, um, but yeah, that was I would say to answer your question, Io, uh, That's really good. Like that was one of the things that really helped me in my Christian walk to just you know have um an experience of Christ. >> So and then like you know from there Ithink just building from there like that's something that you can do anytime anywhere. You don't have to be uh an apologist. You don't have to be a theologian. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. You can just be a normal everyday Joe >> Schmo >> and enjoy Christ in your spirit. >> Amen. >> Amen. >> Yeah, >> that's great. >> I I feel like because Preston opened up this experience so wonderfully about, you know, knowing the Lord is realthrough calling on the Lord. I'm just wondering, Gilma, do you or even you, do you have an experience of calling on the Lord or like I using that practice as a way to make the Lord real to you in your moment, day by day experience or >> Yeah, for sure. I think too, you know, that's um telling the name of the Lord, I think that's like a quick the quickest way, you know, to touch him um in my spirit. And so what two things that I really enjoy doing um is going through car washes. Umbecause you know when you're in a car wash it's so loud, right? And like I'm not like Preston. Like he's got a pretty outgoing personality. I'm more like an introvert and so I'm I'm more aware of my surroundings. >> The Lord does a really good job of matching people by the way. >> That's um Yeah. >> Yeah. But in the car wash, like nobody can hear you, you know. Um, and so I say like as my car is being cleaned, so am I because I'm just calling on the name ofthe Lord, going through the car wash. And the louder that the noise, you know, the the the power washer gets, the louder that I call. And when I come out of that, it's like 2 3 minutes, you know, the car washes aren't that long. And I'm just like, h like I can breathe again. Like it just feels so refreshing. um just to go through a car wash. So that's one way. Um but also um at home I used to have this fan, you know, like in the bathrooms like they have the fans are supposed to be kind of uh quiet. Itwas really loud and I was like it worked to my advantage. I was great. I just like turn it on, go in there and just call, you know, sing just however loud. I knew, you know, people were outside listening, but I didn't care because I couldn't hear anything and just the noise was so loud. And anyways, that's um I just those are like two like daily things or, you know, at home more daily things that I enjoy just being released just to call as loud or as quiet as I want, you know. But for me, volumehelps. So, >> wow. >> Yeah, I've heard that fan. It needs some grease. Yes. So, but it worked to her advantage. >> That's great. Oh, man. Yeah. When next time I go through a car wash, I'm going to remember that. >> Oh, yeah. Do it. It's the best. I love it. >> That's so good. >> I'm like a different person, honestly. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> That's awesome. >> I think it's interesting um that you had those experiences because you metsomebody >> that was willing to talk to you about the Lord. >> Yeah. >> Even if it was weird at one point, but eventually you guys became friends. you're exercising together, >> you know, and that even >> allows you to go into spiritual things together with other people. >> Um, I was wondering, uh, Gilma, did you ever have an experience or wanting a spiritual family and, uh, did you get fellowship in that way like like Preston did? >> 100%. Yes. Um, soI don't know if I mentioned this, but um, when so I received Christ into my heart, like I said, when I was back home, you know, when I was at the junior college and then I transferred and so that was actually my prayer like for like 3 months. I knew I was going to be moving cities and I wanted fellowship. I wanted to meet with other believers. >> Um, and so I just prayed. I just like cried out to God, you know, because that's what I need to do at that time, just to pray. Um, and I was like, Ireally want um to meet with other believers. My prayer was who knew the word and who could teach me about the Bible because I knew that I was a baby Christian and like we need I needed the Bible, but I didn't know it. So, I needed someone who knew it and who could teach me and you know, yeah. Um, and I wanted to love God. So, um, that was my prayer. Um, so I moved um to Long Beach, which is where I was living at the time. Um, and I through um just meeting believers there, I uh was introduced to a family um who to thisday they're like my family. Um they just, you know, we just kind of clicked. Um and they just took me in to their home. Um yeah, I just spend as a college students like just go over there on Saturday mornings and eat pancakes with them. Um you know, study there, go shopping with them. Um but to me, anyways, it was just uh yeah, so sweet to um be able to find a a home away from home, a family away from home. And actually um a little bit of background. So um I grew up in a household where I didn't have like momand dad at home. >> Um and so growing up my prayer was that you know my parents would always get back together. Um you know as any like child would probably want that. Um but it didn't happen you know. So I just continued to pray for that. Um, and then I remember uh in college like looking at this, you know, family um, and we were in a in a group gathering on a a Friday night like home >> Bible study. Um, and so I just remember um, seeing, you know, this family and there was other families there. Um, andI I'm not joking. I feel like God told me like this is this is your family like >> you know and I to me that was like it brought at that moment I was just so shocked because I had prayed for something that I thought my family would look like you know like my mom and dad but God was giving me his family God's family >> and that was like so beautiful and just touching and they really you know, just have been there for me, you know, throughout not just me, but even my family, like, you know, they've gottento know my my um some of my family members and have just been there um time and time again. So, uh there's definitely been the, you know, just hanging out and, you know, being a part of one another's lives, but also just there has been so many so many times where Christ has been ministered in such a normal way through just, you know, >> Yeah. doing life together and especially when you know you're going through situations like I remember um when Preston and I were getting to know oneanother when we were dating and I was like I don't know what I'm doing all these things and anyways just a call they were just a call away and just it would just be good to pray with them and you know >> touch the Lord and >> after that everything was okay. >> Wow that's wonderful. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. your your experience reminded me of a beautiful hymn that I really like to sing sometimes and um I just want to read one stanza >> for the listeners if you've never heardthis hymn I hope this becomes your experience one day but this is very much what Gilma said it goes like this day by day the world goes on just as it has gone before millions grasp and clutch at life wondering if there could be more such was I and would be yet mercy found me out somehow with what gratefulness I say I'm in God's own family now. >> That's right. >> So anyways, we find God we we have God leads us to his family. So yeah, wonderful that you have that experience.>> Hope everyone has that experience. >> Yeah, absolutely. God's family and that's been a recurring theme in a in a lot of our conversations. >> Uh somebody has a prayer, Lord, like I need friends in Christ or Lord just give me people to be around like you even said give me a family. And >> the Lord is always answering that prayer. >> Yeah. >> It's like a recurring theme. And it's like I I just encourage you if you're if you're feeling>> uh lonely, if you're feeling uh lost in your Christian life and you need uh people to go on with, pray to the Lord about it cuz he answers that prayer. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. So, >> yeah. He does. Yeah. That's a prayer he wants to answer. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. That's so right. >> He answered that prayer for me, too. Um yeah, that that same guy that would go and work out with me because he had spent that time with me, you know, he asked me, "Hey, would you like to go touh this gathering in a home of other believers?" And while we were there, um and it was like is it seemed very unique. Um nothing like I had ever been to before. I grew up in a Methodist household and you just go to a service and um and and you know a Bible study at the church, but this was at a home and we ate together and we sang together and while we're singing just like the Lord, he just opened opened up and it just felt like you're home >> and that speaker was like you're home.So I didn't feel like I need to go anywhere else. >> Amen. So that's wonderful. On the subject of knowing um God's family, finding God's family, how how would you say that um knowing God's family and finding church community has been a way for you all to know and follow the Lord's will in your life. You know, I feel like in major decisions in life, uh God's family plays a role in in how we make decisions. You know, at least even >> Sure. >> Yeah. with other members of the bodyeven like me you know meeting and finding my wife and and and eventually getting married I don't know if it would have been the same without all the prayers and all the wonderful fellowships you know in your experience how has >> finding God's family church community been uh a factor in your knowing and following the Lord's will >> for your life >> yeah you may jump in first >> yeah go you can jump into your testimony of finding you know meeting each other >> yeah that I think the biggest factor inall of that is just you know this this term fellowship >> you know in Greek it's coinia right >> um and that is something that I think that both Gilma and I uh rely a lot a lot on >> um and fellowship isn't like telling somebody what to do >> it's not um giving them your opinion >> uh which is so easy um in an age of you know like of Instagram, Tik Tok and life hacks and and all these other things, it's not that it's um believers coming together. It's actually, you know, yousaying, "I need help." >> Yeah. >> And then you and other believers, y'all seek the Lord's will together. Mhm. >> Um and uh in our experience I think um when we were courting um you know getting married is like that's like one of it besides having kids it's like the most life-changing event >> of your life, >> right? Yeah. And uh for me that was of the I guess um not even just like the of supreme importance you know like >> of who I marry and so I put so muchemphasis on that and >> you know >> you can just work yourself into a tizzy. >> Um it's like oh do I marry this person? about it. Uh, you know, they have these all these wonderful qualities, but I'm just, you know, and you need you need you need help. I needed help. And, um, you know, there was there was another brother that would we would pray together and fellowship together, and he really helped me on that path. But I've just received so much help outside of the context offinding a spouse from other believers um of just even humanly getting human help. >> Um and the Lord has always provided the person that I needed at that time. >> I mean we can't we can't do this Christian life on our own. you know, even even Paul needed fellowship, you know, like he is the like the apostle. >> Um, and uh, like he needed other Christians as well. >> So, we can't do it on our own, >> right? >> I don't know if that then if you want tojump in on that, too. >> Yeah. I was considering this a couple of days ago and I just, you know, realized like it's Christ and the church. Yeah. >> Right. It's not just one or the other. >> And so, um, he is the head and he has a body, >> right? Like you can't separate the two. >> Yeah. >> Um, and so he is living through all his members. >> Yeah. >> Um, and to me, he's so tangible and practical through the other members, right? Because I have Yes. my touch, myfellowship with him, but I also have the, you know, I'm in fellowship with the other members. Um, and so when we're going through something like getting married, you know, yes, I was contacting God and, you know, praying and, you know, seeking him, you know, regarding what is his will, like is this the guy that he has for me or not, you know, but >> the answer was yes. >> Yes. And I'm so glad it was yes. Um but you know sometimes you know you're just still a little uncertain like okay I think this is whathe's saying you know and I think this is my feeling but I also need the confirmation. I need the prayer. I you know like I yeah just open it up to the other members that I'm close with. And so, um, I think that's just been honestly in everything we, you know, a lot, you know, I don't know if everything, but I feel like everything we do, you know, like we're like, I need help. Like, yes, Lord, I'm seeking you about this, but I also need to pray with the other members, like, you know, just concerningthe situation. And um very much so when we were getting married like he said it's such an such a huge decision you know who I'm going to marry like this is forever you know and so um and every person has their you know pros and cons. though >> and you you don't know um what kind of experience those other members have had. >> Sure. you know, prior to that, like >> the Lord, like I said, the Lord is so sovereign in arranging who you meet and talk with and fellowship because theymight have had an experience that you know very much matches your current experience and they have gained Christ uh from that experience and then it that experience becomes in ministry and I can tell you like even our experience getting getting you know uh