Are You Real | Finding Your Purpose

Latest Episodes:

Purpose 96: Jerrad Lopes: Dad Tired Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

Through pain, we find purpose. No one understands that Like Jerrad Lopes. After starting out early in full-time ministry as a pastor, Jerrad placed all of his identity in his ministry. Late in his twenties, Jerrad knew he needed to leave ministry, and his world was wrecked. Looking back, Jerrad knew he was being a bad husband and an absent father as he tried to pursue things of this earth that would fulfill him. He reached out on the internet, asking if any other fathers and husbands felt this struggle, and the response was incredible.

Dad Tired is a podcast and a movement that is leading men to Jesus. Jerrad is cultivating authenticity within marriages leadership within the culture. He believes that more men need to step up to the plate to lead their families by example. This knowledge is personal, and it was born from years of struggle. Jerrad's dark season gave birth to a movement that God is using to transform families.

In addition to Dad Tired, Jerrad has started a nonprofit and his own branding agency. Even with all of these plates spinning, Jerrad prioritizes time with his family and his wife of 8 years. Instead of being content to stay in struggle and in failure, Jerrad asked God to transform his life. He answered in a big way. Listen to this week's episode to find out how he did it!

More in this episode:

Jerrad shares why he feels called to many different things over the course of his life.
Scripture from Exodus 35:6 has influenced how Jerrad views God.
Jerrad has spent his journey starting as a pastor, but he always felt called to branch out.
In the middle of an identity crisis, Jerrad discovered that so many other fathers wanted to learn how to lead their families better.
What we can learn from the God-led decisions that do not lead to perfect happiness.
Discover the explosion of Dad Tired.
Jerrad's wife prayed for Jesus to capture his heart again.
There is hope for your marriage if you feel like you have fallen away.
We need to be investing in young people.
How Jerrad grew his ministry to reach tens of thousands of people.
Jerrad can communicate the gospel in "street language."
How we can respond to an identity crisis to fuel our faith.
Let's not rely on technology to connect with one another.
Audiobooks are a go-to for busy parents.
What changes to our responsibilities once we get married.

Resources:

Dad Tired

Business 07: Setbacks; They Do Happen! Apr 03, 2018

Show notes

Today we need to talk about something really important for the life of your business: failure. Yes, failure is important! How and why we fail can teach us so much about where our business is weak, and also strong. I have noticed over the years that there are 3 Big Business Setbacks: Disappointment, Discouragement, and Distrust.

I am going to break down each of these three setbacks and show you how your authentic faith can combat each of them. God has given us Scripture as a guide and a comfort when failure strikes. Instead of making us figure it all out on our own, we can rely on His wisdom and the wisdom of those who have gone before us to understand how to be successful in business. Just because you have suffered a setback does not mean you cannot move forward. Today, I am going to show you how.

More in this episode:

We set out all the plans we possibly can.
Failure happens to everyone.
Where does disappointment in business happen?
We need to manage our expectations.
What happens when we experience disappointment, and then manage it.
Discouragement is brutal.
Psalm 112 is a great way to get out of discouragement.
Distrust is from the enemy.
The world is going to want to make us jaded.
There are so many wounds that we have to deal with!
There is hope and encouragement for you!
Pray over your business.
John 10:10—have an abundant life!

Resources:

Are You Real

Success 06: Success Leaves Clues with John Clark Apr 02, 2018

Show notes

Today's guest is John Clark. John Clark was the general manager of the Boys Scouts of America and he's here to talk about what it took to be successful leading these organizations. Success leaves clues and today we are looking for all the clues that John's successful career left behind.

John's favorite quote is a Teddy Roosevelt quote that says, "A job that's worth doing is worth doing well."

Show Highlights:

Failure is the inability to meet our goals.
Success can look different at different points in your career.
Being happy with what you are doing is a key factor in your success.
Relying on God to help make tough decisions and handle tough circumstances is key.
If you can figure out what keeps people awake at night and then solve that problem, you will have unlimited income.
Setting goals will help improve your performance.
When we have success, you always have success habits that were implemented to make it happen.
Knowing how to set and manage goals individually and as a team is critical to success.
You can't achieve success completely on your own. You have to have a winning team around you and achieve the goals together.
Sometimes to be a good leader it just means that you get out in front of your team and run faster.

Connect with Jody on Twitter: @jodynholland

Government 09: Abby Abildness with Healing Tree International Mar 30, 2018

Show notes

Our guest today is Abby Abildness. You will hear all about the Kingdom Start of our nation and her study of William Penn.

