Episode 7: Kenny's calling

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All right.
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This is Caleb Wilson with my good friend Ken Surimac with another conversation from the regions beyond.
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And just want to talk a little bit today about uh some more specifics on the Lord's Call, dealing with that subject we've been dealing with the last few weeks.
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And uh last week I went over my experience with the Lord's Call, and I think Brother Ken will share his today.
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And uh, brother Ken, you doing all right before we get started?
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Doing great.
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Got my tea sitting here.
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As uh as everyone knows, this isn't a view from my front porch.
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Um uh we do have one coming up.
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Stay tuned.
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My son went out and took a picture from our front porch.
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He's just so I could tease Brother Caleb, but this isn't it.
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So, but yeah, we're doing great.
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Just just picking up brother.
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The SP canteen across the street.
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That's right.
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Yeah, the joy, the joy of the talent missionary.
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Yeah, we got we got the house we live in, is a two-story house we rent from one of our pastors, and there's a veranda or a porch that goes around upstairs.
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And he said, Dad, which direction do you want me to take?
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Over there's the high school, or the and it's the back of the high school, so it's all the toilets.
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That way is the drug, the drug body, so that all smoke over there.
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Over here is they're building a new house, which is gonna be nice, but it's a construction zone.
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And the other direction is is the main road.
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Which picture do you want me to take?
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And I was like, ah, it's nothing like Brother Caleb's background.
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So well, I'm glad you're drinking some tea.
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I I got some cold, ice sweet tea.
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I'm as far away from Alabama as I can be, but I got a little taste of home this morning.
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Nice, nice, yeah.
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Up here in the mornings, yeah.
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Just gotta have something hot.
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A little bit.
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The climates are different.
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Maybe we'll talk about that another time, but the climates are very different.
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We get cold mornings, long sleeve shirts, jackets.
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Yeah, it's it's definitely chilly.
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Middle of the day, we'll get some good temperature.
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It's nice for come in, drink cold Coca-Cola or nice cold sweet tea.
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My wife started making that recently again, but nice.
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But in the mornings, no.
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Nothing cold, nothing cold.
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Well, amen, brother Ken.
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So uh, for everybody listening, we've been discussing the Lord's call.
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And uh again, I shared a few weeks ago that according to the scriptures, everybody has uh a plan that God has for you.
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Everybody has been that's been saved, has been indwelled with the Holy Spirit and given the manifestation of the Spirit for all of us to profit for Him.
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And everybody has that, not just so-called preachers or ministers or full-time ministry workers.
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Everybody has that.
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And uh, we went through a lot of the scripture text in a few uh uh episodes before, and last episode I just shared my own experience with what that looked like for me.
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And so uh, Ken, you're an American church planner, uh Bible school teacher in Papua New Guinea.
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And uh just tell us how you got from South Carolina to hear how the Lord led you uh throughout your Christian life.
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Sure.
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Well, the story doesn't start in South Carolina, the story starts in Chicago, Illinois.
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Um, for those of you that are worried where the accent doesn't come from, there there's depends on who I'm with.
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My parents are both from Chicago, Illinois.
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And um I was born there, lived there till I was about, I don't know, 11, 12, somewhere in there.
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And um, my dad was involved in a young, uh, not a young, a small church plant in the in the city.
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And uh we won't go into all that story, but it split over some some nonsense, as most church splits are.
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And I remember being a young kid, and that was my first introduction.
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I was about eight years old, watching a church split.
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Kids that I'd grown up with, kids that after church we'd go race around outside and play tag and all that stuff.
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Now I was being told we weren't gonna see them again, and uh didn't understand why and grew up and it was explained to me, still didn't understand why.
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And now as an adult, going, yep, only by pride cometh contention.
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And um, but that was my introduction into the reality of the Baptist world.
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I'm born born into a Baptist world, dependent, fundamental, Bible believing, King James only, mission supporting, all the adjectives we love.
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That's my pedigree.
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Um, and and what the journey took me along the road was you know, those those that have been saved out of the world per se, right?
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A background, they they really love a lot of things.
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And I don't want to speak to them because I'm not I'm not one of them.
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Although I born again had to be saved from sin, was going to the same hell.
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But that salvation came when when I had to get over the Baptistness, if that makes sense.
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And I'll explain that in a little bit.
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But um, I I growing up in in the church, it was just where my friends were.
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We were a homeschool family, right?
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I didn't have I didn't have friends at at school necessarily outside of my family.
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So church was the exciting time, and now all of a sudden they're gonna split.
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And this is and this is this is what is this?
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And um growing up from that point up until not even salvation, but up up even till now, you get exposed to the ugly side, which isn't the conversation of today, but the ugly side that our churches are full of sinners, our churches are full of people that have flaws, and some of them are aware of their flaws and don't want to fix them, right?
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I mean, just be honest.
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And so what that developed in me was two things growing up.
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It developed in me a pride because I determined I wasn't gonna go, I wasn't gonna be with those folks.
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And that sounds noble, but it isn't.
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I determined I was gonna be better than people who split churches, I was gonna be better than a bunch of people who yell at pastors over the colors of songbooks, right?
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I was gonna be better than that stuff because the kids watch it and I watched it, right?
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Um, and but the other thing that developed in me was it was a disdain.
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Why do I have to be a part of this Baptist thing, right?
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Why do I have to?
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And I really went through an identity crisis later on in my life that the Lord really worked me through, which isn't the point of today's conversation.
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But when I was about 11 or 12, my parents, the church had had split.
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My dad was the assistant pastor before the split.
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The church split, and and the pastor actually ended up leaving.
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There was some sin in his life, and he that wasn't even part of the split, just things get exposed when that stuff happens.
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So my dad became the pastor.
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There was about four families there, and um, one by one, those families just kind of moved on.
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And I remember we were there for about five years, so I guess eight to twelve, thirteen, somewhere in there.
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And that I remember it was it was a rented building, it was rough.
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My dad was bivocational.
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He never really felt called to do that.
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He was just kind of a filling in the gap.
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And then the Lord just left him there and kept using him there.
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And hey, I think God did a work for that time.
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Um, I remember knocking doors, me and my dad.
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It was just us two on Saturday mornings and doing stuff like that.
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Small little thing.
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Um, but one family left uh to go run a printing ministry down in Ohio, one of the head printers, still there doing a great work.
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Another family retired and went to went and to Arizona or summer to retire.
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And so one by one, the families left.
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And I remember my family, my mom and dad sitting us down one day and said, We're gonna move our family to South Carolina.
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I didn't know the background of that, but the church was um it was Calvary Baptist Church, where Pastor Carl Baker, who his name's gonna come up again today.
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Pastor Carl Baker um was, you know, five is he's still alive, five foot five.
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He always says five foot five when I wear cowboy boots.
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And uh, but just the energy and the and the resolve and the grit of a guy much, much greater than that, physically stature.
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And um we we always liked them, we always enjoyed them.
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He'd come up every year and preach for us and uh just never just just a culture shock for sure.
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So when we were about 13, I was about 13, 12, 13, we moved down there.
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So here I am as a teenager being raised in South Carolina, right on the coast, about an hour north of Savannah, with parents that are from and from the north.
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So, bro, you're you're from Alabama, right?
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The northern people that move down that complain there's no good pizza and all the bugs are too big and the weather, those are my parents.
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And they're watching this, I'm sure, because they've told me they've watched a few.
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Um so that's uh that's my parents.
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So, anyways, was raised in that, and there's a pride element, right?
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There's a pride element to being homeschooled, there's a pride element to being independent Baptist, there's a pride element to being from somewhere else.
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That's a coping mechanism.
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All these things that good parents should do for their children, but those children have to figure out if they really love God or if they're just, you know.
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Right.
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And so um, I remember last few years before I got saved.
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I got saved at 15 and a half years old.
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I really, really struggled with pride.
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I mean, I didn't have to kick kick smoking, I didn't have to kick drinking beer, right?
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I wasn't going to clubs, right?
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That's not my testimony.
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My testimony was just pride, just pride.
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And so um pride developed pretense.
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All my generation was growing up and finding ways to sneak off with girls and play rock music in their cars as we would go to nursing home ministry, you know, play rock music and stuff.
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And uh just just just a bunch of bunch of mess.
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And I thought I was better because one, I could hide it better, and I thought I was better because I, you know, because I didn't partake in as much as they did.
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And so what spiritual pretense produces is it produces deception in the mind and the heart of the guy who has it.
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Because eventually, right, it starts with you trying to trick everybody else, and then it turns into you actually deceiving yourself.
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Um, so so, anyways, that happening.
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Uh here I am about 15 years old, and questions start coming up in my life.
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Am I maybe I am saved, right?
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I had made a profession when I was young, uh, and that profession was a result of me getting in trouble, and I wanted to get out of getting in trouble, and I didn't want dad to spank me.
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I didn't get a I didn't want a whooping, as they call it.
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And so I made a profession and you know, did some stuff and actually got baptized and all this.
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Um it's good enough to get me out of hell, surely it's good enough to get me out of a spanking.
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If it got me out of a spanking, surely it'll get me out of hell.
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Exactly right.
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Um, so you know, I uh, you know, so here I am deceived because that's what happens, right?
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And I and I would say to anybody on here who's playing the spiritual pretense game, it's not a long time before you deceive yourself.
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Right.
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That that's where that ends up with, and that's where it's dangerous.
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So here I am, 15 years old, and um always always been a little bit, brother Caleb.
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You always joke with me, I look older than I am.
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That's always been the way.
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Um, so I'm looking like I'm 18, 15 years old.
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That gets in your head, right?
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So your cause uh I met Ken six years ago, and he he looked older then than he does now.
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Thank you.
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Right.
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This is what I hang out with my young friends like Brother Caleb, and I and I just get my youthfulness back.
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Yeah.
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So so, anyways, long story longer.
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I the Lord just just had to work in my heart.
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And I remember playing games, I remember just going, all right.
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You know, the thoughts are if I get saved, what's everybody gonna think?
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You know, they already think I'm saved, they already think I'm an example of a good young person.
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And I remember one night I was sitting there in church, and uh, our pastor uh never gave invitations on Sunday nights, hardly gave them on Sunday mornings, but for sure never gave them on Sunday nights.
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And um, that's not a point of discussion as much as just as his manner, his way.
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He would always say, I preach for an hour and a half.
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If you didn't get an invitation during that hour and a half, why do you need me to give you another one?
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So I've been inviting you for an hour and a half.
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So and then there was some truth to it.
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So I remember sitting there one Sunday night, just just it was early December, just going, All right, this is this is this is rough, man.
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I've I feel old, I feel tired.
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Here I'm 15 and a half years old, and just going, This is this game is hard to play, you know.
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Yeah, and I remember just telling the Lord, all right, Lord, if you want me to get saved, then I'll get saved tonight.
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I'll go forward and get saved tonight if the pastor gives an invitation.
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Now I've never seen him give an invitation before.
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Nobody in the church had ever seen him give an invitation on a Sunday night.
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And just that night he said, you know, I don't know why.
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I don't know what the Lord's doing, but um I feel like I need to have the piano player come tonight, play a song.
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If somebody needs to come pray, you come pray.
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And so now the ball's back in my court, and the Holy Spirit's going, All right, you you made a deal with me.
