War and Wisdom

This is Confessions of a Pastor. We are pastors Keith and Kara and we're here to say what God's doing. Come on, Kara. There's so much happening right now. There is. Let's go. The good, the bad, the ugly. All for the glory of God. That's right. And this has been a November to remember, hasn't it? It has been actually. Yeah. I mean, this is I think this has been one of the wildest November or month that I can recall. In what way? Well, let's just go back to the last week, which was absolutely war. Yeah, it's true. I mean, it was just a a war unlike anything we've experienced yet in church. You think we have? Oh, yeah. Oh, I don't Yeah.

In other ways, it's easy to get spiritual amnesia in church. That's true. So, I I I I forget. It's like the birthing pains that Jesus talked about in John 16. Yeah. you go through the pain, then when you get through it, it's like you kind of forget the the sorrow or how hard it was. But let me let me go back one week from today. We're filming this on a Monday. So today's December 1st when we're filming this. Don't know when you're watching this, but just one week ago from today, we got some social media viral uh exploitation of uh Journey Church and my name because we were hosting a group at Journey Church. It's true. Tell us about it. Yes. So, a a group that boasts themselves as an activism group. They're activists and supposedly they claim that

they're promoting the values uh of this community of this region. That that's what they boast they claim to do. But they are very liberal group and they heard that we were hosting a high school club for TPUSA and because of that they said we don't want this uh the these groups are brainwashing our kids. They were using language like grooming and promoting hatred and violence or whatever they were spewing and it got some traction on that Monday. Yeah. Well, people started sending it to us. Yes. like didn't know if this is if you knew this was happening, but this is happening on social on the social world. Well, because they they instantly went to our social media and our website and those things and went and said, "Here's

who Pastor Keith is. Here's what they promote. They love Israel. In fact, they're going to Israel next year." Uh they started saying things about me that I'm a Nazi, a white supremacist. Yeah. And it was like, it was kind of funny because like, wait a second, you don't like that I love Israel, which are the Jews, and then you're calling me a Nazi. Those things are contradictory there. It was the Nazis that absolutely murdered more than 6 million Jews. So, uh, their their theology or philosophy doesn't align with what they're promoting or, uh, whatever they're claimed to be activists over, but they were promoting this. They were sharing this. There was lots of comments. There was lots of hatred towards us. And last Monday, a week ago today, we were getting one-star reviews on Google. We were getting emails. Yeah.

We were getting phone calls. I mean, one person called the church and just said, "F you." Uh, I mean, it was it was nothing but intimidation, right? And at first glance when people started seeing it, because you're right, lots of people started texting us. Yeah. I got lots of text messages. Yes. They wanted to let us know, do do you know these things are happening? And of course we were aware of it but it was it was clear it was fear and intimidation. Yeah. And and they said what can we do about this? What can we do to stop this? What comment below share your ideas and so the next few days of course there was comments and dialogue that was happening. So we didn't know what was going to happen Sunday. Yeah it's true. We were prepared for for it. We wor Yeah. I mean, we had a um we we boosted our security and we were

definitely prepared, but but I will say for me, like going back to a week ago today, that Monday, it's supposed to be my day off and it wasn't a day off. I had lots of phone calls, lots of text messages, lots of emails, and I I think the enemy loves to not only distract but discourage. And as long as he can discourage us, it will stop us from advancing the kingdom of God. will actually be intimidated. And I mean, well, that's what they tried to do, right? Massive intimidation. Lots of bark. Yeah. You know, it just reminds me of a big dog that's barking and barking and barking and causes fear. Will this dog bite me? Will this dog kill me? Will this dog What will this dog do to me? And uh I'll tell you on that first Monday, I think all of us were like, "Whoa, should we be hosting this group?" Like, but I think since Charlie Kirk's

assassination, there has been an infusion at least in my own soul and for many people of boldness. Yeah. Of courage, of standing up for what's right. Yeah. Of acknowledging like why are we being intimidated? What's the argument? And just having healthy dialogue. Charlie Kirk used to say that often. If we stop talking, it will promote hate and death. Yeah. But if we can understand one another and so sleeping on it on Tuesday, I woke up on or Monday night. I woke up on Tuesday just really just assured like I think this is the right thing to do. Yeah. You know, I wanted to actually fight fire with fire. I told you on Tuesday like Carol, I think I want to make a video that just like combats what they're saying like we won't be intimidated and you're

just fueling our the fire of our faith and you know because we've made a declaration over this region. central organ shall be saved. Right. And I think just that statement alone really pisses off the enemy. Yeah. Regarding in the spiritual realm, the devil does not like that we've claimed this territory as set apart for God's purpose. No, he hates it. He hates us. Yes. He hates what we're doing. Yes. Um but you know, um I'm all for, you know, putting a stake in the ground and and saying no more. Come on. No more. We're going to stand for truth. We're not going to back down. Yes. And um I mean we we attended the event yesterday, right? Like it was very sweet. It was it was awesome. It was a worship song. It was the pledge of allegiance to the flag. It was teaching a little bit tiny little bit about American history and just

and some games like that's what they did. Yes. It it was actually not only was it innocent, it was it was uh it was it was just healthy, you know, absolutely to actually promote a healthy view of the great country that we live in and why that would be we are blessed to live here and you I whispered to you when it was done I was like Kara the enemy was intimidated by that by that by that. Yeah. I mean that the enemy does not like good. The enemy does not like health. The enemy does not like life. And let's just if we strip it down and look at the the biblical values of who God is and what he's created, the enemy does not like family. Right. Exactly. That's what it comes down to. Healthy identity or God's plan, a strong nation uh wi with good values, biblical values that this country was founded on.

Uh and so it just I it was actually it was such a relief and and just to think of I mean I don't mean to exaggerate because this is what I feel. You know, it's Monday. I I joke about having a holy hangover, you know, meaning like it's it's not from any substance. It's from spiritual war. And that's how Mondays typically are. But I will say it was one hell of a week. I mean, when I say that, that's the beginning of it. Yes. Jesus said that I will build my church and not even the gates of hell uh will prevail against it. And you know, gates of course are oftentimes defensive and therefore Jesus says we will storm the gates of hell. We will go against this. Jesus said, "We will advance the kingdom of God." You know, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. And here we are taking the kingdom by force. And

there is a place. I mean, I So, what does that explain to us what does that mean to you to take to take it by force? What does that mean? We're not going to sit back. I'm just I'm going to use this is confessions of pastor. So, we're we're just going to kick it right now. We're not going to sit back like pansies. We're not just gonna uh sit on our hands and do nothing in our community. Yeah. We're going to let the world know there's a real heaven and a literal hell. And Jesus is the one that saves us from this hell. He gives us the hope of eternal life. And and we won't shrink back on that message even though the enemy wants to intimidate that. Mhm. Uh and and that message means it's a kingdom message that's holistic in our relationships, in our identity, in our

um our past setting us free from strongholds, right? I mean, just it's it's so when we talk about uh the violent take it by force, it means that we're not going to just hope that things happen. Yeah. We're going to advance forward proactively. Yes. on the offense, not the defense. And I I think just speaking on a general sense and I I'm a I I'm the first one to put myself in this particular place is the church has just shared the message of the gospel and and uh teachings of the Bible, but in a sense we we haven't aggressively gone out and done the things we've talked about on this podcast like uh the uh effects of

cannabis and marijuana in our community or uh gender issues. You talked about this on the last podcast, someone coming in tears, praying because a child in a school is going by different pronouns, you know. So, the violent taken it by force is saying, "No, no, this is not okay." The devil does not have rights over our children. The devil does not have the rights to somehow think that you're going to get peace from some substance um that is replacing what only God can do. Yeah. You know, so it's it's the taking it back. We we've said this statement often on this podcast over the last few years is we're going to take back what the devil's stolen. Yeah. So to me, I I would say that's what that um means. No, I I would totally agree. You have any anything in addition? Well, it's our like Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly. Yes.

