Joining Pastor Ed in studio is Pastor Sean Stone, who recently joined the ministry team here at Calvary. We talk about faith and stepping into God's calling when it is very difficult or challenging. Join the conversation!
[00:00:05] Calvary Church presents Lead2Serve, a leadership podcast with Ed Taylor
[00:00:35] If you have a bad review, you can always send it to Bob. He loves to read those things, but really if you there's any input or any improvement, you can always send it our way.
[00:00:44] You know the goal of our podcast is to grow you in your servant leadership so that you'll grow and glorify God and all that you do.
[00:00:53] 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.
[00:01:00] 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.
[00:01:10] And so for most of the season, all of the season I have Pastor Bob Claycamp in here.
[00:01:14] But today I've got another special guest, one of the newest members of our team here, Pastor Sean Stone. Welcome Pastor Sean.
[00:01:22] 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 the invite to come back here and be a part of it.
[00:01:31] Are you going to listen to this episode too?
[00:01:33] Yeah for sure, absolutely.
[00:01:34] And say, what did I say? How did I say it?
[00:01:37] 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.
[00:01:49] And I know change is something we try to avoid. Change can be very good, very challenging.
[00:01:54] But I thought we'd spend some time talking about some changes.
[00:01:57] Big steps of faith that's been a part of our season four, season five.
[00:02:02] But a little bit about you. You are married to Angela. You've been married. Did I get it right? 16 years?
[00:02:09] Yeah.
[00:02:10] Was those the 16 best years of your life or Angela's life?
[00:02:13] Probably mine.
[00:02:14] And thank God for Angela's mercy and grace.
[00:02:19] Five kiddos ranging in what age?
[00:02:21] Youngest is three, oldest is 13.
[00:02:24] So that's quite the spread.
[00:02:26] Yeah, quite the spread.
[00:02:27] So for a solid decade, for Angela was pregnant and going through it and the tough 10 years for her.
[00:02:35] In our family we have three kids and the spread is 10 years from the oldest to the youngest.
[00:02:40] Not by design, but the way it all worked out 10 years and it worked out.
[00:02:44] I mean that even from the oldest to the youngest they ended up getting along.
[00:02:49] That's a pretty big gap. That's like a half a generation.
[00:02:51] Yeah, and it is significant just on a side note.
[00:02:54] Like I grew up, I was adopted into a family.
[00:02:57] My sister was adopted in and we're five years apart.
[00:03:00] And even those five years was a distance.
[00:03:03] But I also have to add that our parents didn't really nurture that separation.
[00:03:09] So I know you guys have a great emphasis on nurturing in that separation years.
[00:03:14] So that you're helping them adjust, but I didn't really get that.
[00:03:18] So my sister and I weren't very close hardly at all.
[00:03:20] So she didn't like help watch you or feed you or hang out?
[00:03:23] No, she left the house pretty young.
[00:03:25] So I almost grew up as an only child.
[00:03:27] Like she left in her early teenage years.
[00:03:30] So that would have left me eight or nine.
[00:03:32] I was basically a latchkey kid.
[00:03:34] That's what got me in so much trouble.
[00:03:36] Both my parents work and they left money on the table, bad idea and a key.
[00:03:42] And I basically raised myself for many, many, many years and got into a lot of trouble.
[00:03:47] Which is a different podcast altogether.
[00:03:50] But great you guys recently moved to Colorado.
[00:03:54] But let's go backwards.
[00:03:56] So we'll end there but go backwards.
[00:03:59] So you grew up born and raised in Tucson?
[00:04:02] Tucson, Arizona, 37 years.
[00:04:04] You get saved there at an outreach?
[00:04:07] It was like a mall Bible study that a friend of a friend was having.
[00:04:13] And they would invite my friend out.
[00:04:15] And this friend of mine we were drinking buddies.
[00:04:18] So getting into trouble not making the best decisions.
[00:04:23] But hey, there's these pretty girls at this Bible study.
[00:04:26] It's in the mall.
[00:04:27] It wasn't even a church.
[00:04:28] So we started going and I started engaging with the Word of God.
[00:04:32] For the first time really reading it, thinking about it and then talking about it.
[00:04:36] And it got in me and it just changed me.
[00:04:39] Probably just maybe a month or two of doing that.
[00:04:42] Yeah.
[00:04:43] And I had a good foundation set because I still have a godly uncle who really poured into me.
[00:04:50] Yes.
[00:04:51] A lot of scriptures and things about Jesus and showed me the love of Jesus.
[00:04:56] But this time it was like I was 19.
[00:04:58] So I was kind of forming as an adult and then, man, God got me right at a great time.
[00:05:04] How do you get from the mall to a church and what church was that?
[00:05:08] So my uncle had been going to Calvary Tucson, Pastor Robert Furrow.
[00:05:11] He was the guy we listened to kind of growing up.
[00:05:14] I'd go every few months when my uncle would call us, hey, are you guys coming to church?