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I just proved, I just proved to you that I, you know, that I have an interest for you to get saved.
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And so you sit there for a minute and you go, all right.
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And I took off and I went forward.
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I was the only one who went forward that night.
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And later on I found out he preached on motherhood, which, you know, I watch a 15-year-old go forward and pray about how to be a good mother.
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It just is, you know, bizarre stuff.
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But I didn't hear anything he prayed.
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I was I was trying to get things with God.
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And I remember the reason I tell that story, not just to give my salvation, but I remember going forward, I prayed two things.
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Two specific statements came out of my mouth.
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I didn't say no sinner's prayer.
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I didn't, you know, bro.
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I've heard all that my whole life.
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I I've led other people to the Lord before I even got it.
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But I remember going forward and two specific, I've said a lot that night.
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I was crying, I said a lot of things, and I remember specifically telling the Lord two things.
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I said, one, I'm tired.
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I don't want to live my life this way.
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I don't want to live my life pretending I can't do it.
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It's it's exhausting.
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And you know, Lord, save me.
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All those I don't remember the words.
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I'm glad it's the heart and not the prayer, right?
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But um, I remember one thing I said before I I stood up.
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I said, Lord, I'm so serious about this.
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This isn't my life anymore.
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It's yours.
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Whatever you want me to do, I will do it.
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And um I didn't know what that meant, and I'm really glad at that moment I didn't know what that meant because I probably wouldn't have said it.
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I probably wouldn't have gone four, I would have been like, wait a minute, wait a minute.
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Yeah, but uh my life isn't mine now, it's yours.
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And so I stood up and you know, when a few weeks later got baptized, and you know, all that nervousness of what are people gonna say, no, they're all excited for you, man.
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I'm glad you finally got it.
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And uh did the normal teenage trying to figure out you know, separation, trying to figure out how this is gonna go, boys, you know, are looking at girls, and and you know, hey, you know, how's the right way to do that?
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Everybody's got an idea, but nobody, you know, all these guys that have theories on this never practiced it.
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They just want to, you know, keep their kids from from this.
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So our church was going through all that, and I was trying to figure out stuff, but the Lord really worked.
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And I remember when I was finishing up high school, our uh in South Carolina, they had a program where you could go to college while you were in high school and get dual credits, which is why I actually graduated college a week before high school, uh, with a not a not a true associates, but the equivalency uh through vocational training and construction management training.
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That's what I had an interest in.
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And my intention was what you described last time, right?
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Was not to go and be ministry, right?
00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:37.200
Uh, I I always respected it.
00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:41.519
Growing up, my parents read us missionary biographies, they read us preachers.
00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:45.039
I mean, all the George Mueller's had an Iron Judson's, William Carey's, all that stuff.
00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:46.720
Man, I've heard their stories.
00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.080
They were heroes.
00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:50.879
I remember coming missionaries coming through our church.
00:15:51.039 --> 00:16:00.960
The first missionary I ever saw in real life was a missionary that came through uh that was also sent out of Calvary Baptist Church to Papua New Guinea, came through when we were still in Chicago.
00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:07.200
And I remember just blown away that these people would go live in a jungle with jungle people in grass huts.
00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:09.039
You know, this is just so bizarre.
00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.639
So they were only heroes, they were they were unattainable heroes to me.
00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:18.399
They were just, I'm not gonna do that, but man, I'd sure love like support those guys or go visit those guys type thing.
00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:20.639
So my idea was I was gonna go into career.
00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:20.960
Yeah.
00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:30.000
And um, I learned I learned a trade, I learned uh finish carpentry, joinery, made a good living at it for a while, got married later on.
00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:40.240
I'm jumping around on the story a little bit, but then realized doesn't pay the bills as best as sitting in a uh sitting in a um sitting in a air conditioned office does.
00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:45.120
So I went and got some training later on about doing some management work and worked, actually worked for the U.S.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.559
government doing some some construction management, had the money, had it.
00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:53.039
Um, had a had a content life when it or had a comfortable life, I should say.
00:16:53.919 --> 00:17:11.759
But I remember when I was finishing up high school, had that degree, there was our our church that had a Bible institute, and our pastor had closed it down for lack of attendance, and he had said, if I get 10 men commit it, I'll start it up for another three-year course, and uh, we'll do one more course.
00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:15.759
He was an older, he was an older at the time, and so they had nine guys.
00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:23.359
They had nine guys, and uh so I remember one Sunday night, and I was excited, you know, I don't know what was going on my life.
00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.279
I showed up to church, I was ready to go.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:34.960
I had I had a car, maybe that's why I was like 17 to have my own car, drove to church, and I walked up on the porch and a guy came out and he said, Hey, hey, hey, you you want to go to Bible school, don't you?
00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:36.160
And I was like, What?
00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.519
Maybe I don't know.
00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.119
I got a lot going on, you know, which I didn't, but okay.
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:45.599
And um he said, Well, we we we really want you to be a part of the Bible school.
00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:47.359
He was laying it on thick, man.
00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:49.599
They just wanted a number 10, that's all they wanted.
00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:50.240
Right.
00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:59.200
And um, I said, All right, and I went home and prayed about it, and I talked to my pastor, and Brother Baker said, Kenny, I don't want you coming to Bible school just because these men are putting pressure on you.
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:03.200
He said, You pray, and if the Lord wants you to do it, then then you do it.
00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.640
So I prayed about it, and uh, Lord just kind of spoke to my heart.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:14.720
Um I just I don't have a verse for it or anything, but just hey, you've dedicated years of your life to education.
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:18.480
Uh, education, what you said last time, education was a god to me.
00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:26.720
Um, learning how to be that guy in the room that knew the answer, learning how to be the the and not having to rely on others was very important to me.
00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.920
And so management training and all this was very important.
00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:34.480
So you've made secular education um a priority.
00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:37.039
How about you give some years to learn in my words?
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:50.160
And I remember my pastor preaching, he said, You look around this room, there's men in here that have gone to Bible school that are not preachers, that are not deacons, that are not pastors, but they're good fathers and they're good husbands and they're pillars in this church.
00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:55.359
And I just remember the Lord using that to say, Kenny, you can go to Bible school and not have to be in the ministry.
00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:57.440
And um, just just go do it.
00:18:57.599 --> 00:18:58.720
And so I did.
00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:03.839
And so that was, I'll be honest with you, I don't know how much I remember of Bible school.
00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.440
I got some notes, and sometimes I look back going, I don't remember him teaching that.
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.920
Um in my first year of Bible school, my wife and I got engaged.
00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:13.839
My second year of Bible school, we got married.
00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.319
Third year of Bible school, our first kid came.
00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:17.599
I was pretty distracted.
00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:22.640
I wasn't I wasn't thinking about I wasn't thinking about any of that.
00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:24.400
But our our Bible school started with 10 guys.
00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.519
Second year, three of us came back, and three of us graduated.
00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:35.839
Wow and um out of the out of the ten, um nine of us or one of us is is in the ministry.
00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:39.359
And uh, I don't take that as a as a hey, look how great I am.
00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:42.880
I take that as a man, there's a target, there's only one left.
00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:48.559
And right, but um so that being said, so so you finished Bible school.
00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:49.200
Now what, right?
00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:53.279
There's an expectation that you're gonna go do something, and I never had that intention.
00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.640
My intention was to go work money and just take care of a family.
00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:58.799
And I bought a house and renovated a house.
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:00.720
My wife, I got married at 19.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:02.559
My wife's 20 when we get married.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:04.880
You know, she's older than me, about eight eight months or so.
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:07.200
And so here so here we are starting our life.
00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.880
We're the perfect little independent Baptist couple who's got it all together.
00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:14.079
We live a mile from the church, bringing our kids to church.
00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.319
She's teaching kids Sunday school.
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:23.920
I'm I'm uh I'm helping out where I can, cutting the grass, doing maintenance, doing, you know, we're we're just the perfect little success story.
00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.359
And and it's good.
00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:30.160
I'm working a job, I'm coming home at night, we're having family dinner, like perfect little couple.
00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:31.440
Everything's fine.
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:33.519
And um, it still is fine.
00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:39.599
But coming and and seeing that and and then realizing maybe I should get a little bit more involved in the church.
00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:45.599
And so what we looked around, and there there had been a couple in our church that had been involved in helping the teenagers.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.400
Well, there had been kind of a lull in teenagers, as is the way, right?
00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:50.640
Teenagers, there was like it was an age gap.
00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:53.039
There was a bunch, and they hadn't been taking care of teenagers.
00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:58.160
Well, at that time, now all of a sudden, a bunch of youth showed up, just hit that age.
00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:06.160
And so Lord kind of put in my wife and my heart, we'd still sort of sort of teenagers still, you know, and um barely out of that.
00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:17.519
And uh, so we just started getting involved in those teenagers' lives and uh having every other Friday night, we'd have a get together at the church, play dodgeball, play games, goof off, have a Bible study.
00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:19.519
Bro, I had no idea what I was doing.
00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:21.200
I had no idea what I was doing.
00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:31.039
Um I talked to my pastor um that for years the excuse me, the for years our church would have Sunday school.
00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.599
Uh for the teenagers, they would go to the nursing home.
00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:35.599
That was their adults, that was their Sunday school.
00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:36.880
Okay.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.400
It was a time for ministry.
00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:42.480
So I remember talking to my pastor and saying, So who's like Sunday school for them?
00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:45.359
And he goes, Well, I mean, you're not we're not gonna shut the ministry down.
00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:51.759
He said, Why don't you every other Sunday night take them out, go next door in the fellowship hall, and you have a service for them.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.359
Every other Sunday night, I want them over here so that they're not their own church over there.
00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:57.519
And I was like, Sure, no worries.
00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.359
And so we did that for a couple years, bro.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:04.240
We would Have people that would come every other Sunday night that weren't never came to our church.
00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:07.119
Bunch of teenagers, we had 30, 40 teenagers over there.
00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:11.200
And um, I was just I had no idea what I was teaching.
00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:12.640
I had no idea what I was doing.
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:18.559
Here I'm a Bible school graduate, but the seven mysteries of all weren't helping these teenagers, right?
00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.960
And so I was sitting here going, all right.
00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:36.000
I I realized quickly I wasn't a good children's church teacher when I teached taught one Sunday morning out of the the the demons that came out of hell in Revelation and described all that, and the boys just loved it, and the girls were terrified, and I got called in the office by all the parents who were upset.
00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.559
I realized maybe that wasn't my calling or wasn't my gift at the time.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:45.039
But um, but anyway, so they they uh just got involved.
00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:46.400
That's the point of what I'm trying to say.
00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:49.599
Just got involved, and uh the Lord really worked.
00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:54.400
I remember seeing a bunch of those teenagers get saved, a bunch of them were still communicate through social media.
00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:55.359
They'll probably watch this.
00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:56.480
I know some of them have.
00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:00.640
Some of them aren't in church, some of them are, some are doing right, some of them aren't.
00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:08.480
And uh just remember seeing that and seeing those young guys and those girls and just having a heart for them, loving on them, caring for them.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:11.359
Some of them Christian kids growing up in church, I can relate.
00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:20.880
And then some of them, man, just friends of those guys, like go to school with them, just really screwed up lives, backgrounds that were really messed up, sitting there with them.
00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:25.119
Sometimes they'd stay the night at our house just to get a break from the chaos.
