Welcome in guys. First and foremost, thank you for spending some time with us today. This is Clock in your Calling. We're here with Pastor Trent. We have a great topic for you guys today. We're talking all about purpose and what that means to live that out. That's such a main focus of this podcast is how we can live our faith out through a Monday through Saturday. And I'm so thankful that you guys would invest just a little bit of your time to hear, to invest in yourself, to come here to learn.
And we have a special guest on here, Pastor Trent. What's up, Ian? Pastor Trent. Yeah, Pastor Trent has worn so many hats in my life. He's been my pastor for so long. He is a mentor to me, a friend. He's just such an ear. And just as someone to learn and to glean from throughout all these years, and I'm so thankful that you would take some time to be here today. We're talking all about purpose today. Before we get into the conversation, is there anything coming up in your life that you're looking forward to? Any fun experiences or anything?
Yeah. First, let me say thank you, man. I appreciate all those words you said. I think in life, there's people that God calls you to. And man, I'm very thankful for you. I love you and I believe in you. And I'm excited for this. Excited about, Ian, I've been married 10 years. 10 years. And in the 10 years I've been married, what's wild is I've only gotten my wife to go on a vacation on a plane once. Wow. And never on a cruise. OK.
And I'm getting on a cruise in October. And so that's a big win in the Pope home. The cruise is coming up. So are you guys land mammals? Like you don't like to air or see my wife doesn't. I like everything. There's nothing I'm not down for. Sarah does not like planes, trains, automobiles or boats. So yeah, she'd rather stay local. And yeah, but yeah, after 10 years, I finally talked her into going on a cruise with me. So that's a win. And where is that? Where are you guys going?
A little Bahamas trip, three day, three days. We easing in, easing, come on. What line? Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean, that sounds like a lot of fun. Yeah, yeah. Every time I hear about someone that goes on a cruise, they're just, the only thing you hear about them after is how much they've ate. Yeah. You know? No, I'm working out heavily before this trip. Yeah, I'm planning on coming back 30 pounds up. So I gotta get 30 pounds down so I even out, you know?
And they always have a gem on board too that they advertise. But like, you you might hit it the first day. We'll see. We'll see. I'll get a lot of walking in, you know, a lot of steps. I'm going to sit at the pool and eat lobster. It's going to be a great time. Yeah, that's hilarious. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you for being here. Our topic today, as you guys can see, if you're not on the YouTube Design for Purpose. I can't wait to get into this because I feel like you're such a great person to talk to about this. So much knowledge about the Bible.
So we're gonna be diving all into that. Can you catch us up? So I wanna hear a little bit about you, kind of like your experiences. How did we get to this point today? Yeah, man, I wasn't always gonna be a pastor. That wasn't the goal. That wasn't my dream. That wasn't anything that I felt like I wanted to do. I was gonna be a lawyer. Wow. And so make a lot more money, Ian. We were gonna have a nice house on the lake. But anyways, I was gonna be a lawyer. Went through school. worked for a church in college and...
really enjoyed it, but then got kind of budgeted out and thought, man, I don't want to do this with my life. I want to really be a lawyer. Like I came from a family that wasn't upper class. was great family, wonderful family, provided everything we needed, but always wanted to do more and have more. And so I had an idea of what that meant for my life and what my purpose was going to be was being a really great lawyer and go for politics maybe one day. Like that was always the plan and goal for me.
And I went through college and Jesus just met me, man. I mean, I was in my 1998 red Ford Explorer and the power of God came over my life and changed my life forever. And then God brought this person named Sarah into my life. And we're driving home after getting donuts in Sanford, a place called Donuts to Go. Pretty great little spot, little square donuts. Yeah, donuts. Yeah, square. It's weird, but it tastes good.
When we were dating I'd do anything to spend time with her. So was like we'll go drive to Sanford for some donuts. Sure And so on the way back from that I told her I said I don't think I'll ever work in ministry I think I'm called to be a great deacon great elder at Action Church an a-teamer Didn't have that verbiage right but like I'll serve I'll lead small groups I'll teach and my wife looked at me and she goes I think if that's all you ever did you'd be missing what God made you for and I had a moment there in my car. I was like
Forget you. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. Anyways, went on this journey of continuing to try to go to law school. I worked for Puma in the interim. Got a good job there. I had all kinds of opportunities. Right before I was about to go to law school, a small church in Longwood, a friend of mine called and said, hey, I need you to come talk to a bunch of students. They've lost their seventh youth pastor in seven years. They just need someone who's going to come talk to them. know you've preached before. Would you be willing to? I was like, sure, man. You're a friend. I'll do that. That's great.
And while was up there preaching, felt the Holy Spirit say, this is what you're supposed to do. I was like, they didn't even offer me a job yet, but like, what do you mean? Like, I'm no, I'm not doing it. Do they know that too? Or is it just me that knows that? If you haven't noticed, God, I'm kind of busy right now. I'm in the middle of trying to talk about you. So if you could just be quiet. And so I get off the platform. senior pastor at the time walks up to me and goes, hey,
I'd love to talk about what it would look like for you to step into ministry. I think you're called. And I went on a six-month journey, quit Puma, quit pursuing law school, and went into pastoral ministry. So that's my story. That's how I got here. then Action Church, we were going to plant a church for my last church. Came to Action Church to learn and really felt like that's what we were called to do, go plant a church. And then when we got to Action Church, God told us, you're not called to plant, like plant into this church.
