This may offend you. (Hope it doesn't)

I know that's quite the intro I have with me today. A good friend, a such a genuine guy. This is the senior pastor to Celebration Church, which has several campuses in the Austin, Texas metroplex, and there's one in Italy and one in Africa's online and he's changed lives all across the world. I'm lucky to have him today. His name is Joe Champion. We met a terrible, terrible way that we met at my son's funeral. That's the first time I met Joe and the first time I saw

his heart. Since then, we have become friends and you could see me on Sunday mornings on the front row of his congregation. I respect him his knowledge as a pastor, I respect his wisdom, and you can't punch holes in this guy. It's good to get the guy as solid and I think he's the perfect candidate to come sit here with me on this podcast and go through some life questions. And the guy has quite the rest. I mean, he grew up son of a football coach. He is

one of three brothers, just like me. His other two brothers go off into the military, one as a former general and one is a former fighter pilot. And he is the black sheep of the family, if that term is appropriate when you become a pastor. But he has such an energy to him, such a the an ability to lead that you could you could see with all three brothers as he grew up and with a dad as a football coach, you could see how he fit right into that category, but used his calling in a

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we're going to talk about. And I've led you into me saying this is going to be something I've never done, and it might offend some of you. Hopefully you're curious. I want you to be curious. That's what I said it, and that's why I'm trying to clickbait you into listening, because I want you to go all the way to the end to hear what I have in store without further ado Welcome to the podcast. Yee mon Tis and long Line. I'm fool up and down go back Rangeyation.

So you're cruising down I thirty five seventy miles an hour going south, heading from Georgetown, Texas, cruising almost a round rock right before the outlet mall, and you look over on your left and there's a big hill and there's a beautiful cross, a big white building, and I know a lot of you guys have seen this in Central Texas. I'm sitting next to the gentleman that is responsible for it, and then he will probably say that he is not responsible for it at all. Pastor Joe Champion,

I've been looking forward to this day. I didn't know if I would ever actually get you booked on this podcast, but I'm so excited to have you and to tell a little bit of your story and to dig in a little bit to people's questions. I've had so many questions come into this podcast to people all over the world, asking life, love, God questions. It's gonna be nice to sit next to a brain as good as yours and a heart as full as yours to help me with

some of this stuff. And I want to start with your story on the church that I just explained on I thirty five. It's an amazing story. I got my brother Tyler sitting in here. He hasn't heard it. Have you heard this, Parker? The story? Okay? Great, at least we have a two person audience. At least here you go tell us a little bit about where this church

came from. Yeah, well, my dad was an NFL football coach and not raised in church and had zero clue about God and church and even the even the idea of being a pastor in our family would be the biggest waste of a God given talent. In fact, my family has said, you're gonna waste your God given talent on God. You're gonna do what? And that was when

I came to Christ at LSU. And but it was in two thousand after leaving LSU, moved to New Orleans to go to seminary, thinking I was going to be a chaplain in the military, and then realized quickly that the chaplain see was going to be a pretty narrow platform. And then my wife and I we get married, and we pastor in Louisiana, in New Orleans and then in the home of Swamp people, pure part Louisiana for five years, and then from there to Baton Rouge, and then in

two thousand. While we were there in Baton Rouge, I was traveling full time, but I began to sense for for about almost two years, from ninety eight to one day, I would go to a city and we would start a church and spend the rest of our life there. But I told God, I don't want to pick the city because I don't want to get there and when not if things get hard, I didn't want to. I didn't want to have the Lord say, well, you picked it, like in other words, you that was your choice, not mine.

But so I said, Lord, I want to I want to go where you tell me to go, and I'll spend the rest of my life there and give me a put me in a city where it's wired for me and my story because we come from a wild, non spiritual family. And then now looking back twenty years later, here's Austin, in a very non spiritual world of Austin. It's very liberal, very different, very anti church. It's one of the most unchurch cities in America. Really, they call it.

It's kind of the Seattle version. And about seven to ten percent of ten church. And I've always enjoyed talking to people who have no church background, no God background, no Christ, no buy I don't know nothing. And because that's where I came from. So in two thousand, the phrase it is Austin just on a Sunday morning, just came alive. Never been to Austin, never been, never even

thought about being here, didn't know anybody from here. And you're in Louisiana and Louisiana live in the dream man Wow, eating wonderful food and of course having gone to LSU played football there, you know that was that's our mecca, you know, living in battles and all that. But move here with my wife and our three little boys at that time, and we start about a month later, just on a Sunday morning, we opened up the church in

the round Rock Library downtown round Rock. We had fifty four people come that first Sunday, and about forty five of those people were from Louisiana that came over to be with me that Sunday morning to encourage us and help us set up the chairs for the For the eight people that weren't from New Orleans or from the Louisiana area, and the next week I think we had about ten people, you know, and it got down on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night, I think we

had as low as I don't know, four or five people. So you started at fifty something in there. Yeah, we had fifty four people, but frankly only about ten of those from Texas. And then we just started every week and we from a Wednesday Sunday Wednesday Sunday in the Round Rock Library and it grew to about eighty people. And then we went to the Wingate Hotel and then it grew to about one hundred and fifty. And then we got a little Pisa well actually an industrial plex.

