EP334 - Jeff talks VR with Mr. Pete

All right. Hey everybody. Episode 334 of the Church Digital Podcast. I wanted to make sure my audio was working, which it is. I am not the that I sometimes appear to be on camera.

And so, hey, it's great great to be here with you today. Happy Holy Week. Doing this recording on Tuesday of Holy Week.

And so I want to want to thank those of you who are taking a break from the hecticness that is Holy Week to join us here for this stream.

I always, you know, the church staffer in me always always has nightmares, get triggered a little bit Holy Week. Some some really heavy work weeks have happened traditionally in Holy Week over the years.

And so thankful to to not be on church staff at the moment and and to be able to take some time this day and do a stream, have some be be an encouragement, have some fun, do a little laughing on this show.

I am I'm really looking forward to to today's stream. You know, we we we just did the digital missionary conference fresh off it. As a matter of fact, if you are one of many people, many many people who have been emailing me, hey Jeff, I wasn't able to make all the keynotes and I want to see what I missed. Like when when are the on demand recordings going to be out? Right around the corner.

Right literally around the corner. We we are very close. Um we're we're rolling out uh what's called the base on the digital missionary website missionary.digital digital lease. It's a password protected members only section. Uh you will get access to that and uh we will have uh resources from a lot of our sponsors in there as well as uh the on demand videos and so uh trust me it's worth the wait.

Hang out in there. Uh it's coming in in due time. But but really excited about the the conference uh overall and even even a couple weeks off the conference still feeling uh the energy uh level coming high in in in right now.

And by the way, we're um you know, speaking of of high levels of energy, that was an awkward turn on a word there, but um maybe one of the highlights for me uh in in the conference, there were so many highlights there. There was seeing Pastor D and OJ sitting together in in the auditorium. Pastor D has been doing doing digital ministry for over a decade was looking for a world builder.

OJ is a worldbuilder uh who lives in I want to say Hawaii. And so getting the two of them together uh was incredible. Does OJ live in Hawaii?

OJ, I'm going to pretend you live in Hawaii. I'm pretty sure you said Hawaii. And I think of I think in the past I assumed it was the Philippines or Malaysia, but it was Hawaii.

Uh and so it was cool to get the two of them connected uh to to see uh how what you know ministry things can happen as a result of that that relationship.

Um listening to um you know so many of of the keynote talks uh David from um uh Timothy Initiative was was huge on my list.

If your disciple is not making a disciple, did you not in fact make a disciple? Did you actually make a disciple? You know, so good.

Uh, one of my biggest regrets actually, Elm Michelle's in the room. One of my greatest regrets, Good afternoon, Elm Michelle, was was missing your talk.

I I really wanted to see yours. Uh, but uh, looking forward actually El Michelle, now that you're in here, I wanted I want you to do a stream.

I sent you an email, but you know, I know you and emails don't go over well. I want you to do a stream where where you go through your talk here uh sometime in in May or June.

So let's touch base on that soon. And uh I want you to do your talk on active listening here uh towards for the the broadcast audience not just in in the VR crowd.

But it was it was so exciting for me just from top to bottom the entire conference. One of the main highlights uh I get this text message.

I was actually scrolling through my phone trying to remember who sent it to me. I I couldn't find it, but somebody sent me in the middle of the conference.

I get a text from someone saying, "Are we doing anything in big screen? Are do you know the digital missionary conference is currently happening in big screen?" To which my immediate response was, "No, but I love it." And and so I was uh was very excited to hear.

I'm I'm using the term loosely. uh to to hear that our conference was being bootlegged into uh into uh to big screen which is a a virtual reality platform uh that that many uh many of you know about and and so uh you know immediately started putting out putting out feelers who did this. I mean listen I'm I'm don't don't shut it down. Don't stop it like let it keep going. I love the fact that that it's going.

I just want to know who did it. One to to thank them for it and and and two to to like encourage them uh to do it again next time because I love the idea that we lost control of this crazy conference.

And and so we end up talking about it on the stream last week and somebody said the word Mr. Pete. Who's this guy I never heard of?

And and oh by the way, maybe it was Mr. Pete. We're not sure, but Mr. Pete is 80 years old. And I'm like, okay.

So, you're telling me there's a potentially 80 year old metaverse missionary who bootlegged our conference in big screen? 84. Is that what you're saying? 84 years old.

Mhm. Wow. I mean, that that's like that's like two of my lifetimes, sir. I'm I'm 47, so that would be closer to 94. But but dang, you you've been around for a minute.

It What's What's the secret to the the youthful look that that you have at this moment? One word, Jesus. Interesting. Well, kick us off here.

Tell us tell us a little bit about yourself. Well, I'm excited about being here. I've been on Facebook contact and all of my friends send in a link.

