Taking Steps of Faith With Special Guest Pastor Sean Stone
Insights from the “Lead2Serve” Podcast
Season 5. Episode 11
Embracing Big Steps of Faith: Insights from the Lead to Serve Podcast
Welcome to another edition of the Lead2Serve podcast! In this episode, Pastor Ed Taylor sits down with Pastor Sean Stone to discuss the critical theme of taking big steps of faith and navigating seasons of change in life and ministry. This conversation is packed with personal experiences, valuable insights, and good advice to guide you in your faith walk and leadership. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or someone looking to grow personally, this blog post will break down the key takeaways from their discussion.
Introduction to the Episode
Pastor Ed Taylor kicks off the episode by welcoming listeners to season five of the Lead to Serve podcast. He emphasizes the podcast’s mission to help listeners grow in servant leadership and glorify God in all they do. Pastor Ed encourages feedback and reviews, highlighting the positive responses they’ve received, especially when two speakers are in the studio.
Meet Pastor Sean Stone
Pastor Sean Stone, the special guest on this episode, shares his background and journey in ministry. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Pastor Sean’s walk with Jesus began at a small Bible study, influenced by a friend. His early ministry experiences included serving in worship and kids’ ministry at Calvary Tucson, where he thrived as a worship leader and pastor for about 15 years.
Key Takeaways from Pastor Sean’s Journey
Early Ministry Involvement: Pastor Sean’s story underscores the importance of getting involved in ministry early on. Whether it’s worship, kids’ ministry, or any other area, serving in different capacities can help you discover your calling and develop your skills.
Supportive Spouse: Pastor Sean’s wife, Angela, played a significant role in their ministry life, particularly through her involvement in a dance ministry. Having a supportive spouse who shares your vision and passion for ministry can make a huge difference.
Making Big Moves: The Decision to Relocate
One of the overall themes of this episode is the decision to make big moves and embrace change. Pastor Sean shares about the season of prayer and fasting that led to their decision to move from Tucson to Missouri and eventually to Colorado. These moves were not without its challenges, including a sense of isolation and the difficulty of leaving their roots behind. But God’s faithfulness shines through, and moving forward by faith is worth it.
Actionable Advice for Making Big Moves
Seek God’s Guidance: Before making any significant decision, it’s crucial to seek God’s guidance through prayer and fasting. This helps ensure that your decision aligns with His will.
Be Open to Change: Embracing change can be daunting, but it’s often necessary for growth. Be open-handed and willing to step out of your comfort zone.
Confirmations from God and Others: Look for confirmations from God and trusted individuals in your life. These can come in various forms, such as scripture, prophetic words, or advice from mentors.
Overcoming Challenges and Doubts
Both Pastor Ed and Pastor Sean share their experiences of facing challenges and doubts during their transitions. Pastor Ed talks about his move to Colorado and the importance of staying in the word and praying during these life-changing times. God wants to change your life. Let Him!
Tips for Overcoming Challenges
Stay Rooted in Scripture: Regularly reading and meditating on the Bible can provide strength and clarity during challenging times.
Maintain a Strong Prayer Life: Prayer is a powerful tool for seeking guidance, finding peace, and staying connected to God.
Lean on Community: Surround yourself with a supportive community of faith-filled friends who can offer encouragement, wisdom, and accountability.
The Importance of Obedience
Something that kept coming up in our conversation is the importance of obedience in following through with God’s calling. Both pastors emphasize that obedience, even when it’s difficult, leads to growth and fulfillment.
Steps to Cultivate Obedience
Listen Actively: Pay attention to what God is saying through His word, prayer, and the people around you.
Take Small Steps: Obedience doesn’t always require giant leaps. Sometimes, it’s about taking small, consistent steps in the right direction.
Trust God’s Timing: Trust that God’s timing is perfect, even if it doesn’t align with your own plans.