And so for seven years I've done that. I led Oviedo for six years. I'm over at Winter Park now. Go Oviedo. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Winter Park. man. I love him. That's getting cut out. Oviedo. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, we're one church. One church. Yeah. I had the honor of leading that and been over at Winter Park for six months. And so it's been incredible, man. So that's how I ended up here. Yeah. So.
I didn't want to, didn't know if we were going to talk about this, but your football career too. Yeah. Football. didn't talk about that. Yeah. I want to hear a little bit about that. Yeah. I played college football. I played high school. I was a pretty good, good little athlete. know, man can move. You can make them on the court. No, they are surprised. They're like two, two 70 moves that fast. Yeah, it does. And so I was really good at high school football player had a lot of options to play at places and I had some injuries, some shoulder injuries. They're not great.
These bad boys are held together by glue and duct tape, I'm pretty sure now, and a lot of Advil. But anyways, I was supposed to go play somewhere. I kept getting hurt, took offers away and thought, man, what am I going to do? And a small school in Minnesota offered me to come play football up there. And I played three years there. And what looked like really for me at that moment of my whole life was football. My whole life was sports. My whole life was performing and being great.
And to take that off the table, I thought, man, the Minnesota thing was a fail. Like, what are you going to do here, God? And it was a Christian school. And you talk about my love for the Bible. I didn't always have that. In fact, I can just everyone's going to know this now. I got to see an Old Testament survey in college because I didn't care. Like I didn't care. I was there to play football. That was it. Like I wasn't there for the Bible. And slowly but surely.
through that school and through people there that loved me enough to not let me live in my sin, man, like God transformed my life and how I saw him and how I saw his word. so the football was an avenue to know God more. And I decided to never gone to the school. I would have never picked, I'm a Florida boy. I'm not going to Minnesota, heck no. Like, why would I do that? And so God used that as a tool to get me to where I am today. That's awesome.
I do and I you just brought something up to my mind because when I went to school in Pennsylvania to play basketball, it is so funny how you tell that story because that's the same thing with me. Maybe you can relate to this is like I went there to play basketball. Yeah, you know, and I actually obtained friendships and actually seeds that were planted in me up there to help me with my faith today. But it's so we can get so distracted by the worldly things or what we think we're supposed to be going there for.
And forget that that was all part of God's plan. He was using that season, not just to play that. I didn't play professionally. Why did I even go there? Yeah. Well, it's still that's part of your journey. You probably learn so much. Is there anything from your athletic career that you learned that you're still applying today? I think to me, athletics really does a great job of of really building a I'll do anything mindset. Yeah, it's like you want to learn how to grind.
Cause we all know the guy who's super talented, but didn't do anything with that talent. And you're all like, what a waste, right? But we also know that guy who wasn't maybe the most talented, but put way more work in and work is always greater than talent. And that's the same thing in ministry and in life. Talent is great, but talent can't be the only thing you have. Like you've got to have a work ethic and the ability to grind. And I think sports does that. It also teaches you how to be coachable.
And if I can give anyone a piece of advice anywhere right now, is teachability is the number one thing that will grow you in this world. And if you're in sports and athletics, you don't got a choice, but be coachable. Come on. You're the film study and you're that place coming to be like, Oh, no, no, messed up on that one. Maybe they'll miss it. it's like, are you doing? You're getting yelled at in front of everybody. Take that tape back five seconds. We gotta watch that again. Just so we can see what not to do.
Pause it please right there. And you're just sitting there But honestly, what that does is it creates this lack of, this lack of, I have to be perfect. You almost learn I'm gonna fail. I'm gonna mess up. My coaches are here to coach me and to help me. And so what I find with a lot of people is they don't want feedback. They don't wanna get better. They think they're doing a great job. They think their average is the best.
because everyone gets a trophy. But when you play high level athletics, not everyone gets a trophy. Not everyone gets to play. Only the people who are coachable, talented, and are gonna put the work in get to play. And so anything, any career you have, anything you do, man, like the Bible actually says, everything you do, do it as though you were doing it into the Lord, like Colossians, right? And I think athletics builds that into you. It also opened up doors for me where,
I think we have a team chaplain. Part of my testimony. I don't know how far we're going to go into this, we'll just talk for however far you want. I in college, man, I was not living for the Lord. I was going to Christian school, but I was was smoking weed, drinking, doing all the things that like the average college football athletics person does. And there was a team chaplain named Elliot. And this dude would follow me around everywhere, man. Like I just turn around and be there. Geez, man. Why are you here?
And Elliot knew I was making bad decisions. Elliot knew I was living not for God, but he didn't quit on me. And he never judged me. And he never said, Trimmin, you're going to hell. He never did any of that. He just always said, if you ever want to change, I'm here. So good. Now, I don't know how he always knew to be around when that happened. But one day he caught me on a really bad day.
And I had made the bad decisions and then the Lord had just moved my life and I thought, I don't want to be this anymore. And so athletics opened up a door even for God to bring that person into my life to completely change my life. And so it's pretty wild when you start to think back. Dr. Joel Hunter in a sermon a couple of weeks ago said that we experience forward, but we learn backwards. And what an awesome line that is, number one, just wisdom beyond wisdom.