So I I hope we have Elm Michelle. I know her and uh I just I appreciate those ministries in VR so much and that they allow me to be a part and I'm excited about being here.

I'm I'm I'm a I love computers and I love photography and my main thing is creating 3D photos and videos and I that's something I've been doing for many many years with a Polaroid camera taking a old black and white take one photograph take another photograph scotch tape them together and see it in 3D that's what VR is. 3D, but VR number one is people. That's why I love VR. VR, virtual reality, is people. And you get to you get to talk to people, encourage people, and as a minister of the gospel, anointed of God.

I love praying with people and to be a blessing and to and I have I like to make people laugh. I have a little friend over here.

I'm going to introduce to you in a moment. He loves to come in here and make people laugh and be a little goofy and but uh that's what what virtual reality is is uh it is people come in there and they want to learn.

You can learn and and see and meet people. I mean you can go anywhere in the world. My fun thing is I do Microsoft Flight Simulator and so I fly different airplanes.

And I I like the ultral light and I love flying over Israel. I you can see my Israeli flag. I I I pray for Israel.

I know people some personal friends in Israel and and my heart you get me you start talking about Israel, you'll get me crying. You know the Bible commands us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem for the Jewish people.

And so I in VR there's a group of uh Jewish people that gather and I'll come in the room and and some of them do speak English and I I'm I come right out and tell them that I'm an old guy in Northern Alabama, but I want to tell you right now I'm praying for you. I don't judge you. I don't ask you if you know Jesus. The Bible commands me to pray for you. And it's to me it's a very serious thing.

Yeah. So I love what you're doing. Wow. I was in uh the conference. My goodness. I think I was there for 5 hours. Sounds about How long did that go?

How did you do that sitting there in that chair? Well, to be honest, yeah, it was supposed to be a 4-hour conference that became a 5-hour conference that became a 6-hour conference that became a 7-hour conference.

It just it was like the Energizer Bunny. kept going and going. Uh but uh enjoyed enjoyed every second of it. I I was able to take some of the breakoffs off and uh some of the keynotes.

I kept my ears in to listen, but had to like stretch and walk around because it it's a it's a long day sitting in a chair not moving.

I I've I've done that too in other times. So yeah. Yeah, I was excited to see that. anything that anything that brings forth the gospel and and in an unusual way, you know.

Yeah. Um I have my my friend here, my puppet friend Gramps, you know, and I've used him in my ministry. We traveled for 13 years in full-time ministry.

And I and I, you know, I really don't like using gramps, but I've been forced by the Holy Spirit to bring him in in a proper time to make the children laugh and get their attention and and so uh we need to use our talent and ability any way we can and give it to God and he will anoint it and and you'll be blessed in a in a wonderful way. You may think you you can't talk in front of a camera.

You may think you, you know, you your singing voice is not that good, but God will anoint it. You give it to the Lord.

Let him receive all the glory and praise for what you do. And hold on to your hat. It's wonderful to be used by God knowing that you are a blessing to people.

And I'm telling you, we're living wow in troubling times right now. Satan knows his time is short. And because of that, he's working overtime with his demons raging across the country just bringing havoc into marriages and into the church.

So folks, we need to band together, be praying and believing God. And I'm I personally believe the raptures about to take place anytime. I'm telling you that we're that close.

Yeah. And I'm ready. Well, and it's that's I mean that's one of the reasons why we lean in so heavily doing doing digital. Um and it it's not to downplay what happens in in physical ministry.

It's but but what we find is is that by doing something different, we're able to engage in dialogue with different people. Uh the people that you're interacting with in in virtual reality are not the types of people that off are often going to physical church buildings.

uh they're they're not they're afraid to they don't fit in in in those spaces and and so man there's just so many questions I want to get into.

Pl I want to meet Gramps at some point as well. But uh why don't we do that? Can we just meet Gramp? Let's get him over with here.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Oh. Hey, you know the the funny thing is I call my my kids call my father Gramps and and that looks a lot like Gramps.

That's that's really funny. Thank you. Thank you. I I really appreciate that. Yeah. Wow. This is cool. Look at a computer here and a microphone.

Hey, this is great. This is great. Wow. So, how Okay, so virtual reality and a puppet. What how does all this come together? Like, who are you?

Well, for first of all, I have to get in front of Mr. Pete so you don't see his lips move when I talk. Oh, so good.

Anyway, we're in big screen and we're in 3D and my face comes right into the camera. Hello, folks. So, you need to come into big screen and see Mr.

Pete in 3D. Uh 3D stands for dumb and really dumb and this is dumb or something like I'm not quite that is that is 3D's.

Yeah. I uh nice meeting you. Bye. Yeah. I I didn't realize I was going to be the straight man for a puppet when I woke up this morning.