Remember, taking big steps of faith requires trust, patience, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. You can navigate these transitions with confidence and grace by staying rooted in scripture, maintaining a solid prayer life, and leaning on a supportive community.
We hope this blog post has provided good biblical advice and inspiration for your faith walk. Don’t forget to tune in to the Lead to Serve podcast for more insightful conversations and valuable lessons on servant leadership.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Intro VO:
Calvary Church presents Lead2Serve, a leadership podcast with Ed Taylor.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Hey, welcome again to another edition of the Lead2Serve podcast with me, Pastor Ed Taylor. I’m your host for today. We launch into Season 5. It’s been a great season, a lot of great topics. I think the feedback from last week has been very, very good. So keep sending it. Remember, if you have a good review, say that on wherever you get your podcast. If you have a bad review, you can always send it to Bob. He loves to read those things. But really, if there’s any input or any improvement, you can always send it our way. You know, the goal of our podcast is to grow you in your servant leadership so that you’ll grow and glorify God in all that you do. And you know, the better servant you are, the better leader you’ll become. And the better leader you’ll become, the better servant you’ll be. So these times are designed to discuss important topics, and one of the feedback..,one of the big feedback that I got is that you really appreciated when there was two of us in the studio. And, so, for most of the season…all the season, I have Pastor Bob Claycamp in here. But today, I’ve got another special guest, one of the newest members of our team here, Pastor Sean Stone. Welcome, Pastor Sean.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Hey, thanks, Ed. I listened to the podcast, and now that I’m on staff, it’s fun to see the inner workings and get to…get the invite to come back here and be a part of it.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Are you going to listen to this episode, too?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, for sure. Absolutely.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And say, “What did I say? How did I say it?” But, I think you have a lot to offer just in. I mean, we could probably develop a season of some of the things the Lord has taught you. But you’ve been through a couple of seasons of change, and I know change is something we try to avoid. Change can be very good, very challenging. But I thought we’d spend some time talking about some changes, big steps of faith. That’s been a part of our season for Season 5. But a little bit about you. You are married to Angela. You’ve been married. Did I get it right? 16 years?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yes.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Was those the 16 best years of your life or Angela’s life?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Probably mine. Probably mine. Thank God for Angela’s mercy and grace.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Five kiddos, ranging in what age?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Youngest is three, oldest is 13.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So that’s quite the spread.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, quite the spread. So for a solid decade, poor Angela was, you know, yes, pregnant and going through it and the tough ten years.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
For her, in our family, we have three kids, and the spread is ten years from the oldest to the youngest. Not by design, but the way it all worked out, ten years. And it worked out. I mean, even from the oldest to the youngest, they ended up getting along.
Speaker 3
That’s a pretty big gap. It’s almost, that’s like a half a generation. Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And it is significant. Just on a side note, like, I grew up, I was adopted into a family, my sister was adopted, and we’re five years apart, and even those five years was a distance. But I also have to add that our parents didn’t really nurture that separation. So I know you guys have a great emphasis on nurturing in that separation years so that you’re helping them adjust, but I didn’t really get that. So my sister and I weren’t very close. Hardly at all.
Pastor Sean Stone:
So she didn’t, like, help watch you, or feed you, or hang out?
Speaker 2
No, she left the house pretty young, so I almost grew up as an only child. Like, she left in her early teenage years, so that would have left me eight or nine. I was basically a “latchkey kid.” That’s what got me in so much trouble. Both my parents worked and they left money on the table, bad idea, and a key. And I basically raised myself for many, many years and got in a lot of trouble, which is a different podcast altogether, but great. You guys recently moved to Colorado, but let’s go backwards. So we’ll end there, but go backwards. You grew up, born and raised, Tucson?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Tucson, Arizona. 37 years.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
You get saved there at an outreach, or….
Pastor Sean Stone:
It was like a “mall Bible study,” that a friend-of-a-friend was having, and they would invite my friend out, and this friend of mine, were drinking buddies, so, you know, kind of getting into trouble, not making the best decisions, but hey, like, there’s these pretty girls at this Bible study. It’s in the mall, it wasn’t even at church. So we started going and I started engaging with the Word of God for the first time, really reading it, thinking about it, and then talking about it, and it got in me and it just changed me.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
How long did it take?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Probably just…maybe a month or two of doing that.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Really?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah. And I had a good foundation set ‘cause I had…I still have…a godly uncle who, poured, really “poured into me.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes.
Pastor Sean Stone:
A lot of, scriptures, and things about Jesus, and showed me the love of Jesus, but this time it was like I was 19, so I was kind of forming it as an adult, and it…man, God got me right at a great time. So….
Pastor Ed Taylor:
How do you get from the mall to a church? And what church was that?
Pastor Sean Stone:
So my uncle had been going to Calvary Tucson, Pastor Robert Furrow. He was the guy we listened to kind of growing up. I’d go every few months when my uncle would call us, “Hey, are you guys coming to church?” And once I got saved, it was like I had served at a few other churches, but Calvary Tucson was my home church. Pastor Robert was my pastor.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So when you say served, just like…?”
Pastor Sean Stone:
I did worship at a church for a little bit. I was a janitor at a church for about a year. Got it another church, and started serving in the kids ministry at Calvary Tucson.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And so you spent how many years there?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Calvary Tucson was about 15 years.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
15 years. You meet your wife? Where’d you meet your wife? That mall. Was it the mall Bible study?
Speaker 3
Two years. No, no. Probably two years after I got saved or a year-and-a-half after I got saved, I met Angela. And she was dancing…she’s actually a dancer.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I saw you guys posting a picture on Instagram. Every time you post it, you’re posting some dancing picture, and you look okay. You look kind of happy.
Speaker 3
And I love watching the expression on people’s faces when I tell, “My wife was a dancer when I met her,” but she was working with this ministry that would go into high schools. It’s called “BreakDown.” I think they’re still going.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Okay.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And they would go into public schools and present a skit, like a drama skit with dance. “Pop and lock,” and hip-hop, and jazz. And it was “raising awareness,” on drug use, on what happens when you get pregnant. Just a lot of drama happening in high school kids lives. That’s what the skit was. And it showed them how to deal with that. And she was one of the dancers. I started hanging out. It was a Christian organization, so I’d come lead worship, and that’s where we connected.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And are you a dancer, too? So that was a stretch.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Only because I’m married to one now. Yeah. You learned to be one because you’re music when your wife is one.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah. Because you’re musical.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, I’ve learned to enjoy it. We have a good time now.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I never did cross that line.
Pastor Sean Stone:
I wouldn’t say I’m a great dancer.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
That’s a big deal for Marie. And I just never…I don’t have it in me.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Not a dancer, huh? Okay. All right.
Speaker 2
I’ve tried a few times. I just don’t have it in me.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And so it’s the difference between weddings being, like, “not so great,” to being awesome…is if you…you’re brave enough to get out there and dance.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So dancing makes everything awesome?
Pastor Sean Stone:
It makes weddings. Yeah. Yeah. I would say it makes everything awesome. Yeah. We need to maybe incorporate it…in our worship services.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah. Let’s do that.
Pastor Sean Stone:
A little pitch here.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Do a little dancing with flags?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Some ribbon…interpretive dance?
