God's Resort with Jay and Julie St. Clair - 8 - It's Time to Rise Up

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kim McIntire (00:09):
Hey everyone, welcome to the it's Time to Rise
Up podcast.
I'm your host, Kim McIntyre.
Thank you for joining us thisweek.
If you're not familiar with ourshow, please check out our
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(00:31):
anywhere else you find yourpodcast.
We would love to hear from ourlisteners, so give us a thumbs
up, leave a comment or a reviewon Apple Podcasts.
We do have an excitingannouncement that Rise Up
Revival Night is going to beheld on February 1st at 6 pm at
the Cornell Complex in Joplin,missouri.
There's going to be amazingworship, a powerful message and

(00:54):
times of crying out to God forrevival over our city and nation
.
Everyone is welcome and we hopeto see you there.
We're going to jump right intothis interview.
I am so honored to have two ofmy spiritual heroes in the
studio with me today, and when Isay that it's you guys, when I

(01:15):
think about people that haveinfluenced my life for Jesus,
you are at the top of the list.
You guys have had such impacton my life not just my life, but
my daughter's life so I'm goingto start this interview with
sharing my first memory of youguys, which would have been oh
my goodness, I didn't thinkabout the years, but Alex, I

(01:37):
know, was in high school and shewas probably 13 or 14, and we
were actually attending a localchurch in Joplin, but she was
going to College HeightsChristian School.
A lot of her friends were goingto the Wednesday night youth at
College Heights and she wasbegging us to go to youth group.

(01:57):
So we decided we would take herto youth group at College
Heights, we would go to thelocal church we were attending,
and one night we came and pickedher up and she goes Mom, I
really want you to come and meetJay and Julie St Clair.
And I was like okay, kind ofhalf-hearted, I'm just being
honest.
So I go in with Alex, you know,I mean it's 830, a little bit

(02:20):
tired.
So I go in with Alex and she'slike, well, julie's talking to
those girls, but we'll wait aminute.
And you're in a circle withsome teenage girls just
listening with all your heartand I just knew in that moment
that is a woman I want to know.
And then she's like, well,that's Julie and Jay's over,

(02:41):
he's over there and and pointedto you and you were doing the
same thing with a group of highschool boys and that is my first
memory of you.
Far, that was long before, youknow, I ever knew your face or
your name.
It's just like I just thinkback to that moment and I think,
wow, I had no idea that nightthat I would know you for the

(03:04):
rest of my life, because I'mgoing to and into eternity.
Some people you meet andthey're an acquaintance, right,
but you guys have become myspiritual heroes.
You taught me how to serveoutside the walls of the church
and that's been hugely impactfulto me and my family.
So I want to thank you just forbeing here, taking your time.
You guys are busy, busy peopleand it means so much to me to

(03:27):
have you here to talk about afew things, but primarily about
God's Resort.
But let's start with this.
Jay and Julie, you guys havebeen youth pastors in the local
church.
You've done outreach ministrythrough College Heights in
Joplin, missouri.
You pioneered a nonprofitministry called Neighborhood
Lifehouse in North Joplin,missouri.
You pioneered a nonprofitministry called Neighborhood
Lifehouse in North Joplin, whichI was so honored to be part of

(03:50):
for about 12 years.
So I remember that was just notreally abandoned but it wasn't
being used.
It was a church building thatwasn't being used.
And, jay, you convinced a lotof people to show up and pray.
One Sunday night and I think200 people flooded the North
Joplin Christian Church to prayand ask God what do you want to

(04:10):
do with this property?
And God showed up A reallythriving ministry in North
Joplin for families that needJesus.
Yes, and you guys are currentlyleading a mission called God's
Resort in Joplin, missouri.
What a large spectrum ofministry over 40 years.

(04:32):
So the question I have to startout with is when did you first
feel a call toward ministry?

Judy Sinclair (04:53):
feel a call toward ministry.
Oh my, I was such a little boyand you know God, so good to us
at every age and I remember mygrandpa was he had a heart
attack or something.
He was sick and I just rememberbeing so afraid he was going to
die.
So I went into the bathroom andI said in my own little, nine
or ten year old faith, which youknow, obviously is very tender.

(05:20):
And I just said, God, if youwill just save my grandpa, I
will serve you all my life.
And he did, and I'm sure thatstayed in my heart.
And then, when I was a teenager, I went to camp when I was 16.

(05:46):
And at that camp we werestudying Ephesians 3.
And that night the preacher,which had been Paul Merritt's
dad, he was preaching, yeah, hewas preaching, and he just

(06:11):
preached so powerfully on thatpassage of Scripture and I'd
always struggled with fear.
And he, when he preached onvisions 3, 20 and 21.
Now to him, who?
is able to do a measure or yeahand anything you could ask, or
even imagine his power at workand use.
To my knowledge, you know,obviously, when the spirit
speaks something to you, it'smuch different than when you

(06:34):
hear it just with your ears yourhuman ears and that night it
was like god broke throughwhatever fear I had because I
had much fear to even do that,obviously and I, just I gave my
heart to him, to serve him mywhole life, and so then, the

(06:55):
rest is history.

