Pay Attention to How You Want to be Remembered
Insights from the “Lead2Serve” Podcast
Season 5. Episode 8
Finishing Well in Life and Ministry: Insights from Pastor Ed Taylor and Pastor Bob Claycamp
In our latest podcast episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Pastor Bob Claycamp to discuss a topic that resonates deeply with many of us: finishing well in life and ministry. This conversation was not just about reaching the end but doing so in a way that leaves a lasting, positive legacy.
The Importance of Finishing Well
Biblical Insights: Learning from King David
One of the central figures we discussed was King David, a man after God’s own heart. Despite his flaws and failures, David’s life is a testament to the power of repentance, faithfulness, and abiding in Christ. His story reminds us that it’s not about starting well but also finishing well. David’s legacy is a powerful example of how repentance and a heart aligned with God can lead to a life that glorifies Him and impacts others in wonderful ways.
The Fragility of Leadership
Leadership is a fragile role, filled with challenges and pitfalls. Pastor Bob and I emphasized the importance of staying on track and celebrating victories, no matter how small. Leadership requires constant vigilance and a commitment to personal growth and integrity. We must be aware of the fragility of our positions and the impact our actions have on those we lead.
Overcoming Challenges: Personal Experiences
Dealing with Jealousy and Comparison
One of the key parts of our conversation was when Pastor Bob shared his personal struggle with jealousy. He recounted a time when another church in the area experienced rapid growth and success. Initially, he felt a sense of unfairness and jealousy. However, through prayer and humility, he surrendered to God’s plan and found peace in supporting the other church. This experience taught him the importance of staying in his own lane and trusting in God’s timing and plan.
I also shared my own struggles with comparison, particularly when witnessing the success and impact of other pastors. It’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring our value against others, but God reminded me that my calling and impact are unique. We must focus on serving where we are called, rather than comparing ourselves to others.
The Danger of Comparison
Comparison is a thief of joy and a significant distraction from our unique calling. Pastor Bob and I discussed the importance of focusing on the unique purpose that God has for each of us. Staying faithful to our calling means not being distracted by the success or impact of others. Instead, we should celebrate their victories and remain content in our journey.
Staying Focused on the Ultimate Goal
Trusting in God’s Plan
Trusting in God’s plan and timing is crucial for finishing well. It’s easy to become disheartened when things don’t go as planned, but faithfulness and humility are key. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and not be distracted by comparison or jealousy. Trusting in God’s plan means believing that He knows what’s best for us, even when we don’t understand His ways.
Celebrating Victories
Celebrating victories, both big and small, is essential for maintaining motivation and perspective. It’s important to acknowledge and appreciate the progress we make and the milestones we achieve. This not only boosts our morale but also helps us stay focused on our ultimate goal.
Remember, it’s not about how you start but how you finish. Stay faithful, trust in God’s plan, and keep your eyes on Jesus. Celebrate your victories and support others in theirs. Together, we can finish well in life and ministry.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Intro VO:
Here’s Ed Taylor with today’s episode of Lead2Serve, a leadership podcast.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
You know, our goal for the podcast is to help you grow in your servant leadership so that you will glorify God in all that you do. Isn’t that your heart? That’s my heart. I want to glorify God in all that I do. And the tag, you know, that we think of is the better servant you are, the better leader you’ll become, and the better leader you’ll become will broaden the scope of opportunity for you to serve. And that’s what we want, serving and leading. Jesus said that “He didn’t come to be served, but to serve and give his life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). Jesus said that “the way up is actually down.” “If you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of God, we need to be the servant of all” (Mark 10:44). That’s the podcast, and we’re just talking out loud. For many years I did it by myself. Which, occasionally, I’ll do an episode by myself now. But we got some feedback after I started adding some guests that you really like the discussion part of, you know, talking through things. So we have for this season, again, Pastor Bob Claycamp joining me. Welcome again, Bob.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Good, I’m glad to be here. Absolutely.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
