Energize Your Pastor

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This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you why. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. It is Missions Monday. How fun is that?

And it's even more fun for me when I have a great friend that I don't get to spend as much time with as I like. His name is Andy Bowersox, and so if you know Andy, you know that he is with Energize Ministries, which is completely a pastor care kind of idea. And so you're saying, Robbie, how do you tie these things together?

Well, here you go. Here's how Mission Monday works today. So your mission, if you choose to accept it, right, is to further the kingdom of God.

I mean, that's what we all are doing. And one of the ways that God does that is through his pastors, which have a lot more of a role than you may understand. There is more than preaching to it, a great deal more than preaching because, you know, obviously, or maybe not obviously, Jesus is going to hold them responsible, right, for how they tended their flock. And that requires feeding, no doubt, but there's also some guiding. There's all sorts of interesting things that go into that role. And so you, me, everybody else that has a pastor out there, you know, how do you care for your pastor? That is one of your missions, right, to care for this guy because he has a role, he's your friend, but he also needs your care, he needs your prayers. And Andy, I have to tell a story, man.

Let's go to the beginning, right? So I had to start work for Truth Broadcasting, and we both have a very good friend. His name is Larry George. And Larry George, at the time, ran Sloane Missionary Homes.

He's still very involved with it out there in Snow Camp, North Carolina. So it has everything to do with missions. And I'll tell you how this has to do with missions in my mind was we had a radio show that I helped produce, which was called A Place Missionaries Call Home. And Larry's a very visionary guy, and he comes to me, Robbie, I got this great idea. I want to do like a reality radio show of three missionaries that have been called to the mission field.

And the first year, let's see who actually gets it done, who actually can raise their support and make it happen. Do you remember what that show was called? What was it called? Do you remember? Because I tell this story a little differently than you. Oh, really? You don't remember, do you?

I don't. It was called The Journey. Oh, it was called The Journey.

You're right. Radio reality, it was a pioneer of that idea at the time. So anyway, and it sounded like a great idea, but then he went on and told me about these three different ministries. You know, the first one was a guy, as I recall, he was going to Africa with his wife. They're relatively newly married, and they had a call to the mission field and they were going to go to Africa. And then there was another couple, as I recall, were they going to South America? The other two were going to Europe, I believe, and he was a former Chick-fil-A operator or manager or something.

But you're on the right track. Yeah, and then he says, I've got this third guy. And his mission field is that he likes to take pastors out, like... For adventure.

Well, it was recreation, but that wasn't how he described it, because he takes them out on jet skis and on four-wheelers and stuff like that. And I'm going, and that's a missionary? Yeah. Hey, I was the one doing it, and I thought, what in the world kind of ministry is this? Like, I know it was crazy.

So go on with your story. But anyway, he was convinced that this was a very, very, very needed and legitimate ministry. He was.

Fortunately, he still is. Oh, yeah, yeah. And I was convinced very shortly thereafter, but at the time, I was like, okay, let's see how this goes.

And so we take off on this, and every couple weeks, right, you guys would come in and we'd record your progress, how the journey was going towards actually getting on the mission field, which to an extent, you were already doing. You were trying early on. Yeah, you were raising support and all sorts of things like everybody. I'm going to straighten this out a little bit. Okay, go ahead. But I want you to be fully transparent here and also make the comment that I've heard many times.

If you had to pick like you remember the yearbooks least likely to succeed. I've heard the comment before. Oh, I believe your exact words where they don't stand a chance or something like that. So listen, as a great intro, actually, Robbie, right. So I do lead him energized ministries that what you're talking about happened 14 years ago now.

You know, it's been that long, but for 14 years. And at that time, this is what I knew that God was asking me to spend my time one on one individually with pastors, providing very unique forms of recreation and retreats. And it did include some of that crazy stuff.