Now a 35 year old who's sitting here can look back in my life and tell you football wasn't about football. The coaching that the getting yelled at wasn't about being great at football. It was about learning how to be teachable, learning how to be molded, learning how to really accept feedback and grow and accept that, man, I'm never going to be the best, but I'm only at my best when I'm at my weakest because crisis is what brings us strength. And so I think athletics teaches you.
you're never gonna be perfect. The best game you ever had, you could have gone, how many points you scored there from the most you've ever scored? 22, 21? 21. Let's pretend you went 11 for 11, blocked, there's still plays you could look back and get better, right? Yeah. And so what that does is it teaches you that even on your best, there's room for growth. That's good. And not just, not everything teaches that. And so I'm thankful for that. Yeah, it definitely does. There's so many, I mean, it also could, it's cool, depending on what sport you play, what...
what lessons you'll learn. But I think there's so much value, especially at a young age when your mind is everywhere and there can be so many other things taking your attention away. I think sports is such a great thing to learn so many skills. When you think about it, sometimes it's like, I'm just throwing a ball in a basket. It's like, who, a bunch of men running around on the court. But it's like, no, there's so much more than the surface level. Well, there's people skills you even learn there, right? You gotta learn how to work with the team. What's life but a team project?
Like if you were an individual, I'm just going to be the best I can be, do this, me. Like that's great, but you're only as good as your team. You're only as good as what you're doing with the people you're around. And sports teaches you that, that I could be four for four with three home runs and eight RBIs. But if that one guy doesn't make the catch in left field, we lose. If that one person on football field drops the game winning touchdown, I could have the best day ever, but we still lost because we lost. And it teaches you some of that. And that's what I love about it.
So, yeah. So let's go into our topic today. We'll transition here. Purpose. What are some potential common misconceptions we have about purpose and living out God's purpose in our personal lives? Yeah, I think we can make purpose all about the things we achieve or the things we do instead of rather the things that are built and the character that's built in us. Purpose to me, and to be specific, kingdom purpose. Yeah. So that, maybe let's define that first. Yeah.
You can find purposes in this life that aren't kingdom purposes. You can make your life about the things of this world and you can have some level of success in them. You can even look back on your life and go, man, look what I did. Look at all the money I made, all the things I had, all all the things I obtained, all the job titles I have. But can I just be honest with you and honest with everyone even listening that the line keeps moving the further you get down. And so
At one point it was that management job, that will be what fulfills me. Then you step into management, you realize this sucks. Like leading people is hard. These people don't listen. I thought they're going to listen because I got a title. No, no, they don't. They don't care. They're going to be like, quit. I don't like you. so, so you think, that job will be it. Then you think, that marriage, that will be the thing that brings me fulfillment. And what you find is that while that person is made for you and there's a beautiful thing there.
They don't define you. then, well, kids, and then the next house, and the next car, and the next, and there's always something that's next that's gonna define you. And if you have to keep redefining yourself, you're not living for purpose, you're living for attributes. And what I would tell you is character is always greater than talent. And so what is purpose? Who am I? Who are other people perceive me as? Get your guys' notepads out, by the way. Like kingdom purpose.
Kingdom purpose is not about what you obtain or what you do, but rather how you advance the kingdom of heaven forward. And so when we talk about purpose a lot, a lot of times are like when they come and pray or they ask me to pray over them, pray for purpose in my life. What you're really asking is you want a good salary and a good job. You're not asking for purpose. So good. You don't want purpose. You want to have your needs met and you think these things are going to be what defines my needs. in reality, because when you find purpose,
All that becomes secondary to the purpose. And so what is purpose? It's in who God made you to be. God gives us spiritual gifts. God gives us these things that we haven't. Like, it is living a life to where I'm not going to be defined by these levels of success. I'm going to be defined by my faithfulness to God. David did a lot of really cool things in his life, but the greatest title David ever held wasn't king.
wasn't shepherd, wasn't a giant slayer, none of those things. The greatest title he ever held was a man after God's own heart. And so what if that would be what we aim for? And from that place, God gives us passions and gives us things to pursue. And by the way, pursuing jobs and all things, not a bad thing. So let me start also there. But it's not a bad thing to want to have a decent salary. You should. It's 2025, expensive in these streets these days. You got to make some money, all right?
Rin is like 3K. so, unless you're living in Kansas, I think, I don't know. So we all want to go to Kansas. We'll probably do better there. you've got- Church, Kansas. Kansas coming soon. and not me. Ian, how you feel about Kansas? so dumb. But all that is fine. It just can't be what defines you. Purpose is the thing that defines you. what defines you is your relationship with Christ. And so-
Once you get that aligned, because you can't know what you're assigned to until you have the right alignment. So assignment always comes with the right alignment. Well, I have to be aligned to God to be able to find my assignments. And so if you're not aligned to God, you'll never find your purpose. And you always feel like, what am I missing? So friends, what I would encourage you to do, align with God. Fast, pray, worship. God, that my life would be pleasing to you.
