Whats one word describes your life?

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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. Speak.

Your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Hello truth listeners. Welcome to our show today. I'm in the studio with Todd Matthews.

Friend, a long time. We've seen a lot of ups and downs in each other's lives, but I so tickled about today. You're one of my favorite people, and I couldn't wait to have you on the show. Todd, just introduce yourself a little bit. Tell us how, maybe you can remember how we met. I think I remember, but maybe you remember. A few details. Yeah. Well, my name is Todd Matthews, and from Winston.

Still live here in Winston. Married to my beautiful wife, Sonja, coming up on 11. Your better half, for sure.

Yeah, absolutely. I married up, as they say. So, coming up on 11 years in September. And you and I, we met. I was invited to come to Calvary through Nathan Bag. That's right. We met at Calvary in 2009, and I don't know, we just had that chemistry, you, me, and J.T., and we hooked up.

That's right. We've had a lasting friendship ever since. We have. I think you, Nathan invited you to Calvary, into our Bible Fellowship class, and J.T. was teaching. J.T. tells the story, you walked up to him after class, and introduced yourself, and he says, we've been fast friends ever since. I think I heard you say that.

Yeah. It's been a really huge blessing to J.T., my husband. Just that friendship, and all the talks, and all the heart-to-heart talks, and the things you've learned from each other and with each other. It's been a blessing for me, for J.T., to have you as a friend. And so, I'm just really thankful for you.

Yeah, well, I feel likewise. And man, we shared some good meals at your house, and y'all really helped keep me stable, and helped get me on my feet work-wise, you know, when I was getting established in 09. And I'm just so very thankful for that, and again in 012. So, very thankful for that. And even though our lives have went a little different now, we've still maintained our friendship.

And of course, J.T. 's invited me to be a part of that mentor group on every other Monday, so I really enjoyed that. That's been awesome. I think those young men are really enjoying that group. And I think y'all are too.

Yeah, we enjoy it just as much as they do. We'll circle around to that maybe a little bit later. Todd, start me out. Let's talk a little bit about your early life, and you know, tell me about your family life, maybe how that got started, your backstory, a little bit of your backstory. All right, well, so my biological mother was 15, and my biological father was 16. And rather than have an abortion, thank goodness, my biological mother had birth, gave me up for adoption. And I was adopted at six months old from my mother who passed away a couple years ago. And so yes, she was my mother. I've never met my biological parents.

But as I said, my mother that adopted me and my father, I mean, they were my mother and father. So that's my my early beginnings. And grew up in Clemens?

Grew up in Winston-Salem. And, you know, just normal life, went to high school at West. Of course, made the worst decision ever made in my life at 16 when I decided to quit high school and go to work.

Now what what made you make what what led you to that decision? Well, the first day of school, you know, I got caught with a stiletto switchblade knife, and I got suspended for three days. And I thought I'd do everything. So I was like, I'll do you one better than that. I'll just quit. And they tried to talk me out of it.

They're like, just take your three days and come back. But, you know, you can tell me a whole lot now. So I went to work at Burger King. And before long, that fizzled out. And I was just entering into a life of crime at that point.

Yeah. Well, let's let's talk a little bit about that. Because that, you know, that's a big part of your story. It's not the main part of your story. It's not the redemptive part of your story. But even even then, through what you experienced, I can look back on your life, not even having seen it.

I know you can. And know that God was working in all those valleys, all that darkness, you know, all those different ways that he just runs after us. So tell us how that unfolded.

And maybe some of the suffering you experienced some of the, you know, the the consequences that, you know, just like you said, you think we think we know it all and that those consequences smack us. But talk a little bit about what life look like over the next good many years. Well, so not long after I quit high school and got in trouble. I got some break and then charges, went to prison at 16. And then I would go to prison again at 18. And then again at 20. But at 20, I got a 20 year sentence. And of course, it might sound like I got to do the whole 20 to most people.

But because of the way the law is structured, that sentence is cut in half to 10. So I did seven years. But from 16 to 28, I basically did all my life incarcerated. And even years following that. But in those years, it was just chasing in, I loved pleasure. And by quitting high school, I had no structure stability in my life.