[00:05:18] And once I got saved, it was like I had served at a few other churches.
[00:05:22] But Calvary Tucson was my home church.
[00:05:24] Pastor Robert was my pastor.
[00:05:26] So when you say served, just like?
[00:05:28] I did worship at a church for a little bit.
[00:05:31] I was a janitor at a church for about a year.
[00:05:33] Got it.
[00:05:34] Another church and started serving in the kids ministry at Calvary Tucson.
[00:05:37] And so you spent how many years there?
[00:05:39] Calvary Tucson was about 15 years.
[00:05:41] 15 years.
[00:05:42] Where'd you meet your wife?
[00:05:43] That mall?
[00:05:44] Was that the mall Bible study?
[00:05:45] No.
[00:05:46] No.
[00:05:47] Probably two years after I got saved or a year and a half after I got saved in New
[00:05:50] York City, I got saved in the city of New York City.
[00:05:52] She was actually a dancer.
[00:05:54] I saw you guys posting a picture on Instagram.
[00:05:56] Every time you post it, you're posting some dancing picture and you look okay.
[00:06:00] You look kind of happy.
[00:06:01] And I love watching the expression on people's faces when I tell my wife was a dancer
[00:06:06] but she was working with this ministry that would go into high schools.
[00:06:10] It's called Breakdown.
[00:06:11] I think they're still going.
[00:06:13] Okay.
[00:06:14] And they would go into public schools and present a skit, like a drama skit
[00:06:18] with dance, pop and lock and hip hop and jazz.
[00:06:21] And it was raising awareness on like drug use, on what happens when you get pregnant.
[00:06:27] Just a lot of drama happening in high school kids' lives.
[00:06:30] That's what the skit was and it showed them how to deal with that.
[00:06:32] And she was one of the dancers I started hanging out.
[00:06:34] It was a Christian organization so I'd come leadership and that's where we connected.
[00:06:38] Are you a dancer too?
[00:06:40] Only because I married to one now.
[00:06:42] You learned to be one.
[00:06:44] Because your musical...
[00:06:45] When your wife is one.
[00:06:46] Yeah.
[00:06:47] I've learned to enjoy it.
[00:06:49] We have a good time now.
[00:06:50] I never did cross that line because that's a big deal for Marie and I just never...
[00:06:55] I don't have it in me.
[00:06:56] Not a dancer, huh?
[00:06:57] Okay.
[00:06:58] All right.
[00:06:59] I've tried a few times.
[00:07:00] I just don't have it in me.
[00:07:01] And so...
[00:07:02] It's the difference between weddings being like not so great to being awesome
[00:07:06] as if you're brave enough to get out there and dance.
[00:07:09] So dancing makes everything awesome?
[00:07:10] It makes weddings awesome.
[00:07:12] Yeah.
[00:07:13] I would say it makes everything awesome.
[00:07:14] Yeah.
[00:07:15] We need to maybe incorporate it in our...
[00:07:17] Sure, let's do that.
[00:07:18] Let's do that.
[00:07:19] Little pitch here.
[00:07:20] Do a little dancing with flags?
[00:07:22] Yeah.
[00:07:23] Some ribbon interpretive dance?
[00:07:25] Yeah.
[00:07:26] Ribbon dancing.
[00:07:27] So you've been married 16 years.
[00:07:28] You're in Tucson.
[00:07:29] You're thriving.
[00:07:30] You're a worship leader of course.
[00:07:32] You've also written music.
[00:07:34] You produce music.
[00:07:35] You've put out CDs like this is God's call upon your life.
[00:07:38] You're a worship leader.
[00:07:39] You're a worship pastor.
[00:07:41] You're thriving in Tucson.
[00:07:43] It's not inaccurate.
[00:07:44] Yeah, it was...
[00:07:45] The opportunities there were amazing.
[00:07:47] I would say it was a season of thriving.
[00:07:49] A lot to do as far as ministry.
[00:07:52] So pastoring, counseling, overseeing young adults at one point.
[00:07:58] It wasn't that I could pour everything into music there.
[00:08:01] Of course.
[00:08:02] But they gave me Pastor Robert, Troy, Paul.
[00:08:05] Those guys gave me so much opportunity.
[00:08:06] As a young man...
[00:08:07] Yes.
[00:08:08] You know, to be like, hey come in and we want to give you these opportunities.
[00:08:11] They took a risk on me and I'm forever grateful for that.
[00:08:14] I like that perspective where if we see something in someone,
[00:08:17] we want them to be around here because proximity opens up a lot of different doors.
[00:08:22] And you just don't know what's in a person until you see them a lot.
[00:08:25] So just come and hang out and come and do something.
[00:08:28] We'll find something for you to do.
[00:08:29] But that gives us an opportunity to watch you, see you,
[00:08:32] serve alongside of you, develop.
[00:08:34] And I know Robert has the same perspective.
[00:08:37] Sure.
[00:08:38] So, thriving time in Calvary Tucson.