So, thank you for completing that that dream. So, uh you you do you do puppet like no. Okay. big screen, your avatar, but you also have the ability to be on video like on a big giant screen in a in the big screen world.

And so like the only person I'm the I'm I believe I'm the only person in big screen that they can see live in 3D because I built my own cameras.

I have the cameras. You have to have two cameras with OBS. Mhm. And it works great. And uh the people actually can see the real me.

And uh I I've done some crazy thing. I put on my headset and walked outdoors. And while I'm walking, I'm broadcasting in big screen and people see outdoors.

And then if I create a circle, a boundary, and step into that boundary, I come into the room and I'm in the room with the people.

I know it's complicated. Let's uh no, no, no. It's so why why VR? Like what what what is it about big screen? Why not I mean why not go be at a physical church somewhere?

Why not do this like in in Facebook or WhatsApp or I mean shoot even TikTok you would would be interesting. An old man with a puppet like how why why did you pick virtual reality big screen as as the platform of choice here?

Well, first of all, like I said before, I'm fascinated with 3D and have been as a young teenager with the View Master reels. I I still have four View Masters and a whole bunch of reels.

And um so 3D is uh is I'm fascinated with. And so when I learned that the Quest when you put it on you see things in 3D not knowing that it can turn into a amazing wonderful way of ministry.

Mhm. And uh so um when I put on my headset, one of the first things I I did, I met Elena and and uh DJ Sodto and uh I attended a couple of their services.

And one day DJ Sodto asked me to open in prayer and I just about fell out of my chair because that's that's what I love to do is is pray for people and open and close in prayer.

And uh so um I don't own a car. I I have very little money. My headset was bought by another individual uh who knew that I was in VR.

He paid paid for my headset. This laptop I'm talking on was bought for me by another ministry in in California that knows I'm involved.

Uh because I was in ministry for 13 years full-time. I paid no social security. So, we sold our home and everything we own and and came here to Northern Alabama and help our daughter buy this home that we're that we're in and which happened to have a mother-in-law apartment.

So, we have our own little apartment, our own bedroom, bathroom, and living room, and it just worked out. The Lord just worked it out amazingly.

So, um I just I've always been fascinated with 3D and and and and playing with a puppet cuz I had a Howdy Doody puppet when I was you was a kid and I still have that Howdy Doody puppet today.

But anything we enjoy doing, if you can incorporate it into ministry to bless other people, that's what you need to do. What hobby are you interested?

There's other people that's that that's interested in the same hobby you're interested in and you can utilize that to bring the gospel in there to bring prayer in there to be a blessing to people who may not be Christian who don't go to church.

I'm a ham radio operator and I I talk I know I don't want to sound like I know it all but I in big screen I have a program it's called Echolink and with this microphone I talk to ham radio operators all over the world and I bring it into big screen now

you don't see the person I'm talking to but you can hear him and you follow all the rules and regulations by the FCC and people come in my room and and they actually see me live up in the screen in 2D and then I have pictures of Microsoft Flight Simulator flashing on

the bottom of the screen and then Echolink is on the other side of the big screen and it is it's it's really cool and when I some of the ham operators I explained to them what I'm doing they they said what you now because it's broadcasting.

It's rebroadcasting and that's what ham operator and one time I talked to a ham operator and he went out and bought a Quest headset and the next day came into my room while I was broadcasting.

Oh wow. And so that's happened before. But yeah, I'm telling you, brother, I appreciate your ministry. You are a blessing. I know. I know that sometimes it could be, oh, here we go.

I gotta get on here. But, you know, there's an anointing there. It's it is necessary. And I love it that you're promoting virtual reality cuz my some of my friends think I'm crazy and that's a kids thing or that's of the devil.

And yes, there is there is bad stuff in big screen. Absolutely. Big screen is the worst for garbage and stuff, believe you me. But you don't have to click on it, you know.

Yeah. You you know. So I mean you you are probably a little crazy. I mean let's let's let's let's call first Peter 2:9. First Peter 2:9.

A peculiar very peculiar person. Yeah. I mean you're you're you're you're talking about Howdy Doody and ham radios. Uh of the majority of people you're interacting with in virtuality were not alive and have no context of what a Howdy Doody is or a ham radio.

I I know my kids don't. Um I don't even think I was alive for for either one of those at a high capacity level.

Um but you're you're using it to to engage and to build relationships with kids. You know, even even Microsoft Flight Simulator and and using it um I mean just what a what a a rich opportunity to to engage with kids um engage with people in unique spaces.

So, so like do do you know can you tell me maybe some of the relationships or or like what types of people you're you're engaging with through big screen?