00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.720
And here I am, early 20s, having no idea what I'm doing.
00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:34.160
Just saying, all right, Lord, I'm just trying to serve in the church, just trying to serve in my local church.
00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:38.160
It was around that time I thought maybe the Lord wants to do something with me.
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:44.960
And and some of that thinking, I'll be honest with you, came from people around me who were saying, Oh, look, Kenny, you're really getting busy here.
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.920
You're really maybe the Lord has a plan for you to go somewhere else.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:55.359
And um I I would give advice to anybody watching this be careful of trying to plan out someone else's life for them.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:02.240
Um, God has a way of doing things, but what that resulted was a little bit of a distraction for me for a short time.
00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:05.839
Is um my wife and I thought, well, maybe we'll go be assistant pastors somewhere.
00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:07.279
I'll be an assistant pastor, you know.
00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:08.559
And so we went up to Kentucky.
00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:15.599
Or maybe another, maybe some folks had another church split in mind and they're trying to predetermine their pastor.
00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:16.559
Right.
00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:19.519
Or maybe they just maybe they didn't like me and they wanted me gone.
00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:21.920
I don't know, you know, thanks.
00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:22.960
Right.
00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:24.799
Everybody's got what do they say by the way?
00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:26.480
You already got your own little teeth, you know.
00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:31.039
You already got your own little mini church going on in the other building, you know.
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:31.599
That's right.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:33.680
Get out of here, don't steal everybody.
00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:39.440
And uh, you know, I say it that way because the pastor was the one he was behind this, but you know, it's funny how you say that.
00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:41.839
People will get in their heads like your Kenny's trying to do something.
00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.279
It's like this was coordinated in advance with the pastor.
00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:52.559
But, anyways, so we went to some places, West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, and just thought, Lord, have me be an assistant pastor.
00:24:52.640 --> 00:25:00.559
And I remember that we would visit these churches, and you know, they got these little things online of you know, here's what we're looking for, and they just okay.
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:06.240
And you'd go and and there was just nothing, like no spirit connection.
00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:07.759
I mean, people save, sure.
00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.440
I'm not saying they're not saved, just strange.
00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.079
And and you'd come back and you go, Lord, what is that about?
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:16.880
And I remember I went to my pastor's house and I and I talked to him.
00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:17.759
He said, How did it go?
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:19.359
It was after the third time.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.640
I said, It's just I'm done chasing classified ads online.
00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:27.359
I'm just I'm just yeah, I'm just gonna stay here.
00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.680
Um maybe the ministry isn't in the cards for me.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:31.759
And he said, Okay, fine.
00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:33.119
No worries, Kenny.
00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:35.200
He said, uh just get involved in the church, man.
00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:36.079
Stay faithful here.
00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:37.920
He said, and it and he showed me Acts 13.
00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:43.200
He said, if the Lord wants to do something with you, he'll he'll manifest it through the church.
00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:46.960
Now I say all that to say somebody might watching this going, well, where's the calling?
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:48.319
Where's the calling?
00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:50.079
I just wanted to do something for God.
00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:51.839
Just wanted to do something for God.
00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:55.039
So I stayed at the church and we were serving with the youth still.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:55.920
We were busy.
00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:58.480
Um I'm not I'm not gonna lead songs.
00:25:58.640 --> 00:25:59.920
If I lead songs, everybody leaves.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:01.599
There's I'm not the guy to lead songs.
00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:03.119
So I was just doing what I could.
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:09.599
And my wife was teaching Sunday school, and Wednesday night she had a little singing class versus you know, prayer.
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:14.720
Brother, you want to learn gossip on people in the church, have prayer meeting with all their 10-year-olds and five-year-olds, man.
00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:19.359
They've like, whoo! So, but anyways, but we were we were just serving.
00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:28.799
That that was our intention, and so I was working a job, and by that point I had gotten into management working on the uh Bufort, the town we're from, is a very military-based town.
00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:32.319
So uh I was working and and the pay was great, man.
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:34.960
We were we were we were comfortable, things were good.
00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:37.440
Uh, we had cars, we had houses, I had a boat.
00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:39.440
Man, I was I was living life.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.200
I was living the life you got.
00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:42.640
I was living the life you got.
00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:44.160
Take it.
00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:49.759
It's the most that's the most aggravating thing in the world looking after that boat.
00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:53.039
They say the best two days of the day you get one, the day you sell it, you know.
00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:54.720
Uh but man, we loved it.
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:58.240
We lived shrimping and crabbing and catching flounder fish.
00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:58.960
Man, we just loved it.
00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:01.279
And that was a life, but there was something missing, man.
00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.960
There was something in my life that I just said, there's gotta be more to it than this.
00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:11.279
And and had a family, and and my wife and I were were comfortable and loved each other.
00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:14.400
We weren't we weren't on the we weren't divorcing, none of that.
00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:16.079
We were faithful in our church.
00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:20.480
But there was just something, there was something missing.
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:30.960
And I remember just praying, Lord, if you want to, you know, I remember just I was in my office, you know, you first went in, first one out at the job site, working 10-hour days, everybody else is working eight.
00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:39.519
And you'd roll in and you'd go, All right, Lord, if you want me to do something for you, you're gonna have to make it so clear that it isn't me.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:48.559
And if you don't, if you just want me to work this job and you want me to support missions or support the church or just be the right hand man to my pastor, like he preached.
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:50.400
You can go to Bible school and be a pillar in the church.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:55.359
If you want me to be a pillar, then give me what I need to be the right father, the right husband, the right pillar in the church.
00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:56.400
And that's what I'll be.
00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:57.680
I am content to be that.
00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:01.519
And and today I'm not minimizing that, I'm just saying that's what that's what I want to be.
00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:06.160
And uh, oh, we got a third, third member of our of our group today.
00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:07.119
Look at this guy.
00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:10.559
I don't know how he made it in here, but he got in here.
00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:11.440
Nice.
00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.400
Jesse.
00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:15.599
Jesse was born in Joaca province, right?
00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:18.640
Here's about thir 30 miles away from your house.
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:21.039
Monkey Highlands, Monkey Highlands.
00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:26.799
So we were um, but yeah, we were we were just faithful.
00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:28.880
And one Sunday morning, I'm standing there.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:31.440
This is this is how the call came for me.
00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:32.799
I'd surrendered.
00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:36.640
Lord, whatever you want me to do, you gotta show it clear.
00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:38.400
If it's stay here, I'll stay here.
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.000
If you want me to go, I'll go.
00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:42.880
And uh be honest with you, I never thought missions.
00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:44.880
My wife and I would sit and have conversations.
00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:48.160
We'd sit around and have conversations.
00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:49.440
All right, go see mama.
00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:50.240
I love you.
00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:50.720
We'll see you.
00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:51.680
Bye.
00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:53.119
Thanks for coming in.
00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.319
He's probably gonna be the highlight.
00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:59.440
Here, people are like, those two guys, we're gonna see that cute little boy come back.
00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:01.440
What are these two guys thinking it's all about them?
00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:02.480
Right.
00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:10.480
My wife and I we'd sit around and have a fire and we'd talk, and and we would just say, Well, if the Lord was to use us, what would he use?
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:16.559
And she always thought missions, and I'd say, No, no missions, no missions.
00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:18.079
I'm not doing this missions thing.
00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:20.480
I'm not doing it, I'm not moving across the world.
00:29:20.720 --> 00:29:23.519
I'll live in some weird culture and learn some language.
00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:28.640
And I would always be honest with it, I'd always I would always cite my qualifications.
00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:36.720
I'd say I learned English, I learned what you're yelling about.
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.799
Guys, we're trying to be so professional.
00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:43.359
I got I got dogs barking outside and people blowing the horn, and he's got kids.
00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:44.480
It's crazy.
00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:45.599
Sorry about that.
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:47.279
Who are we apologizing to?
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:58.160
Nobody to apologize to so, anyways, just just so your wife was trying to talk you into actually serving the Lord, and you just didn't want anything to do with it.
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:00.880
No, she always thought missions.
00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:02.559
If we ever do something for Lord, it'll be missions.
00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:07.839
And I always thought if we ever do something for Lord, it'll be pastoring or assistant pastoring or something, right?
00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:26.480
And um, and so, but then it would always end with, well, Lord would have to call us, and you know, and um, and I would always say, Look, how would how is it that I have gone to school and university and all these things, and and now I've gotten all these qualifications that equip me to doing ministry in the US.
00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:29.519
Why would the Lord send me somewhere else and that'd be wasted?
00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:31.839
And so she'd always go, Well, okay.
00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:37.680
Now, the backstory is my wife has spent time in Papua New Guinea when she was a teenager.
00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:38.640
She made two trips over here.
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:50.079
Her dad was a single, uh, a single missionary who came and helped another missionary build a house, build a church building, and then she came back by herself to visit that same missionary family they were with before, who was also out of our home church.
00:30:50.160 --> 00:30:58.079
So she she already knew talk pigeons, she already had a connection to the so it was kind of her only reference point was missions.
00:30:58.319 --> 00:30:58.559
Right.
00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:04.960
So one Sunday morning, I'm standing there, we're singing our first opening song, and um saying in there in church.
00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:06.319
I don't even know what song it was.
00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:08.079
And here comes Brother Baker.
00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:10.079
Brother Baker would sit two rows in front of me.
00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:13.359
We I guess you should call him Pastor Baker, but we always just called him Brother Baker.
00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:15.680
Everybody in town called him Brother Baker, even even the lost people.
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:16.880
Hey, Brother Baker.
00:31:17.599 --> 00:31:21.200
And so he comes walking down the aisle and he grabs my suit jacket.
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:24.240
He's 5'5, I'm 6'1, right?
00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:27.119
He goes, My suit jacket, he just pulls on it.
00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:29.440
Not not because he needs to, he's just that guy.
00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:32.400
He's got for the old people, he's got the Don Rickles energy.
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:36.960
You know, he's pulling my jacket and he goes, he goes, Kenny, now we're singing.
00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:37.839
Kenny.
00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:38.880
And I went, Yeah.
00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:41.839
He goes, You still interested in pastoring?
00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:43.680
And I went, What?
00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:46.240
He goes, You still want to be a pastor?
00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:48.079
And I was like, No, I'm done.
00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:49.920
I'm about to resign a few minutes.
00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:53.119
We need somebody to get this is what I'm thinking.
00:31:53.279 --> 00:31:55.759
I'm thinking he's going, I'm done with this place.
00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:58.000
Kenny, I'm about to give it to you and I'm out of here.
00:31:58.079 --> 00:32:00.000
You know, that's the thoughts going through your head, right?
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:02.000
My parents go to church here, my family.
00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:02.720
Like, no.
00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.440
I was like, No, no, I'm not.
00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:06.480
He goes, Oh, okay.
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:12.240
And then he just walks to his pew, finishes song service, go stand, preaches for an hour and a half.
00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:15.200
And I didn't hear a word he said that morning either.
00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:19.920
I'm just sitting there the whole time, and uh, my wife leaned over, she said, What did he say?
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.359
And I was like, I'll tell you later.
00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:22.160
I don't even know what he said.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:22.640
I don't know.
00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:23.920
I don't know what he said, you know.
00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:32.799
And the whole time the Holy Spirit just beat me up, going, You said whatever I put in front of you, you would do it, and you don't even know what it is, and you said no.