We rented six thousand square feet and in that six thousand square feet of an industrial plex building, it went from about two hundred to about two thousand people where we were just adding services. People just started showing up out of nowhere. We had no website. I mean, it was everything you would not tell. You would just say, this is how you don't do a church. But God was sending people and it was just crazy. And then uh, yeah, we've been doing that for twenty years now. And then

and then this piece of property. Yeah, here, let's talk about the property. Yeah. So I just said, on a Sunday morning, let's let's just believe to the church. I said, let's believe God for one hundred acres on I thirty five. And this couple came up and said, Pastor Joe, we're with you. When we heard you say one hundred acres on I thirty five, we believe with you. And I said, that's awesome. And even my wife said, why did you say that. That's the stupidest you said. I said on

a Sunday morning. She said, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. We don't need one hundred acres on I thirty five. I said, I don't know why I said it, but I believe it, and I think we're going to get it. Well, anyway, this couple comes up and they said, we're gonna we're just going to pray with you about this. I said, great, thank you, because my wife is not

praying with me about this. And so they came back a couple of weeks later and said, Paster Joe, we saw in a vision a church on this hill at the corner of I thirty five and Westinghouse Road, and I said, you did, like in a vision, like that's kind of weird and pizza and all that kind of stuff. And so they, I mean, they wouldn't let me go. They would not let me drop it. And they said, Pastor Joe, we're going to be on this it, We're going to be on this hill. And I said, that's great,

God bless you. Well, then one day they said, we're going to knock on the door of this home and ask people who owns this property? And this guy said, who told you? And they said, what are you talking about? Who told us? Nothing? Nobody has told us anything. We're just from Celebration Church and that we just feel like this would be a great piece of property for a church. And our pastor's believing for one hundred acres on my thirty five and he goes, how do you know? Because

it's an old farmhouse. Yep, an old farmhouse built in the eighteen eighties. And he goes, how do you know? And the story is this? He said, well, come on in. He said, here's the deal. He said, thirty six hours ago, this in this home, we had a prayer meeting with our family about what to do with this property because our father bought the proper one hundred and sixty five acres in nineteen forty two, and mister Barton, he said that was his father in law, dedicated the property to God.

He died fourteen years ago, and he said, do not sell this property, and don't sell the bulk of the property. So the one hundred and ten acres, he said, the one hundred and ten acres is going to be for God, and one day there will be a church that will reach the world on this property. Do not sell it, don't make money for it. It's all for God. He died fourteen years ago. We have never talked about what to do with this property until thirty six hours ago.

We got together and said, God show us what to do with this property. What church is the church? Who are we supposed to sell this property to, because it's going to be a blessing to them? And now you're telling me that God's to this couple. David said, you're telling me that the Lord spoke to you that there will be a church on this hill. My wife is at school. This is her property in conjunction with her brother.

They're the owners of it. They'll be home, she'll be home from school couple hours and I get a phone call a couple hours later. This is a Thursday, and that was the sister who inherited the property with her brother, and she said, we'd like to meet with you tomorrow. So Friday, I met with the sister and the brother told him our story moved from Austin. We now have fifteen hundred two thousand people in our church. We're believing

God for one hundred acres on I thirty five. And when I told the story, they said, we believe you're the church that our father saw in nineteen forty two that one day would be on this hill. And they sold us the property for two point two million, one hundred and ten acres, And now on that hill there are thousands of people that come Tim Tebow a couple of years ago. That was kind of a big deal

when Tim came to our church. And for those people that don't know this area, you say two million on I thirty five, Yeah, this is going for what a yeah, almost a million on the service road. Seven hundred and ninety thousand an acre now on I thirty five service road. So this is one hundred and fifty million dollar property that you got for two just in case anyone missed that. But the amazing thing is that nobody knew anything. And how literally out of my mouth came this hundred acres.

This family believed it with me, even though they had more faith than I did. And then knocked on the door of this farmhouse and this guy said, how do you know because we told our family don't say anything to anybody. It just tells you the power of a couple things. Number one, that God is more in control than we realize, and then number two, the power of partnership.

And how had it not been for mister Barton. I'm really just stepping into mister Barton's dream, Like, yeah, we came to Austin with a dream to build a church that would reach a lot of people and help people. But mister Barton saw that in nineteen forty two, way before I was born. And if we're faithful to just be where God wants us to be, get where we're supposed to be, He's already got the people and the

provision prepared for us if we just are faithful. And I'm just a you know, you said, I'm not responsible for anything that's happening at Celebration Church. I'm just the the vessel like Joseph and Mary. You know, here we are coming up on Christmas time and they're just this couple that God said, Hey, I want to send my son to the world. Can I have your Can I have your life? You know, Mary? Can I have your womb? And they're like, okay, I think they were LSU grads.

