WEBVTT 00:00.031 --> 00:03.831 I played on the British Columbia Provincial Basketball team, 00:03.831 --> 00:08.211 which is like the top 12 high school basketball players in the province of BC. 00:08.211 --> 00:12.251 And so all these NCAA Division I scouts were all ready to meet me. 00:12.251 --> 00:15.171 They had seen my game tape, they had seen my highlight reel, 00:15.171 --> 00:18.011 and they're like, we're so excited, like we can't wait to meet you. 00:18.011 --> 00:20.551 We were doing a rebounding drill in practice. 00:20.551 --> 00:24.851 One of my teammates came prematurely underneath me and I landed on their ankle. 00:24.854 --> 00:27.994 And I tore all the ligaments in my ankle. 00:27.994 --> 00:29.954 And my ankle was just like huge. 00:29.954 --> 00:31.094 It just ballooned. 00:31.094 --> 00:33.954 And I remember just feeling so defeated. 00:33.954 --> 00:37.094 Just so like anxious, worried, 00:37.094 --> 00:38.794 not sure what the future was gonna hold. 00:38.794 --> 00:40.794 And I remember just looking through the channels 00:40.794 --> 00:42.414 as I was icing my ankle. 00:42.421 --> 00:45.661 And I came across the animation, Joseph King of Dreams. 00:45.661 --> 00:49.421 Hearing, seeing up close and personal Joseph's story 00:49.421 --> 00:51.901 about how he was betrayed by his brothers, 00:51.901 --> 00:55.101 thrown into a pit, sold into slavery. 00:55.101 --> 00:59.041 And then at that point, when Joseph is at the low of lows, 00:59.041 --> 01:00.381 God redeems his story. 01:00.381 --> 01:02.401 And I remember thinking, wow, 01:02.401 --> 01:05.141 if God can redeem Joseph's story, 01:05.141 --> 01:07.181 I'm sure he can redeem my story as well. 01:07.181 --> 01:17.181 Like, come on. 01:20.305 --> 01:22.025 So do you go by pastor? 01:22.465 --> 01:24.205 Because on here it just says Colby Mayer. 01:25.245 --> 01:26.745 Mayer, not Mayer. 01:26.925 --> 01:27.744 Golly. 01:27.745 --> 01:31.425 It's the spelling, the M-A-I-E-R, that's throwing my brain off. 01:31.465 --> 01:32.184 Yeah, yeah. 01:32.185 --> 01:33.885 But do you go by pastor? 01:34.045 --> 01:35.405 I just, I don't, I'm pretty chill. 01:35.565 --> 01:37.405 Like at church, I'm pastor. 01:37.565 --> 01:37.984 Yeah. 01:37.985 --> 01:40.405 Outside, if I'm, you know, if you're part of my community at church, 01:40.505 --> 01:43.565 yeah, pastor probably, but I'm just, Colby's fine. 01:43.728 --> 01:44.647 I like the chill vibe. 01:44.648 --> 01:44.967 Yeah. 01:44.968 --> 01:46.047 Yeah. 01:46.048 --> 01:46.587 Okay. 01:46.588 --> 01:49.968 Well, I want to get into your story because you kind of... 01:50.788 --> 01:55.968 God took a situation in your life that seemed horrible and almost like the end and he... 01:56.317 --> 02:01.557 pivoted your whole life into this incredible calling that you're living out. So talk about 02:01.557 --> 02:06.237 growing up, what that was like, and then we'll lead up to that moment where I think your whole 02:06.237 --> 02:11.897 life kind of shifted. Yeah. Yeah. So like I say that from the youngest age possible, I had a 02:11.897 --> 02:17.757 basketball in my hands. So I was four years old. I remember my mom, she was looking for different 02:17.748 --> 02:22.548 extracurricular activities to get me involved in in the community yeah and so your mom moms you 02:22.548 --> 02:27.168 know moms the moms are amazing yeah so my mom was super invested in just getting me into like 02:27.168 --> 02:32.828 you know singing and and piano and just whatever she wanted me to try everything just try as many 02:32.828 --> 02:37.268 things as possible and see what sticks see what you love so basketball was one of those things 02:37.829 --> 02:39.129 And she put me in Little Dribblers. 02:39.529 --> 02:41.349 And I remember the moment. 02:41.469 --> 02:43.289 Little Dribblers, everyone's like, you know, under four or whatever. 02:43.289 --> 02:44.348 Four years under. 02:44.349 --> 02:49.169 And I remember the first time I got the ball, I was just like, I freaked out and just gave it to the opposing team. 02:49.469 --> 02:51.129 I had no idea what I was doing. 02:51.949 --> 02:55.729 But then one of the coaches told me, he's like, hey, have you heard of Kobe Bryant? 02:55.929 --> 02:57.189 Like, your name is very similar. 02:57.409 --> 02:58.228 Have you heard of Kobe? 02:58.229 --> 02:59.388 And I was like, no. 02:59.389 --> 03:02.269 Like, show me like a little picture of him. 03:02.309 --> 03:03.168 And I was like, oh, wow. 03:03.169 --> 03:05.909 Like, I was like, I want to be just like Kobe. 03:06.409 --> 03:06.448 Yeah. 03:06.449 --> 03:07.889 I want to play basketball like him. 03:07.909 --> 03:09.069 And he's like, yeah, dude, like do it. 03:09.109 --> 03:14.089 And so that for me was kind of the birthing place of my basketball passion and desire. 03:14.589 --> 03:17.009 So you just stuck with it all the way through? 03:17.109 --> 03:17.388 Yeah. 03:17.389 --> 03:18.529 How far did you go? 03:18.529 --> 03:26.889 So I played on the British Columbia Provincial Basketball Team, which is like the top 12 high school basketball players in the province of BC. 03:27.229 --> 03:27.748 Wow. 03:27.749 --> 03:29.529 So there's like very strict... 03:29.939 --> 03:32.499 like filtering process for that. 03:32.819 --> 03:34.119 There's like, I think there's like four 03:34.119 --> 03:36.119 layers of different tryouts and it goes 03:36.119 --> 03:37.759 from like the entire province and it's 03:37.759 --> 03:39.639 like regionally and then it's like larger 03:39.639 --> 03:41.819 and larger until you have like the top of 03:41.819 --> 03:44.299 the top trying out against each other and 03:44.299 --> 03:45.278 competing against one another. 03:45.279 --> 03:45.801 And so. 03:45.802 --> 03:50.562 There was, yeah, so I did that from U15 to U17. 