Until you can say not my will but your will be done. You're not looking for purpose. You're looking for comfort That's good. I think you you talked about this a little bit about the Obtaining things and how the lines always changing. Yeah, so when the line changes and we're going through all these seasons transitions in life How are is our purpose changing too? Or is it just the same? Purpose just different scenery behind it or different
Monday through Friday alarm clock system. Like is anything changing in our purpose or should our purpose always be the same and just what were, our day to day activities, those are the things that are different. The purpose should always stay the same. So let me start there. The assignment might be different. The purpose has got to be the same. Purpose to me isn't obtaining something or doing something. Purpose is understanding why you were created and who God is in your life. That's good.
and what you are called to do in this life. Well, what are you called to do in this life? I don't care what job you practically play out, you're called to make much known in the name of Jesus. And all of us have different ways we do that. There's a whole list of spiritual gifts, there's a whole list of things and ways we do that. Some people, it's encouragement. Like your purpose in life is to encourage people wherever you are. You could be the mailman or you could be the CEO. It doesn't matter if your gift is encouragement, no matter what setting I'm in.
I'm going to encourage. So the purpose is to encourage. The purpose is to make much of Jesus, right? So the assignment though changes. That doesn't change the purpose. You could take that same mailman and he could grow in the company. If he's not encouraging people the way he was encouraging them, then you've missed your purpose. You're looking for a paycheck. And so purpose to me isn't about different seasons. Does it change? No, no, your assignment can change. What you're going to do will change.
And it will change probably often in your life. It probably will, a lot. But my assignment is not necessarily my purpose. My assignment is to go out and live my purpose wherever I'm at, whatever I'm doing. My gifts are teaching and leadership. No matter if I could quit Action Church tomorrow, which I'm not, but if I was gonna quit Action Church tomorrow, let's say I'm gonna work in the... Thank We need you. Thank you, thank you. If I was gonna work in corporate world again.
My goal would be to lead people in a godly way, to speak truth in their life in a godly way. The assignment can change, the purpose does not. So God made you for a purpose, on purpose. And oftentimes, as we grow or as we feel insecure, we lose our purpose and just start existing. And man, can I just encourage somebody that...
No matter what season you're in, your purpose is to make much of Jesus. Like that is the goal. In fact, we think when bad things happen or when things in our lives are going crazy, that we almost lose qualification to talk about the goodness of God. No, in fact, that is used. I'm going to go with Bible here. It's the book of Luke 21, and it's Jesus talking to Peter. Peter's about to deny him. Peter's like, ain't never going to deny you, never.
Never Lord. And you sit there, you're like, Oh, Peter. But at the same time, know, we know I'm Peter. I'd have been like, Jesus, we'll go to the cross. And he's on the ground. I'm out on this. Like, no, like, there's no way I get it out. We give them such a hard time until it's our loss. Right. Like how easily do we deny Jesus today? And it's not like someone's going to kill us for doing right. So anyways, he's talking to Peter and he says to Peter, he goes, Simon, Simon, the devil wants to sift through your life. He wants to tear you apart.
And Jesus doesn't pray that doesn't happen. He doesn't pray. He actually says, he goes, I pray that when you come through it, your faith would be restored and you'd help your brothers and your sisters. What does that mean? Our lives are going to get shaken up. The enemy is going to come at us. The enemy is going to want to kill, steal and destroy us. But he can never fully destroy us because God has called us to greater things and God has redeemed everything. And God sees you in every season. He is faithful and he's never not been faithful.
And so what's the point? The point is that when life feels like it's shaking up and you feel less qualified, that's actually the very thing that qualifies you because someone else is going to come in your life and life's gonna be hard on them. And you're gonna be able to go, hey, I've been there. I felt that, I struggled through that. Man, my purpose, I didn't know what it was. But now that I do know it, man, I'm gonna encourage you and I'm gonna push you to Jesus. And it's so tough sometimes when you're not living on.
because as you said, the days are just kind of going by. Like you're just like, another week. Especially I found when you work full time, the weeks, start blending together. You're like, it's Halloween. it's Christmas. It's Easter. And that's a good point. We live our lives based on certain markers. And if that's how life is happening, it's life is happening to you. You're not happening to life. Like it is this, it is pushing you forward.
And if that's where you're at, there's a better way to do it. Like, I'm not saying every day has to be exciting. man, can I just be real? Mondays are the worst days for me. They're admin days for the church. I'm not an admin guy. Like it's like, was awesome. I just hung out with 6,000 of my best friends. Like it was the best time ever. I'm shaking hands. I'm saying hi to people. I'm getting to share encouragement and Bible with them. And then Monday's like an administrative task. I'm like, I hate Mondays.
But what I've learned is to not just experience Mondays and just fly through Mondays, because the lie we can tell ourselves is, we'll just get through it. What if instead we'd ask God that you would just bring intentionality to the very thing that I'm just working through, the very thing that feels like it's mundane, that you would bring purpose to the mundane, because the mundane doesn't have to be that. That if I'd remind myself on Monday, yeah, I'm going to have to be a little more administrative, I'm going have to do some things I don't want to do.
me doing that helps us better care for and love people, then man, if my heart is to love and care for people, then I should go into that with a purpose and mind of, okay, I'm called, I'm supposed to do this, let's make much of Jesus today. Like if we would start to invite God into every moment of it and ask for kingdom moments instead of just experiencing life, man, life changes, the circumstance changes completely. Yeah. And I think what I found out too,
by working full time. It doesn't matter what you went to school for. It doesn't matter what you wanted to do with your job. There's probably gonna be something at your dream job that you don't like to do. And having that intentionality, I think it helps so much because it's not just for yourself too. It's for somebody else who's trying to, why do I have to do this? Why do I have to do this? Well, it's because there's a purpose to it. I found that I don't like doing all the paperwork and contracts for construction jobs.
but it's something that I have to do and I can't just live in that other spot and just trying to fast forward through all those other things. What happens is we can tell ourselves it's either pride or insecurity. Pride tells you you're too good to be doing this. That's true. That's good. Insecurity says I'm not good enough to do this. They're attached by the way. Your greatest pride will also be linked to your greatest insecurity. The thing you think you're best at when someone else is better at it, you're going to become insecure about it.