00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:34.319
You don't even know what it is.
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:34.880
Okay.
00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:36.720
All right.
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:42.880
So after church, he finishes, there's no invitation, tis tis his way.
00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:48.319
I walk up to him, he's up in the front, he comes smirking, oh, oh, Kenny, got something to say?
00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:50.480
And I was like, Yeah, what's the story?
00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:54.880
And he goes, There's a little church about two hours south of here in Brunswick, Georgia.
00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:55.920
A pastor called me.
00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:58.480
He's an older man in his 70s, he's about to resign.
00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:01.440
Uh, he just can't, health won't let him do it anymore.
00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:02.640
And they're looking for a guy.
00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:09.839
He's gonna have to work a job, you're gonna have to be viable vocational, you're gonna have to, you're gonna have to, you're gonna have to do the work.
00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:14.079
Um, but there's about you know less than 10 people down there, and they need a pastor.
00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:15.119
You want to go do it?
00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:17.920
And I was like, I uh I don't know.
00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:24.000
He goes, Kenny, the pastor said if you came next Sunday, they would they'd meet with you and he'd buy you lunch.
00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:25.599
Just go get a free lunch at least.
00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:27.200
Even if it don't work out, get a free lunch.
00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:29.119
That's how he was, you know, go get a free lunch.
00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:30.160
So I said, All right.
00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:35.119
So I went home and told Sheila and she said, Okay, well, let's let's go get a free lunch.
00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:50.960
So we loaded the little kids up, got up early, you know, it's two hours drive, drove the minivan down there, rolled in, and uh pretended like you know, the pastor knew what was going on, the church didn't, so we all kind of pretended like we were passing through, you know, passing through, sitting in and on a service.
00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:52.400
I didn't preach that morning.
00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:58.799
And uh pastor took us to lunch, and it was it was anything that you would write home about.
00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:00.720
There was nothing special about it.
00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:08.559
People were friendly, but the people weren't they didn't blow up blow me out of the water and went to church or went to went to lunch.
00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:12.480
Lunch wasn't the best lunch I've ever had, it wasn't the worst, but it was just a day.
00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:18.559
And I remember we got back on the Smith Seafood place, came to town as a Captain Dees.
00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:19.760
That's right.
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:25.920
Well, it was old Old Times buffet, which is like Captain Dees' big brother.
00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:27.840
So there wasn't, yeah, you're not off.
00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:36.480
And so I remember we got on the interstate, it was about two minutes from the church to the interstate, and then you drive the interstate for an hour and a half, then 30 minutes to Buford.
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:43.760
And I remember we pull it on to the interstate, exit 38 off I-95, and I looked at her and I said, What do you think?
00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:48.559
And she says, You know, I never say anything if it's the Lord directing you.
00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:50.400
I said, Yeah, I think we're coming back here.
00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:52.400
I said, I think I'm gonna pastor these people.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:55.119
And she said, Yeah, I think so too.
00:34:55.440 --> 00:34:58.400
And um, now you say, Where's the audible voice?
00:34:58.559 --> 00:34:59.039
Where's the prayer?
00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:02.639
Oh, there's lots of prayer, lots of prayer went in from that point forward.
00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:04.960
So I I went back and forth and preached.
00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:06.079
I think it was every other week.
00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:16.000
I went back and forth for about two months and just preached on Sunday mornings and had service with them and just you know let them hear me.
00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.199
And I didn't know what I was doing.
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:22.000
I was 25 years old, didn't know what I was doing, and um, but just there was a connection.
00:35:22.079 --> 00:35:29.360
And so, so I remember going to see Brother Baker, and I remember and I said, Brother, I I don't understand it.
00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:36.719
I've been to West Virginia and Kentucky and Florida and all these places, and I never felt like it was the Lord.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:38.239
I don't want to run on feelings.
00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:43.199
And he said, Well, he said, I got I got a thought to give you.
00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:46.000
And he took me to two verses, which I've held on to those two verses.
00:35:46.079 --> 00:35:47.360
I teach them in our Bible school too.
00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:52.000
Two verses first Timothy three, one and Psalms 37, 4.
00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:57.039
So 1 Timothy 3 1 says, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
00:35:57.199 --> 00:35:59.119
And so he gave me all the things, you know, that you hear.
00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:01.599
It's work, it's not laziness, it's not, you know, it's work.
00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:02.079
I I got that.
00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:04.159
Work's a four-letter word, is what he'd always say.
00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:07.119
And then he said, but desire.
00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:08.320
Desire is the word.
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.480
I remember sitting at his table and he said, Desire.
00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:11.679
And I went, okay.
00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:13.519
He goes, You gotta want to.
00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:15.199
And I said, Okay.
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:17.440
He said, But Kenny, there's no reason.
00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:18.960
And man, he was so right.
00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:22.719
And I've I've preached this, I believe this more now than when he said it.
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:30.719
There's no reason for anybody in their right mind to want to go into the ministry, whether it's pastoring or missions, there's nobody in their right mind.
00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:34.800
How people are gonna treat you, how things are gonna happen, the limited pay.
00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:42.079
There is no logical reason for you to quit a job or or have a secular job and do this at this like what in the world?
00:36:42.239 --> 00:36:42.480
Right.
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.360
He said, unless it's a God-given desire.
00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:46.079
Right.
00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:50.239
And I remember it clicked in my head that day what a calling was.
00:36:50.400 --> 00:36:51.280
It clicked.
00:36:51.519 --> 00:36:53.360
He said, It's a desire that God gives you.
00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:54.559
Psalms 37, 4.
00:36:54.719 --> 00:36:59.360
Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
00:36:59.599 --> 00:36:59.920
Right.
00:37:00.079 --> 00:37:05.599
And what he said was, Kenny, that ain't God giving you a Cadillac or a four-wheel drive pickup because you want it.
00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:08.559
He said, That's God changing your desire.
00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:12.079
That's God giving you the want to, to want to do something.
00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:19.360
And I remember it clicking and he said, He said, There's no reason, he said, why somebody would want to do these things.
00:37:19.519 --> 00:37:24.880
But if you've delighted in the Lord, and he said, You've served here at the church, you're doing these things.
00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:29.760
He said, There's no reason the church wouldn't sign off on this, there's no reason the church hasn't seen you as faithful.
00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:34.960
He said, But you've delighted in the things of the Lord, he's giving you a desire, right?
00:37:35.119 --> 00:37:39.039
He's giving you a want to for something that logically doesn't make sense, right?
00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:40.719
And so I've always kind of held that.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:44.480
Others define a calling a different way, I've defined it that way.
00:37:44.800 --> 00:38:00.480
And um, and so I remember going back and forth, and one day uh I I candidated officially, if you will, for that church, and that church voted me in, you know, on uh not anonymously, unanimously, sorry, anonymously too, I guess, but it was unanimous, so it doesn't matter.
00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:10.000
They voted us in, and um we moved down there, and brother, we we we gave it our all because I believed if you're gonna give it, you give it everything you got.
00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:10.400
Right.
00:38:10.559 --> 00:38:19.440
And uh we were down there, we commuted for about a year, then we moved there and uh got a job down there, and I worked uh the whole time by a vocational pastor.
00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:21.519
Uh, people will say part-time pastoring.
00:38:21.679 --> 00:38:25.039
I think that's really, really hurtful to those that are doing it.
00:38:25.519 --> 00:38:31.920
Uh, I think there's it's you don't have a part-time pastoring or a part-time job, you have full-time, two full-time jobs and a family.
00:38:32.079 --> 00:38:33.920
You're always gonna feel like you're failing.
00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:34.320
Right.
00:38:34.400 --> 00:38:44.239
Uh and I did, but you're you're just trying to do God's work and trying to, it was a little church trying to re-reestablish that thing, trying to regrow it, trying to get people grounded in the word.
00:38:44.639 --> 00:38:50.719
Yeah, and at the end of four and a half years, almost five years of being there, church didn't grow.
00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:55.599
We had a lady die, and then a young guy got married, so the number stayed the same.
00:38:55.920 --> 00:39:01.599
So, so it never never grew, uh, except when my wife was having kids.
00:39:01.840 --> 00:39:04.719
And we just we just kept staying faithful.
00:39:04.800 --> 00:39:06.079
And it wasn't for lack of trying.
00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:11.360
I was preaching on two different radio stations, we were in a nursing home, I was preaching in the jail every week.
00:39:11.599 --> 00:39:15.760
We were on three different street corners, I was knocking doors, we were having church service.
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:20.239
I mean, we were we were not sitting idle on our hands.
00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:26.079
Um, but but what God did looking back, God grew us, God grew my wife and I.
00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:33.920
I learned about people, I learned about problems, I learned about Baptists more than I thought I already knew.
00:39:34.159 --> 00:39:40.480
Because sitting in a pew at a Baptist church and being in the pulpit at a Baptist church are two very different perspectives.
00:39:41.119 --> 00:40:00.960
And so what I said was what clicked in my head one day, it was about halfway through my time there, so about two and a half years, almost three years in, was that the Lord told them in Acts chapter one, he said, you know, you should be witnesses of me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and the outermost parts of the earth.
00:40:01.360 --> 00:40:06.559
And he said that to 12 guys, 11 guys standing there before his sons up.
00:40:06.880 --> 00:40:10.159
Maybe the whole church is there, 120, but I tend to think it's the eleven.
00:40:10.800 --> 00:40:13.599
So he says this to a small group.
00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:20.719
And I looked around our church, and it's my family of six, and about seven or eight people, and I'm going, we got a small group.
00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:24.400
Why are we waiting for ourselves to grow before we do something?
00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:30.719
Do something for God, and then God will let people join in with what we're doing, instead of saying once we get people, we'll go do something.
00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:36.320
So we started, uh, we started hosting a we would host a Bible conference, right?
00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:42.000
We'd have morning or night sessions for three or four days, and then we would have outreach every morning.
00:40:42.159 --> 00:40:46.079
We'd invite all churches from people would come from hours away, pack our building.
00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:48.559
It was the only time of the year that every pew had somebody in it.
00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:51.760
It was and they'd look around and go, Man, this is a blow and going church.
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:52.159
Mm-hmm.
00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:53.679
All seven of us, you know.
00:40:53.920 --> 00:41:02.239
And uh man, we'd we'd our people got a chance to serve, and and I got to see people really thrived when they had a reason to serve, when they had something to serve.
00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:16.000
And uh, so everything radio broadcast, we had a couple in our church who were really technologically um savvy, and they would they would go and uh produce those broadcasts for me and record them and and just did a great job.
00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:21.039
And so seeing those people, and so I said, our church needs to have a footprint.
00:41:21.199 --> 00:41:22.480
That's why I'm bro.
00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:24.800
I'm not planning on leaving this church at this time, right?
00:41:24.960 --> 00:41:27.920
I bought a house there, I'm living there, working a job, right?
00:41:28.159 --> 00:41:39.840
I said our little church should be able to reach Jerusalem, which is our town, Judea, our state, the uttermost, or sorry, Samaria, our country, and then the uttermost, the rest of the world.
00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:41.519
So let's start doing that.
00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:44.079
So we started, we started doing various ministries, right?