So so, do you consider yourself a mega church? And what does that term even mean? Only only mega in the form in the definition of what they have ascribed the definition of a mega church too, which is anything above two thousand people or twenty five hundred in regular attendants on that definition, Yeah, I guess you got to say we are just because of the numbers. But no, in the sense of what it denotes or what is

a negative connotation. It's a one hundred percent negative connotation that you're a mega which means you're that church that nobody really gets to know anybody and there's not real relationship or accountability or connection. You're the You're the home depot versus an ACE Hardware, right because at least when I go to an ACE Hardware if I need one screw, if I need one washer, that dude is going to walk me to the aisle or walk me to that

ben and give me that washer. If I go to a home depot, we can't even get help to buy a washing machine, much less a washer. So we have this thought of a megachurch being that home depot mega store. We did the baptism with Amber in London and celebration and then we released that video on our family vog Dismiths and I the reason I even said that is because I saw a comment that said, I didn't know

you're a member of a megachurch. I had no idea. Basically, I didn't think you would stoop that low to join a megachurch, mister Granger Smith. And it's funny because you actually brought it up that same Sunday in your sermon and you talked about why would we not want to grow a congregation? Do you want do you want to have a seat available next to you every Sunday or do you want to fight for that seat because so many people want to come and hear the message that day.

It's interesting that you brought that up, I say to people, because for us, it's been the hardest part about our church is the growth of our church, because there was the day when I knew every name and every phone number and made every event. I mean, I would go to kids ball games, and I would event make every kind of anniversary or birthday, and frankly, as do you have more people showing up, things change. But the reason

why we grew was we've always attacked dysfunction. We've always tried to make sure that in our church we don't do drama. We're not a soap opera. I think a lot of churches don't grow because most or a lot of churches are more of drama filled. It's more of a soap opera, a lot of dysfunction, and therefore it stops growing. It'd be like your world. You don't have any problem doing an event with one hundred people, or five hundred people or a thousand people, but you've also

done events with tens of thousands of people. It's not to say one's better than the other. They're different. But there's a reason why some people have a bigger platform or a bigger stadium, or a bigger congregation or a bigger concert than those that maybe are still doing coffee shops with fifteen people. It doesn't mean they're bad. It just means more people want to hear them song or

the message. And I think for some megachurches, let's face it, yeah, you could probably say there are some ways and techniques that you could maybe insert the word compromise to get a bigger crowd, no question about that. Jesus said that there will be those types of ministries. He said that, And then there's others that you can say what you want, but gosh, they're really speaking and doing good yea, and they're not compromising, and there's just more people showing up.

And what do you I've always said, what do I tell people? Do I say? What dysfunctional thing do we start doing so you won't come anymore? We don't do politics. We're not a politically charged church in the sense of in other words, we don't do these committees or we're not run like a board often a board run church where you have these various angles and agendas and whose families who we don't do. We just don't have that.

We're just kind of like, yee, I'm looking at two brothers with you and man, y'all are just your struct for growth, your structured to move, your structure to go and there's people listening right now, going, Man, I just I like a small church. This guy, you know, this guy's good looking and tall and charismatic and ex football player. And how do you fight that stigma? How did you get past? Because because as long as I've known you, it hasn't been too long, it's been a couple of years.

I can't poke holes on anything that you do, right well, I can't, And I'm just I'm impressed with you daily with the things that you say, but you do. You are a charismatic alpha with you come across as the person that you don't want to trust. There are people exactly I get that a lot. I hear that, like there's no way that guy up there on that platform. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I met actually he was a friend of mine that I had started

playing golf with. We had had three or four rounds together and we were really like, Wow, I like this guy and he likes me. And we were playing golf and then we went to launch after and there's a room of about twenty guys in the room and I walked back in after washing my hands playing golf, and he goes, you're that MF for preacher, and I went, what are you talking about? He goes, you're that MF for a preacher. I said, well, stop time out. You and I have been playing golf. Now, we've had four

or five rounds. This has never come up. How am I all of a sudden an MF for preacher? Maybe I shouldn't say that on this podcast. But he goes, I did not know, Joe that when we were playing golf, that was you. Were the guy that I went to church with a couple of weeks ago. And I walked into the Sea of Humanity and all these people and I was watching this guy up on the platform and

he goes. All I could see was this was a mega church, and he goes, I liked what was he said, but I just had my mind made up that this guy couldn't be real. And now here we are playing golf and I didn't realize that was you. Yeah, And I went, so what are you? What are you saying? He goes, I can't believe that's the same guy. Yeah, a normal guy. Because I didn't like the church size. I wasn't used to that. But then yet I've grown

to really like you. Yeah, And he goes, I'm conflicted, Yeah, because we do label people, sure, and we and so with that, you know what, I just you they did that to Jesus. They did that as he became famous, you know. They they were always saying, well, you're the Carpenter's son. How can you be all of a sudden now the son of God? And how we've known you since you were born? And who do you think you are? And frankly, that was it was a lot of It was jealousy that put him on that cross. Sure, that

was the motivation of jealousy. You just have to keep going. And I always say, you know, having played, and I know you're an A and M guy. I'm an LSU guy. We're an SEC guy. I kind of like that. The South Eastern Conference has been kind of the They've been pretty good, you know, and people hate it and they hated and they don't like the idea that the SEC

has won a lot of championships. I don't have. It's just part of I think in any world that in any man or any woman, or any organization that gets some level of success and some momentum, you're always going to have the haters that are just going to come out I mean right now, even in your own world. I'm sure you've watched there's a meteoric rise with you, and there's going to be, you know, it's just I'm sure you've already heard it. Well member back in the day, sure, Granger.