Well, I mean, it's both ju just people come into my room and um um they they see what I'm doing and in flight simulator um that's in 2D on a big giant screen and I ask them where they live and in most cases I fly an ultralight and I I fly over where

they live and and most generally not always because seeing up in the air and besides it's Bing maps too it's not Google's it's Bing Bing maps and Bing maps is a 3D rendering of the whole world.

Yeah. And uh anyway, in most cases, I mean, when you fly over uh Mount uh over the uh in New York City, you recognize the the where the Twin Towers stood, you can see the the squares on the ground and the freedom building and and so a lot of time you you will

recognize and so for some of these people to see them where they live in a very unusual way and and I just like you can fly everywhere.

I love flying in Hawaii because there's a particular place in Hawaii where there's a whole bunch of dinosaurs. I mean, all the different dinosaurs are roaming in this big park in in uh Hawaii.

And in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I bought a Jeep for it's like $12 addition to the game. And it's an electric four-wheel drive Jeep that I actually am sitting in and I steer and control.

And so I love chasing dinosaurs. You have to come in the big screen and see it to believe it cuz it is definitely I'm not actually sure if you're saying that that Hawaii actually has a real live Jurassic Park or if it's just in VR at this moment.

Like a just in VR. Yeah. Oh, just in VR. That makes that makes me feel a little bit It ain't real. It ain't real.

Oh man, that that's that's so cool. The uh So where did the idea come from? Like did you find big screen first? Did you big screen is just I mean I I would say it's not one of the more popular worlds and and it's you almost have to like stumble into

big screen to experience it. So what what was like the uh what's the uh what's the prequel story? How did you end up in big screen?

Well, I found the app back years ago and it was very poor. People would uh play movies you on your laptop. If you have a movie in your laptop, you can play it on the screen.

But I'm telling you, it would pixelate it. It was, you know, sometimes it would look good, but big screen's come a long way. They have done some major things.

And in fact, for years, you could only have 15 people in your room. And that's one reason there are a couple of churches that I would like to be part of, but you can only get 15 people in.

Now you can get 30 people in your room. Okay. And so um but a lot of the ministries are staying away from big screen because yeah, there is a lot of garbage there, but you don't again it's it's another you have to click on it, be on it.

You know where where did Jesus go? He went into the bars. He went to where the sinners were. But I I've had some Christian friends.

Oh, man. I wouldn't I won't go in there. Well, okay. But listen, I I could tell you I could tell you some horror stories around Christians and their opinions of virtual reality.

U you can just go on my YouTube and look look at some of the content, some of the comments. Some of the uh the most um bitter, angry people I've I've ever interacted with online are are purported Christians who are just uh angry over virtual reality.

Anything made of man cannot be of God. Um God, the Holy Spirit cannot exist in virt makes me smile. The Holy Spirit cannot exist in virtual reality.

Okay, it's a kid a little toy. Well, I mean, let's let's just let's just pause. If let's let's just let's just take it to an extreme.

And you know, I say this all the time here on the stream, but if, for example, Mark Zuckerberg really did create a box, if man has now created a box that God is not allowed in, holy crap.

Like from a theological standpoint, we got major problems because man is now boxing in and out God. Like God is not uh omniscient. God is not omnipotent.

God is is is not all powerful. He's not all knowing. Man controls God. So by by definition, theologically, of course, God can go into virtual reality.

He is everywhere and knows everything. Not to mention the fact that he knows the people that are controlling these devices. And so, you know, I always I always smile from the theological standpoint when people are like, "Yeah, God can't go into into virtual reality." Um, but, you know, and it is it is

dark. I've one of the one of the books that I wrote was on churches and virtual reality. You know, I see you've you've gotten a lot of love.

Uh, you know, Dave D here is talking about the the old days back in Altspace VR. I miss the Alt VR days and uh, you know, Altspace was uh, was very powerful back in the day and it was a but it was like a um, it was a safe space.

It was owned by Microsoft. Microsoft had parental controls ever. Yeah. And um, you know, now that Microsoft has has you know, Swanong didn't shut that down.

It's interesting the lot of the areas are not as safe as it was back in the Microsoft days safe in in in quotes. But, you know, VR Chat is, you know, D the uh DJ calls it uh the the wild wild west of virtual reality.

I've called it the the red light district. Um you know, even in like Rec Room, you're you're going to get cussed out by some like 12-year-old kid that, you know, needs to get slapped upside the head.

uh like things just even like I've been in big screen and and just you know seeing ruckus happen over there uh with some of some of the strong personalities that that exist in in virtual reality.

Uh it's interesting Dave saying here big screen has its place but it's harder to interact one on one in in big screen. What's the what's the typical person in in your opinion?

you know, like what's the the customer profile, user profile of the person that hangs out in big screen? Well, one thing big screen is the I want us I I want to mention DJ Sodto, you know, when I first come into into into VR and I come into VR church and he was

the pastor and again when he asked me to open in prayer that that really encouraged me to really get more involved in VR. Uh, and big screen again, what they've recently have done is they allow you to put a lot of information in in the tagline of what your room is all about.

See, before you could put four words, but now I got in there Microsoft Flight Simulator, ham radio, Christian chat, gospel prayer, you know, and that that tells what your room is is all about.

And so people look for that. And but I still have ordinary people people of the world come in there. But uh most generally they're pretty respectful when I'm talking on the ham radio.

They, they're, if they talk, I can hear them, but the person I'm talking to doesn't. But they, they're most basically want to know what's going on and they'll ask some questions.

But um, I'll tell you, I appreciate Big Screen so much, and there's individuals that come in there that just don't have a friend to talk to, and if there's anything I can say or make them laugh or show some of my 3D pictures, I mean, I have, I've gone, I follow this ministry. It's Amir Satafi. I highly recommend anyone on Facebook or on Telegram to type in Amir Satafi.

He lives in Israel. He's an evangelist. He travels the world and ministers everywhere, and he brings pictures of the war going on over there. And I've got over 80 pictures of the, uh, what the IDF soldiers are fighting, and I've turned them all into 3D, and it is just amazing to see.

And the dogs, they use dogs in their battles, and I've got collected a whole bunch of pictures of these German Shepherd dogs. It's very cool to see, especially when you can see it in 3D.

And that, and I've recently discovered an app. See, 3D consists of one eye, left eye and right eye to create 3D. And so there are different ways. Uh, I actually take my cell phone. Anybody can do this. Hold your cell phone up, take a photograph and move it just a few inches, take a second photograph.

Now you got two photographs in your cell phone, and there's a program called, uh, Owl 3D, OWL. It's free. And it'll take those two pictures, put them together, turn them into a 3D photograph that you can see in Big Screen.

And if you're on your cell phone, you have these little glasses. You clip onto the cell phone and look through the glasses, you can see the picture on your cell phone in 3D.

And so, um, it's, you know, we use our talent and the things we do to, it's like honey to draw the bees, to draw the people to hear a word from the Lord, to hear prayer, to be encouraged, to know that heaven is real and hell is real, and you must accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior if you want to make heaven your home. And you have to do it. I mean, I'm not a hell, fire and damnation preacher, but I'm a strong believer of the soon return of Jesus.

And others aren't, and that's fine, because he'll surprise us all here. No one has the day and hour. I hate that when someone throws that in my face. Nobody knows the day and hour. Well, I know you're right, but you know what I'm saying. Sure. I don't know if I answered your question or not.

No, this is phenomenal. I love it. Do you find the same, I mean, listen, you've gotten so much love from people in chat already. Like I just kind of want to roll through some of these. Um, you know, Dave D mentioned earlier. I've talked with Mr. Pete. Great to see you, Mr. Pete. Elabella is excited. Mr. Pete, David Mackey, uh, hi Pete. Uh, Cheddar coming in from outside. Great to see you sharing, uh, Mr. Been a real blessing. Cheddar and his dad. Absolutely. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Cheddar's dad. I'll tell you that.

Wow. Yeah. Tell me the story. Uh, well, just let me say he blessed me. Awesome. Blessed me to be able to have this laptop that way. I love that. Cheddar, you, the virtual reality conference would not have happened if not for Cheddar's. Oh yeah. So I got to talk to him and he was so busy, he was like a chicken running around there. But he did stop and he was cool. I, oh man, you put him through his paces.

But Cheddar's had been, and Cheddar's is the one that helped me start my 3D photos in VR actually. You know, he helped me learn to put together the pictures and bring them into 3D.

Yeah. And Ben, his dad, Ben, his dad lives in California. Every Wednesday night for the past five, six years, we've had Bible study, and that has been very cool. And it's open to anybody that would like to join us on, uh, um, what is the app we use? See, that's the problem being over 80 years old. Uh, Zoom. Zoom. You got Big Screen down. You struggled with Zoom. That's funny. That's really funny. Okay. Um, so do you see the same people in Big Screen? Is it new people each week? Like, tell me, how are you building relationships? Who, like, talk to me a little bit about that in Big Screen.

Yeah, every once in a while someone new will come in, and uh, I just had a gentleman come into my room, and he's, one thing, if you get somebody come in your room and they're in there for like a half an hour, well then you know they're interested in learning or wanting to know what I'm doing or how I'm doing it, and to hold their attention that long. And uh, so I try to explain how I create 3D photos.

And uh, one gentleman who was a ham operator wanted to know how, what am I using to talk to people all over the world. And I said, I explained to him, it's called EchoLink. I had EchoLink since its beginning. I met the creators, and what it is, it's an internet-based program that connects you to repeaters all over the world.

So when I talk through the computer, I'm actually talking over the air to anybody that has a walkie-talkie or a mobile or base radio. And you definitely have to be a licensed ham operator anyway. Um, right. And so, uh, and then of course they know that I'm a Christian. I tell them I'm a preacher and love the Lord, and I want to share Jesus, and I, you have to be careful doing it through ham radio by the way, that there's rules against that, but if you're talking to somebody one-to-one and it's not through a repeater, of course you can. But it all boils down to what we're doing is one word: people encouragement of people, blessing, helping them, making them laugh, let them feel the presence and the anointing of Jesus, letting them know they are loved by God.

It's the devil that brings guilt and condemnation. And the little things we do in VR for the kingdom, they count. That's the situation with some people involved in church and VR. They just, they may feel that what am I doing? Yeah, I only had two people in my room. But I'm going to tell you what, in the eternities it is written down and it will be accounted to you of what you've done for the ministry. Every little thing we do to bless people, to honor and to worship God, is accounted to in the eternities.

Wow. Well, I mean, that's an interesting line that you just said right there. Everything you do to bless people. I've got Elabella here. Uh, Mr. Pete is an amazing person. We met on VR. He is a blessing in my life. Known him for five years. Praise God. So you met Elabella in VR, and I'm trying to think who it is. I, that's awesome too.

Um, but it's cool that this person, even without that, still credits you and an impact in their life. How many people would you say like you've had a relationship with? Uh, Chuck said that is what I'm getting. Um, I don't know if that helps as well, Chuck, but Elabella and David's, uh, they're saying it's Chuck.

Um, who is like, how many people, how long first off, how long you been doing this? How many years? Five years longer. Uh, since 2018, the beginning of 2018. Okay. Pre-COVID. Seven, seven years plus at this point. I didn't know Big Screen was around in 2018. Wow. Let me let me kind of back up.

My first job was really working for the CNO Railroad aboard the steam ships on Lake Michigan, well over a quarter million miles back and forth from Milwaukee, Menominee, Wisconsin over a period of six years.

Hmm. After that job, I worked at a local radio station, and it was there uh that I developed a speaking voice and I recorded a record about the steamship, and that record on a 45 RPM was on every jukebox in the area and went over really big, and it was just me and my guitar, no backup or anything. And because it related to the people that live in that area, that was the Lord getting me ready for ministry.

Uh, and you know, I built my sound system with special effects. I played a 12-string guitar and a harmonica and a Suzuki Omnichord all three at the same time through this system that I built.

And I do not have a singing voice. Let me encourage somebody. You know you love to sing and you know that you don't really have it, but you know we're singing for the Lord, and it's not necessarily the tonal quality, but it's what you're singing about. And if you enunciate your words and it's clear, that's what people enjoyed. And I got away with it and had the honor and the privilege to be in dozens and dozens of small churches across the eastern United States from Wilmington, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina to Greenville, Rock Hill, uh, you know, and today I'm still in contact with some of those churches, and we're talking many years ago throughout the 1990s. And it was the Lord developing me in ministry.

And I want to say this, or I don't know if I do, I do not have a high school education. I had to quit because I was in a foster home. Been in children's homes and foster homes my whole life. I was in a foster home and the state quit paying my room and board. So they kicked me out. I had to get a job. And uh, so for me to work at that radio station to read the news over the air, I got away with it. I know I mispronounced words, but it was a small market radio station. But it was the Lord training me for ministry. And I'm able to read the Bible and not sound like I'm reading it. And you know, that's a gift from God. And I just, we need, you and I, everyone need to use your talent and ability, your hobbies for the kingdom. All that can be used to bless people, encourage people, and some of you have it in you and don't know it. So I'm challenging you right now in the name of Jesus. You've got a gift that is very, very important to the kingdom. We're living in a day and now time is short. God is doing a new thing. He's saying, "Behold, I will do a new thing. Shall ye not know it? I am going to make a way in the wilderness and in the rivers and the deserts of your life to bring forth refreshing to his children, to the body of Christ." And God is going to use you in a special way. I pronounce that on your life right now. You haven't seen anything yet.

Wow. Oh my goodness. I'm excited for you right now. There's some of you right now receiving that in Jesus name. Amen. You've been doing ministry for quite a long time here. Um, what are some lessons you've learned? What other knowledge can you pass on here? Fight discouragement. That's good. Check your discouragement and put it in the Bible and trust God. Override it. Don't let it stop you. Don't let depression, discouragement, and lack stop you. You're quick to say, "I don't have the finances. I don't have the ability. I don't have the equipment." Those things will all be in their place. God wants you. And if it's just a little thing you start out with in ministry by speaking to someone, encouraging words.