00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:51.679
Online ministries and all sorts of things, trying to get it, you know, sending Bibles to people, reaching people, but the uttermost always just kind of hung out there.
00:41:51.760 --> 00:41:52.559
We're a small church.
00:41:52.639 --> 00:41:54.559
How are we financially going to do this?
00:41:54.719 --> 00:41:56.559
Because in my mind, that's all it was.
00:41:56.719 --> 00:42:03.440
So a missionary came through and he I asked him, an old missionary who's who's passed away, a dear brother, brother Tommy Tillman.
00:42:03.840 --> 00:42:09.360
And Tommy Tillman, the first supporting church Tommy Tillman ever had was the church I pastored.
00:42:09.599 --> 00:42:10.480
And I didn't know that.
00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:15.360
And Tommy Tillman, for whatever reason, really had an affection towards that church, and because of that, had an affection towards me.
00:42:15.440 --> 00:42:17.920
And he would come through our town and he'd sit there with me.
00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:25.599
And man, he would I'd pick that guy's brain and I'd get probably half a percent of what was in there, and it would overwhelm me.
00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:28.400
That man had wisdom beyond, yeah, beyond.
00:42:28.559 --> 00:42:34.400
And um, Tommy Tillman, for those that don't know, he wrote a book called Reaching the Untouchables, I think, or they wrote it about him.
00:42:34.559 --> 00:42:36.159
Get that thing, it's wonderful.
00:42:36.320 --> 00:42:40.159
Uh, the man went and reached the lepers in Thailand and they went to Mongolia and did work.
00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:41.840
Just a wonderful man of God.
00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:52.000
Um even his own, even his own story of how the Lord directed him to a very niche, specific group of folks is just amazing.
00:42:52.079 --> 00:42:54.239
Uh definitely go go look him up.
00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:58.880
Ken and I don't really have any previous connections with each other, right?
00:42:59.039 --> 00:43:02.559
Uh, but brother Tommy Tillman, yeah, outside of Papua New Guinea.
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:06.480
But brother, brother Tillman was one of the first missionaries our church picked up.
00:43:06.639 --> 00:43:20.800
And uh he and our he and our pastor were uh good acquaintances, and that same thing, anytime he would come through the southeast, our pastor would get him and and really just pick his brain and and develop a lot of faith-building stories.
00:43:20.960 --> 00:43:26.239
So he told me once, he said, never judge a man by his friends, judge him by his enemies.
00:43:26.719 --> 00:43:29.199
And I said, Well, who's your enemies, Tommy Tillman?
00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:32.000
Brother Tommy, he said, I'm so old they've all died.
00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:42.239
So, but I remember asking him one day, I said, So how do I get this church to get a footprint on the uttermost?
00:43:42.559 --> 00:43:44.079
He said, You got to go see it.
00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:45.440
Your eye affects your heart.
00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:50.239
He said, Get your money together and go fly somewhere and see the mission field and come back.
00:43:50.400 --> 00:43:53.280
He said, Kenny, the he said, brother, this church loves you.
00:43:53.440 --> 00:43:54.239
These people love you.
00:43:54.320 --> 00:43:55.599
And they do to this day.
00:43:55.679 --> 00:43:56.800
Those people love us, man.
00:43:56.880 --> 00:43:59.760
I and the Lord really just blessed us, the people that loved us and we loved them.
00:44:00.639 --> 00:44:16.800
He said, um he said, go and and get a vision for it and see it and let it break your heart and weep with the people on a mission field and see the missionaries and come back and share your heart with your church and you'll see what God will do through your church.
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:17.840
And I said, Okay.
00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:30.159
And so uh my wife and I took a trip to Puerto Rico because it was close by and we had a mission out of our home church there at the time, and we we went some other places and just that was the whole intention.
00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:31.599
The whole intention.
00:44:31.920 --> 00:44:39.440
Yeah, and so my wife was always bugging me because she had spent time in Papua New Guinea, and she said, I want to go to Papua New Guinea.
00:44:39.679 --> 00:44:42.480
And I said, Okay, you got money to buy tickets.
00:44:42.559 --> 00:44:44.480
We got little kids, four little boys now running around.
00:44:44.559 --> 00:44:49.440
We ain't got no money for that, and we're paying half the bills at this church, you know, just just all the excuses.
00:44:49.920 --> 00:44:51.039
And uh she said, Okay.
00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:52.320
Uh she said, Well, we'll pray.
00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:53.280
I said, Well, you pray.
00:44:53.440 --> 00:44:55.599
And if God provides the money, we'll go.
00:44:55.760 --> 00:45:00.719
And God just can't provide the money for the tickets, He's got to provide the money while I'm off of work for three weeks, you know.
00:45:00.960 --> 00:45:03.440
So I'm I'm gonna make it so hard it can't happen.
00:45:03.679 --> 00:45:07.199
And um, and um one day a lady out of the blue called us.
00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:09.360
Uh she's a friend of ours, we knew her.
00:45:09.519 --> 00:45:13.760
She said, Hey, if you're ever interested in going to Papua New Guinea, let me know, I'll buy your your tickets.
00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:17.360
And I was like, I said, Sheila, did you call her?
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:19.199
She said, I promise I did not call her.
00:45:19.360 --> 00:45:23.360
I was like, Did you did you research that number before you said that?
00:45:24.400 --> 00:45:26.719
That's probably the most expensive place to do it.
00:45:26.880 --> 00:45:31.119
Yeah, well, she had just come, she had just come here and she had just been blessed by it.
00:45:31.280 --> 00:45:38.400
And so she's like, I know your wife had been there before, and if she ever wanted to go back and show you where she was, and I was like, Oh, okay, it's nice.
00:45:38.559 --> 00:45:42.079
So I said, Well, okay, this kind of goes with the mission of what we're doing.
00:45:42.239 --> 00:45:42.480
Right.
00:45:42.639 --> 00:45:43.679
So I had a good friend here.
00:45:43.840 --> 00:45:47.280
Again, I told you we had a missionary out of our home church who's here, who was here.
00:45:47.360 --> 00:45:50.639
He's retired off the field, and his son was here, was a friend of mine.
00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:58.639
He's he was running a missionary home, kind of a um um managing a place where guys could come and get some relief when they came to town to get supplies.
00:45:58.960 --> 00:46:02.960
So I said, Okay, we can come in and visit them and planned a two-week trip.
00:46:03.039 --> 00:46:05.199
And I said, guys, I want to do whatever I can, right?
00:46:05.280 --> 00:46:06.000
If you need me to help.
00:46:06.079 --> 00:46:07.360
And they said, Well, we want you to preach.
00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:08.719
They've been listening to some of your stuff.
00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:09.519
I said, Okay.
00:46:09.840 --> 00:46:16.559
So I came for that two weeks and I preached a three-day meeting at one of the churches here in town where we live right now.
00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:25.440
And um, then he took me all over, took me to some neighboring provinces, showed me the places where where they used to walk around the bush, and I walked that bush trail going, This is dumb.
00:46:25.519 --> 00:46:26.480
I'm gonna die here.
00:46:26.639 --> 00:46:28.960
This is like you said, I look younger now than I did then.
00:46:29.119 --> 00:46:30.880
I feel younger now than I did then.
00:46:31.119 --> 00:46:32.719
I would probably try it now.
00:46:32.880 --> 00:46:35.360
I wouldn't, I don't know why I tried it back then.
00:46:35.760 --> 00:46:47.840
But um, I just remember during that trip praying, Lord, show me what I need to see to help my church in America get the vision for the regions beyond and get a vision for the uttermost.
00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:48.400
Yeah.
00:46:48.639 --> 00:46:51.039
And um, open my eyes, show me something.
00:46:51.199 --> 00:47:02.400
And what I began to notice while I was here was the churches we were in were full of young men, young preachers, and none of them had been to Bible school, but you don't have to go to Bible school, but these guys wanted it.
00:47:02.639 --> 00:47:04.719
And these guys had a desire to go do something.
00:47:04.800 --> 00:47:07.519
They knew how to lead each other to the Lord, but discipleship wasn't here.
00:47:07.599 --> 00:47:16.000
And I remember sitting, went to dinner uh or lunch, Sunday lunch with with uh a pastor who I've mentioned before, Pastor Kumlis Kumbi.
00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:21.920
Again, I had met him before he'd come to the States on a very short visit, so I'd seen him before.
00:47:22.159 --> 00:47:25.440
And it was funny, he said the only two young people he ever remembered were me and Sheila.
00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:28.320
We weren't even you know interested in each other at the time.
00:47:28.719 --> 00:47:34.320
But um he said, he I said, Well, Pastor, this is so exciting to come see yours toward the end of our visit.
00:47:34.400 --> 00:47:37.760
By that point, I'm going, man, there's a great need here.
00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:41.920
You know, my whole life I had heard Papua New Guinea is the place that's over-missionaried.
00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:44.559
It's like Mexico, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, right?
00:47:44.639 --> 00:47:45.679
Everybody's going there.
00:47:45.920 --> 00:47:47.519
And so I had almost repeated that.
00:47:47.599 --> 00:47:49.039
I actually had repeated it at times.
00:47:49.119 --> 00:47:50.800
There's enough missionaries in Papua New Guinea.
00:47:50.880 --> 00:47:52.559
Go somewhere, but they haven't had it.
00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:55.519
And uh man, just be careful saying stuff like that.
00:47:55.599 --> 00:47:57.679
If you hadn't checked with God first.
00:47:58.159 --> 00:48:03.840
And so I um I remember sitting with him and some other men and them just pouring their heart out.
00:48:03.920 --> 00:48:12.000
Man, if we had a place to train some preachers, if we had some some way to get some of our guys equipped, and all right, all right, man, I'll pray for that.
00:48:12.159 --> 00:48:12.639
I'll pray for that.
00:48:12.719 --> 00:48:14.320
And legitimately committed to praying for it.
00:48:14.480 --> 00:48:16.320
I went back sitting on the airplane.
00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:20.239
About halfway through that visit, they were all teasing me, you know, you'll come back, be a missionary.
00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:25.760
Halfway through the trip, the teasing stopped because God was God was showing me something I hadn't seen in other places.
00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:28.559
Not that the need wasn't there, but he was showing it to me.
00:48:29.039 --> 00:48:35.599
And brother, anybody who's been here, those of you that are watching, there's a reason I got to put a fake background here.
00:48:35.760 --> 00:48:41.840
Uh, brother Caleb gets one off his front porch, but a Hogan town is not a tourist attraction.
00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:45.599
There is nothing here that would make you want to come live here.
00:48:45.840 --> 00:48:52.159
We love it, it's the desire of our heart, but there's nothing physical that makes us want to live here, right?
00:48:52.239 --> 00:48:52.480
Right.
00:48:52.639 --> 00:48:53.599
I can't even get a Dr.
00:48:53.760 --> 00:48:54.239
Pepper.
00:48:54.639 --> 00:48:57.119
So um boo ho.
00:48:57.840 --> 00:48:58.159
Right.
00:48:58.880 --> 00:49:04.639
But I mean, it's a place full of rough Highlander people who throw trash on the ground.
00:49:04.719 --> 00:49:12.239
And I mean, you know, so so you're looking at this as a visitor going, I don't want to live here, but there's something in me going, but there's a need here, right?
00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:13.760
And so go back, Lord.
