1, 2, 3.
Speaker BWelcome to the Rap Report with your host, Andrew Rapaport, where we provide biblical interpretation and application.
Speaker BThis is a ministry of striving for eternity in the Christian podcast community.
Speaker AFor more content or to request a.
Speaker BSpeaker for your church, go to strivingforeternity.org.
Speaker AWell, welcome to another edition of the Rap Report.
Speaker AI'm your host, Andrew Rapaport, the executive director of Striving for Eternity and the Christian podcast community of which this podcast is a proud member.
Speaker AWe are here to give you biblical interpretations and applications for the Christian life.
Speaker AAnd I am joined by my friend of one year, Caleb Gordon.
Speaker AHow you doing, Pastor?
Speaker BI'm wonderful, my friend.
Speaker BHappy anniversary.
Speaker AYou reached out to me and said, hey, it's the one year anniversary since we, we met.
Speaker AAnd I was like, you know, it's.
Speaker AWhich meant it was a one year anniversary since we recorded together.
Speaker AI said, well, why don't I have you on my podcast?
Speaker AI think I was on yours last time and then replayed it on mine.
Speaker ASo this time I'm on.
Speaker AYou're on my podcast.
Speaker BWe'll see if he.
Speaker ACome on, we'll see if he replays it on his.
Speaker BCan do it.
Speaker BIt cracked me up because we.
Speaker BIt.
Speaker BIt.
Speaker BYou know, social media gives you.
Speaker BHey, here's your memories.
Speaker BAnd okay, that was.
Speaker BI mean, we met officially at Fight Laugh Feast last year in Fort Worth, Texas, and you were incognito because you had a beard and I did not recognize you and you were at my table for 20 minutes.
Speaker BI was on podcast row and I was just standing there.
Speaker BYou came to my table and just visited.
Speaker BMoving like just all home week.
Speaker BAnd, and I would just like.
Speaker BHe just introduced himself as Andrew and I was like, okay, cool.
Speaker BThis is Andrew.
Speaker BIt's fantastic.
Speaker BI'm really glad to meet you, Andrew.
Speaker BThanks for coming by my table.
Speaker BAnd then Greg walks by and goes, what's Greg Moore from Walking Dead Man Walking walks by.
Speaker BHe's like, what's up, Rap Report?
Speaker BAnd I was like, wait a second.
Speaker BMy brain, like, connected.
Speaker BLike the two hemispheres connected.
Speaker BIt was like, Andrew, wrap up.
Speaker BWait a second, I know this guy.
Speaker BI've watched your stuff online.
Speaker BAnd then as soon as I started looking at you again through that lens, I was like, oh, well, he's okay.
Speaker BHoly cow, he's standing at my table.
Speaker BAnd he.
Speaker BAnd I said, wait, you're Andrew Rapaport?
Speaker BAnd you said, yeah, most people get over pretty quick.
Speaker AWell, hey, it's, it's good having you on this way.
Speaker AYou know, my, my audience can get to know a little bit about you.
Speaker AFirst off, you are a pastor.
Speaker ASo let's talk about the church you're pastoring, which, by the way, folks, you know, I travel one hour to church because I, I'm in a good church.
Speaker AI moved and so.
Speaker ABut I'm not going to leave the church.
Speaker AThat's good.
Speaker ASo I moved my bride and I travel one hour one way, at least two days a week.
Speaker AThis week will be three.
Speaker ABut we do that because that's what you do for a good church.
Speaker ABut you're the reverse.
Speaker AYou pastor a church that's an hour away.
Speaker ASo let's talk about your church first and then why you're in Bartlettsville because you, you have some history there.
Speaker BBartlesville.
Speaker BEverybody calls it Bartletsville because that's, that's phonetically how it's spelled.
Speaker BSo Bartlesville.
Speaker BBut it's fine.
Speaker BI don'.
Speaker BCare.
Speaker AHe says he doesn't care, but notice he corrected me how fast he, he corrected me as fast as a Democrat complains about Trump.
Speaker BNever mind.
Speaker BI'm gonna be quiet.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BSo my church, I've been pastoring six years.
Speaker BOctober is our six year anniversary there.
Speaker BWe have had a blast there.
Speaker BWe, we love the people.
Speaker BIt was the wildest.
Speaker BI, I used to just do a ton of itinerant speaking, pulpit filling things of that nature.
Speaker BIt's, I mean, I was at my dad's church.
Speaker BThat was our home churches of my, My dad pastored at Trinity Baptist church for almost 35 years.
Speaker BHe went to Gloria in 2021.
Speaker BBut that's where our home church was.
Speaker BSo we just, that's where we landed.
Speaker BThat's where we, we spent time ministering there and helping there.
Speaker BBut I was often traveling and speaking in different circuits in different places, different churches.
Speaker BAnd there was a lady who played piano at my dad's church and she said, I guess.
Speaker BAnd she grew up in the church that I'm now pastoring.
Speaker BAnd so there was a group of people that were.
Speaker BAs if you're not a Baptist.
Speaker BIt's called the search committee.
Speaker BAnd there was a search committee that was.
Speaker BAnd a pulpit fill committee.
Speaker BIf you're a Baptist, you got to have at least 15 committee committees.
Speaker AAnd then you need the committees to decide which committees you should have.
Speaker BYes, yes.
Speaker BSo there's, we're, we're setting up all, there's all these committees and there's a lady on one of the committees for the pulpit supply.
Speaker BAnd Marjorie gave my name to Pam.
Speaker BAnd Pam called me one summer afternoon was like, hey, you don't know me, but we're.
Speaker BI'm part of the pulpit fill committee at my church here at First Baptist Church in Cedarville, Kansas.
Speaker BAnd we would love it if you'd come fill our pulpit for a couple Sundays in July.
Speaker BWe need some pulpits.
Speaker BPulpit supply.
Speaker BI said, let me look at my calendar, make sure.
Speaker BSure enough, I had the time.
Speaker BSo I said, sure, I'll come.
Speaker BThose two Sundays I preach, I get off of the stage, I come out, and it's an.
Speaker BI mean, you've been there, you've preached in the church.
Speaker BSo, you know, I came off the platform and there was this lady, and she just said, the Lord's impressed on.
Speaker BThe Lord is a press impressed upon me.
Speaker BWhich I'm immediately going.
Speaker BAnytime I hear somebody say God told me, or the Lord impressed upon me, I'm immediately like, yeah, I don't know about that.
Speaker BThat's probably not gonna.
Speaker BThat's probably not true.
Speaker BBut she said, the Lord impressed upon me.
Speaker BI think you're gonna be our pastor.
Speaker BAnd I was like, yeah, I don't think so.
Speaker BI'm in love.
Speaker BI love what I'm doing.
Speaker BIt's gonna be.
Speaker BI enjoy doing what I'm doing.
Speaker BI'm in a healthy church environment.
Speaker BI'm not interested in.
Speaker BIn.
Speaker BI don't know, you people.
Speaker BAnd she was like, well, when she goes, just the old.
Speaker BOld Baptist lady, she's like, well, we'll see about that.
Speaker BAnd I just was like, that's.
Speaker BThat's so funny.
Speaker BAnd I came back and preached on and off there for a few months.
Speaker BActually, it was close to a year.
Speaker BThey went without a pastor for a year.
Speaker BAnd so I was off and on for a year filling the pulpit.
Speaker BAnd I was.
Speaker BI was working.
Speaker BAt the time, I was working in the oil field world.
Speaker BI was doing pipeline oil.
Speaker BGosh.
Speaker BI just went.
Speaker BPig tracking is what it's called.
Speaker BI know.
Speaker BThis is pig.
Speaker BI'm tracking pig.
Speaker BPig.
Speaker BAnd it's like a.
Speaker BIt's an electronic device that goes through the oil pipes that deliver oil, and it checks the integrity of the walls and make sure there's no cracks.
Speaker BAnd all I had to do was sit and wait for it to go by and log it in a spreadsheet.
Speaker BMade insane money, like, dumb money.
Speaker BBut I was never home.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BSo.
Speaker BSo I just.
Speaker BAnd so I was home one weekend, and they asked me to preach.
Speaker BAnd I was like, okay.
Speaker AAnd.
Speaker BThey.
Speaker BThen they called after that, that next week.
Speaker BThey said, would you just come visit with us?
Speaker BWe.
Speaker BWe want to Visit with you about being our pastor.
Speaker BJust come up and visit with us.
Speaker BYou've been doing this almost a year.
Speaker BJust come visit with us, please.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BAnd I was like, okay, cool.
Speaker BAll right, fine.
Speaker BWe'll come up.
Speaker BSo Jamie and I drove up there, and it was in September of 19 and end of September 19th.