And uh, you know, I've had, I have fought discouragement terrible, terrible in my ministry uh because of lack of finances mainly, and also uh lack of opportunities to minister. And you, when PTL did what they did, I was at PTL during that time. I met Jim and Tammy Bakker, I met Jim Bakker, and I was very, I was programmed or I was invited to work for PTL. And uh, I was at the campground staying at PTL, and um, was all set for an interview, and I met somebody from the Foursquare denomination, and they have a church camp in Hendersonville, and they asked me to come to church camp and come and minister my music, and boy, the spirit of the Lord told me that's what I want you to do.

Oh wow. And so I'm glad I never did go to work for PTL because I would have been right in the middle of everything that happened.

And so in 1984 I become licensed with the Foursquare International Southeast District and that was a real blessing and a lot of the different Foursquare churches opened up for us in ministry.

But you have to, I still fight discouragement even today thinking I'm not doing anything. In you, the devil, it's, it's, I don't, we say devil this, we say devil that. It's demonic forces. They're the ones that are the devil's not omnipresent, you know. It's demonic beings by the thousands that surround us that are constantly battling your mind and your thoughts and your body.

And so we just start worshiping Jesus, calling upon the name of Jesus. Raise your hands, close your eyes, raise your chin. Jesus, I love you. I worship you regardless of circumstances, regardless of what's happening. I give you honor and glory and praise and I sometimes spend hours doing that.

And you know, my main thing in my ministry really was worship, my music. I would, my main thing in ministry, I would take my twelve string guitar that had a harmonizer effect, digital reverb, and I would strum that guitar and keep it within one melody and a melody line, not changing chords. And that's how you sing a new song.

And so it's, and I encouraged people to make up words and they would catch that melody and they would sing it out. Oh my goodness, you get some people in the church doing that and it is absolutely wonderful. And it's what the Bible says to sing a new song. There's there's spiritual songs, hymns and spiritual songs. Hymns we sing from the hymn book. Spiritual songs, a new song. And there's and they're singing in the in our heavenly language too. So have you thought about or how does music tie into what you're doing in Big Screen? Have you been able to integrate it in at all?

At all? You know, I'm I'm I'm a little sad to say that I have given my guitars away to my son and I given one to my son-in-law. I haven't played my guitar. I tried playing in VR and it doesn't work because the frequency response, the audio is absolutely terrible. You, it just does not sound good. And I've tried it. I set up my in the other room where my guitar is and I played I but it just didn't sound.

I have my harmonica here and I do play that. But I don't get on that to practice anymore like I used to. And but I got about like fifteen harmonicas.

It takes a lot of hot air to blow one of these and I'll bet. Does Gramps play as well? No. No. The, you're a man of many talents. I just, and I love the fact that you're finding ways to, you know, incorporate all this together in using technology. You know, so often, you know, I meet people that are your age that feel like their retire, their ministry years are behind them and they're ready to hang it up and they're done. But you're leaning into it and really, I still feel that way though. I still feel that I'm done. I really do. I have to fight that all the time. I don't know. Maybe speak a little bit to that, like the temptation to be down on yourself, fighting back, like walk me through a little bit of that.

Well, now you're going to get me. Sorry. I, well, I mean, it is demonic. It is Satan that makes you feel worthless. He'll say you don't have money. You don't have any talent. No one's going to you. You're not important. They and you just have to fight those things. It's a desire of your heart. If you have spoken with your mouth and this has been the cry of your heart, which is simply this, Father, here am I. Use me. Father, here am I. Use me. And I leave it at that. And so, I do what I can do. And I've been rejected. There's a church, there's a church that I've been a part of for quite a few years and in VR chat and the pastor, some people in the congregation come against me. The pastor never defended me, never said anything to stop their ridicule and the things they were saying to me. And so I've never been back. I won't, I will not cast my pearl before swine. And if they don't want to hear you, you move on because there's somebody else that will hear you.

And but it's demonic. It's they devil will stop you for every little thing you're trying to do. But I'm telling you, I don't care what anybody says. The internet is important. This is important. Virtual reality is important. God is using VR. He's saying, "Behold, I will do a new thing. Shall ye not know it?" So what does that mean to me? That means using electronics and using our brother right here with a tremendous man. He promotes other ministries and that is that's just amazing, brother. I just you are a, I mean your dedication to be in front of that microphone and setting things up and encouraging people. I'm telling you, people don't know what's involved in that. And I just really honor you for that.