We are talking about ministry and life together. And last week we talked about my pastor going home to be with the Lord. And, and just a simple truth I wanted to lay out for you. I mean, probably a couple truths, but one is
“God picks the pastor for you.” Don’t be so dissatisfied and upset with your pastor thinking you need another one. Unless the Lord tells you. Don’t run away. And don’t lop on your pastor unrealistic expectations. It will frustrate you and it’ll burden your pastor and make him ineffective. It’s just the truth the way it is. So we are in episode 8. Number eight! And the topic today is really good. And it came to me, the idea, at least, the general idea, studying through the kings, studying through the scriptures and watching how people are remembered. Watching how people are remembered. I think of the most famous one, apart from Jesus, of course, the famous “type,” of Jesus, probably the most famous one that most people, even if they’re not familiar with the Bible, would probably be able to give some sort of answer to this. And it would be like the question, “Do you know who Iing David is, or David in the Bible?” Yes. How is he remembered? Well, Bob, how is he remembered?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Well, he’s remembered unfortunately, by that one incident that get people say, “Well, yeah, but didn’t he do this and didn’t he do that? And how can be…how can he be an example?” Well, he finished well. He’s in the “Hall of Faith,” because God looks at the successes. God looks at the faithfulness. And he knew the error even when he called. He repented, but he kept his faith through it all.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I would say there’s even a higher level of remembrance of David before the adultery, and that is that “He was a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:14). That’s how he’s remembered. And then come the excuses or the reasons, because he was a failed or a flawed man. As we study verse-by-verse, he was flawed in multiple ways, just like Bob Claycamp, just like Ed Taylor. Like, we may not have these disqualifying flaws or…and I don’t ever…I never want them. But to say that we are flawless would be silly. Of course, we are filled with flaws and sin. And how are we going to be remembered? That’s an important…we should start thinking about that now. We should start thinking about that much earlier than we ever do. How do I want to be remembered? How do I want to live my life so that after I’m gone, this is what I’ll be known for? Have you ever thought about that?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Oh, absolutely!
Pastor Ed Taylor:
What’s something high on your list that you want to be known for and remember for?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
I want to be known for someone who repents quickly when I get off track. I want to be known by somebody who seeks the Lord and takes serious “the calling.” I want to be known as someone who loves unconditionally. That, the whole testimony is, I want my dash – between the year of my birth and the year of my death – to make a difference. And as much as I think I want to focus on certain things, really, it’s the Lord to determine what parts of my life end up being highlighted in the lives of others.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah, I thought about this. I still think about it regularly because one of the ways that this was thrust upon me was the sudden death of my son. And seeing such a young man taken away so quickly, and suddenly. It began…you start thinking about your own mortality. The end of your dash, when it’s going to come, if it’ll ever come, and there’s a new urgency. So I started thinking. I’m like, well, I want to be remembered as a man who took his relationship with God seriously, that he had a real relationship with the Lord. They can remember all my faults and failures – there’s many. And I wouldn’t want people to forget that part of me because that’s who I am. But at the same time, what would be at the height of it, because I haven’t really put a phrase, but like, what would I want to be remembered for is like, man, “that guy loved God, he loved his family, he loved his church, he was pretty serious about things.” And then they could fill in the blanks or whatever. I remember the time he came in and he just told me the way it is. Or I remember the time he’s at my hospital bed and he prayed with me, or how he got down to the level of my kids eyes and told him how special….whatever the details are, they are a detail that speak to, “the man loved God and he loved the people around him, as flawed as he was.”