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So you’ve been married 16 years. You’re in Tucson, you’re thriving. You’re a worship leader. Of course. You’ve also written music. You produce music. You’ve put out CDs. Like, this is God’s call upon your life. You’re a worship leader, you’re a worship pastor, you’re thriving in Tucson. Is that an accurate…?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, the opportunities there were amazing. Yeah. I would say it was a season of thriving. A lot to do, ministry, as far as ministry, you know, pastoring, counseling, overseeing young adults. At one point, it wasn’t that I could pour everything into music there, of course, but they gave me Pastor Robert, Troy. Paul, those guys gave me so much opportunity as a young man to be like, “hey, come in, and we want to give you these opportunities.” They took a risk on me, and I’m forever grateful for that.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I like that perspective where if we see something in someone, we want them to be around here, because proximity opens up a lot of different doors, and you just don’t know what’s in a person until you see them a lot. So just come and hang out and come and do something. We’ll find something for you to do, but that gives us an opportunity to watch you, see you serve alongside of you, develop. And I know Robert has the same perspective.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Sure.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So you’re in a thriving time in Calvary Tucson. God’s using you incredible ways, but there comes a season in your life where you start praying with your wife about maybe launching off to something else. Talk to us about that season. Like, what does that look like in terms of God stirring up in your heart that maybe there’s more than what’s going on right here?
Pastor Sean Stone:
When I first got hired at Calvary Tucson, there was another pastor, Pastor Alan, who was also very influential. He was actually on his way out, going to another church as I was coming in, and he had said at one point that he “never wanted to get comfortable and settle in and just say, ‘this is it.’” And I really…that really struck me, and I took that to heart. So working with Calvary Tucson full time, I was like. I felt like I was getting paid to go to school, and I wanted to keep that mentality. I wanted to continue to learn, but I didn’t want to get comfortable. And so there were seasons every few years where it’s like Angela and I, we had a stirring for missions. We had a stirring to maybe church plant. Just a lot of different ideas that you have, especially when you’re younger and energetic and you don’t have five kids, right? You’re just thinking big, dreaming big. And so we had actually attempted a few times and prayed seriously about going overseas.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Where were you thinking of going?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Ireland was one.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes.
Pastor Sean Stone:
We had several opportunities to go over there. And then a couple came to our church who wanted a church plant. And when it was like, yes, we think it’s time for us to go, they said no. And it was really interesting. And then we got pregnant. And with each open door that we thought we attempted to walk through, God would shut the door and then it would be revealed were pregnant again. It seemed to be a pattern, like, “stick around.” And with each closed door at Calvary Tucson, there were little things that maybe was an irritant to get me to move out. And every time that door was closed and I returned to that…whatever that problem or that irritant was, every church has things, or just in life in general. There was a maturity in having to go back to that. And what was amazing was seeing the process of God maturing me every time He said “no.” And that was pivotal because there were times where I felt like, well, “I think I just want to go do something new just because I’m, you know, I guess get away from the difficulties I’m feeling presently.” Nothing huge, but it was definitely an immature mindset.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Of course.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Partly immature
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Mixture.
Pastor Sean Stone:
It was a mixture, yeah. There was certainly adventure there. And so God would say “no,” and I’d come back and we’d work things, work through things at Calvary Tucson, and I’d grow a little more and get a little more opportunity. It was just amazing to see until, you know, two years ago when God finally opened that door and we launched from Calvary Tucson.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So you’re praying about. You’re praying in a similar season. Just open to the things of the Lord and an opportunity comes. Was it out of the blue? Was it like, how do you end up in another state? How does somebody, you know, for the sake of people listening, like they’re serving, they’re faithful, they don’t know. How did it work for you where you’re in one place thriving, growing, and then within a short amount of time, you are in another state serving in another church?