And of course, no education. You know, I had morals, I knew things I was doing that was right or wrong, but I didn't care. You know, I just I live for sin and pleasure. But mine typically drove me to drinking and drugs, which eventually in my story, my life, and it happens to many to not all led to crime, and then going to prison.

So I was a repeat offender, repeat offender. And all I can say through those years is there was no really interaction between me and God or me going to church or reading the Bible or anything like that. But, but God had to he kept me during those years regardless. Yeah, you could have, you could have died for that matter. You know, you might may not have even been here today. And he's he did sustain your life for a purpose.

And now we we know a lot of that purpose. But I guess, you know, maybe speak to what what that life is like is, do you feel hopeless? Do you feel like you've got hope? Or are you just kind of making it day to day when you're when you're in prison? You know, are you I know there's a whole culture?

What's what does that look like? Yeah. Well, no, you have no hope. But I don't. Well, me, I didn't think about hope.

I didn't really think about the future. I think, you know, I went to prison a total of seven times as crazy as that sounds. And jokingly, some people say, well, seven in the Bible means completion. So let's let's hope that's true. Right. So, but we're gonna say it. That's true. Yeah. Well, amen. And but I think, you know, thinking back each time I was getting released, there was in my mind, I don't want to go back. Right. But yet I kept going back. Yeah. Yeah. We'll come back to this story.

If you want to call in the numbers 866-348-7884. Our question is, what's one word to describe your life? Truth Talk Live!

You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live! Again, our question for the day is, what's one word that you would use to describe your life?

I know that's a lot of pressure. So it doesn't have to be the word of all time, but maybe it's the word for today, or maybe it's the word for a general season of your life. And I want when we wrap this up, I'm going to ask Todd if he has a word that really describes his life or captures his life.

But if you want to call in and give us your word, it's 866-348-7884, 866-34-TRUTH. So Todd, we left off and you're living in prison. You went back several times and during that time, you also faced some health issues. You know, there was a lot of things going on during those years. Tell us about, I know you had cancer a couple of times.

Yeah, I did. I went through esophageal cancer, adenocarcinoma, the esophagus, major surgery, a lot of my insides taken out, a lot of chemo, a lot of radiation, but God is a healer, Jehovah Rafi, and he healed me, and not once but twice, as well as my wife Sonya from breast cancer twice. So he has been super good to us, and we just try to be very thankful for that. This is skipping ahead a little bit, but what would you say you've learned through suffering? Maybe learned about yourself, learned about the Lord. None of us want to suffer, but it's life. That's real life, isn't it?

Yeah, well, a couple of things come to mind. One, sufferance is part of living in a fallen curse to earth, so there's a theological answer for you, or a biblical answer, biblical theology, but suffering, a form of chastening, the suffering that's occurred in my life, in my mind, has been a form of chastening, but it shows that God loves me, that I truly am his child. Suffering can be a form of consequence to sin. You know, there is consequences to sin. Suffering can bring about good. Hopefully, I think from a biblical perspective, is to bring about a change of character and make you more like Christ and conform you into his image.

Absolutely. I think about James 1, and you can quote it. I could probably quote it, but consider it joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, perseverance, your character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. So yeah, part of suffering is that God is actually doing something, and I think that's so hopeful. The whole world suffers, but Christians suffer knowing that God is actually doing something with it for our good and his glory, and sometimes you just hold on to that. I know our paths crossed, and a couple of years after that, I developed a brain tumor and really walked through, and y'all were there. Our Bible fellowship class surrounded us and loved us well, and I learned more in suffering than I have in the really good times. Now, I want good times, but suffering, I think, is really where you see the heart of God, but you have to lean into it because it's a test sometimes of, will I trust you, Lord, or will I lose faith in you?

So it's, there's a lot there in suffering. So what was it like for you? You asked me that question when you had your brain tumor. What was that like for you going through that? You know, it's super interesting to look back on that because when that happened, when I got that diagnosis, we were really in a sweet spot of fellowship.

We had been teaching a class for several years. We had tons of people that we had poured in and that were in our lives, and sometimes I look back on that, and I actually had more peace during that season than I have in other seasons when, you know, the smallest thing trips me up. But I think God had prepared us for that, which was really looking back just His grace, and I was connected in His Word and spending time with Him, and I'm not, not all those seasons in my life are like that, but that particular one, I just think He prepared us.

And then He just covered us up with the body of Christ. And so, I mean, there were some dark times, and there was some times that I really struggled. Even after that surgery, it took me a long time to feel like myself, and I remember just thinking, I'm never going to be who I was again, and kind of really felt like there was a dark shadow, but He walked me through that. So I, just His grace and His goodness, but I had never really experienced that type of suffering, so it was very humbling for me, for people to like cook our food and take care of our kids and wash our clothes.

You know, JT's like, where are my clothes? I'm like, oh, Susan took them. It was, but I think, I think that was the time that I really processed the sacrifice of Christ, that He willingly, for people who didn't even love Him, suffered the distance between His glory and earth, and died on the cross for us, and that voluntary suffering for people who hadn't rejected, I don't know, that became more profound for me during that season. Yeah, that's so good to hear. I know that when I was going through cancer, I didn't really know the Lord like I do now.

So for me, when I was in the hospital, the next question was always like, what's next, what's next? But when I saw Sonja go through breast cancer the second time, because we weren't together when she went through it the first time, she never complained. I mean, she just did everything the doctor said to do, and like, so she's the epitome of what it looks like to truly be a champion through suffering. And it's just been inspirational for me.

Well, I have to, I have to say Sonja is an amazing woman. She just is such a bright spot to so many people and just, I remember you meeting her, I think at Bethesda. Yeah, Michael Patterson and Cindy had invited us to serve down there and you were there and she was there and something sparked in the sandwich line. It was her smile that sparked. When I saw that smile, I was just done. I was like, Oh my goodness. Well, you spent a long season in and out of prison and then something happened.

Yeah. What happened? Well, you know, I met a former gang member, one of my trips back to prison and he was just joyful and I was drawn to him so much. I remember so vividly. And isn't that crazy how people can see the Holy Spirit in another person and they know something's different.

They don't know what it is. Well, this has a great ending. So then I didn't see it, but I just knew I was drawn to him and he was discipling me and I really didn't even know it. And that's how I really started getting educated in the scriptures. We were reading Daniel in the lion's den and Naaman and Joseph, etc.

Well, it wouldn't be till years later. And I did make a profession of faith with that guy. One day, I don't remember where I was at, what I was doing, but it's like the Lord impressed upon my heart.

Right. He's like, you remember how you were drawn to Jose? And I was like, yes, Lord, I do. He's like, no, you weren't drawn to Jose. You were drawn to Christ in Jose.

Yes, that was a game changer right there. Wow. So it was the light in him of Christ that I was drawn to.

Let your light shine before me and then I see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Right. So what was that moment? I know you I've heard you talk about the moment you just feel like the Bible came alive to you. Christ came alive to you and just like a lightning bolt almost.

Yeah. Well, I was going back to prison for like a sixth time and I was looking back over my life and the math wasn't adding up. Like I was claiming to be a Christian, but my life wasn't showing that I was a Christian and I just surrendered everything to the Lord at that moment. Well, we'll come back to Todd's story after the break. But if you want to call in the numbers 866-348-7884. We're back.

Todd Matthews. When we left off, you were telling us about the time when your life really took a 180. That's correct. So I had just been sentenced to five years in federal prison. I was in jail waiting pickup by the feds and I had visited with a pastor that day. God had always put pastors in my life. Maybe that's a sign.

I don't know. But anyway, I came back to my cell and I was it was very rainy overcast day and I was standing on my desk looking at my jail cell window and I just broke on the inside and I wept for about 10 minutes and I just prayed and said, Christ, I'm looking at my life and the math is not adding up. If I've deceived myself into thinking I'm a Christian, I'm not, I fully surrender my life to you right here right now. I'll go anywhere you want me to go.

I'll do anything you want me to do and I'll tell anybody anything you want me to tell them. That's just what was on my heart to pray and I got done. Um, when, then when I picked the scriptures up and I started reading them, man, it's just like the Bible came alive and it's, it's been that way ever since. You said at one point those, was it three years to end up three years or was it five?

It's about four. And you just said that was your, that was your seminary. Yeah. Well that was my seminary time.

I felt like Paul in the wilderness in three years. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

For sure. And man, the Lord just poured into me and taught me so much. It was just incredible. And I was so hungry for the word and um, yeah, just a very, very great and fruitful time. I, I probably have some of the best memories of my life in Atlanta, federal penitentiary. I don't know how many people can say that, but I sure am glad you can. Well, we've got, you got a lot of story left, so I want to really fast forward 2009. We met at Calvary.

That's correct. And you got involved, you really taught us so much. So it was, that was just a beautiful time in my life and our lives when we were just living life with a lot of people and a lot of, a lot of real stuff was going on and you just kind of came in there like, like you'd always been part of it. Tell us what that looked like and kind of how you felt, you know, I know a lot of people feel like when they come into a church, maybe they're on the outside looking in and maybe you felt that way, but how did you get integrated into, into church and fellowship and how important was fellowship for you?

Well, I felt great. And I think because I've been to 21 different prisons, 19 state prisons and two federal prisons, change comes a little easier for me because you have to adapt quickly. You've got to make friends fast. You do whether you like it or not, you know, so it was very easy for me to come into Calvary in a doubt. And I've always been a social person. I love people. I love to talk, you know, but I think I've become a pretty good listener later in life too, but so it just wasn't a problem.

It seems like listening lags a little bit. Maybe listening comes with wisdom. It does come with wisdom. And, uh, but yeah, I just, I just came and that's where God put me and fellowship's tremendous. You know, I was reading not long ago, I think last week or something, but it's resurfaced in my mind this week, Proverbs 16 one maybe or somewhere, a man who ice or a person who isolates themselves, that's unwise. And a lot of times we like to do that and it's okay to get alone and have downtime, but isolating yourself and trying to live a Christian life alone. Uh, no, that's not going to work at all. God hasn't called us to that. Right, right.

Well, could you have imagined your 30 year old self like where you'd be now? Not at all. What's your word, Todd? My word is redemption, but you gave it to me. Truth be told before we started. So I asked you what you thought it was and you asked me what I thought yours was and we agreed.

Yeah, we did. But I guess in my mind I was thinking about life right now and I was not necessarily thinking spiritual. So I was thinking like chaotic or busy. And I hate busy because our country and the church sometimes falls into this or maybe more than I think they do. It's all about fast, fast, fast, quick, quick, quick, now, now, now, go, go, go. And God did not intend for us.

I don't think to live life like that. So I very intentionally and purposefully tried to slow down. So I don't like saying when you ask me, what's one word and I say busy is like, no, that's the word I'm trying to get away from. You know, I think we actually wear that as a badge of honor. I'm so busy that it's like, that's how I get my value. Like if I call you up on what you doing, Todd? And you're like, nothing. I'm like, well loser. But like, we love to say we're busy, but it was really robbing our joy.

It's robbed, taking the life out of us. Yeah, I hear you. So a little bit of rest and a little bit of pace is a good thing. I know every like society or people since the beginning of time, they have like busy seasons, but my boss and I just this morning, we're talking about Abraham.

What did life look like for him? Well, I'm sure it didn't look like it looks for us, but you know, God's placed us in this time, but we have to be very intentional about pulling back and not getting vacuumed in there. Because like you said, I think we'll start wrapping our identity up and how much we're accomplishing. And I just don't think that's how God intended it. Right.

Yeah. Well, as far as redemption, those years since 2009 or so, really when you prayed to receive Christ and your life started to change in prison, and then you got out and started to really live in the context of fellowship, God started to bring you relationships. Sonja, you know, just how has God redeemed your life? You know, it's a million ways, but give me a few.

Well, I think this is the best way to say it is to contrast it. So before four felonies, 10 misdemeanors, a life full of drugs, alcohol, crime, seven times going to prison, five state, two feds. And then here's the after after, you know, the redemption being born again is since July 1st, 2010, no drugs, no alcohol, no crime, no arrests, no going back to prison, been married to Sonja coming up on 11 years, and have received and worked steady the entire time.