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Amen. Absolutely. And you know, the Old Testament is filled with records of kings who started off well, and they didn’t end well.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Right.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
And even King Saul started off well, but he didn’t end well, at all. And he should have stepped down. It ruined Jonathan’s future. Absolutely. Jonathan would have been a great king, you know, the next. But the Lord saw that up front.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
I don’t want to be used as an example of “what not to do.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
That’s true.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Because legacy is built one way or another, you’re going to be remembered by how you lived your life.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
And those who know you closest, they’re the ones that you impact greatly. Even if those of you that are listening, even if your kids are wayward right now, they’re upset with you, they’re angry with you, they don’t want to speak to you – don’t stop. Don’t give up, because it could be at your funeral when your life testimony ends up breaking through that shell that they put up. Because I’ve watched that happen in all the funerals I’ve done, I’ve watched the Lord work in unique, special ways.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes. I like what you said. A legacy is built one way or another. The legacy of our life is going to be the “sum total,” of our life, “the good, the bad and the ugly.” However, you do see choices. We’ve been pasturing, in and among the flock long enough, where we see compromises and bad choices and sinful rebellion ruin lives and ruin families. And this is, even as I’m sharing this, I’m thinking of the time I’ve been all here all these years and just thinking of some real prominent families, real prominent, upfront, serving their hearts out. Probably were used to save marriages, used to bring people from the edge, save people from suicide, all sorts of things. You know, some of them aren’t walking with the Lord anymore. They’re divorced themselves. Some have ended their own lives. Some are atheists. And I mean, every example I just give you right now is a face attached to it, children attached to it. Like, that’s the legacy they’re currently living right now. They could recover from it, but now it’s stained. It’s indelible. Indelibly stained. I think of, you know, even those of you listening right now that could be planning sin or compromise or thinking you can get away with something. I remember having to step into a situation where the pastor stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church. Hundreds of thousands! It was shocking to me. First and only ever time I’ve ever…I’ve heard about it. I’ve heard about it in other churches, but I was involved to clean up the mess and dig in and do a forensic analysis of their books and…hundreds of thousands of dollars! And, what happened? What happened? We all have testimonies or recollections of even in our own little family of churches that, pastors that were prominent, pastors on the radio, pastors that filled thousands and thousands of people…they’re not, they’re not even having a walk with the Lord anymore. They committed adultery. Their kids don’t like ‘em. Their parents, their former wife don’t like them. And it was just…it didn’t happen overnight, man.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Yeah. Finishing well at the end of your life starts with today. And you just finish well – today. Doesn’t mean you’re perfect today. It means that you repent and you clear it up. Finishing well today, finishing well this week, finishing well this month, finishing well this year. Year after year. That’s how you end up finishing well. But if you say, well, I’ve got time to kind of like, clear things up later. No, no, it starts today. Today is the only day you wake up at 2AM tomorrow…it’s still “today,” in your life existence. So, finish well today with your family, with your relationships, with your ministry. You have to, because it just doesn’t come automatically. It has to be intentional.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And this is a warning. What you’re just sharing right now. It’s a warning. As I’m listening to you, because we’re talking to people that are full…they have full lives. They have busy lives. Talking to pastors who have limited resources and a growing church, and they “got to do this” and they “have to do that,” and they “can’t take a break,” and they’re maybe even to the neglect of their own rest or their own vocation, or when they’re listening to us, they’re like, “Oh, just more things to do; more things to do.” No, no. It’s actually a call to do less things where you find yourself in a position of abiding in Christ. This principle might sound familiar to people that have read books in the business world. “How to be a better manager,” and such. A real popular book for many years, multimillion bestseller, is, I think it’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People,” by Stephen Covey [“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen Covey]. He wrote this book, very popular. One of his chapters is a powerful chapter, and he teaches the leader, he says, I think the title of it was “Think With The End In Mind,” [“Begin With The End In Mind”] which sounds very similar, what