Go-karting ATVs, jet ski, rock climbing trips, and full admission. If you're listening right now and you think that sounds ridiculous to go take a passage on these recreational retreats and think that's a ministry. Believe me, I felt exactly the same way. There were years that I feel like, I mean, you've heard me say this before, like I am parading around like an absolute buffoon trying to convince people that it's important to be reinvested in the lives of your pastors, albeit at that time through very much recreationally based things. Now, our ministry has grown exponentially since then.

And I personally understand why we started like that now, which I didn't then. It was crazy, admittedly, absolutely crazy. Just like Noah was probably ridiculed and thought people were, he was insane for spending a hundred plus years building a boat, right? Like, you know how many times I think about that? I'm with you. I think about it all the time because God still asks people to do ridiculous things for reasons that we don't immediately understand. And sometimes we can go our whole life without understanding.

Maybe that's a whole other show. Let's stick with energized ministries today. Okay.

So today, what does it look like? We provide encouragement, refreshment, and still do recreational retreats because that's where we started from. But you're right. At those times, I thought it was crazy. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't not do it. Like, you know how when God asks you to do something, you're not, maybe you're not always a hundred percent sure, right? Like how many times have we talked about in our Southern Baptist sort of characterized upbringing, we're very careful to say, Hey, God told me to go do this or God told me to do that. Now, if you're the Pentecostal and you're listening to you, maybe you're more familiar and comfortable with that language. But for us in my, in my day, it would have been, Hey, I feel like this is what God's asking me to do. And I've said this before too on one of your shows.

I absolutely believe the closer you walk with the Lord, the more charismatic and Pentecostal you become and you become more used to that language. So I'm sure we'll talk more about that. And your life epitaphies that, and it really does. And it's so cool to me how God turned it all back on me in so many different ways. So we got the question today is for you to call in at 866-34-TRUTH is how can you care for your pastor?

Seriously, this is a real, I would love to know your thought. How can you care for your pastor? 866-34-TRUTH. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Truth Talk live today. We are having another missions Monday, which I just love this show and, and a different kind of mission. And it was, it came upon me early on in my career radio career that, that, that caring for pastors is a big time mission. And God showed me this through Andy Bowersox and energized ministries. But that's the question we really were posing to you. And it'll all come around to, to, you know, how critical it is to the kingdom of God. How can you care for your pastor?

Like, how do you, how do you do that? Or maybe you got a great idea. Andy needs it. I mean, he's still doing this kind of thing to this very, you're still learning this minute. Okay. And so we have Buskman in Ohio and he has got some information for me. I'm always excited. Buskman, how are you doing today, man? It is always good to hear your voice, Robbie, when you're still, you know, filling for stew and Andy, the answer to that brother. And I bet Robbie would back me up a hundred percent dad jokes, dad jokes.

That's how we build up our pastors. Good dad jokes. Okay, brother Andy. Hey, I got one for you. Oh my goodness.

I got one for you. Is it on Robbie's level or are we like. Oh, it is. The last couple ones, brother Andy. Robbie has actually stumped me. And all my dadness, he has actually stumped me with the last couple. So I think I might stump him.

Lay it on us, bud. Let's hear it. Okay.

Now I'm going to tell you, it's kind of gross, but it's rated G. Okay. Okay. I'm excited personally. I want to say that for our Truth Talk Live. All right.

I have to say that for Truth Talk Live listeners. Okay. Here we go. Why? Let's see. Wait a minute.

I'm sorry. I got to get focused here. What is the difference between boogers and broccoli? Boogers and broccoli. Sounds tasty.

That's exactly what kids say too. They won't eat broccoli. I won't eat broccoli. That's the difference? Ah, I knew it. That's the difference.

Kids won't eat broccoli because the boogers are tastier. Oh, there you have it. And that, you know, fortunately folks are not quite ready for dinner, but they might be here.

They might be here shortly. So I got one, you know, Rooster, if you got me started, you can't help it. You know, I got one that I heard. I don't know if you've heard this, but I've got this new nickname. The people are calling me Rooster.

Rooster. Okay. You know why? Because.

Because. That is true. But brothers on the dad level, that was a level nine dad level. Out of ten dads, we give brother Robbie a nine dad for that dad joke. Congratulations brother Robbie. All right.