[00:08:40] God's using you in incredible ways.
[00:08:42] But there comes a season in your life where you start praying with your wife
[00:08:47] about maybe launching off to something else.
[00:08:49] Talk to us about that season.
[00:08:51] Like what does that look like in terms of God stirring up in your heart
[00:08:55] that maybe there's more than what's going on right here?
[00:09:00] When I first got hired at Calvary Tucson,
[00:09:02] there was another pastor, Pastor Allen, who was also very influential.
[00:09:07] He was actually on his way out going to another church as I was coming in.
[00:09:10] And he had said at one point that he never wanted to get comfortable
[00:09:14] and settle in and just say, this is it.
[00:09:17] And I really, that really struck me and I took that to heart.
[00:09:20] So working with Calvary Tucson full time,
[00:09:22] I was like, I felt like I was getting paid to go to school
[00:09:24] and I wanted to keep that mentality.
[00:09:26] I wanted to continue to learn, but I didn't want to get comfortable.
[00:09:29] Right.
[00:09:30] And so there were seasons every few years where it's like,
[00:09:32] Angela and I, we had a stirring for missions.
[00:09:35] We had a stirring to maybe church plant.
[00:09:38] Just a lot of different ideas that you have,
[00:09:40] especially when you're younger and energetic
[00:09:42] and you don't have five kids, right?
[00:09:44] You're just thinking big, dreaming big.
[00:09:46] And so we had actually attempted a few times
[00:09:48] and prayed seriously about going overseas.
[00:09:51] Where were you thinking of going?
[00:09:53] Ireland was one.
[00:09:54] Yes.
[00:09:55] We had several opportunities to go over there
[00:09:57] and then a couple came to our church.
[00:09:59] You wanted a church plant and when it was like, yes,
[00:10:02] we think it's time for us to go.
[00:10:04] They said no.
[00:10:05] And it was really interesting.
[00:10:06] And then we got pregnant and with each open door
[00:10:09] that we thought we attempted to walk through,
[00:10:11] God would shut the door and then it would be revealed
[00:10:13] we were pregnant again.
[00:10:14] It seemed to be a pattern like stick around
[00:10:17] and with each closed door at Calvary Tucson,
[00:10:21] there were little things that maybe was a irritant
[00:10:26] to get me to move out.
[00:10:28] And every time that door was closed and I returned to that,
[00:10:31] whatever that problem or that irritant was,
[00:10:33] every church has things are just in life in general.
[00:10:36] There was a maturity having to go back to that
[00:10:39] and what was amazing was seeing the process
[00:10:42] of God maturing me every time he said no.
[00:10:45] And that was pivotal because there were times
[00:10:48] where I felt like, well,
[00:10:49] I think I just want to go do something new
[00:10:51] just because I'm, you know,
[00:10:53] I guess get away from the difficulties
[00:10:56] I'm feeling presently.
[00:10:58] Nothing huge, but it was definitely an immature mindset.
[00:11:01] Of course.
[00:11:02] Partly immature.
[00:11:03] Mixture.
[00:11:04] It was a mixture.
[00:11:05] Yeah, there was certainly adventure there.
[00:11:07] And so God would say no and I'd come back
[00:11:09] and we'd work things,
[00:11:11] we'll work through things at Calvary Tucson
[00:11:13] and I'd grow a little more
[00:11:14] and get a little more opportunity.
[00:11:15] It was just amazing to see until, you know,
[00:11:18] two years ago when God finally opened that door
[00:11:21] and we launched from Calvary Tucson.
[00:11:24] So you're praying about,
[00:11:26] you're praying in a similar season,
[00:11:28] just open to the things of the Lord and an opportunity comes.
[00:11:31] Was it out of the blue?
[00:11:33] Was it like how do you end up in another state?
[00:11:35] How does somebody, you know,
[00:11:37] for the sake of people listening,
[00:11:38] like they're serving their faithful,
[00:11:40] they don't know,
[00:11:41] how did it look work for you
[00:11:43] where you're in one place thriving, growing
[00:11:46] and then within a short amount of time
[00:11:48] you are in another state serving in another church.
[00:11:50] We got to a place where
[00:11:53] there were enough closed doors,
[00:11:55] settling in to what God had for us at Calvary Tucson
[00:11:58] and embracing like things were healthy there.
[00:12:01] I really appreciate,
[00:12:03] still appreciate the leadership there.
[00:12:05] Felt like I had fruitful ministry there.
[00:12:08] So we got to a place where it wasn't,
[00:12:11] there was really no element of escape
[00:12:14] and I think that's a part of why it became an open door.
[00:12:17] So we had,
[00:12:19] we just moved into another house.
[00:12:21] It was a larger house
[00:12:23] because we were in this small house for a long time
[00:12:25] and five kids, we were like, man, we wanted some space.
[00:12:28] So it was kind of like we just got this house
[00:12:30] that we could probably be in for a long time.