Have you ever heard of William Penn? You may know him by "Grandfather of our nation". He is the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. William wrote the first founding documents of the United States of America and his peace treaties are still used today. William Penn went on to be a spiritual advisor to our founding fathers. He understood government with a kingdom mind.

"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants." - William Penn

William Penn started a good work in Pennsylvania that people and nations have benefited from for generations. Abby Abildness is going to make sure that legacy continues.

Abby has such a big heart for Pennsylvania, it will make you want to move there tomorrow. She is currently the State Leader of the International Prayer Coccus. She sits with government leaders and prayers with them so that God's will can be done in legislation. Abby and her husband are also the CEO's of Healing Tree International. Their passion is to network pastoral, medical, business and government leaders for the healing of nations.

LINKS:

healingtreeinternational.com thelondonderryinn.com Fellowship Home Loans CONNECT WITH ABBY: healingtreeinternational.com/contact Abby@healingtreeinternational.com

Linked 11: Keys For Serving with Kari Heffron Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

Today on Are You Real Linked you will hear the heart and passion of one woman who has been called my God to help heal and restore women and children who have found themselves homeless.

Kari Heffron is the Woman & Children Program Coordinator at The Oliver Gospel Mission in Columbia, South Carolina. They are currently serving 27 women and 19 families in their area. They are very intentional about calling themselves a "Transitional Home" and not a homeless shelter.

After the Holy Spirit set Kari free from a reckless lifestyle, Kari came to the conclusion that being homeless is not someone's identity it is just a result of being broken. God started a fire in her heart to create a safe place for homeless women and children to come and feel safe, loved, protected, wanted, and somewhere they can meet Jesus.

After 10 years of pressing into God Kari's dream finally came to fruition. Even though Kari is walking in her calling now she gets real about the struggles that come with this type of ministry.

Kari is a true City Taker and we can't wait to see what God does next with her ministry.

LINKS:

Connect with Kari

Donate to The Oliver Gospel Mission

Are You Real

Fellowship Home Loans

Purpose 95: Using the Passion of Theology to Unify a Diverse Church with Shane Blackshear Mar 28, 2018

Show notes

God has given us all a purpose and a passion, and when someone is being obedient to live out that purpose, amazing things happen. I am seeing amazing things from Shane Blackshear, and so I was excited to talk to him today about the unique passion God has given him for theology, ministry, and racial relations in the church. Shane is from West Texas where he lives with his wife and two kids. He is a podcast host with two amazing shows you should definitely check out. On Seminary Dropout, Shane interviews theologians who might not have the biggest microphone but have such wonderful things to share about our Creator. Shane's second podcast, On Ramp, discusses how race and the church intersect.

Shane and I will dive into a lot of different topics in today's episode. We started off with a discussion of race in the church, and how God's Kingdom will absolutely be more diverse than the typical American church. Shane is teaching his listeners how to learn about the human experience through the eyes of someone who might not look exactly like them. It is a humbling conversation and one we probably can't have enough.

From there, Shane and I are going to talk about how Seminary Dropout came to be, and why a show like Shane's has such huge potential. God has given Shane more than enough strength and wisdom to graciously and empathetically interview the people who are seeking a thorough understanding of who God is and what his plans are for this world. Ultimately, Shane is encouraging anyone who will listen that, as image bearers of Christ, we have the potential to proclaim God's goodness through every word and deed. That is absolutely what Shane is doing in the world, so you will want to check out my interview today!

More in this episode:

Shane tells us all about himself and what his passions and purposes are.
Shane shares why he feels burdened to bring issues of race in America to the church.
Diverse churches are incredibly rare in America.
We have so much to learn from the experiences of our brothers and sisters in Christ of different races.
Shane loves to point people to rich resources for understanding race in the church.
Why Shane ended up dropping out of seminary two times.
Shane's favorite, mind-blowing interviews.
The thing that keeps Shane going with his podcast is the ministry opportunity.
It's hard to interview well, and Shane is certainly gifted at it!
Why we struggle with self-confidence.
God is getting Shane excited to speak about idols and the "us v. them" mentality.
Who Shane is reading right now!
Church can be taken outside the walls.
Shane would tell himself right out of college to not limit his options.

Resources:

Twitter: @Beardonabike

Facebook: Shane Blackshear

Seminary Dropout Podcast

N.T. Wright

The Benefit of the Doubt

Fresh Expressions

On Ramp Podcast

Fit 07: Your Health - Spirit, Soul and Body (Part 2) Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

What is the soul? What does it even look like to have a healthy soul? I'm going to tackle these questions in Part 2 of our 3 part series on Spirit, Soul, and Body!

