Brad/Sharon Kimberlin- Fulfillong A Vision

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Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Now, the devil's nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up.

In the studio with me today, Sharon and Brad Kimberlin. I always wonder if I pronounced that last. Welcome to the show, guys. Thanks, Nikita. Thank you.

Great to have you here. Did I pronounce that right? Kimberlin. Kimberlin. There you go.

Kimberlin. Okay. Well, it'll work anyway. You know what? I'm still learning English, you know, from my Russian background. Right. Right. Right. It's a transition.

It is a transition. Yes, it is. So, but great to have you guys in the studio.

Of course, Brad, I've had you, you've been on the Man Up show in the past. Yes. And we had an opportunity to chat, but the more we've talked, and you guys have done something very unique recently that I want to get to, I want to get to that, but first, let's just talk about the marketplace, and you guys work together. Is that right, Sharon? You guys work together? Yes. Work together. Yes. Okay. And so, from what I understand from Brad, Sharon, is you're kind of the, you're the brains.

He's the brawn, and you're the brains of the business. Is that what I understand? That is it. Yes.

And you guys got the plumbing business, Mr. Ruder, down in Canapolis, North Carolina. Yes. And how long, Sharon, how long have you guys been working together? Over 22 years, we've been together. Yes.

20? Okay. You've been together for 22 years? No.

Our business, we've been working together for 22 years. Yes. Okay.

Well, take us a step beyond that. So, how long then have you guys been together then? We have been together. It's been that long.

I have to think about it. 28? Yeah. 28 years. 28 years.

28 years, and working together then for 22 years. Yes. Yes. So, what is that? Let me get your, because I've had Brad on the show before, so I just want to talk to you.

No, I'm kidding. We'll probe Brad into the discussion too. But, so give us a wife's perspective of what it's been like to work with your husband for 22 years. What has that been like? It's like fire and water at times.

Okay. Explain that for our listeners. Well, most of that business time was before I walked with Jesus, so it was a battle when the Lord's not in it, and He's not first in anything. Everything else falls short, so it was kind of like a battle. We were just in constant conflict for so long, and then Jesus stepped in and aligned us, and now it's been pretty good. Not that we don't have fire in there sometimes, but the conflict is nothing.

Right. For people to understand, the fact that you give your life to Jesus, you give your heart to Jesus, it's not a smooth sea. It's not a bed of roses, so to speak, right? You're still going to have challenges, not only in marriage, but in business as well, in life in general, right? So, Sharon, give us a quick contrast, if you can, just between that. So, running a business without Jesus as the anchor, but then Jesus comes into the picture and things shift and things change. What would you say changed the most once you brought Jesus into the equation?

The peace in it, the peace that He brought in it, the communication that we can have with His husband and wife team in a business, just the listening, you know, kind of feel seen and heard when both parties are aligned. Okay. Yeah. And, of course, you've got, whereas in the past, I'm just guessing, in the past, you know, there may be some different perspectives on decisions to make in the business or whatever. No, I think it should be this way, and Brad says, no, I think it should be that way. And then you have to try to come to some sort of happy medium, right? But then you enter Jesus into the picture, and even if you might not initially agree or see things the same way, now you have, I'm thinking, or guessing, you might say, the ability to go, well, you know what? Hey, maybe we should take it to the foot of the cross, or maybe we should take it before the Lord and bring Him into the equation and see what He tells us.

Is that, would that be accurate? That's accurate, absolutely. We submit it to Him, and what do you say, Lord? You know, Father, what do you say about marketing?

Right. You know, which direction we should go, because, yeah, we can get it wrong, and that, and out of our flesh, we can just mess it up at times, and the grievement of bringing it all to Him has just really given us an abundance, and just so much, it's conflict resolution. You know, Holy Spirit, conflict resolution.

Holy, I like that, Holy Spirit, conflict resolution, I like that. Brad, let me go to you for just a moment here, and just ask, just a refresher. So you've had this business for 22 years, you guys are working together, but what perhaps inspired you to get into the plumbing business?

Oh, goodness, the expense of having a child. Okay. I had moved around in different careers, I actually had attended college, just kind of fell out, just wasn't interested in my original career field, so I bounced around trying to find something that fit, and I was actually in a sales position at the time when we had our first child, and then formula came, and diapers came, and I realized that at that position I was not going to be able to make a living or take care of my family, so I dusted my boots off and pulled the plumbing license back off the wall and said, okay, let's dive into something. I know I can take care of my family at. So you had some experience, some background in plumbing and those maintenance, those sorts of things? Sure. Yes. I actually started with plumbing when I was probably 14 with my grandfather. Wow.

Okay. It was below minimum wage work, but it was a... You were an apprentice. Yes, that was it. You were in an apprenticeship. Is that what it's called technically? Yeah.