00:49:13.840 --> 00:49:16.800
I got a church, I'm pastoring a church, but somebody needs to go.
00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:18.000
And I literally Dr.
00:49:18.079 --> 00:49:19.360
Pepper in the freeze, too.
00:49:19.599 --> 00:49:20.320
Yeah, yeah.
00:49:20.400 --> 00:49:25.119
I'm staying here in America, and whoever, Lord, if you show me somebody who's gonna go fulfill that need, I'll support him.
00:49:25.280 --> 00:49:26.559
That's where I was at.
00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:30.559
And I remember going back, asking my wife one question.
00:49:30.719 --> 00:49:38.400
We're on the airplane, flying into JFK, we're all sleeping, and you know, you look you get yourself together when you first get on the plane.
00:49:38.480 --> 00:49:41.440
After about 10 hours of that flight, you just give up, you just look like a mess.
00:49:41.519 --> 00:49:43.679
You come walking off like you come out of a war zone.
00:49:43.920 --> 00:49:44.159
Right.
00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:48.719
And uh, I remember looking at her, we're kind of getting our stuff together, we're gonna land in about an hour, and I just said, What do you think?
00:49:48.800 --> 00:49:54.320
We're gonna go back to New Guinea, and she said, Whatever the Lord tells you, she said, I'm never gonna tell you.
00:49:54.559 --> 00:49:56.880
Hey, sorry, power went off my house here.
00:49:57.119 --> 00:50:02.239
She said, I'm never gonna tell you what to do or what not to do or what the Lord wants.
00:50:02.480 --> 00:50:04.239
You've got to determine that for yourself.
00:50:04.480 --> 00:50:07.679
Yeah, and I'll go with you, I'll follow you, whatever you want.
00:50:08.400 --> 00:50:09.360
I said, All right.
00:50:09.599 --> 00:50:12.719
I said, So um I'll pray about it.
00:50:12.960 --> 00:50:25.519
And I came back and told the church how it went and told the church how we needed to pray and how those men needed help and all that stuff, and it just couldn't shake it, man.
00:50:25.760 --> 00:50:26.480
Couldn't shake it.
00:50:26.960 --> 00:50:36.000
And um, and I remember, and I know I'm pulling time at the story here, but I remember sitting there, I went up to the church one day.
00:50:36.159 --> 00:50:46.400
Our church was on a main road, old Jessup Highway, and I remember sitting there at the church, I went and knelt down next to the pew, it was a Saturday afternoon, and I remember praying.
00:50:46.480 --> 00:50:56.159
I said, Lord, if you don't want me to go to New Guinea, you are gonna have to remove from my heart and mind this this obsession that's come up in the last few weeks.
00:50:56.400 --> 00:50:57.679
You're gonna have to take it away.
00:50:58.159 --> 00:51:04.559
If it is your will, you've got to remove my heart, my desire for these people here in Brunswick.
00:51:04.719 --> 00:51:06.800
You've you I cannot have both.
00:51:07.039 --> 00:51:08.480
I'm gonna go insane.
00:51:09.119 --> 00:51:11.360
And um the Lord said, Okay.
00:51:11.679 --> 00:51:15.519
And so I I he didn't respond, I guess it just he heard it, I guess.
00:51:15.679 --> 00:51:23.199
So I I was praying and and I'm reading and I'm praying and I'm reading, and the Lord brought a verse to me in Hebrews 5 as I'm reading through.
00:51:23.440 --> 00:51:25.760
This is not doctrinally in context.
00:51:26.159 --> 00:51:29.679
This is totally right, this is for me.
00:51:30.239 --> 00:51:43.760
In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 12, it says, For when the time for when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become as such as have need of milk and not of strong meat.
00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:46.079
And I remember that verse reading it, and it just hit me.
00:51:46.480 --> 00:51:50.320
And the Lord said, That's the situation of Papua New Guinea.
00:51:50.800 --> 00:51:52.400
They have need that someone teach them.
00:51:52.800 --> 00:51:57.360
They've had missionaries go in the in the area where we are, they've had missionaries before.
00:51:58.079 --> 00:52:00.239
They've had men come and plant churches before.
00:52:00.960 --> 00:52:03.840
But who has set those men up to go do this work themselves?
00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:04.800
And I don't know.
00:52:04.880 --> 00:52:09.039
I've got here and learned that some men were doing it and stuff, but the Lord showed that to me.
00:52:09.599 --> 00:52:11.199
And so I went, I went, okay.
00:52:11.440 --> 00:52:13.199
And then he said, read it again.
00:52:13.679 --> 00:52:16.559
And when I read that thing again, it hit me.
00:52:16.800 --> 00:52:21.440
For when for when for the time ye ought to be teachers.
00:52:21.519 --> 00:52:25.599
Now I understand the ye and the the and the thou and all that, but the Lord hit me with that.
00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:28.880
Yeah, Kenny, you're gonna go do this, you're gonna go.
00:52:29.199 --> 00:52:33.440
So, long story short, I called and I said, Hey, you guys thinking about a Bible?
00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:34.239
Yep.
00:52:34.400 --> 00:52:35.599
You're praying about this, yep.
00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:38.559
All right, I'm praying about coming, let's pray together.
00:52:39.199 --> 00:52:46.559
And uh, so I went up to the church that day and I prayed that I said, Lord, if this is what you want, you're showing me from your word that you want me to go up there.
00:52:46.880 --> 00:52:50.239
You've got to do something, you've got to make it so clear to me.
00:52:50.559 --> 00:52:54.960
Maybe it doesn't have to be clear to everybody else, you've got to make it clear to me that this is what you want.
00:52:55.039 --> 00:52:55.840
And I'll go do it.
00:52:55.920 --> 00:52:57.199
I'll give 100% as I do.
00:52:57.280 --> 00:52:57.920
I'll give 100%.
00:52:58.159 --> 00:52:59.840
But I now don't know this is you.
00:53:00.400 --> 00:53:04.239
And so I left the church, got in my car, drove home about four minutes.
00:53:04.559 --> 00:53:06.159
I'd been home about four minutes.
00:53:06.239 --> 00:53:10.079
So less than 10 minutes after I left the church, I get a phone call from the deputy sheriff.
00:53:10.239 --> 00:53:14.960
And the deputy sheriff calls me and says, Hey, is this the pastor of Open Bible Baptist Church?
00:53:15.039 --> 00:53:16.320
And I said, It is.
00:53:16.559 --> 00:53:19.519
He said, I need you to get up here to the church building, something's come up.
00:53:19.679 --> 00:53:21.599
And I said, What are you talking about?
00:53:21.679 --> 00:53:22.239
I was just there.
00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:25.280
He said, Um, there's a problem, and I need you to be here right now.
00:53:25.360 --> 00:53:27.119
If you can be here, you need to be here.
00:53:27.360 --> 00:53:32.639
So I got in a car, drove right back, and right where I had been praying, the road ran.
00:53:32.800 --> 00:53:35.039
You know, our church was parallel to the road.
00:53:35.280 --> 00:53:40.480
And right where I'd been praying, a car had slammed right through this the wall of the building.
00:53:40.719 --> 00:53:45.440
Sometimes it's good to tarry in prayer, and sometimes it's good to end your prayers when you're supposed to.
00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:52.639
So our wooden pews were all over the building, our building had to be condemned for the next few months until they can repair it structurally.
00:53:53.039 --> 00:53:54.880
That's why the Lord says pray in a closet.
00:53:55.119 --> 00:53:55.519
That's right.
00:53:55.760 --> 00:53:56.719
That's right, brother.
00:53:57.519 --> 00:54:00.800
Pray in a closet and uh and get out, right?
00:54:01.119 --> 00:54:02.480
Let your prayer be few.
00:54:02.800 --> 00:54:06.960
So I um I finished and I'm I'm just standing there in utter shock.
00:54:07.199 --> 00:54:11.840
This woman had been driving while there was an intersection, and a car in front of her had stopped a turn.
00:54:11.920 --> 00:54:15.519
She was playing on her phone, she hadn't looked, so she swerved, went right through the church building.
00:54:15.920 --> 00:54:18.559
Destroyed her car, oil all over the church, everything.
00:54:18.960 --> 00:54:23.280
And I'm just standing there and going, I don't even know what this means.
00:54:23.519 --> 00:54:25.519
Like, Lord, I asked you to show me something.
00:54:25.599 --> 00:54:27.840
I didn't ask you to plow a church through the building.
00:54:28.559 --> 00:54:37.119
And um, and the Lord said, I'm just showing you that that this is this, just pay attention.
00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:41.679
And so I had already gotten that verse, and I was already thinking this is what I need to do.
00:54:42.320 --> 00:54:46.000
And all the church members showed up, and some of them had the right response.
00:54:46.159 --> 00:54:48.320
Hey, a building is a building, we'll fix it.
00:54:48.400 --> 00:54:48.719
It's fine.
00:54:48.800 --> 00:55:02.000
We had another little Sunday school building, we met over there for a while, and one of the old ladies walked up and she just started, I mean, she started a wailing, wailing, oh my children built this church, and the Lord said, See that?
00:55:02.480 --> 00:55:03.119
See that?
00:55:03.679 --> 00:55:05.039
And I just said, Yep.
00:55:05.199 --> 00:55:09.599
And again, you're not you're not putting two and two together until you're alone with the Lord.
00:55:09.679 --> 00:55:18.000
And when you're alone with the Lord, yeah, the Lord says, Your time you're you're thinking, you're thinking, Man, I better go, or God's gonna kill me with a car through my office.
00:55:18.320 --> 00:55:18.719
That's right.
00:55:18.880 --> 00:55:19.599
That's right.
00:55:20.079 --> 00:55:20.719
Yeah.
00:55:21.119 --> 00:55:23.199
Um I I honestly I didn't know what to think.
00:55:23.280 --> 00:55:25.920
Is it, hey, the building's falling down, they need you here, Mr.
00:55:26.000 --> 00:55:26.800
Construction Guy?
00:55:26.960 --> 00:55:32.159
Or is this, or is this like I got a work here to do, and you're thinking about leaving, so then I'm judging you.
00:55:32.239 --> 00:55:33.760
You don't know what to do with all this stuff.
00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:34.400
Right.
00:55:34.639 --> 00:55:40.079
And um, and so I remember just praying, and um, I'll finish with this.
00:55:40.320 --> 00:55:47.440
I said in our last broadcast, sometimes the Lord uses circumstances, sometimes he uses the saints, and sometimes he uses the spirit.
00:55:47.840 --> 00:55:50.320
But often all the time he uses the spirit.
00:55:50.559 --> 00:55:57.760
And so a a good pastor friend of mine, Pastor Jonathan Doss, dear friend of mine, was coming back from Florida.
00:55:57.840 --> 00:55:59.199
We live right off I-95.
00:55:59.280 --> 00:56:02.079
And so he was coming back from Florida, head to Charleston, South Carolina.
00:56:02.239 --> 00:56:03.760
And it was about halfway through his trip.
00:56:03.840 --> 00:56:05.039
I said, Brother, why don't you swing in?
00:56:05.119 --> 00:56:08.000
I'd love to talk to you about my trip to Papua New Guinea and have lunch.
00:56:08.159 --> 00:56:10.320
Come in, have soup and sandwich at the house with us.