we’re talking about here, that when you’re leading, think about where you’re going. So you could take people there, like, you gotta think ahead. You gotta think of what it’s gonna be when you’re done and, you know, get a good “360 view,” of everything. So you’re thinking with the end in mind, and you’re not aimlessly wandering around. This is a similar principle, except it’s not as complicated as a business world where you gotta make it all happen. You don’t need to make anything happen. As you know where you’re headed, Christ-likeness, God’s already showed you where you’re headed. You’re being conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Our response now is to abide where all of his resources are, all of his wisdom is where everything that we need is found in Christ. And as we’re abiding in Christ, we’re being led by the spirit, taking those steps of faith and living, making decisions. When it comes to making decisions, “hey, I’m headed toward Christ likeness. So this decision is not going to get me there.” I’m headed toward a favorable, like, “I’m the first man in my family that’s saved.” So I want that patriarchal position, that leadership position that I have to be one known as “my grandpa, my great grandpa, my great grandpa…that’s where it all started.” It was his walk with the Lord. It was his faithfulness. It was his discipleship that handed down through generations. You don’t want to be remembered as “the compromiser,” or “the liar,” or the “one that’s always working a deal.” You know, there’s a lot of these characters in the Bible, or even like, Rahab. You know, if Rahab wasn’t in the Bible, if Rahab wasn’t redeemed, then she would be remembered as “The Harlot.” But now she’s remembered as the harlot that was redeemed. She was changed. And we remember her for what she did in helping the spies, not for her sex work, because that’s the legacy that she lived.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
To define that…what does it look like to finish well at the end of the day? And what’s involved in that is not trying to accomplish some personal agenda that you want to see done, but it’s my love for the Lord Jesus, His expectation of me, and resting in the portion of grace that He distributes. Because I can’t be like anybody else. I can’t accomplish what other people accomplish. I am just to walk within the measure of the grace that God gives me. And in ministry, there are so many…there’s so much push to bring the business “5% greater,” “5% greater in this year,” and you bring that all about, and God has to bless it because you have good intentions, and that’s just so upside-down. Walking in the measure of the grace you have is faithfulness, and that’s how you finish well. “Finish well,” isn’t a bunch of accomplishments. Finishing well is being faithful, keeping it simple. “You and Jesus,” at the end of the day. I’m talking with pastors all over the world that are telling me, “I’ve been doing this 15 years; shouldn’t it look different than this?” “And I’m back to square one, and I can’t believe it. How can people do this?” And I’m going, “Well, how did it start with you?” Well, “what do you mean?” I said, “Well, you came here with nobody, just your family. So what’s…I mean…one person showed up, and you’re so excited, now what happened?” “Well, yeah, but that’s been 15 years now, and it should look different.” Really? In whose eyes? Is that what you think Jesus is looking for? He sent you out there to take care of the few sheep because he loved those sheep, and he. And he said, is anybody willing to go? And you raised your hand, and so you sacrifice, and you’re there, and you are super happy and super excited. What? Happened? Well, “yeah, but.” And it’s all that, “yeah, but.” I’m going…look, get back to basics. It’s you and Jesus. Figure out the portion of grace he’s given to you. Operate within it. Be thankful. Be grateful. Put your head on the pillow.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
We’re very fragile people, you know, because when you ask that question, what happened? We can answer it a thousand different ways, but we’re so fragile. We start out well, and we have all the right measurements. I’ve always made that joke, too. You know that. And I’ve tried to set up these guards in my life so that if my flesh does fire up, the guards will push me back. Kind of like when you’re bowling, you know, and the kids, they cover the…you cover the gutter. So, because the whole goal is to get the ball down there. That’s the whole goal. Somehow the goal became “strikes.” And somehow the goal became a “300 game.” But the real goal, when you’re five years old, is just “hit something.” That’s it. Just hit something. And that’s how pastoring can be. Like, we start out, when I moved here, we moved with five people, and I’d always make the, you know, anything above five. And I mean it. Although I’m sure I’ve had my days. But, like anyone, anything over five is great, because that’s how I moved here. With anything less than five means, “man, I think my wife’s going to another church.” You know, it’s like, I know my kids are with me, but, like, it’s…you go through that and you’re learning these things. But we’re so fragile because the size of the church, the size of the budget, some book that we wrote, read some YouTube video, some podcast said something, and all of a sudden, now it’s Instagram. And look at how big that church. Look, we started at the same time. I just saw today, and