I went to work a week after I got out of prison in 2012. And I've achieved by God, and all this is by God's grace alone, my associates, my bachelor's, my master's in biblical studies, and then currently coming up on the halfway point of my PhD in biblical theology. Wow. Yeah. So it's incredible. And God's taught me you can live life and not have to be high. You know, and I have a very enjoyable life, Sonja, and I have a good life. I mean, it isn't perfect. You know, we go through our shared things like anybody else, but God's done so much in my life.

And it just feels so great. Yeah. Well, that's a lot of redemption. For sure.

Let's see. Just some things I remember over the years that have impressed me. There's so many things but like JT tells the story of how when you had your scooter, and y'all were doing Bible study at our I guess at our house where we live now, but he said, you know, it would be cold, it'd be raining, and you would get on a scooter and you found the warmest jackets you could and the warmest gloves you could.

And I think it took, you know, 10 minutes, maybe in a car, but 3040 minutes for you to take the backroads to our house. And he said he'd come in and it was raining. And, you know, the other guys, you know, some of the other guys was I could make it, you know, some lame excuse, maybe, but he was like, Todd was so dedicated to being in fellowship and dedicated to the body of Christ and dedicated to learning and growing with people. And that always just made an impression on him. I remember an unrelated story. My, my granddaddy died of emphasis. Well, no, he died of cancer, but he had his oxygen tank. And I remember the week before he died, he was into his 80s, dragging his oxygen tank into church in those little country church. And I thought, wow, you know, when when God's changed you and he's shown you his goodness, you respond to that by wanting more of him.

And I've seen that in you over the years. Tell me a little bit about what you're doing in right now with your doctorate in theology. Doctorate in theology? It's a, uh, well, it's a long title.

It's a PhD in biblical studies with an emphasis in biblical theology. Okay. You got all that? I've got it. I've got, I have to make a note of that. But what's, what's the favorite, what's your favorite thing you're learning right now or something that's really impacted you?

I know we learn a lot, but what, what has grabbed you, grabbed your heart, made you love God more, made you know Christ more deeply. Yeah. Well, as far as pertaining to my degree, I tell people this all the time. The PhD will make you own your faith. So most of us, and it's okay to a degree because we have to trust people.

We believe what we believe because we heard someone preach it or teach it to us. Right. But in that PhD, you got to get in there and do that work. They're not just giving them out. Right.

And it costs money too. Right. Yes. Deep exegetical work. And it is by far the most challenging. Every, every passage, every place that deals with that and all the implications of, it's not just studying one passage and what did I get out of that? But like one concept throughout from beginning to end.

Yeah. And so like it's the most challenging thing that I've ever done in my life, but arguably the most rewarding. And there's times you're ready to quit and then you're glad you didn't quit. It's like anything that's hard, we want to quit.

Cause us Americans, like we're, we're comfortable. We love our comfort and it makes us a little soft, but it's just been so good for me to grow me deeper in my faith. And, um, yeah, to just continue to press forward and learn more about the Lord and where I'm at now, you know, your beliefs on certain things can change, not the essentials of the faith, just other issues. But yeah, it's been very good.

I think it's helped me to become more mature and hopefully to be a better listener and be open to what other people are saying. Okay. Well, we'll be back in just a minute. Thanks Todd for your story. Appreciate you. Absolutely.

You're listening to the truth network and truth network.com. Here we go. One last segment. So Todd, we, we left off there just a few things to tie up this last segment. Uh, you were, we were talking about you getting your, um, doctorate and kind of what that looks like. And you have to dig deeper than you ever did before. And you said sometimes your theology shifted a lot, a little, not on major things, but let's talk about that a little bit. Is that a sign of, you know, flakiness or growth or maturity or, you know, how have you seen that play out in your life? Well, because most of us, we don't, our, our belief isn't static.

It has to be static in the main things. But as we learn and grow and get exposed to things, we're challenged. Like I thought I knew everything the older you get, the more you realize. Well, you know, opinions run rampant on that.