00:56:10.480 --> 00:56:16.800
And he swung in the house, we sat at the table, we had lunch together, my wife, his wife, us two kids are outside playing.
00:56:16.880 --> 00:56:20.559
It was a Saturday afternoon, about a week after this happened at the church building.
00:56:20.719 --> 00:56:22.719
I'm still trying to compute all this.
00:56:22.960 --> 00:56:27.519
And the and he he's at the table, he finishes lunch.
00:56:27.679 --> 00:56:29.599
He said, Brother, I got to get up back to the house.
00:56:29.679 --> 00:56:31.519
I got about a two and a half hour drive.
00:56:31.679 --> 00:56:34.239
I need to get, or three-hour drive, I need to get going.
00:56:34.480 --> 00:56:36.239
And I said, Let's have a word of prayer.
00:56:36.400 --> 00:56:37.840
I said, Brother, absolutely.
00:56:38.000 --> 00:56:39.119
Let's have a word of prayer and you go.
00:56:39.199 --> 00:56:40.880
We had visited for maybe an hour or two.
00:56:41.039 --> 00:56:44.239
He said, But brother, before we go, and he reaches out and puts his hand on my arm.
00:56:44.400 --> 00:56:46.960
He says, Before we go, I need to ask you a question.
00:56:47.199 --> 00:56:48.400
Then I said, Okay.
00:56:48.719 --> 00:56:52.559
He said, Is the Lord dealing with your heart to go to Papua New Guinea to be a missionary?
00:56:52.800 --> 00:56:54.079
Brother, out of the blue.
00:56:54.320 --> 00:56:54.960
Out of the blue.
00:56:55.119 --> 00:56:56.880
I never said, Yeah, I'm praying about doing this.
00:56:56.960 --> 00:56:59.199
And I had a car go through a building and all these verses.
00:56:59.360 --> 00:57:00.400
No, no, no, no, that stuff.
00:57:00.480 --> 00:57:00.719
Right.
00:57:00.880 --> 00:57:04.960
He just says, Is the Lord dealing with your heart to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea?
00:57:05.119 --> 00:57:08.639
His wife looked at him and said, Jonathan, like, what?
00:57:09.039 --> 00:57:10.800
Like, everybody's in shock.
00:57:10.960 --> 00:57:15.519
And Sheila turned around, my wife turned, she was at the counter, she turned and looked at me, and she said, We're going, aren't we?
00:57:15.760 --> 00:57:17.440
And I looked at her, I said, Yeah, we're going.
00:57:17.679 --> 00:57:18.639
I said, That's what we needed.
00:57:18.800 --> 00:57:24.880
And I looked at, I just started crying, and he just came over, put his arm around me, said, and I said, What just happened?
00:57:25.039 --> 00:57:30.000
He said, The Lord told me when I was driving here that I needed to talk to you about that.
00:57:30.079 --> 00:57:35.199
And I've been putting it off this whole lunch, and I knew the Lord was gonna beat me up if I didn't heed what he said.
00:57:35.519 --> 00:57:38.639
And um, and I said, Brother, he didn't leave right then.
00:57:38.800 --> 00:57:44.159
We talked for another hour or two, yeah, and I said, Brother, I that's what I needed.
00:57:44.320 --> 00:57:48.239
Not you to tell me to go, yeah, but I needed I needed that.
00:57:48.400 --> 00:57:52.800
And um and I I thought, Brother Doss has pastored a small church his whole life.
00:57:52.880 --> 00:57:57.599
I thought if anything, he would talk me out of going to the mission field and be faithful with your small church, you know.
00:57:58.559 --> 00:58:01.920
No, no, he uh he said, manifest the Lord's call.
00:58:02.000 --> 00:58:04.880
You better be in it, you you better stick with it, you better go with it.
00:58:05.360 --> 00:58:12.559
And um, man, the specifics of how the Lord worked and all those things are for another time, they're for another episode.
00:58:12.880 --> 00:58:17.840
But um, we we packed up, man, we put everything up for sale, and I went to the church.
00:58:17.920 --> 00:58:19.920
I did not stand in the pulpit and resign.
00:58:20.079 --> 00:58:24.000
I went to each member's house and sat with them and told them.
00:58:24.239 --> 00:58:27.280
And some people were like, Oh man, this really stinks, you know.
00:58:27.360 --> 00:58:30.159
And others were like We can rebuild your office poster.
00:58:30.239 --> 00:58:30.559
Yes.
00:58:31.599 --> 00:58:34.719
I promise the engine oil will come out of the carpet.
00:58:36.159 --> 00:58:41.679
But I remember one lady, Sister Jan, uh, sweet lady, still still faithful to the Lord right now.
00:58:41.760 --> 00:58:48.960
Her and her husband, I went and sat with them at their house, Jan and Ed Holton, and she said, I said, I'm I'm gonna go to the mission field, I'm gonna leave.
00:58:49.039 --> 00:58:52.719
And there's nothing, and she just put her head down, she started crying, she said, I knew it.
00:58:52.880 --> 00:58:53.440
I knew it.
00:58:53.519 --> 00:58:54.480
I said, How'd you know it?
00:58:54.639 --> 00:58:57.599
Like she's not cross, she just says, I knew it.
00:58:57.760 --> 00:59:00.800
I knew the Lord was gonna when you started talking about missions.
00:59:00.880 --> 00:59:04.000
I knew the Lord was gonna do it, and and we knew it was just a matter of time.
00:59:04.320 --> 00:59:06.800
We were just trying to get as much from you as we could and enjoy you.
00:59:06.880 --> 00:59:07.679
And I what?
00:59:08.079 --> 00:59:16.000
And what you realize when the Lord finally manifests to you what his will is, he everybody else has already seen it, everybody else is already aware of it.
00:59:16.559 --> 00:59:26.159
And um, so we packed up everything, sold everything that we could, packed up everything else, and uh I got a call from a guy that said, Deputation, it'll take you six years.
00:59:26.239 --> 00:59:27.199
And I went, What?
00:59:27.360 --> 00:59:29.199
No, I'm not a young man.
00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:34.400
And in 18 months, we had our support raised and we got to the mission field.
00:59:34.559 --> 00:59:36.400
The Lord had our support raised, I should say.
00:59:36.880 --> 00:59:39.920
And uh, since we've gotten here, another time we'll talk about all that.
00:59:40.079 --> 00:59:42.239
My plan was just to come start a Bible institute.
00:59:42.400 --> 00:59:42.800
And we have.
00:59:42.880 --> 00:59:46.719
We've graduated 24 students, we got another five that are going to graduate this year.
00:59:47.039 --> 00:59:49.039
But I didn't plan on starting a church.
00:59:49.119 --> 00:59:50.719
I didn't plan on my car getting stolen.
00:59:50.800 --> 00:59:52.639
I didn't plan on all these other things happening.
00:59:52.719 --> 01:00:00.480
I didn't plan on this week, now as we record this, we're preparing for a one-year anniversary of our church, which is Open Bible Baptist Church.
01:00:00.639 --> 01:00:08.719
So I say all that to say when it was time to name our church here in Brunswick, or not in Brunswick, in Kellowa at in Hagen, uh, I said, What are we going to name it?
01:00:08.960 --> 01:00:12.800
And one of the ladies said, What was the name of the church you pastored in America?
01:00:13.039 --> 01:00:14.880
I said, Open Bible Baptist Church.
01:00:14.960 --> 01:00:23.039
And they said, I'm okay with naming our church that in honor of the people who let their pastor leave to come here and be our pastor.
01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:25.199
And I said, All right, I'm namesake.
01:00:25.280 --> 01:00:32.639
So our namesake is Open Bible Baptist Church of Kellowa Village, in honor of that church that let their pastor go and be a missionary.
01:00:32.800 --> 01:00:36.239
So so yeah, it's not it's not a mystical thing.
01:00:36.400 --> 01:00:41.920
Sometimes it's one step at a time, and sometimes the calling is, hey, this is what the Lord does.
01:00:42.079 --> 01:00:45.360
And then I had a guy tell me one time, he said, Well, you went to Brunswick.
01:00:45.440 --> 01:00:46.079
Was that a mistake?
01:00:46.159 --> 01:00:47.760
I said, How can you call it a mistake?
01:00:47.920 --> 01:00:51.039
What I'm using here on a daily basis, I learned there.
01:00:51.599 --> 01:00:54.239
Um, and and most of our church is a bunch of young people.
01:00:54.320 --> 01:00:57.920
We've got a large group of young men and women at our church here in in Kellowa.
01:00:58.559 --> 01:01:00.639
I learned that running with young people.
01:01:00.800 --> 01:01:02.800
We've got a bunch of widows and older people.
01:01:02.960 --> 01:01:04.079
Learned that, Pastorin.
01:01:04.239 --> 01:01:07.360
I learned about sheep, I learned about shepherding, I learned about all that.
01:01:07.599 --> 01:01:12.480
And um, and so the so I don't know that the Lord changes his will, he just shows you the next step.
01:01:12.960 --> 01:01:19.119
So uh didn't mean to pull a bunch of time there, but that's the uh that's the story of how the Lord got us to where we are.
01:01:19.280 --> 01:01:21.519
Check back in 10 years, I don't know where we'll be.
01:01:21.679 --> 01:01:31.599
I'm just I just I guess my method is my mindset has been this when the Lord shows you to do it, you give it a hundred percent and you stay in it for the long haul.
01:01:31.760 --> 01:01:34.239
Okay, don't be looking for a way to change it.
01:01:34.320 --> 01:01:36.239
Don't look at it as a temporary assignment.
01:01:36.400 --> 01:01:39.840
But when he tells you it's time to move on, okay.
01:01:40.159 --> 01:01:46.239
Just as much as he told you to go there, you make sure he's telling you that emphatically that you've got to leave it.
01:01:46.480 --> 01:01:50.639
And how he did that for me, how he did that for me was he manifested that desire.
01:01:50.800 --> 01:01:52.639
There's no place in the world I'd rather be.
01:01:52.800 --> 01:01:54.239
I know you're about to go on a furlough.
01:01:54.320 --> 01:01:56.079
I don't want to go on no furlough.
01:01:56.239 --> 01:01:58.639
Uh I'm not I'm not against guys going on them.
01:01:58.719 --> 01:02:04.400
I just I just struggle because this is where we love being here so I know we need to, I know we have to.
01:02:04.960 --> 01:02:14.480
I just I just struggle because this is the desire God's putting our heart is to be here with these people and do the work he's doing here, and uh that's what we attribute a calling of God to be.
01:02:14.559 --> 01:02:15.760
So that's it.
01:02:15.920 --> 01:02:16.400
That's it.
01:02:16.559 --> 01:02:18.960
Oh brother, I I I think that's amazing.
01:02:19.199 --> 01:02:41.840
And uh I encourage everybody uh to follow suit, uh get in the book, and uh before the Lord ever showed Brother Ken anything, and before he ever showed me anything, um he and I both asked the question, Lord, just like Paul did in Acts chapter 9, what wilt thou have me to do?
01:02:41.920 --> 01:02:43.519
Lord, I just want to do something for you.
01:02:44.159 --> 01:02:50.239
And Dev definitely didn't have any of this in the vision at the time, just open for whatever.
01:02:50.480 --> 01:03:00.719
Uh but like you said at the beginning, you know, you didn't even know where he was leading you, but he wants full surrender, uh, a blank check, like I said before.
