Life audio. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Welcome back to Words of Life.
I am so sad that this is our final episode with our guest, Dr. Zach Clinton. This has been a six-week series, including today.
So, if you missed any episodes, on your favorite podcast store, scroll back to August 17th. That's the first episode and listen from there. Throughout this series, we've really tried to encourage the men out there. And so I really hope these conversations have been a blessing to you. If there's someone in your life that you also believe would be blessed by these conversations, please share an episode or the whole series with them.
If you need any help in doing so, send us an email, hello at wordsoflifepodcast.org. Thank you so much for listening. I pray you have a great week. God bless. There's a cost.
to everything worthwhile in this life. The question is This goes into all of those motivational talks and more that we hear so many times. Choose your hard, right? It's just, hey, what are we willing to pay? What's the price we're willing to pay?
And someone once said this. The price is easy when the purpose is clear. When you understand what your purpose is in life, right, that cost is a natural byproduct. It begets easier day by day. What you say yes to, it's Easier to say yes to what you say no to.
It's easier to say no to. I'm just asking people out there today, again, as you understand your purpose, what you've been created for, what you've been called to, again, every day of your life, be willing. to pay the price. and to consider the cost. That's what it's all about.
Hmm. All of that speaks to purpose. And I think, you know, just speaking to the fellow men out there. Especially maybe if you are Kind of struggling to find your place right now. Zach, you also said in your book that you've been given specific gifts needed by those in your life.
Without your voice and influence, there's a vacancy no one can replace. And That to me. Always and this might sound super hippie and stuff, but like That to me makes me think of Our lifespan is is this blip. That we are sharing with all of the other humans on this planet for this specific time that God has placed you for a reason. And I think if we can we can hold on to that thought.
That you know, no matter what you think you've done wrong, or no matter what you think your shortcomings are, you have specific gifts that are meant to bless those around you. Hey, you're listening to the Salvation Army's Words of Life. We're going to take a quick ad break and we'll be right back. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts.
At Thrive Ench, planning your finances is bigger than just money. We help you put your plans into motion and faith into action so you can do more for the ones in your heart. Because sometimes all you need to make a difference is someone to help you make it happen. Thrive and where money means more. Connect with us at Thriveant.com.
Your past your decisions, maybe some of the things that you're not very proud of. None of those things disqualify you. Right. from finding peace and from leaving well in this life. I think a lot of men specifically, they believe, well, because I've done that or because, man, you know, I don't know how I bounce back from this.
You know, God can't use me anymore. Are you kidding me? God doesn't remember call the qualified, right? He qualifies the called. If God has called you to something, We have to truly understand and step into that purpose with boldness and courage, recognizing that, man, if you haven't recognized all throughout scripture, God used the least of these, right?
He never called, in a sense, the polished Christian. Into a purpose that He had destined for their life. No, no, He's not asking us to be polished, He's asking us to receive His power. That's why, again, power is found through surrender. When we come to the end of ourselves, when we die to ourselves, when we, in a sense, bow down at the foot of the cross, and again, we don't go to a stage, but we go to an altar to be broken to say, God, have your way in me.
Let me just be. This drink offering, right, this living sacrifice that is living for the goodness of the gospel of Christ each and every day of my life, that is when we begin to step into the men. That God has truly created for us in this life. And I want to leave.
some men with this idea I'm just thinking about that last chapter, and there's a quote. Or really a short story that I I think I end the book with. And it's about this woman. who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. And in this terminal illness She's inviting her pastor over.
'cause she's starting to recognize, uh give some of her last well wishes in a sense. And the pastor goes over to her home and he's asking her all these different things, such as, you know, what songs do you want to be played at your funeral? What do you want to be dressed in as you're buried in more? And you know, she's only given a couple of months left. She's giving all these answers, but then she looks at the pastor right before he turns to walk out the door.
And she says, hey, Pastor, one more thing. I want to be buried. with a fork in my hands. And the pastor's like, dude, out of all of the wishes and different things that I've heard from congregation members throughout the years, I've never heard of this one, right?
So he looks at her and says, By the fork. And she starts chuckling and she starts referencing Out of all of the church socials and the potluck dinners that she's gone to throughout her life. Inevitably, after the main course of this dinner had been served, There's always somebody that'll say as they're cleaning the plates. They'll say, hey, keep your fork. Why?
Because she understood this, right? Dessert was coming. There was this deep-dished apple pie, this chocolatey velvety cake, whatever it was, something good, something better. And so she said, you know, I want to be there in my casket with a fork in my hands. And I want you to be standing next to me, Pastor.
And when everybody comes walking through, to give their grievances, to give their condolences, their well wishes to my family. And when they ask the same question you just asked, what's with the fork? All I want you to say, Pastor. is remind them that their best is yet to come. And so for each and every person out there listening, That's what I would share with you.
In the midst of the trial, the tribulation, the tough time that you may be going through, have a sense of hopeful expectation. That your best is yet to come because we don't place our hope. In earthly things. We don't place our hope. In temporary conditions or circumstances, we place our hope in the person of Jesus Christ.
Hope is the understanding that your current situation is not your final destination. My dad would always say that hope is the key. that bridges the gap between despair and resilience. I would just challenge anybody out there today. Just simply hold on to hope because hope is a person.
and hope has a name. And his name is Jesus. Yeah. Amen. Thank you, Zach.
I'm wondering if I can ask you to. I want to kind of stay focused on men right now. Yeah. If you wouldn't mind praying for our listeners, especially men who are Maybe uh in the middle of feeling some pressure and um we just want to lift them up. Together.