But what happens, especially with young people as they enter into the workforce and they've been through college and they have this idea of what it's going to be in their head. They're like, it's going to be the best. Man, there's so much more that you don't ever see that's way harder. Like ministry. think a lot of people think all I do is read the Bible Monday through Thursday and then get up on a platform and do a host or preach or whatever my role is. You do something else? Yeah, a lot.
They don't see our toilets getting backed up the other day and us digging literal poop out of a toilet. Like they don't, they don't see that stuff. they're like, ministry's great. And you're like, is it? Cause I don't think it was Wednesday. I really don't know. And what they do is and they miss they, they don't see sitting with a family who just lost their baby. They don't see the moments where there's a, I'm at a gas station before someone to reach her. do a thing called surf Saturday.
a guy who's been homeless for 13 years, like sobbing, going, where's God in my life? I didn't get to see the woman I got to pray for who just had a miscarriage and is going to a family reunion today. Like they see the platform, they see the lights, they see, and it's not just ministry, any job in business or construction or teaching, they see the concept of what we think it is in our head and we list out what's going to be so great.
But with the thing that's going to be great is also attached things are going to challenge and test us. And by the way, you're not called to it if you just like the good moments of it. Like you're called to it to do all of it. And what happens is we get this idea of what it's going to be. And when our expectation doesn't meet the reality of what it is, we then question, I supposed to do this at all? Well, hold up. If you just remove all that out of it and you'd go back to what's my purpose.
What am I called to do? What am I supposed to do? Is this the assignment I'm in? And we'd stop looking at it what it can do for me. And we begin to look at it. What could God do through me? That changes any... And I'm not, by the way, if you hate your job, quit. Can I help somebody? If you hate your job, your boss knows, like quit, like quit. Just don't do it anymore. You're actually hurting culture. And you're...
when you're bad culture with influence, it creates a bad bank. And so just if you hate it, don't do it. At the same time, stop asking what it can do for you and ask what God can do through you. Maybe that perspective change will help somebody too that's just hating it. Well, why are you hating it? Is it something that you have no interest in? Well, that's probably not going to fix, but if something that we're just looking at as a transactional encounter instead of what it should be, which...
Like you said, what can I do for this company? It's honestly a great kingdom principle too. And how we can, what can I give to the kingdom of God? And I want to, you touched on something I feel like everyone has probably been here about, have an image of something in our head and we're, I think we only think of the good things when we have this. So there are so many things that even myself, I'm like, the image of this looks great. I want to do that. I want to, but we don't think about all the bad things. Why don't we even, why do we do that? It's optimism. Optimism bias is a real thing.
So we all, no one pictured ourselves as kids in a career taking the trash out. Unless you want to be a trash man and by the way, that's awesome. You're actually making more money than I am. like, I'm going to apply with y'all. We're going to hang out and throw trash away. It's going to be great. I'm going to have a bigger house in the name of Jesus. But the principle is this, none of us view life through the lens of
what's gonna be hard about it. We only view life through the lens of what's gonna be great about it. And with everything you do, you have to count the cost, because everything's gonna cost something. Everything you do. Let's say even a job you love, let's even maybe change it a little bit. Let's say you love something. It's what brings you value and joy and this is the best job, it brings me my value.
That's awesome. That's great. That's still not godly. Like it is not that that brings you value. It should be secondary to who God has you to be. And so the best job ever, if you put it even, if your job, your dream job, you laid it out and it was everything you hoped it would be and none of the bad stuff. Can I tell you, you'd still find something to complain about in six months?
There'd be something that at some point you feel like, this is too much now. I hate this. It's going to happen. By nature, we go into it optimistic. We sit in it pessimistic. And we begin to lose the whole point of why we're doing what we're doing. And so instead of focusing on the 10 things you love about your job, you come home and complain about the one thing you hate.
And once again, it's just perspective shift. If there's one thing you hate and 10 things you love, I'm sorry, you could just be like, I'm just gonna say it. You could be a little selfish. There are a ton of things that are way worse. There's always going to be tensions. There's always going to be tensions to manage problems to solve. But we get so fixated on what we don't like about it that we get robbed with the joy and the blessing of still being in it. And so by nature, we enter in optimistic.
And we leave it pessimistic. we talked a lot about this and how perspective shift could be something that could help somebody out. So the job that that is where you're supposed to be. That is what you're supposed to be doing. But your mind is just drifted. Your perspective has changed. And it always is so gradual. I feel like you don't wake up one day and you're just like, my job sucks. Like it's gotten there you write a little bit of gossip a little bit of just man, why did I have to do that a little bit of I shouldn't be doing this. I'm X, Y, and Z in my company.
Has there ever been a time in your life where you're like, man, I'm like not living on purpose or something has shifted in my brain. And what did you do about that to realign yourself with God and what you're actually supposed to be doing and contributing? Yeah, I can speak to the first five years of ministry for me. So I told part of my story, right? Yeah. And I got into ministry and I wish I would tell you that from there it was like, this is the best. God, you're so good. I actually went home the first day. The lead pastor of the time did something that I thought, God.