Pastor Sean Stone:
We got to a place where, there were enough closed doors, enough settling in to what God had for us at Calvary Tucson, and embracing. Like, things were…thing were healthy there. I really appreciate, still appreciate the leadership there. Felt like I had fruitful ministry there. So we got to a place where it wasn’t…there was really no “element of escape.” And I think that’s a part of why it became an open door. So we had….we just moved into another house. It was a larger house because we were in this small house for a long time, and five kids, were like, “man, we wanted some space.” So it was kind of like we just got this house that we could probably be in for a long time. I was overseeing young adults at that point, really pouring in as a pastor, doing worship as well. Ministry was very fruitful, and it was like were in a place where we could stay and get settled in. And I remember. I believe it was a documentary on the life of Eric Liddell. And I just remember his faith and his zeal. And something stirred in me, like, it just that reminder of, “don’t get comfortable, Sean.” Like, things are good here, don’t get comfortable. And I got that stir in my heart. And no coincidence, at the same time, I’m teaching through Genesis the life of Abraham, which every time, it just stirs me up when I see the story of Abraham and how God moved him on. And so again, I hit…hit the story of the life of Abraham. My wife and I just started talking, hey, you know, “let’s not say we’re going anywhere, but let’s just be open-handed and pray.” And so we kind of went through a season of fasting and just praying together. And I prayed very specific things. We had three friends who had recently church planted, two in different states. And I thought, well, maybe God’s stirring us up because he wants us to help one of these guys. And so my fleece before the Lord was kind of like, “Lord, we’re going to commit some time to pray, and if you desire us to go somewhere specific, have them…I believe you can put me on their hearts…have them reach out to me and just see what they say.” It was kind of a…I didn’t tell my friends, or I didn’t want to even manipulate the situation at all. And, so, at the end of our allotted time of fasting, I didn’t get a call from any of them. I got a call from a friend of ours out in Springfield.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes.
Pastor Sean Stone:
In Missouri.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Uh huh.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And it was like, wow, maybe that was it. And so we started praying, and it was just like, from there, from that point on, all the cards fell into place, and all the doors opened, and the sale of the house, and everything just moved in that direction.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So was it hard to leave Tucson.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Walking away from our “root system.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Cause you grew up there. You were born and raised there, or…?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yes, both of us born and raised. But I would say that was harder when…when we left it. It wasn’t hard at the time. At the time, it was just like, “Hey, man, God has confirmed we’re moving on something new, something fresh.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Uh, huh.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And there was that excitement. But when you…when you get to the next place and you realize those roots aren’t there, that was…that was hard. That was the hard part. That’s when the honeymoon phase ends and you’re just in the grind in the new place, but you don’t have the family around you or the church family with these relationships with these people that I’ve served with. And they know me well.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
That’s a lot of years.
Pastor Sean Stone:
They love me and they trust me and they respect me. And all the open doors that that brings in ministry…gone. Like, starting completely over with people who don’t know me…the pastor there knew me and knows me, and so that was good. He gave me a lot of open doors, but…and then I would say also the culture over there was a reminder of how hard it was to leave the roots and the culture.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
It’s Midwest. Right?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Midwest.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Midwest. And then probably Tucson is probably more of a Western still…or south…they call it Southwest, right?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Right, Southwest, yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Colorado. Here in Denver, they have. It’s kind of still California-ish. It’s like the last real Western city before you get into Kansas.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yes. And we noticed that coming here from the Midwest.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Was it felt a lot more like what were used to in Arizona.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Just the way people interacted.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I didn’t anticipate that, like…what you said, because moving from southern California, coming to Colorado, were just so “gung ho.” We were confident in what God called us to do and even anticipated a little bit of “we need to be alone,” like God wants to establish my family. I couldn’t have…I can look back now because I’m in my fifties now, so my kids are all grown up now. But going through it, I could sense enough of it. Like, God wanted us to be pulled all those roots up. I knew he wanted us to plant a church, whatever that looked like, at least to try to. But to get us alone, our family…it was so really good for our family to be here, to be together. And not have all these external pressures. Two houses to go for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then friends to go…and then church to go…and then I had a pretty demanding job. I didn’t know…we didn’t know how much pressure there was until we left it.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And here, you know, in Colorado, as much as it’s grown over the years, it’s still very slow. This is a very slow city compared to LA. It’s just slow. And, you know, traffic’s increased over the years, but moving, taking that step of faith was the best thing for my family. So we got a few minutes left. So we got like, maybe ten minutes left. Let’s talk about this sense of taking a step of faith. The step of faith for you…not very hard leaving Tucson like, you’re all in, and then there’s no looking back? Or were there fears, anxieties, things that you had to get over or get through? Nothing like that?