I should have been paying him to learn. But yeah, we learned and worked for a number of different companies and saw the way the marketplace was handled when customers were looked at as necessary or when they were looked at as just means of income. Okay.

So you were an employee, but it sounds like to me you had an entrepreneurial spirit. Yes. Yes. Since I was in second grade. Since you were second grade, okay.

Give us a 60 second explanation of that. There was in my time, which was just past Stone Age, bubblegum cards, trading cards. It was just a grand thing, baseball, football, and I'm... You were selling them at school? I was selling them at school. Come on. They're for real. Then I was like, okay, supply and demand, I'm going to go to this convenience store I know and I'm going to buy a box of candy. And I'm going to sell one at a time and tomorrow I'll go buy another box. And as I continue to do that, I'm like, there's something to be said here.

There's a profit that could be made here. My friends don't have that same initiative as I have. It was definitely fun, but it came to a point. I remember it might've been third grade. I had my mother and father ask me to borrow money to pay the fire bill. Come on. And that was... Wait a minute. Your mom and dad said, son, can we borrow some money from you to pay a bill?

Exactly right. You were making that much money in second and third grade as a young, thriving entrepreneur. It was a blast. Wow. So that's been any God planned to put that in you, man.

Yeah. He reflects quite often with me, let me know where he was all the time and the seeds that he planted in my youth, because we were in church the whole time I was a child up to about 10, 11 years old. But we fell away and then I think we visited the church here and there, but I think the first time after we left the church was when my wife and I were married, so we went back to church. And I really kind of relate to that, because I mean, now for me it wasn't the second or third grade. It was like sixth grade, I think. But I got a paper delivery route and eventually hired another neighborhood kid, because I started playing football, started lifting weights, hired a neighborhood kid to deliver the newspapers and collect the money, because I trusted him.

In those days you had to go around door to door to door with all of your customers and collect the weekly money from them and then pay the newspaper and keep the profit. And so I hired him and paid him a percentage of what he collected as he delivered the papers for me so I could play football. So I can somewhat relate to that. Let me ask you before I bounce back to your lovely bride there. So from your perspective, give us a perspective of what it's been like to work for 22 years together, because a lot of couples, I should say most, a lot of couples that I've talked to or even couples I know don't have the ability to work together, spend all that time together.

So how have you navigated that when you ran? In the beginning of the business it was, it started off with good intentions, you know, taking care of the family and that was the main goal, just to do whatever I needed to do, take care of the family. Like you're saying, I've got a child, I've got diapers, now I've got to do something different. You're exactly right. But then after success came quickly, so within two years we were almost to the point of being overwhelmed, but it was mine. It was all me. I was the only one that was doing this and I was abrasive because I put my pride in front of everybody else because I had built this huge thing that could barely be controlled and as it crumbled, I realized when it crumbled, why it crumbled now? And that's because not only was I not involved in the Lord in it, but I wasn't treating my wife as my helper, as my equal, I was treating her as just someone that did stuff I told her to do. Almost like an employee, in a sense. I wasn't treating her as good as I did my employees. There was so much friction then and we had to go after some counseling prior to going to the church. It was challenging. Most definitely. Okay.

So let me on that note, let me bounce back to Sharon, let's bring you back into the story. So at what point then did Jesus enter into that picture? When did that happen? How far into the business or where were you?

Actually, it was 15 years into the business. Okay. Yeah, it was a good bit in. In brink of separation, when everything else is when we're at our end and I said, Lord, I can't do this anymore. And he said, you don't have to. That's good. So just the surrender of that, trying to control and fix what is out of my control because I couldn't fix him.

The only Lord could fix him. And me. Right. Well, yeah, we got to look in the mirror too as well, right? But it's interesting to me and perhaps you can either confirm this or say, no, you're off the mark on that, Nikita.

But it seems like, and I could be wrong, but it seems like more women think they can fix guys than guys think they can fix women. Is that, I think that's accurate? Yes. Yes. And it is in our nature to help, to hold, to at least- I could change him. Yes. I know he's not a believer, but I'll win him to Jesus.

I've heard some women even say that, or girls dating a boy, they're like, oh no, I'll lead him to Jesus. So like, okay, maybe, but yeah. So okay. So I threw my hands up and said, Lord, I can't do this anymore. He said, you don't have to. And I'm like, what? So you're a believer and you guys grew up in the church, but you had not brought Jesus into the equation with the business. Is that essentially what I'm hearing?

Yes. Well, with the business and our life, I think, you know, at my salvation as a teenager, I was, I said, okay, what do I do next? And I was literally patted on the head and said, you're good now. And I said, but what do I do now? Oh, you're good.

Go sit down. Okay. That was it.

That was my discipleship. So yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. So the lack of discipleship in that and, you know, it was a walking into walls. You know, I kind of think as, you know, spiritually immature, you know, like a toddler, you walk and then bam, you're hitting a wall or a table or a top. And so that's kind of the way it was for years. And then there was just that pivotal point where we were married.