I don't think I can work here. Wow. It day one. Day one. I went home to my wife. I'd left more money than my family had ever made. Like, it's just ridiculous. And I go to my wife. I think I made a mistake. And I thought about quitting. But the Lord reminded me in that moment, I didn't call you to ministry because people are perfect. Well, I called you to ministry because these students need a pastor. And for five years, and I want to be careful.
But in five years, it's why when people say they work for a narcissist, I always like, boy, you don't know narcissist. had one. You ever work for one. It's different. Different. Everything you do is controlled. Everything you do is a PR thing. Like, like it is all about the image of them. And for five years, man, I battled, battled with, am I doing this? Should I be here? This doesn't feel healthy. God release me.
And by the way, if you're wanting to leave, stop leaving because you want to leave and start praying, God, have you released me from this? Is my assignment here done? It's good. Like stop making it about you, start making it about what God's gonna do. And so I would, I pray every day for five years. Am I released? No. Am I released? No. Am I released? No. Are you sure? How about now? Are you sure? Sarah, maybe you pray. I'm not working for me. need...
I mean, I'm gonna stand and pray. it's a sit down. Yeah. Call on my friends. Hey, I need you to pray. Like, everything is tough. And I wanted so badly to be out because I did at many times wonder what what's the goal here? What am I doing? This isn't healthy. This church isn't healthy. Nothing about this feels right. And then I sit back once again, we we we experience for we learn backwards.
I sit back and two of the people that are in my youth group are on my staff now, living their full life for God, walking into calling. At that time, when I was a student pastor, I had a student who his dad actually shot his mom's boyfriend. And for four years, I'm meeting him weekly for Sonic and just praying with this kid. And then he goes away and I'm like, I didn't do anything with this kid. Like, I don't know if he's saved. Like, I think he might not make it. I get a phone call.
Christmas Eve three years ago, it's him graduating from the Navy thanking me for spending moments with him in a Sonic and going, I need you to know I wasn't always easy. And I know I wasn't easy, but I'm thankful for what you did for me. Like what can happen is we can get so focused on how miserable I was that I could completely miss what God did in the middle of it. And so to anyone who really doesn't like what you're doing or doesn't man, but the purpose, why am I here? Pray, get to this place of God.
have you released me? And if he hasn't released you, stay in it. Because there is a purpose. And it could be, it could, maybe it's not people coming to Jesus and working instead of one of that. Like maybe, maybe it's just for personal development even. Maybe there's a story he's writing in your life. Paul wants to go to Asia and the book of Acts, he wants to go way earlier than God allows him to. He goes, I want to go. And God's like, no. He said, but I want to go. And God's like, we're not doing that. And Paul's like, That's so funny how have our conversations with
No, they're like that. It's real. Yeah, and if your conversations aren't like that with God, you're probably not having conversations with God. Yeah. By the way, when you're praying, just spiritual tip here. Don't talk the whole time. Begin to listen. Prayer, like have you ever met a toddler who's really excited about what they're doing and they tell you about everything and you don't got like two words? That's what we do to God. We word vomit on God and we actually don't get to sit and listen.
Like, you've got to have time in your prayer where you tell God, like, you talk, pray to God, you honor Him, you pray. All those things are great. And tell Him what you're walking through and invite Him into it. that's great. But we've invited Him into it, but we don't want to hear what He has to say about it because we say, amen, too fast, and we get on with our day. Because prayer is not something we're doing to experience God. It's to get an answer for the thing we want to get an answer for. So when you are going through that, pray, God, am I released? Are you calling me to something new?
God, if you are, make it clear. Make it plain. And sometimes it's not always super plain. But I believe there's a verse in Revelation. It's actually the Church of Philadelphia. Pastor Justin is going to preach on this Sunday that God will open doors that no man can open and shut doors that no man can shut. And I'm just crazy to believe if I'm praying for God to move in my life and move and give me purpose and give me what's next, He will open a door.
But many of us are standing at doors that are never gonna open, asking God to open it, and He's saying, it's not your door, son. Like, go to the next door. I've got something else for you. And so just having faith and trust and putting yourself second is the goal. I'd put it this way.
What's better? Living and doing something that you think is great in this world, but not pleasing the Lord? Or sitting in a horrible job and hating it, but pleasing the Lord? Which one's more godly? And I don't think that's a tough answer. It's a tough thing to experience. But honestly, many of us, if we're honest with ourselves, would pick option one where we like what we do here. Yeah. The worldly treasure. Yeah.
We're not living for worldly treasure. We're living for kingdom treasure. That's Galatians 1.10 says, it's a great verse. It's actually my favorite verse in the Bible. It says, Am I seeking the approval of man or am seeking the approval of God? If I was not seeking the approval of man, would not be a servant. Or if I was seeking the approval of man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Right.
Sometimes that man that we're trying to seek approval from can be ourselves. It's not just about the people around us. Like we always use those like people pleaser ones. Like, my budge is going to please. No, no, no. I'm going to please Jesus over my boss. No, God, by the way, wants you to respect authority. So respect authority. But the whole point of that, sometimes we can look at him and be like, I got to please all the people. No, no. Sometimes the person you need to not seek the approval is yourself and you need to seek God's approval first.