I didn’t have any negative response, but I did see it today. It didn’t bum me out, but I saw a church post. I mean, this church is multi thousands of people. Multi-thousands of people. We are a church 25 years. They’re a church 15 years. That’s how fast. I mean, it happened way faster than 15 years, and they were celebrating it. And if we’re not careful, we’ll be all upset instead of celebrating with them. That’s a milestone! This church made it 15 years. Whether they had it small or large, they’re just telling you. They weren’t saying, “look at us, we’re so big and you’re so small,” they weren’t doing that at all. They were just like, we are so happy we made it 15 years. And it happens to be a big church. But if I’m in a bad space and I can be, or if I’m bummed out about something or another family’s left or they’re mad or an email or whatever, I could let something so exciting about celebrating 15 years be, oh. “Oh, Lord, you’re…I can’t believe it. Why do they? Why?” You know. No. No. And so I’ve really tried to set up guardrails in my own life, in my own leadership, so I can celebrate the victories, ours and others. And one thing I want to build on, and what you said is, how do we finish well at the end of the day? One of the things that’s necessary is to “stay on the track.” You’re never going to get through the finish line if you don’t stay on the track. You got to run your race on your track to your finish line. And I think…and tell me what you think about this, but I think a big part of staying on the track is repentance.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Oh, absolutely.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And what does that look like? Like repentance. Like, is it…am I so far off the track? Repentance, get me backwards? Do I start running away from the finish…like, what does repentance look like on this finishing the race?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Well, it…it starts on the inside, because all behavior starts on the inside. And so there’s an “attitude,” issue. You’re angry or you’re frustrated or you’re not handling it right, and you’re in the flesh and you’re not willing to stop. You’re…you wanna “press the ticket,” and you forget that every time you “sow to the flesh,” you’ll “reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8). That’s guaranteed, 100%. And you get it back in quantity and quality. You sow one kernel of corn, it comes up not pear, it comes up a corn stalk, and it’s a multitude of kernels that you get. And so it’s quality and quantity when you sow to the flesh. But that portion there in Galatians 6, the emphasis really is “sow to the Spirit. Just…just one seed, because you’ll get back in quality, life, everlasting in quantity. And so it’s finishing well. Is that when you find yourself, like, you’ve had an argument with your wife or you were real harsh with your kids, you own it, and you come back before the end of the day and you ask forgiveness, you own it. You humble yourself. You don’t wait for them to say, oh, you know, I shouldn’t have done that. No. Take your responsibility before the Lord. Finish well. Even if your flywheel is still sending out sparks because you’re so wound up, just repent. Just do it in faith, and don’t wait for the feeling.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
What’s a “flywheel?”
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Something that comes from my childhood with one of those cars.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Oh, yes, that sparks?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
You know, that you spin, and it created sparks? Okay. Okay. You can take it off, but the flywheel, because of the inertia, is still spinning. And I can unplug myself from being wound up, but I don’t, like, settle down right away. It takes me a while for the flywheel to kind of eventually slow down.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah. I was thinking of another illustration, I want to end our episode, we’re almost done today. But I want to hear if you have an example. I have an example, but I was thinking of, if I’m running a race, I’m going to finish well. “Where my eyes are,” is pretty important. I need to have my eyes on the prize, the finish line. Even the Bible would teach us in Hebrews to have my eyes “firmly fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). So “where my eyes are,” are very important. So thinking about, for a spiritual leader, Sunday school teacher, elder pastor, especially a pastor, have you ever had your eyes, have you ever been distracted or taken off course in your race of life because you were jealous about another church or upset about.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Oh, yeah. 100%.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Okay, do you have an example.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
That you can share with us right now?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