Now you're the big boy, and I don't know. And with the new people we meet, we hear all the time people say, Man, I just I just didn't know you'd be like normal guy? Right, What do you mean? What do you mean you didn think I'd be a normal guy. I just thought you'd be you know. Yeah, being fake takes more energy than being real. Yeah, it's hard to be fake. It's hard to put on their appearance and to put on that label and to just not be real. Being real is a lot easier than

being being fake. I can't do fake because I'm from Louisiana. We have nothing to be proud about except food. Our food, and it's good. Most of the shows on you know, most of the reality shows are Louisiana motivated. They're Louisiana based because we're weird. We're just Louisiana listeners. My people, I'm from Dynasty. Now that we know you're real, let's answer some of their questions. You want to do that, yeah, I love to. We'll take a quick break and do that.

As we take this break, I got to tell you that, no matter where you're thank you for listening. I know there's a lot of different apps to listen to this podcast, whether it's YouTube or Spotify or Apple or whatever podcast app you're using. Thank you for being here. It is free to you to watch this, but it's not free for me to put it on put it on. So I'm very grateful to have some sponsors for this podcast.

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off your Raycon order. That's buy Raycon dot com slash Granger, buy Raycon dot com slash Granger and I'm lucky to have features and ship station and Raycon to help offset production costs for you in this podcast back to pass your job. So I divided as some of these were coming in. I made a folder called God Questions, and I don't ever dig too deep in the question when I read it as it comes in as an email, because I want to be a little bit surprised by

it when I read it on the podcast. But I do want to read the first one because the title the subject is God and our Existence and pain. It says, Hey Granger, it's Jenny in England. I love you and your family so much. There's something I'm battling with and I would love your help. I know you're a man of God and I want to know about your relationship

with Him. I lost my mom at a young age, but before she passed, she was cheated on by my dad and it was all around very bad and all I remember is her praying for God and Jesus, and most importantly, she was praying for death. She was very ill with multiple sclerosis and my dad was cheating on her and all she wanted was release from the illness and a bad marriage. She couldn't get that through her prayer for many years, even though I prayed for her

as well. It has now been ten years since she passed, and I'm unable to forgive my dad for all he put her through. I'm thirty five with my own life and family, but I can also not forgive God and Jesus for all that my mom had to go through before she passed. I'm wondering, how is it possible for me to have faith and believe in God after all that I have seen. I really want to believe, but at this moment, I'm finding it impossible. I know you've

experienced a significant loss in your life. I just want to know how do you go how do you go on? How do you move forward and ignore all the bad things? Jenny? Yeah, And of course I'll brace your heart to hear that and to know that kind of pain is in the world, Yes, and it's all over the world. I know it is, and Jenny's is very specific because it's her pain, but then it's also a common problem. Yes, around the world. It's it's all over the world, but it's still her

pain and it's personal. It's what Jesus said about this world. In this world, you will have pain. No one was more dogmatic or even more open about the pain in this world. This world is a it's not a riddle. Let me say to Jenny, the world is not a riddle.

It's a war. And Jesus, as God in flesh, when he came and died on the cross for our sins to redeem us and was raised from the dead, did not And nor is he the gesture like he's sitting up in some booth or with God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit, and they are throwing riddles at people and jesting with people and messing around with people. And oh, try this, and let me show you. Think you know what pain is, experience this problem or

have this affair, and it doesn't work like that. We're in a We're in a fallen world. It is filled with pain, it is filled with tragedy. This is why we need a savior. This is why Christ suffered this is what he came to give us was the hope of good news. I say it like this, Before there is the hope of good news, or even the preaching of good news, there had to somebody has to make the news to preach. Christ first made the gospel. Before there was a gospel. There is no gospel except first

Christ made the gospel, which is I have overcome the world. Well, what world is he talking about? Overcoming pain? Death? He keeps quoting John sixteen thirty three. In case you're wondering biblically, this is very you know more scripture than I do. And that thought is that it is paramount in why

Christ came. Someone, in fact, a guy that the great Scottish theologian was asked about pain and this was written in nineteen eighteen during World War One where millions of people it changed the world that war, and most people died by disease, you know, and infection and dysentery and all that. And they said, this war is unsettling the faith of people in God, in a Father who is God, and a kingdom. It is taking the faith of people away. And he goes, Nay, he says, it's actually the opposite.

I would be more disquieted in my soul if there wasn't a catastrophe based on the europe that we are in the form of walking away from God. He said, because of our choices, because of the world's choices. That is why we have catastrophic event. That's why we're having tragedy. That's why we have sickness and disease. This wasn't made. This world was not made to have this, but because of sin, it entered into the world. Sickness entered into

the world. Death entered into the world, infidelity and adultery and everything with it. So he says, it's actually the sign. He goes, I would be more upset if this world was perfect without God, then there would be no need for a savior. There would be no God. Yeah. So the actually, he says, this is just the sign that we need a savior. This to me is actually encouraging that there is pain. Yeah, and it never gets better. Decades go by, centuries go by, and suffering doesn't decrease.