03:50.822 --> 03:53.962 And so I played on the U17 provincial basketball team. 03:54.062 --> 04:06.362 And I got to play with some pretty high-level athletes, guys who went on to play in the NBA or play professionally overseas, which is amazing to see kind of their story and where, you know, they were led to. 04:06.608 --> 04:13.068 but I had an injury in my senior year and we had like, 04:13.128 --> 04:13.507 my, 04:13.508 --> 04:15.688 my dream was obviously to play professionally, 04:15.688 --> 04:19.028 but my parents' dream was for me to get a full ride basketball scholarship. 04:19.228 --> 04:19.567 Yeah. 04:19.568 --> 04:20.027 Like that's, 04:20.028 --> 04:20.147 you know, 04:20.148 --> 04:20.767 as a parent, 04:20.768 --> 04:21.347 like, 04:21.348 --> 04:21.547 you know, 04:21.548 --> 04:24.308 your kid can have ambitions to like go to the big leagues or whatever, 04:24.448 --> 04:24.907 but like, 04:24.908 --> 04:25.447 you're just like, 04:25.448 --> 04:26.628 I want them to have an education. 04:26.628 --> 04:28.368 I want them to have like that security, 04:28.548 --> 04:29.427 that stability. 04:29.428 --> 04:32.128 That was my kind of my parents' big push. 04:32.128 --> 04:32.567 They were like, 04:32.568 --> 04:34.888 we just want you to get your education paid for. 04:34.958 --> 04:39.878 And so they had invested a lot too into me kind of being the best player that I could be. 04:40.198 --> 04:46.378 So we had a big tournament that was happening in my senior year with the provincial basketball team in Las Vegas. 04:46.658 --> 04:48.058 And it was called the main event. 04:48.338 --> 04:52.578 And so all these NCAA Division I scouts were all ready to meet me. 04:52.678 --> 04:54.138 They had seen my game tape. 04:54.298 --> 04:55.438 They had seen my highlight reel. 04:55.618 --> 04:57.218 And they're like, we're so excited. 04:57.238 --> 04:58.658 Like, we can't wait to meet you. 04:58.798 --> 04:59.190 Wow. 04:59.191 --> 05:05.131 And it was the week before that event where we were doing a rebounding drill in practice. 05:05.671 --> 05:10.371 And one of my teammates came prematurely underneath me and I landed on their ankle. 05:11.031 --> 05:13.791 And I tore all the ligaments in my ankle. 05:14.151 --> 05:16.251 And my ankle was just like huge. 05:16.331 --> 05:17.691 It just ballooned. 05:17.737 --> 05:24.297 And I remember being so frustrated, so angry, you know, all my eggs were in the game of basketball. 05:24.637 --> 05:25.717 So that was it. 05:25.817 --> 05:32.917 Like everything, all my identity, my hope, my security, stability, emotions, passion, everything was invested in the game. 05:33.597 --> 05:37.457 So when that injury happened, I was so angry. 05:37.877 --> 05:39.537 Yeah, understandably so. 05:39.537 --> 05:39.757 Yeah. 05:39.758 --> 05:57.098 Yeah, yeah. You invest all this energy for how many years and you're at the pinnacle of that, what feels like, and you're ready to take the next step, the next big leap into university, which is huge. That's a huge moment as an athlete. As a high school athlete, you know that that next step is huge. The university you go to is everything. 05:57.882 --> 06:02.782 And so having this injury, I went back to my teammates place that I was staying at. 06:02.842 --> 06:04.882 The team went on to go to Las Vegas and play. 06:05.302 --> 06:12.962 And I remember just feeling so defeated, just so like anxious, worried, not sure what the future was going to hold. 06:14.062 --> 06:17.482 And I remember just flicking through the channels as I was icing my ankle. 06:18.042 --> 06:21.682 And I came across the animation Joseph King of Dreams. 06:22.435 --> 06:24.975 Oh, wait, I think I've seen that. 06:25.055 --> 06:26.095 The DreamWorks animation. 06:26.355 --> 06:27.515 That's such a good movie. 06:27.515 --> 06:27.914 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 06:27.915 --> 06:28.534 Prince of Egypt. 06:28.535 --> 06:29.655 Have you seen that King Prince of Egypt? 06:29.675 --> 06:30.394 Yes, but I've seen the Joseph. 06:30.395 --> 06:32.015 I grew up watching the Joseph one too. 06:32.075 --> 06:32.234 Yeah. 06:32.235 --> 06:33.134 Such a good movie. 06:33.135 --> 06:34.094 Yeah, it's the best. 06:34.095 --> 06:34.354 Yeah. 06:34.355 --> 06:34.754 It's the best. 06:34.755 --> 06:37.515 So I'm like a Prince of Egypt guy, Joseph, King of Dreams guy. 06:37.515 --> 06:38.514 So it's like back and forth. 06:38.515 --> 06:39.554 Any 90s kid. 06:39.555 --> 06:40.614 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 06:40.615 --> 06:41.254 They were good. 06:41.255 --> 06:42.034 They were really good. 06:42.035 --> 06:42.994 And they had songs with it. 06:42.995 --> 06:44.174 It was a musical too. 06:44.175 --> 06:45.635 And so I can sing all the songs. 06:45.755 --> 06:46.794 Anyways, that's a different story. 06:46.795 --> 06:48.455 There can be miracles. 06:48.495 --> 06:49.074 No, I'm just kidding. 06:49.075 --> 06:49.554 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 06:49.555 --> 06:50.514 Yeah, no, I'm just kidding. 06:50.515 --> 06:52.195 But actually, okay, so about that. 06:52.255 --> 07:09.495 So I watched the story of Joseph and like hearing, seeing up close and personal Joseph's story about how he was betrayed by his brothers, you know, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, into Potiphar's household, falsely accused, thrown into prison. 07:09.955 --> 07:12.855 And you're like, Joseph's story can't get any worse at this point. 07:12.915 --> 07:14.114 You're like, it's pretty bad. 07:14.115 --> 07:17.215 Like, I don't know how much worse it can possibly get. 07:17.279 --> 07:20.719 And then at that point, when Joseph is at the low of lows, 07:21.379 --> 07:22.539 God redeems his story. 07:23.179 --> 07:24.599 It doesn't just redeem his story, 07:24.679 --> 07:28.019 but like puts him second in command in all of Egypt. 07:28.959 --> 07:29.818 Like, can you imagine that? 07:29.819 --> 07:31.759 Like going, being on this narrative arc 07:31.759 --> 07:34.219 and you're like, the story is progressively getting worse 07:34.219 --> 07:35.198 and worse and worse. 