They just think, oh, he comes on there and he's got his microphone and talk. But you know, and he's got financial needs and he's got family needs and his car and vehicles and property. Yeah. I appreciate that. Thank you. I, you know, talking about discouragement, you know, you don't know me. Um, I, the first Bible study I taught, online Bible study, the first online Bible study I taught was in the year 2000. I actually graduated from college '99 and thought surely somebody is going to hire me to be a digital pastor after Y2K. Yeah. I had a calling to be a digital pastor back in 1992 as an eighth grader, twelve years old. And so yeah, discouragement's legit. It's funny. Um, that's actually why we created the Church Digital. Was I, in 2018 when we created the Church Digital, I'd had dozens of conversations with innovative people in the church. And it's so funny. Anytime you do anything innovation, aim to help churches, like those two words do not go well together, innovation and church. Church does not like innovative things. And so it's they're always, I just I quickly saw this trend of people were alone and we're isolated and you know, when when I actually left the church staff in 2018 cuz God told me to leave and many people assumed, well it's my time to plant a church and when I prayed, okay is it my turn, is it my turn to plant, is it my turn to start one myself, that wasn't the word. The word was help.

And so we created the Church Digital to help those that are planting. And you know, the DJs, the Angela Craigs, the Pastor D's, people that are doing it in digital and metaverse spaces. We've really tried to be a light to help this generation because as this generation succeeds, so will the next one. And so man, I appreciate um just even your transparency, sharing a little bit here about the discouragement and how the enemy uses that in your own life because that is, that's so telling for, you know, large or small, digital and metaverse. That is a consistent trend in the lives of people that are doing digital and virtual ministry today.

Yep. I again I've always enjoyed electronics and so to be able to utilize something you enjoy as a hobby or what and then have it be involved with ministry. Wow, what a combination. What a blessing. Love it. Um let me ask this question before we pivot. How did you like, how did the conference end up getting into your Big Screen? Like was it just you grabbed the YouTube feed and pushed it over? How, what did you and Cheddar actually do to make that happen?

Um listen, before I answer your question, I want you to meet my wife, Joyce. Oh, hey Joyce. There's Joyce. How are you? We, how long we've been married? Sixty-two. It'll be sixty-three years this July. Wow. Congratulations. And she was sixteen. I was nineteen. We did not have to get married. But he wrapped the cradle. No, I was, we were, I brought her home after a date. We only knew each other thirty days and sitting there in the car late at night and the spirit of the Lord just almost audibly spoke to me and said, "This is your wife." Wow.

And that was it. And when I told her mother that the Lord spoke to me, we had to go to the courthouse to sign some papers or something cuz she was sixteen. And we didn't have a child till a year later. And our son is second in command of the sheriff's department. He's over one hundred sixty sheriff deputies for the Morgan County Sheriff's Department. Wow. And our daughter, we live with our daughter here in her home. And she works for a bank in fraud, fraud department, huh? Head chief in the fraud department. Fraud department. So amazing. She's got computer skills and stuff. So thank you, honey. You're welcome. Nice meeting you. Nice to meet you, Joyce. Wow. Very, very cool. I'm sorry. I didn't mean, uh, what was at your, uh, yeah.

So how did the conference end up end up in your room? Oh, I love doing that. And just um I'll bring a church service from another area into Big Screen and uh yeah. And I had people come in. I had to explain what was going on. And uh it was, it wasn't very, I didn't do the whole five hours or what. Sure, sure, sure, sure. But I did quite a bit of it there. And so it was cool. Worked out. And I took some pictures and I actually have, yeah. I have pictures of the conference, but then I took pictures of you and Elena and I have those in 3D right now and can show them in Big Screen. So someday you've got to come into Big Screen, look for me and I'll show you what I'm talking about. That sounds like a plan.

Well, man, this has been a great conversation. Uh I am uh Mr. Pete, uh Pete, uh host, uh man, it has been such an honor uh to have this conversation with you. You may be the oldest uh digital metaverse missionary I've had a conversation with to date. So congratulations. Uh there are many uh that that I work with that are glad you're around because they're no longer the oldest. There actually is someone that beats them by a decade or so. I've met someone older than me in VR. Interesting. They have, yeah, they took my crown. Okay. Well, uh we'll have to have the connection uh there. But I do I do appreciate the time uh jumping on here. And so as we're wrapping up uh here for this stream, any closing thoughts?

No, this is a really honor and privilege and uh I'm gonna go to YouTube and capture this part of this video and turn these pictures into 3D. And that's neat. And I want to say hi to everyone that knows who I am. Please come join me in Big Screen and let me fly over your house. Very cool. So check out Big Screen in, u, I mean you have to download the Big Screen app uh to get to it and so go to the Quest store to download Big Screen and then search. How do they find you? Mr. Pete, just yeah, just Mr. Pete, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Mr. Pete 3D. Yeah, Mr. Pete 3D. Awesome. And so with that, we're we're going to wrap. And so for Mr. Pete, this is Jeff uh with the Church Digital. Thanks for hanging out with us today on the stream and we'll see you next time on the show.

All right, y'all. Have a good one. Thank you, sir.