Uh, but me personally, I just see it as a sign of growth, hopefully a sign of maturity. Uh, it's very humbling to be in a classroom of, you know, uh, a lot of, I guess, soon to be scholars or theologians that the church kind of leans on a lot for theology to, to help understand the word better. So there is a connection there between the academy and the church.

Absolutely. So I don't know what I do without some of the commentaries that are so helpful. People spend their life's work studying the book of acts or the book of John. And you know, they're, they're a scholar 40 years delving into the details of what did it mean when Jesus said he was, I am, you know, just kind of stuff like that.

I love, I'm so grateful for the cloud of witnesses that gone before us and that spend their time really dig in deep into scripture so that we, we know what we believe. Exactly. Yep. And uh, you know, so it's, it's humbling to be in a, I just got done with a PhD intensive. So I just got back from Kansas city, Missouri. Uh, at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. And so we had a PhD intensive all week. So you're in there seven hours a day for five days and you're just digging through the synoptic gospels and acts was the, is this class I'm finishing up my research paper and um, yeah, so you're being sharpened by your peers. There were 17 of us in the professor who's written 10 books and been a professor for 18 to 20 years. And you're learning like, I don't know half of what I thought I knew and have what I did.

No, I know for God is like, it's very humbling, but it's very rewarding. And uh, you know, the professors are there to help you along, you know, to be a guide for you. And so we're all writing papers. We're trying to produce new scholarship. If there is, we're not trying to make things up, but can we see something in scriptures that's true that maybe no one else has called or something?

And can we shed some light on that and contribute to the conversation, contribute to Christianity and the understanding of the scriptures is really what we're trying to do. One thing I didn't want to forget while we're talking about it and does play into your, your education is a man named Dr. Gary Chapman. He's coming to your life. You came into his life and y'all had a really special friendship. Tell me what that friendships look like and you know, how has he taken care of you and you've, you know, been a friend to him. I think that's just been a really neat friendship to see unfold.

Yeah. Well, Gary came into our lives and helped my wife and I, Sonja, with marriage counseling. And we met together with him corporately and individually. And so that's where it really started. And I had read his book, The Five Love Languages, when I was in federal prison.

And then I ended up at Calvary and I'm like, wait a minute. That's the same person. He's here? Like he's a real person.

And then I met him and got to know him. He drives a Honda. He does. And if I could describe Gary in one word, it'd just be genuine. He's a genuine man and he's so loved by so many people. And we have had so many good conversations and you know, I don't know if people know this, but Gary is most known of course, for 30 books on love or the love language is taken in 30 different ways, but he did write a book on anger.

He did. It's called The Other Side of Love and I've got it. Yeah. And Gary has helped me because I'm a person and I admit this, but who likes to admit it? I don't, but it's true. But when you know God, it's okay.

You can be real. I've struggled with anger all my life. And Gary's book has helped me more than any other resource because he sees a definitive anger and a distorted anger. And a definitive anger is a righteous anger and a distorted anger is a selfish anger. I didn't get what I wanted. I didn't get it my way. And so anytime I get angry, that's what pops up in my head. So Gary's right there.

Is it definitive or is it distorted? And so, but it's good because you know, it's a guide and see going back to the PhD, that's why we write these books. That's why we do these things to help our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, you know, to grow up.

And I can, I think I can say with a little bit of confidence that it's been helping me to control my anger better. And so I'm very thankful for that. And you know, Gary's just been so supportive. You know, Sonja works at the church and her office is really right across from Gary's office.

So she sees him a lot. He's just been so supportive of us and we've had him and Carolyn over for dinner and that was so great. And we got to see a different side of Gary and he is normal just like us, right?

He's drinking from a special well though. I think he just ages backwards, but you know, I know God's using him and he he'll be here till till he's ready to go, but he's an amazing, he's an amazing person. So I've just appreciated seeing the y'all, your friendship with him.

That's been really fun to see. Yeah. So we've got a few more minutes, but what are your hopes for the future? Kind of what do you see on the horizon?

And you know, my daughter obviously says, I don't know, it's not my life, but in the context of like God working in your life, what direction do you think he's leading you and what would you like to see in the next few years? Yeah. Well, you know, that's a good question. I pre I'm assuming that's Abigail that said that she does. Yeah. Okay. I told her if she ever writes a book that needs to be the title of her book.