You've been walking with Jesus for a long
time, jay St Clair, I havewalked with Jesus.
I'm not going to say you're anage over the air, but eight
years old that's a long time ago.
That's right.
How about you, Julie?
When did you feel the call forministry in your heart?

Jay Sinclair (07:12):
We were talking how in our childhood.
So I have very early memoriesof a dad, particularly, who was
very evangelistic a dadparticularly, who was very
evangelistic.
So everywhere we went there washe created or god created the

(07:33):
opportunity and dad just walkedthrough the door, so sometimes
those opportunities wereembarrassing to me, like being
in an elevator every time we'rein an elevator everybody's
looking up at the numbers right,which floor getting to, which
floor we're getting to?
And he would make comments likeum going up.
I'm going up.
Someday are you?
mm-hmm so everything was aboutwho's around you, who needs to

(07:57):
know Jesus everywhere, likegoing to national parks as a
family on vacation and, ofcourse, a park ranger is giving
credit to evolution for thisunbelievable mountain area with
sunsets that were amazing, andas a family we'd stand in line

(08:17):
and wait to talk to the parkranger about that theory called
evolution and the truth that wasfound in the word of god that
it was made by a creator notsomething that just happened.
So, um, it was in me.
I just thanks to how we livedand how we loved people were

(08:40):
always welcome in our home.
Lots of car rides to completestrangers that were hitchhiking.
Every day was an opportunity totell somebody about Jesus.
He called them divineappointments.
What a legacy.
Yeah, I'm so grateful to himbecause his parents were
first-generation Christians andthen my mama's story kind of

(09:03):
similar, but anyway, I was alsoa teenager, went to something at
Central Christian College ofthe Bible in Moberly Missouri.
I grew up in.
Columbia, missouri.
Okay, and I don't remember thepassage of scripture or the
message.
I just remember it being soheavy on my heart, right, that
what I was to do was to give mylife to that calling to tell,

(09:28):
make sure everybody was readyyeah, in my path it marked you,
it marked me, yeah what they didas a little girl marked me.

I'm grateful for that it's so uncommon to have a
couple who at such young ageslike you both experienced that.
Calling that prompting toministry at such a young age.
That's really cool that youhave that in common.
I haven't heard that very oftenamong ministry couples.

It's a thread, then that follows in, even how
we got to know each other andthe calling at 15.
And then the calling on ourlives already had picked the
same Bible college to attend thepath.
We can look back and go.
Oh, god was already bringing ustogether, yeah.

Because we're better together.

Yeah, that's always been our theme.

I love it.
It's pretty obvious that youguys feel that way about one
another.
I love that.
So let's talk a little bitabout God's resort.
And before that, though, whendid the Lord put a passion in
your heart for taking themessage and love of Jesus
outside the church walls?
Because, really, that's whatyou're doing at God'sort, it's

(10:46):
what you were doing atNeighborhood Life House, it's
what you were doing withoutreach through College Heights
Christian Church in Joplin.
It was kind of always about howcan we get outside and
influence the community for thekingdom, which is really the
place that Jesus is most needed,you know, I mean he's needed
within the church walls, don't?
I don't mean to misspeak, butwow, jesus went to the hurting.

(11:09):
He didn't spend all of his timein the temple.
So when did that happen?
Was that just always in yourhearts or was there a shifting?

We always remember our parents inviting
the broken into our homes andinto our lives so we had people
around our table um constantlythat other people probably
wouldn't have had in their homeor would have chosen to have

(11:38):
gone to the church.
Yeah, yeah, I just I, I can't,obviously it's it's.
You look back and it's humblingbecause you don't realize
what's happening at the time,but you're actually being wooed
into the heart of christ by yourown parents, showing you to
love people because of theirstory that are the least of

(12:02):
these.
Yeah and um.
Then when we get married and wehave, we start our little
family and we just got soconvicted I don't even know how
it all got started but westarted taking our little girls
down to the park at 4th and MainStreet with our supper every

(12:25):
night and just eating with thehomeless guys and from that he
just kept tenderizing our heartsand just yeah, helping us see
the broken and the hurting inthis town.
Yeah, See him.

(12:45):
He's the God who sees people.
We were just visiting herbrother John and his wife Allie
in Kentucky, and there's thispicture in his office of this
woman and she's, she's outsideof a church and she's down on

(13:12):
her face and she's got a cup infront of her, and so the
photographer, his focus is onher, but all these people are
coming out of a church and notone of their eyes are on her and
, um, so he was just telling usthat that's the, that's the

(13:37):
heart, uh, that he wants tocreate, that god wants to create
in his church, is that when wecome out of the church, so to
speak, our eyes are on him.
And, and when you say that, youknow, when you've done it unto

(13:58):
the least of these, you've doneit unto me.
And so to see people, likeJulie said, she said it so good.
And so to see people like Juliesaid she said it so good to see
people in the light and thelove of Christ is something that
challenges us constantly.