getting to know one another and getting married um has even become a ministry to other people. >> Yeah. Sure. >> Um and then like it's like the cycle of fellowship just continues on. What we've received from others has become abenefit to us. >> Yeah. >> And then that benefits other members of the body in turn. >> That's right. So like it's a um you know Paul says this. Yeah. Exactly. It's a to me >> for you fellowship. >> Yeah. >> You know that's right. >> It's not about me and then you receive what I have. >> But it's Christ coming. >> That's right. >> Ministering himself to us through other members and then that becomes a ministryto other members from us. >> That's right. >> How about we have some to me for you fellowship. Now, I know you guys mentioned that um marriage is scary and Bubba and I, we both know like um >> I Yeah, >> it was the biggest decision I made in my life. And >> that's right. >> There's so many things that uh can influence how a person feels about marriage, maybe their own concepts, maybe their parents' relationship, and maybe their own feeling about themselves. Yeah.>> Um, >> can you guys just spend some time talking about how the Lord personally for each one of you was was like, you know, just dealing with those emotions and even bringing your heart to a place where you're okay with uh doing something that you might have been afraid of. >> Yeah. >> And maybe you can tell us also how it actually happened like in you know like your first whatever detail you want to give. But I feel like in a world where nowadays dating is so coming together isdifferent you know online and people are refreshed to hear about how a couple is brought together. So you can tell us whatever detail you you'd like to tell us. >> Yeah I think just to touch on the three things that you mentioned um like our uh cultural circumstances our family background and upbringing and how we feel about ourselves. I think for me that all three of those things were a huge hindrance in the process of getting to know her. like culturally, you know, as Americans, we just like there is and in in a socialmedia age, there is the illusion of like so many options like, you know, you go to the store and you like there's like 500 different, you know, I'm being hyperbolic, of course, there's 500 different options of uh tomato sauces you would get, >> you know. >> Yeah. And um and so and then you read all the ingredients and you're like, "How many preservatives does this have? How many?" You know, >> and you know, I'm being detailed in my illustration to prove points>> because it's it can be the exact same when you're getting to know somebody, >> but the reality is is that you're meeting a real person. They're not an image on the internet. Um they're not uh you know like a person like a person on uh a movie screen um or a television show. They're a real person. You're interacting with them. They also have their own ideas, their own will, their own desires, um their own motivations, and you're just getting to know them.you're just in the process of getting to know them and learning how to drop your concepts because, you know, I was 32 when we got married. I was 31 when we met. So, you got a lot of time to for your uh ideas about who you want to marry to calcify. >> Yeah. >> Um and that that like that calcium needs to be broken up, you know. Um so that you can actually get to know somebody without any hindrances. >> Yeah. Um then my my personal upbringing like my parents are divorced and I neverwanted that for myself >> and so that was like a big motivating factor and fear factor for me. >> So I had to get it exactly right. I had to pick the perfect person >> like I had to do it. Um but the reality is is that um I feel like the more we try to assert control over our own own lives, the more we lose control. And but the more we hand everything over to Jesus and give him control. >> Yeah. >> The smoother things go. I mean, he's the God of the universe. >> He he like he he knows every hair onyour head. He knows exactly who you are. Um, and then like finally like how I feel about myself like just because of that upbringing, you know, like you know, I wasn't sure if things would work out well. Um but so like those were those were three big obstacles in us getting to know one another and um you know through fellowship and I think through um through prayer and whatnot, you know, just getting to know who she was as a person. M >> um and actually I'm like I'm I'm I'm ayou know I've been told this by multiple people that I'm a roller coaster of emotions >> you know like even I was living in Spain and one of my companions uh he's like he's like >> sounds but Like so that was like he's like you're a roller coaster of emotions. Um but Gilma wasn't that. She was like a you know at least outwardly from what I could tell she was solid. She was like she was she was a rock through that throughout our whole >> courting process.And um yeah, I think that's one of the things that really attracted me to her is that uh while you know I'm this like swell of emotions and like being battered by the waves of my you know inner psyche. Um she's just there trudging along. You know Gilma means he she who pushes forward and she's just like trudging along. she's just moving forward and uh >> and so I think that was probably one of the most outstanding attributes of her >> that I you know have really loved to come cometo love and appreciate about her and um I think the Lord is really wise and he is I mean most certainly sovereign and who he places you. Um, you know, she is a counterpart to me. Like, >> um, she mentioned she's introverted. I'm extroverted. She's quiet. Uh, to the point that I can't hear her. A lot of the times she's saying stuff to me, I have to ask her to repeat. Uh, I'm loud. Um, I'm a roller coaster. I'm very like sanguin. Uh, uh, I'm like very passionate. Uh, and she's very just likeeasygoing and chill uh, in certain regards. Um, >> and so like seeing this person unfold to the process of getting to know her and even more so through marriage. M um and having built up all these positive experiences with her and even going through so many trials have really like I love her more today than the day that we that we married >> and now we have a Jez getting all emotional now. We have a beautiful daughter. That's right. um who the Lord has given to us. Um and so yeah. Yeah. I don't know ifthat exactly answers your question about the process of our courtship, but it hits on those three points. Do you want to jump in a little bit further? >> Sure. Yeah. So, as we were getting to know one another, you know, Preston touched a little bit about how he's a roller coaster of emotions. Um and for me that was um that was not easy you know >> um because I had my concepts of um what uh you know I wanted the other person to be like and not only like you said we have our own concepts but then also wehave um just the world tells us that you know relationships are going to look a certain way and they're far from that, you