If you would do that for us, I would love that. Heavenly Father God, we come to you right now. Just grateful. For the last several weeks that I've been able to just spend time with Chris and Chris, God. And Lord, I just pray over every audience member, every man out there listening, God, that you would just be with them, that you would remind them of your power.
of your presence. And of your peace that surpasses all understanding, God. I pray that you would just envelope them, God, again, with comfort and with confidence and with courage in the midst of this season of their life to remind them that, again, their current situation is not your final destination that you have called them to. I pray, God, that they would hold on to hope, that they would remember that you are the God who you say that you are. God, that even in the midst of the fire, even in the midst of the trial or of the suffering, God, when they opened their eyes, that they wouldn't start with what they see, but that they would start with what you said.
A God who promises that He will make all things good to those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. A God who says, again, God, that we are sure or confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will see it through the day of completion in Christ Jesus. And I'm just thinking of one last verse I want to pray over these men, God. Isaiah 43:2, you say this. When you pass through the water that you will be with us.
And when you pass through the river, That you will not allow it to sweep over us, God. When we walk through the fire, we won't be burned, and that the flames. will not set us ablaze. God, thank you that you are the God who again may not promise the absence of pain. That you always reveal your presence in the midst of it.
Help us not just pray. that you would meet us there. But God, help us recognize that you already live there. Help us to open our eyes and reveal to us again. Just your power.
In the midst of our powerlessness, Father, for that. We'll give you all the praise, the honor, the glory. and the thanks. And it's in Jesus' mighty name that we pray. Amen.
Amen. Amen. We pray that you're enjoying and being blessed by this conversation. We're going to take one more ad break and watch. We'll be right back.
For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrive Ent, planning your finances is bigger than just money. We help you put your plans into motion and faith into action.
so you can do more for the ones in your heart. Because sometimes all you need to make a difference is someone to help you make it happen. Private, where money means more. Connect with us at Thriving.com. Thank you so much, my new friend.
I can't thank you enough for. hanging out with us and uh just sharing your heart and your passion. Listeners, I I can't recommend enough to check out Dr. Zach's Ministry, his podcast, Built Difference. Check out this book.
Even if we didn't even get one of my favorite illustrations you used in the book was about the buffalo and the rain. Like, we didn't even get to that stuff.
So, like, we'll have a link to all of that stuff in the show notes.
So, be sure to check out Zach and his ministry. But, what's next for you? What are you excited about? Anything that's coming up later this year?
So, we have a fall world conference, our AACC World Conference. It's a united world conference, it's kind of our theme this year. Super excited about what God has in store. We have about 7,000 to 7,500 pastors, leaders, clinicians, counselors, and more gathering at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
So excited for what God has in store. And then we have a lot of different Just other events, whether it be our extraordinary women events coming back this fall. We go ahead and go on a fall tour. Our theme this year is God's grace and mercy. And then we have some Ignite conferences that are coming up in 2026.
We have a fall boot camp for men in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains here in the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. And so we're just grateful, man, for what God has in store. Really looking forward to again. Just the ways in which he'll move, and the ways in which hopefully he will impact countless lives that we get the opportunity of just. being a small, small, small little part of.
Looking forward to that. And where's the best place for our listeners to find you and what you're doing? ZachClinton.com is kind of the one-stop shop. You can get kind of all the latest up-to-date view as it relates to the Build Different podcast. like counseling, AACC.
References and resources and more, but also. Super easy one is AACC.net. If you are interested in finding help, seeking care, and more. That's probably the best. And I'll leave this one because if you're somebody who's maybe questioning whether or not you want to get help for something that you're walking through, one of our key resources that we offer at AACC is Christian Care Connect.
So if you go to ChristianCareConnect.com, What will pop up on your screen is a place for you to enter your zip code. You'll enter your zip code, and then it'll show you every, in a sense, Christian or faith-based mental health coach, counselor, clinician, psychologist, psychiatrist, church. Whatever it is within your local area. To remind you, right, that even though there's a gap between those seeking help and those offering it. We are a trusted resource that relates to clinically excellent but distinctively Christian care.
And we just want to help people find, again, the help, the hope and the healing that not only they desire, but we believe they're deserving of.
So that's EasyChristian Care Connect. Mm-hmm. Love that. It's amazing. Zach, thank you so much for all that you're doing for the kingdom.
You are a Amazing, godly man. I've so enjoyed just hanging out with you. And you just sharing a bunch of words of wisdom that are going to sit with me for a long time. Thank you again, so much, and God bless you, sir. Chris and Chris, hey, it's been a pleasure and a true privilege.
Thank you guys so much for having me. Thank you for what God has called you to, your obedience in saying yes. I've loved my time with you guys. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army.
Visit SalvationArmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Good. These are the words, these are the words of life.
These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words of life. These are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show.
Visit lifeeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time. Hello, hello, Punice Petway here, co-host of the Your Daily Bible Verse Podcast.
Are you someone who love to take a deep dive into God's Word one verse at a time to explore His will for your life and desire to draw closer to Him? If that sounds like you, I'd love to invite you to head over to lifeeaudio.com and search your daily Bible verse to tune in and subscribe for daily inspiration, life application, and spiritual transformation through the in-depth exploration of God's Word. From unsolved mysteries to unexplained phenomena. From comedy goal to relationship fails, Amazon Music's got the most ad-free top podcasts, included with Prime. Download the Amazon Music app today.