My first week at God's Resort as an employee, not
just a volunteer I was missinga sweet little lady named Mary
on Sunday night worship and wewent three Sunday nights without
her being there and I thoughtbut she was married and Nelson
was coming, but she wasn't there.
Nelson had been beat so much asa child in his head that his

(14:42):
speech had been affected Specialneeds and so she was literally
the only person who couldunderstand what he was saying.
So I thought I can't really askabout her, but I did and he was
trying to tell me she waslaying down.
So that third Monday I went tofind her to their apartment and

(15:05):
she's obviously been laying onthis sofa for a long time,
because the smell let me knowthat she hadn't gotten up to go
to the bathroom and he wastrying to with excitement.
He was so glad I was there, youknow, for her she could barely
talk and I sat down on the armof the sofa with her laying

(15:26):
there and there was this smell.
Obviously that should have beenvery putrid to me, but instead
my mind went to and all of mysenses went to very that.
That was a very familiar smellto me Because my mom and my dad.

(15:52):
But my dad would pick up peopleand give them a ride and always
talk to them about Jesus.
But that's how those peoplesmelled too, and I thought I'm
not offended by that smell.
It's actually very familiar andactually sweet to me, so it was

(16:16):
very natural to us.
I don't even think we had aconversation about that's how we
would raise our children.

Yeah, it just came out of.
We asked Mary that night, orthat late afternoon did she want
to go to the hospital and shesaid yes, three weeks later, and
so we actually Carried her,danced, we called it she and Jay
.
We danced to the.

it was such a small apartment we couldn't
hardly get out, had to get herdown a bunch of stairs so we
told her we were going to dance,but he was really holding her
all the way out and all the waydown into the hospital.
She died 10 days later.
She was full of cancer well thestory.

And all the way down into the hospital she died
10 days later.
She was full of cancer.
Well the story.
The story's just layer uponlayer, from childhood to just
what's happening today.
It's just so much of it.
We know all of it is the Lord,but it's tied so much to legacy.

It all comes full circle.
It really does, but it's tiedso much to legacy.
It all comes full circle.
It really does.
I mean the first.
Sunday night after I had leftyou know college heights and we
had started full time, my momwas still with us and she would
attend college resort with us onSunday night.

(17:43):
On Sunday night and that firstSunday night I come in and we're
kind of we're in the back rowand the way the chairs were kind
of in a circular at that timeand mom was on the back row and
then I sat beside her and thensomebody came in and sit right

(18:07):
in front of us and I have neversmelled that that kind of smell
in all the years that I've beenalive.
I thought I was going to throwup and I remember going back to
one of the other people and justsaying you've got to pray

(18:27):
because I don't think I can doit and they said, they just said
, yeah, we'll pray.
And I went back to my chairbeside my mom, who taught me
these things.
And we started worshiping.
She did, and the smell changedto perfume the sweetest aroma

(18:53):
that I have ever.
I have never smelled the aromaof Christ, but I think I smelled
the aroma of Christ.
Oh, that's that man that mademe.
I smelled the aroma of Christ.
Praise smelt the aroma ofChrist, and it stayed.
It wasn't human perfume.

It was heavenly.
I never Heavenly perfume.
Yeah, jesus is so good.

That was my first night at God's Resort as a
director of God's Resort.

Wow, your mission statement there is.
Our mission is to help people,through a Christ-centered
community, to choose freedomfrom the past and reach their
potential as children of God.
So, on that note, I would lovefor you guys to both just tell
our listeners about the Ministryof God's Resort I'm sure some

(19:48):
of them know about it, but Iknow there are a lot of people
who don't and so tell us aboutsome of the things that are
happening at 1501 South PearlStreet in Joplin, missouri.

So tell them about what we do.

We're a transitional housing ministry,
which means we are not anemergent place for people you
meet on the street.
That's Souls, harbor and WaterGardens.
We're so blessed in this town,right Actually had someone brag
on God one Sunday night who hadbeen homeless and was doing
really, really well and she saidif you're still homeless in

(20:29):
Joplin, shame on you, becausethis town loves us.
Yeah.
So there's a place all alongthe way.
Right.
And then we're not permanentsupportive and then we're not
permanent supportive, so we'renot like what economic security
can help you with financial helpor help you find something you
can't afford.

And you're going to live out your life with maybe
some people helping you.

That's not us, yeah right help people at the
some of the interesting, mostinteresting intersections but
have a lot of um partnerships inthe town.

(21:14):
In Joplin with like uh WaterGardens Forge program would be a
really good example of that soafter men graduate from that
program or not graduate, nowit's actually phase four, isn't
it, jay?
They can come.

The transition.

Yeah, they transition to us and they
continue to finish at the Forge,but they're beginning to live
independently.
You have to have a job.
You have to have a job to liveat God's resort, be able to pay
rent.
Have a job.
You have to have a job to liveat god's resort, be able to pay
rent.
If there's been an addictionwhich not everybody at god's
resort comes, having lived in abroken world and getting hit by
the falling debris, the debrisis different.