Mr. Brosnan, I have a question for you now. How often do you share dad jokes with your pastor? Um, I'm in between churches right now, but all the past is right now. I'm sharing it with you. Hopefully you'll be my pastor.

Okay. Well, when you, when you get settled, I'm sure he would appreciate that. You know, we, we often talk about unencumbered conversation, right? Enjoying time with your pastor where you don't want anything from him.

You're just there to pour and refill his pitcher. So if dad jokes is your thing, can't carry on with you when you find your new one. Yeah. Because here's my Bible basis for my brothers.

Oh good. Bible basis for dad jokes. I need this. Proverbs 1513. 1513 of the proverbs.

Okay. Lay it on us. That's our fathers. It says a merry heart raises a countenance. There you go. Weariness.

Weariness crushes the bones. I, I agree every bit of it. A merry heart raises the countenance. Good. And so, so, you know, just so you'll know, busman, I happen to be a pastor amongst my many other good things that God gives me to do. So you raise on every time that you share one of these, you, you, you, you improve my countenance. So you know, you, you're reaching one pastor if nobody else. Thanks brother. Thank you pastor.

Robby. Yeah. I'm glad I raised your countenance. You did. Okay. God bless you for today guys. Thank you sir.

God bless. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.

Bye. So, you know, it's like taking part in church, right? Like, ask not what your church can do for you, but what you can do for your church, you know, or the same thing. Ask not what Truth Talk Live can do for you, but what you can do Truth Talk Live. Well, what you got to do is dial 866-348-7884 because that thing that you've been doing for your pastor, I don't know what that may be.

By spending unencumbered time taking over football. I don't know what it is, but I would love to know it because everybody listening could I could be encouraged by that and just think there's a pastor out there that could really use it. So 866-348-7884, Andy.

Yeah, give us your stories and if you have questions about how to do it. You know, Robbie, I don't know if you remember this, but one of those, it might have been the very first show when we were talking about those journey days, right? And how has God moving you from what we would have said, marketplace ministry into full-time Christian service? And if you remember, after that first one or early on, I remember saying, Robbie, like, why would anybody listen to this? Because this is just a train wreck. Like, I don't think it went well. I know I don't sound that good on the radio.

Like, I feel like maybe I've gotten a little better since then, but you know, I remember being nervous about it. And you said something to me, I don't know if you remember this or not, but you said, you know, Andy, the way God uses this is maybe there's somebody up in Canada listening to what you're doing for pastors. And that guy is going to go quail hunting that weekend.

And maybe he just thinks, you know what? I should invite my pastor to come along. And it just, that one little thing might be something that that pastor needs. Well, when you said it, I sort of shrugged it off, but I drove out this parking lot and I clear as day, when I hit the ditch between Providence lane over here and whatever that other road, North point, I guess, I felt like a Lord tapped me on the shoulder and saying, Andy, you have no idea why I've asked you to do this, but I want you to encourage a nation of believers on how they can actively reinvest in the lives of their pastors. That's been almost 14 years ago. And I think about it every single week. Like I can't tell you every day, but every single week, I think about the comment that you made and how the tangible practical things that we can do to lift up the spirits, to lift up the countenance, like our man just said of our pastors and why it matters so, so much.

Yeah. You know, you've got the burnout statistics and all this thing and COVID man, it took a horrible, horrible blow on so many pastors that felt, you know, like do I mask or not? Every direction they went, they felt like they were under attack. And some of those guys are still reeling from that.

I would say more than you can possibly imagine, right? You know, here there's the, I don't want to say the key, right, but what I have learned of the underlying, like the foundation of our ministry exists because there's something going on in your pastor's life that you know nothing about. We ought to investigate that some more because everybody has problems onto the surface, right? We have created this environment where our pastors cannot be transparent. They're scared to be transparent.

They're scared of what you're going to think because so many people want them to be living lives of perfection. They're families and kids too. Well, you're going to call us 866-348-7884. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live, and today's topic, amazing. It really is, like here's the question. It's Missions Monday, but part of that mission is how can you care, like literally care for your pastor? And that, you know, if you think about it, I'm not going to talk about it, but I'm going to talk about it, and I'm going to talk about it, and I'm going to talk about it, and I'm going to talk about it, and you know, if you think about it, and Andy thinks about it all the time, but that could be done through prayer, right?

And that could be done by an email. Like, man, I've been following your series, and I just got to tell you where that lit up my world, or you know, I don't know how. You know, God puts it on your heart, but as you, you know, one of the things that always triggers things for me, and I know it does for you, Andy, is you start praying about something, and God gives you something to do. Okay? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Yeah, you know, I love the fact that we're talking about this, Robbie, and I want to get to the real, like the practical ways too, right? But I want to set the stage just a little bit more on why this is so important, and I want to do it by just telling a couple stories, okay? You know, I don't know what it's been, eight or nine years ago, ten years ago now maybe, our, my senior pastor unfortunately took his own life. It was a shock throughout our community. We had a vibrant church going, ministries flourishing, people coming to know the Lord, people being discipled through small groups.

I mean it was it was wide open and seemingly fantastic at every turn. And all of a sudden this rattles the community. Front page of the papers, I mean it's it's it's shocking as the is the most understated way I can say it. And after that happened and people started to realize that there were some issues behind the scenes, if I'd have heard one time I heard a thousand probably, this comment in the foyer that if we had only known this was going on then here's how we could have helped. And the reality of that is it's absolute hogwash, right? Like it's a rough term I know, but the thing is if people would have known, hey you know there was this guy was abusing alcohol or having other problems, they don't rush in to help. That's not the natural human psyche, right? You know what it is is, hey did you hear this if the pastor was doing this or I heard this about the pastor can you believe that happened? That's terrible, right? It's not it's not hard to help. It's a heart of spreading gossip and the rumor rolls and we love to be the bearer of bad news. And it's the same thing happens week after week. How many times that we see our pastor's children in the foyer that are carrying on or you know I heard somebody the other day say those kids are the Tasmanian Devils you know or or as they get older you know this pastor's daughter has a 14 year old daughter and maybe she's wearing something that's you know heaven forbid it's two inches above her knee or wherever and we all we want to do is criticize, right? I remember being at a church when the when the offering plate is being passed and I was sitting in the front row I was I was getting ready to share about our ministry at this church and in the front row I was sitting there the pastor's wife was there the kids were there and as they're passing the offering plate I can literally feel the eyeballs of everyone else in the back looking to see what the pastor's kids are putting in the offering plate. Like it's never it's a never-ending criticism and it's not intentional you know listen I've probably done it many times myself right I've got something that's something negative to say so my point in all of that is we are so apt to fill our churches with criticism whether it's music lighting sound you know I got a really cool to go along with what you're saying go for it okay so if you've ever seen the original movie Shrek right and if you've seen this scene it's hilarious where you know he rescues Fiona now he's an ogre and and she looks beautiful okay but actually if you know the story she too is an ogre I mean that's part of what she's what she is well when he rescues her he's like she says you need to take off your helmet because you know how it goes a princess is beset by a dragon and she's rescued by you know Prince Charming and then you know they share true love's first kiss well and he says I can't take off my helmet cuz I got a helmet here it's a great line she orders him to take off the helmet when he takes off the helmet he gives her this real funny look she goes you're an ogre right yeah and and and of course that's her immediate comment why because she wanted him to be Prince Charming well see whenever your pastor takes off his mask and I'm one of them just picture Robbie taking his mask off and take a good look I'm an ogre yeah but guess what so are you Fiona I mean you know after dark you turn into an ogre too so we we know how the scheme goes but the deal is we expect our pastors actually to be Jesus okay so totally right okay and your pastor is not Jesus he's a human being he's an ogre that has the exact same problems that you do he has been given a calling an assignment and an anointing by the Lord to preach and teach the gospel however he's still a human being that here's there here's the reality right when you when you see like