07:35.199 --> 07:36.239 And it gets so bad. 07:36.239 --> 07:38.599 And then just straight up second in command 07:38.599 --> 07:40.299 in all Egypt next to Pharaoh himself. 07:41.208 --> 07:46.048 And I remember thinking, wow, if God can redeem Joseph's story, 07:46.568 --> 07:49.068 I'm sure he can redeem my story as well. 07:49.188 --> 07:50.708 Like, come on, this ankle thing. 07:50.788 --> 07:52.227 Like, what is this? 07:52.228 --> 07:57.868 And I remember that summer, I was prompted to read the Bible from front to cover, 07:58.148 --> 07:59.748 from Genesis all the way to Revelation. 08:00.175 --> 08:03.555 I read the gospels, the accounts, the biographies of Jesus' life. 08:03.635 --> 08:07.695 And I was convinced that Jesus lived the life I couldn't live. 08:07.735 --> 08:09.255 And he died the death that I deserved to die. 08:09.295 --> 08:10.154 And he rose again. 08:10.155 --> 08:12.495 I was convinced the Holy Spirit spoke to me. 08:12.695 --> 08:16.355 The text, like I always say, I didn't read the text as much as the text was reading me. 08:16.755 --> 08:20.595 And like reading my heart and my desires and everything that was inside of me. 08:20.675 --> 08:22.955 I was like, man, there's something here. 08:24.275 --> 08:28.895 And that for me was the, you know, I gave my life to the Lord and I've never looked back since. 08:29.302 --> 08:31.802 So what was Jesus like before that moment? 08:31.902 --> 08:35.042 Did you ever have like, were you raised in church at all? 08:35.082 --> 08:37.682 Or was that like your first encounter with God? 08:37.962 --> 08:40.682 Before that, it was like my home. 08:41.122 --> 08:45.202 My parents wanted to teach us religion and like this, 08:45.362 --> 08:47.802 like kind of like a nominal Christianity. 08:48.162 --> 08:50.702 So I knew who Jesus was, but he wasn't Lord. 08:51.022 --> 08:51.281 Yeah. 08:51.282 --> 08:55.522 Like I knew I could tell you some, maybe some truths of scripture, 08:55.762 --> 08:57.422 but they didn't mean anything to me. 08:57.415 --> 09:00.295 You knew of him, but you didn't know him personally. 09:00.295 --> 09:02.155 Yeah, exactly, exactly. 09:02.155 --> 09:07.155 So for me, the Bible used to be just an ancient artifact 09:07.735 --> 09:10.455 and now it became the breath of life. 09:10.455 --> 09:11.935 Like it became living. 09:11.935 --> 09:13.755 It became something that was like tangible, 09:13.755 --> 09:15.995 that was like moving, living and active, 09:15.995 --> 09:17.615 you know, as the scripture says. 09:17.615 --> 09:22.615 And that for me became like such a source of life for me 09:23.815 --> 09:25.355 in that dark season. 09:25.343 --> 09:28.803 And emerging from that, I was baptized. 09:28.803 --> 09:31.183 I got into a Bible living church. 09:31.183 --> 09:32.223 I always joke about this, 09:32.223 --> 09:35.183 but my grandparents were going to this. 09:35.183 --> 09:38.023 They were very avid church goers 09:38.023 --> 09:42.363 and they were going to a church in rural Canada. 09:42.363 --> 09:45.663 It was like 30 minutes outside of where my parents lived 09:45.663 --> 09:47.903 and they lived on the outskirts of the city. 09:47.903 --> 09:50.503 So they were like way out in the kind of the boonies 09:50.503 --> 09:53.503 and small church in the middle of nowhere. 09:53.491 --> 09:57.851 And my grandparents went there and everybody there was over the age of 75. 09:58.211 --> 09:59.050 Oh my goodness. 09:59.051 --> 10:00.511 So I was the youth of the church. 10:00.611 --> 10:02.011 I was like, they're like, he's the hope of it. 10:02.051 --> 10:03.611 He's the church is gonna, you know what I mean? 10:03.651 --> 10:04.891 He's gonna bring the youth. 10:05.011 --> 10:06.250 He's gonna bring the youth. 10:06.251 --> 10:07.571 I try to bring the youth. 10:07.911 --> 10:10.911 So, but that church, in all honesty, they just loved me. 10:11.491 --> 10:13.471 And they were so loving. 10:13.571 --> 10:14.871 They showed me the love of Jesus. 10:15.691 --> 10:19.771 The pastor there, Pastor Jim, I still have a relationship with him to this day. 10:20.131 --> 10:22.311 He was the most God-fearing person. 10:23.478 --> 10:32.538 most surrendered, authentic man I've ever seen. Like to this day, I can still say that he, he, 10:32.618 --> 10:37.958 he had no big platform, no following, no, all these metrics or whatever today that we, 10:37.998 --> 10:41.858 we think that, you know, that's a leader. He didn't have any of that. 10:42.479 --> 10:44.499 He served in this church in the middle of Canada, 10:44.499 --> 10:47.619 in the middle of nowhere, and he was so faithful. 10:47.619 --> 10:51.299 And I'm like, that's the Christianity that I want. 10:51.299 --> 10:53.419 Like that's it. 10:53.419 --> 10:55.639 Like what he's got, like he's, you know what I mean? 10:55.639 --> 10:59.299 And that was so attractive to me as a young man, 10:59.299 --> 11:01.339 17 years old, 18 years old. 11:01.345 --> 11:03.345 And I'm like, I want that. 11:03.345 --> 11:04.565 And he took me under his wing. 11:04.565 --> 11:05.845 He mentored me. 11:05.845 --> 11:08.185 He just, he taught me, you know, 11:08.185 --> 11:10.185 he empowered me to actually teach, 11:10.185 --> 11:12.745 do Bible studies with the 70 and 80 year olds, 11:12.745 --> 11:13.805 which is really cool. 11:13.805 --> 11:15.865 He's like, I want you to lead out. 11:15.865 --> 11:17.725 And I was like, oh, you sure? 11:17.725 --> 11:18.564 Like, okay. 11:18.565 --> 11:21.365 And so he just gave me every opportunity 11:21.365 --> 11:22.705 to get involved in ministry. 11:22.705 --> 11:24.625 He activated me. 11:24.625 --> 11:26.965 He always told me that the church can do, 11:26.965 --> 11:28.005 has one of two choices. 11:28.005 --> 11:30.385 You can either entertain people 11:30.387 --> 11:32.467 or you can activate and equip people. 