Speaker BAlmost.
Speaker BAlmost October.
Speaker BEnd of September.
Speaker ASo before.
Speaker ABefore things.
Speaker ABefore people really lost their minds.
Speaker BThis is before COVID And we thought.
Speaker APeople were insane back then, but we didn't really realize.
Speaker AWe didn't realize how common sense they were back then.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker B100.
Speaker BSo we go up there.
Speaker BJamie and I go up there, and I'm thinking, it's just going to be the search committee, right?
Speaker BThey're going to just do a Q A with us and ask us all the things.
Speaker BAnd I was like, okay, I'll kill this in Q A. I'm.
Speaker BI'm reformed.
Speaker BThey're not going to like me.
Speaker BYou know, all the things, right?
Speaker BSo I'm thinking I can just kill this in.
Speaker BIn the.
Speaker BIn the Q A. I walk in.
Speaker BI mean, the outside of the church, there's cars everywhere.
Speaker BAnd I was like, oh, this isn't just the search committee.
Speaker BI mean, these.
Speaker BThey had a dinner.
Speaker BBaptist.
Speaker BThey had a dinner, and the fellowship hall was slammed with people.
Speaker BIt was a three hour, no holds barred Q A of everybody in the church.
Speaker BAnd I was like, nice, awesome.
Speaker BAnd we just let it.
Speaker BI mean, every.
Speaker BAnd I just told him.
Speaker BI was like, nothing's off the table.
Speaker BWhat do you want to talk about?
Speaker BName it.
Speaker BClint, let's go.
Speaker BJust.
Speaker BLet's go.
Speaker BHow do you want to go?
Speaker BAnd so we get done.
Speaker BAnd my wife.
Speaker BThis.
Speaker BThat is not my wife's wheelhouse.
Speaker BShe is the behind the scenes, quiet.
Speaker BDoesn't want the.
Speaker BDoesn't want the stage, doesn't want the platform.
Speaker BShe doesn't want anything.
Speaker BShe's like, I don't like this, Caleb.
Speaker BThis is your wheelhouse.
Speaker BYou're the guy in front.
Speaker AI don't like.
Speaker BShe's.
Speaker BI was like, you're with me, baby.
Speaker BShe's like, I know, I know, but I'm just telling you, I don't like it.
Speaker BSo three hours of just asking every question, and because I've been preaching there for almost a year, they knew about.
Speaker BThey knew.
Speaker AThey knew you.
Speaker AYou knew them a bit.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BIt wasn't me just walking in, just cold turkey, just saying, hey, I'm reformed.
Speaker BHere's, you know, all the things, right?
Speaker BI.
Speaker BAnd at that time, what's interesting, I wasn't I wasn't postmail by the.
Speaker BI was still a dispensationalist.
Speaker AYeah, so you went for you, you were good when you got there and you lost it.
Speaker BYeah, sure.
Speaker BSo I had all the things.
Speaker BWhich is funny because there's a lot of folks that are in that church that are actually postmo or Amel.
Speaker BThere's, in that camp, there's a lot of post and all male folks that are already there, which I did not know that going in.
Speaker BAnd so I was walking into some hostile territory.
Speaker BAnd they did.
Speaker BBut they were very gracious, they were very kind.
Speaker BBut so we, we got through with the Q A and I was just thinking they just, I mean they hugged us and said thank you and that was it.
Speaker BThere was no, hey, we're going to get back with you, we're gonna think.
Speaker AAbout it, we're gonna pray about it.
Speaker BWe'Re gonna, we're gonna vote, we're gonna something.
Speaker BIt was just everybody gave us hugs, said thanks for coming up.
Speaker BAnd I was drove home.
Speaker BI was like, okay, maybe, maybe we're not gonna, okay, cool, we'll just keep doing what we're doing.
Speaker BBecause I'm thinking in my head, I'm keep doing what I'm doing anyways.
Speaker BIf I don't, if I don't get this, I'm going to continue doing what I have been doing for the last 12 years.
Speaker BAnd so I'll just, I'll just keep plugging along, we'll make it work.
Speaker BAnd we told, basically we told him what we could do, what we couldn't do.
Speaker BAt the time, my parents health was really, really bad.
Speaker BAnd so I was taking care of my parents and my brother and I were like, between the two of us, we were tag teaming, taking care of my, my dad and his health.
Speaker BAnd so I was like, man, I'm not moving an hour away from my dad at this point in his life.
Speaker BJust, I'm just not going to do it because if something happens I, I'm literally five minutes from his house.
Speaker BSo.
Speaker BAnd then my, our kids were all just neck deep in school stuff and, and they had, I mean, just neck deep in all kinds of stuff.
Speaker BSo I was like, we're not uprooting people, especially if they're.
Speaker BOne of them was a junior, one was a sophomore, one was a freshman and you got.
Speaker BNo, our youngest at the time.
Speaker BSo he, I just was like, we're not going to do this.
Speaker BSo I told him what we could do, what we couldn't do, what we're willing to do.
Speaker BIs like, man, I'm willing to be here at least two to three times a week.
Speaker BYou know, Sundays, Wednesdays, funerals, weddings, you name it.
Speaker BWe can special events, whatever.
Speaker BAnd I.
Speaker BWe went home.
Speaker BWell, that next Tuesday after.
Speaker BSo that was like a Thursday night.
Speaker BSo the.
Speaker BThere's a Thursday night.
Speaker BSo no Saturday.
Speaker BThat Saturday I get a text message that just said, hey, we're voting on you Sunday.
Speaker AI thought you were going to say.
Speaker AThey said they already voted.
Speaker BWell, no, they.
Speaker BIf they waited till Sunday to do.
Speaker BThey had a special business meeting.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BOn Sunday.
Speaker BAnd they.
Speaker BAnd I had already made up in my mind, if it's not 100%, I'm not going because I'm not going to a fight.
Speaker BI'm just not going.
Speaker BAnd I didn't tell them that because I never want to, like, play my hands ahead of time so that there's, you know, finagling or whatever.
Speaker BI just was like, in my mind, if it's not 100%, yes, I'm just.
Speaker BI'm not going.
Speaker BLike, I just don't want to go.
Speaker BSo.
Speaker BAnd I didn't tell them that.
Speaker BNothing.
Speaker BSo we are at church.
Speaker BWe're going to church.
Speaker BAfterwards, we went.
Speaker BAte at Senior Salsa's, our favorite Mexican restaurant here in Bartlesville.
Speaker BAnd I get a text message and it just says, 100.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker BWhen can you start?
Speaker BAnd I picked my phone up and I looked at Jamie and I was like, handed it to her, and I was like, crud.
Speaker BI guess we're going, kid.
Speaker BAnd we've been there six years.
Speaker BWe haven't looked back, and it's been fantastic.
Speaker BWell, I've had a blast.
Speaker AAnd you.
Speaker AYou've been there through Covid and all that.
Speaker BThat was wild.
Speaker AI mean, yeah, you were just.
Speaker BYou're.
Speaker AI mean, you're the new pastor having to go through Covid and.
Speaker AAnd all that.
Speaker BWe.
Speaker BWe went remote for a month.
Speaker BAnd I, you know, I'm.
Speaker BAnd I'm watching guys like John MacArthur, and I'm watching all these guys that are doing all these different things.
Speaker BAnd I. I'm like, I'm not going to.
Speaker BLike, this is nuts.
Speaker BI'm looking at the riots and looking all this stuff.
Speaker BI'm like, wait a second, I can go to Walmart, I can go to Home Depot, I can go to Lowe's, but we can't go to church.
Speaker BAnd I just said, we're opening back up.
Speaker BLike, we were shut down for a month remote.
Speaker BWe had remote services.
Speaker BAnd I just said, what we'll do is we'll we'll do Facebook Live.
Speaker BI'm here, doors are open, you can come.
Speaker BSo they, people started slowly showing back up.
Speaker BAnd then fast forward, people are like, oh, we love having Facebook Live.
Speaker BWe can watch you in our pajamas.
Speaker BAnd I was like, well, you shouldn't have told me that.
Speaker BNow we're not doing that.
Speaker BYeah, we haven't done Facebook Live since then.
Speaker BWell, I did.
Speaker BWe did it.
Speaker BWe do it for like funerals and people like, are watching from Houston or whatever.
Speaker BSo we do Facebook Live for, for funerals, but we, we record the sermons and then we'll post them after the service.
Speaker BSo we shut down all our Facebook Live stuff.
Speaker BMan.
Speaker BWe were running 8, 900 people watching on Sundays and I was like, nope, we're killing it.
Speaker BLike, because people are, that are local.