Pastor Sean Stone:
I think I’m more of the personality to just, like, dive right in and maybe I get myself into trouble because I’ll jump into something maybe without thinking it through or without having the healthy fear. So I, like, I was ready to go. And we just…we just did it.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yes.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And I felt like my wife was in that place now. When we moved, were heading towards where her parents lived.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So there was a comfort?
Pastor Sean Stone:
There was a comfort for her. Ahead of us.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Okay.
Pastor Sean Stone:
But I just went for it. And I knew I’d miss my family. I knew I’d miss all my Calvary Tucson family, which I still do. But I didn’t feel it until we had launched. But that isolation that you talked about was so healthy for our family as well. I think it helped me to be more present of a husband. Being like, it forced me to because I didn’t have. Life was crazy in Tucson, too. There was always something to do, always someone who wanted to hang out, or the holidays were insane between church and family, and all that stuff. And then all of a sudden, there’s this isolation where we don’t know a lot of people, and I’m watching my wife deal with this as well. And having to go through that really brought us together. And I think God showed me how to be more of an attentive husband. And I’m still growing. I’m still growing in that, even here. But I’m really grateful for our marriage where it’s at now. And it wasn’t unhealthy before, but we were definitely. And I would say I was preoccupied with a lot of other things.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Yeah. And that even looking at some of these phases in our marriage, which could be a whole different discussion, that’s not necessarily even unhealthy, except that God has more health. Like, so wherever we are, God’s going to add more health and add to this where were in a great place for where were, but God had more and God had more, and he’s using some of these things. So you spent about a year in Missouri. You spend about a year, you come to the end of a year, because I know your commitment, or your commitment in your heart was to stay there much longer. But things happen. You get to the place where, how do you end up in Colorado? Like what, where toward the end there? What does that look like? Because you’re not looking to another big move at the end of a one big move.
Pastor Sean Stone:
No, I wasn’t.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So how does that get spurred up other than the circumstances? That the circumstances aren’t so important as much as how, where you are?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah. I’m so thankful for the way God will confirm things. So when we left Calvary Tucson, I had a general mindset of two years for the young adults ministry. And then I’m gonna see what happens. That could be “I’m the young adults guy” for ten years or indefinitely, but I’m not gonna give it anything less than two years. God provided. A friend of mine actually came who wanted, were looking at him to be the young adults guy before he left town. And I connected with him. He’s like, “Yeah, I’m going to come back town, I’d love to do ministry, hey, when are you coming back?” And it was the exact month that would be my two-year mark at the young adults ministry there. Similar thing happened in Missouri. It was like, I’m not going to consider doing anything else for a full year, and I want to hear from God. I want to let things settle there and just kind of just experience. I didn’t even know what we were going to experience. I had very loose expectations. I had high hopes, but I had loose expectations and kind of learning, I think, overall, just like, feeling like maybe I wasn’t a great fit for the culture there. And I had spoken with the pastor there about it as well, and he kind of saw the same thing. And so I’m just praying through that. And around the year mark, as I’m praying through things, my wife asks me, “Hey, what is it that you really want…what are you wanting to do…what do you feel called to do?” And I said, “Well, God’s equipped me in all these different areas through the years of ministry. But, man, I just…pipe dream…I would just love to work with the creative team and write and record and really just pour into worship.” And that was a few weeks later, I got an invitation that was pretty much verbatim what I told my wife. And so after talking with the pastor there, it was like, it was clear, like, this was an opportunity that God was leading me in. And, one more cool thing that the Lord confirmed was, as I was starting to process, “okay, another move, really?” Like, “do I want to do this…am I?” And I was recalling the life of Abraham and how he had gone to Egypt after getting to the promised land. And so I stopped, and I was like, “Lord, am I…am I leaving the promised land now to go to Egypt?” Like, is this a temptation that’s drawing me out? And then I remembered, “but Abraham went