know, um and so being brought back to reality by fellowshipping with the other members of um like, hey, this is what we're going through and you know, just having someone to open to and just to be like really honest with, you know, I think like that's number one, like this family that I mentioned. Um I mean, they were they were my rock, you know, as I was going through this process ofgetting to know Preston. Um because a lot of times like I said I didn't know what I was doing. I had my concepts and just to be able to be really honest like this is how I feel and and you know yeah I need help like can we pray? Can we fellowship? you know, um and that got me through so many times, you know, um also obviously my my fellowship with the Lord, um first and foremost, but um yeah, just being able to open to the other members of the body. Um >> yeah, >> and yeah, pray really was something that hasyeah, got me through our entire courtship. Mhm. >> Um yeah. And also um I remember um you know at a certain point the Lord um I was like I don't know if this is the person that you have for me actually. Actually yeah I was like I don't know if this is a person but I felt like um because I was thinking that I would have someone that was more steady you know in their emotions. Um, and I remember like the Lord um, just filling me with peace, you know, even though like outwardly it didn'tlook like the way that I thought things would look, but inwardly there was like the the peace to like keep going, to keep getting to know him. >> Yeah. >> Um, and so that also was my my rock, my salvation. And I'm like, "Okay, Lord, I don't get it outwardly, like this is how it is, but inwardly I feel like you're telling me something different, you know?" >> Um, and so there's this hymn that I want to read to you all. >> Um, and it says, "I know now what awaitsme. God kindly veils my eyes, and over each step of my onward way, he makes new things to rise. And every joy he sends me comes a sweet and glad surprise. Where he may lead, I'll follow. My trust in him repose. And every hour in perfect peace I'll sing he knows. He knows. >> And so that was, you know, also like my salvation. Like that just kept me grounded. Like, okay, Lord, like this is the way you're going. like I don't I don't see I don't have it all figured out, you know, like I would like to. Umbut I'm just taking one step before me >> and this is, you know, who you're placing me with and we'll just take it one step at a time. I'm just going to keep trusting in you, leaning on the body and you know, that's all I can do. So >> yeah, that was my on my end what was going on. >> Yeah. any any words you would have to um you know you mentioned that you know as as Christians like you said person it's true we we want to get this right you know like marriage is I know isn't thebiggest decision and you want to you want the right person even though even though there's a brother I know he's like no one's perfect like after you get you know like you get married and you don't need the Lord you know like he's basically saying there's not like a soulmate or whatever but my point being um in getting what would you say to someone who's with that uh you know they They want to marry the right person and they're maybe in their let's say 28 29 late 20s a sister or a brother andh what's the right state of being to be to be to wait you know I feel like there's a balance between you know always looking and always want you know being you know desirous of of just finding someone but then also like waiting on the lore you know like just >> you know like in when you reach that stage you know where you're just what would you say to someone who's in that on that boat, you know, >> I would say just, you know, if you're if you're um just get to know somebody,>> just get to know them. And the Lord does a really good job of speaking through our environment. Actually, he speaks more through our environment than he does anything else. And as you get to know that person, as you move forward, you know, there's a saying that it's a lot easier to move a ship, turn a ship that's moving than one that's sitting still. >> Um, and as you move forward in getting to know somebody, then the Lord will make it plain to you, you know, he will he willopen you and your eyes to see what he's doing. Um so you know don't I I would say don't have too many concepts and just get to know somebody >> you know it's it it's there's no harm in getting to know somebody. Mhm. >> So yeah, that's what I would say. I mean that is if you are like in a courtship or something it's presented to you. Um just be open just be open to to getting to know them even if they don't you know >> uh if even if they're not what you whatyou've idealized. >> Mhm. >> So >> yeah, >> it's good. >> Yeah. We have so many concepts nowadays. That's right. That's right. >> Um, and I think it's just because of, like I mentioned, >> social media. >> Yeah. >> Is a big pusher of that stuff. >> That's right. >> I like to call social media my perfect life. >> Um, but >> and it's good. >> It's that's not real. >> It's not real. That's right.>> What you're seeing is people's highlights real. >> Yeah. >> Um, >> and nobody's life is that perfect. In fact, many of us have very difficult experiences that we're going through on a daily basis. >> Um outwardly or inwardly you know >> I want to stick on that point but take it in another direction. >> Sure. >> Life is not perfect. It's full of twists and turns and sometimes we go through trials. >> Yeah. And um you guys both while youwere speaking have kind of said the same thing that fellowship with with the other believers, the members of the body of Christ is what was able to get you through >> your concept, your emotions. Um but I know recently you guys had some trials. Um, and I just wanted to see if you guys want to just touch on that a little bit about what what those trials were like and how the other members got you through. >> I want to start off by saying 2025 has been a year. >> Wow. >> For both of us,>> um, for two years we tried to get pregnant, um, and couldn't. Then on January 4th, we discovered that we were pregnant. And by we, I mean Gilma was pregnant. Um, but we're one. So, um, uh, and and I mean, I'm going to let her jump in on that one cuz that that was a that was a trial cuz for her and then, >> you know, then it just like everything has piled on since then. >> Yeah. Um, so like Preston said, um, we we've been married now almost 5 years. So we, you know, and>> almost six years >> and we wanted to get married. Sorry. And we also got married older, so we wanted to, you know, have kids, but it just was not happening for us, you know. Um, and that required a lot of real like just dealings with the Lord, you know, just you know what couple most couples, right, want to have children. Um, yeah, and you see your peers having children and it's just not happening for you. Um, so just a lot of like honest and real conversations, a lot of cryingout to the Lord, you