Speaker BThey're sitting on the couch or laying in bed in their pajamas, not going to church.
Speaker BIt's like, I'm not going to be that.
Speaker BI'm not going to be the pastor that allows you to have the excuse to, to stay home and not come.
Speaker BBe a part of the fellowship of the saints.
Speaker AAnd that's something that speaks to your character.
Speaker ABecause there's a lot of guys, if they're seeing 900 people watching, they start saying, hey, I'm getting an audience.
Speaker AI'm going to placate to them.
Speaker AAnd, and I've seen guys who, they're really not preaching to their church.
Speaker AThere's the preaching for who's watching online.
Speaker AAnd that starts to, you start to lose where the focus is.
Speaker AIf you're shepherding people, shepherd those people.
Speaker BI love my people.
Speaker BLike I, I genuinely love my people.
Speaker BAnd they are just, they're salty earth farmers and ranchers and, and just blue collar guys, nurses and teachers.
Speaker BAnd we got, we got a bunch of teachers in there.
Speaker BAnd I just, man, I, I love like our, our Wednesday night.
Speaker BWe have Wednesday night awana programs for our kids.
Speaker BThere's 125 kids in the school system in that town.
Speaker BBetween 60 and 80 kids come every Wednesday night.
Speaker BLike, it.
Speaker BLook, I, I want to, I want to help sew into and love the people in front of me.
Speaker BI've learned really quickly through having this podcast, my podcast and doing online things people will praise you and make.
Speaker BIf you get built up and get excited about people's praise online when they hate you, it'll kill you.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BAnd so I'm like, well, or, or.
Speaker AYou just got to learn to ignore it.
Speaker BI don't read the comments.
Speaker BI don't read comments.
Speaker ASo comments are stupid.
Speaker APeople May be thinking, well, why don't you pick up and move closer to church?
Speaker AI mean, you're driving an hour one way to church several times a week.
Speaker AYou, you got some history in Bartlesville.
Speaker ADid I say it right this time?
Speaker BSo we moved here in 86.
Speaker BUm, we have some really deep seat, deep seated connections here and, and things that we're, we do ministry stuff here that we've been doing for decades.
Speaker BAnd so we're still, we have, we are rooted in Bartlesville just because we've, we've been here forever and we know all the people.
Speaker BMy wife actually works for.
Speaker BShe's a front office manager for one of the real estate agents here in town for Keller Williams.
Speaker BMy son goes to school at Wesley Christian School.
Speaker BStill.
Speaker BI might have three.
Speaker BI have four kids total.
Speaker BMy.
Speaker BOur three oldest are moved out.
Speaker BTwo of them are married.
Speaker BI'm fixing to be a grandpa, by the way.
Speaker BCan't wait.
Speaker BThat's gonna be awesome.
Speaker ASo.
Speaker AIt is.
Speaker ATrust me, it's the best.
Speaker BI'm just saying.
Speaker BI can't wait.
Speaker AJust saying.
Speaker BBut you get to meet Gabe and Kenzie.
Speaker BThey were at the conference last year.
Speaker ABut you're.
Speaker AI mean, your, your dad has some history there, right?
Speaker AHe was, He's.
Speaker AI mean, you're very well known because of your dad.
Speaker ASomewhat, but sure.
Speaker AYou know, also because you're, you're very active in your community.
Speaker AI'm for people listening.
Speaker AYou know, when Caleb and I went around his town, like we're going into shops, everyone knows who he is.
Speaker AEveryone knows him.
Speaker AIf you listen to his podcast, he's interviewing the guy that runs the Chick Fil A there.
Speaker AHe.
Speaker AI mean, it's, it's.
Speaker AThere's a lot of local people that, that know him well.
Speaker AAnd, and so you had the roots there.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker AYou know, but why, why didn't you pick up and move to be closer to the church?
Speaker AI mean, some, some would say, oh, but you could, you could do more if you're by the church.
Speaker AYou could, you could minister more there.
Speaker BSure.
Speaker BAnd I, and this we had.
Speaker BI had to reevaluate a lot of things there because what works here ministry wise doesn't work ministry wise in Cedarville.
Speaker BLike, they're just.
Speaker BIt's a different mindset up there.
Speaker BAnd that's not to knock them.
Speaker BThat's just who they are.
Speaker BAnd I had to, I had to learn because I got frustrated in the beginning because that was trying to implement and do things that I've always done here.
Speaker BAnd they're like why are we doing that?
Speaker BI was like, it was like, hey, we should go do a visitation night where we go knock on people's doors and talk to, talk to them about Jesus.
Speaker BAnd they're like, why would you do that?
Speaker BI was like, well, I mean, we want to grow the church.
Speaker BWe want to get to know the community.
Speaker BThey're like, no, no, no, no.
Speaker BPeople, people are not interested in that.
Speaker BIf you show up, that's actually going to give our church a bad name.
Speaker BPeople are not interested in hearing from anybody when they're home.
Speaker BThey're.
Speaker BBecause they're.
Speaker BEverybody has to drive at, you know, 45 minutes to an hour to go find work for the most part.
Speaker BAnd so when they come home, they're like, I'm not interested in visiting.
Speaker BI'm not interested in being.
Speaker BI'm done.
Speaker BAnd so I just had to just.
Speaker BThat was just how the mentality was at the town.
Speaker BAnd it's not.
Speaker BI mean, we've been doing it six years.
Speaker BI put a lot of miles on, on my cars because we, I mean, we're up there two and three and four times a week.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BAnd so we're there a lot.
Speaker BI mean that's not a, like we, I, I just did a funeral for a sweet, sweet, sweet member of our church who's been there since she was a little kid and, and just was a, she helped when the, the kids Sunday school classes, help with the music for the kids choir and did all these different things.
Speaker BSingle lady that just poured into kids.
Speaker BShe just, she loved on the babies and the kids and with just the sweet, sweet, sweet woman.
Speaker BAnd I was back and forth that week, multiple times, meeting with the family, having dinner, fellowshipping, doing all the things.
Speaker BIt just, you know, for me it's just, it's just an, it's 45 minute drive.
Speaker BSo it's not.
Speaker BThere's a lot of people that live in bigger cities, Dallas or New York or Jersey or whatever.
Speaker BThey're driving at least 45 minutes to get to church.
Speaker AAnd then.
Speaker BSo.
Speaker AAnd that's only two miles away.
Speaker BYeah, you probably walk it faster than driving, but.
Speaker BYeah, that's so, I mean we're, our mindset is, is we can still do ministry because we're still doing it.
Speaker BI mean, we're, we're doing, I mean, I was at a bonfire with a bunch of kids last night.
Speaker BWe were hanging out with a ton of students last night at a bonfire fellowship.
Speaker AAnd after, after the bonfire.
Speaker ARight, you got into a nice cold plunge, correct?
Speaker ANo, no, but I'm you got a cold plunge.
Speaker AI know that.
Speaker BI do have a cold plunge.
Speaker BThat's all your fault.
Speaker BI have it.
Speaker BI need to get.
Speaker BI need to get it out.
Speaker BI have not got it out during the summer because I just.
Speaker BI feel like that's.
Speaker BThat's not the real cold plunge because it's 112 here in.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AWell, see, you got it.
Speaker AYeah, you don't.
Speaker AThe one I got you doesn't have a chiller, so you actually have to throw ice in.
Speaker ABut in the winter, you know, it's fine.
Speaker AJust.
Speaker BOh, it's great.
Speaker AWe went to that one time your sons had to break it up with a shovel because the ice was, like, seven inches.
Speaker BYeah, we had.
Speaker BWe had you.
Speaker BThere was my.
Speaker BTwo of my sons and one of his buddies, and they had an I.
Speaker BThey had like a shovel and a couple of picks, and they were just beating that thing into it because, I mean, the ice was.
Speaker AIt was literally 6 or 7 inches thick.
Speaker BI mean, it was because it got so stinking cold, like, right before you all got here.
Speaker BThat's the weird thing about Oklahoma.
Speaker BMarch is usually start.
Speaker BThey start to warm up, but there's usually, like two weeks where it goes dumb and just freezes up.
Speaker BAnd.
Speaker BAbsolutely.
Speaker BIt is bananas when it comes to cold weather in March.
Speaker BYou're either.
Speaker BIt's either springtime and beautiful or 30 below.
Speaker BLike, the coldest I've ever seen.
Speaker BIt was like 28 below zero, and we had, like, 17 inches of snow.
Speaker BSo that.
Speaker BI mean, that's.
Speaker BI mean, it shuts the whole town down because we're not used to that.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASo you.
Speaker AYou're pastoring, but let's.
Speaker ALet's talk.
Speaker AI mean, I know there's some things we want to talk about, but I should.
Speaker AWe should mention the podcast.
Speaker ACaleb Gordon podcast.
Speaker BIt's.
Speaker AIt's obviously, you're very creative on the names.
Speaker BYou're the reason we.
Speaker BYou are the reason I changed the name.
Speaker BIt used to be called the Northfield Podcast, and people always thought it was like a big, deep, spiritual meaning.
Speaker BWhat's it mean by the North Field?
Speaker BDoes that mean, like, heaven, or.
Speaker BWhat does it mean?
Speaker BIt's like.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BMy wife, when we were dating, she lived in an apartment complex called the Northfield Duplexes.
Speaker BAnd I just thought that would be a cool name for something one day.
Speaker BAnd I called it the Northfield Podcast after my wife's duplexes she used to live in.
Speaker AHas a lot of meaning.
Speaker AIt tells you what it's about.
Speaker BYou were like, you're the one that's like, it's confusing.
Speaker BYou just need to have your.
Speaker BYou already have a website.
Speaker BWhy don't you just call it the Caleb Gordon Show?
Speaker AYou were calling it the corporate Caleb Gordon show on, you know, on a network that was only your show with a Northfield name.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, it was.
Speaker BIt was a whole complex now.
Speaker BI was.
Speaker BI was making it bigger than something in my mind.
Speaker BI thought it was bigger than what it was.
Speaker BAnd it just like, that's.
Speaker BThat was dumb.
Speaker BAnd you were like, you should just call it the Caleb Gordon Podcast.
Speaker BI was like, you ever seen Social Network with the story of Facebook where the guy sits down with Mark Zuckerberg and he looks at him and goes.
Speaker BBecause he called it the Facebook.
Speaker BAnd he's like, drop the.
Speaker BThe.
Speaker BJust make it Facebook.
Speaker BAnd you were like, you should just call it the Caleb Gordon Podcast.
Speaker BAnd I was like, okay, done.
Speaker BYeah, done.
Speaker ASo you're.
Speaker AYou are.
Speaker ALet's talk about some of the ministry that you do, because I think it'd be.
Speaker AIt'd be good for people to see you are one of the more creative people that I know when it comes to always looking for new ways to do ministry.
Speaker AAnd what I do hope that folks would get out of this is like, oh, hey, that's an idea I can do.
Speaker AThat's.
Speaker AYou know.
Speaker AYou know, I've watched you as even you go and get coffee.
Speaker BThe.
Speaker BThe.
Speaker AThey know who you are.
Speaker AYou're going.
Speaker AYou.
Speaker AYou like to, it seems, go to regular places where you get to know people.
Speaker AYou can keep sharing with them, dropping bits of.
Speaker AOf gospel, dropping bits of scripture, and just furthering conversations, it seem.
Speaker ABecause, like, some of the places we went, the people who knew who you were, you were just.
Speaker AIt was like you were just continuing conversations.
Speaker ABut then you're constantly using your backyard for fellowships.
Speaker AYou're.
Speaker ASo let's talk about some of the ministry you do.
Speaker AWhat is your.
Speaker AWhat's your out.
Speaker AYour.
Speaker AYour view of how to do ministry?
Speaker AWhat is it that kind of.
Speaker ASo not just ideas of ministry you do, but what motivates you to do it?
Speaker BSo I literally had a meeting.
Speaker BI met with multiple pastors and business leaders at a local cigar lounge Tuesday night.
Speaker BAnd that was one of the questions I got asked.
Speaker BAnd I just said, there's no such thing as a secular sacred divide.
Speaker BI looked at the guys at this deal, and I said, for me, there's no such thing as a secular sacred divide.
Speaker BEverything is sacred.
Speaker BEverything I do, whether it's.
Speaker BAnd I heard this growing up from my dad, from different people that he was connected with is that like everything's holy, everything's worship.
Speaker BBrushing your teeth is worship.
Speaker BLike everything is worship.
Speaker BSo everything you do has an opportunity to advance the kingdom of Christ.
Speaker BAnd so I've always had the mindset of I want to share Christ with people that I interact with on whatever level that happens to be.
Speaker BAnd so I, I go to like when I go to Walmart.
Speaker BAnd this is one of the things I always tell people.
Speaker BChristians should never say I'm bored because that's dumb.
Speaker BPeople that are bored in the Christian faith aren't doing anything because there's so much work to be done.
Speaker BThere's so many opportunities to share the gospel of Christ with.
Speaker BPeople go to Walmart, they have a name badge, they have their name badge, they're checking you out instead of just staring at your phone, ask questions, hey Andrew, how can I pray for you?
Speaker BAnd they'll immediately people go, what?
Speaker BWhat?
Speaker BLike I, so this, I'll tell you a wild story.
Speaker BSo there's the Walmart greeter, his name's Virgil.
Speaker BVirgil.
Speaker BI see him every Sunday morning.
Speaker BI go in to go pick up donuts for our Sunday school class.
Speaker BSo I've got, I get a stack of donuts for our Sunday school class and I take them to our, to church every Sunday.
Speaker BAnd every Sunday Virgil will be like, oh, you got your donuts, man.
Speaker BWhere are you going with those donuts?
Speaker BWhat do you, I see you every Sunday with all those donuts.
Speaker BWhat are you doing with those donuts?
Speaker BI was like, oh, take them to my church, man.
Speaker BI got these, I got a class of older ladies in there, some older guys.
Speaker BI got a Sunday school class of people, they'll, they'll full blown revolt if I don't have some sugar in there.
Speaker BSo I gotta have, I gotta have something.
Speaker BSo he's doing that, he's chuckling and so the next Sunday he's like, oh, you got your donuts for all your people in your Sunday school class.
Speaker BI sure do.
Speaker BAnd then we talk a little bit more.
Speaker BThis goes on for months.
Speaker BEvery Sunday I tell them a little bit more.
Speaker BTell me where you pastor.
Speaker BWhat, tell me what kind of church is it?
Speaker BWhat are you.
Speaker BBecause he's asking these questions.
Speaker BI'll take a couple minutes, two, three minutes just to just give him information.
Speaker BFast forward six months and it's a Tuesday and I'm in Walmart grabbing something and I walk through Virgil's at the, he goes, Caleb, come here, come here, come here.
Speaker BI gotta tell you something.
Speaker BWhat do you got, Virgil?
Speaker BHe goes, just want to let you know, I won't be here on Sunday.
Speaker BYou won't see me.
Speaker BI said, oh, you going on a trip?
Speaker BHe goes, nope, I'm going to church.
Speaker BI've been thinking about the things you and I have been talking about, and I found a church that I think I'm.
Speaker BI think will work.
Speaker BI'm going to go check it out and see what it's all about.
Speaker BYou and I, you've given me a lot of things to think about in this, our conversations that we've had.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BAnd I'm going to go to church on Sunday.
Speaker BI was like, that's great, man.
Speaker BI'm so excited.
Speaker BThat's awesome.
Speaker BTell me about it.
Speaker BI'll see you next.
Speaker BNext time I come in here, I want to hear about it.
Speaker BI want to know about it.
Speaker BNext time I saw him, I was like, hey, how was church?
Speaker BTell me how it went.
Speaker BHe goes, oh, that was great.
Speaker BThis is what happened.
Speaker BThis is what happened.
Speaker BAnd he's rearranged his entire work schedule.
Speaker BHe got off work, so he's not working on Sundays anymore.
Speaker BHe stopped working, told his boss at Walmart, I'm done working on Sundays.
Speaker BI'm going to church.
Speaker BHe rearranged his entire schedule to go.
Speaker BAnd, and, and rather than have a day off outside of Sunday, he took Sunday off so he can go to church.
Speaker AGood.
Speaker BAnd so, like, that's just.
Speaker BThose are the things that, like, I just.
Speaker BI look for avenues to just talk to people like my waiter and waitress.
Speaker BMy waiter or waitress that I'm at a restaurant, and you.
Speaker BYou and I did this when you were here.
Speaker BJust ask them questions, you know, hey, do you know how to get to heaven?
Speaker BJust.
Speaker BAnd they'll go, what.
Speaker BWhat.
Speaker BWhat do you mean?
Speaker BDo you know how to get to heaven?
Speaker BWell, no.
Speaker BThat's fantastic.
Speaker BI do.
Speaker BLet me tell you.
Speaker BSo we just.
Speaker AThat's great.
Speaker ALike, no, no, I don't.
Speaker AOkay, good.
Speaker AI. I do.
Speaker ALet me tell you.
Speaker BBecause I do.
Speaker BAnd I know how to get there.
Speaker BThis is how it happens.
Speaker BThis is what you got to do.