in our church when all these wonderful things were happening what you should be expecting is that the enemy is working as equally hard to destroy those things so how many times have you said on your show ministry is messy it is messy and we need to understand that and we need to be bathing our pastors and our teachers with care and prayer support in our case we specialize in preventive care and prayer right like I've made this comment before how many of us would want to invest our our money our funds into a company that the CEO feels discouraged fights with isolation and depression related issues we don't want that right we want that guy to be vibrant to be pushing the bottom lines because it affects all of us well in ministry it's the same thing healthy leadership is important not through healthy ministry but ultimately in the fulfillment of the Great Commission and in every single act of Christian service that happens across town or across the globe it's important to have healthy vibrant leadership and they're being attacked left and right you know the Bible tells us the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion you know who he's after the most he's after the leadership because it's a war it's a battle so we're talking about a battle before so that's all of that stuff I never understood it personally when God started asking me to spend my time encouraging pastors one-on-one I never I never even thought about that stuff right because all I see is like everybody else for 9 to 12 or up there on Sunday morning maybe teaching a Sunday's class maybe making a few hospital visits you don't have any idea that he just got off the phone with the credit card company because they're you know mad that he ran up some bogus charge and somebody's hacked him and his kids were in a car accident and they're fighting about the curfew and you know they're just it's so much stuff going on and and you mentioned the COVID right you have no idea that he just came out of a two-hour meeting trying to convince somebody in that day that they should have had masks on and he's headed into the next two our main trying to convince the next guy that they shouldn't be wearing the mask because it's like people are people there's opinions going a thousand miles an hour and you know I used to work for this guy that said you know anyway do you have one employee you have one problem when you have two employees you have a hundred problems and it goes up exponentially from there it's very similar to the church everybody's got something to say so those are those are the issues I know we're gonna address how we're gonna combat that actually make a difference but they're setting the stage for you well here's here's something I heard of the NRB I wrote it down on my quotisms I'm never gonna forget it you know how God rewards good work with more work correct you've heard you know that and that and that's what's happened right that the pastor has done some good work and so he's now got more work and and and of course as the game steps up right that the more he's been given the more is required and so really cool from my standpoint you know here's somebody to stand back from the side of my eyes looking I know he raised up your ministry to raise up these pastoral care teams pastor care reps we're gonna talk about it yeah and so I've been on the beholding in in other words you know just out be too terribly transparent but you know my family went through a real crisis a huge one you know was it seven years ago I don't know eight years ago and I don't have any idea how Andy got word of it but all of a sudden here comes his call all right I'll never ever ever forget it because I was in justice and it was just simple Robbie what can I do for you well he had no idea I had a horrible situation with a car that was stuck somewhere I needed something for the Jesus labor love and they were driving me crazy I gotta get this done I said Andy could you just move a car do you remember that yeah well nobody knows man you know that's what we talk about practical tangible thing it makes such a difference right because I was just right now I was up against it and I was up against it in so many different ways and here's this problem sitting there and it was just like man Andy and and you did it without a hesitation it was just like man and so as it it's it's like the Jesus labor love right that this lady comes and she's like you got to fix my air conditioner I've been driving around the summer for two years in the in the heat because I got no money and my husband used to fix everything and she's a widow and Jerry goes out there and goes well you see that that snowflake right there on the dash she just pushed that right and the air comes on well often being part of the pastor's care team is just pushing the snowflake man it's just it's just it's so simple and easy but just making yourself available to be there to move that car yeah you know those simple little things like guarding your pastor's time you know when they're a vacation it should be a policy that we're not gonna bug the pastor I've heard it a hundred times on pastors kids that they never get to finish the vacation they can be on the beach and all of a sudden dad gets a call and he's got a run and it creates problems and problems and problems down the road so that's a simple one protect your time but we'll get more welcome back to truth talk live today so excited to have with me Andy Bowers socks with energized ministries and the question is how can you and seriously how can you or how have you cared for your pastor and