(21:49):
Sure, for a lot of people.
Sure, but a lot of peoplecurrently, that problem has been
generational addiction, likeit's all they ever saw, just
like what we saw and was ablessing to us.
Sure, they saw the opposite ofthat.
They didn't see people at work.
They didn't see people paybills.

(22:10):
They saw people exchange moneyfor drugs Right Right.
So we've had a variety of people, a lot of reasons for people to
come live at God's resourcevariety of people, a lot of
reasons for people to come liveat god's resource.

Mostly people are there because they are isolated
from the kind of relationshipsthat bring healing to you, and
we say that you know, isolationin any form is poison to your
progress.
Right and uh, community that iscentered around jesus is the
pathway to healing.
And so, whatever, whatever theyfind, wherever they find

(22:48):
themselves, um, we're that placethat can help them, through
this christ-centered community,get to a place they couldn't get
to by themselves.
So, economically, economically,socially, emotionally,
spiritually, all those placesthat you have to transition in,
a healthy place with healthypeople.

(23:10):
That's who we are, and so wehave life transition
coordinators and they have tomeet with them, and they have to
.
They are working through Juliesays we offer them a stability
plan and an apartment happens tocome with it, the program of

(23:38):
stability that we're offeringthem as we take nine areas of
their lives where we think theyneed.

Where all of us have to have stability in those
areas.

If you can have stability in these nine areas,
then you can go forward and besuccessful and be a blessing to
the community that you're in yes, successful and be a blessing
to the community that you're in,yes.
And so, yeah, we just have lotsof intersections then where
people can come and love onpeople and be loved.

(24:12):
You know, obviously anybodythat comes to God's Resort is
going to be blessed, but they'realso going to be a blessing,
right, and so that's the wholepoint.
It's something to give yeah.

Everybody has something to give, a blessing,
and so that's the whole point.
To give, yeah, I remember, um,but I think people have a
misconception that you have tobe, uh, financially poor and, um
, we've had several that that'snot been the case at all.

(24:41):
I had a dear friend and we hadhomeschooled children together.
She's pulling weeds with me atGod's Resort one day and she's
crying and I said what's goingon?
Why are you crying?
And she said Well, he's donewith me.
The last child's gone and wantsme out.
And where am I going to go?

(25:02):
I didn't finish my collegedegree, I haven't worked, I've
been at home.
Well, what am I going to do?
And I was new to God's Resort asan employee and I just I said,
well, we're transitional housing, I guess you could move here.
And she said I can't, I can'tlive here, I live on a golf
course.
Wow, you know, and you know.

(25:24):
That's exactly what God did.
She graduated from college andgot a job.

Praise God.

And is being reunited now with children.
You know, after all, that Sure,all the debris that falls Sure.

So it's not.
I'm glad you talked about themisconception.

Julie.

It's anybody, because you kind of, I think,
have a picture in your mind, ifyou know, about, like Water
Gardens or God Resort, the Forge, just all of the amazing
ministries in Joplin.
It kind of seems like there'sjust this box and everything
fits in this box, but that's sonot true.

None of us are immune to it.
No, we are not.
It could happen really quicklyto any of us.
We had another woman, 82 yearsold, and she was living with her
50-year-old son, 82 years oldyeah, and she was living with
her 50-year-old son and COVIDhit.
Covid hit him and she had lethim have her.

(26:27):
You know, Social Security check.

She didn't know where he banked.
Well, he stole her identity.
Yeah, so he dies during COVIDand she is destitute, nothing to
eat.

And so no money, no access to her own money.

She would have been a successful middle-aged
woman when we first met heryears before.
She actually was a churchsecretary and she ends up being
homeless with seven dogs in ahouse isolated out in the
country and I go out there.

I find her.

I find out that this is happening, I go out to
where they say she's livingsomebody told us and I drive in
the driveway, go up to the house, I go by the picture window and
I look and I see this woman andI'm thinking, oh well.
I'm thinking, oh well, I'm atthe wrong place, I don't know
that person.
And I go back and I realizethis is the house.

(27:29):
So I go back up to the door andthere she is.
I mean, she is surrounded bythese dogs.
There is no food in the house,there is nothing, and so we
bring her to God's resort andshe is surrounded by people that
love her, she's connected to,she ends up connecting to a
local body of believers.

Sings in the choir at 82.

And then she gets cancer and we help her
transition to one of the local,one of the local nursing homes
and she she passes away and youknow that was her transition to
one of the local, one of thelocal nursing homes and she, she
passes away and you know thatwas her transition.

Yeah, her transition at god's resort was
to heaven.

It was to heaven and we've had several people
that came to god's resort to totransition to heaven.

Yes, yeah, we've had.
I know some of those stories.
Yeah, you know some of thosestories.

So transition happens looks different for
everybody.

Yeah, what a loving God.

Yeah, what a loving God.
So personal, he is so personal,he is so personal.
He sees you, yeah, knowsexactly what you need.