11:32.467 --> 11:36.527 People are, they're gonna stay when you activate and equip, 11:36.527 --> 11:37.927 when you empower them, right? 11:37.927 --> 11:40.527 Not by entertaining them, the world does a good job of that. 11:40.527 --> 11:44.567 But if you can like activate, equip, train, disciple, 11:44.567 --> 11:45.827 that's what keeps people. 11:45.827 --> 11:47.607 And that's what kept me. 11:47.768 --> 11:51.888 And so he allowed me to preach my first sermon ever. 11:52.388 --> 11:54.448 It was on accepting the unaccepted. 11:54.568 --> 11:55.928 And he helped me craft it. 11:56.008 --> 11:57.548 And he helped me like, he helped me put it together. 11:57.628 --> 11:58.407 He's like, this is good. 11:58.408 --> 12:01.068 This is a good, he's like, now he's like, 12:01.148 --> 12:02.268 you've done all this work. 12:02.608 --> 12:05.628 Now you need to spend X amount of time in prayer. 12:05.688 --> 12:07.168 Like bathe it in prayer. 12:07.288 --> 12:10.288 Like the power comes from prayer, right? 12:10.308 --> 12:12.188 It doesn't come from, you know, 12:12.187 --> 12:14.007 the words on the page or your manuscript 12:14.007 --> 12:15.707 or what you've doctored together. 12:15.887 --> 12:18.107 He's like, the power comes from prayer. 12:18.587 --> 12:19.587 Bathe this in prayer. 12:20.107 --> 12:22.767 So I remember I prayed for like 10, 12 hours 12:22.767 --> 12:23.706 over this sermon. 12:23.707 --> 12:24.146 Really? 12:24.147 --> 12:25.967 I just, yeah, I just poured everything into it. 12:26.187 --> 12:27.106 And it was like, honestly, 12:27.107 --> 12:28.407 one of the best sermons I've ever preached. 12:28.893 --> 12:29.492 Really? 12:29.493 --> 12:30.172 Yeah, I think it was. 12:30.173 --> 12:31.392 It was like my first sermon. 12:31.393 --> 12:32.392 How old were you? 12:32.393 --> 12:33.413 I was like 17. 12:33.653 --> 12:34.232 Oh my gosh. 12:34.233 --> 12:35.293 You were so young too. 12:35.293 --> 12:36.092 I was a little baby. 12:36.093 --> 12:37.292 Yeah. 12:37.293 --> 12:39.153 But it was a good sermon. 12:39.393 --> 12:46.313 My grandfather, my opa, my late grandfather, he was on the front pew of the church. 12:46.373 --> 12:49.333 And there's like 35, 40 people here in the church. 12:49.553 --> 12:51.953 And he was like, he was crying. 12:52.213 --> 12:54.553 Like I could just see the tears coming down his face. 12:54.753 --> 12:57.073 And that just moved me so deeply. 12:57.074 --> 13:01.954 I was like just seeing him there and he had been praying his whole life that his son would be a preacher. 13:02.414 --> 13:05.454 And, you know, his son didn't, but my dad didn't become a preacher. 13:05.654 --> 13:10.714 For him to see that prayer answered in his grandson's life was kind of crazy. 13:11.214 --> 13:12.594 I mean, that's just kind of crazy. 13:12.874 --> 13:16.514 But anyway, so that's kind of how I got started and how I got involved. 13:17.155 --> 13:21.755 It's such a wild thing that you like had this injury and you see this movie. 13:21.895 --> 13:22.774 I love hearing that. 13:22.775 --> 13:27.435 I know God uses stuff like that to speak to people in such a powerful way. 13:27.555 --> 13:29.215 And then God moved on your heart. 13:29.335 --> 13:30.615 You read through the whole Bible. 13:30.995 --> 13:32.374 That's wild. 13:32.375 --> 13:36.055 Were you saved then or did you give your life after the reading through the Bible? 13:36.342 --> 13:37.722 It was like when I read the gospels. 13:37.882 --> 13:38.341 Yeah. 13:38.342 --> 13:44.022 When I read the gospels and the Holy Spirit was prompting me that Jesus is not entombed. 13:44.122 --> 13:46.282 He is living and alive and well. 13:46.642 --> 13:52.142 And that was for me, it was like the convicting point where I was like, yeah, like Jesus rose from the dead. 13:52.362 --> 13:52.701 Yeah. 13:52.702 --> 13:53.742 And I believed it right there. 13:53.742 --> 13:53.857 Yeah. 13:53.858 --> 13:56.058 So you weren't just reading the Bible like with your mind. 13:56.178 --> 13:58.338 It was like a conversation with the Holy Spirit. 13:58.418 --> 13:58.757 Yeah. 13:58.758 --> 13:59.597 He was leading you. 13:59.598 --> 14:01.118 He was like illuminating the word to you. 14:01.238 --> 14:01.477 Yeah. 14:01.478 --> 14:05.418 And it was conviction that like these biographies on his life were true. 14:05.498 --> 14:06.898 These eyewitness accounts, right? 14:06.938 --> 14:08.898 These are eyewitness accounts in the ancient world. 14:09.338 --> 14:11.598 Just like we have eyewitness accounts in court today. 14:11.698 --> 14:13.858 These were eyewitness accounts that were written back then. 14:13.858 --> 14:15.638 And these are authentic. 14:16.505 --> 14:22.765 words from a person who lived and saw and was under Jesus' teaching. And for me to see and 14:22.765 --> 14:27.245 correlate and read the gospels together in context and how they're different, but different 14:27.245 --> 14:32.225 perspectives, but the same story, the same person is central. I was just convicted that 14:32.225 --> 14:34.925 this thing is, this thing's true. And that's the Holy Spirit's work. 14:35.523 --> 14:37.403 When did you feel the call to ministry? 14:37.923 --> 14:40.723 I think that took place. 14:41.463 --> 14:45.583 There was actually another youth pastor who first like planted the seed seed. 14:45.883 --> 14:47.083 He asked me a question. 14:47.203 --> 14:50.683 He's like, have you ever thought about ministry, like pastoring? 14:51.963 --> 14:56.443 I had gone on a trip to the Dreamland in Southern California. 14:56.563 --> 14:57.482 I don't know if you know. 14:57.483 --> 14:58.742 Dream Center. 14:58.743 --> 14:59.983 Oh, yes, yes, yes. 14:59.983 --> 15:00.442 Dream Center. 15:00.443 --> 15:01.162 I know what that is. 15:01.163 --> 15:02.843 Angelus Temple. 