you've got ideas we would love to hear them eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four we really would eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four I can't tell you the number of times that your call has literally made my day and I've thought about it all the way home like God is raising up people all over to do things that just blow my mind and and he's he just never ceases to amaze me and that's what you could do by calling us and an amazing entire audience with what God did or you got a chance to take part in eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four so Andy I love this it's it's a pastor care that's your care rep new for new program for us this year okay so you know you've been listening to this show you've been talking about us and why it's important to care for your pastor and how it ultimately affects the kingdom and you know there's a whole host of people you may be one of them that feels like you know what I'm not I'm not called to be an evangelist I'm not called to smuggle Bibles into China or wherever but you can be that voice of encouragement by the simple simple things that you said or I'll be baking a plate of cookies you know let me just let me just lay out a few tangible practical things okay one is a handwritten thank you note on how something that your pastor said even this past week impacted your life or how it connected with you I hear our ministry here from pastors all the time that have no idea if they're really connecting I mean it's it's a it's part of the spiritual battle right they can spend a week or two preparing a message doing exactly what they feel like in the end though and I hear this comment sometimes it just seems like it falls on deaf ears because you don't know what people are really thinking well here's what you do here and I can because I do it true you're you're there now is the moment you quit well if you're on the radio or it doesn't matter to me whether I'm on a radio or I'm speaking at an event or I just gave a message Satan will have your ear all the way home on you blew this you didn't even get to that right you did you know he knows and and and so what you will hear I can absolutely guarantee your pastors hearing all the things he did not say or all the things he did not get across the way he wanted so so case in point when that happens to you how important is that when you get home and you get a you know next day you open the mail or you get a text text is a great way to do it now too we're an email even so do you know what pastor when you were talking about this specific thing about how that lay oh I can just tell you know I did right we did a boot camp this with this we are an entrenchment at our at our church and and one of the good guys he came up on the podium like you know up there after the service and he said Robbie I gotta tell you man I got two guys I just gotta send to the next entrenchment and I rode home on wings right it that was a simple little thing but it made all the difference in the world that what we had done it impacted him to the point that he wanted to get more people involved in it right okay so that's that's one simple you know and here here's a little challenge out there right now there is probably somebody riding down the road in their SUV or their minivan or their car or wherever that is thinking right now perhaps God's tapping me on the shoulder to be that voice of encouragement act on it right now I will tell you from experience obedience in those subtle little moments if you're sensing right now that maybe God is tapping you on the on the shoulder to be that voice of encouragement and you obey obedience absolutely unlocks the miracle of God in our lives little or big over and over and over God moves after our obedience it happens over and over and over so those little things okay maybe that's you maybe that's not you maybe you're trying to think of something else okay the menu you like to make cookies and muffins if somebody brings me a blueberry muffin everybody in my office knows it's gonna be a good day if somebody brings me no matter what else is happening I'm a blueberry nothing muffin fanatic right but it's also more than that and so if you're listening to hear and you say hey we want to know how we can get involved we understand that that healthy leadership is helps our church helps our community helps our helps our ministry and people come to know and grow in the Lord come to our website it's energized ministries calm and look up the pastor care we call PC our program we would love to train you to engage you to be that voice of encouragement in your own church we realize you know there's hundreds of thousands of churches good Bible teaching preaching churches across our nation we can't possibly have a presence in one of those unless one of the things that happened in this studio was God calling us to raise an army of believers that are committed to reinvest in the lives of their own leadership we absolutely believe that we will see the tide shift from those where the criticism is replaced with care and we specialize in preventive care and prayer that's why it matters so become a prayer warrior for your pastor spread the word about that serve you what was your little jingle you gave me a minute ago the movie jingle oh I love it from life is so unnerving for a servant who's not serving it's from Beauty and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast life is so unnerving for a servant that is not serving you want to hear a funny story a few years ago you know most bigger churches right now