Speaker BAnd so.
Speaker BSo you.
Speaker BYou have these intentional conversations with people, and he never, never look at an oppor.
Speaker BYou know, as Rahm Emanuel used to say, never miss an opportunity.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AI don't think he used it quite that well.
Speaker BNot quite in that context yet.
Speaker BNo, no, no.
Speaker AFor folks who don't know Rahm Emanuel, he's a politician.
Speaker BA bad politician.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AUp in.
Speaker AI think he's in.
Speaker AI think he Was in Chicago.
Speaker AYeah, she was in Chicago.
Speaker AWorked under Obama.
Speaker AAnd his.
Speaker AHis quote, he was famous for was to never waste a crisis.
Speaker ASo, you know, if something goes wrong, it's like, no, how can we use that now?
Speaker ASee the.
Speaker ANow the Democrats have gone beyond that now because they say, how do we create a crisis so that we don't waste it?
Speaker ALet's shut down the government and then shut down.
Speaker ABut then they ended up wasting it because they got absolutely nothing out of it.
Speaker BYeah, he's the guy that's got, like, the face missing the finger like that.
Speaker BThese guys.
Speaker BHe's got ripped off.
Speaker BAnd I watched a documentary of that guy.
Speaker BHe was a fascinating individual.
Speaker BBut.
Speaker BYeah, but that's the mindset I have, is never miss an opportunity to advance the gospel in regular conversations, regular interactions with people.
Speaker BAnd I just.
Speaker BI just.
Speaker BThat's how I do these things.
Speaker BAnd it's never like, I'm.
Speaker BI played the long game in this.
Speaker BI'm thinking, okay, how can I.
Speaker BWhat can I do to help?
Speaker BBecause I'm going to see these people.
Speaker BI live in a town of roughly 40,000 people.
Speaker BI'm gonna see the same folks on the regular.
Speaker BBecause these are the places I frequent.
Speaker BSo there's no such thing as a secular sacred divide.
Speaker BEverything is sacred for me, whether it's walking in the coffee shop, whether it's going to Walmart, whether it's, you know, walking my dog, whatever that happens to me.
Speaker BI mean, I had a. I helped organize the Charlie Kirk vigil that we had here in town.
Speaker BAnd a month later, I'm walking on my.
Speaker BMy regular walk that I go on.
Speaker BI go try to walk three or three and a half miles a day.
Speaker BAnd I'm walking in this lady who comes up the trail.
Speaker BShe goes, are you Caleb Gordon?
Speaker BI was like, maybe.
Speaker BShe was like, did you do the Charlie Kirk rally?
Speaker BAnd I was like, well, yeah, I helped organize that.
Speaker BShe's like, it was such a great thing.
Speaker BSo I was.
Speaker BWe talked for a couple minutes, and so I'm always looking for avenues to talk to people about the things of Jesus, because I don't know if I'm going to die today.
Speaker BLike, I might.
Speaker BAnd if I.
Speaker BIf I.
Speaker BIf I die today, I want people to just at the end of this thing, okay.
Speaker BCaleb did everything he could to share as much about Jesus as he could in every avenue, every space that.
Speaker BThat I can.
Speaker BI mean, I went and spoke at a roofers convention in Indiana and talked about the gospel, talked about trusting Christ, talked about having having a worldview in your workspace that, that is going to honor the Lord and, and make the space better for, for people, work with integrity and things, all that kind of stuff.
Speaker BAnd so I never want to miss an opportunity to share the hope of who Jesus is.
Speaker BBecause, man, if Jesus can save a wretch like Caleb Gordon, if he can, like, if.
Speaker BListen, I am a, I'm a shady, just as Paul said, chief of sinners.
Speaker BI'd like to sit down with Paul and be like Paul, maybe, maybe you are the chief of sinners, but I'm nipping at your heels.
Speaker BSo if Jesus can save me, he can save anybody.
Speaker BAnd I want to try to share as much as I can because it's like, I've never done drugs.
Speaker BAndrew.
Speaker BBut when you get to sit with somebody and they, they surrender their life to Christ and you get to be in the part of that, like you're in the room with them and you get to hear them pray, you get to their hand, you get to pray with them.
Speaker BIt's like doing drugs.
Speaker BIt's like this high.
Speaker BYou're just like, this is awesome.
Speaker BI love it.
Speaker BI love seeing people come to life for Christ.
Speaker BLike, it's, it's awesome.
Speaker ASo, yeah, yeah, no, I mean, but this is, this is what it takes is to have this mindset where you're always doing ministry.
Speaker ASo, but let me ask.
Speaker ASome people might be thinking, but, but Pastor Caleb, if, if you have that attitude, if I'm going to go to the store, I mean, I'm going to the store, I gotta, I gotta get something.
Speaker AI, I gotta get home, I gotta get.
Speaker ABecause there's so much we got to do.
Speaker AEveryone's so busy.
Speaker ANo, it sounds like what you're suggesting is going to take a lot of time.
Speaker BNope.
Speaker BAnd listen, I, sometimes I use the self checkout and I, and some I'm not, I don't do this consistently A hundred percent of the time.
Speaker BI'm probably 85, 90 of the time do it.
Speaker BBut there's a time where I'm like, okay, crud, I gotta get in here.
Speaker BGet this.
Speaker BI go to the self checkout, bleep, bleep, and we're done.
Speaker BBut most of the time I try to search out the people.
Speaker BAnd it's funny because my, you know, my wife will always go.
Speaker BI don't go to Walmart with Caleb anymore because I know he's inevitably going to talk to somebody.
Speaker BMy wife is the same way.
Speaker AMy kids were like, oh, dad, we hated going places with you because I, I would just, I would Just start handing out tracks.
Speaker BYes, yes.
Speaker BI try to keep a. I. I try to keep a small track on me somewhere.
Speaker BOr I just ask some.
Speaker BI just ask simple questions.
Speaker BI don't ask questions that are super hard.
Speaker BI ask simple questions that just simply say, how can I.
Speaker BWhere do you go to church?
Speaker BDo you worship somewhere?
Speaker BHow do you get to heaven?
Speaker BWhat do you think?
Speaker BWho do you think Jesus is?
Speaker BJust simple open ended questions.
Speaker BSome of them are closed ended.
Speaker BJust some of them are.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BHey, do you know how to get to heaven?
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BFantastic.
Speaker BI do.
Speaker BHere's how.
Speaker BAnd just walk them through what that looks like.
Speaker AThat's a great line.
Speaker AI'm gonna use that line.
Speaker AThat's a great line, dude.
Speaker BThe best one I ever did.
Speaker BI got invited to speak at a fair in Kansas in July.
Speaker BWhoever decided to have a fair in Kansas in July should be drug into the street and just beat to a pulp because it was like 112 degrees.
Speaker BAnd I stopped at this coffee shop to, to get like a nice Ike and iced coffee or something to drink.
Speaker BI can't remember what it was.
Speaker BAnd the girl I watched in the Girlhood t shirt had John3.16 on it, like on the little thing, and her name was below it.
Speaker BAnd I was like, oh, do you know what John3.16 says?
Speaker BAnd she was honest enough to say, I have no idea.
Speaker BI just work here.
Speaker BOh.
Speaker ASo the, the store had them wear the shirts?
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BSo it was part of the.
Speaker BIt was there.
Speaker BIt was the store's shirt.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BThe company, the coffee company was a Christian coffee company.
Speaker BAnd it had John 3.
Speaker B16 on the T shirt.
Speaker AOh, that's funny.
Speaker BI just said, hey, do you know what John3.16 says?
Speaker BAnd she goes, honestly, I. I don't know.
Speaker BI just, I just make coffee here.
Speaker BI was like, that's great.
Speaker BI do.
Speaker BAnd so we just.
Speaker BI started asking, I was like, where do you go to church?
Speaker BShe goes, I don't go.
Speaker BI was like, oh, man, you should really consider maybe looking for a church around here.
Speaker BAnd I just, just talked to her about it.
Speaker BI pulled the right comfort.
Speaker BI said, do you consider yourself to be a good person?
Speaker BShe was like, yeah, I. Yeah, I guess I'm pretty good.
Speaker BIt's like, can I ask you a couple questions just to see if that's the truth?
Speaker BDo you mind if I just quiz you on that?
Speaker BShe goes, sure, go for it.
Speaker BI said, you ever told a lie?
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BYou ever stole anything?
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BYou ever use God's name as a cuss word?
Speaker BYou ever used his yeah, yeah.
Speaker BAlso, by your own admission, you're a liar, a thief, and a blasphemer.
Speaker BHarp.
Speaker BShe goes, well, dang.
Speaker BI was like, yeah, I know, right?