We don't find a way to overcome it any better than we ever did thousands of years ago, even with our technology. This is my thought about evolution, and of course there's a lot of debate about it, but I don't understand if evolution was true, why are we not evolving into a better species. Why are we not kinder? Why why are we not more unified? Why is there racism? Why is there more racism? Why are there why are

there more bombs? Why is there more uh? Bloodshed? Because man has a unique way of taking even technology and turning it into something worse Like that's just the sign that wherever sin is and sins in the world, and it's in our heart, and that's what Christ came to do, to take it out, to forgive us of it. A little sin leavens the whole lump. It just, it's just. And so to say to Jenny man it is. It

is heartbreaking. But the good news is that this will not last forever because we have been There's three things that Jesus came to do on the cross for us, and I put it in a rhyming way. He came to claim, he came to reframe, and he came to rename, reclaim, reframe, and rename us. So he he claims us, We're not alone, you're not by yourself, You're not without a father. Number two he comes to reframe us, He changes our constitution, he makes us new. Behold, all things become new in

his name. But then he names us like you are my child, you're you're my daughter, You're my family. And we all want a place called home. And that's what Christ offers us. He is our home, and that home has been secure. And he goes, Guys, I'm telling you this is real. I would tell you if it wasn't. And he goes, in my father's house, are many mansions, are many rooms, Be not troubled. Believe in God, Believe also in me. When he said that, believe in God,

Believe also in me. Believe everything I've been telling you. This is real. And then of course he proved it by being raised from the dead. So pain, I would love for us to say we have enough faith to pain our or to faith our pain away never never, never.

It's a misconception to think if I pray hard enough that in my lifetime all this will just go away, right, And and that's kind of what Jenny's saying with She's she's mad that her mother prayed, She watched her mother pray so hard for for the peace in her lifetime, and and she witnessed that her mother never got it. Yeah,

and her time on earth. Yeah, and if and of course it comes back to us personally, We've got to We've got to own what is the door or the key, and that is forgiveness, because when it does come down to it, we're gonna have to We're gonna have to forgive. She's gonna she's gonna have to forgive her father, she's gonna have to forgive God. She's gonna have to to forgive those that have hurt her, like we all do every day. We all could be offended every day, we

could all be hurt, and we are every day. I have a reason to say to Laurie, my wife, after thirty years, and you don't love me like you should or you know, I want more of this so that I have to make a decision. You know what, As Jesus said, unforgiveness puts me in prison, it does imprison them. Yeah, And I have to just continue to trust in what he said. And as bad as it is, the day my dad died was the day that I gave my life to Christ. Through death became my doorway to the

reality that God is real. It should have been the worst day of my life. It actually became the best day of my life because I believed in what Jesus said in his word. It's amazing how that happens. And Jenny, you say here, it's been ten year years since you passed and unable to forgive my dad. I'm thirty five with my own life and family. So right there, I'll stop you right there and say, look at the blessings that you've had now thirty five with your own life

and family. And I don't want you to skip over that, to glaze over the fact that here you are and you're thinking back to another time when you're missing the moment that you're in. That could be the very very blessing that God has given you today right now, in this moment. Very good. It's tough that the forgiving God question comes up a lot, a lot, and I think the first step is gratefulness in the today, right now, in this moment that's right, and taking this moment, taking

this day and choose ye this day. Do you believe that that God is good? Or do you believe that? First of all, do you believe in believe in God? And number two, do you believe He's or if he's bad. And it really does come down to a trust. You know, Christianity is not the work of sacrifice. It's trusting in the one who sacrifices for us. A lot of people think, Okay, when you're a Christian, you just have it's just a

sacrificial life. I gotta sacrifice this. I No, it's putting your trust in the one who did the sacrificing for us. It's not getting or attempting to get victorious. It's you have the victory. The victory has been purchased. It's done, it's finished. Christ said on the Cross, it's done for you. I've forgiven you, I've forgiven the world, and he came for this reason to offer this good news. It's done, it's finished, it's yours, and it's frankly, just a it's

a whisper, it's a thought away. You know. We can call it prayer, but prayer can be a whisper, it can be a thought, it can be a gesture. And he is good despite boy everything that we would attempt to say, He's not. In the midst of death, in the midst of our pain, in the midst of a crazy world gone wild. You know before there was Girls Gone Wild, there was a World Gone Wild. Now I've never seen that show, but I live it. Yeah, World Going Wild. Jitdy, we we're thinking about you today and

thank you so much for writing in. And I hope that you could be grateful today right now, in this moment, with your family and your life. So sorry, we're all going to have suffering. It doesn't make it any easier to say that, but that's just the reality. Let's go to Let's go to another one here past to Joe. Here's one with the subject living and working in faith, says Hey, my name is Scott. I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Shout out to Green Bay. It's difficult to live and

work in faith, especially in my career field. I currently work as a correctional officer in the intake or booking section of a large county jail, which means I'm one of the first faces they see when they're arrested. We have our share of frequent flyers, so it's no surprise for them or us when they show up. We do have the individuals who have never been to jail or

have charges that are shocking in nature. The latter is the most difficult ones to process simply because their charges make them less desirable humans and very hard to deal with. It's difficult to treat the individuals the same as someone else. You can't have your feelings affect your interactions. The level is high for alcoholism and divorce in this career field because many have very poor coping mechanisms, and when you need to rely on your faith to get you through

the day. It's very hard in this career to keep the mindset when it comes to people and changes who you see like this in person, so when it gets dangerous and when you change but don't realize the change. I feel like being a musician, you could express your faith through song, but with my career you could express your faith through how you talk and interact with an individual and reserving your judgment for their wrongdoings, no matter how difficult it may be. How could I be better