So um that's I think that's that's a part of like just putting a stake in the ground and saying God does have a plan. He has a plan for healthy life, abundant life. Let's prophesy that. And that's what we're after. Like we're not we're not violently taking something by force the way these people are trying to intimidate us. Come on. It's hatred, aggression. It's a kingdom of love. It's a kingdom of righteousness, justice. Um and um and it's life and life abundant. It's it's it's where the spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom. Yes. So So it's so it's a it's a life of freedom. Um, and a part of that freedom is acknowledging that like substances that that alternative um things and and methods of of trying to cope with our brokenness is not is not God's best for

us. It's it's not the plan that he has to give us abundant life. So, um, I'm all for it. I think over I actually just had coffee with somebody. It was very sweet time and and just describing our story and I think a part of where we're at is I'll speak for myself and I think you would agree that you know if you get we we we got like pummeled by by life and ministry for a lot of years until we realized that Jesus is victorious overall. We fight from victory, not for victory. And that just shifts everything. We're not fighting to win. Yeah. We've already won. like the demons will bow at the name of Jesus. So we we have that. Um we just have to claim it. We have to live in it. We have to be proactive. We have to play offense, not defense.

And I think that's the season that we're in, right? So we're playing offense. Wow. No more defense. I love everything you just said. I feel like I just had church for the last two minutes. So thank you. I I want to give testimony. Hannah, who's in the room right now, our communications director, just gave testimony to her husband that was wickedly sick this weekend. Yeah. And it started on Friday, Saturday, Hannah. Like about cuz I remember I text him I think Saturday morning. I was like, "Hey, bro. I've had one heck of a week physically, emotionally, spiritually. Uh, hey, let's talk about going to the prison tonight." Which I can't wait to tell more stories cuz so many good stories. And he's like, "Yeah, I'm sick as a dog again." I'm like, "What in the heck?" like and then by that night Hannah text me 10 10 o'clock that night and was like hey he broke a fever again 101 and so he just she just

testified he's good you know after a weekend we're only talking 2 days into this he's good we prayed for him yesterday at church yes prayed for him yesterday at church prayed for him Saturday night at the prison lay hands on him I'm like we're not going to go without laying hands on you cuz the devil is trying to oppress this man with sickness that's Acts chapter 10 we can read Yeah, Peter preached this. Oh, I agree. That sickness is an oppression of the devil. And he just preached a message last week on the Holy Spirit, which the guy I had coffee with today was like, "That was one of the best messages I've ever heard on the Holy Spirit." So good. Tell me, God, tell me the enemy does not want to take him out. He does want to take him out. And I shared with him I I if I share with Yeah, I think I shared with the staff this week. Yeah. Uh about a principle I heard from a pastor in San Diego. And I've told Noah this a few times. I think the devil didn't like that we're standing in agreement with this and that

the the example she she gave with with health and sickness and this is taking it by force now is when we get sick oh we just pray little prayers. Oh God make me well and we just we just kind of like sit back. But it's like if someone walked into the room like right now we're filming this podcast and somebody walked in and tried to take my pants off of me, right? Would I just let somebody take my pants? I'd be like no these are my pants. Why are you trying to take my pants? And if they had no explanation, if they were just like trying to get to my buttons and trying to pull my leg, I would be like, "Hey, this is not only weird, but this is a violation. These are my pants and they're staying on me now." When the devil takes our sickness, we need to just simply say, "You're not taking this sickness. This is my health. This is my life. And I'm not letting you rob me of this. I'm not letting you steal this." So when we talk about the violent taken by force,

it's in every sphere, right? It's health. It's finances. It's just like, no, you're not taking my pants. Joy, come on. Talked about yesterday. Yes. Like, amen. Yeah. You're not going to rob me of my joy that Jesus gave me. I don't care what you try to do to me, I will have joy. Yeah. And and the devil, he's clever. He's been doing this a long time, longer than we've been alive. And so, he he's got some good practice in trying to rob joy and peace, prosperity, health. He and I think as long as the church doesn't advance those things, our our region stays the same. Yeah. And I think we as a church, and I don't want to boast because I want revival in every church in Central Oregon, but we as a church have been making a proclamation and the devil's trying to destroy that. So, let's go back one week ago. Enemy tries to intimidate. And by

the way, this viral um social media posts, these groups have more social media influence than either of us combined. You know, that particular group had more than 7,000 followers. Well, and tell us who who's at the head of that group. It's it's a witch, a self-proclaimed witch, an actual witch. She's got a business that goes by witchcraft. I mean, she she makes candles and other type of witch things. And so, it became clear by the end of the week what our mission is. It's not fighting against flesh and blood, right? Oh, this witch is going to get saved. So, I declare that out loud. In fact, I'll just say her name. Josie will get saved. Yeah. Amen. So witchcraft by Josie will be a thing of the past. This region will identify that the gospel sets everyone free.

Not church folk, not the clean folk, but he actually goes after those like Saul who was on his way to persecute Christians. Knocks them off their horses, blinds them only to say, "You're the one that will have the greatest influence. You're going to reach kings. you're going to travel to places that the that the gospel had yet to, you know, uh, advance at the time in the first century. And I'm believing right now, here we are in the 21st century, God's still doing the same thing. I mean, over and over, I mean, just testifying before this podcast of so many people that are giving getting saved radically. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I was just in the prison on Friday night preaching and I had lost my voice Sunday morning because I just felt the need to preach my heart off, you know, like I just I was like, I'm just going to give it to these guys. And they appreciate it. I don't think they're used to getting preachers that like just

bring so much life because a lot of times they get like retired ministers that are chaplain that are pretty low-key and they bring a lot in terms of wisdom and uh you know the fatherly love but these guys need some inspiration in life too you know they they need a good like hey let's let's kick the devil in the face and knock out some teeth you know kind of kind of message and the message was really on identity I did the message I do so often uh John nine with the the the blind man who's now able to And I I essentially shared with them that you know you were spiritually blind but now in Christ. You can see you know what does that mean for your identity? Well now you need to testify to the goodness of God. Testify and it was really it was powerful and 14 guys got saved and a number of them got baptized and it was awesome. You know they get baptized and they just they just hug you right out of the water and

you're soaking wet and it's it's rad and it's just beautiful thing to happen in the prison. But I I would just say that this is the message of the gospel for this region is we're going to see the lost be found. We're going to see those who are doomed to hell get saved. We're going to see those who are who are practicing witchcraft repent. Yeah. And become disciple makers. Yeah. I mean, we're seeing it across the board. And so, here we go. We get intimidated Monday. We have the event yesterday. We didn't have too much stuff. I mean, I I didn't know if there'd be protesters with signs. We had heard a lot of different things. There was one gal I I heard yesterday morning, you know, Sunday morning that had to be trespassed and she came in just violently. Yes. With her words, but that's all I really heard. Yeah. She came to the front doors and was just cursing at people. Mhm.

You know, trying to I I just think about that like if you were in your sober right mind, would you actually think this is an effective way to communicate to people that you disagree with them? Yeah. By saying, "F you. Get out of this place. F you." It's like if you just think in a rational state, it's it's clearly demonic. Yeah. So this person who who whoever this may be, they're demonically influenced to do evil. Yeah. You know, let's just say she was right. Well, actually, if you look at your tactic, that's not a real kind, gentle way, which those things are actually of God. It's kindness that leads to repentance. So, this person even tried to come in the doors and they were. Thankfully, we have really good security. Yeah. They took her off of our property and let her know she's not welcome to do that stuff here. But we

didn't have any protesters. We I mean we didn't have any big disruptions. No, I they were they tried to intimidate us online, but that was it. But we did have a lot of people saved yesterday. Yeah. Amen. We had a lot of baptized. I mean, it was it was just a beautiful day. It was kingdom. The church is packed right now. It's too full. We don't even have room for anyone else to come. And that's why we're starting a third service this Sunday. We're starting our third service, everybody. Yeah. And it's it's exciting place where we are. And I will just give a testimony of one of the stories that got baptized. And you mentioned that Pastor Jesse uh told you yesterday, our kids pastor Jesse uh explained there was a 9-year-old boy that got baptized. And his his name's Carter. And Carter went to camp this summer, this past summer.