He definitely does .
One of the questions I wasgoing to ask you guys was what
are the biggest struggles inthis kind of ministry?
But I feel like you've probablytouched on that a little bit,
but you want to just express anyisolation, just yeah, it's just
, it's where people go.
So I just give you a text thatwe got.

I just read it to Julie.
I mean, I just read it tosomeone else who was asking
about this person one of ouremployees and I just asked about
how we ended up having aconversation with him last night
for about an hour, and so thiskind of gives you the heart of

(29:20):
what happens at God's Resort.
Good morning, I just wanted tosay from the bottom of my heart
how grateful I am that you twosat and talked with me yesterday
.
You two sat and talked with meyesterday.
To be honest, it felt likecoming into Mom and Dad's house
and telling you that I need you.
And you were there and youlistened and you loved me

(29:45):
through some really heavy andhard stuff.
I know my circumstances don'tdefine me.
I am who I am because the I amsays who I am.
God's got such a perfect planfor my life and I'm just so
thankful to be able to be onthis journey with you and God's

(30:06):
resort in my life.
I love you guys so much.
I can't tell you how much, howfree and peaceful I am today and
I am refueled with joy.
Jesus, so good.

(30:29):
So that's what people need.
They just need the love ofJesus, and so, whether it's
through Julie and I are the manyvolunteers or employees that we
have, people just get to beloved on, and love changes
everything, yes, in thetwinkling of an eye.
It never fails In the beauty ofa conversation.

We didn't really do much talking.

Yeah, we just listened, but it is interesting
too.

The other challenge is to help people who
come Like he'd been isolating.
He'd been doing that, but onhis own.
He came after hours, knocked onthe door.
I could hear it down.
But to get them to trust enoughto make God's people their
people, Right, you know.

(31:11):
So you have to be available,you have to put yourself out
there a little bit Sure.
And church is great.
We love church.
We couldn't do it.
We were taught to love thechurch too.

Absolutely.

We're actually reading a book as a staff called
Renovated, by Jim Wilder.
And Dallas Willard.
He was a protege of DallasWillard and he just talks about
the way God made the brain.
That character transformationcannot happen without

(31:50):
relationship.
So it's not just a matter ofwhat you know.
It's who you know, the contextof who you know and that
relationship, and literallythere is a special place in the
brain where who you know andwhat you know come together and
your brain actually changes thepart of your brain that is the

(32:14):
development of your character.

Wow.

Isn't that amazing how God made our brains
to reflect how he made us tolive together.
Yes, are the tool that we useto help people connect what God

(32:37):
wants them to know with who Godwants them to know.

Yeah.
And that's where thetransformation of their
character happens Absolutely,and I know there are many, many
things throughout the week thatallow people to come together
and to be more connected.
Yes, so maybe we could justtalk a little bit about that.
If you're looking at thecalendar, sunday through
Saturday what does that looklike?

And that's what we would invite anybody who's
listening to come be a part ofit, and I promise you that your
life will never be the same,it's for sure, true, yes,
Because every time I'm there,it's true for me, yeah, true.
Yes, because every time I'mthere it's true for me, sunday
nights.
We tell everybody we may look,walk and sound like a church,
but we're not the church.
We want our residents to be apart of local churches.

Absolutely.

To choose one.
Get busy serving, let peoplelove you so that when you
transition from God's Resort youhave this wonderful other
circle of people who are goingto walk really closely with you.

I think actually there's like 18 different
churches represented among ourresidents.

It's pretty fun.

It's fun because I know some of your residents go
to my church and it's reallyawesome because, they're serving
and they're taking the truththat you're teaching at God's
resort, and they're living itout by not just receiving, but
giving in time to the service ofthe house of the Lord and the
people of God.
So good, so yeah.
So Sunday night I know you havea- service, so somebody brags

(34:07):
on God tells their story.

And then we have a meal.
That's the only night we have ameal, so we sit around and
fellowship.
And then we have a meal.
That's the only night we have ameal, so we sit around and
fellowship.
And then Monday night is aco-ed Bible study.
Anybody's welcome to any ofthese things.
You don't have to live at God'sresort to come.
So these are all in a communitycenter at 1501 South Pearl, 630
.
Monday night is a co-ed Biblestudy.
Tuesday night is a we call itrefuel prayer Amazing time.

(34:33):
Tuesday night is a we call itrefuel prayer.
Yes, it's an amazing time.
Not just it's worship, but it'sa really, really deep,
wonderful time in the Word.
Yes.
And application of the Wordthrough prayer.
Mm-hmm, that's probably myfavorite.

Yeah, we say that the greatest part of prayer is
listening to.

God.
Yeah, we don't usually practicelistening to God.

That's true.
It's really beautiful and Iwant to hear Him just as bad.
I spend the morning listeningto the Lord as I walk through
five chapters of that day.

And then I'm sharing with them what I heard
from Him.
But you know what I always tellthem?

I want to hear Him better tonight than.
I heard Him this morning yeah.
You know, and so, and the otherthing I think we've learned is
that we have to bring them tothe body and the blood of the
Lord, yeah, that's right.
Because there's healing in thebody and the blood of the Lord.
That's right.
And that's what we all need.

(35:28):
You know Julie likes to saythis and um that.
You know every their, theirswirl is just falling apart and
everybody gets hit by thefalling debris of this fallen
world.
Sure, and everybody.
Nobody gets to not get hit, andespecially our people have been

(35:52):
hit especially hard, and so weespecially need the body and the
blood of the Lord.
So every Tuesday night wecenter it around the Lord's
Supper and we help them discernwhere they need the healing of
Jesus and especially forgiveness.

(36:13):
Especially forgiveness andespecially forgiveness
Especially forgiveness.

Oh yeah, it's so big.

It's the thing that many people stumble over,
and it keeps them stunted andimmature, selfish, and so
bringing all of us to the throneof grace to receive help and
mercy, especially the mercy offorgiveness, both to receive it

(36:38):
and to give it yeah, so powerful.

When's thursday morning, then coffee and chat.
It's just a time.
Put 10 tables together, hugetable like a dining room table
and we sit and eat a breakfastto home-cooked breakfast
together and we have a shortlittle devotion and a prayer
time together, but mostly we sitand have coffee and chat and

(37:01):
then Friday, nothing.
Usually Saturday morning is aseparate men's Bible study from
the women, and that's reallypowerful.

So that's Lots of opportunities.
Yes, there are lots ofopportunities.

Yes, lots of opportunities, lots of
opportunities for people to joinus.
Our residents have to choose atleast two, but we're noticing
that the ones who choose morethings and are part of the
community better.
Then they heal faster they dothings.
They spiral up.
That's something we talk aboutgoing from one degree of glory

(37:36):
to another, they do that faster.

Yeah, that's.
One of our greatest joys iswatching people spiral up.

Yeah, that's really true.

I've watched some of those people spiral up.
And I don't have as up-close apersonal view as you guys do,
but it's pretty incredible towatch God do it.
You've had some real closeworks, I mean seriously he's
done amazing things through theministry, so it's grown
immensely as well.
Yes, I was it.
I'm really not sure what yearthe ministry launched.

(38:08):
When did god resort actually?

started showing up in 2006.
Okay, that's when.
Rob.

The first block party.

Yeah, Rob came to me and just said I want to show
you something, and he drove meby part of Pearl Street.
I would have never gone downand it was at that.
I mean, that was theappointment that was the divine
appointment.
And he said this is what you'vebeen praying about.

(38:39):
And uh, two weeks later hecomes back to my office and we
find ourselves on our knees.
And that's when the holy spiritsaid this is no longer the last
resort because that's what thethat called.
If you couldn't make it in thatplace.
You were on the street or in amission or on somebody's couch

(39:02):
and he just said this isn't thelast resort anymore, it's my
resort.
So that's how it got its funnyname.
Yeah, it's a great name.
It's a great name.

It's changed so much from what it was at the
beginning and every time we goand do the tours that you guys
have in the fall, it's amazing,just year to year, even the
change and the growth and whatchanges and is added to.
So what are the dreams for thefuture for this ministry?

Well, we just finished, and we're just
finishing, in addition to theBlessing House, which is right
next to our community center,and so that's been a dream of
Julie's and we just hired aKylie Wayman who is our next-gen
coordinator, and so I'll letJulie talk about that beautiful

(39:52):
addition, because it's been adream of hers, for a long time.

We shouldn't be surprised, but we now have
almost equal number of childrento adults, and so children are
being reunited with theirparents, which is really a
beautiful thing, just like God,right, yeah, yeah.
So my burden has always been,and my faith, my belief has

(40:21):
always been that the only waythat most generational sin is
going to stop would be forchildren to learn differently
and not repeat where they camefrom right so I had a mama who
came from a lot of brokennessand she would actually say out

(40:44):
loud to me and my brothers I'mmaking your home what mine never
was, and I didn't realize atthe time, sure, how powerful
that was, but she was actuallycalling things that were not as
if they were.

She was living that out.
She was, she was living it out,and my mom was rescued from an
alcoholic grandfather Her dad,her dad.
And so you know it's just likeGod's redeemed our families and

(41:18):
we're paying it forward.
You know, God's been amazinglygracious to our families.

I'm glad you used the word redeemed.
It's been used in everyinterview so far Redeemed or
redemption.

It's my favorite name of God.

That just runs through this podcast he is a
redeeming God.
He redeems from the pit andcrowns with love and compassion
he's so good.
He's very good, so I know wehave listeners who are looking
for a place to serve in thecommunity.
So if you're a listener who islocal to Joplin, Missouri, this
would be an awesome place foryou to serve.

(41:56):
It would be an awesome ministryto pray for.
We need you An awesome ministryto financially support.
So what roles specifically needto be filled in this season?