15:02.827 --> 15:03.967 It's associated with them. 15:04.167 --> 15:08.047 But there was a bunch of high school kids who went on a, 15:08.167 --> 15:08.926 like we took like, 15:08.927 --> 15:11.107 I think there was like 30 or 40 high school kids 15:11.107 --> 15:13.587 who came down. 15:13.667 --> 15:15.207 There was like a local church that was doing this. 15:15.367 --> 15:16.607 And they brought all these high school kids 15:16.607 --> 15:19.827 to the Dream Center to serve and to minister 15:19.827 --> 15:21.907 and to help with whatever the city needed. 15:22.747 --> 15:24.527 And the pastor there, he's like, 15:24.567 --> 15:26.907 hey, have you ever thought about ministry before? 15:27.687 --> 15:29.667 And that for me kind of planted a seed. 15:29.707 --> 15:31.127 He's like, you love serving people. 15:31.347 --> 15:32.387 You love the word. 15:32.813 --> 15:34.933 He's like, have you ever thought about that? 15:34.933 --> 15:35.852 I was like, not really. 15:35.853 --> 15:37.173 I kind of thought about, you know, 15:37.173 --> 15:39.213 either playing professionally, if that doesn't work, 15:39.213 --> 15:41.933 I want to do kinesiology or sports medicine, 15:41.933 --> 15:43.293 work with athletes. 15:43.293 --> 15:44.693 That was like the backup. 15:44.693 --> 15:47.713 So he kind of planted that seed to do something in ministry. 15:47.713 --> 15:49.433 And then the other pastor, 15:49.435 --> 15:51.155 From the rural church. 15:51.155 --> 15:51.434 From Canada. 15:51.435 --> 15:52.014 Yeah. 15:52.015 --> 15:54.815 He started discipling you. 15:55.235 --> 15:56.675 And then that's when you felt the call. 15:57.015 --> 15:57.494 Yeah. 15:57.495 --> 15:57.794 Yeah. 15:57.795 --> 16:03.415 And then after preaching that sermon, it was like, okay, like I think this, he can preach a little bit and I think he can communicate. 16:03.415 --> 16:04.875 And I think there might be something here. 16:04.915 --> 16:05.995 And it was like kind of confirmation. 16:06.655 --> 16:08.735 So a lot of people were confirming that. 16:09.695 --> 16:13.415 And then I just kept running with it and just felt led to continue with it. 16:14.073 --> 16:15.833 And so what was the after parts? 16:15.913 --> 16:18.733 How long were you at that church for in the rural Canada? 16:19.013 --> 16:23.993 I was at that church, I was in my senior year, so probably like a year. 16:25.093 --> 16:27.093 And then I graduated from high school. 16:27.093 --> 16:35.513 And then I found, I got a full ride basketball scholarship to a Bible college in Alberta, Canada. 16:35.875 --> 16:37.915 Oh my goodness. Wow. 16:37.915 --> 16:40.035 So it took one thing you loved basketball, 16:40.035 --> 16:43.175 you got a full ride, but it was through, but also ministry. 16:43.175 --> 16:46.995 Yeah. So it was to study theology. 16:46.995 --> 16:51.375 And the coach of the basketball team was a pastor of a church 16:51.375 --> 16:54.295 just outside of the university campus. 16:54.295 --> 16:55.755 So he had his own church there. 16:55.755 --> 16:57.795 And so he gave me two assignments. 16:57.795 --> 16:59.795 He's like, you're gonna play basketball for me. 16:59.939 --> 17:02.499 But a part of your scholarship is also, 17:02.499 --> 17:04.699 I'm gonna mentor you and you're gonna help me 17:04.699 --> 17:07.499 in the ministry at the church. 17:07.499 --> 17:09.599 So it was like a two in one type thing. 17:09.727 --> 17:15.067 So God really was just setting you up from one thing to the next to take you on the path to where you are now. 17:15.347 --> 17:15.866 Yeah. 17:15.867 --> 17:19.127 Mentorship and discipleship and learning. 17:19.327 --> 17:19.646 Yeah. 17:19.647 --> 17:19.826 Yeah. 17:19.827 --> 17:23.287 And honestly, looking back, I'm like, I am so like, I feel so fortunate. 17:23.287 --> 17:33.267 And so like, just so blessed by the Lord because all of those different opportunities, you know, even playing basketball at a high level in high school. 17:33.267 --> 17:34.987 And then I went on to play collegiate university. 17:35.107 --> 17:45.427 Like all those things were just God's way of using my past to kind of set me up for future leadership and future ministry and all those other things. 17:45.607 --> 17:51.827 So I just feel like just so honored and just humbled that the Lord did all those things. 17:52.907 --> 17:56.507 And just to see where it all led, just so grateful for all those things. 17:56.875 --> 18:04.315 So when you were in college, was that when you were like, okay, I am going to go into ministry and you're kind of veered away from basketball? 18:04.555 --> 18:06.275 Like how was that transition like? 18:06.443 --> 18:09.483 Yeah, I think the transition had already taken place in my heart. 18:10.283 --> 18:14.463 I think basketball was not on the pedestal that it was in high school. 18:14.563 --> 18:17.743 Like I did not want it to be an idol and I was very mindful of that. 18:18.123 --> 18:24.263 I'm still going to use the game as a tool to advance my studies in theology, but I'm not going to put it. 18:24.703 --> 18:27.203 The temptation is always even competing in college. 18:27.908 --> 18:30.108 it was like the flesh was coming out sometimes. 18:30.108 --> 18:31.488 I'm like trying to beat down the, 18:31.688 --> 18:32.768 like that competitive, 18:33.368 --> 18:33.987 you know, 18:33.988 --> 18:34.667 cutthroat, 18:34.668 --> 18:35.647 do whatever it takes, 18:35.648 --> 18:35.987 you know, 18:35.988 --> 18:37.008 at the expense of, 18:37.508 --> 18:38.127 you know what I mean? 18:38.128 --> 18:39.468 Like that for me is like, 18:39.488 --> 18:40.627 that's the old man. 18:40.628 --> 18:41.807 Like he died, 18:41.808 --> 18:42.367 you know? 18:42.368 --> 18:44.888 And so we often revert back to the patterns of our former ignorance, 18:44.888 --> 18:45.567 I say. 18:45.568 --> 18:46.387 So the, 18:46.388 --> 18:46.647 the, 18:46.648 --> 18:48.468 the spirit has always convicted me as I'm playing, 18:48.568 --> 18:49.848 but like it wasn't basketball, 18:49.908 --> 18:52.288 wasn't on the pedestal that it was in high school. 18:52.448 --> 18:55.448 It had its different place in my life. 18:55.448 --> 18:59.288 as a launching pad for ministry and for what that looked like. 18:59.928 --> 19:03.488 But that for me was like, yeah, I want to run with this 19:03.488 --> 19:06.148 and I want to see where the ministry leads 19:06.148 --> 19:08.508 and whatever God has for me, I'm open to it. 19:08.948 --> 19:09.807 Yeah. 19:09.808 --> 19:12.228 So what happened after college? 19:12.768 --> 19:17.868 So after college, I had my first call to ministry 19:17.868 --> 19:20.068 in a church in Southeast Portland. 19:20.268 --> 19:21.928 So this was in 2015. 19:22.368 --> 19:23.021 Wow. 19:23.022 --> 19:28.102 I got a call from a small church in Portland for a youth internship. 19:28.482 --> 19:31.522 It's like a youth pastor position in Portland. 19:31.582 --> 19:32.862 And I'm like, oh, Portland sounds cool. 19:32.942 --> 19:35.402 Like I heard it's kind of different, you know, 19:35.542 --> 19:37.582 maybe it's close to British Columbia. 19:37.582 --> 19:39.022 It's like five hours from the border. 19:39.382 --> 19:41.922 So I'm like, okay, maybe, you know, I can be close to family. 19:41.922 --> 19:42.942 I can do ministry. 19:43.282 --> 19:44.502 Okay, let's check it out. 19:45.142 --> 19:49.302 So I get there and the city of Portland is just, it's just weird. 19:49.297 --> 19:50.556 Yeah. 19:50.557 --> 19:52.237 That's like the only way to put it. 19:52.557 --> 19:54.997 It's just a really weird, weird place. 19:55.097 --> 19:55.516 Yeah. 19:55.517 --> 19:57.157 I mean, the slogan is keep Portland weird. 19:57.317 --> 19:58.356 It's just a weird place. 19:58.357 --> 19:59.456 We got good coffee. 19:59.457 --> 19:59.596 Yeah. 19:59.597 --> 20:00.396 Really good coffee. 20:00.397 --> 20:01.636 World-class coffee. 20:01.637 --> 20:03.017 We have that going for us. 20:03.097 --> 20:04.377 But it's just a weird place. 20:04.417 --> 20:06.677 Like you see people doing weird. 20:06.677 --> 20:11.897 Like I just came out of my house the other day and I'm in Southeast Portland and I come 20:11.897 --> 20:17.717 out of my house and I see this guy in a unicorn suit driving a motorcycle around the corner. 20:21.743 --> 20:24.402 And I'm just like, it doesn't phase me anymore. 20:24.403 --> 20:26.482 I'm like used to it, which is crazy. 20:26.483 --> 20:28.262 And I shouldn't be used to this stuff, right? 20:28.263 --> 20:28.822 No, but you've lived there now for how long? 20:28.823 --> 20:29.522 Seven years. 20:29.523 --> 20:30.402 Seven years. 20:30.403 --> 20:32.442 Yeah, seven years. 20:32.443 --> 20:36.522 So I've been in that same place for seven years. 20:36.523 --> 20:40.282 So for me, it's just kind of, okay, I'm used to it. 20:40.283 --> 20:41.762 My parents, the first time they came to kind of move me in, settle me, 20:41.763 --> 20:44.862 they came, parents are amazing. 20:44.863 --> 20:48.042 They came there and this is kind of crazy. 20:48.043 --> 20:49.021 So Portland has a naked bike ride parade. 20:49.022 --> 20:50.181 Oh my, ew. 20:49.277 --> 20:50.182 Thank you. 20:50.182 --> 20:50.741 Yes, this is, I know, right? 20:50.742 --> 20:54.321 This is crazy. 20:54.322 --> 20:56.861 So they didn't know this. 20:56.862 --> 21:00.121 And my parents are like, now they're very conservative, right? 21:00.122 --> 21:01.961 Like they've come back to the Lord, like they're like following their tracking. 21:01.962 --> 21:02.961 And so their values are very, you know. 21:02.962 --> 21:03.741 Biblically aligned. 21:03.742 --> 21:12.201 Yes, yes. 21:12.202 --> 21:14.823 And so we go to get ice cream together one summer evening and we come out of the ice cream parlor and there's this bike parade. 21:14.824 --> 21:16.703 And my mom and dad, they're just like, 21:16.704 --> 21:18.923 their jaws just drop. 21:18.924 --> 21:20.443 Like they can't believe what they're seeing. 21:20.444 --> 21:22.503 They're like appalled. 21:22.504 --> 21:24.343 And they're like, they look at me and they're like, 21:24.344 --> 21:26.783 "'You're not staying here. 21:26.784 --> 21:27.923 "'You're not doing ministry here. 21:27.924 --> 21:29.883 "'Like this is crazy. 21:29.884 --> 21:33.254 "'Like you need to get out of here.'" 21:33.255 --> 21:34.334 And I'm like, this is why I'm here. 21:34.335 --> 21:35.314 You felt called there. 21:35.315 --> 21:37.774 Yeah. 21:37.775 --> 21:39.934 I mean, 96% of the city is unchurched. 21:39.935 --> 21:43.494 I mean, they're part of the nuns 21:43.495 --> 21:47.614 or they're atheist agnostic spirituality is there, 21:47.615 --> 21:54.566 but it's the occult, witchcraft, sorcery. 21:54.567 --> 21:56.266 Yeah, yeah. You know, I've had conversations with warlocks and people have told me that there's a group of witches casting curses on you. 21:56.267 --> 21:58.446 Like, there's spiritual warfare. 21:58.447 --> 21:58.946 Yeah, you're in a high spiritual warfare place. 21:58.947 --> 22:06.726 Yeah. 22:06.727 --> 22:10.146 So what has it been like navigating a city that's very unchurched with a lot of spiritual warfare since there is probably a stronghold in that city? 22:10.147 --> 22:13.726 Totally. I mean, there's massive strongholds and there's— 22:13.727 --> 22:19.537 But you don't seem fearful at all, which seems like a key. 22:19.538 --> 22:20.578 Yeah, I think to pastor in Portland, actually in the Pacific Northwest, because Seattle is actually very akin to this. 22:23.078 --> 22:31.957 You know, I came in as a church planter. 22:31.958 --> 22:37.517 So like, I think as a church planter, you're very, you got to be gritty and you got to be like entrepreneurial and you got to be like stuff is going to be thrown at you. 22:37.518 --> 22:38.397 And you just got to kind of like work through it and you got to, you know, be prayed up and you have to have a good team behind you. 22:38.398 --> 22:45.900 Yeah. 22:45.901 --> 22:52.000 All those things are so important because if you're not prioritizing prayer, you will get destroyed. 