[00:12:32] I was overseeing young adults at that point,
[00:12:34] really pouring in as a pastor,
[00:12:36] doing worship as well.
[00:12:38] Ministry was very fruitful and we,
[00:12:40] it was like we were in a place where we could stay
[00:12:42] and get settled in and
[00:12:44] I remember, I believe it was a
[00:12:47] documentary on the life of Eric Liddle
[00:12:51] and I just remember his faith
[00:12:53] and his zeal and it, something stirred in me
[00:12:55] like it just that reminder of don't get comfortable, Sean.
[00:12:57] Like things are good here.
[00:12:59] Don't get comfortable and I got that stir in my heart
[00:13:02] and no coincidence at the same time
[00:13:04] I'm teaching through Genesis, the life of Abraham,
[00:13:06] which every time it just stirs me up
[00:13:09] when I see the story of Abraham
[00:13:11] and how God moved him on.
[00:13:14] And so again, hit the story of the life of Abraham.
[00:13:17] My wife and I just started talking, hey, you know,
[00:13:19] let's not say we're going anywhere,
[00:13:21] but let's just be open-handed and pray.
[00:13:23] And so we kind of went through a season of fasting
[00:13:26] and just praying together
[00:13:28] and I prayed very specific things.
[00:13:31] We had three friends who had recently church planted,
[00:13:35] two in different states
[00:13:37] and I thought well maybe God's stirring us up
[00:13:40] because he wants us to help one of these guys.
[00:13:43] And so my fleece before the Lord was kind of like,
[00:13:46] Lord, we're going to commit some time to pray
[00:13:49] and if you desire us to go somewhere specific,
[00:13:53] have them, I believe you can put me on their hearts.
[00:13:57] Have them reach out to me
[00:13:59] and just see what they say.
[00:14:01] It was kind of a, I didn't tell my friends
[00:14:03] or I didn't want to even manipulate the situation at all.
[00:14:06] And so at the end of our allotted time of fasting
[00:14:09] I didn't get a call from any of them.
[00:14:11] I got a call from a friend of ours out in Springfield
[00:14:14] in Missouri and it was like, wow, maybe that was it.
[00:14:19] And so we started praying and it was just like from that point on
[00:14:23] all the cards fell into place
[00:14:25] and all the doors opened and the sale of the house
[00:14:28] and everything just moved in that direction.
[00:14:31] So was it hard to leave Tucson?
[00:14:33] Walking away from our root system.
[00:14:36] Because you grew up there.
[00:14:37] You were born and raised there or?
[00:14:39] Yes, both of us born and raised
[00:14:41] but I would say that was harder when we left it.
[00:14:44] It wasn't hard at the time.
[00:14:45] At the time it was just like, hey man, God has confirmed
[00:14:48] we're moving on something new, something fresh
[00:14:51] and there was that excitement.
[00:14:52] But when you get to the next place
[00:14:55] and you realize those roots aren't there,
[00:14:57] that was hard.
[00:14:59] That was the hard part.
[00:15:01] That's when the honeymoon phase ends
[00:15:04] and you're just in the grind in the new place
[00:15:06] but you don't have the family around you
[00:15:09] or the church family with these relationships
[00:15:14] with these people that I've served with
[00:15:16] and they know me well.
[00:15:17] So a lot of years.
[00:15:18] They love me and they trust me
[00:15:20] and they respect me
[00:15:22] and all the open doors that that brings in ministry, gone.
[00:15:26] Like starting completely over with people who don't know me.
[00:15:30] The pastor there knew me and knows me
[00:15:34] and so that was good.
[00:15:35] He gave me a lot of open doors
[00:15:37] and then I would say also the culture over there
[00:15:41] was a reminder of how hard it was
[00:15:44] to leave the roots and the culture that I do.
[00:15:46] It's Midwest, right?
[00:15:47] Midwest.
[00:15:48] And then probably Tucson is probably more of a western still
[00:15:51] or they call it Southwest, right?
[00:15:53] Southwest, yeah.
[00:15:54] Colorado here in Denver they have,
[00:15:56] it's kind of still California-ish.
[00:15:58] It's like the last real western city
[00:16:01] before you get into Kansas.
[00:16:02] Yes.
[00:16:03] We noticed that coming here from the Midwest
[00:16:05] was it felt a lot more like what we were used to in Arizona?
[00:16:08] Yeah.
[00:16:09] Just the way people interact.
[00:16:10] I didn't anticipate that, like what you said
[00:16:13] because moving from Southern California
[00:16:15] coming to Colorado, we were just so gung-ho.
[00:16:17] We were confident in what God called us to do
[00:16:19] and even anticipated a little bit of
[00:16:22] we need to be alone.
[00:16:24] Like God wants to establish my family.
[00:16:27] I couldn't have, I can look back now
[00:16:29] because I'm not my 50s
[00:16:30] so my kids are all grown up now
[00:16:31] but going through it,
[00:16:32] I could sense enough of it
[00:16:34] like God wanted us to be pulled all those roots up.