It's not my life. Yeah. Okay. No, that'd be good.

She needs to do that. Well, I was having a conversation with a young man. I know Roger Pickett. He's 24, I believe, or 25. I can't remember.

I think he's 24. And I asked him, what did he consider being successful? What did that look like to him? What a great question. And JT asked that all the time. Here's what Roger said.

A young 24 old man. He said, well, I think defining success is being in the will of God. And I was just astounded.

I'm like, wow. So that would be my answer to you is what, what hope do I have for the future? What lies in the future? What do I hope? Well, you know, I'd love to become a seminary professor.

That's the desire of my heart. And I do think God's put it there, but I've often seen God work. Like we think we're going one way and God has taken us another way. So I'm going to answer like, Roger, I just want to be in the will of God and wherever that is, that's where I want to be. I know one time I was actually talking to Dr. Chapman and ask him what's on his bucket list. Have you heard him say that? He said, accomplish all God has for me. Oh, that's such a great answer.

I wrote it down and it's on a sticker on my computer. You know, that kind of sums it up, but I do know you've got a desire to teach and use your life and your experiences and what God's taught you to, to impart that to students. And I, I pray for that for you. I think it's okay for us to say, Lord, this is, these are my hopes and dreams.

I'm holding them loosely and do whatever you want to with them, but to see how he's created your mind and your heart. Um, I, I think you'd be a great professor. So, well, I appreciate it.

And, uh, yeah. And you know, I've learned this too. It's like you teach him many different facets, not just a classroom.

And I know a lot of people know that, but it's good to be reminded of that. And so the students where I work at Carolina university, you know, I work facilities there. I've been there coming up on nine years now. And like, I have a ministry really to the students, my boss and I like, we're able to pour into these young people's lives, invest them, speak a cheerful word to them. I mean, we've even, I've been bringing students to church with me.

Like one young lady, she's been coming for the last two months. So it's more than just a job. It is a ministry.

Yeah. And sometimes I think we're on this trajectory and like, well, ministry is down the road down there when ministry is right in front of us. You know, if we, how are we going to do what God has for us in the, in five years, if we're not living that out, like today, this afternoon, tomorrow morning. So I think being faithful where God has you will, he'll, he's going to take you exactly where he wants to go. So now we're back to, I just want to be in the will of God.

At the end of the day, it's an easy answer, but it's true. It did. That did put that in light for me. Yeah. And one person asked, I want to say this, cause it reminded me of this, like, well, how old do you want to live to be? And I was like, well, I just want to live the years God has for me. Right. Yeah.

And they didn't know what to do with that. They're like, cause most people I want to live long. It's like, no, I think I just want to live what God has for me. Which is awesome because that's what's going to happen. Right.

Like we really don't have a choice in that. Well, for our last few minutes, any favorite passages of the Bible, any favorite people in the Bible who've really inspired you? I've recently just fallen in love with Paul. Um, just the sacrifice he made and the, I don't know what, 10,000 miles. And I don't know, just studying his life and his heart, but you know, are there certain passages that have just anchored you over the years or just give me some thoughts on that. Yeah.

And it'd be more like seasonal at different times. Psalm 34 18. That's the verse for me. The Lord is near to the broken hearted and close to those who are crushed in spirit. Yeah.

Yeah. So that verse is tremendous for me. Uh, Jeremiah, uh, I've always said I'm kin to him, the weeping prophet. Um, now he suffered for righteousness sake. I suffered for unrighteousness sake.

I did think earlier on the way over here, I'm like, you're like a Joseph figure in the redemptive part, but Joseph wasn't really in prison for his own sin. But yeah, but you still experienced that redemption, which is, I mean, that's the news we have for the world that God takes broken sinners who are running from him as fast as we can and he saves us and he speaks in our lives and then he makes something out of it. So any last thoughts as we sign off here to just make much of Christ in my life? Absolutely. Well thank you for listening today. We've enjoyed this time with Todd. We'll see you next time. Another program powered by the truth network.