01:03:01.360 --> 01:03:09.440
And I I I really uh I mean, praise the Lord for brother Daws having that that sensitivity to the spirit, um and then the boldness.
01:03:09.519 --> 01:03:19.840
That's that's not easy to address that because we don't want to get in any any people's business, and I definitely don't want to want to be responsible for steering you in a direction that's not of the Lord, right?
01:03:20.000 --> 01:03:21.519
Getting it wrong, yeah, right.
01:03:21.920 --> 01:03:27.760
And so uh, and I I can't stand when people act like the Holy Spirit in my own life, so I definitely don't want to do that for other people.
01:03:28.079 --> 01:03:29.440
For sure, for sure.
01:03:29.679 --> 01:03:37.440
But definitely the Lord, the Lord has a pattern of that confirming through the witness of other people as well.
01:03:37.840 --> 01:03:40.400
And um, for me it was it was uh Dr.
01:03:40.559 --> 01:03:46.880
Sorrell's uh really the Lord really used him to help help help me through when the Lord was dealing with that.
01:03:47.039 --> 01:03:51.199
Uh but you remember Paul, I just preached this yesterday.
01:03:51.440 --> 01:03:54.079
That um he said, What wilt thou have me to do?
01:03:54.159 --> 01:03:58.000
He said, I want you to go to the city, and I'm not telling you what to do till you get to the city.
01:03:58.159 --> 01:03:58.639
That's right.
01:03:58.800 --> 01:04:03.920
And and he had Ananias come and help guide, he showed Ananias.
01:04:04.400 --> 01:04:10.719
I'm gonna use him to be a preacher to the Gentiles and to the house of Israel and uh all the and to kings.
01:04:11.360 --> 01:04:16.239
And so he he even revealed to Ananias what Paul's destiny was.
01:04:16.480 --> 01:04:33.039
And Ananias was the brother that the Lord used to help get everybody on the same side as Paul, and and uh not much is spoken about him, but he helped get Paul on the right track and uh saw Paul baptized and and all those things.
01:04:33.119 --> 01:04:35.760
So, man, I I I think that's amazing.
01:04:35.840 --> 01:04:39.679
And that's the specifics will be different for everybody.
01:04:39.840 --> 01:04:51.199
We don't base anything on signs, uh, because like you said, that that car through the office could have been a sign to stay, could have been a sign to go, could have just been a sign that hey, people get off your phone.
01:04:51.280 --> 01:04:56.000
I mean, right, yeah, yeah, that the wall needed a renovation, right?
01:04:56.239 --> 01:04:56.480
Right.
01:04:56.800 --> 01:05:02.079
I I took it as the Lord just saying, Hey, I hear you, and I'm I'm I'm I'm responding.
01:05:02.159 --> 01:05:04.880
You don't know what it means yet, but I'm yeah, I'm with you.
01:05:05.039 --> 01:05:08.880
And and again, right, the Lord can do things, he can use that to work in my heart.
01:05:09.119 --> 01:05:13.679
At the same time, he's trying to manifest to some person who's in love with a building more than the Lord, right?
01:05:13.760 --> 01:05:15.840
He can do 27 things at the same time.
01:05:16.079 --> 01:05:16.480
That's right.
01:05:16.719 --> 01:05:18.639
And and that's that's the blessing, right?
01:05:18.719 --> 01:05:19.280
You're exactly right.
01:05:19.360 --> 01:05:26.719
We're not looking for signs, we're not looking for, hey, you know, did you did did the sky turn a certain color at a certain time?
01:05:27.039 --> 01:05:27.840
No, no.
01:05:28.400 --> 01:05:36.800
But um, that's why I always say saints, the Lord will use the saints, he used Brother Baker to say, Hey, there's an opportunity, go down there.
01:05:36.880 --> 01:05:38.880
But again, all these men told me, pray.
01:05:39.280 --> 01:05:40.800
You pray and find God's will.
01:05:41.039 --> 01:05:48.800
And and I remember when I felt like I needed to come to Papua New Guinea calling Brother Baker and saying, Hey, I think I'm gonna resign the church, go to New Guinea.
01:05:48.880 --> 01:05:49.360
What do you think?
01:05:49.519 --> 01:05:52.000
And he said, I'll never tell a man what his calling is.
01:05:52.239 --> 01:05:54.400
I'll never tell a man what his calling should be.
01:05:54.559 --> 01:05:55.760
He said, But I'll pray with you.
01:05:55.920 --> 01:05:56.800
I'll pray with you.
01:05:57.039 --> 01:05:58.079
And uh he did.
01:05:58.239 --> 01:05:59.440
And we still stay in contact.
01:05:59.519 --> 01:06:03.840
He's Still messages me and we still he's he's resigned, he's resigned, retired now.
01:06:03.920 --> 01:06:04.800
He's in his 70s.
01:06:04.880 --> 01:06:08.880
But he's he's always been an encouragement, brother Doss, the same way.
01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:22.559
These men who are older men in the Lord who have taken that proper turn at the junction that didn't take the turn to say, hey, look at all that I've built, but took that turn and said, Look what happens when you follow the Lord's leading.
01:06:22.639 --> 01:06:25.199
And let me help you learn how to follow the Lord's leading.
01:06:25.440 --> 01:06:27.679
And brother, it's it's been it's been a wonderful journey.
01:06:27.760 --> 01:06:29.519
I'm 37, I'm not that old.
01:06:29.679 --> 01:06:31.199
Uh I haven't hit 40.
01:06:31.280 --> 01:06:32.800
Uh I'm I'm middle age.
01:06:33.039 --> 01:06:36.559
Brother Baker would always say, people would get to 50 and they'd say, I'm middle age.
01:06:36.639 --> 01:06:38.079
You say, What do you gonna live to be a hundred?
01:06:38.559 --> 01:06:43.440
You know, so so I'm over middle age here, but but I I'm excited, man.
01:06:43.519 --> 01:06:46.880
The Lord's the Lord's will is is hard sometimes.
01:06:47.039 --> 01:06:49.039
The Lord's will is difficult sometimes.
01:06:49.199 --> 01:06:52.639
It's costly sometimes, but it's it's the best.
01:06:52.800 --> 01:06:53.760
I mean, it's great.
01:06:53.920 --> 01:06:54.639
It's great.
01:06:55.280 --> 01:07:00.559
Uh like uh you quoted you said before your guys like to watch Nacho Libre, you know, he says he's the best.
01:07:00.639 --> 01:07:01.199
I love it.
01:07:04.639 --> 01:07:06.400
So there's my carnal moment for the episode.
01:07:06.639 --> 01:07:08.159
Yeah, you're telling all our secrets, Ken.
01:07:08.480 --> 01:07:09.280
Telling all our secrets.
01:07:11.280 --> 01:07:14.480
So no, but that's it.
01:07:14.559 --> 01:07:17.679
That's the story of Ken Sirmick, how he got to the mission field.
01:07:18.000 --> 01:07:23.519
And um, and and some days the only thing that keeps you there is the Lord going, I put you there.
01:07:23.679 --> 01:07:24.559
That's it.
01:07:24.880 --> 01:07:26.480
But Lord, you're not getting fruit.
01:07:26.880 --> 01:07:30.960
I didn't send nope, just stay there and just do what I told you to do and stay faithful.
01:07:31.039 --> 01:07:33.440
And the results are mine, they're not yours.
01:07:33.679 --> 01:07:34.480
All right, Lord.
01:07:34.639 --> 01:07:35.440
All right, Lord.
01:07:35.599 --> 01:07:36.639
So brother.
01:07:37.119 --> 01:07:37.679
Well, amen.
01:07:37.920 --> 01:07:39.599
I I think that's an encouragement to me.
01:07:39.760 --> 01:07:42.159
I think that's an encouragement to all of our listeners.
01:07:42.400 --> 01:07:50.719
And um maybe you're maybe this your first episode, or maybe you you're still uh just wanting to understand some more.
01:07:50.880 --> 01:07:52.559
We have lots of videos we've put out.
01:07:52.639 --> 01:07:58.079
The last few have been a series dealing with the Lord's call on an individual.
01:07:58.639 --> 01:08:02.159
And um, so we encourage you to go back and listen to those if you haven't.
01:08:02.400 --> 01:08:04.880
And uh, we appreciate you listening today.
01:08:05.119 --> 01:08:12.880
Uh as uh brother Ken shared with us how the Lord led him here, and uh hopefully you got some encouragement for how the Lord can lead you in the future.
01:08:13.039 --> 01:08:14.159
So praise the Lord.
01:08:14.320 --> 01:08:14.639
Amen.
01:08:14.800 --> 01:08:17.600
Brother Ken, anything else you got for us?
01:08:17.920 --> 01:08:18.960
Yeah, two things.
01:08:19.119 --> 01:08:20.560
Pray for the Wilson family.
01:08:20.640 --> 01:08:22.399
They're headed back on a short furlough.
01:08:22.479 --> 01:08:25.760
Right now, we're putting this out on October the 12th, October the 12th.
01:08:25.920 --> 01:08:28.159
So if you watch this later, don't, you know, it's too late.
01:08:28.239 --> 01:08:29.199
But pray for them.
01:08:29.279 --> 01:08:31.920
They're packing up suitcases and stuff to head back to the U.S.
01:08:32.159 --> 01:08:35.840
If you want to have them in and give them a bunch of money for support, contact Brother Caleb.
01:08:35.920 --> 01:08:44.399
I don't know what his plan or schedule looks like, but we'll try to keep our broadcast coming um in spite of his travel itinerary and nights and days getting mixed up.
01:08:44.640 --> 01:08:48.560
But if you watch this on October 12th, it's all the also Brother Caleb's birthday.
01:08:48.640 --> 01:08:50.399
So happy birthday, Caleb.
01:08:50.479 --> 01:08:51.359
What are you, 12 now?
01:08:51.520 --> 01:08:51.920
13?
01:08:52.000 --> 01:08:52.640
How old are you?
01:08:53.119 --> 01:08:53.840
32.
01:08:54.079 --> 01:08:55.439
32, 32.
01:08:55.600 --> 01:08:56.079
All right.
01:08:56.159 --> 01:08:58.399
So happy birthday, brother Caleb.
01:08:58.560 --> 01:08:59.840
So that's all I've got.
01:09:00.000 --> 01:09:00.640
Happy birthday.
01:09:00.720 --> 01:09:01.920
And pray for us if you would.
01:09:02.000 --> 01:09:05.439
We're going uh right now, we're gonna celebrate the one year anniversary of our church.
01:09:05.520 --> 01:09:06.640
We got a tent meeting going up.
01:09:06.720 --> 01:09:09.199
I got a missionary flying in this week to preach for us.
01:09:09.359 --> 01:09:14.399
Lots of exciting stuff going on, but wanted to take this time out to chat with everybody on here and share that story.
01:09:14.479 --> 01:09:16.640
So that's all I've got, brother Caleb.
01:09:16.960 --> 01:09:18.000
That's it, brother.
01:09:18.079 --> 01:09:19.359
Appreciate everybody listening.
01:09:19.520 --> 01:09:20.640
God bless you.
01:09:21.199 --> 01:09:21.680
Amen.
01:09:22.079 --> 01:09:22.960
Take care.