[00:16:37] I knew he wanted us to plan a church,
[00:16:40] whatever that looked like,
[00:16:41] at least to try to.
[00:16:42] But to get us alone, our family,
[00:16:45] it was so really good for our family
[00:16:48] to be here, to be together
[00:16:50] and not have all these external pressures.
[00:16:53] Two houses to go for Thanksgiving Christmas
[00:16:56] and then friends to go
[00:16:57] and then church to go
[00:16:58] and then I had a pretty demanding job
[00:17:01] that we didn't know how much pressure
[00:17:04] there was until we left it.
[00:17:06] Yeah.
[00:17:07] Like oh, I see, this is absolutely...
[00:17:10] And here in Colorado,
[00:17:12] as much as it's grown over the years,
[00:17:14] it's still very slow.
[00:17:15] This is a very slow city compared to LA.
[00:17:18] It's just slow
[00:17:20] and traffic's increased over the years
[00:17:23] but moving, taking that step of faith
[00:17:26] was the best thing for my family.
[00:17:29] So we got a few minutes left.
[00:17:31] So we got like maybe 10 minutes left.
[00:17:33] Let's talk about this sense of taking a step of faith.
[00:17:36] The step of faith for you,
[00:17:38] not very hard leaving Tucson like you,
[00:17:40] you're all in and then there's no looking back
[00:17:43] or where there are fears, anxieties,
[00:17:45] things that you had to get over
[00:17:46] or get through, nothing like that.
[00:17:48] I think I'm more of the personality
[00:17:49] to just like dive right in
[00:17:51] and maybe I get myself into trouble
[00:17:53] because I'll jump into something
[00:17:55] maybe without thinking it through
[00:17:56] or without having the healthy fear.
[00:17:58] So I was ready to go and we just did it.
[00:18:01] And I felt like my wife was in that place.
[00:18:04] Now when we moved,
[00:18:05] we were heading towards where her parents lived.
[00:18:08] So there was a comfort?
[00:18:09] There was a comfort for her ahead of us.
[00:18:12] But I just went for it
[00:18:14] and I knew I'd miss my family.
[00:18:17] I knew I'd miss all my Calvary Tucson family,
[00:18:20] which I still do.
[00:18:22] But I didn't feel it until we were,
[00:18:25] until we had launched.
[00:18:26] But that isolation that you talked about
[00:18:28] was so healthy for our family as well.
[00:18:31] I think it helped me to be more present of a husband.
[00:18:35] Being like it forced me to,
[00:18:37] because I didn't have,
[00:18:38] life was crazy in Tucson too.
[00:18:40] There was always something to do.
[00:18:41] Always something.
[00:18:42] Always someone who wanted to hang out
[00:18:44] or the holidays were insane
[00:18:46] between church and family and all that stuff.
[00:18:48] And then all of a sudden there's this isolation
[00:18:51] where we don't know a lot of people
[00:18:53] and I'm watching my wife deal with this as well.
[00:18:56] And it, having to go through that
[00:18:59] really brought us together.
[00:19:01] And I think God showed me how to be more
[00:19:03] of an attentive husband.
[00:19:05] And I'm still growing.
[00:19:06] I'm still growing in that even here,
[00:19:08] but I'm really grateful for
[00:19:11] our marriage where it's at now.
[00:19:13] And it wasn't unhealthy before
[00:19:15] but we were definitely,
[00:19:16] I would say I was preoccupied
[00:19:18] with a lot of other things.
[00:19:20] And that even looking at some of these phases in our marriage,
[00:19:23] which could be a whole different discussion
[00:19:25] that's not necessarily even unhealthy
[00:19:27] except that God has more health.
[00:19:29] Like so wherever we are,
[00:19:31] God's gonna add more health and add to this
[00:19:33] where we were in a great place for where we were,
[00:19:36] but God had more and God had more
[00:19:38] and he's using some of these things.
[00:19:39] So you spent about a year in Missouri.
[00:19:41] You spent about a year.
[00:19:42] You come to the end of a year
[00:19:44] because I know your commitment
[00:19:46] or your commitment in your heart
[00:19:47] was to stay there much longer.
[00:19:49] But things happen.
[00:19:50] You get to the place where,
[00:19:52] how do you end up in Colorado?
[00:19:53] Like what were toward the end there
[00:19:56] that what does that look like?
[00:19:58] How, because I mean,
[00:19:59] you're not looking to another big move
[00:20:01] at the end of a one big move.
[00:20:03] So how does that get spurred up?
[00:20:06] Other than the circumstances
[00:20:07] that the circumstances aren't so important
[00:20:09] as much as how where you are.
[00:20:12] Yeah, I'm so thankful for the way God will confirm things.
[00:20:16] So when we left Calvary Tucson,
[00:20:18] I had a general mindset of two years
[00:20:20] for the young adults ministry.