at this? Scott? Yeah, I would first of all shout out, as you said, the Green Bay my dad coach for the packers. Part of your problem is you live in a early cold cold. It's cold, it's it's hard for anybody's faith in the tundra. But when you're dealing with people like he is, and we do every week prison ministry. We're in nine locations, nine prisons, some federal, some county here in Texas, where we bring our church to a

whole team of people set up church. And it's something that I say every week, especially for those that are watching within one of the nine correctional facilities, as God didn't give up on us, he doesn't give up on you, and that sometimes those that are insider prison are more free than those outside of prison. It's just a different bar, it's a different wall. And I say that on purpose every week, as you've heard me say it, because I want those that are sitting in that seat to never

become so skeptical of people. Which the longer you live in life, the longer you're in parole or officer work, or especially jail work, prison reform or prison work, I get it, we work. I've been the chaplain of various police departments Austin and Georgetown, and when you're dealing with police officers like he is, and dealing with criminals every week, and the same ones over and over, it's very it's very likely that you're going to get jaded, You're going

to get hard. And I see it. In ministry. I deal with people who week in week out, promise this, promise that, and go back to their old life, come back, and then go back. And Jesus made a statement he says, be harmless as a dove, wisest serpents and harmless as a dove. And I've always taken that to mean when you're dealing with people, you do have to have your eyes wide open. Back in the early day, when I was first a Christian or even especially as a pastor man,

I believed every story. I believed everybody. I would go to any situation or any length to help that person. The podcast, Yeah, I would show up and go God of Cars, I'll be out there in the harvey. And then I get out here and it's all this is yo. Yo said ye no no, and I would. I had to learn through trials and UH and through being taken advantage of Joe. You don't. Faith doesn't say you're faith in Christ. Faith does not close your eyes and just

you know, do this or go here. Faith is very wise, and I think the more faith you have, the more wise you becoming. Yeah, you can spot people a mile away, especially if you're in police work. You better, You better know those that you're walking with, and you're going to see those same criminals. And so there is this wisdom that you've got to be able to be business. I mean, he is he's hired to do the business of police work or prison work. But then that's harmless as a dove.

In other words, what he's saying is stay sweet, stay kind, because I was sweet to you everything. Jesus always came back to say, was I forgave you. You're gonna have to forgive them. You are a cheater, and therefore I forgave you of your cheating. Therefore forgive those that have cheated or those that will cheat you. Every time Jesus came back and he said, listen, what did I do for you? How could you have a higher standard of

other people than you do of yourself. So that balance of being wise, being smart, being sharp, being good at what you do, being business. As a pastor, I have to deal with people sometimes I said, I would love to tell you my own inclination or my own desire would be to say this, But I can't say that, because that's not what the truth is. The truth doesn't say that I'd love to be able to say, hey, you can go and have this and do that and you're all good. Everybody's just be happy and there'll be

no consequences. I can't. I'm just gonna tell you there's gonna be a lot of pain with that, so I have to come back and bring the business side. Jesus was full of grace and he was also full of truth. And that's that hard walk. How do you stay gracious to people but true? And that was the beauty of Jesus. When they said, John, what was Jesus like? He goes It was amazing. This guy was the nicest, kindest, loving,

forgiving person you would ever want to meet. But he was true, like he'd knock your head off if you did wrong. And I say that proverbally. He would correct you, he would pierce you. He didn't let you get by with anything. And isn't that as a parent or right? That's we're trying to walk that same line, like I

want my kids to love me. We have three boys, they're twenty eight, twenty four, and twenty and we have a great relationship as now they're men, and I try to be gracious and kind and loving like a father supposed to be. But at the same time, I'm not gonna let them get away with Like the other day, Jackson. I was watching my youngest son. He's home for Christmas break, and he's just waist Jackson. Yeah, Jackson. He loves all things yee and you and the family here. And I

watched Jackson way all day long. He's playing xboxes, he's home from college. And then his mom asked him to do one little thing. He goes, I don't have time for that. I went, whoa time out? Time out of time out? I said, let me just let's talk about all of a sudden, you don't have time for your mom. Now you hope she has time to buy you a set of golf clubs for Christmas that are going to be pretty expensive. But you don't have time to do this one thing like hey, or you're home from college.

You live on your own. You got your own dorm room, but this is not your dorm room. I need those shoes picked up. You're not going to just live like you do, yeah, on your own. So oh, wait a minute, dad, I thought I was home for break and no, yeah you are. But I told him, I said, act like you don't live here anymore. Pick up your junk. So it's a god is like that, and I think you

have to deal with people like that. It's funny you you brought that up because I kind of thought my mind went to my kids, because I can't relate to you. Scott in your job, can imagine how difficult it must be dealing with these people. You're looking them in the eye and you know probably what they did. It was a terrible thing, and you want to just knock their

head off. But it's I thought about my kids. It's the closest thing I think of is when they do something wrong, I do my best discipline if I take a breath, collect myself and keep anger out of it, keep keep my hostility out of it as a as a father, and look at it as the correctional side. Only use the wisdom and correct them calmly, collectively and decisively, and not an anger or retaliation like you might want