know, um, and al and to the and and crying with other members of the body, you know, just like this is our desire and this is like Lord, you set this, you know, that man should bear fruit and multiply. Um, but um, yeah, that that wasn't happening for us. So just anyways, yeah, we just learning to open to pray to I I think to me like the biggest help has always been like, you know, you're only going to get um when fellowshipping with the other members of the body and even with the Lord forsure. Like it really for me requires for me to be really transparent because if not then I'm not really getting the help that I need, you know, like then I like if I'm not being really honest with you, then how can we really pray for what's going on, you know? >> Um so there's a lot of vulnerability that happens there. Um, and so anyways, thankfully the Lord uh after all of that, out of nowhere, we got pregnant, which was a shock to us. >> Um, and so that was really sweet. Um,and that joy lasted for like about a week because I immediately started feeling really sick. Like I was it like so sick for like my entire pregnancy. Morning sick is a total misnomer. Well, because it was like morning, noon, and night sick. >> Yeah. >> Well, she couldn't get out of bed for like almost a month at least. >> Yeah. Oh, I would wake up in the middle of the night, you know, and like I was still nauseous like even like in the like Yeah. Anyways, everyone's experience is different though, so I'mnot trying to like discourage anyone. >> It's all unique, you know? >> And even from pregnancy to pregnancy, it differs. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, anyways, and so when you're so sick and you feel awful all the time, yeah, I was just like, you know, anyways, questioning like, do I want to be pregnant, you know? Like, yeah, like after wanting this for so long, like I feel miserable and I felt so bad even having those thoughts, you know, but I just felt so sick. Um, and so onceagain, like being honest and, you know, opening to some sisters that I was close with and just being vulnerable, you know, and then just reminding me, you know, about my spirit and helping me to touch my spirit and all is well again, you know. Um, anyway, so that just I think that was a lot of my pregnancy. Um, and even uh when I gave birth, um, I had a, you know, everyone's situation is different. So, like I said, once again, I don't want to discourage anyone, but I had a a hard and long labor. Um, and toward theend of my labor, it was pretty scary. You know, I lost uh double the amount of blood that you should lose um when you're giving birth. >> Yeah. Um, and >> I was mortified >> like holding my my daughter in my arms and watching my wife bleed out. >> Yeah, I see Preston in front of me. >> And I I had been I had been the rock at that point um for her during labor >> and I just I couldn't I couldn't bear to see that. >> Yeah. Yeah. I I'd just given birth stilllaying down. I see an incredible amount of blood. I'm like, this is not normal. I just had a feeling. And then I see people rushing in the room trying to stop the bleeding and Preston in front of me in tears. >> And I was like, "Oh my gosh." I'm like just crying out to the Lord as I'm there. And I'm like, "Lord, I want to raise my daughter, like preserve my life." Um, and so yeah, immediately I asked Preston like we I had formed a group chat about these older sisters to pray as I wasgoing through labor and I was like text the sisters. I'm like I need this, you know, I need the body to intercede now. >> Yeah. Um, >> and so yeah, there's just the prayers flowing and the grace to continue to go through what was to come. You know, the >> that day, the following weeks and more, you know, the Lord throws all kinds of situations at us and sometimes they seem harder than what we can handle. >> Yeah. But the Lord is so real and he's, you know, through all of my complicationsum after giving birth, I just had to cling to the facts that my God is good, >> that he is wise and sovereign over every single situation. >> Yeah. And I couldn't stand with all of the lies that the enemy was bringing to me. I just could not. I needed to like declare my faith. And Preston and I would just sing. We would just sing hymns and we would just start praising our God. Um yeah because that's uh you know and we just drew our strength from standing with who he is because he isyou know he is wise and sovereign over everything. Um and you know all the believers praying for us and >> sending the supply of Jesus Christ to us at that moment and >> Mhm. >> you know moment by moment. >> Yeah. Absolutely. >> Wow. One thing that Gilma didn't uh mention is that about uh 4 months after she got pregnant, I had a really severe accident. uh in which I fractured three of my vertebrae and then um I uh got a severe concussion. Um I was knocked unconscious and when I came to Ididn't know where I was, how I got in there. Um what day of the week it was. Um I couldn't even remember if she was pregnant or not. And it was it was horrifying. It was like one of the scariest things besides um what she just recounted to y'all. Um and so that began a process of recuperation and you know I had been uh taking care of her. So I, you know, prior to that, because she'd been so sick, I would come home from work and I would like make dinner and you do everything that she wasn't ableto do because, you know, um, we both have leaned on each other. Um, uh, and so I just wanted to take care of her in the midst of her difficulty. And then now I'm no longer able to do that. I could barely walk um, after that. And um immediately, like almost immediately, uh people from our church community, they're just, "Hey, can we bring you food? >> Can we help you clean the house? Can we do this? Can we do that?" Um and then even people just were sending offerings to us as well because I I couldn't workafter that. M >> um and so if you don't, you know, you don't work, you don't get paid. Um >> and so we were fearful of that cuz now we got this baby coming and >> we have all these things, you know. Um there's all like these huge questions. Will I mentally ever be the same again? Um praise God. Uh >> you know, I I feel as articulate as I've ever been. Um and um it took us like I couldn't drive for 2 and 1/2 months cuz >> the uh the head blow um it disrupted myum vestibular system which is like how your brain orients itself or your head orients itself in time and space. So then it gives you vertigo basically. >> Yeah. which we take for granted. Like that's actually >> that's also a a point to the Lord's, you know, creation. Like he's made us so perfectly that we're not getting dizzy all the time when we turn our heads. You know, I could barely nod my head yes without getting dizzy. >> Um >> and um so we got>> I mean there was practical help with food. um uh with like help around the house um with you know financially but then and I would say in a way this is bigger that like the the prayers >> you know I don't know if you