[00:20:22] And then I'm going to see what happens.
[00:20:24] That could be I'm the young adult guy
[00:20:26] for 10 years or indefinitely,
[00:20:28] but I'm not going to give it anything less than two years.
[00:20:31] God provided a friend of mine actually came
[00:20:33] who wanted we were looking at him
[00:20:34] to be the young adult guy before he left town
[00:20:36] and I connected with him.
[00:20:38] He's like, yeah, I'm going to come back to town.
[00:20:40] I'd love to do ministry.
[00:20:41] Hey, when you coming back
[00:20:42] and it was the exact month
[00:20:44] that would be my two year market
[00:20:46] at the young adults ministry there.
[00:20:49] Similar thing happened in Missouri.
[00:20:51] It was like, I'm not going to consider doing anything else
[00:20:54] for a full year.
[00:20:56] And I want to hear from God.
[00:20:58] I want to let things settle there
[00:21:00] and just kind of just experience.
[00:21:02] I didn't even know what we were going to experience.
[00:21:05] I had very loose expectations.
[00:21:08] I had high hopes, but I had loose expectations
[00:21:11] and kind of learning.
[00:21:13] I was just like, feeling like maybe
[00:21:16] I wasn't a great fit for the culture there.
[00:21:18] And I had spoken with the pastor there about it as well
[00:21:21] and he kind of saw the same thing.
[00:21:23] So I'm just praying through that
[00:21:25] and around the year mark
[00:21:29] as I'm praying through things
[00:21:31] my wife asked me, hey,
[00:21:33] what is it that you really want?
[00:21:35] What do you wanting to do?
[00:21:36] What do you feel called to do?
[00:21:37] And I said, well, you know,
[00:21:39] God's equipped me in all these different areas
[00:21:41] through the years of ministry,
[00:21:43] but man, I would just pipe dream.
[00:21:45] Like I would just love to work with a creative team
[00:21:47] and write and record
[00:21:49] and really just pour into worship.
[00:21:52] And that was a few weeks later,
[00:21:56] I got an invitation
[00:21:58] that was pretty much verbatim
[00:22:01] what I told my wife.
[00:22:03] And so after talking with the pastor there,
[00:22:06] it was clear like this was an opportunity
[00:22:09] that God was leading me in.
[00:22:11] And one more cool thing that the Lord confirmed
[00:22:14] was I was, as I was starting to process,
[00:22:18] okay, another move really,
[00:22:20] like do I want to do this?
[00:22:22] And I was recalling the life of Abraham
[00:22:24] and how he had gone to Egypt
[00:22:26] after getting to the Promised Land.
[00:22:28] And so I stopped and I was like,
[00:22:30] Lord, am I leaving the Promised Land now
[00:22:32] to go to Egypt?
[00:22:33] Like is this a temptation
[00:22:35] that's drawing me out?
[00:22:37] And then I remembered,
[00:22:39] but Abraham went to Iran
[00:22:41] before the Promised Land as well.
[00:22:43] And so I'm just kind of praying through that.
[00:22:45] Like was this just a place where you wanted me to learn
[00:22:48] and then move on to the next thing?
[00:22:50] Or am I overshooting?
[00:22:52] And I need to wait and stay here a little longer.
[00:22:55] And I felt like it was the stirring to move forward.
[00:22:58] And so when we announced it to the elders there
[00:23:01] in the church in Missouri,
[00:23:03] one of the men, one of the elders,
[00:23:06] he said, you know, Sean,
[00:23:08] I just feel like a word for the Lord for you,
[00:23:12] something a friend shared with me.
[00:23:14] His life verse was in Abraham,
[00:23:16] dwelt in Heran.
[00:23:18] And our pastor there was like,
[00:23:20] that's a random text.
[00:23:22] You want to like expound on that?
[00:23:24] And he's like, yeah.
[00:23:25] So he's like my friend,
[00:23:26] he said he never wanted to stop short of what God had for him.
[00:23:29] And so that was his life verse
[00:23:31] and Abraham dwelt in Heran.
[00:23:33] And so I just felt like I needed to share that with you, Sean.
[00:23:35] I hadn't said a word to him about that.
[00:23:38] And I just, I looked at him and I'm like,
[00:23:40] thank you for sharing that.
[00:23:42] And God just gave me a peace.
[00:23:44] Because we honestly,
[00:23:45] we did not want to move across the country again.
[00:23:47] Right.
[00:23:48] But it's a big one with God here.
[00:23:49] Yeah.
[00:23:50] God had his hands, his handprints on it.
[00:23:52] And the transition out was very sweet.
[00:23:56] The church in Missouri had a very sweet send off
[00:24:00] and we're still connected with them.
[00:24:03] Yeah.
[00:24:04] That was, I'm grateful for that confirmation.
[00:24:07] And so what was the church that invited you out?
[00:24:09] Oh, it was this church.
[00:24:10] Oh, was this church?
[00:24:11] This church.