Speaker BAnd that's crazy.
Speaker BMe too.
Speaker BBut here's the good news.
Speaker BAnd I walk her through what that looks like.
Speaker BTo trust Christ with, with, to save you from your sins, to forgive you of your sins.
Speaker BAnd I just, it took me five minutes.
Speaker BLike, it was a quick just.
Speaker BAnd like, this is the key is repetition.
Speaker BLike, you learn something.
Speaker BYou know, everybody's like, well, you're a preacher.
Speaker BYou should, of course, you should know that.
Speaker BThere's a lot of preachers.
Speaker BThere's a lot of preachers that don't even.
Speaker BLike, if you're a pastor and you don't evangelize, but you expect your people to evangelize, you're dumb.
Speaker BLike, that's just that, that's stupid.
Speaker BYou should be evangelizing if you're a preacher.
Speaker BThat's just, you know.
Speaker BWell, that's not my gift.
Speaker BOkay, well, stop being a preacher then.
Speaker BIt's like, that's nuts.
Speaker BSo I, I, you know.
Speaker AYeah, but it is, son.
Speaker ALook, I, I remember this is years ago, but when I was first looking for a pastorate, I filled out an application.
Speaker AThey, they wanted your strengths and weaknesses.
Speaker AAnd one of my weaknesses, I said, you know, I, I said, you know, I, I could, I don't really evangelize, but I could teach others to do it.
Speaker AWhich is really funny because I didn't think that I evangelized much, but that's what I'm known for.
Speaker ARight?
Speaker ABut, but I didn't, I really didn't think I evangelized that much.
Speaker AAnd, and I didn't think I was good at it.
Speaker ABut, I mean, I knew the biblical principles.
Speaker AI could teach people to do it.
Speaker ASure.
Speaker AAnd it was really funny because, you know, one day someone's like, they knew that I had said that.
Speaker AAnd they were like, you know, you think you don't evangelize, but I don't know.
Speaker AMany people evangelize more than you.
Speaker AI'm like, you know, they're like, you do a really good job.
Speaker AAnd I'm like, no, I fumble over my words.
Speaker AI never say, like, I never seem to say what I think I want to say.
Speaker AAnd at least I, I have this idea what I'm going to say, and it never seems to come out the same way.
Speaker BWell, that's 100%.
Speaker BI do the same thing.
Speaker BI mean, I, I, I feel.
Speaker BAnd people always say, oh, I'm gonna Mess it up.
Speaker BI was like, a hundred percent, you're gonna mess up.
Speaker BYou're gonna, like, get nervous, and you're gonna say the wrong thing and you're gonna.
Speaker BYou're gonna flub it up somewhere.
Speaker BBut that doesn't mean you quit.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BLike, could you imagine if we took that principle or that.
Speaker BThat mindset with our.
Speaker BWith a.
Speaker BWith a quote unquote secular job?
Speaker BWell, I'm not very good at my job, so I'm just not going to do it anymore.
Speaker BI don't give up just because I messed up.
Speaker BOne day or one time I get back in there and try to figure out how to make it work, work.
Speaker BAnd then I do it again.
Speaker BAnd then once you flex that muscle long enough and you do it long enough, it becomes this natural normal.
Speaker BIt doesn't feel pressed or pushed.
Speaker BIt feels like you're genuinely asking the questions because you're genuinely interested, you know?
Speaker AWell, now you get into the heart of it.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AUnfortunately, many Christians are really not that interested in other people.
Speaker AThey're interested in their own life.
Speaker BWhat do we do when we people, we say, hey, how are you doing?
Speaker BWhat's our standard response?
Speaker ABetter than I deserve.
Speaker AOh, wait, that's mine.
Speaker BOr fine or good or whatever.
Speaker AWe really don't meant.
Speaker BNo, because if you go, hey, man, how are you doing?
Speaker BLike, I. I did this one time, I went to a church event, and I'm walking down the aisle with my wife, and this older man shakes my hand.
Speaker BAnd I said, man, how you doing?
Speaker BAnd I just kept.
Speaker BAnd in my mind, I'm thinking he's just gonna say, good, I'm gonna keep going.
Speaker BSo I keep going, and my wife, like, comes.
Speaker BShe goes, caleb, what the heck are you doing?
Speaker BThat guy was telling you.
Speaker BYou asked him how he was doing.
Speaker BHe was trying to tell you, and you just flat ignored him.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BLike, you didn't even.
Speaker BYou didn't even hear him.
Speaker BI was like, oh, my gosh.
Speaker BAnd so I tried to go back and find him, but there was hundreds of people in the room, so I was.
Speaker BI couldn't even find him.
Speaker BI was like.
Speaker BI felt so bad that I had just stiffed this older man who was telling me how his day was because I was an idiot.
Speaker BAnd I asked the question.
Speaker AYeah, because it's.
Speaker BIt's.
Speaker AIt's almost like a hello, you know?
Speaker BYeah, it's.
Speaker AYou know, let's.
Speaker ALet's talk one other thing, because you got.
Speaker AYou got an event coming up, a conference coming up, this, this march.
Speaker ALet's discuss what you're trying to do.
Speaker AThis is your, your second conference.
Speaker AYou've done it once before.
Speaker BTechnically it's third.
Speaker BThis will be number third.
Speaker BThe first one was real low key.
Speaker BI was, I was.
Speaker AIt was you, your wife, your kids.
Speaker BWell, we actually had about 45 people showed up, but the tickets were five bucks.
Speaker BAnd we did it at the second oldest historic theater in Oklahoma.
Speaker BOh, wow.
Speaker BRight across the street from the Pioneer Woman in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
Speaker AIs it because the oldest, the oldest theater was used.
Speaker BWas.
Speaker AWas busy.
Speaker BI don't know where that, I just know that that's their claim to fame is.
Speaker BThey're the second oldest in Oklahoma.
Speaker BI don't know where the first oldest is.
Speaker BI'm sure if I asked Google or Chat GPT it would tell me which one it is.
Speaker BI don't, I don't know.
Speaker BBut.
Speaker BSo I don't know.
Speaker BI honestly don't care.
Speaker BBut we, so we did that first year.
Speaker AHad.
Speaker BIt was me, Pete Johnson from Hope Presbyterian.
Speaker BBrett Baggett was there, Brandon Scalf was there, myself and my friend Nick Sterner.
Speaker BThose, those were the speakers.
Speaker BAnd that was our first year and we had about 45 people.
Speaker BAnd I was like, okay, next time.
Speaker BI was trying to do something bigger, different, and I added more speakers just because I was like, yeah, we need more.
Speaker BAnd I was just like, and a one day deal.
Speaker BAnd so we had all these speakers.
Speaker BYou were there, Gabe was there.
Speaker BEvery man.
Speaker BWe had a roster full of people.
Speaker BI think we had nine speakers.
Speaker BAnd by the end of the day I was like, I feel exhausted.
Speaker BAnd I like, I got to be get up and preach tomorrow morning.
Speaker BAnd you and I had had the discussion what we need to do in the future is break it up and make more intentional fellowship rather than just sitting and consuming.
Speaker BThere needs to be a time of fellowship.
Speaker BAnd I was like, that's a great idea.
Speaker BSo this year we're splitting it up into three days.
Speaker BMarch 12th, 13th and 14th in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Speaker BWe're going to have it at Hope Presbyterian Church.
Speaker BPastor Peter Johnson, he is a really, really, really good friend of mine and we're going to have it at his church.
Speaker AAnd it's going to be hundreds of dollars like all these other big, big conferences, right?
Speaker A4, 5, $700.
Speaker BNo, no, $75.
Speaker AYou sure?
Speaker A$75.
Speaker BI mean, I think that's the last, the last time I looked at it, it said $75, but the old website, but I'm pretty sure it's 75 bucks.
Speaker AWhat is, what is the Website that they should go to.
Speaker BGo to my website.
Speaker BCaleb Gordon.org.
Speaker AVery creative name.
Speaker BVery nice.
Speaker BListen, I took hours to think of that.
Speaker AYou and Justin Peters.
Speaker BI mean, you're just, you guys are.
Speaker AJust so creative with the names, you know?
Speaker AJustin Peters.
Speaker BI blame my mother because she named me Caleb.
Speaker BMy dad wanted to name me after my granddad, which was Esridge.
Speaker BThat would have been Esridge Reed the second.
Speaker ASo, so what would you have called yourself?
Speaker AI mean, like, you didn't want to speak.
Speaker BMy read.
Speaker AI would have got my read.
Speaker BI mean, that's, I mean, I still, my, my dad and my close, close friends still call me Reed to this day.
Speaker BIt was funny.