Like give him the, give him the lead. That's good. So I want to wrap up. want you to, I want you to give me two minutes on what role has mentorship played. And I'm so thankful to have one of my mentors sitting across me right now, but what role has that played for you when living out your purpose, keeping you on purpose, you know, keeping you on the right track and how have you seen that develop your life? And yeah, just give me something on that. Yeah. I want to give you both sides. So the first five years,
I talked about ministry and it was brutal. He still mentored me. It was hard because he was the person who called things out in me that I didn't see in myself, but was a complete fight to work for him every day. But I had somebody who at least taught me things about ministry. He took me to hospital visits. I watched him step into a room where a family is grieving, the mom's dying as he walks in a room.
And you're just the whole room is sad, but he's bringing peace to the middle of it. Like pastoring a room. I watched him lead funerals and I watched him pastor people and I watched him give me opportunities to learn and to give me play. And while he's a difficult figure in my life, because part of me just was so thankful for him. The other part of me was like, I want no part of this. I think that's the picture. I don't get to choose who God's placed in my life.
I don't get to choose who I learned from. I think of David and Saul with that. Saul was David's leader. David had to learn from Saul until it was too dangerous and then David had to flee. But David was called still to submit to Saul. We see that over and over and over, right? Like he could kill him in the cave. He's ready to kill him and he's like, no, I'm not going to do it. And why? Because it wasn't about the person, it's about who God used to refine us.
And so mentorship is everything. I had a guy who was difficult to understand the first five years, but man, I'm thankful for him in my life. And in that same vein, as well as I learned some things, I didn't learn anything about leadership, anything about how to really pastor a church. And so I came to Action Church, ready to go plan a church that I had no idea how to lead a church. No idea. And in comes Pastor Justin, in comes Pastor Tyler.
Pastor Eddie, all really great friends and, income those people in my life. And I'm able to learn and see a different way to lead. I'm able to see the heart of what God really wants us to do in ministry. And I'm able to see a completely different side of it. So what's the point? I had a season where a mentor was difficult. had a season where mentors are great. Here's the bottom line. You need people who are going to speak into your life.
who are gonna look at you and I mean, Ian, we've had many lunches where I think I've looked at you in bed, I think your perspective's wrong. And you're taking on the chin every time and I love it, man. It's the athlete in you. But we've had moments like that, but I've had moments like that. And we only get better when people are, because it's not that you haven't met a standard, that God has so much greater. And you need somebody who's gonna see, hey, God has greater things for you. Stop settling.
for what is not his best for you and begin to walk into what is best for you. You need a pastor, you need a mentor, you need someone who's going to believe in you, call things out, you need someone who's gonna challenge you Like you do. You need somebody who's going to say, that is not God's best and I refuse to let you sit in that. Get up, let's go. Like you have to have that in your life. And so mentorship is everything. But what I would say is the right mentor is everything.
Some people are following people that they think are influential or are going to help them. And can I tell you, it is damaging your soul. Like you're listening to certain people and you think, this is going to build something in me. Yeah. The enemy can build some things in you too. They're not godly. not, they're not of him. And so if it's not godly counts, let me put it this way.
I would take godly counsel that has no expertise in my area over ungodly counsel that has expertise in my area any day of the week. Because the people of God are going to be able to push you to live God's best for your life. And from that place, I can now begin to walk out my purpose, my calling, my assignment in this life. Versus this side, I might learn some technical skills, but I'm not becoming a better husband, not a better father. I'm not going to be a better man. I'm not going to be a better Christ follower. I'm not going to...
I'm going to learn a few things in my area. And at the end of the day, when I die and I stand before the Lord, he wasn't going to say, how good of an accountant were you? How great did you do in that construction company? Hey, what you pastored at a big church. That's awesome. no, no, no. He's going to ask, what did do with my son, Jesus? What did you do with the gifts I gave you? And if my answer is built my kingdom versus building your kingdom, man, I missed it.
And if we're not careful, we'll have people speaking into our lives, saying the wrong things. Like you got to find someone who's actually going to speak in your life and say the things that other people are afraid to say. And by the way, a mentor is going to say things at times that are going to make you wonder if they actually like you. You're going be like, I don't know if he likes me anymore. What do mean by that? He's going to say things where you leave the lunch and you're like, I don't think I want to sit with them anymore. Why? But why?
Because some people are just going to be okay with leaving you where you are. True mentorship and true pastoring is saying, no, there's something better and I believe in you and I know God's got something for you. Let's do better. Yeah, that's so good. Yeah, right mentors. Yeah, I'm gonna find them. That's good. So we're going to end up with one question for you guys as you guys are listening to this. We like to have one takeaway question. I we got challenged so much. mean,
I know you guys already got something from this, but the question to really thinking about your purpose and specific as you're listening to this, is there any lie that you guys are believing or insecurities Pastor Trent talked about that's holding you back from the purpose that God has for your life? So think about that. I know for me, any kind of physical ailment, sometimes I built my life on playing sports for so long. And when I can't do something physically, it kind of holds me back and it creates fear in me.
And I want to, that's going to hold me back from God's purpose. I can never get past that and surely submit that to God at the foot of the cross, I'll never be able to step in to what God has for me. So Pastor Trent, you guys, I see you flipping your pages over there. You probably can hear the pages flipping. What you got for me? Hit me. I'm looking at a, it's my man Moses and God. And I'm going to just read a little bit.