[00:24:12] Was it me or was it Josh?
[00:24:13] It was you.
[00:24:14] Am I the one that gave you that?
[00:24:15] Yeah.
[00:24:16] So let me give you that perspective from our perspective.
[00:24:20] We're always knocking on doors here.
[00:24:23] Not to disrupt ministry anywhere.
[00:24:26] That's not our desire.
[00:24:27] But we're knocking on doors with friendships
[00:24:29] and relationships.
[00:24:31] And then we get to these seasons in this church
[00:24:33] and we sit back and we think, wouldn't it be great?
[00:24:36] That's kind of how it starts.
[00:24:37] Wouldn't it be great?
[00:24:38] And then we're like, what would be great?
[00:24:40] Wouldn't it be great to create a team?
[00:24:42] Like how the way you just described is very interesting.
[00:24:44] But wouldn't it be great to create a team
[00:24:48] where the environment,
[00:24:50] even as we're starting to work on it now,
[00:24:53] like the environment could be where there is a cultivation
[00:24:57] of music and worship and beauty in that area of ministry.
[00:25:03] And then we start asking,
[00:25:04] we're like, I think we're ready for this.
[00:25:06] I think we can knock on some doors and just see
[00:25:10] and just like who knows?
[00:25:12] And I like what you said too,
[00:25:13] because you were in a perspective.
[00:25:15] Because I used to not do this.
[00:25:17] I used to not do this.
[00:25:19] I used to not make that phone call.
[00:25:20] I used to not do the text.
[00:25:21] I don't know how, when it was, then I changed my mind.
[00:25:24] But you just gave me the reason why.
[00:25:26] I know why God changed my mind,
[00:25:28] even though I don't remember exactly when it was.
[00:25:30] And that is there's some guy out there is going,
[00:25:32] you know what, Lord?
[00:25:33] If you want me to do something,
[00:25:35] you're going to put it on the pastor's heart.
[00:25:37] And I'm like, there's things on my heart all the time.
[00:25:39] But in the early days, I had a fear.
[00:25:42] And I don't know if it's real or not of disrupting a church
[00:25:46] or like I have no desire to take or like pastor sometimes.
[00:25:50] I don't want to steal anyone.
[00:25:52] Right.
[00:25:53] But I also don't now, I still have that mindset.
[00:25:57] But now I add to that, but I also should ask
[00:26:01] and let them make the decision like I'm not,
[00:26:04] I'm not doing anything because all I am is asking.
[00:26:06] I don't know where it's going to lead,
[00:26:08] but laying it on the table there and then finding out.
[00:26:11] I mean, I don't remember all the details like the lineup,
[00:26:13] but you were here fast, man.
[00:26:15] Like you guys got out here pretty quick.
[00:26:18] You had some things to finish well
[00:26:20] and we made that space,
[00:26:21] but like things were happening pretty, pretty quickly.
[00:26:23] And I asked now.
[00:26:26] Yeah.
[00:26:27] Yeah.
[00:26:28] I get a lot of no's that way though.
[00:26:29] And it wasn't as random as the text was at the time.
[00:26:33] Yes.
[00:26:34] It was prefaced by our conversation we had
[00:26:37] before I even left Calvary Tucson.
[00:26:39] I remember it.
[00:26:40] Yeah.
[00:26:41] And I had told you and I told Josh,
[00:26:42] I said, hey, I'm not considering anything
[00:26:44] for like a full year.
[00:26:45] But you remember too.
[00:26:46] And do you remember what we said?
[00:26:48] I think I said it,
[00:26:49] but maybe Josh and I were at the table right in front
[00:26:51] of the cafe in Tucson.
[00:26:53] Yeah.
[00:26:54] It's like, bro, if we knew you were praying about leaving,
[00:26:56] we would have asked you a year ago.
[00:26:58] Right.
[00:26:59] But I think that mindset too is like, no,
[00:27:01] like I also feel like,
[00:27:02] and this is like a good discussion with the details
[00:27:05] where I also sense like,
[00:27:07] I really don't want to manipulate anything.
[00:27:10] Yeah.
[00:27:11] I really don't want to make anything happen.
[00:27:13] I don't want to have someone move here
[00:27:15] and serve at the church here like on my word.
[00:27:17] Right.
[00:27:18] Because if you're here on my word,
[00:27:20] then it's not going to work because the enemy
[00:27:22] will throw it at and things will be misunderstood
[00:27:25] or because we're human.
[00:27:26] But if you're here on God's word
[00:27:28] when all those disagreements
[00:27:29] or this misunderstandings happen,
[00:27:31] you know, it's like,
[00:27:32] no man, the Lord has me here.
[00:27:33] So this is just part of the package instead of,
[00:27:35] yeah, come, we're going to make it.
[00:27:37] We're going to take good care of you.
[00:27:39] Like, no, I don't know what we're going to do,
[00:27:41] but we have an opening.
[00:27:42] Do you want it?