When I was pastoring in Phoenix, there was another up-and-coming Calvary Chapel church that was a few miles away, and they were running out of space and they needed…they couldn’t find a place to move. And we were currently working with a shopping center to eventually move in. And while I’m talking to him, the Holy Spirit said, “give him your contact, because, you know, you’re not getting out of your lease for a year-and-a-half.” So I gave him the contact – it was Mark Martin from Calvary Community Church. And he, not only worked out a deal with the guy, he ended up buying the whole shopping center, and it’s a mile-and-a-half away from us. And so I have to drive by the place every day and drive home by it every night. And there was jealousy. There was like, “that’s not fair!” I mean, and the Lord said, “No, you are driving by it every day and every night, and you’re going to pray for them every time you drive by, and you’re going to stop in once a week and check on them and see how they doing with their build out.” And it killed me. I mean, it was terrible at first, but after a while, it’s like, “you know, Lord, you do different things, different places.” And I was….and then people from our church started going over there because it was so exciting. And so went down from 700 down to 180.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Wow.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
And I had to lay off all my staff.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Mmm. That’s hard,
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
You know? Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
How did that get resolved? Oh, how’d you get back on the course?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
We moved. *laughter*
Pastor Ed Taylor:
*laughter* Put you in another community.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Oh, yeah. And there’s still great church, and he’s got the gift of evangelism. I mean, it’s an amazing ministry there, but we had to move and there was…a lot of challenges in the midst of it all. But finishing well is you eventually just “let the Lord take care of everything” and “walk within your lane,” because if you’re looking around at other people that are running, you’re going to get out of your lane, number one. Plus, you’re going to slow down.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes. This discontentment, too, it gets stirred up so often. The Bible says “not to compare ourselves with one another.” It’s foolish. It’s not wise. The Proverbs say, or maybe Paul said, that “comparing themselves with one another is not wise,” and that it’s a pitfall for us (2 Cor 10:12 ). I shared this one recently with our team, that God’s doing an inward work and you don’t think it’s that big a deal. Like, that’s the key. These are, if you, I’m sure if you talk to an Olympic runner or somebody that’s running the race that needs to finish well, they would tell you about “a thousand little things.” Not all the big things. It’s a thousand little things that they’ve just paid attention to that in their mind. It’s all one big thing. I think it’s true for us, too. It’s a thousand little things. So I’m going through my Instagram feed recently and I’m noticing a pastor that has a very large church. He’s just always posting something great. He’s always doing something. I’ve admired him all my life. I still admire him. He’s a great brother. I met him. I’ve become friends with him. It’s amazing. It has nothing really to do with him at all. It’s all me. And this is what God wants to see. So I’m seeing him post this and post that and going off to this place and getting invited over here, and I’m just like, “Lord, this is so cool…I would love to do this one day.” It would be great. I’d love to. And…and it’s just not part…it’s not my…not what I’ve been called to do. Although He has let me be a part of a lot of great stuff. And it’s amazing. It’s just if you compare, if I compare to the brother, then I’m always going to fall short, but if I compare it to my lostness, I mean, this is all icing, man. Icing on the…so I’m seeing recently, he’s posting these pictures. He’s in the airport, “Hey, this is so-and-so, and he listens to, he listens…has a little Bible study listening to me on in Ethiopia.” Oh, Lord, that’s awesome. And, you know, “Here’s somebody that just came, they came all the way from, you know, Istanbul to our church to meet me, and they say, they listen and have a little bible study watching me on YouTube, and he takes a picture of them,” and there’s a few of them. And I just remember thinking,” Lord, nobody, I’ve never met anybody like that in our church.” I’ve never had anybody that I can think of. I mean, I’ve had someone come from Bennett, or I’ve had someone come, like, from Highlands Ranch. And it’s beautiful and wonderful, but I’ve never had these kind of stories. And I’m not bummed out about it, like, depressed or anything, but I got this little thing that’s growing, and if it grows anymore, I’m going to get off-course. Like, I don’t even know where it’s headed. So God’s very gracious. I’m not praying. I didn’t pray. I say, “God, please let me.” I didn’t pray for it. I didn’t ask for it. And then a couple weeks ago, after a normal Wednesday night service, which is a portion of the church, right? So we even block off a couple corners of our sanctuary because we…it’s a very small portion of our church. It’s a wonderful portion of our church. But the gathering on Wednesdays is smaller than the weekends, like most churches. And, after the service, I’m greeting everyone, praying with people, and this young woman comes up, probably in her twenties and Asian, and she comes up and she says, “Oh, Pastor Ed,” she’s nervous, “I came to meet you.” And I’m like, okay, maybe she heard on the radio or something. And she literally says, “Yeah, I came here from Vietnam to meet you, I listened to you on the radio, and we get together with little Bible