they have a parking committee right oh and it drives me up the wall that we can't is driving somewhere in park where we want to okay if you go to one of these bigger churches you know I'm talking about is three four guys waving this way that way we never used to have that problem we can just park where we want to well anyway I was irritated about this I drove in guys waving the baton one way that was waving the other way and I finally the heck with I'm gonna go this way this is where I want to go and I parked and I said something to the to the guy later on I'm like you guys need to work on this parking team he hands me the baton and he says there you go you can do better come on and do it and I felt so convicted because look I'm supposed to be the energizer bunny the one that's out there encouraging and here I am criticizing people that probably doing the best they can do right and I'm like gotta find better people they're like well here you go come pick up the mantle here's the shocker Andy you're an ogre the beauty thing of the ogre is you see if when we get the idea that what God designed the world that we need Jesus we need God we need the Holy Spirit and so when that person that we're putting all this reliance on be turns out to be an ogre that's that's that's a check engine light flashing on your dashboard seek Jesus and he will tell you to to help that guy like I mean literally come in there like man you need more firepower whatever you know how can I you know how can I help you and then you do that you know but I understand and I do understand that I'm broken but one of the best things that you you'd been talking about in my marriage was when my wife figured out that I was an ogre you know for a long time she thought I was Prince Charming and you know once the helmet came off and she saw man you're an ogre you weren't supposed to be and I love it she says that you weren't supposed to be an ogre well I'm so I yeah yeah we all have scars we all have imperfections we live in an imperfect society you know I don't know if you remember Robbie earlier early on our ministry had a run-in with a very well-known pastor and I I was I wasn't happy about him I remember going home and saying like God why would you use somebody like that like why would you bless somebody with this great ministry because this guy was mad and I remember the Lord I same familiar tap you know what Andy I have no choice but to use flawed and sinful people to accomplish my work that has become one of the boldest mantras of our of our ministry because we're all there right I think that's worth writing down I have no choice but to use flawed and sinful people and broke accomplish my work and it's so true that's all he's got we're in the ogres and whatever you want to call us we're the a-team right and like the the B team looks even worse so remember that remember that about your pastor right I mean he is dealing with stuff that you know if you know somebody Toby Mac or somebody has that famous saying that everybody's fighting a battle you know nothing about it's never more true than in the life of somebody maybe it's a ministry leader maybe it's your pastor but somebody that is working to introduce others to Christ to lead them closer to Christ they are under attack that you can't possibly imagine the pressure and the manifestations of it unless you're there so you want to learn more about it like we'd love to talk to you it's energized ministries calm we would love to have you just just send an email say hey I'm interested in this and not to mention that it's a virtual plethora of resources for your pastor like that you guys have all sorts of events you have retreat centers in other words as when you become this prayer rep you're gonna have like you can access to our whole arsenal of what we offer and like you said a lot of a lot of special events we do have an amazing retreat center up in Virginia that's dedicated exclusively to Kingdom leadership predominantly pastors that's that's a whole amazing story in of itself but look we're we are really leading the charge you know there's a whole ton of ministries that exist after there's been crisis after there's been a burnout or failure of some sort in our case we're we we're not trying to put them out of business because they're gonna be there right but how much more effective what all of this stuff be if we could avoid the black eyes if we could avoid it when it gets that bad let's work on the preventive side what does preventive care and prayer support look like in your church we can show you we want to help you with it we want you to get involved so what they have you know is experience right you guys been doing this for 14 years now and you've run up against you know some of the things that you know why reinvent the wheel you want to get a link arms with other Christians right we all think that we're in this alone we're not we all have different gifts you're you're totally right about that and your gift maybe it's maybe it's mowing the grass maybe it's fixing the car like you said maybe you got a tow dolly and your pastor's like had it happen to me before a pastor's daughter's car broke down volunteer to go pick it there's so many things we'd love to connect with you standardized ministers calm Robbie thank you for having me on here I love class love hanging out with you we should do it more often we will we will thank you for hanging out with us we appreciate our listeners so much and all you do for the truth Network got a whole bunch of truth talk live coming this week at you thank you so much for tuning in