to Haran” before the promised land as well. And so I’m just kind of praying through that. Like, was this just a place where you wanted me to learn and then move on to the next thing, or am I overshooting and I need to wait and stay here a little longer? And I felt like it was the stirring to move forward. And so when we announced it to the elders there in the church in Missouri, one of the men, one of the elders, he said, you know, Sean, I just feel like, a Word from the Lord for you. Something a friend shared with me. His life verse was, “and Abraham dwelt in Haran.” And our pastor there was like, “that’s a random text.” “You want to, like, expound on that?” And he’s like, “my friend, he said he never wanted to stop short of what God had for him.” And so that was his life verse, “and Abraham dwelt in Haran. And so I just felt like I needed to share that with you, Sean.” I hadn’t said a word to him about that. And I just. I looked at him, and I’m like, “thank you for sharing that.” And God just gave me a peace because we, honestly, we did not want to move across the country again.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Right. But it’s a big one. Within a year.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, God had His hands…His handprints on it. And the transition out was very sweet. The church in Missouri had a very sweet send off, and we’re still connected with them. But, yeah, that was…I’m grateful for that confirmation.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And so what was the church that invited you out?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Oh, it was this church.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Oh, it was this church?
Pastor Sean Stone:
This church.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Was it me or was it Josh?
Pastor Sean Stone:
It was you.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Am I the one that gave you that?
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So let me give you that perspective, from our perspective. We’re always knocking on doors here. Not to disrupt ministry anywhere, that’s not our desire. But we’re knocking on doors with friendships and relationships. And then we get to these seasons in this church, and we sit back and we think, “wouldn’t it be great?” That’s kind of how it starts. Wouldn’t it be great? And then we’re like, what would be great? Wouldn’t it be great to create a team…like how the way you just described is very interesting…but wouldn’t it be great to create a team where the environment, even as we’re starting to work on it now, the environment could be where there is a cultivation of music and worship and beauty in that area of ministry? And then we start asking. We’re like, “I think we’re ready for this.” I think we can…I think we can knock on some doors and…and just see and just like, who knows? Like. And it’s. I like what you said, too, like, ‘Cause you’re in a perspective. Because I used to not do this…I used to not do this. I used to not make that phone call. I used to not “do the text.” I don’t know how, when it was. Then I changed my mind. But you just gave me the reason why. I know why God changed my mind, even though I don’t remember exactly when it was. And that is, “there’s some guy out there who’s going, you know what, lord? If you want me to do something, you’re going to put it on the pastor’s heart.” And I’m like, there’s things on my heart all the time. But in the early days, I had a fear, and I don’t know if it’s real or not, of disrupting a church. Or, like, I have no desire to take or, like, pastors sometimes…I don’t want to “steal anyone,” but I also don’t…now, I still have that mindset, but now I add to that, “but I also should ask and let them make the decision.” Like, I’m not. I’m not doing anything because all I am is asking. I don’t know where it’s going to lead, but laying it on the table there and then finding out. I mean, I don’t remember all the details, like the lineup, but you were here fast, man.
Pastor Sean Stone.
Mmhmm.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Like, you guys got out here pretty quick.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
You had some things to finish well, and we made that space, but, like, things were happening pretty quickly. And. I ask now.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah, yeah,
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I get a lot of “no’s” that way, though.
Pastor Sean Stone:
And it wasn’t. As random as the text was at the time…it was prefaced by a conversation we had before I even left Calvary Tucson.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I remember it.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah. And I had told you, and I told Josh, I said, “Hey, I’m not considering anything, for, like, a full year.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
But do you remember, too? When do you remember what we said? I think I said it, but maybe Josh and I were at the table right in front of the cafe in Tucson. He was like, “Bro, if we knew you were praying about leaving, we would have asked you a year ago.”