When it comes to complex questions like these, I think it is best to take a basic and practical approach to understanding it. I am so thankful that God has provided us with Scripture that tells us all about our soul and how we can keep it healthy. Today, I am going to bring you Scripture from both the Old and the New Testament that illustrates a healthy soul.

Ultimately, we need to learn how to trust God. When we surrender our mind, will, and emotions to Him, he will bring us to a place of peace and health. If you are pursuing an overall healthy lifestyle, you cannot neglect the health of your soul. You will see today how it impacts every single aspect of your life, including your physical health!

More in this episode:

I give my most basic explanation of what the soul actually is.
Let's unpack the mind as described in Lamentations 3:20.
Job 7:15 and 1 Chronicles 22:19 give us a good idea about how the will works.
Our emotions are complex. Psalm 42:1 and Psalm 86:4 describe just a few emotions we experience.
What it means to have a healthy soul according to Romans.
Understand that your mind is part of your soul.
We can choose to walk in God's will.
Proverbs 3:5-8 is a gem for us!
3 John 1:2 shows us that our soul brings us bodily health.

Resources:

Are You Real

Government 08: Zimbabwe Presidential Campaign Advisor Chantelle Irish Mar 23, 2018

Show notes

Today on Are You Real Government we speak to Chantelle Irish. She is the Senior Campaign Advisor for Zimbabwe candidates: Noah Manyika and William (Widzo) Pilbrough. They are running for President and Vice President of Zimbabwe in the 2018 election. They are running under the political party of "The Build Zimbabwe Alliance".

Despite how dangerous politics can be in their country they are ready to see a change and are helping usher in Gods favor to Zimbabwe.

The country as a whole is in very hard times. Their people have little access to clean water, and proper medical care. On top of that their unemployment rate is 95% and it is currently illegal to withdraw any sort of currency from a bank due to the countries crippling debt. Many Zimbabwean people leave the country to work abroad to send money back to their loved ones just to make it by. This may seem like a terrible place to most people, but not for Chantelle. She shares how there is so many wonderful things about her country and her favorite are: the people, the countryside, and the untapped potential. The Build Zimbabwe Alliance sees past the brokenness, and the statistics to see God's heart for this country. She believes "God's identity for Zimbabwe is to be the Switzerland of Africa". She longs to see healing and peace in the country just like our Father does. In future episodes, we will talk to Noah Manyika and William Pilbrough to hear more about the election.

LINKS:

buildzimbabwe.org

BZA Manifesto

Donate to BZA

Email the BAZ: info@buildzimbabwe.org

BZA Facebook

Samuel Rodriguez book "Lambs Agenda" lambsagenda.com

messengerinternational.org

Areyoureal.org

Connect with Dubb

Linked 10: Urgently Called Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

Today on Are You Real Linked we speak with Jeremiah Bolich.

When Jeremiah was young he was discharged from the military due to a drug and alcohol problem. After hitting rock bottom a Christian couple invited him into their home and took him to a Billy Graham conference. At the conference, he had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that would change his life.

Now Jeremiah is gone 47 weeks of the year traveling the world spreading the good news and equipping "City Takers". You will hear all about how he and his wife lived out of a bus during the first years of the ministry and now how he balances his family and ministries. However, in the near future, his travels may be few and far between as he plants a training center in Lebanon to help equip leaders.

"Reject religion and embrace Jesus".

LINKS:

AreYouReal.org

Connect with Christy

JeremiahBolich.com

Download a Free Audiobook on Audible

Purpose 94: Redefining Church to Make It a Living Experience with Jordan Sutton Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

Purpose is all about living out God's plan, even if it looks nothing like anything you've seen ever before. Christians have a pretty good idea of what it means to do church, but today I am talking with someone who listened to the Lord when he asked him to think differently about his ministry and his congregation. This is Jordan Sutton, the pastor of Clearpath Church in Dallas, TX. He and his congregation are redefining church, and the Lord is working and speaking in mighty ways through them.

Instead of a pulpit, Clearpath has tables. Instead of a traditional gathering, they meet in homes. Everything from worship to Bible studies has been prayerfully refashioned so that the members of Clearpath can have a whole new experience with the Living God. What gets me excited about guys like Jordan is that I feel like the Lord told me long ago that the church was changing, and I think pastors like Jordan are on the frontlines.

Today, Jordan is not just going to share how and why Clearpath changed so drastically, but also the amazing changes that happened inside Jordan himself. God really emphasized for him a pursuit of holiness in spite of a fallen world and has asked him to think deeply about what it means to be set apart from the world. If you have a heart for people, especially in the American church, then you are going to want to listen to this episode. I think we have so much to learn from Jordan Sutton.

Show Highlights: