EP022: Jeff's Mom & the Heart of Online Groups

Hey there, welcome to the Church Digital podcast. My name is Jeff, and we got a great episode set up for you. It's episode 22. We'll talk about who's coming up here in a little bit. It's my birthday week, and yeah, happy birthday to me. My birthday was actually August 18th, so the day yesterday from when the podcast released on Monday the 19th. And I'm excited. I'm 42. The gray in the beard's legit. I haven't had hair in 20 years, so yeah, 42 is looking a lot like 41 and a lot like 40 and a lot like my 30s, actually, come to think of it. But let's get back on topic.

To celebrate my birthday, here's what I'm doing, listening audience. I'm giving away Starbucks. I love Starbucks, and you love Starbucks too. So follow me on Instagram. My Instagram account is dear veg, D-E-A-R-F-F-E-J, so dear like the animal, and then Jeff backwards because my name is Jeffrey. It's all backwards. Follow me. I'm giving away Starbucks gift cards this week on my Instagram account. If you want to get notified when it's coming, turn on notifications on Instagram. Take advantage of my graciousness all week of my birthday here, August 18th week.

And this isn't the only way I'm celebrating my birthday, because it's my birthday and I get to do what I want, and I can cry if I want to, which I'm not. To celebrate my birthday, I'm bringing a special guest on here for this podcast. And this woman, honestly, is dear to my heart. Maybe next to my wife and my daughter, I don't know that I love any woman any more than this. And before this gets any more awkward, let me tell you that we're bringing my mom on the podcast.

So here's the deal. What does my mom have to do with church online? My mom's been leading multiple online small groups for almost three years now. A lot of it are people that she's recruited to join in. And my mom tells some phenomenal stories and has some phenomenal experiences about what it actually means to lead a small group online. And so us as churches, as we're wrestling with whether or not we should do this and what does it look like and does it downplay the physical as well as the virtual, and how we're all complicating what's involved in actually doing discipleship online, people like my mother have just jumped in and have been disciplining people for years.

And I want to explore this, what she shares some stories, see what online small groups looks like, what biblical community looks like, what cell groups, whatever the language is, what does it look like to get people together and study the Bible online? And ironically, the best expert I know to dive into this is my mother, who is past retirement age, who is gonna tell some phenomenal stories.

So I want to present to you, ladies and gentlemen, Rady Armas, who's not my mother, but online pastor over at Christ Fellowship Miami, myself, of course, in the Church Digital, and my mother, Linda Reid, retiree online small group leader. Here y'all go.

I just want to put a disclaimer. I can't call this woman Linda for the entire length of this podcast, so listening to it, you know, it's not gonna happen. You're gonna have to be okay with me calling her mom because mom's been mom for 42 years, and that is awesome.

And so I mean, I really just wanted to get a chance to sit down and talk with mom, who's been doing online small groups for three years. Three years ago, when I was at Christ Fellowship Miami and just looking for somebody kind of crazy to buy into some concept of doing a small group online, and mom, being well, super supportive like she always is of me, well, mom, how'd you get involved with doing an online small group? You tell the story.

Okay, well, I think you called me and asked me would I host an online Bible study. And I said, well, who's going to be in the group? Number one was one of my first questions. How do I host one? And most important, do I know enough about technology to do something online as an elderly person? I won't say old, but elderly.

Nobody's saying old. Not one person has said old. Not even elderly. You're young for your age.

Okay, thank you. Thank you, Linda. You're proving that a lot of this is really even just a state of mind thing, even just by taking this on. Because you know those questions right off the bat are what most people wouldn't approach this with. And so keep telling your story because I think it's gonna help in that direction.

It's been easy, and it's been wonderful, and a lot has happened, and God has been in it. You can see things that have happened because I started with one small group on Sunday night at 8 o'clock. Now I have two small groups, one on Sunday night and one on Monday night at 8 o'clock. And as a leader, it's wonderful. I only have to study one, you know, prepare. It's like a teacher in school. I only have to prepare one lesson, but I get the time and the privilege of sharing it twice.

So tell me about your particular study. So you got some great questions. Who's gonna join the group? That was your question three years ago. Who joined your group? Tell us some of what your online small groups look like.

Okay, on my Sunday night small group, I have the first person that actually joined my group is still with me three years later. And she started out living in, she actually, her family lives and went to West Kendall, but she went away to law school in Washington DC. And she joined, was my first person to join in my class, out of Washington DC. She was a college graduate and she was just entering law school. And so she was there until just last year. She now moved to San Antonio. And what's great, it's been seamless. She's now in San Antonio, but she joins us every Sunday night, and we've just had a grand time.

One of the other ladies in our Sunday night small group, she and I went to Washington DC to visit Melissa, and we had a grand two days with her. Went to the Bible museum there, and we really got close as friends, even though really our relationship is centered online. And to me, one of the most important things about being online, it's the same as being face to face in a physical room. And it just opens up so much access to anybody who wants to be in a small group. And so for me, it's been wonderful.

And we've had all kinds of experiences in our small group. I have one lady who has actually joined in on small group from the grocery store, believe it or not, on her cell phone, because she didn't want to miss it. It was interesting. We've done, we've done that. We had pajama night one night because, you know, we're all in line, we're all women, we all wore pajamas. We got up and showed our pajamas to each other. So, you know, we try to make it fun.

And so this past year, we've been doing the study of, we've been going through the book of Matthew. And when Jesus was going to have the Lord's Supper, we were going to do it. We're gonna have communion, you know, like you do online at church. But I couldn't bring myself to do it because I didn't feel like I should be leading in communion as a small group. We talked about it. So anyway, we've had fun with that. We laugh, we cry together. It doesn't matter if you're in the same room or if you're online. You can have all those same feelings of connection and community and emotion together.

We text each other during the week. We text each other recipes, you know. We stay connected during the week. We celebrate birthdays, you know. We do everything that you do in person. You could do online. It's wonderful.

So you're something, something year old person. You're on the older side, retired, you know, grandkid-loving, doting grandmother on my kids, which is awesome. Melissa, you mentioned, she's not, you mentioned she's on the younger side. She's Melissa's 26. She's been an attorney now for two years, right? So you connected with her. She was with graduate level work when we first connected. And I can just, I remember that early conversation that I had where, as online pastor, like as we were getting the connection cards and utilizing people that came in through the online campus, Melissa was one of those that reached out saying that she was looking for some form of biblical community, looking for a small group, looking to get connected.

And just transparently, Melissa was coming from like a law professional level. My mom had, has, you know, former business and professional level on that side. And so it's like, hey, maybe I could put the two of these together. Maybe I could, like, there were even others early on that I was like, let me try to help my mom start this small group that's maybe this young professional group that she could like mentor and develop and grow with. And Melissa has stayed.

One of the challenges, you know, I think I'll jump ahead here a little bit because of what you just said about the small, you know, the age difference, some of the challenges have been some folks coming up for me as a leader. They'll come on, they're here trying to connect, you're trying to build that relationship, and then after a month or two they drop off. And you reach out to them because you want to find out, are they okay? What's happened? You know, just like you would if you were doing an in-home or at church, you know, you'd want to know what's happened. And you don't want people to fall through the cracks.

And one of the challenges that then getting them to respond back and share with you why they've moved on, it's okay, you know, it's not for you. I understand that. But that's been the toughest thing for me is to let some people go. And I'll give you an example. We had a young girl who was studying nursing at FIU. This is going back now three years ago. And she wanted to come on. She signed up to come on. She texted me back and forth. I'm coming, I'm coming on. I never could get her to come on. I sent her a book. I mailed you no cards of encouragement to her, and so forth. And then one day I got a text from her, a very long text, that she was in a situation where she had an unplanned pregnancy. And she, she evidently was raised in a Christian family. She knew what had happened was wrong. She was devastated. And I just kept trying to encourage, encourage, and encourage her, you know, that in every way I could. I just loved on her every way I could through the texting and through sending cards and books and stuff like that to her.

And anyway, make a long story short, I didn't hear from her for about a year and a half. Year and a half. And then just about five months ago, six months ago, she friended me on Facebook out of nowhere. I was shocked. And we started up a relationship again. She had been in an abusive relationship. She had the baby. She's beautiful. I see. I'm real good friends with her on Facebook now. We're friends. All that. She's never come back on to the group, but she keeps promising me she wants to. And I keep reaching out to her. She keeps reaching out to me. And so I just found out that she now lives in Kendall. So I'm gonna try to get together with her.

So you know, I've tried over the last two and a half years to minister to her and be there for her, even though she never actually showed up on a small group. Yeah, and she's a young girl, you know, I know. And in need of a mentor or somebody to help her along the way.

So that's been one experience. And then I have on my Monday night group, I actually reached out to a mother and daughter. And my mother and daughter is now Barber, who goes to Christ Fellowship Miami, and Nestle, who lives somewhere in Texas, some small town in Texas. She's now a dentist. And she's young, like Melissa. And so it's been really great seeing a daughter and a mother that is in a Bible study together. And I've really enjoyed that. And I know that they have because they both have reached out to me and told me that they're very excited to be in a Bible study with their mother or with their daughter. It's encouraging because that's pretty rare, isn't it, as far as getting...

that dynamic a lot of folks feel uncomfortable like a dome on their and I think it's easy for a mother and daughter to do it online and in person. Hmm, let's unpack that because I mean what with the two examples with the two studies you mean you're you're old and you've got Melissa who's younger and so even like getting the two of you and in a physical space there's challenges if you do that physically and so you've got two different examples of a mom and a daughter in an older retired versus a young professional that that are building relationships virtually utilizing online to us why do you think that is?

Um, I think that it's it's just a more comfortable situation because you are even though you're face to face and but you're not in the same room and it allows you to be who you are without the intimidation of mothers sitting right by you you should understand that Jeff asking questions here so wait so but in my Sunday night group where I have a 26 year old Melissa I have a beautiful person young not young but she I don't think she's old I haven't really asked her how old she is but I'm gonna guess she's somewhere between 40 and 50 younger than me and she's a nurse in Orangeville Ontario Canada and she has just been a delight always has a smile on her face always has something to add and truly has been a real inspiration to our group and so so the age range on that Sunday night group really goes from 26 to 72 you know and our Monday night group goes the same realm 26 to 72 and so it's been fun and believe me we all share that that was one thing I wanted to share with you guys that I think works so well is I dedicate an hour in the first 15 minutes we fellowship I mean we really fellowship we share our lives we share what's going on that last week what we're expecting to do this we you know what's going on the good the bad anything we just open up and share that's our first 15 minutes then we have an opening prayer and then we do Bible study for 30 minutes and then we close in 15 minutes we share a prayer request and then we pray we all pray or one or you know depends on what you know what's going on and how many prayer requests we have that I either assign some to pray and some other I have one lady that's in my Sunday night group that's from Puerto Rico and she's the fairly new Christian I believe I had a chance to really talk with her yet she's nude or group and I asked her to pray which may have been a mistake but in retrospect it worked out great God was innocent because she said to me in our little group she says I will pray but I don't know how to pray.

Mm-hmm. I said you know Erica you know how to talk I said that's all you have to do is talk to God and telling what we've been talking about and she prayed and it was beautiful and it was from the heart and afterwards she said she was so excited you know but as soon as that sounds that was a really haha moment in a small group online where we were being real and it was wonderful it was really wonderful and now John and I my husband we're going to Puerto Rico on October 22nd and I'm gonna get to have dinner with her and her husband so I'm gonna get to actually meet her so I'm excited about that so wait she's in I'm sorry she's not from Puerto Rico she's in Puerto Rico he came to our group through CF through Agatha he's in New York New York okay and Agatha because she was in Agatha's group going back to three years ago yes what an Agatha reached out to her and invited us now Agatha sense left our group she's had her father died she's had some traumatic things happen in her life and but I keep her on my every Friday email I will never let a Gotha go for me and tells me to stop sending I send her the lessons every Friday so if you're keeping score at home we've got Texas we've got she's leader in Miami currently in North Carolina with the podcast but normally Miami you we've got Texas we've got Ontario Canada and we've got Puerto Rico like there is multiple countries multiple time zones right because because even though we meet at 8 o'clock on Sunday night for Puerto Rico that's it's a different time zone in Puerto Rico but I forget what it is I think I think later but then in Texas in San Antonio it for Chesley and for Melissa it's 7 o'clock even though it's 8 o'clock so where did you find these people it's it's it's just kind of like networks I guess anybody that's in on Monday night I have Laurie who is my niece who is a fairly new Christian who in Charlotte North Carolina and she's in my Monday night group and loving it with Janice and was in your Tuesday night class yes awesome it's all just kind of coming together so when you approach people and you ask like hey I want you to join my online small group like what's their response like you know and some of these people you know you're seeing them in and face-to-face Janice Laurie right well the first thing older people ask me well I know how to do it that's their first concern and for younger folks it's how much time do I have to put into it you know because time is you know king in the realm of the worldly sense and you know I think when I tell them hey it's one hour a week and you don't even have to leave your house you know or your apartment or your home wherever you are you've got the Internet you can join us online for one hour you know no travel time no anything you know it's it's easy and so you know a lot of people you know are willing to give it a shot I have to tell you if I had more time I'd do a third class you know but you know I've got so much time to and but it's easy and we could take each of our groups if everybody shows it's just like two regular physical groups whether you meet at home or in a church sometimes people show up sometimes there's conflict they can't you know so forth so on so you know some nights on Sunday night we'll have seven sometimes we'll have five you know a Monday night is a smaller group you know could I take another couple of folks in on Monday night yes but you know finding them and getting them connected I'm not sure exactly how all that goes down today but I have to tell you I truly believe people that are attending church that are not involved in a small group if they really were introduced to online small groups I think there could be a huge number of folks that could do it and enjoy it when you look at because you you've done both you you've led online you've led physical you've been involved in online you've been involved in physical groups so like and you're of the generation that it has less credibility in context of online so when you're when you're doing this like what are the obstacles and just completely transparent honest here what are the obstacles in context of online that you're like man online is suffering because of this it's harder online because of this like what what are the challenges that you've had to overcome that maybe you don't have in physical and then vice versa what are the challenges of physical that are solved in online?

I I think the obstacles are the same for for a leader and that is your dedication to study okay and content for you know how do you get the best use of your 30 minutes final study I used to do some books earlier on we used to do a topic study I mean we did this we did the topic study of the ten commandments we did a topic study of the Lord's Prayer now we're in to just doing books of the Bible we'd like we just Matthew we started Matthew believe it or not in February and we just finished it you know there's 28 chapters I try to do a chapter a week some chapters in my little 30-minute have to go into two weeks because of the length of the chapter but we have all decided which I took a survey of both my groups did they want to go back to a book or a topic or did they want to go on to another chapter on another book of the Bible and they all said let's do another book of the Bible and we've decided that September 8th and 9th we're gonna start the book of John and that's what they all wanted to do because they said that it for all these ladies except for Janice Janice has as you know is very learned and been in Bible studies for years and years and years it's been a real eye-opener to them to study the whole book of Matthew first by verse you know chapter by chapter verse by verse and it's for me the challenge is getting I do an outline that goes to them every Friday with an email you know giving them whatever news I can come up with for the week what's been going on and all that anything I've heard about anybody that's in our group sick well new babies like you know Janice is a great grandmother five times over or something so anyway you know we share all that news on you know that we can through either texts or emails but then I give them an outline and giving them an outline that proposes certain verses with questions for them to think about and key verses that are in that section those individual sections in those chapters it takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of you know studying and I I've read more commentaries now on Matthew than I ever read my life so for me it's been just you know a real eye-opener into the book of Matthew that you know it's been even though I've been in church all my life I'm learning things I'd never are I'm remembering things or maybe things are being able easier for me to recall because I'm studying them at a deeper level challenge number one for the leader challenge number two for the leader would be to really know that they have an accountability and a responsibility to love these ladies online even though I'm not physically in the same room with them and truly get to know them and love them as though I could put my arms around them I mean we have a lot of fun and as much as one night Chesley was eating some cereal or she was eating something while we you know she just gotten home from work and she was having dinner we were having class and Lori says to Chesley Chesley I can just smell those strawberries in that cereal and we all just bursted out laughing because trying to Lori was trying to make it seem like we were in the same room you know together smelling these strawberries even though it was online it was fun you know we really had a good time that night with a lot of different ways that we that we try to interact even though we're studying God's Word and anyway that's that's beautiful loving people from a distance how old says I've been challenging in a way that's where a lot of folks get that kind of mixed up as far as your on unity terms of um you know I I think you could do a Bible study online where everybody was in the same city they just don't have time to get to a small group location I think they could be from all over the world and you know be in that same online group obviously if you had an online group that was meeting online every week if I had a group that was just in Miami or down near Palmetto Bay where we live where I live I would probably try to once a quarter meet at a restaurant or meet in my home to see each other you know that would seem to like be okay that would make sense but when you are doing it where you have people all over then you have to be creative you know in learning how to we have a group text that we're all in and we send out happy birthdays we send out you know good luck on this or you know something they know somebody's going to do and we always spawn back and forth for it and those are the kind of things that even with physical quote physical groups that take place like in person like you really start to know that that you're really

Getting into community when jokes and when community is happening outside of the context of group, right? When you don't quote-unquote have to be in communication, that's when the real friendship and stuff is bonding. That's what everybody wants for their waters. I feel very connected to these ladies that I've never met as I feel as connected to them as I do the ladies that I've met. He's good. I care about them and think about them and pray for them just the same. Talk, talk a lot more about their spiritual growth. I loved how you challenged one of them to pray, and that right there for some folks is amazing, you know? Because a lot of people would be, you know, a lot of small group leaders I've talked to in physical groups are afraid to call people out for any kind of spiritual step in their context. So what are some more examples of that?

We have been, I have been working on getting them to think about starting their own online small group, even though they can stay in mine, you know? I'm trying to get them to think about coming up with a list of just two people, because I think three people can be the beginning of a small group, no problem. And the reason why I believe that is some, there's been a couple of Sunday nights that they're only three of us that showed up, just like, you know, the others were all had conflict. And when you have just three or four people online together, it's a much more intimate gathering, just as if you were in the home with these three or four people. Because the larger a group gets, the more disconnected against from community of knowing people. And a lot of people aren't willing to speak up as much in a bigger group. We're in a smaller group, they'll share at a better, at a deeper level.

So I have my group, my groups now are being challenged for beginning in September to come, not to actually have started the group, but their each to bring two people's names that we're gonna start praying for those folks before they even ask them to form a group. So I don't know if this is going to go anywhere, but I'm gonna, I'm challenging them to do that. I think that this past year in math, you, I think the idea that they all wanted to do another book of the Bible verse by verse versus some book, you know, from the bookstore, don't exist anymore. I know, but it's an indication that they, they're spiritually, I believe they're there, they're growing.

Mm-hmm. Because I think that it's a lot harder to sit down and get into the Bible because there's so much of it. Even after I study it and read three commentaries, there's some stuff just don't over my head as a layperson of God's Word. And there's many times I have to say to them that'll ask me a question, and I have to say I don't know. I said, you know, I could venture a guess, but far be it for me to lead you the wrong way. I won't answer it unless I'm certain of my answer.

I love this idea of duplicating, of challenging the groups to create other groups. And Ray and I, we talk a lot on the podcast, and I'm mama, I've had the conversations with you as well about this, this theory of church online. It's called online/offline. The gospel that we learn about in our online relationships affects our offline world. And using it to say, okay, I'm not just gonna stay in this one group. I'm gonna actually use it to go out and start to talk with people, with friends that I know, start to pray about inviting them into the group, into a relationship to get them to understand more of God, then there's more of the gospel through it. And you doing the studies that you're doing, diving into Scripture, is such an awesome, rich way. Even the book of John, just that as that first study, to get people to understand the heart of the gospel and getting them to invite others in and enabling them, okay, we've just gone through John, you know, maybe, but you're starting John. So as we're starting John, maybe this is your opportunity to do John for the next group. So the people that you're going through it, hey, as we're doing John, you do John as well with your group, because that's that's a great book for some new people to start off.

I love, and this is kind of what I wanted to ask just here. Like, you've got people who have who have joined your study, Melissa as an example, who have been like through Christ Fellowship, the church, somebody catches an online broadcast, fills out a connection card, and we get them connected into a group. But the majority of your group isn't like crowd sourced through a church service. It's more these are people that you know, like Barbara, Chesley, Lori, right? Right, right. And Lori, Mike, my niece. I knew that she has struggled in church and not really there, and I called her up and I invite order to give this a try. She said, oh, I would love to. And she loves it. I mean, really, really loves it. And then I have Mary. You might know her, Ray. She, it was a member of Christ Fellowship, and she just moved to Naples. But they're moving back. It didn't work out for them to stay in. Brenda found us, who's in Ontario, Canada. She found us. I don't even totally understand how she found us, because I think she was listening to Christ Fellowship Palm Beach. Okay, and somehow or another, she called the church Christ Fellowship, come on, obey, and connected to my group through that way. Because the first time I, because we always, we always discussed, you know, church. I, my biggest encouragement to them is that they go to church, you know, son, and so that we talk about what church we went to, what message we heard. You, that's some of the way we fellowship. And Brenda says, and we were talking about, you know, Rick Blackwood, and she goes, who's Rick Blackland? Through Christ our ship, she goes, no, and she said some other name who I don't remember what she said. Christ Fellowship up there. So they, and then I remembered that there was another church, Christ Fellowship up north.

Yeah, we've probably benefited a little too unfairly from that cross branding. Well, that's how we found her. But obviously, Debbie Brown is in my Sunday night class, and I've known her for many, many years, and she's, he's wonderful, and she's, you know, she's got a lot of knowledge and a lot of, you know, background in Bible through BSF. So I encourage her to share her thinking on different verses and subjects, and it's just been really, really wonderful. I don't have to explain it. I just say I get the biggest blessing out of it. I just love it.

I love this idea of you taking ownership of inviting people in. And part of in what way, and I have talked about, is there's this personal mission of we know people who need Jesus. We know people who are struggling in their faith. We know people who need that community. And I love that that you've reached out to the people that you have to make this group, and that your debt, that Christ Fellowship through Church online is really empowering you at the personal mission to develop discipleship relationships with this people, these people, take them through the scripture and to dive in. So like, this is this is awesome. I love what's happening here with this. So keep going with that. Here's here's the question, and what will land the plane on this. Somebody wants to start a group. Somebody's not sure if they want to start a group. How can you advise them? What advice can you give them to start an online small group?

That they just pray about it first, and then allow God to put two people into their mind, maybe a family member or a friend, and start that way. And you know, it's as simple as, it's as simple as that.

That's so good. That's, I mean, you know, if you have anybody that's thinking about it, having call me. They will definitely want to do it after they talk to me, okay? So I'm not gonna give my mom's cell phone number in the show notes so watch it now so that we can start more Christ Fellowship online smarter. So go ahead and call three-oh-five-two-three-eight-one-eight-one-eight. Ask for Radio Aramis, and I'll get you in with Linda. There you go.