22:52.001 --> 22:55.160 Like prayer is how you're going to overcome these hurdles, these obstacles and fasting. 22:55.161 --> 23:02.420 And there's so much that's thrown at you. 23:02.421 --> 23:05.473 Like we had a guy in the middle of service, had a guest speaker from Bridgetown Church come to Bloom and... 23:05.474 --> 23:08.053 Pastor Gerald, he's a great, great speaker. 23:08.054 --> 23:08.973 He has been serving in Portland for many, many years 23:08.974 --> 23:11.593 with Bridgetown. 23:11.594 --> 23:12.653 And he came and he preached a sermon on identity 23:12.654 --> 23:13.953 and on Jesus Christ. 23:13.954 --> 23:17.813 He had a line where he says, 23:17.814 --> 23:20.493 "'Jesus is the son of God' in his sermon." 23:20.494 --> 23:23.613 And there was some dude who got up in the middle. 23:23.614 --> 23:26.713 I was probably, we had like maybe 80 people at the time. 23:26.714 --> 23:28.673 And this dude got up in the middle of the service 23:28.674 --> 23:31.853 and he says, liar. 23:31.854 --> 23:34.440 And he just starts manifesting in the middle of the service. 23:34.441 --> 23:35.380 And Gerald's like, everyone's kind of like on edge, 23:35.381 --> 23:38.080 like what's going on here? 23:38.081 --> 23:38.760 And then Gerald's just like, guys, just extend your arms. 23:38.761 --> 23:39.860 We're going to pray. 23:39.861 --> 23:41.280 Everyone's going to pray. 23:41.281 --> 23:42.900 And we just start praying. 23:42.901 --> 23:44.360 And the guy just starts manifesting 23:44.361 --> 23:49.220 and he eventually leaves. 23:49.221 --> 23:52.160 And like that for me was like, this is a wake up call. 23:52.161 --> 23:55.060 And this is stuff that happens regularly. 23:55.061 --> 23:57.740 Like, yeah, like people come, 23:57.741 --> 23:59.600 like people come and not just to our church, 23:59.601 --> 24:00.840 people come, I've been to other services 24:00.841 --> 24:02.355 where people just start manifesting. 24:02.356 --> 24:04.055 What do you do? 24:04.056 --> 24:04.495 I think just that, we pray. 24:04.496 --> 24:05.515 Yeah. 24:05.516 --> 24:06.755 Yeah, we pray. 24:06.756 --> 24:09.455 We ask for deliverance. 24:09.456 --> 24:14.455 We ask, you know, we just extend our arms. 24:14.456 --> 24:18.675 Like it's, you cannot come there and not feel it. 24:18.676 --> 24:20.855 So it's a completely different thing than being where we are here, 24:20.856 --> 24:23.715 where it's very cultural church. 24:23.716 --> 24:27.755 But I kind of feel like it's like church almost like in the Wild West, you know? 24:27.756 --> 24:29.635 It's like you got to be prayed up, like you said, spiritually alert 24:29.636 --> 24:37.945 and just kind of be willing to whatever – 24:37.946 --> 24:41.845 But I almost think at the same time, there's a great way for God to move because in a spiritually desolate place, there's going to be people that are very hungry. 24:41.846 --> 24:42.485 So you can really see things happen because it's almost like you're on the front lines. 24:42.486 --> 24:49.465 Yeah, yeah. 24:49.466 --> 24:50.322 And the one thing to that end, when you're a Christian in Portland, you're probably not a nominal Christian. 24:50.323 --> 24:52.242 No, yeah. 24:52.243 --> 24:52.882 Like you probably actually believe this thing and live it. 24:52.883 --> 24:53.822 You have to be committed. 24:53.823 --> 24:58.962 Yeah, exactly. 24:58.963 --> 25:01.382 Whereas the disadvantage to being somewhere in the South may be that it's cultural. 25:01.383 --> 25:04.742 It's like something that we have the language of faith, 25:04.743 --> 25:06.722 but we're not living the behaviors of the faith or the practices of the faith. 25:06.723 --> 25:10.962 In Portland or in the Pacific Northwest, 25:10.963 --> 25:14.422 there's so much antagonism towards the church, towards Christianity. 25:14.423 --> 25:17.082 There's an open receptivity to spiritual things, 25:17.083 --> 25:17.822 but there's an antagonism towards the institutional church. 25:17.823 --> 25:25.718 Yeah. 25:25.719 --> 25:27.138 And so because of that, there's a lot of things that you have to know going in. 25:27.139 --> 25:29.418 It's going to be a battle. 25:29.419 --> 25:30.479 It's going to be a war zone. 25:32.279 --> 25:40.185 And you just have to be ready for those things. 25:40.186 --> 25:46.065 Yeah. That is one thing I feel here is that I think it's very easy for people to become kind of apathetic because they feel comfortable. 25:46.066 --> 25:46.525 And so you have to be mindful here to keep up your spiritual disciplines and not to get comfortable basically. 25:46.526 --> 25:48.525 Right. 25:48.526 --> 25:49.505 But where you are in Portland, you're going to be more challenged. 25:49.506 --> 25:54.345 Yeah. 25:54.346 --> 25:54.825 So if you do choose to follow Christ, you can rise in his grace to the occasion. 25:54.826 --> 25:57.225 Yeah. 25:57.226 --> 26:03.461 And kind of stay more, I think, spiritually sharp. 26:03.462 --> 26:07.221 Yeah, I would argue that actually, I think from the churches that I've witnessed and seen their discipleship pathways, 26:07.222 --> 26:07.861 I would actually argue that the discipleship is strong in Portland. 26:07.862 --> 26:09.221 That's awesome. 26:09.222 --> 26:15.161 Yeah, discipleship is strong. 26:15.162 --> 26:17.761 Evangelism is challenging because that's where we're trying to connect the gospel to the city, 26:17.762 --> 26:20.981 like make it make sense to Portlanders. 26:20.982 --> 26:26.541 So how we do that, right, is contextualizing the gospel. 26:26.542 --> 26:31.533 How do we communicate the gospel in a way that will be comprehensible to people in the city? 26:31.534 --> 26:33.833 So for example, one value of the city is justice. 26:33.834 --> 26:35.427 What does that look like? 26:35.428 --> 26:37.587 Let's talk about it. 26:37.588 --> 26:38.947 What does biblical justice look like? 26:38.948 --> 26:40.307 Let's unravel that. 26:40.308 --> 26:42.067 Can we connect that somehow? 