Speaker BI had somebody, because somebody had heard, called me Reed all the time, heard me get called Caleb.
Speaker BAnd they're like, why they call you Caleb?
Speaker BAnd I was like, because it's my name.
Speaker AThat's my name.
Speaker BAnd they're like, oh, I just know you was Reed.
Speaker BI was like, yeah.
Speaker AThat'S the advantage.
Speaker AYou get to know if, if you, if you see someone where you, you ever have the experience where you see someone that's like, not where you usually would see them, and you're like, with.
Speaker BA beard and you're not used to it?
Speaker AWell, not even that.
Speaker ANo.
Speaker AI, I, I remember I took my daughter to drop her off at college.
Speaker AAnd I used to, I used to work for this guy.
Speaker AAnd I saw this guy every day.
Speaker AI mean, five days a week I would see this guy, and he walks up to me is like, hey, Andrew, how you doing?
Speaker AAnd I'm just like, hi, how you doing?
Speaker ALike, playing nice, like I know who he is.
Speaker AAnd I'm like, sit there.
Speaker BMy wife.
Speaker AHe walks away.
Speaker AMark's like, that's your boss.
Speaker BNo clue.
Speaker BThat dude was.
Speaker AI didn't expect him to see, to see him at, you know, my daughter's college.
Speaker AEven though I like, it dawned on me afterwards.
Speaker BDuh.
Speaker AHis son attends that school.
Speaker AHe's like a couple years ahead of her.
Speaker AI'm like, oh, man.
Speaker ALike, I felt so bad.
Speaker AI'm like, you know, I should have known.
Speaker BI should have known.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASo, you know, but, but what do you, what's the purpose of this conference?
Speaker AWhy are you trying to do it?
Speaker BSo like, we, we're torn around with Take Back.
Speaker BBuilt to Conquer was the, the sort, kind of the initial theme for that.
Speaker BWe've sort of kind of changed around a little bit and we've, I, I'm gonna, I've changed it put to put the, the idea of forged to lead and have a blueprint for impact.
Speaker BLike, that's the idea.
Speaker BThe tagline is blueprint for impact.
Speaker BAnd so the idea is to figure out ways, just like how we've been having these conversations, a how to.
Speaker BOf how we can impact our city for the glory of God and for the betterment of mankind.
Speaker BSo that's.
Speaker BThat's the idea of.
Speaker BOf why we're going to do it and then have time where we fellowship and.
Speaker BBecause that's one of the things I think most people go to these conferences on a regular basis for is.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker BTo hear speakers.
Speaker BIt's not.
Speaker BIt's not that we won't have good speakers.
Speaker BI've got this guy named Andrew Rapaport.
Speaker BHe's coming.
Speaker BI don't know if you know him or not.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AI would get rid of him.
Speaker BWe might cancel him.
Speaker BWho knows?
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASmartest thing you'd ever do.
Speaker BAnd I. I know that we may bring in Keith Foskey.
Speaker BI've got him on.
Speaker ASo if you.
Speaker AIf we have 50 people in attendance, 100 people in tenants, I mean, what's it good?
Speaker AWhat's it going to take, folks?
Speaker AWe get enough people there, we can get Keith Fosky, we can get.
Speaker AWho else?
Speaker AWho else could we get out there if we had enough people?
Speaker BI mean, if we.
Speaker BGreg Moore would come.
Speaker BI know.
Speaker BGreg would come.
Speaker BYou would come.
Speaker BKeith would come.
Speaker BI'm coming.
Speaker AI come, even if you don't pay me.
Speaker ASo it doesn't.
Speaker ALike, you don't have to pay me.
Speaker AI'm just coming.
Speaker BJust.
Speaker BI'm gonna show up and stay in your house.
Speaker AAll right?
Speaker BCome on.
Speaker BI got.
Speaker BI got a bed.
Speaker BI got an extra bedroom.
Speaker BIt's totally fine.
Speaker BJust.
Speaker BCome on.
Speaker BSo the goal is, if we get.
Speaker BI mean, I would.
Speaker BI mean, capacity is 299.
Speaker BLike, the.
Speaker BThe venue holds 299.
Speaker BThe church, Hope Presbyterian, holds 299.
Speaker BIf we get.
Speaker ASo the 130, 300 300th person, we're throwing you out.
Speaker AThat's right.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker B300 people.
Speaker BAbsolute fire.
Speaker BFire marshal said, no way, Jose.
Speaker BWe'll put dual stuff.
Speaker BYou in the corner, in the balcony.
Speaker BIt'd be fine.
Speaker BOr we'll put you on the stage.
Speaker BI don't care.
Speaker BYeah, I mean, it's.
Speaker AIt's.
Speaker AThe thing is, it's a good time of fellowship.
Speaker AYou know, the.
Speaker AThe thing that I think a lot of people don't understand about good conferences is the fellowship.
Speaker AI mean, it's.
Speaker AYes, there's good preaching, right?
Speaker ABut, you know, I've been to conferences that just have speaker after speaker after speaker after speaker, just back to back speakers.
Speaker AAnd it's really interesting because when I go to those conferences, you'll see people that aren't attending the speaking event because they're fellowshiping with folks and they're like.
Speaker BOh, I can get the foyer.
Speaker AYeah, I can get, I can go get the, the let the speaking later.
Speaker AI can hear it later.
Speaker BYeah, I can pull that up on my, on my ride home.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AAnd that's why it's good to have a conference where fellowships built in, Right?
Speaker BYep.
Speaker BSo that's our ideas.
Speaker BI mean, that was conversations that you and I had was you need to.
Speaker BLet's, let's look at building up more fellowship, more time for networking, more time for, for, for implementing the ideas that we hear from the stage.
Speaker BHow can we implement these in our personal lives and just get to know each other on that personal level?
Speaker BSo that's, that's the hope is we're going to.
Speaker BThere's going to be a lot of fellowship, a lot of time to hang out.
Speaker BWe're going to have hear good talks, but there's going to be a lot of time to do.
Speaker BIt's three days.
Speaker BWe're going to have if businesses we, we have an open opportunity for businesses to put, have a business expo where people can put their booths and all that.
Speaker BI'm, I'm torn around the idea of doing a podcast row, but I, I don't know.
Speaker BI'm torn around with that idea.
Speaker BIt could be fun.
Speaker ABut.
Speaker BYeah, I just.
Speaker BWe'll see.
Speaker BI still got time.
Speaker BIt's in March and we, we still got to get through the holidays.
Speaker BAnd I get it.
Speaker BPeople right now, they're like, well, I want to, I use.
Speaker BSpend my money on holiday stuff, which I get.
Speaker BThat's great.
Speaker BI, I'm so.
Speaker BYeah, I know that people.
Speaker AJanuary, you probably get people starting to.
Speaker ABut I would say if people shouldn't wait, wait till January, it's, you know, get tickets now.
Speaker AGo to caleb gordon.org get, get your ticket so that you can make sure you got a seat.
Speaker AAnd I think if, if there are 300 people that sign up, we're gonna throw Caleb into a cold plunge with all that ice in it.
Speaker BListen, if 300.
Speaker BListen, this is like back in the, the 90s youth pastor days.
Speaker BIf, you know, if you show up, 300 people show up.
Speaker BI'll shave my head and eat a goldfish.
Speaker AYou know, whatever, you know.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BIf you want to throw me in a cold plunge.
Speaker BAnd if 300 people show up.
Speaker BI'll go in a cold plunge for, you know, several minutes.
Speaker BSo let's.
Speaker BLet's go three.
Speaker A300 people.
Speaker AWe throw.
Speaker BWe.
Speaker AWe throw, you know, Keith Fosky in a cold plunge.
Speaker AWe're going to commit him to it.
Speaker BI mean, Keith could do that.
Speaker BThat'd be fine.
Speaker BHe'd be.
Speaker BI'm sure he'd be fine with that.
Speaker ANo.
Speaker BHe'D probably get mad, but I.
Speaker AI'd let you throw him in.
Speaker AI mean, he could use one of his three black belts to prevent you from doing that.
Speaker BBreak me in half.
Speaker BYeah, I.
Speaker BNo, no, I'm not.
Speaker BAnd Keith's a tall dude.
Speaker AHe's tall.
Speaker AHe's.
Speaker AHe's.
Speaker AHe is a big guy, but he's tall, people.
Speaker AIt's.
Speaker AHe's.
Speaker BIt's just.
Speaker AHe is a.
Speaker AHe really is a big, intimidating individual who's just this lovable low guy, you know, he's just.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BOh, and he's like a big teddy bear.
Speaker BJust like.
Speaker BI mean, getting a big Keith Fosky hug is the best in the world.