studies, watching you online, and here are my friends.” They’re introduced. “And so can we take a picture?” And I said, “sure, we can take a picture.” I ended up taking the picture with them. She sent it to me. I posted it. Because now I have a testimony like that, pastor, but that’s not the end. That’s, that’s just that you would think that’s the end. You go, Ed, but it’s not the end, because God’s like, “OK, Ed, what do you want?” Like, having these conversations with God, like, “What do you want?” Because it wasn’t…it wasn’t satisfying like, I mean, it wasn’t satisfying like that jealousy or whatever I’m feeling. It was beautiful that I got to serve, and I couldn’t believe it. It’s like, I’m still shocked, but God just using that person in my life to go, “OK, Ed, what do you want?” Well, you know, and I have things. I mean, I’m talking to them. What do you mean, what I want? Well, I mean, you want somebody to come from. “You want me to send somebody from Vietnam so you could take a picture and post on it. That’s easy for me.” I just. It’s easy. It’s done. And then so I’m thinking about, “Well, you know, Lord, I’d like to see my grandson.” “That’s easy.” I could, you know, “one day you’re going to see your grandson.” “That’s easy.” “You haven’t seen him for ten years, but it’s easy.” “What else do you want?” And I’ve got some things in my mind, and it was like the Lord was saying, and this is like my race. It’s like, “Ed, all that you want is easy for Me, but when are you going to ask for Me?” Like you want all these things? You got My whole question wrong. You want Me. You want to have a picture like that. Pastor, “that’s not hard for Me.” That’s not. And it’s like…and even some things that I think are literally impossible, God says that is not. And I was reminded because I shared it with staff. Yesterday at our staff meeting, Debbe, one of the sisters, comes up and she reminded me of the text in 2 Kings where they were digging ditches, and He says, “the whole valley is going to be filled with water” (2 Kings 3:17). This is a simple matter for me, and I’m going to give you victory over the armies. And here’s this group of people in 2 Kings that is marching to battle. They’re men of war. They’ve been marching for days. They come to the arid desert. There’s no water. And that’s where everything stops. We need water. We’re going to die. We can’t make it. Water. Water. Water. Water. And God says, you know what, guys? I think you forgot you came out here to battle and war. Water is no problem for me. And neither, I’m not only going to give you the water you want, but I’m also going to give you the victory.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And sometimes these little things get in the way that are serious things. They’re, like, big things, basically. Ed, just be happy for these people. You have your own lane. You’re going to do what I called you to do, where I called you to do it the way I called you to do it. And it’s glorious. And I say, yes, Lord. Amen. It’s great. But then these “little foxes that eat up the vines” (Sng 2:15). And I see this over here and…and I’m so…”I don’t have any water, Lord.” “I don’t have any…,” like, “dig some ditches, I’ll send you the water.” But you forgot…you didn’t come….I didn’t bring you seven days in the desert for water.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Yeah,
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I brought you seven days into the desert for victory because Messiah is coming.
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
It’s all a part of the story of getting into the story of Jesus. And. And so, at any rate, I think this is a great topic. I mean, can’t we. Can’t we have a whole season talking about how jacked up we can be as we get our eyes off the Lord?
Pastor Bob Claycamp:
Yeah, it’s unending. But how, “God takes our missteps and turns them around to His steps.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Look at you sounding like Micah. Micah’s his son. He always likes to rhyme things and put things into acronyms. That was great. So anyway, you’re listening to another episode of Lead2Serve podcast. My name is Ed Taylor. I’m in-studio with Pastor Bob Claycamp. We serve together here at Calvary Church. Pastor Bob’s also a traveling pastor and servant of the Lord as a part of the Poimen ministries. He can come to your church and give an assessment, fill the pulpit for you, help with your leadership. There’s a lot that he can do. A lot that we can do as a church. We’re a resourcing church and we’d love to serve you. If you need any help, all you need to do is ask. So any feedback you have, any suggestions you have for topics, email me – ed@edtaylor.org, ed@edtaylor.org – has to be dot org. And you can text me directly, 720-608-0012 or go to our website, calvaryco – that stands for Colorado – dot church. Until next time on the Lead2Serve podcast. God bless you. Be encouraged and I hope you’re enjoying the season. We certainly are. Lots to talk about. Lots for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Stay close to the Lord because He loves you.
Outro VO:
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Lead2Serve with Pastor Ed Taylor, a leadership podcast from Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado. If you have a leadership question you want to hear answered on a future Lead2Serve podcast, please email it to pastored@calvaryco.church
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