26:42.068 --> 26:45.287 Is there a connection or intersection 26:45.288 --> 26:47.807 to convey what biblical justice is in that context 26:47.808 --> 26:49.847 or where people might be more open to it? 26:49.848 --> 26:52.687 So that's kind of the things that we're looking at 26:52.688 --> 26:54.927 is how do we connect or how do we find these intersections 26:54.928 --> 26:56.407 between biblical truth and doctrine 26:56.408 --> 26:59.027 and the values of the city, 26:59.028 --> 27:01.027 but not compromising, but contextualizing. 27:01.028 --> 27:03.667 What is your, what do you feel like the vision God 27:03.668 --> 27:11.630 has given you for the city and for the church? 27:11.631 --> 27:14.930 I think for the city, I think it's that we want to strengthen the disciples that are always there. 27:14.931 --> 27:15.470 Like I would, even our church, our church is not large. 27:15.471 --> 27:16.571 We're a hundred. 27:17.771 --> 27:21.590 That's still amazing though. 27:21.591 --> 27:25.730 I don't think, it's not about, for me, it's not about how many people. 27:25.731 --> 27:29.170 It's about actually the discipleship and the people that are there. 27:29.171 --> 27:31.356 Because you can have a church with thousands of people and if they're not discipled, 27:31.357 --> 27:32.336 what are they even doing? 27:32.337 --> 27:33.816 You know what I mean? 27:33.817 --> 27:37.676 Yeah, 100%, 100%. 27:37.677 --> 27:39.136 So we want to like really make disciples 27:39.137 --> 27:39.676 who can then make disciples. 27:39.677 --> 27:41.456 Exactly. 27:41.457 --> 27:44.716 Even if they don't come on Sunday, 27:44.717 --> 27:46.976 okay, like I hope they would, right? 27:46.977 --> 27:48.476 But like, that's not the ethos of our culture. 27:48.477 --> 27:50.556 Like Portland is more like, 27:50.557 --> 27:53.056 we wanna get into the cracks and crevices of Portland, 27:53.057 --> 27:54.876 have table fellowship in people's homes 27:54.877 --> 27:57.256 with our neighbors, break bread together. 27:57.257 --> 27:59.136 We want to build relationships, 27:59.137 --> 27:59.803 like relational evangelism is huge. 27:59.804 --> 28:02.763 I love that. 28:02.764 --> 28:03.623 Yeah, because truth propositions are not valued, right? 28:03.624 --> 28:04.543 Your truth is your truth. 28:04.544 --> 28:06.083 My truth is my truth. 28:06.084 --> 28:11.583 Post-modernism at its finest, right? 28:11.584 --> 28:17.303 So we're having to then, okay, like people see truth and friendship in relationships. 28:17.304 --> 28:23.907 So how can we use those as bridging on boards to sharing the gospel with somebody? 28:23.908 --> 28:28.087 Yeah. So your goal is to disciple the church and is to reach the city of Portland. 28:28.088 --> 28:33.587 Yeah. Yeah. With stronger discipleship, I think is how it's going to be made done. 28:33.588 --> 28:37.707 I don't think it'll be by like obviously proclamation. Absolutely. Proclamation of the gospel. 28:37.708 --> 28:38.127 But in building disciples who then make disciples. 28:38.128 --> 28:41.287 Yeah. 28:41.288 --> 28:42.630 And those disciples have to be strong and there needs to be a pathway. 28:42.631 --> 28:43.270 Yeah, it's like strategic. 28:43.271 --> 28:44.250 Yeah. 28:44.251 --> 28:47.290 Yeah, I like that. 28:47.291 --> 28:51.730 And I kind of feel like that's kind of how the early church was anyways. 28:51.731 --> 28:55.130 Because they were in very persecuted cities that were very close to the gospel. 28:55.131 --> 28:55.430 And yet the gospel spread like wildfire. 28:55.431 --> 28:58.730 Yes. 28:58.731 --> 28:59.450 Because under persecution, Christianity does flourish. 28:59.451 --> 29:00.270 It does flourish. 29:00.271 --> 29:01.230 Yeah, look in China. 29:01.231 --> 29:03.610 Look in Iran. 29:03.611 --> 29:04.210 Look in some of the places where it's outlawed. 29:04.211 --> 29:06.390 Right? 29:06.391 --> 29:13.270 And it's like, what are they doing? 29:13.271 --> 29:17.270 How can we like get on track with what the Eastern church is doing where it's like Christianity is not wanted or welcome. 29:17.271 --> 29:24.170 Well, what is it that's causing it to be on fire in these regions? 29:24.171 --> 29:30.650 So like I think that's some of what like when you're in those regions that it's not that welcome to be a Christian. 29:30.651 --> 29:31.170 You have to be firm in it and like you have to know what you believe in and why you believe in it and be willing to die for it. 29:31.171 --> 29:32.610 Exactly. 29:32.611 --> 29:34.872 I think that's the difference. 29:34.873 --> 29:37.712 I know that we have to wrap. 29:37.713 --> 29:40.272 I want to have you come back so we can talk more. 29:40.273 --> 29:43.172 But on your final note, 29:43.173 --> 29:45.112 what would your message be to the people who are listening, 29:45.113 --> 29:49.572 especially the younger generation? 29:49.573 --> 29:51.059 Yeah, I would say seek an authentic Christianity. 29:54.839 --> 29:56.818 Don't live out your faith through your parents 29:56.819 --> 29:58.158 or your grandparents. 29:58.159 --> 29:59.319 Their faith won't save you. 30:04.099 --> 30:08.178 Seek to follow Jesus with all of your heart for yourself 30:08.179 --> 30:09.998 and find out what you believe and why you believe in it. 30:09.999 --> 30:11.438 And don't take someone's word for it 30:11.439 --> 30:13.198 or what the preacher said on Sunday, 30:13.199 --> 30:15.158 like get to the word, like figure it, 30:15.159 --> 30:18.398 like find it the words for yourself, 30:18.399 --> 30:23.272 like seek it out yourself, like what the scripture teaches. 30:23.273 --> 30:24.732 and ignore all the other voices that tell you 30:24.733 --> 30:27.412 that you have to do this or do that. 30:27.413 --> 30:29.452 Like just seek the Holy Spirit, chase God, 30:29.453 --> 30:30.292 and God will do all the rest of it in your life. 30:30.293 --> 30:32.052 That's awesome. 30:32.053 --> 30:32.872 Well, thank you so much for being here. 30:32.873 --> 30:42.873 Thank you.