I like that so much better than the other option. So I'm done, man. Ray, thoughts as we're landing the plane here? I mean, Linda nailed every part of it. And you know, she loves the people in her group, and she loves Jesus, and all this kind of works together to help lead them in the right steps of discipleship, which is what it's all about. The medium doesn't matter as much as the fact that she's living out the mission. And that's what's most great. Chocolate, thank you, Mom. Any closing thoughts?

Well, just that if somebody would have asked me before I retired three years ago if I would be doing online Bible studies, I would have said no, not possible. But let me tell you, you just have to get in there and do it. If you've got a laptop or a computer, it's easy as can be. And the Zoom product is from me the best. We used to have another product before we went to Zoom. Do you remember what it was, Jeff?

Yes, and I'm not gonna say the name. Okay, that's okay. I'm hoping we get sponsored by Zoom here. This is the because is really easy to use, and I I think it's, you know, it's great the way it works, the way they can sign in, and you know, the way you set up the meetings, every aspect of it is great and easy. Very easy. Because I can't even get this Bluetooth thing to work, so you can take that part out, Jeff. No, I wanted to get all the Zoom sponsorships to Zoom and grew out there, right? Mentoring a check right now. That's that was awesome.

I, you know, I can I can remember three years ago sitting in my office, okay? Should I ask my mom to start an online small group? What's the what's the best that can happen? What's the worst that can happen? What would this look like? How do I, I've got this need, and it was all, it was all centered around that that Melissa relationship because there were two or three of these young professionals that were starting to crop up, and it's like, what do I, what's the best way to do something here? And that was, you know, that initial conversation to help reach that that type of person. And I got to tell you, I mean, I love the fact that I did three years later, that you've developed the relationships you have with these people, that you've been able to, you know, and I don't mean to be rude when I say this, but you've been able to extend your ministry life where you've been able to do things in ministry through online that you know you may not be able to do if you were existing in the physical realm because you travel so much and you're doing so many different things that physical myth, you, yes, you know, but let me read and comment and comment on that because Linda, this is what I love about it, and something that I've practiced, you know, with folks who were a stage of life behind, and something that I've had the benefit of having folks for a stake of life ahead. And if you're here listening and you're anywhere in life, I just want to encourage you. Number one, you don't know who you can develop that's step behind you. And number two, you don't know the kind of development that you need from a person who's a step ahead. Because I'm telling you now, from everything from parenting to marriage life to work life, having folks in my life who are two or three steps ahead of me, it has been the treasure trove of my life where I've avoided a lot of pitfalls and where the Lord has allowed me to do the same for somebody who's in college or just newly married or whatever else, just step behind. I don't have to, you know, you don't have to have everything. Just be willing to give what you know, and that is so powerful in decide. Yes, very much so.

I have one just real quick and now closed. I have one of the ladies I didn't mention. Sunday night, Jill. She lives in Homestead. Her husband's in the military, and they're getting ready to transfer to. He's taken, he said he has it actually has a PhD, and he's going to work for the University of Michigan, and they're moving. And she was...

Sharing Sunday night how excited she is that she'll be able to take her small group with her. Oh, it's awesome to Michigan, you know? So we're all excited about hearing all about what God has in store for her in Michigan. After, you know, she came to Miami from Ohio not wanting to come, afraid to come, you know, with two small babies and her husband and military. It's been wonderful and she and I have grown to really, you know, trust each other and love each other. And now she's going to Michigan and she's excited both to go to Michigan and take our group together, take our group with her.

Yeah, and then that's the part of church online and online relationships is that, you know, you've got this biblical community. You've got this group of people and you have the opportunity to continue those relationships on. And this is awesome. Like, I am, man, this has been a great birthday gift and I appreciate the time of this and the wisdom.

This is, yeah, well we'll let that fly. There was a lot worse you could have said in this podcast, so we're just gonna, we're gonna walk away. I'm gonna count my blessings and thank you. That alright, for Ray, for Linda, I'm Jeff with the Church Digital. Thanks for joining us today and we'll see you next time. Thanks for being here. Bye.