And there was a group of boys. You got male boys prepubescent. normally they're the wild and crazy. And you think about this generation, they're being labeled the ADHD and they're the Tik Tok generation and like they're the they're the ones that society wants to, you know, drug to like tame down because they can't focus. Well, at camp there was such a movement of God. It was like it was like a revival broke out with these children. So much so that after they would do these evening chapels, they would she she told me this story yesterday for the second time. I've I've heard this story that one night after they they did worship, they did a message, they said, "Hey, we're doing s'mores afterwards." They dismissed the kids to go get s'mores. The kids didn't want to go, particularly a group of boys wanted to stick around and just pray. Wow.

And there was a couple there was a couple of these boys that said, "Can we just learn more?" And she was sharing with me one of the the boys is a friend of this Carter. He said, "When you went up to teach, there was a change about you and in this room. It was like God was with you and everything you said was like of God." And so you here you have a child trying to explain. And then he made this statement and Jesse, she just kept saying like, "Keith, this is wild." Like she's sharing with me this kid said, "It's like I got new eyes. I could see things differently. I have new eyes." And so she stuck around for like 20, 30 minutes talking with these boys. It just they're downloading like what God's teaching them and what what they're learning and they're asking questions and then she's sharing and they're excited saying, "See, that's

what I mean. That's it's like God's speaking to us through you." And these little boys were so excited. And one of those boys was this boy that got baptized yesterday. Now, his dad who's been going to Journey for 8 years and this boy's nine. So, this kid's been going to our church his entire life. He explained to me via Messenger yesterday. He DM'd me and he just said, "My son is so excited to be baptized." Wow. He self-proclaimed in his own words. He said he's a hardcore Christian. And he was just like he's he's so excited to get baptized. Well, I didn't know this background story with Jesse. He's one of those boys. Yeah. That just did not want to stop. She like literally was like, "Boys, don't you want to go get your s'mores?" Like, "No, we just love this. These are kids." So

then I'm talking to Carter's dad after church and uh he's telling me he's like these kids this he goes to a public school all of his friends at school are Christians and he says at recess they are out there literally singing Christian songs out loud on the playground they're doing viral songs. He says they know every Forest Frank song. They're out there like singing the lyrics of these Forest Frank songs, doing the hand motion. Other kids are starting to learn these songs who don't go to church. They're unashamed. Let me tell you, there's a new generation rising up. So when we talk about the kingdom, you know, taking it by force, the violent take it by force, it's saying, "No, no, no, devil, you're not taking our kids." 5 years ago, like it looked

like overnight it turned and kids were changing their genders, changing their identities. It looked like the school systems were being taken over by a new agenda. And now organically, it's our kids coming in there. It's not the parents. It's not the teachers. It's not the administration. These kids love Jesus so much. They're going in there. So that that was one of the the baptisms yesterday. 9-year-old. That's awesome. In his own words, hardcore Christian living it out in the world. Like, you know, I I think we underestimate the influence of a child. We we we underestimate the potential of what a child can do. I look Kara and say, imagine 30 years from now, this kid's gonna be 39. Well, let's let's just go 40 years from now, he'll be my age. 40 years from now, he'll be in his late

40s. I will be either dead or pushing 90. Now, if this kid continues walking his ways, he's going to change the world. I mean, there's there's no no limit to to what can happen. Yeah. I mean, he's going to change politics. He's going to change the church. He's going to change everything. And so, I I am believing right now for a generation rising up unlike anything we've seen before. Amen. And I I mean, we're we're seeing I feel like we're seeing it. Yes. Um I mean, I I I think as the as the world gets darker and and um more distant from from God, I feel like the um like we have to draw clear and clearer lines. Yeah.

There's no blurriness anymore. Like it's like if you're a Jesus follower, then that's just clear. Like we have to draw clear lines now. Like I think because the world has gotten so dark that the the light I just um we have to be a light and and we can't be in the in between. So I just see this generation raising up that is that is saying I don't want what the world has. Amen. I want what Jesus has to to offer and I'm going to stand for it and I'm going to stand for truth. Yes. And you're going to know what I believe. Um it's actually kind of a cool it's it's it's really interesting to see. But it's exciting. It really is. And it reflects everything we experienced this week. Even just hosting TPUSA.

Yeah. With high school kids. These are high school kids. They're they're high school kids that are looking and learning from Charlie Kirk who uh has left us a legacy that we can talk about these things. We can have a safe space to be able to talk about these things. And all the enemy tried to do this week was intimidate through generalities that oh that that organization promotes hate. Well, could you tell us what type of hate? Yeah, exactly. I mean, I I shared that previously on a podcast where where someone said that he was I don't even remember the exact phrase. Tell me if you remember it, but it was something like he propagated uh the Bible and used it. I I forget the verbiage exactly, but

and I was like, "Give me one example of what you mean by that." And it was like this just this generality of what Oh, that that's what Charlie Yeah, that's what Charlie Kirk did is he used scripture against I was like, "Give me Yeah. weaponized scripture." That Thank you. That was the actually the phrase he weaponized scripture. I said, "Could you give me one example?" Yeah. One example. And this person could not. And I was like, "Well, no, it's because they just it's it's it's we're living in a culture that just believes sound bites and takes things out of context and doesn't actually do any any type of um uh real research or doesn't really understand things and you they just believe what they hear and totally jump on board with it without even really understanding. It's it's really actually it's very uneducated. Well, that that's what happened last week. Someone slandered my name and slandered the church's name and in one day you had about a dozen people.

I mean, so if you think of the army of actual followers they have, that's such a small percentage. Oh, absolutely. But but here you have the this small group of people who don't know me, who don't know the church who actually saw a post and they were willing to go leave a one-star review because they they believed a sound bite. And the language used was so demonic and perverse. I mean, people are like, "This guy is grooming children." I mean, that is evil. Like, okay, that's that's language used for pedophiles. Yeah. I mean, you're saying that in a spiritual sense that I'm grooming children. Like, no. Actually, we're equipping children, discipling children and raising them up to understand their identity. They are made by God. They are loved by God. And he has a purpose and a plan. There is no grooming there. that is actually going to their god-given identity of what he did. And anything

outside of that is a perversion of I mean the people that are using this language I don't even want to know what their private lives are like because they have such a perverse skew of even terms like that. They just need Jesus, right? So I just want to promote y'all need Jesus. I'll tell you that right now. the truth. You you don't need uh to be an activist of and that that's the funny thing is it's the promoting activism of promoting the rights uh and culture for for our community. I'm like you're not even saying what those are and you're assuming we all have the same one. Let's have healthy dialogue. Let's talk about and if we disagree what a great country we live in that we can disagree. Yeah. But it's true that that you have the freedom to see. I have the freedom of speech that we're not forced by the government or from our neighbor to do these things. Like, if you don't agree with me, so be it.

Yeah. You don't got to come to church. We're not making you come to church. You've got the right to go do your own thing. We're just simply saying Jesus said he's the way, the truth, and the life. And we want everyone to know that, but we're not going to force. Jesus never forced anyone to follow him. His kingdom is not one of of violence of of force. And so when we even talk about the violent, we'll take it by force. This is spiritual. Yeah. And that's why this is not physical. going back to the beginning and that's why I asked to clarify that because that can be taken for in a way that's such that it's not um because the kingdom is not is not physically violent. It's it's we're talking about a spiritual war. That's naivity to God's word. So for those that are unfamiliar with this, it's using earthly language to explain the spiritual. We battle not against

flesh and blood. Our enemy is not another physical person. It is the spiritual realm because there is a spiritual realm. There are angels and there are demons. There is good and there is evil and there is a war waging that we see in the natural but we don't fight in the natural. Exactly. We pray. And you know what's cool, Kara? Like I can't help but give God the glory and say there was hundreds of people if not thousands of people praying for Journey Church this week about all these things. So, the fact that there weren't protesters, the fact that we didn't see a massive intrusion, I I really should even go back to the beginning of this conversation and say, "To God be the glory." Amen. That God actually answered the prayer. Yes. Of countless people. Yeah. I agree. I totally agree. Yeah. I told you I I text people. I don't even text that often. Said, "Hey, pray for us.