guys have ever had this experience but >> um you are in the midst of a exceedingly difficult situation and yet you have this inward ping there's this inward register that I don't know there's this well of life I you know of grace really >> um there's this inward register thatjust grace is flowing >> and I attribute that singly to the prayers and intercessions of other believers >> um And um so we're in the midst of that and my days have become me just sitting down or laying down. Initially I could barely like I couldn't even raise myself up on my own like to get up and go use bathroom or do anything like that. I could not like I couldn't just sit up because I was in so much pain. I felt like I'd gotten hit by a truck. I I was expecting my spiritual life to justkind of tank and something, you know, almost buoyant happened where despite everything going on in our lives, there's just like this swelling up, this raising up. Um, and I I I attribute that to the prayers and intercessions of other believers. >> Um, and and it is >> so important for us to pray for one another. Um, you know, one practice that I have is that if I think of somebody, I take that as the Lord reminding me of that person just to really >> at least, and this is the simplest thingyou could do, at least mention that person's name >> back to the Lord. >> Amen. >> And maybe he'll give you a prayer for that person. Um and you know um I think you know that actually okay we might not be someone who is good at preaching the gospel. We not might not be a Bible scholar expositor. We not we might not be um like the best teacher of the word or even even the best shepherd of of the flock. But one thing that we can all do as believers is pray. Mhm. >> And um I I really uh earnestly believethat the ministry of prayer is what is going to help you know build up the body um and even bring the Lord back because it's it's us interceding for other believers in the midst of their >> of their need. you know, Paul uh it says in um in Ephesians that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities uh in the air. Um, and so when we pray, we're exercising spiritual warfare against those things in order to release grace and life to meet the needof those other believers for timely help. >> Yeah. >> Um, and that was our experience. That was that was directly our experience through the pregnancy uh through the accident >> through the labor and delivery to postpartum. >> Mhm. >> My goodness. Um she made like she made these text groups with uh other mature um sisters in Christ >> that uh like I was texting while she was in delivering the baby. And then we've been texting them and it's just like itmakes a difference. And honestly, I can tell I can tell the difference in my day when somebody else is praying for me. >> Yeah. Right. >> It's like why is why why do I I'm like down in the dumps and then all of a sudden I'm not. I'm like what is going on here? >> Dear. >> So >> I think something you said person is so powerful that as believers when someone when a thought of someone comes into our head a member of the body >> Yeah. Absolutely. that is God telling usto pray for them said which I think I completely agree and I feel like >> oh yeah >> we should consider those thoughts as God's reminding us of a member that needs prayer you know >> absolutely >> both of your in your experience Gilma when you were you know in labor I found it so precious that you said immediately text the sisters to pray for me like that that reliant on the body and realizing that we can't make it without prayer >> we're here because someone's praying forus right now probably you know here because someone's praying Yeah, >> I just want to read one verse. I just thought as you both were sharing, this is from the Old Testament, 1st Samuel 12:23. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against Jehovah by ceasing to pray for you. >> I always feel like not praying is, you know, there is connected to sinning against Jehovah. Anyways, I just feel like we not have that said, you know, >> pray for one another. you know, wheneverwe think of one another, I feel like you said that ministry of prayer and maybe is the link to the Lord coming back, right? Like you said, we have to learn. >> There's this um Christian quote that I really >> I really like um and it goes I'm I'm paraphrasing, but it goes, "Why do we do so much and pray so little when we could accomplish so much more by praying much?" And so, >> yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Amen. >> Amen. >> So much more by praying. >> Yeah.>> So um I think my hope is that my prayer life would would deepen. >> Yeah. >> Especially for the other members. >> Yeah. >> Not in a forceful way. Not just like, okay, all right, who am I going to pray for today? Like >> Lord, I want you to put other people, you know, whether they're believers or unbelievers, on my heart to pray for. >> That's right. Mhm. >> So that you can move and operate in their lives. >> Yeah. >> You know, prayers prayers are like thetracks >> um of a of a train, you know, and God's the train. And so like we're just laying down those tracks for the train to move. >> Wow. >> So yeah, laying down the tracks. >> Yeah. >> In a world of uh busyness and social media and almost like no downtime, you know, nowadays any downtime is like on my phone, you know. How do you Yeah. How do you how do we pray for one another? How do you find times of prayer? Is it setting times apart or is it how do youboth find uh life of prayer to be practical in a world where people are just we're just always going going, you know? >> Right now I am a first time mom to a daughter who is 8 weeks old >> who's very uh dependent of me. You know, I'm her I'm all she knows. So I have no time to myself. Like literally hardly any time to myself. So a lot of my touches with the Lord and praying for people is us. It's you know and 2 3 4:00 in the morning when I'm up feeding her, you know, the Lord remindsme of someone and so I pray for that person. The Lord's like, "Hey, uh, touch me now, you know, like spend a little bit of time with me." So as I'm, you know, taking care of her, I'm touching him, you know, I'm praying for others. >> Um, it's really just a part of my daily life. Whatever I'm doing, you know, just in that moment, um, just taking, you know, whatever time I'm allotted. >> Yeah. >> Uh, before she starts crying, you know, >> and I have to like run to her attention.But >> precious minutes. >> Yeah. L I was telling Preston actually this week that I feel like the Lord is teaching me to um in in the Gospel of Mark, he's a slave, right? And so he did things immediately. And so I feel like he's teaching me um to immediately answer to whatever he is telling me to do. Like I feel like, you know, I'm well, my like I was I was, you know, the other day I was um I put her down for a nap and I was like I felt like the Lord was like spend time withme right now and I wanted to eat because I also get like, you know, when she's down, I have a lot of