to do when you see one of these guys. And I'm sorry if that's the closest relationship I can get to you, Scott is disciplining some young children, and you're looking at these hardened criminals. But I believe if you could take your anger as Pastor Joe said, Jesus would have done. Take the emotion and the anger and the hostility, not that Jesus had that, yeah, but take it out as your human self, yeah, and do the job. Yeah. Jesus was the same guy as we know, who loved

the world. But he also made a whip, and he made a whip, and he drove out the money changers and overturned tables in the temple. But what's interesting is he made a whip. So he walks in and he sees what's going on. People were not able to worship God and connect to God because they were charging people and for their sacrifice and for their offerings and a rate that the average person couldn't worship God with it

back as it was in that day. But he goes, guys, if I'm finished, if i'm if I start making a whip, and if you're doing what you're doing now, by the time I'm finished with this whip, y'all are gonna get whipped. He made a whip. So in other words, what he was saying is I'm in control. So in just about five minutes, you might say, oh, look at that guy, he's out of control. He's whipping people. He's overturning David. What kind of god is this? He would never do that.

He's a loving god. Guys, I just want you to know I'm in complete control. And he starts braiding this whip and guess what they were still doing it when he was finished making the whip. And now judgment kicks in. Now discipline kicksin. I tell people in life, and it's like this, in every facet, we're free to roll on the rails. A train is free to roll as long as it's on the rails. Get off the rails. There's gonna be discipline. Guy breaks the rules, there's gonna be disciplined,

There's gonna be punishment. But stay on the rails. And I would say to especially people that deal with people as intimate a setting as he does in especially police work. And I would say even to those that my be pastors and those that might be leaders in their church. We have a bunch of pastors to this, boy, can it get to where you don't like people anymore? And that's where you always got to come back to faith? And it's not faith in faith. I don't have faith

in a thing. I don't have faith in a system. I don't have faith in a theology. I don't have faith in a concept. I have faith in Christ, and I have this relationship to this man Christ, Jesus, who was of course God, and he's inside of me, and my faith that faith makes me connect back to him. Okay, you're here, Lord, you're here. How have you handled me? I want to handle people the same way that you've handled me. And even as a father, I look back and go, where were my dad's best moments? And I

try to emulate those best moments. And then I have some moments that my dad wasn't so successful, Like we all have our failures, and I don't want to I don't want to emulate that. I don't want to drop the ball in certain ways when it comes to our handling of people. But I would say in a big picture, when it comes down to it, boy, you can mess up in a lot of ways. But I have always said, the fastest way to get off of our team, the fastest way to be fired. At celebration, we have a

staff of one hundred and twenty five people. The fastest way to be fired is be mean to people. I can work with you on other areas, we'll talk through some things. But boy, you're mean to people in the story. It's just and that's got to be Scott. That's got to be your thing is how do you balance doing your job and being mean because you don't necessarily have to be mean to do what you do. No, I hope that helps you. Thank you for your service, Scott.

We we need find gentlemen like you out there. I'm gonna take a quick break. I'm goingna come back and do something that I've never done on this podcast, and I've been thinking I should probably do it. I'll be right back. I thought I was gonna I was gonna try to get to a bunch questions, but you your answers are too good. So we'll have to do this again one day. Hey, God, willing in your schedule if

it's flexible enough, you figure out something. I want to do something that these these listeners are from all over the world, all different walks of life. Some of them are from different religions, and some of them have no religions. Some of them are atheists. And I know this from questions and from social media interactions. What is this, Tyler? When does this podcast fall under category? Is it music. This is a music categorized podcast, and I want to

do something here. And I'm no surprise Pastor Joe because this is right up his wheelhouse. But when I have him here, Jesus said that if you don't acknowledge me in public, and I have no reason to acknowledge you to the Father in public, right, And so I want to I want to offer you to give these people a prayer, an invitation to Christ. There's probably a lot of people that think it's very complicated and it takes a long time, but it doesn't. No, you could do

it in three minutes. Absolutely, Billy Graham did it in three minutes every night. It's very simple. It becomes extremely complex, but it starts very simple. And I would like to offer up a moment of prayer with Pastor Joe. And before we do it, I want to give anybody an opportunity to hit the exit door on this podcast if they're thinking this is too much. This is I sign up for music and I'm gonna go ahead. So I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a heads up so I

don't surprise you. But those that are curious and want to hang out with us in this room. Right now. We'll end the podcast with this, so hang out, but I'm also giving you the exit door is open. This is going to be a an invitation to know Christ personally, the Prince of peace in a world of suffering, and he is. And before we do, I'll say this, most people, if they knew the true God, if they really knew

who God was, and he came. The Bible says Christ explained God, he revealed God, he broke the mystery, if you will, He ended the question who is God? And Jesus came to express or to manifest Paul the apostle maybe one of the most religious people in all the world at that time, most learned. The dude was the man. And when he had that encounter on that road to Damascus and Acts nine, he goes, who are you? Who

are you? God? Like God? What's your name? And of course Paul was the most learned religious man on the planet probably, and he was a rising star. I mean, he was the number one pick in church world, if you will, and he goes, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. I think that's what rocked Paul's world more than anything else, was when he realized, whoa, I've been fighting.