Pray for us." You know, we we got these threats, you know, and pray for us. And so, people did pray for us. And we got answers. Yeah. Amen. We got people saved. We got people baptized. We we had 45 people sign up to be leaders of small groups yesterday. So good. So when you start talking about uh scaling disciplehip and it's like okay we want people to be in community. We want people to advance. In fact in the room we've got our new middle school director you know talking about the best is yet to come. I mean just just thinking about like we're just getting started. We're just like this this is the beginning of of of greater things to come. We're not going to be intimidated. We're not going to back off. No, we're we're in two prisons right now. We want to be in all five prisons. I want to start shutting prisons down, right?

Like even right now, I think the prisons are intimidated by us. They don't let us take videos and cameras in there and stuff, you know, to to to to record what God's doing. I'm believing that that narrative is going to be reversed. We're going to be able to testify to the like the world needs to know the gospel is being spread. These guys are they did cardboard testimonies, Carol, man. These guys were testifying. It was much like the cardboard testimonies we saw here of radical transformation. Only Jesus can do that. It's not a church. It's not a a program. It's not rooted that did it. It was No, it was the power of the gospel. Absolutely. I mean, the Holy Spirit's working these prisons. I mean, car I pray I laid hands on a guy that came and asked for prayer.

He's like, "Could you just pray for me that all the things you said I can be?" That was that was his prayer. And I'm like, "Yeah, sure." So, I prayed for him. And then he's like, "Could you pray for my cellmate?" He's like, "He is really dark and he's got so much anger." And, you know, so it's like, "All right, let's pray." His name is Scott. So, I remember the cellmate's name. I don't even remember the I prayed for his name, but I just remember thinking like what misery that would be to have a bunkmate and you're stuck in a little cell for so many years and or however long, you know, cuz they get transferred from one prison to another, but to be with somebody day in and day out who's angry and horrible, like I'm just like, "Okay, yeah, I'll pray for you." So, I prayed radical prayers then. I was like, "Lord, give them a vision, a dream. Wake them up in the middle of the night that you're real. Change them right there. like

let's just pray bold prayers for the prison right now cuz I do think revival is starting to break out in our prisons just as we're talking about these elementary schools like this this is good stuff. It is good. It's actually it's it's actually a really um exciting season. I feel like yes um it's really powerful. I even just think back to the all the baptisms we had uh at at our rooted celebration a week ago. M that was one of the most like uh the the the look on people's faces that were getting baptized. There was this emotion that was just like they're they are literally going from death to life. Like that's how I felt in that all I watched all of them on the screen cuz it was just um easier where I was standing and you could see their face up close and they're just these are these are people that are making real decisions like they really are um saying

yes to Jesus and going from death to life. They are born again. They are given a new um uh just a new life, you know, and it's really exciting. I don't know if you want to talk about any of those. Well, the one guy that got baptized, his name was Johnny. And Johnny is one week into Teen Challenge. And that intern that came up and talked to us, he was telling me more about the story about Johnny. Because this intern is essentially saying like because Teen Challenge, for those of you who don't know, it's adult and teen challenge. It's a recovery um it's not just like a sobriety help is for transformation. Yeah. It was started by a man that wanted to see kids off the streets of New York transformed from drug addiction to being a disciple of Jesus. And so now they're all over the world and it's not just for teens anymore. And so um and it's for all all

addictions from uh alcohol, drugs, gambling, um any type of uh stronghold addiction. You come in and it's just pure disciplehip, Bible teaching, all these things, but a lot of strict sobriety. Then they go and they learn to tell their testimonies in churches and they promote to get fundraising in churches. So be it. So the intern yesterday tells us, "Listen, we go to different churches every single week all over the region." He's like, "But I don't I don't receive anything from a journey." He's like, "I'm not connected. I'm not learning. Like I just don't feel the life there, you know, like and and not to I don't mean to diminish or dismiss what God's doing at other churches." He was just testifying. He's like, "I'm going to all these churches and I just missed Journey." Yeah. So, I asked him, "Could I get the afternoon shift on Sundays?" So, personally, I could only go to Journey Church. This is so sweet. And he's like,

"For example, we came today." And I don't I I didn't even know if all the guys came or what, but he's like, "A guy that's only been in for one week comes, gives his life to Jesus." This is yesterday. Yesterday. Okay. Cool dude. Young adult. So, this is he's one week into sobriety. One week into learning what it means to follow Jesus, one week into breaking strongholds, and he gets saved, baptized, and now we set on the trajectory of a changed life. I mean, it's just awesome. I mean, that's that's the power of a moment, you know? That's that's why it's so important to to give people an opportunity. Tell tell Can you tell us like uh the philosophy behind opening up baptisms to everybody? Mhm. like they haven't gone through a class that this wasn't something they signed up for.

Yes. Okay. It's a double-sided coin for our culture at Journey Church. So, it started by accident. Yeah. We were less than a year old. We had gotten kicked out of the high school because they were uh renovating the auditorium we were meeting in. So, we were meeting at the movie theaters in the old mill. And one week after church at the movie theaters, which happens to be right by the river, we did baptisms at the river. We were probably 70 80 people at that point. Yeah. We said, "Hey, everybody at this church, let's let's go down to the river." Most of the people did. Twothirds or more went down to the river with us. So, 50 60 people down in the river. I we probably had two or three baptisms that day. Yeah. One or two maybe. I don't know. I was not planning it. I did not prepare myself for this. But I was still waist deep in the river when I just said, "Hey, today those people got baptized and I just gave a little tiny altar

call, like an invitation to follow Jesus. They got baptized because they believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And now they're taking a step of obedience because Jesus said to do, you know, I don't even remember what I said. This was 15 years ago, literally more than 15 years ago. And I I gave that little altar. I said, "So today, if you've not been baptized and you want to believe in Jesus, come forward and get baptized." And one guy did. He was a young adult and he came forward. I I baptized him in the river. We go up on the shore and he's wet. And I asked him, "So, were you at church today? cuz you know we're small enough that you see people but it's a dark theater and I'm like were you at church today? He's like oh no I was just walking by. I'm on vacation. Yeah. And I'm like what? And he literally like I I saw what was happening. I just stopped to see what was happen. I watched him get baptized. My heart was

stirring. Then you told me you know you said if you did this come forward. And I was like what? And Kara that was the first time like I saw the power of like taking a step of faith. Yeah. In the moment. I don't know if it's a risk cuz what would be the loss if no one did get baptized? But I took a risk. There was a big reward from that point forward. I've never done baptisms without doing a spontaneous offer. Yeah. Invitation. Now that's one side of the coin. That's it was our history. Yeah. It happened by accident. The flip side of the coin, if you go to the the New Testament repeatedly, I mean, I don't think you can give any example outside of this. When someone gets saved, they get baptized. They do. It's true. Over and over, over and over, you see uh an Ethiopian reading the scriptures and Philip explains the scriptures to

him and the question is asked, "What's stopping me from getting baptized?" Uh the jailer in Acts chapter 16, his entire family got baptized. Earlier that evening, he wanted to commit suicide and he gave his life to Jesus and he and his family were saved and they get baptized. It's true. And we we just see it in even large uh numbers. in the book of Acts that when someone gets saved, they get baptized. Somewhere along the lines over the last 2,000 years, we've created a culture, particularly in the western church that somehow we've created it as an academic decision that you have to understand enough theology, you have to understand enough uh doctrine about the church and the scriptures. And so, we've taken it from believe and get baptized to uh believe