Pastor Sean Stone:
Right, right.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
But I think that mindset, too, is, like, no, like, I also feel like, and this is, like, a good discussion with the details where I also sense, like, I really don’t want to manipulate anything.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
I really don’t want to make anything happen. I don’t want to have someone move here and serve at the church here, like, on my word.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Right.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Because if you’re here on my word, then it’s not going to work because the enemy will throw it at and things will be misunderstood or because we’re human. But if you hear on God’s Word, when all those disagreements or this misunderstandings happen, you know, it’s like, no, man, the Lord has me here. So this is just part of the package. Instead of, “yeah, come…we’re going to make it…we’re going to take good care of you,” right? Like, no, “I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we have an opening. Do you want it?”
Pastor Sean Stone:
Right.
Speaker 2
“Do you think you and your wife wants to serve here?” And so…it’s pretty exciting. So, you know, you guys listening in…it’s like, it’s just the…I wanted to share with Sean some of the backend. Just so you know, it’s not “one size fits all,” when you’re taking steps of faith. And for a brother like Sean, he’s “all in.” I’m also “all in.” However, when I moved to Colorado, it was hard. I was fearful, anxious. I was here for one week and…or maybe two weeks. One or two weeks, I start my new job. It is absolutely insane. It was not what they promised, and it was hard. And then going on like, there was already a church planted. And so I picked up the phone, I call my boss, and I’m like, “we’re coming back. We’re coming back. Is my job still open?” I knew it. Was because it’s only two weeks and it takes a long time to fill that kind of job. And he’s like, “hey, Eddie boy, come on back, man, your office is still empty.” And Marie is in this rented apartment with a crying baby in the other room going, “hang up the phone! We are not going back!” And just like, oh, it was so hard. And we got through that trial. Got through that trial. So much warfare waiting for us here that even though I am all in and I made the decision, I also was like finding I wanted a way out. Like, I don’t think this is for me because there’s too much warfare.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Well, pain and disappointment. Like, we wouldn’t step out into that if we knew how much was there. But that is, it’s required. It’s almost required for depending on where you’re at in your maturity and in your faith, like, we had to step out into some kind of disappointment. And I think I had shared at staff meeting, learning, I think how much hope I had in the ministry role I had in Tucson. Maybe how much identity I had in that, to all of a sudden not have that. I didn’t realize how much I was standing on that shaky ground and not on the rock of Jesus Christ. And it’s not universal. It’s not one size fits all. But I will say that what is universal is staying in the word, staying in prayer and being sensitive, like being open handed and having the excitement of what God might call you into. And God will use the scriptures to confirm in your life.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
And matching that with obedience. I mean, that’s the last…Abraham gets the call, but he had to leave. Like, he had to obey. So thanks for being here.
Pastor Sean Stone:
Yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
We end another episode of Lead2Serve and so appreciate you guys giving us your feedback, staying in touch with us, collaborating with us. Again, you can reach me, text me directly. 720-608-0012. 720-608-0012. You can also email me, ed@edtaylor.org, and be looking for the collaborative work of worship, and what God’s wanting to do. It’s a pretty exciting time of what…He wants to take our worship and creative and music ministry…just everything about it…we don’t even know yet. It’s very exciting. So pray for Sean and Angela and the team and pray for yourself. Taking a step of faith, I wonder how many people are listening right now that God’s brought you to a place of faith and all that’s required is obedience. And here’s Pastor Sean’s story is, like, “OK, let’s go for it, honey,” and just step out. Let us know. We’d love to hear your stories. Until next time, God bless you and stay close to the Lord.
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
And if you like our podcast, please subscribe, rate or review us on iTunes and share us with your friends on social media. Thanks again for joining us and we’ll see you next time right here on the Lead2Serve podcast.