Well, we have 40 homes, as Jay mentioned, and if
you're listening.
I'm sure you know.
Even if you're just renting ahome, you know what the upkeep
of that one home takes.
Sure, not just your money, butit takes your time if it's taken
care of well.
And our words for our housing,our goals are safe, affordable

(42:33):
and dignified.
Yeah.
So we want them to be proud tosay where they live and have
people drive by and go oh, youlive in a really nice place, so
we want it on the outside.

And we don't want , we want to do with our
properties.
In other words, we wouldn'twant people to live someplace.
We wouldn't live, we wouldn'twant to live.

Right, why would you do?

that that's right .

So we need help with painting, cleaning in
between residents and the nextone moving in, maintenance,
mowing our yards in the summerand helping us when there's ice
and snow in the winter.
We have some facilities, peopleemployed, but um, it's a big

(43:19):
job.
Last year we had over 15 000hours in volunteer um accrued
wow hours and most of that wouldhave had to have been just our
facilities and the grounds andyeah, all the things you know,
our community center.
Now we have another sure homethat's like an office building

(43:39):
to us, so you're retired.
If you're young, we don't, wedon't care, we just need help to
keep maintaining those andbringing the dignity and would
you say that's your greatestneed in this season?

No, that's not my greatest need.

The greatest need is loving people.

Relational.
Yeah, it's an intersection, itis truly a God intersection, and
so, yeah, their physicaldwelling is very important to
the mission.
But their spiritual dwellingand the upkeep of that and the

(44:17):
renovation of their own hearts.
Like we said it happens incommunity.
It does so loving people inthose intersections that Julie
mentioned.

So that you know, like with our kids, it would be
really wonderful if, when we dosomething with them while their
parents are staying upstairs forprayer and we're doing
something with them, wouldn't itbe?
Amazing if there was an adultto every child downstairs Loving
on them, listening to their day, helping them learn to play,
helping them learn to forgivesomebody who just took their toy

(44:49):
.
It's really hard to find peopleto do that you know, and then we
have a real burden formarriages that are being
reunited at God's Resort.
You know they go into differentprograms, or one doesn't and
one does, and then they restoretheir relationship.
So we would love for morepeople to come just model

(45:11):
marriage.
But then help us, help themlearn how to talk together and
resolve things.
Sure More is caught than taught.
Yeah, absolutely.

You know.
So, like I said, sometimespeople are afraid of this
context because they don't know.
You know, know what to say orwhat to do, or you know, but
literally it's just beingpresent because our people yeah,

(45:45):
our, yeah, our people have lostso much, and grief is is.
It is something that either youheal from and is a blessing and
becomes stronger through, orit's something that will destroy
your life.
And if you know anything aboutgrief, then you know that you

(46:10):
don't have to say anything topeople.
Dealing with people who aregrieving is not a matter of't
have to say anything to people.
Dealing with people who aregrieving is not a matter of
knowing what to say it's amatter of being present and you
know that's.
That's what an intersection atGod's Resort is about.
You know, if you know how to bea friend, then you know how to

(46:34):
be at God's resort.

That's so good, so everyone's qualified.
Everybody's qualified.
And if you feel like you're not, then let me tell you, god
qualifies those who feelunqualified.
So he's a great qualifier he is.
So that's good.
Okay, that's so good, and I'mgoing to have you share some
information about how people canget in contact with the

(46:57):
ministry in just a minute.
But what prayer needs can we belifting to the Lord on your
behalf at God's Resort?

Well, one, and it kind of goes with an earlier
question you had about what thefuture looks like.
About what the future lookslike, and one of the prayers
that we have constantly is God,make more room for more people.
Yeah, we have quite a waitinglist, and so we always have a

(47:24):
waiting list, and because of ourpartnerships and that's one
thing I would say about ourpartnerships in the community
we're better together asdifferent organizations and
churches and ministries.
We're so much better togetherthan God's resort out there
trying to do it by itself.
We are so much poorer byourselves and we are so much

(47:51):
better when we partner with allthe different ministries.
So, god, help us to connect asa body in this community.
And then, god, help us to seethe opportunities you have for

(48:11):
us and give us the provisionthat we need to take advantage
of those opportunities.
And thank you for the visionthat you have given us from 13th
street to 20th street.
And God, you know what is ours.
You said you give us thenations as our inheritance, and

(48:32):
so, god, we're, we're asking forour inheritance on Pearl Street
, the Pearl of Great Price.
God, what properties, whatdevelopment do you want to do to
make room for more families,for more individuals who need
community, who need the love ofJesus?
And so, god, we need anotherfiveplex, we need another duplex

(48:56):
that would house families fromWashington Family Hope Center,
god, those mothers who need togo someplace after they leave
that homeless shelter.
And it's not out there bythemselves.
God, it's in a community.
And God, the gift you gave usto build a children's center and

(49:24):
a multipurpose building.
We don't even know what thatlooks like.
We just know out of the blue.
You gave us a huge gift ofmoney and you said build it.
And so, god, give us a visionfor what that building even
looks like, what you want to dothere.
It's obviously for children,it's obviously for the wider

(49:46):
community, the community thereat God's Resort.
So, god, we've asked you toprepare us for growth.
So we stepped out in faith and,god, our budget is 30% more
this next year than it was lastyear.
And, god, we just felt like youwere saying step out in faith.