You know, I was just kind of, I was done. You're listening to the truth network and truth network.com. If you would like to support Cole offer Christ ministries for a gift of $25 Nikita will send you his two CDs adoration and declaration for a gift of $50 Nikita will include his book wrestling with success. And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story.

A tale of the ring and redemption go to www.coleoff.net and donate today. Nikita Cole affair. And I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement? The big announcement? Well, maybe it's a minor announcement.

Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Cole off fans and like it and follow today. You're listening to the truth network and truth network.com. You know, completely done, had nothing left in me. And I said to Lord, I don't, you know, I don't know what to do and I surrendered it to him. And then I watched, I sat back and watched and that's when he moved. You, you, so you had this kind of what I might call an aha moment, like, Hey, you know what?

It's it, I don't know how I didn't see this before, but it's time to bring, bring you into the equation in the, in the mix here. And you bring up Sharon, you bring up an interesting point that in my observation, right, and having ministered in 1200 plus or minus churches, 30 different countries, all 50 States, and you know, as an evangelist, as a missionary, as a, as a, as a minister, you, you said the word discipleship. Your discipleship was patting you on the top of the head, say, you're, you're good.

That was it. And as much as things change, it seems like things still remain the same by that meaning I'm finding that that's, that's still very lacking in the church is discipleship. And, but at the same time I'm encouraged because the Lord's really stirred that in me. And so whether it's through man camp or man up conferences or, or other conferences that I speak at, that's one of the, the resonating messages that I'm bringing right now to the body of Christ is discipleship, discipleship. I just had that conversation the other day with a guy heading up a men's ministry, discipleship. And so I think you hit a hit on a very valid point there that discipleship is more than a pat on the head, right?

It's taken, whether it's a brand new believer or somebody that's been walking with Christ for a while, who's never been discipled to pull them in and, and, and wrap your arms around them, embrace them and say, Hey, let's help you grow in, in your own personal journey, but then help you together as a couple, right? Right. So, and obviously counseling can play a role in there. I heard you say that, you know, you sought out some counseling and so, well, Brad, let me come back to, come back over to you for a second. Thank you.

That was very, very insightful. And so, so you have this aha moment and, and, and God's in the mix now that the Lord's in the center of this business. The business continues to thrive. Sure. And now you just got the one, currently just the one store in the one location in Kannapolis. Okay. So I'm sure it's a good, good size area, but, um, yeah, we, uh, yeah, how far do, how far do you, we just give us an idea up to States full, um, Sheryl's Ford, Lake Norman area, okay.

Kannapolis Concord Harrisburg. Okay. And just, uh, you know, we, we enjoy the business now because instead of fighting over simple decisions, uh, when we gave the business to the Lord a few years ago, he basically, and it sounds odd, but he said it allowed us both said in our proper places to work in our giftings like I knew my giftings were not accounting. Right. I knew her giftings were not plumbing and physical labor, screwing on faucets and yeah.

So the Lord just put us in our place and said, Hey, here's what, here's your side. This is what you're supposed to do. Let her take care of the giftings. I've given her.

There you go. Here's your strengths. Here's her strengths. Let's, let's put those together and, and, and celebrate each other's differences, but, but highlight each other's strengths and walk in your strengths. That's, that's, that's awesome.

And I know, um, you, you've come to my rescue, uh, a number of, on a number of occasions when it comes to plumbing issues. So, Hey, but let's transition here. Um, let's transition and appreciate that insight. You guys have done something else very unique, uh, recently, um, because you have, um, you, you guys, you're out in the marketplace, you're running a business, but you recently bought a church. Yes. Now that's not typical.

I mean, I have found that's not typical. Um, so what Sharon, I'll ask you first, what, what has inspired you guys to buy a church? Well, the Lord led us, um, to look for a building. We did not know it was going to be a church. He led us to look for a building and, uh, to do ministry from, and, um, and then, you know, after completely seeking him, uh, over and over again, he led us to the church, which yeah, is a building.

So you were, you were, okay. So just make sure it's just, I got a clear picture on this. So really what you weren't necessarily, uh, looking for a church, per se, to purchase, you had it on your heart to buy, buy a building, buy, buy, buy another, another, but he, he led you to this, this church that was available in, in Landis, Landis, North Carolina.

Landis, North Carolina. Yeah. And of course I, I have, you gave me a, uh, if you want to say the nickel or dime tour and I was just, uh, thought it was amazing what, cause there's a lot of history at the, at that church. Um, and so he opens the door of opportunity for you guys to purchase these buildings, cause it's, it's a couple buildings, one, the church of them, but like a kind of a fellowship hall, I guess you might call it. Um, and, and, and so, but there's a transition that you're transitioning that building cause he gave you a vision for, for what Sharon? Um, a vision to gather, um, gather people in for worship and to celebrate him. Um, and, um, to have ministry, to have his way from that building.