[00:27:43] Do you think you and your wife want to serve here?
[00:27:45] And so it's pretty exciting.
[00:27:47] So, you know, you guys listening in,
[00:27:49] it's just the, I wanted to share with Sean
[00:27:51] some of the back end,
[00:27:53] just so you know, it's not one size fits all
[00:27:55] when you're taking steps of faith.
[00:27:57] And for a brother like Sean, he's all in.
[00:28:00] I'm also all in.
[00:28:02] However, when I moved to Colorado,
[00:28:04] it was hard.
[00:28:06] I was fearful, anxious.
[00:28:08] I was here for one week
[00:28:11] and or maybe two weeks, one or two weeks.
[00:28:13] I start my new job.
[00:28:15] It is absolutely insane.
[00:28:16] It was not what they promised
[00:28:18] and it was hard.
[00:28:19] And then going on like,
[00:28:21] there was already a church planted.
[00:28:24] And so I picked up the phone and I called my boss
[00:28:26] and I'm like, we're coming back.
[00:28:28] We're coming back is my job still open.
[00:28:30] I knew it was because it's only two weeks
[00:28:31] and it takes a long time to fill that kind of job.
[00:28:33] And he's like, hey Eddie boy, come on back,
[00:28:36] man, your office is still empty.
[00:28:37] And Marie is in this a rented apartment
[00:28:39] with a crying baby in the other room going,
[00:28:42] hang up the phone.
[00:28:44] We are not going back.
[00:28:46] And it's like, oh, it was so hard.
[00:28:48] And we got through that trial, got through that trial.
[00:28:51] Like it was so much warfare waiting for us here
[00:28:54] that even though I am all in and I made the decision,
[00:28:57] I also was like finding out,
[00:28:59] I wanted to weigh out like,
[00:29:01] I don't think this is for me
[00:29:02] because there's too much warfare.
[00:29:04] Well, pain and disappointment.
[00:29:07] Like we wouldn't step out into that if we knew how much was there,
[00:29:11] but that is it's required.
[00:29:13] It's almost required for depending on where you're at
[00:29:16] and you're matured in your faith.
[00:29:17] Like we had to step out into some kind of disappointment.
[00:29:21] And I think I had shared at staff meeting learning,
[00:29:24] I think how much hope I had in the ministry role
[00:29:28] I had in Tucson, maybe how much identity I had in that
[00:29:32] to all of a sudden not have that.
[00:29:34] I didn't realize how much I was standing on that shaky ground
[00:29:38] and not on the rock of Jesus Christ.
[00:29:40] And it's not universal.
[00:29:42] It's not one size fits all,
[00:29:43] but I will say that what is universal is staying in the word,
[00:29:46] staying in prayer and being sensitive,
[00:29:49] like being open-handed and having an excitement
[00:29:52] of what God might call you into.
[00:29:55] And God will use the scriptures to confirm in your life.
[00:29:59] And matching that with obedience.
[00:30:01] I mean, that's the last Abraham gets the call,
[00:30:03] but he had to leave like he had to obey.
[00:30:06] So thanks for being here.
[00:30:08] We end another episode of Lead to Serve.
[00:30:10] And so appreciate you guys giving us your feedback,
[00:30:13] staying in touch with us, collaborating with us.
[00:30:16] Again, you can reach me, text me directly, 720-608-0012,
[00:30:23] 720-608-0012.
[00:30:27] You can also email me at ed at edtaylor.org
[00:30:30] and be looking for the collaborative work of worship
[00:30:33] and what God's wanting to do.
[00:30:35] It's a pretty exciting time of what he wants to take,
[00:30:38] our worship and creative and music ministry,
[00:30:41] just everything about it.
[00:30:42] We don't even know yet.
[00:30:43] It's very exciting.
[00:30:44] So pray for Sean and Angela and the team
[00:30:46] and pray for yourself taking a step of faith.
[00:30:48] I wonder how many people are listening right now
[00:30:51] that God's brought you to a place of faith
[00:30:53] and all that's required is obedience.
[00:30:56] And here's Pastor Sean's story.
[00:30:58] He's like, okay, let's go forward, honey, and just step out.
[00:31:00] Let us know.
[00:31:01] We'd love to hear your stories.
[00:31:02] Until next time, God bless you and stay close to the Lord.
[00:31:06] Thank you for joining us for this episode of Lead to Serve
[00:31:09] with Pastor Ed Taylor,
[00:31:10] a leadership podcast from Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado.
[00:31:14] If you have a leadership question you want to hear answered
[00:31:16] on a future Lead to Serve podcast,
[00:31:18] please email it to pastored at calvaryco.ch.
[00:31:22] And if you like our podcast,
[00:31:23] please subscribe, rate or review us on iTunes
[00:31:26] and share us with your friends on social media.
[00:31:29] Thanks again for joining us
[00:31:30] and we'll see you next time right here
[00:31:32] on the Lead to Serve podcast.