and then let us educate you. Once you're educated, this is the process. So for us at Journey Church, it's just double-sided coin. Number one, it happened by accident. And so now it's just spontaneously. Let's always give an invitation to those who've never been baptized. Number two is theologically I think that the the scriptures support someone and I I tell people if if you came unprepared, hey, welcome to following Jesus. Yeah. Because Well, it's true. It's it's it's such a cool picture of following Jesus, of faith, of like you're stepping into something that's unknown, but you're trusting in a faithful God. And sometimes it's uncomfortable. It's messy. It's not what you planned on. Yes. Um but it's it's so much better. It It really is, Kara. And I I love doing them. And we've had a lot of baptisms this year. And uh it's just

been a really fruitful year. And you just think about a November to remember. So, we had 18 on that last pursuit night. I think we had 11 in prison. I'm going to have to verify it cuz it might have been we had 11. 11 in prison. So, 18 + 11 is 29. 29. And then how many did we have yesterday? Do you know how many we had yesterday? I think 12 yesterday. Um, at least. Here, hand me my phone there, Hannah. I I'll I'll look at the numbers and we'll just we'll we'll even give some more stats. Thank you so much, uh, Ed. So, let's look look at how many we had yesterday. uh baptisms, we keep our data not because it's about the numbers, but because each number represents a person. Absolutely. So, we had 12 yesterday. So, 29 + 12, what's that? 30. 41. 41. So, in November, we had 41 baptisms.

That's awesome. Think about that. Praise God. 41 baptism. Yeah. Just in November. It's just a lot of churches would never have 41 baptism in a year. Yeah. 41 baptism in November. Yeah. It's awesome. That's a November to remember. Yeah. I mean, that's like freaking rad. 41 baptisms. Just testify. That is a good word. So, this year, you want to hear how many baptisms we've had? I'm going to do the numbers right now. 298 baptisms. Let's go, somebody. Praise be to God. Praise God. Yes. Oh, that does not include Nope. 298 does not include the prisons. Okay. So that does not include the 11 we just had on Saturday or the ones that Pastor Noah has done in the past there as well. So over 300. Oh yeah. This is cool. I mean glory to God. 2025 has just been a really uh been a good year.

It's been a good year. We started off this year. I remember saying like I've never had a year like this. It was like the most like joyfilled year. And then then just there's been it's a been a wild wild ride. You know, this summer, June, July, we were accused of just the dumbest slander and lies. I was just like, "What the heck is this?" Like, I mean, devil just straight up like tried to make up some stuff that like like it was once again, it was like intimidation, right? And like a few people left our church over it without even meeting me face to face. I'm like, "Okay, that's weird." And it clearly was like the father just pruning what needed to be pruned. But this has been a wild year. It's been good. I mean, even with like what's happened this week and can we just talk more about this week because we had a Thanksgiving at church

and uh for those that don't know about what we did, how we did it or why we did it, this is to me just journey church um culture. Yeah. Um but I'm also trying to learn to be more mature and make better decisions. I'm being coached and I'm telling you this like I don't want to run a 16-year-old church the same way I ran a one-year-old church, which is just like hustle hustle. We got to do this. We got to do everything, you know. But uh two weeks ago, it was two and a half weeks ago. So it was on a Friday. Yeah. Two weeks ago, Friday, so not even like what uh 16 days ago, 17 days ago, you answered the phone. Tell tell us about that phone call. Well, it was a an older gentleman called in and said, "I would like to donate 10 turkeys to the church." And um I was like, "Okay." Quickly in my mind, you know, I'm like, "Okay, what are we going to do with 10 turkeys? We need to find 10 families that need a turkey." And

then I'm like, where are we going to put the turkeys? And so this is Friday. I'm like, okay, I'll call you back on Monday. Let me just think this through. Let me let me take it to you and pray about it. Just figure out what to do with them. Anyway, Monday morning rolls around and by like 10:00, half the turkeys were already here. I hadn't even called him back. Nothing. So like, we're doing this thing. Let's go. Well, I I heard that phone call and you were so sweet on the phone and I could just I could tell you have such a professionalism and excellence about you. that you weren't going to deny it, but I could just tell we we don't have the systems in place right now. We can because we are changing that culture here where we want to communicate differently and and so forth. And we could have worked hard to do it, but we we had barely a week and a half to figure that out.

Like, and I really well, in my mind, like we could have probably found 10 people that wanted turkeys, but but did they need them? You know what I mean? Like I I I was wrestling in my mind like um how do we actually take this and get it into the hands of people that um that really do need them? Yes. So I heard it and then you got off the phone and we started talking and I I remember that Friday I just threw out the idea to you or you threw out there. We did we talked about it like what what if we cooked them and we we did something here and I was like okay this is kind of silly because this is Thanksgiving's a week and a half away. Yeah. It's like less than two weeks away and okay now h how would we execute this? What would this look like? But we were engaged with the church for a very short time in Ventura. Yeah.

That was extremely impactful uh to me and you know even it's really what brought our stories together. You were on a journey of wanting to grow in your faith in Jesus. And I was on a journey of trying to figure out the trajectory of my life. And this church was just reaching and doing cool things. Yeah. And they reached a lot of uh houseless people, what some call homeless people, but these are just people that live on the streets and don't have a place to call home. Um but they do at church and they do in community. And so they used to do a huge Thanksgiving meal. And while I was there, you and I got to be a part during that time. Well, I really didn't like you. I just I had met you and I remember it was I might have been the first Thanksgiving I had spent with you and you were cooking

a turkey to drop off at the bridge at in Ventura at this church called the bridge. And I was like, what are you doing? Like I don't know. It was foreign to me. Well, and so I here I am a young adult making a turkey for a church that that the whole church just pitched in, made all this food and they rented this really nice theater. Oh, okay. And people would dress up in really nice clothes downtown Ventura and then their band would come and actually I think different bands would come and they do it all day on Thanksgiving Day. Provide entertainment through music. People would be dressed up and just a huge Thanksgiving meal that the whole church provided the food. So I this is 25 years ago. I mean at least 25 years ago and here we are now. I was like could we do this? Could we pull something off?

And Kara, we did it. It was the coolest thing. Like I was freaking out on Thursday morning. I was I mean I was not in a good state uh last I mean Monday was that viral stuff that went out. I mean just it was a really it was a hard week. It was a spiritual war week. Thursday morning, I was like ready to write my resignation letter in. I mean, I was just like, I don't even know if I could lead this church. Like, I'm so dumb. I come up with these ideas. I was just speaking lies over my life. Uh you and I were just kind of in an intensity just, you know, just like just life and family and everything. And, you know, you were making tons of food for Thanksgiving that day and I just gave you a hug before I left. And I mean, I was just I was so insecure when I left

our house that day. I got to the church and there was already like, I don't know, a couple dozen people here. And I was like, "Oh, okay. Here we go." The tables were set up. It looked really good. In the next 20, 30 minutes, dozens of more people showed up, all just to serve. Yeah. There was one guy that made all the turkeys, Mike Rivera, and then one gal that organized really the whole thing, Veronica, in conjunction with Cali, who really just detailed kind of the glue that holds it all together. So, three people kind of like they were the the generals of this thing. Then our whole church made green beans, uh, potatoes, sweet potatoes, uh, Brussels sprouts. I'm telling you, there must have been over 70 pies.

That's awesome. eggnog, cranberry spritzer, I everything you could imagine for a massive Thanksgiving meal. And then now it's like, will people show up? And Kara, homeless people showed up. Uh, people from the church showed up who didn't have a family to hang out with. It was like single people, whole families that it was just like their family and, you know, they didn't have anybody else to do, so they came here. That's awesome. It was the coolest experience. I went from being depressed to like I my heart wanted to explode. I mean, I was texting you. I was like, Kara, this is cool. There's an army of people here. Like, it's awesome. I mean, that's how the church should be, though, right? Like, that's God's design for for us, for church. Amen. That we sit around the table together with people that don't look or live anything like us. Like, but yet we have commonality in Jesus.

And um you remind me that often that Jesus a lot of his ministry that you read about in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It wasn't this ministry from the platform like just preaching in the synagogue. No, it was face to face. It was around the table. Yeah. He did it with the Pharisees, you know, and he he did it with the um least of these. Yeah. You know, he was accused in Luke 15, you know, with with the the sinners, the tax collectors, the drunks. He was accused of himself. slanderously of being a drunk because he was with those types of people. I mean, around a table, right? Zakius, you know, hey, Zakius. Yeah. I'm coming to your house tonight. I heard you make a mean brisket. Church is like we we are a community. There's there is not this you don't see like an isolated Christian in in in the early church. Like they they lived in

community. They helped each other. They sat around the table and listened to each other's needs and they met each other's needs. Like that's that's the God's design for his church. It's so true. If you go to persecuted countries, that's how they have to do church. Yeah. It has to be underground. It has to be around the table. It has to be real. And I even look at the last few weeks, like if I look at this last week, okay, I was down a lot this week emotionally and spiritually. But I'll tell you, the church brought me up. Everyone stepped in. Our security team, I mean, dozens and dozens of men stepped it up. all the people that made I mean it was like I told you that day on Thanksgiving I didn't hardly lift a finger I got to just be pastoral and like look people in the eyes what you said this just reminds just transitioning from like what you said earlier from like a hustling church planter right

yeah doing everything we have a church passing out the bulletins at the door and then running to the platform and saying welcome to church and then running to the door and shaking the hand goodbye and cleaning cleaning the toilet afterwards and but no we're we're shifting tremendous. I say shifting. It's been a 16 year shift, but it is awesome. And one of the guys I sat with on Thursday, he's homeless. Yeah. Ironically, totally weird. He's from Ventura. Oh, he is. Born and raised. Oh. And he was sitting in the front row yesterday. He's sitting in the front row. I told you I like slapped you. I was like, I got to go see this guy. I ate Thanksgiving meal with him. Awesome. I had turkey with this guy. And he was just kind of like I mean the whole service he was just like staring up at this. Yeah. Just gave his life to the Lord.

Oh, he did. Just gave his life to the Lord. He's at a homeless shelter. A really intense homeless shelter. I mean Yeah. He has to walk everywhere. It's cold right now. I mean it's just just a wild story. I mean what would you guess his age was? Just look at him. We're going to play a game. 23. I have no stinking clue, but I would guess about the same thing. Okay. I would guess mid20s. Okay. He has four kids. Oh, okay. Four kids. And they're all in Ventura. Oh. And they're all living with his parents. Oh gosh. With his wife. Oh wow. And I was like, "What? What is he doing exactly?" They came up here to try to start a new life in Bend. He did domestic violence towards her. She left him.

He's homeless on the streets doing God knows what. goes to a homeless shelter, gives his life to Jesus, starts restoring this relationship not only with his wife, but with his dad whom he had like a chasm with his whole childhood or whatever, but through this whole thing. So, here I am just like getting to know this guy's story. I would have never done that had the church not done Thanksgiving. No, I agree. I was just like I love He had both of his hands up in worship at one point. I just had like a straight line to him. It was and we would have never known that story. I mean, it just there's so much that we can be grateful for and it it is like the church just being the church right now, stepping in, doing it together. Uh it's I mean, we we are better together. I mean, we're we're the dream team around here. True. And we're just getting started.

Uh yeah. So, that takes me to, you know, we're nearing the end of 2025. Let's go. Um you know, what is what is your what are your give us some of your hopes and dreams for 2026? Oh, too many. Um, let's just start the conversation. Okay. Well, let's let's just take a commercial break real quick. And uh this podcast is sponsored by Journey Church Merch. Uh we have this December uh a whole bunch of new uh merch just for actually just for fun. Well, they're stocking stuffers. Yeah, for fun. They're just doing some fun little um uh Christmas ideas that people could buy during the month. So, this is a uh license plate holder. So, we got black or we also have what do you call this, Kara? Checker. We got a checkered license plate. So, these will be available at the Journey Church merch store on Sundays. We also got these new mugs. And

I think these are pretty dope because you love to eat soup out of mugs. And to me, I can I could picture my beautiful wife eating soup out of this. So, uh, hey, if you want to pick one of these up on Sundays, I have no clue how much they cost, but, uh, this podcast was sponsored to you by Journey Church merch. Let's go. Hey, exclusively at Journey Church in person on Sundays, uh, up in the Loft area. So, awesome. Hey, this has been an incredible year. Our theme for 2025 has been uh, Was that totally awkward? I mean, it was a commercial. It was cool in my mind. I was like, because when podcasts really make it, they always go into like two or three podcasts, you know? like going to commercials and it's like usually like some pharmaceutical drug or you know whatever the case might be. So anyways, I know that was lame but so going in

2026 um I would just start by saying 2025 our theme has been love like Jesus and I think it was revolutionary because I think the concept was good. We knew coming off the last few years of equip the saints and unleash the army and unity and we've been fighting for some just like like biblical like um values. Yeah, within our team and within our church and I think God just keeps exposing like yeah I am giving you these um visionary themes for the year and uh as we come to it each year I feel the weight gets heavier and heavier because love like Jesus this year I think has been a challenge because really comes down to identity. You cannot love like Jesus until you've been loved by Jesus. So for me even

personally I just say do we know who we are? And of course, uh, our youth has kind of, uh, driven this philosophy of I'm a beloved child of God. If I know that, I'm going to love like Jesus. So, I I want to just first testify to this year has been um just to me really challenging to to consider what does it mean to love like Jesus and what does that mean for our church and what we just everything we just talked about from baptisms to Thanksgiving meal. That's all expressions of loving like Jesus. Yeah. So 2026, uh, I kept feeling like the Lord was telling us expansion, expansion, expansion. We, we just expanded our space here from 28,000 ft to 38,000 ft and overnight it was full.

We've got these 38 acres and we're dreaming big and we submitted plans to the city for 102,000 ft. Yeah. of building. Like you talk about expansion. It's like it does it feels too big. But I'm like, we can't dream big enough for God. But then we're only limited by our prayers and our you know our our willingness to step into what God has. And so it's just it's been really kind of a scary place for me to to go where we're going and financially this year has been weird. And so I'm like Lord, what does expansion mean? And and I feel like God's challenging me on some of these uh particular areas. And then I'm like expansion doesn't cross over very well on a a a macro level. So micro I think you and I get it but what is how would I

cast vision to a church or to the church team with expansion. So then for a few weeks I wrestled with this and I came to you I was like car care I think it's kingdom expansion kingdom expansion but then I was like you know even that I don't know to me I just I hear different connotations and so here I was just wrestling wrestling wrestling and it struck me like okay here's what that really means and so this is our theme now for 2026 is kingdom come. Yeah. Amen. Kingdom come. And it really is just taking that one phrase of Jesus in the Lord's prayer that he taught us to pray. Yeah. You know, our father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. And so I just I think about that. Amen. On a micro level. Yeah. It it starts personally. I I want your kingdom come in my life.

Your kingdom come in my marriage. Your kingdom come in my family. Your kingdom come in the church. your kingdom come in this community. Your kingdom come in our state, our nation, the nation. You know, like we just we start to just look at um what does this look like? Well, this is an an advancement of expansion from what I've experienced to more more. This is daily God's kingdom come and his will be done. So, when I think about 2026, I I look back and say, "Look at all that God's done." Yeah. You know, we look at more than 300 baptisms this year. Well, I say, "Why wouldn't we want God's kingdom to come?" Yeah, there there are many more thousands of people just in our region that need I mean I say thousands hundreds of thousands that need Jesus just in our region then millions in the

Pacific Northwest and then hundreds of millions in our state and then you know billions around the world. So I just say let's let's bring God's kingdom come and his will to be done. And so I would like to take greater risks. Yeah. I I would like us to continue to consider what does that look like? Mhm. And to be a praying people because really you don't get that without the prayer. Yeah. Absolutely. It starts it starts. Yeah. The genesis of it is prayer and then it's obedience out of the prayer. You know, so I'm sure we'll take Jesus teaching and we will just dissect it and pray it and um ultimately put it into practice in our lives. So amen. Uh so 2026 his kingdom come. Yes. And we are going to see a lot more war like we just saw this week. Awesome.

Yes. Get out your sword. Get out your shield. Right. Armor up, baby. Pray. This is no time to sit back. We're going to stand firm. Yeah. And when we've done everything, here's what we'll do. We will stand. Yeah. I mean, when I was I was at coffee this morning with someone and I was telling our story I was mentioning earlier and um a part of that I was talking about even the property and how we've submitted plans to the city for a huge building and it's it's way beyond what like we could do way beyond what we can do like it it has to be God you know but um uh um gosh I lost my train of thought um our story expansion kingdom come I lost my train of thought, "Oh my goodness." Hey, that's getting real.

I know. No, I had a point to that. Oh boy. Um I don't know. Confession that happens to me all the time. So that's just getting real, girl. If if if you get it, uh bring it back. I will. It's good, too. It was good. you were sharing with her our story and and the future then where we've come from withd and and a a redemption story and all of it. Um and uh um you lost it again. Uh th this this my friends is what a holy hangover is. It has been a week.

It's just where your brain is mushed and you have permission. It's been quite a week. It has been a week. I mean we've had family. We've had church. We've had uh devils and angels. Come on. All the things. We've had all the things. This is true. This is true. Um I don't know. I I guess Okay. essentially is we both would it be in agreement that we um hit burnout and we not that you tell God what to do at all or what you you know like we told God but we definitely um came to a place of if we're um I if we're going to stay in ministry, stay in this region, like we're not going to back down. We're not going to shrink back. We're not going to be afraid. We're going to take a bold stand.

Um, and we're going to go after things that are way bigger than us. And so I just I think about when you when you talk about kingdom come. Um, that's kind of what I start to think about. Something bigger than us. It's bigger than us. Way bigger than us. Come on. Um, and the last few years have kind of been I think setting the groundwork for it. Yes. It's been um, United was was one year like three years ago like we need unity. We have to have unity. Okay. United, then equip the saints and unleash the army. We need an army. We need an army that's united. Um, next this year, love like Jesus. We need an army that's united in the love of Jesus in the mission. Yeah. And now and now that we have now that we've like, you know, we we've we've dug into those things and um foundation is laid.

The foundation is laid. And now we're moving towards let's build the kingdom. Your kingdom come. your will be done in my in my family as it is in heaven, in my church, in my city as it is in heaven. And that's big. Like that's a big that's a big thing to go after. I I want to stand in agreement with you because I remember you and I having conversations just the two of us. This is the intimacy of us just talking about where we at and where we going. We should all be thinking of those things. Where am I now? Where do I want to be in three years, 5 years, 10 years? And it's not that you need a perfect plan for those things, but I remember saying with you, I don't want to stay here unless we're going to do bigger things than we've ever done before. Like I just don't like I mean at the end of the day like we've we like change, both of us. We'd like to

change vehicles, change houses, change spaces and places. Not everybody likes change, but but we like like change. And I would be fine moving anywhere. Yeah. I remember one point saying, "Paul did it. Why can't I do it?" You know, but God actually is saying, "Good things take time and they endure and and you really want to have effectiveness in this ministry, stay." And I remember telling God then, "Okay, if I'm going to stay, I want to do more." Yeah. I want to do more. So when you talk about 2026, that just you let me just tell you what comes to my mind. I want St. Charles to be like, "Oh, you want to be healed? Go to Journey Church." Journey Church. Amen. That's where cancer disappears. I had a guy tell me yesterday who got saved from a heart attack. He was dead for like 10 minutes. He comes to this church. He kind of has a limp because of his body um from those kind of things. He's got to be like over 300 lb. He's had two of his grandkids get baptized yesterday.

Oh, cool. They all sat in the front row um second service and he comes up to me like, "Pastor, pastor, I got to tell you this." He's like, "My tumor, it's disappeared. It's gone out of my neck." Wow. Which, now that I think about this, this is crazy because I prayed for a woman in San Diego a week ago who's got this giant tumor that they keep praying for down there, but it's not disappearing. So, I anointed her with oil and I I laid hands on her and and I have a testimony yesterday of his tumor is gone. So, when I think of 2026, I think of making such an impact in this region. It's like, oh, you're depressed. Yeah. Go to Journey Church. Right. Amen. Oh, you're addicted. Go to Journey Church. Oh, you're sick. Go to Journey Church. Like I literally do believe that God has actually begun something here that I I know that the devil does not want us to actually multiply this movement. He does not want us to continue to lay hands. He does not want

us to continue take oil and lay it on them. Yes. And so I if we continue to take God at his word, we will cast out demons. We will heal the sick and we will preach the gospel and the kingdom will come. That's what kingdom come is. Amen. It just took me a second to like think about this, but I was like, I would love I would love love love to be like St. Charles to be like, man, we lost so much money this year. Yeah. Our our cancer wing just went down. I you know, it's crazy. Like, we have so many less surgeries cuz people are coming to journey first and getting prayed over and then they come back in. It's like that thing is gone and you know, like what does that look like? Over and over. I mean, we there's a a kid, Kara, his name's I I don't know if I'll say his name cuz he's a kid, but

it's on the tip of my tongue. It's just so sweet. He got baptized at the pursuit night and uh he's a foster child and he's with a family and he just he just wanted to talk to me yesterday and so we we we talked and I you know I made sure that we understood each other's names and he all he wanted to do was be close to me. He's like, "My family sits way back there." I was like, "Well, my family sits right here." So I said, "Now you know where I sit, so come see me every week." And so anyways, we did this little thing and then after church, he runs over to me. He's like, "Keith, you like I'm just here's a kid by uh worldly standards is our modern day orphan." And I just think about this is the religion God loves. Yeah. This kid is known and loved at church.

You know, it's just like it's this is he's got a trajectory where if he learns his identity at church, he is not who the world says he is. Amen. He is not lost. He's not broken. He's not defined by the family uh curses that have been passed down, what his parents were or weren't or whatever that case is. He can learn early, I am forgiven. I am loved. This is who I am. And so, it just it was encouraging to me. I mean, there was there was a lot that happened the last few weeks. I mean, when we sit down in front of a mic for an hour and just say like, how do we encompass like what God's doing? There's so much good and then as we talked about today, there's there's the ugly, but then at the same time, the ugly and like if this is a pie chart, it's just this little sliver and sometimes we just we focus on the sliver and it's like, oh, this is all terrible. It's like, oh man, that's what the devil wants you to think. All the things that God's doing.

You step back. Yep. And God is good and he's working. And if you didn't have that sliver, you wouldn't appreciate all the good. And it's it's been a really a fun, wild ride. Yeah. Uh what are you looking forward to in 2026? Good question. I mean, I that that gets me excited, you know? Um so I can definitely jump on that for sure. Are books going to be published in 2026? That should be exciting. Okay, come on, somebody. Okay, let's do it. I was just going to prophesy things that are not as if they are, right? We'll say, "Pastor Noah's book will be published by the end of the year, too. Mine will be done by summer. His will be done by Christmas." Okay. Okay. Okay. Like, I still have maybe two, three chapters left. Yeah.

And then I need you to actually read it so that you can edit it and work with me here, right? Uh cuz I have very childlike uh tendencies. Uh you have very academic, rigorous, doctorate level thinking. So, uh, together. Boom. There we go. Here we go. Somebody. So, maybe a book's coming out in 2026. A book. I mean, just I just see just more. Yeah. More. I mean, I'm still like I've only really Okay. I've been alongside and helping for 15 almost 16 years of this church, of course, since we started it. Um, but I've really only been like full-time here for for just over a year, which is kind of crazy. like it's still wild. It's still wild. I know. Um but it's that has it has definitely been a change for me. Um

I mean I was you know um for the last 12 13 plus years I was in real estate full-time realtor of the year and um and I loved it. I didn't I didn't get transition here because I didn't like what I did. I actually love it and God used it. He he used the experience that I had. Um he's using it here. Um so I'm thankful for that. And I still have my license. Like I still I still do it on the side. Um but the transition has been it's it's been unique. It's like it's different. It's different. Um but it's good when you when you know God's called you to something. You can't not do it. It's it's like what we've told church planters that are are considering planting a church. Don't do it. Don't do it. Unless you can't not do it, then do it. Cuz if he's called you to it, you have to do it and then you're disobedient. Yeah. Exactly.

So, which which do you But if he hasn't called you to it, it's going to be an uphill battle and it won't be worth it. Beaten up. Um, absolutely. Chewed up, spit out. Yeah. It's no joke. But, um, I kind of feel like that about just even being in ministry, too. But, um, so I mean, I'm looking forward to having a little bit of experience under my belt, you know, a little bit in the last year. I've I've learned a few things. I'm still at the very beginning, but I'm I'm It's sort of like you're the uh going through the cocoon phase. Yeah. You're transitioning. It's like, okay, this is who you are. You you are called to ministry, but you're not meant to just stay a caterpillar, right? You are breaking out of that cocoon. Hey, uh you guys, what's that metamorphosis called? Is I think of the word crystallized, but chrysalis.

Chrysalis. You remembered it. Remember the other day I asked you and we couldn't remember. Chrysis, you're going through your chrysalis. That's the process of breaking out of the cocoon. Okay. Chrysalis. Yeah. Yeah. 2026 is your crystis moment. There you go. Wings fly. Go. There you go. You got this. Yeah. Anyway, I'm just looking forward to have a little having a little bit of experience under my belt and um keep going after what God has for us. It's it's kind of a wild ride. It is. I I'll be honest. It's kind of an emotional ride because there's there's just this heavy spiritual battle that I feel like we're always in. Yeah. Um it very often does not relent. So we always tell each other we're going to we're going to practice a new rhythm of rest. Yeah. We got to get away more often. We got to do things differently.

Yeah. I mean, you know, life, we've got kids and all the things. So thankfully they're getting older, so that's a good thing. Is a great thing. Absolutely love it. Yeah. Well, Kara, this has been uh an eventful podcast. Yes. As we looked at November to remember, we looked at many baptized. We looked at the spiritual war that's come against us. We just looked at what God's done in his faithfulness. I believe that as we look back on this November, we will see more even in the weeks to come. Yeah, I agree. Because Pastor Brandon prophesied several things over this month that I don't think we've seen the fruit of yet. And I think some of it is out of obedience. And even someone joked, I think it was one of the interns like December to remember, you know, and it's like all right, like why not?

Yeah. Why not continue to self-project that God's going to do a new thing? And to me that even that word remember uh was extremely profound when I when I took it to the scriptures because God from really the very beginning commands us to remember from the beginning of of Genesis to Revelation. It's God's repeated, it's in the Torah, particularly for the Israelites to remember the law, to remember uh God's faithfulness. In fact, when they got away from those things, it's when rebellion happens, when you forget to remember those things. But then I just read today out of um Revelation chapter 3 and I think Jesus is speaking to the church of Sardis and he he says remember remember and not remember your first love. Uh but what did he say to the

church of Sardis? Uh I I'll look it up uh cuz it was it was not good. Um, it's one of those like, "All right, this is to the church here, and I'm just going to like I'm I'm going to make sure that I listen for myself of that I understand what Jesus is saying to the church." But I think remember is so much more profound than just a miracle or just Oh, I I totally agree. Yeah, I just I wrote in my margin because Revelation 3:2 says, "Wake up." M I feel like that's that's a that's an urgent cry to the church right now. Wake up. Well, there's a there's a huge percent of the church that's sleeping. So, yeah, I could wake up. Strengthen what remains and is about to die.

For I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Then Jesus says this, "Remember then what you've received and heard." Remember then what you've received and heard. Yeah, that's a good word. Yeah. Remember what you've received and heard, keep it and repent. God's word is good. Yeah. I mean that that to me it just struck me this morning. Remember then what you've received and heard, keep it and repent. I'm in Revelation 3:3. Strengthen what you have. Yep. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Oh, you do not want Jesus coming against you. That should give you the fear of God right there. Repent. Change your thinking. remember remember what you've heard and don't don't just keep living the same way. Don't live in apathy. Don't live in uh uh Amen. sleepiness.

Yeah. Wow. Well, I would love to pray for us. Yeah. And until next time, if you got a testimony of what God's doing in your life, would you please let us know? Uh we're always encouraged to to get an email, a text message, and so many of you have let us know. I even got a text message this week. I haven't even shared it with you. Uh just recounting our last podcast and uh when we were talking about so many slain in the spirit at the uh prayer night and we're like what is happening, you know, and uh just sharing just some of the testimonies of what God's doing and on our own personal journey learning and living and uh just putting this into practice, loving like Jesus and living these things out. And that's what's fun about those who follow with us on this podcast. They get to live it out. We get to live it out. Then we're better together. And so going into 2026, this is going to be wild.

And uh it's it's going to be a wild ride. I think we'll get one more podcast in before the end of the year. And then boom, we'll take a break and we'll we'll restart this in the new year and maybe we'll get some real sponsors. Who knows? Uh boom. Uh we we'll see. Uh who would you want to be sponsored by? Quick question before we end. I don't know. Who would you want to be sponsored by? Let's see. I would like to be sponsored by Nike. So, if you hear this, uh, just some new kicks each episode. You know, I could like take it off and just display like, "Hey, uh, this episode's sponsored by Nike. Uh, Air Force Fives, who know what? I don't whatever." Uh, Nike would be cool. Um, maybe some cool coffee company or something. Starbucks, if you're listening, Nike, Starbucks. I don't think either of those would endorse Confessions of a Pastor. Um, but we can dream big, right? So, could you think of one you would want to be sponsored by?

Not really. Oh, really? Uh maybe uh Alaska Airlines. Okay. All right. All right. Hawaiian Airlines. Uh they're their co-arters. So, I'll find a good sponsor for the two of us. So, do it. All right. Well, we're we're going to conclude in prayer. So, stick with us here. Lord, we thank you today uh for just a time to testify to what you're doing doing that God, you do work through the good, the bad, and the ugly. That which the enemy intends for evil, God, somehow you work it for good. We thank you that you did that just this week when the enemy tried to intimidate us. God, you pulled through and we got to see that you always work things for good. We love you because you are good no matter what. You are faithful to the very end. So I thank you for Kara. Thank you for calling her to serve alongside me to help lead this this church for

such a time as this. And we say, Lord, we we don't want to do this if it's just ordinary or we we can do this on our own. uh we want to listen to your word even as we've recounted in Revelation chapter 3 that we would remember what we've heard and we'd put these things into practice that we would wake up that we would not be sleepy and slumber in a time uh such as this but we would be like Esther and we would want to save a generation from annihilation and we would say God uh would we do it with the help and the anointing of you the Holy Spirit so bless your church for such a time as this and we just declare over the region in which we live central Oregon shall be saved and if there's anyone listening listening to this in their region. May they start to declare that out loud uh so the enemy can hear that we are believing Jesus, you are coming soon. Our redemption is near and we want to see revival in our time. A great awakening for your glory, God. So

we dedicate that to you and say, God, would you do these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ? So be it and amen. Amen. Hey, until next time, God bless you.