And, um, it's kind of a gather, scatter, gather, scatter opportunity to gather people in and just gather them out just to spread the word of Jesus. Okay. Yeah. Okay. And, and Brad, um, you, you have, um, not only the, the gifts and the ability to, uh, to plumb somebody's house, but you, you also, you, you also have musical talents and abilities as well.

And, and, and do I understand like you recently like formed a band? We did. We did. We've a couple of guys from, uh, the worship team at the church we used to attend. We've, uh, just, we share a heart for God and for worship. And we just, you know, God kind of last, uh, let's see, September, I was walking in my kitchen cooking breakfast, listening to some praise music and God just tapped me on the shoulder and said, look, I've got something I need you to do. And he wanted, he asked me to reclaim Halloween for him. Okay. I had no idea what it looked like, but he laid down the groundwork and said, need you to talk with the church, get, uh, your outdoor sound gear, set up a sound and have an outdoor worship service.

Had no clue how to do it. Luckily I had enough people that I knew that poured in and we jumped on it. And from there, God just kind of said, look, I need my word out. You know, people aren't always going to come to church. So if you'll go to where they are and in my name, they'll come find me.

That's good. So it actually kind of reminds me of Jesus. You say, if you'll go to where they are, it just reminds me of him spending more time outside of the synagogue than he did in this.

Not that he didn't go to the synagogue and attend the synagogue, but he spent, it seems like much more time outside of that. So, so you've got this band, this outreach. You've got a vision and I'm thinking about the little tour that you gave me, of course, in the church building itself, um, a dear friend of ours, Joshua Gillum has an Anglican Anglican church. You got to get an Anglican church. So you're renting out the church building to him, uh, and, and he's got his Anglican church there in Landis. And then the other building though, you guys are, are, are, uh, doing a makeover.

I'll just say like a makeover and Sharon, tell, tell us, um, uh, ultimately what you, what you think in our, you know, just, we got a couple of minutes left here. Tell us, uh, the, the vision for the, for the gathering, what's, what's the goal as you get that building made over, what's the goal there for the gathering? Uh, to bring in, um, uh, Christians to help equip, to help, um, just to bring them in and gather, uh, non-believers and believers and, you know, to fill them with that love of Jesus. So when they go out that wall, out those doors, they're spreading that love, whether it's in their grocery store, in their homes, um, we just really want to, um, have that place to fill a meeting place. So it's just a, it's a meeting place for people to gather together, uh, once a month, once a week. We start out with once, once a month, once a month, there may be other, you know, throughout the month, different ministry opportunities there, um, but gather once a month for worship and celebration.

Okay. So gather them together, worship, celebration, equip, empower them to, to, to, to go back out the doors into their communities. So people from, from all walks of life are going to be welcome to gather together there and just celebrate, celebrate Jesus and, and, and perhaps even lead some people to the foot of the cross. Absolutely. I mean, I don't know if you're hearing, but equip and empower those who are already believers at the gathering. So that's, that's amazing.

That's a great vision and, and, uh, uh, I, I sense the Lord's hand is, is on all of it and of course, continue to pray into that. And, uh, how, how can people, um, how can they find this? Where can they go to, to, to find the location or to learn more, more? Is there like a website or? Um, yes. Uh, you can go to ecclesiagathering.com. You can email us at info at ecclesiagathering.com and we will post when the gatherings start when our remodeling's finished. Okay. Awesome. Um, you know, and all that's refined and then we will post on those. Okay. All right. And Brad, um, so for, for those who have plumbing needs, um, tell it, tell our listeners where they can find out more about Mr. Reuter. Oh, mr.reuter.com backslash concord.

That will bring you to our office, the website, Facebook page, reach out to us and we usually have someone 24 hours a day that can take care of the needs and regardless of how small. Awesome. Well, man, it's been just a blessing to have, have you guys in studio today on the man up, man up podcast, the man up show, because it's time and Sharon, it's time for men to man up. Would you, can you agree with that?

Absolutely. Yeah, thanks for tuning in today on it's time to man up. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions, go to colab.net and donate today. I nakita koloff, be sure to check out the man up show now available on television, broadcast and podcast, go to morningstartv.com or the truth radio network. Check out your local listings or better yet, download the truth network app today. I nakita koloff here, if you're needing to buy a car and have marginal credit and considering using buy here, pay here, that's worse than taking the Russian sickle. Winston Salem motor cars will put you behind the wheel of a car you can rely on while helping rebuild, repair or establish your credit score. Conveniently located on Silas Creek Parkway in Winston Salem, be sure to check them out today at wsmcthenumberone.com because you are number one. This is the truth network.