needs, my basic needs that need to be met. I either need to use a restroom, I need to eat, I need to shower, I need to brush my teeth, you know, like just and I have like a small amount of time to do that. Yeah. >> Um, and so the Lord was like, "Spend time with me right now." And I was like, "Okay, I'm going to spend time with you right now." Cuz there's been times whereI don't listen. And she starts crying. I'm like, "I missed my chance." You know, >> and so I feel like the Lord is teaching me like when I speak, you need to do that now, you know? Um, and it's been so precious to now I don't have time to waste. Now I don't have time to be on social media like I'll do that later. >> So I like have to take heed to his voice and listen now >> because my morning times I was just thinking like I don't have the 30minutes plus whatever you know be as I used to before. Now I have the few minutes that I have to spend with the Lord. So, um it's just whenever >> I have time and I feel like the Lord is like, "Do this now." >> And I'm like, "Okay, Lord, I need to take heed to your voice now >> because I have a living person to remind me that, you know." >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Um my time is on my own. >> Yeah. >> So, yeah. Amen. I need to >> That's wonderful.>> I need to obey. Amen. >> Yeah. >> Obey him. >> Absolutely. Yeah, that obedience. I I Yeah. Geez. That's the That's the hardest part, I think, is just learning how to be sing like solely obedient to God and not follow our own desires. But, uh, I think the thing that I do, you know, prior to having a child, you have a lot more time on your hands. Um, we're definitely a lot tired, more tired. Uh, 8:30 rolls around, I turn into a pumpkin. I'm just like, um, like I'm not getting anything doneafter 8:30 for whatever reason besides taking care of baby. Um uh and I used to have like really good times in the morning where I just get up and just spend time with Jesus. And >> now we've got a baby girl and um she's up at all hours of the night and then you know bears the brunt of that but also like you know we're a team. Uh, and so I don't have my morning times like I usually do. Um, but my commute to work is in the morning it's 30 minutes and in the afternoon it's 45 minutes toan hour. And I've I don't know how this started, but I have I just sit in my car without anything on. Uh, no music, >> no nothing. And it's just me and Jesus in the car. >> And those have been so some of the most >> I would say, you know, in heavy quotations, productive times. >> Wow. >> Like I just I just feel like I'm just like we're in the car together and uh I can talk to him, you know, cuz that's prayer, too. >> Our prayer is actually just ourconversing with the Lord >> with me, right? um tell him about my day. >> Um tell him the things that are bothering me that I'm anxious about, you know, and uh first Peter it says, you know, um casting all our anxieties upon him because it matters to him concerning. >> Yes. >> Right. >> Um and so he cares about what concerns us. and and then during that period of time if somebody comes up in my heart then I use that as an opportunity to pray for him for >> James>> um you know that there's this uh over the past two days there's this couple that's really they've just they've really been on my heart and they it's like almost like hey these people these people these people these people pray for them, >> these people. >> Wow. >> You know, their name, their name. And >> um you know, I don't I hope that I've been faithful enough to just intercede for them uh more, you know, thoroughly. Um but that's just that's the Lord rightthere. Um, and so when we spend time with this person, you know, when I get when I spend time with my wife, I know her likes, I know her dislikes, I know the things she cares about. Um, and it's the same like Jesus, he is real and he is living and and the more we spend time with him, the more we know what's on his heart. >> Yeah. and the more we can enter in his heart. Um, and the more he can touch our heart >> to pray for other people. Um, >> so that's been of late that's been mymain uh lifeline if you will. >> That's tremendous. >> That's my lifeline right now is just >> commuting in the car. >> Yeah. Speak to Jesus on your commute to work. >> Yeah. >> Good. >> I I'll say though, this is not like I'm not like I'm just going to not do anything in the car. Sure. >> Um there's days when I'm I'm not so faithful, you know. >> We get tired. Uh we're we are very human. >> Yeah. >> Um butthis like it's not me forcing or trying to do something. It's the Lord >> like, "Hey, >> I want you to come." >> Yeah. >> Hey, why don't we turn that off? >> Yeah. >> You don't need you don't need to listen to that audio book right now. >> You don't need to do this or that. Um not a big music person. So um but just spend time with me. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So using using those opportunities to be faithful and ask him to make us faithfultoo. >> Yeah. >> So it's just talking >> just talking to him like just just speak to him. Yeah. >> Yeah. Like in Exodus, right, where Moses goes to speak to the rock so the water will flow out. I love it. It's just speak, you know? Just speak to God, you know? Yeah, you too. >> The Lord of whatever. That's really precious experience, Preston. Thank you for sharing. Um, >> thank you, Lord. >> We can all do that. We can all do that, right? We can. We all I don't know ifyou have a commute to work, but I mean my commute is I I walk I take the train. >> Oh, there I go. >> I I love my commute, man. I walk a little bit and I take a train. >> Like you, man. Now I'm going to start praying. I like what you share. You know, sometimes >> feel like our time with Jesus in the morning might be really center on us, but praying for others. I really like that. like >> a little bit of our time should be Lord, should I pray for someone else rightnow? >> I really enjoy that, you know, incorporating that into my morning time. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Um >> should we >> Yeah, we're nearing one more. Yeah, we're nearing. >> Um well, I did want to uh give you guys the chance to speak a little bit about your daughter and what she means to you. And you guys told us a story about the or uh the meaning behind her name, which I thought was so sweet. >> Oh, yeah. if you're if you're open tosharing that, could you? >> Like we mentioned, it took us about two years to get pregnant. Um uh and you know, that kind of weighs on you, especially on my wife. >> Um and you know, we had even started like seeking like, okay, well Lord, uh what route do we go? like do we adopt or do we like you know what do we do? And um you know we just we had gone on a trip and we came home and um and we found out we were pregnant and Gilma had uh mentioned that she she liked the name Lily >> and I didn't really like that name verymuch um to be honest. Uh but um we were just I I don't know how exactly this came about but I think you know it just became apparent that the Lord had has throughout our our um getting to know one another to our marriage to so many things even like with the accident like the Lord has constantly provided for us. Um, and so in Matthew 6:28 it says, "Consider the liies of the field. They do not toil, nor do they sow. But I tell you that Solomon in all his splendor was not clothed as finely asone of these." And you know, liies are just a symbol of God's provision. Um, but then also in Song of Songs, they're a symbol of just trusting in the Lord. And that has been the constant lesson for us even now. Like even today, the Lord's just like just trying to teach us to trust in him. And he's like, he gains it and then you're like, "Yeah, Lord, I trust you." And then boom, something else else is uncovered and you're like, "I don't trust you enough.">> Yeah. um I was like my hands are back on this thing. Um uh but um he really has gained like progressively gained our learning of how to just trust in him. And so that's why we decided to go with uh with Lily. >> Wow. >> Um and yeah, we love that name. And she is she's just our little lily. >> Now she's trusting in us. >> Yeah. >> You know, like like that's all she can do, right? And that's a symbol of our relationship with the Lord. Yeah.>> Wow. It's just >> just there. >> It's good. That's just Wow. >> That's precious. Well, >> thank you for leaving your precious Lily for a couple hours to to be with us. >> I know it's hard for mama, >> right? But thank you >> for being with us. >> Yeah. I think at the end we usually close the episodes with some uh rapid fire questions that Io has. >> IO. >> Yeah. So, first thing that comes to mind, what is your favorite book of theBible and why? >> Ephesians. >> Um >> just cuz it I feel like it really reveals the Lord's heart uh for his >> individual believers, but for his church and his heart's desire for himself. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I feel like my favorite book of the Bible is whatever Bible like book I'm in at the moment. You know, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this is so good." Like a couple weeks ago, I was in Daniel and I was like, "This is awesome." Andthen right now, I'm in Mark. >> And then that's when I was like, I feel like the Lord is like I'm seeing how immediate he when he takes care of things and he's teaching me that lesson. So, at the moment, it's Mark. >> Wow. >> Yeah. >> Oh, that's good. That spoke to me actually immediately. I need to obey the Lord immediately. >> That's very good. >> Yeah. favorite verse of the Bible and why. >> Oh jeez. >> There's so many.>> Your daughter's name, >> Matthew. >> I think um man, o you know, I'm just going to go with what has come up in my heart immediately immediately. Um but uh I've been really enjoying him. First Peter, I think it's first Peter 5:7 >> where he says, you know, casting all our anxieties on him because it matters to him concerning you. >> Amen. >> But like that whole section um has been I think has been really uh timely because um you know it says be humbled under themighty hand of God. prior to that I think it's 55 um uh >> is that right >> in like manner younger men >> therefore be humbled under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you six >> and casting all your anxiety >> yeah I just feel like um the Lord you know is he is a wonderful father and that include like being a father includes like disciplining your children >> that's right >> and so Um he does he disciplines all his children. We shouldn't be afraid to bedisciplined by God. Um and actually his discipline is a sign of his love for us. He loves us so much he does not want us to remain the same. And so, um, whenever he presents these difficult scenarios, uh, these things that, um, expose something in you, in your heart that you didn't realize were there before, um, a lot of times we get indignant, but, um, you know, if we're humble, if we're like, Lord, that is there. You're right. I'm so glad you showed that to me. >> You know, in due time, he does exalt us.But then also on top of that, like we can cast our anxieties upon him because it matters to him concerning us. >> Um, and so then you just bring that right back to him. You know, everything can just be handed over to the Lord. We don't have to hold on to things when we we so often do. >> So, I'd say, yeah, sorry that was too long, but yeah. No. Um I think that um yeah, for for right now, those aren't like my all-time favorite verses, but those are things that the Lord hasreally been touching me on a lot lately. >> Hey, that's tremendous stuff. >> Amen. >> Um the verse that I feel like is currently one of my favorites, um it's 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Faithful is he who has called you, who also will do it. Um, you know, like Preston said, 2025 has been quite the year for us. >> Um, but I am just so grateful despite all the situations. I'm so grateful because I feel like he is faithful. >> Mhm. >> You know, to perfect us.>> Yeah. He is faithful to gain all the things that he needs to gain in us that don't match him >> so that he can come in and make home in that part of our hearts. >> So um I feel like he keeps reminding me faithful is he who has called you who also will do it. He is making he is duplicating himself in me. Right? He's being faithful to do that through all of the situations that he's arranged for us. >> And for that, I'm so grateful because he's not letting me remain intact. He'snot letting me remain Gilma and all the ugliness that is in there. But he's using all these situations to come in and, you know, make his home in my heart. Just vents himself into me. And and I'm like I see that I see he's doing that in Preston. I see he's doing that in me. >> And I'm just so grateful. I'm like, "Wow, Lord, you are faithful." >> Amen. >> To give yourself, to minister yourself uh to duplicate yourself in in your believers, you know, so that we couldmatch you. >> Yeah. >> Um anyways, that's my current uh favorite verse. >> That felt like two sides of the same coin, huh? >> Yeah, that rhyme. They're one. >> I mean, yeah, we are one. Why? She's my counterpart. All right. And I I really like I want to echo what she just said. Um that we need not worry about whether or not the Lord will complete his work in us. >> As long as we open and cooperate with him, >> he'll do it. Like it's not us trying todo it, but he does it in us. >> Amen. So it's a great verse to conclude this conversation. Faithful is he >> who also do it. Yeah. Amen. Thank you so much for your time today. >> Yeah, here. >> This was great. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Thank you guys. >> Yeah. Thank y'all. Thank you all for having us. This is awesome. >> We better get you back to Lily, huh? >> Yeah. >> Thank you for joining us again for another episode. We'll be back next weekwith another episode. And don't forget to subscribe, like, comment, and everything. >> Yeah. Share with a friend. Yeah. But we'll see you next time.