Speaker BI love it.
Speaker BIt is.
Speaker BIt is fantastic beyond all.
Speaker BAll measure.
Speaker BI love it so much.
Speaker ASo.
Speaker ASo, folks, can go to caleb gordon.org get the details there.
Speaker AAnd you're going to be filling out more details, obviously, as we get closer with speaking, you know, topics and speakers and the agenda.
Speaker ABut people can go there right now, pick up tickets, and meet us in.
Speaker AWell, meet us in.
Speaker AIn Bart.
Speaker ABartlettsville.
Speaker BBartles.
Speaker ABartlesville.
Speaker ABartles.
Speaker BBartlesville, Oklahoma.
Speaker BWe've got a Chick Fil A.
Speaker BSo you're total.
Speaker AOh, I plan on going to that Chick Fil A. I listen to the interview and I'm like, when I was listening to your interview on the Caleb Gordon show with him, I'm like, yeah, definitely.
Speaker AWhen I come out there, we're going to Chick Fil A.
Speaker BChase is a great guy.
Speaker BI love Chase.
Speaker BHe's such a.
Speaker BHe's such a good guy.
Speaker BAnd all my kids have worked for him, and he's just.
Speaker BHe's.
Speaker BHe's fantastic.
Speaker BI love Chase.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AI figure one day I'm gonna go.
Speaker AMy theory is, you know, I'll.
Speaker AI'll get older and I'll go work at, like, the Apple Store so I could learn how to fix all my devices and not have to use YouTube or something and just fix it myself.
Speaker AAnd then.
Speaker AThen I'll go to Home Depot and learn how to fix my house and.
Speaker BAnd then become a jack of all trades.
Speaker AAnd then I'll go to.
Speaker AI'LL go to Chick Fil A just so I can eat.
Speaker BThat's it.
Speaker BJust like, that's it.
Speaker BYou got a free meal.
Speaker BEvery.
Speaker BEvery time you work, you get a free meal.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BThat's.
Speaker AMy final retirement is just Chick Fil A. Yeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BAll 51 ingredients that are in the chicken.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI think it'd be fun if we can get people to show up.
Speaker BThat's.
Speaker BAnd I.
Speaker BAnd I get it.
Speaker BPeople are like, you know, sometimes people, oh, we're over conference.
Speaker BWhy.
Speaker BWhy do we have so many.
Speaker BI think it's not bad to have a conference.
Speaker BI think it's good to do them.
Speaker BIt encourages fellowship.
Speaker BIt encourages people getting out of their comfort zone, and they have to be intentional.
Speaker BAnd when you.
Speaker BAnd when people do put the money forward, they do have to have skin in the game.
Speaker BAnd I think that's.
Speaker BThat's one of the ideas, is get some skin in the game and connect and meet with people and learn something.
Speaker BI mean, you can walk away.
Speaker BI mean, every last year at the conference, I learned, like, I still.
Speaker BAfter Gabe's talk about the psalms, I still think back to some of the things he said about the psalms that I'm like, that was so incredibly helpful for me personally.
Speaker BSo.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AAnd it is something where, when we think about it and you.
Speaker AYou.
Speaker AThere's.
Speaker AYeah, there's a teaching, and people will be like, oh, I can get that teaching anywhere.
Speaker ABut there is something about the conference experience.
Speaker AIf people haven't attended a conference, you get some of the people who, you know from.
Speaker AFrom a lot of different churches that are really on fire for the Lord.
Speaker AThose are the people that go to conferences.
Speaker AAnd so if you want to get fired up, go, Go to.
Speaker AGo to a good conference.
Speaker AJust because when you're around, it's like an iron, sharpening iron.
Speaker BIt's.
Speaker AIt's a great fellowship time.
Speaker AAnd so that's.
Speaker AThat's the thing.
Speaker AAnd I find it amazing that.
Speaker AThat people spend a couple hundred dollars to go to some concert.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker ABut they.
Speaker AThey're where.
Speaker AThey just go in, they sing some songs, I guess.
Speaker AI. I don't go to concerts, but, you know, maybe they wave back and forth.
Speaker AI don't know.
Speaker AYou know, I see pictures where people holding a flash.
Speaker AI never understood that they hold a lighter or something.
Speaker ABut the.
Speaker ABut I don't know.
Speaker BIt's a weird thing.
Speaker BWe do it with our phones now.
Speaker BWe just hold up the light.
Speaker ABut you're.
Speaker AYou're not even talking to anybody.
Speaker AYou're with people, and they're like, oh, that was a great experience.
Speaker AWell, learning sitting under the word of God and then after that going and, and not just having the word of God preach you, but then having discussions over it, having interactions.
Speaker AThat's where it really is.
Speaker AAnd you're to.
Speaker AI mean, there are people.
Speaker ALook, you and I met at a conference and, and we now have, you know, a relationship outside of that where we talk regularly.
Speaker ASame with, I mean, some of the people.
Speaker AYou know that same conference.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AI mean I've, I've met Keith Fosky from a conference, met Greg Moore from conference.
Speaker AI, I talk to these guys regularly.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AYou build a relationship with folks when you go because you just, you, you around other people who have a heart for the Lord like you and it just, it spurs you on.
Speaker AAnd so I really encourage folks to, you know, it could be a lot.
Speaker AI get it.
Speaker AEspecially if you're traveling and you're, you're putting time into, you know, hotel or flights.
Speaker ABut it, it's something where you really do.
Speaker AYou will build relations for eternity.
Speaker BCome on.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker ASo want to encourage folks to think about that?
Speaker AGo to caleb gordon.org and you can get all the details.
Speaker AYou can get tickets there.
Speaker ABut I do hope to see you in Bart's law.
Speaker ASo whatever you say it again.
Speaker ABartlesville.
Speaker BLet me just say every guy named Jacob Bartles, the guy that town is named after a guy named Jacob Bar.
Speaker AWell then why didn't they spell it right?
Speaker BBart.
Speaker BBart.
Speaker BBartles.
Speaker BBill.
Speaker BI just a little bonus.
Speaker BWhat is the, what does the name Jacob mean?
Speaker AI think Jacob was like deceiver or supplanter.
Speaker AIt's supplanter.
Speaker AThat was what I was thinking.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AI couldn't remember the word.
Speaker BYeah, yeah.
Speaker BIt's names.
Speaker BYou know what Caleb means?
Speaker ANo, that.
Speaker AI don't know.
Speaker BTenacious old dog.
Speaker AThat fits.
Speaker BI.
Speaker BListen, I grew up.
Speaker BMy, My dad was a.
Speaker BBig names mean something.
Speaker BAnd he.
Speaker BWhich is funny.
Speaker BMy brother David.
Speaker BWhat's David mean?
Speaker BThe beloved one.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASo you know who his favorite was?
Speaker BI'm the, I'm the old dog.
Speaker AThe tenacious old dog.
Speaker AWell, hey, Andrew means manly, so obviously I don't live up to it.
Speaker BBeer.
Speaker BListen, that beard, it did it.
Speaker BWhen you had that beard.
Speaker BIt was manly.
Speaker BJust big old huge.
Speaker ANah, my wife didn't like it.
Speaker AIt was gone.
Speaker AWell, hey, I, I do, I do look forward to seeing you again in March.
Speaker BYes, sir.
Speaker AAnd at the.
Speaker AWell, actually, is it still gonna be called the, the you know, built to conquer, right?
Speaker BIt's still I think we're.
Speaker BLike I said, we're gonna, we're changing the name up on this thing and we're gonna call it.
Speaker BWhere'd I go with it?
Speaker BI just want.
Speaker BI forged to lead.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BIs the, is the, the idea and then the underlying of that is blueprint for impact.
Speaker BOkay, I'll send you that, those details.
Speaker BCool.
Speaker AWell folks, go to caleb gordon.org check that out and if you want to find out more information, buy some tickets.
Speaker ACaleb would greatly appreciate because then he can do more.
Speaker AHe's got other people he'd like to invite and other.
Speaker AOther things he'd like to do with it.
Speaker AAnd this is how his retirement.
Speaker AWell, no, actually.
Speaker AOkay, let me just, let me just, let me just say I'm gonna, I'm gonna spill beans on things.
Speaker AI might get myself in trouble, folks.
Speaker ASo last year's conference, Caleb actually put his own money into the conference to make it happen.
Speaker ASo he's on a pastor's salary.
Speaker ACan you help him out, get some tickets, buy some tickets for friends, which actually makes it really fun if you come down with a bunch of church friends to go to the conference.
Speaker ASo calebgordon.org Caleb, thanks for coming on.
Speaker AIt's always great to hang out with you.
Speaker AAnd that's a wrap.