Let me find where I want to read from. would have been upset if you didn't get in that thing. Listen, we're going to. Yeah, it was just sitting there like a prop. By the way, mentors and mentorship, Elijah and Elisha is a great picture. Elijah, his greatest victory wasn't Mount Carmel. It was building Elisha. Like you've got to find someone to build. It's not about the things you accomplish. It's about who you build in this life because legacy goes beyond when you die. so building people is the biggest key. But going back to this.
I'm going to go to this. It's God with Moses, and it says this. I'm going find the right verse here.
I'm just going read Exodus3 14. God says to Moses, am who I am. And he said, say this to the people of Israel. I am sent me to you. God also said to Moses, say this is to the people of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers and the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. He's going to speak to enslaved Israelites in Egypt. This is my name forever. And thus I am to be remembered through all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, the Lord
Ian Hess:
the God of your fathers, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me saying, I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt. And I promise that I will bring you up out of affliction of Egypt and the land of the Canaanite, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Prezites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, all the Yites, and the land of following milk and honey. And they will listen to your voice. And the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say, the Lord of God, Hebrew, has met
with us, and now please let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness." And he gives us all these things, right? And then Moses answers in verse 4, "'But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you. And the Lord said to him, What is in your hands?' This is a staff. He shows him the staff. And he goes, Throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground and became a serpent. And Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, Put out your hand,
and catch it by the tail and it becomes a staff again. Kind of jump down a little bit. Then again, the Lord said to him, put your hand inside your cloak. And he put his hand inside the cloak. And when he had taken it out, behold, the hand was left for us like snow. Then God said, put your hand back on the cloak and he was healed. The point being, he gets to a place where, verse 10, but Moses said to the Lord after God said, go and talk to the people, right? God's telling, he's saying, go talk. And Moses, but I can't. And he's like, well, hey, watch the staff turn into a snake.
And then, hey, turns back and snap. He goes, I can't, Lord. And he goes, well, then pull your hand out. He's got leprosy. He goes, what the heck? Puts it back in and it's gone. What God's showing is it's not about what you do, it's about who I am in you. But Moses ain't getting it. Come on, we've all been there. We've all been in a place where that... And so Moses said this, finally it gets to the crux of it. But Moses said to the Lord, my Lord, I am not eloquent either in past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue. Then the Lord said to him,
Who made man's mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I the Lord? Now therefore and go and I will be your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." What's the point? We're all insecure about something. Yeah, that's good. And when we remember that it's not about our insecurity or the thing that we have or the thing that we think holds us back, but rather we remember, but who is God? He's the one who created you. He made you. Like Job.
In the book of Job, Job is saying to God all these things and God says to Job, where were you when I made the world? Where were you when I formed the stars? And his point's not to shame Job, it's to remind him in your humanness, you don't be enough. You never will. You'll never amount to the thing that you think you want to do. But when you have a relationship with me and when you invite me into it, insecurity can become a testimony.
The thing that feels like limitation is the very thing that makes you qualified to step into it. The very thing that you thought disqualified you is the very thing God will use to qualify you among people. And if we would just lean into that and we would just not let insecurities define us, if we would not let the limitations that we feel, if we would not let the words that people have spoken over us, because come on, some things have been said about us.
And we would begin to read what God says about us. You know, I am redeemed, I am loved, that before I accepted him, that Christ died for me, that while I was yet still a sinner, Christ died for me. Like, if we'd remember what God says about us, and we would begin to put this as our filter versus what someone says about us. He said about mentors earlier, last thing I'll say about that. If you're going to people to get answers before you're going to this, you're missing it.
If you're going to people to get answers before you're going to the Father in prayer, you're missing it. Like, what good is a mentor if you don't know the Savior? What good is a mentor in worldly terms if you don't know who our God is? Like, that should be where our focus is. And from that, God puts people in our lives to encourage us to take steps, to live our purpose, to walk our purpose, and truly live out the assignment. But once I said earlier, you've got to have the right alignment.
And you've got to remember that your insecurity, your thing you feel like doesn't qualify you, is the very thing that God will use to raise you up. So stop leaning away from weaknesses, lean into it. Because where we are weak, the Bible says, I mean, he's strong. Yeah, that's so good. I know I'm encouraged right now to just listen in all this. It's so good. mean, taking this away from my own personal life, too. But Pastor Trent, I just want to thank you so much for being here. Like I said, all the hats that you wear in my life, it's such been an honor to
have you call out things in me too that I can't even see it. I think you've done a great job about that. And it's also your compassion too. think that you're a great listener, smiley, always full of joy. And you know, he talked so much about what his week looks like and that's not always full of joy. But you're finding the joy in Christ alone and that's what you do and you wear that very well every day. And I'm so thankful that you're in my life. You got anything, final comments?
No, man, I think this is if you're listening to this and you're trying to figure out what was I made for us, remember, start with who made you because you're probably going to be able to find what you were made for when you know who it is that made you and then get some great people in your life and encourage you, challenge you and build you up. Find people you want to do life with forever. Yeah, that's the goal. That's good. Yeah. And as we end every podcast with guys,
We all have a purpose that we were created for, a specific unique purpose when God created you that he had for you. So don't settle for the ordinary, but step into the extraordinary that God wants to do in your life. Thank you so much and God bless you guys.