I've been thinking, I've been fighting for God, and I've been actually fighting against God because he was persecuting the church, killing Christians anyway, killing Christians, Yes, killing Christians, and not just that. Worse than that. Before he'd kill him, he said this, I caused them to blaspheme. So, in other words, before I killed him, I asked, in fact, I got them to deny Christ. So what are you saying is I didn't just have an effect on their earthly life.

I had an effect on their eternal I got them to walk away from God. So Paul then has this encounter and he says, who are you? And he goes, I am Jesus. My name is Jesus. And he goes, what would you have me to do? Lord? And he says, go to the city where I tell you to go, and there I will tell you what to do. And we know the rest is history. Now, for those that struggle with God, probably your biggest struggle is probably a representative of God in the form of an experience with somebody,

a Christian, a church pastor, a pastor. Yeah, believe me, they're out there and there's been some kind of reason that would cause you to be like that. Paul probably had his reasons why he was doing what he was doing until he said yes to Jesus, and when he did, his world was changed. You're not saying yes in this prayer to Christian Ristianity. You're saying yes to God. Christ did not come to set up a thing called Christianity.

A lot of people think a religion a religion. And I'm going to come and offer another meat option on the buffet line at Babe's Chicken in the Dallas Metroplex. He didn't come to offer another option. He just said I am I Am the Way, the truth and life. So it's interesting the way offered the way, and it just is simply, if you'd like to ask Christ to be the lord of your life, you asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, which is what he came to offer. The biggest problem we all have is a

sin problem. That's the problem in all of us. Yeah, and none or too big, that's right. We've all even Scott, even the guys you looked in the eye in the in the prison, none of those were bad enough. Yeah, we've all sinned. Yes, none are righteous, no, not one, but all of sinned. But Christ came to pay the ransom. We were all guilty, we all belong in jail, we all deserve judgment. But Christ said, I'll pay for your ransom. I'll pay to bail you out of eternal damnation, and

I'll give you eternal life. All you have to simply do is is say yes to me, and I'd like to offer that prayer right now is as simple as right where you are. You can say this with your mouth, because the Bible says one has to confess Jesus with their mouth that he is Lord and he was raised from the dead, and believe in their heart Romans Chapter ten, Verses nine and ten. So it's both. It's believing in your heart, but it's also confession with your mouth, because

that mouth is the gateway, it's a door. It's out of the heart speaks the mouth. We know that's to be the truth. So it's his simplest saying, Jesus, I ask you right now to forgive me my sins. I ask you right now to come into my heart. I confess that I have sinned. I confess that I need a say, and I believe in my heart that you are the Savior. You came to this world, and you walked among this world for thirty three years until you walked up that hill to a place called Galgatha, and

you died on a cross. But then three days later you raise from the dead, and you prove that you were the Lamb of God that takes away my sin and the sin of the world. Take my life and my life now belongs to you, and say this out loud. I believe that I am your child through Jesus Christ, and I will live forever because of Jesus and his blood that was shed. Thank you God. Beginning right now now,

I have eternal life, and that's it so powerful. If you said that prayer with Pastor Joe, comment below because I would personally like to see if you're watching this on YouTube. I know you can't comment on Spotify, but comment below whatever platform you're using, I would love to see where you were. Hopefully, if you're driving a big truck right now on the open road, pull over before you comment, but I would love to hear if you if you said that prayer. Maybe you unsubscribed from this channel.

I don't know. I don't know, but I would love to get some feedback because it means a whole lot to me. It means a lot to me to know that this message was repeated, as Pastor Joe said, And Buddy, this was an honor. Well, we have watched your life. My sons are the biggest fans, always have been years ahead of you and I and our families meeting and even being connected together now UH through the church and

through other circumstances. My boys have always been fans of what everything this company, your your life, your platform is about. And I I'm the biggest fan. I can't wait to watch all that's gonna happen for for eee and all things concerning the Smith family. Thanks for letting me be apart, Buddy, my pleasure. We'll see you soon maybe absolutely. I'm here for I almost forgot. UH tell everybody where they could

watch you give your sermons every Sunday morning. You don't have to be in Central Texas, right, And I'm glad I just remember this. You could tell you could tell them where to watch it wherever you are in the world. Yeah, it's Celebration Church in Austin, Texas. So it's Celebration dot Church and UH our website. I think it's also a Celebration Church dot com, but it's in Austin, Texas. Or if you just type in Celebration Church Texas, there's a

Celebration Church in Jacksonville. And there's several other Celebration churches out there. Some are connected to us, uh not necessarily under us or US under them, but there's just that name out there. So if you just type in Celebration Church TX or Texas dot com and I probably just gave you that five websites, right, but anyway, it's Celebration that's freaking out right, you'll find it faster. Job. I'm not a big technology guy. Just trust that you'll find us.

We'll link it in the top of the description. To watch his sermons every Sunday is absolutely free of charge and super easy and you might even see me and Amber out there in the front row. Love you, Pastor Joe, thank you, I love you. See you guys. Thanks for joining me on the Grangersmith podcast. I appreciate all of you. Guys. You could help me out by rating this podcast on iTunes.

If you're on YouTube, subscribe to this channel, hit that little like button and notification spell so that you never miss anytime I upload a video. If you have a question for me that you would like me to answer, email Grangersmith Podcast at gmail dot com. Ye