(50:08):
And God, I was just prayingtoday In John 14, you said you
can ask for anything in my nameand I will give it.
And so, god, thank you for thenew employees that you brought
online to help us love on ourname, on our, our, our people.
There are people there, yourpeople were identifying with you

(50:33):
and loving what you're doing intaking people and changing all
of us into the very image ofJesus, more and more Amen.
So, protection, god.
We ask for your protection.
God, thank you for the coveringthat's over God's resort, and

(50:56):
when people come into one of ourhomes and come into our
community, they're coming undera canopy of grace and protection
from demonic forces that haveliterally come within a breath
of destroying the lives ofeverybody.
That's come there, and yetyou've rescued them out of

(51:19):
darkness and brought them to thekingdom of the Son you love, at
whom there is redemption, theforgiveness of sin and so much
more.
And so we plead the blood ofJesus for protection and grace
and provision that the Spiritonly gives us through Jesus'
holy name and power and bloodand, julie, anything else that

(51:43):
you can think of.

In the name of Jesus, amen, yeah, thank you In
the name of Jesus.

Yes, I have a passage of scripture I want to
share before we close, withinformation on how to get
connected.

Okay.

So if you can share that at the end, that
would be amazing, awesome.
So many years ago 2007, Ibelieve we had a prayer walk at
the Neighborhood Life House.
So this is etched in my memoryforever.
So this is etched in my memoryforever.

(52:18):
And, jay, before we started offgoing like two by two to pray
over the neighborhood and theschool, you read this passage of
scripture and I just felt.
I always try to meditate on ascripture or share scripture
after or before an interview,and this is what the lord told
me to share.
I've never forgotten it.
It's Isaiah 58, verse 6 through12.

(52:40):
And I just pray that ourlisteners would really receive
this word tonight or today, asyou listen and ask God to do
this work in your heart, becausethis is what I'm asking God to
do in my heart and in the heartsof his people.
That's when revival will start.

(53:02):
Yes Will truly come to loose thechains of injustice and untie
the cords of the yoke, to setthe oppressed free and break
every yoke.
Is it not to share your foodwith the hungry and provide the

(53:23):
poor wanderer with shelter whenyou see the naked, to clothe him
, to not turn away from your ownflesh and blood, then your
light will break forth like thedawn and your healing will
quickly appear.
Then your righteousness will gobefore you and the glory of the
Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call and the Lordwill answer.

(53:45):
You will cry for help and hewill say here am I.
If you do away with the yoke ofoppression with the pointing
finger and malicious talk, ifyou spend yourselves in behalf
of the hungry and satisfy theneeds of the oppressed, then
your light will shine in thedarkness.
Your night will become like thenoonday.

(54:06):
The Lord will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in asun-scorched land.
He will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-wateredgarden, like a spring whose
waters never fail.
I love this part.
Your people will rebuild theancient ruins and will raise up
the age-old foundations.

(54:27):
You will be called repairer ofthe broken walls, restorer of
streets with dwellings.
And Jay and Julie, I don't knowif there's a scripture in God's
word that would describe thetwo of you better than that.
So what I'm asking God to do inmy heart and the hearts of the
listeners is what I have seenGod do in your hearts, have seen

(54:56):
God do in your hearts, and I amso grateful for this, the
example of the love of Christand the mercy and the grace.
Compassion, love, kindness,generosity, all of those things
and so much more is what youguys are to me.
So thank you for your time,thank you for the words that
you've shared, the passion thatyou have for the broken, the
lost, so I'm believing that thisis going to bring volunteers,

(55:23):
prayer support, financialsupport For anyone who wants to
become part of this amazing work.
How do we get connected toGod's Resort, Julie?

So we are on Facebook.
You can find us Awesome.
Yes, you can also find us atgodsresortorg.
Okay, and we will respond.
That's our website and thereare lots of ways to reach out
for all of the things we'vetalked about.
Yeah, and somebody will returna call to you or contact you.
Okay, and then our phone numberis 417-553-4080.

(55:52):
And then our phone number is417-553-4080.
And you can leave a message forJRI or just tell them what you
need and we'll get back to youand we'll figure it out.

So good, so good Thank you again, Jim.

thanks for your prayers.

You've sustained us in many ways through those
prayers.
We're very grateful.
It's my honor to pray for bothof you.
I love you both so much.
And I love God's resort.
I love that ministry.
I hate to show favoritism, butit is my favorite ministry.
I'm just saying my favoriteoutreach ministry.
Thank you for listening today.

(56:28):
Be sure to check us out on ourwebsite at itstimeteriseuporg,
our Facebook page or Instagram.
At the underscore officialunderscore rise underscore up.
May God's grace and peace bewith you, in the name of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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God's Resort with Jay and Julie St. Clair - 8

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}God's Resort with Jay and Julie St. Clair - 8