March 12, 2025 • 37 mins
Join us for an inspiring episode that delves into the transformative power of faith and the sometimes challenging journey of hearing God’s voice. Our guests share their deeply personal story of moving from California to Georgia, illustrating how faith shapes our life choices. From the tension of leaving a familiar community to embracing new beginnings, their narrative is one of trust, timing, and direction.
Through vivid anecdotes and heartfelt revelations, we unpack the importance of listening for divine guidance, especially during pivotal moments of life. Discover how personal relationships and community ties can influence our faith journeys and lead to unexpected, yet fulfilling opportunities. This episode serves as a testament to the couple's resilience and adaptability and offers profound lessons on spiritual growth and learning to follow God's plan.
If you're searching for clarity in your own life decisions or simply wish to reflect on the nature of faith and community, this conversation has something valuable for you. Don’t miss the chance to unlock deeper insights into your spiritual walk and be encouraged to trust God as your own path unfolds.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (00:03):
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose and fulfill theirpurpose,
Scott Lovingier (00:25):
you know
Patricia Ruiz (00:27):
just wanted to say I'm so glad you said that,
because we have close to us andnot, you know, other people talk
to you.
Know what is God saying there?
Well, I did all this and thisdoor opened, so this is where
God wants me to go, but yet youjust had a revelation from the
Lord that you could get the job.
(00:48):
But that would be coming fromyour flesh and I think sometimes
we tend to I think it's theunbelief part of us are not
expecting that God really isgoing to talk to us or show us
something, and we move and westart doing things, and then,
you know, opportunities happenand I've probably been guilty of
that myself.
(01:08):
So thank you for saying that.
But the other thing I wanted tosay, I'm going to say the other
side.
I I met.
I met carolyn and jim.
2021, 2022 22 I.
We started going to MeetingPlace, or we were invited to
Meeting Place, maybe 21, but goahead.
(01:30):
Yeah, it was after COVID.
Scott Lovingier (01:32):
It was definitely after COVID.
Patricia Ruiz (01:34):
So I remember I was drawn to her.
Well, she came and prayed overus and sort of challenged us in
the prayer, I think.
But I was drawn to her becausewe were standing in the back.
We had a little bit of churchhurt or a little bit of not sure
what God was wanting to do.
So I was like I'm not jumpingin here, I'm just we're just
going to watch.
And she came and prayed over usbut as we started talking to
(01:57):
each other, she was talkingabout y'all and she was talking
about how much she was prayingfor y'all to come here oh yeah,
I do remember.
Scott Lovingier (02:03):
Do you remember that?
Patricia Ruiz (02:04):
but it was like but you know, and I know, and
and, because we were teachers,so every time she found out
somebody was a teacher, it'slike, oh my, my son-in-law is a
teacher and yeah do you know ofany positions?
yeah, and she really was, andactually we did.
We did know of one that wascoming up in our school.
Um, I think we gave her theinformation to give to you, but
(02:29):
I remember praying with her,like praying with her or praying
for her, because she was sodesiring, desiring, it was a
longing in her but it wasn'tGod's time.
So, in the right time, y'allended up coming.
Scott Lovingier (02:41):
I think they were out here 10 years before we
moved.
Well, yeah, she was stillyearning at that time, in the
right time y'all ended up coming, and they were out here 10
years before we moved.
Alycia Lovingier (02:45):
Well, yeah, and then, like she was still
yearning at that time yeah shetold everybody yeah, and it's
funny because, like after, likethey left and think, like you
said, things kind of settleddown, I really actually had no
desire to move out here.
Honestly, I was like I'm notmoving to Georgia, like no, I'm
not going to the same church asmy parents, like that's weird
you know, like that's literallyand it's like kind of now
thinking about it's kind of likeyou know me being 19 all over
(03:07):
again, like you're not gonnatell us.
You're not gonna tell me whereI'm moving, because that's not
in our hearts for us to move.
At that time we were very muchdedicated to where we were at
our church we were growing inour church, I mean
Scott Lovingier (03:18):
we had friends.
Alycia Lovingier (03:18):
We had friends like we had a life, yeah, like
we had a good.
It was a good life like we hadno complaints, like we had you
know
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:25):
really.
Alycia Lovingier (03:25):
Yeah
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:26):
Living in california, you had no
complaints.
I mean, I'm just kidding,
Scott Lovingier (03:30):
COVID changed a lot.
Alycia Lovingier (03:31):
But it was definitely at that time we were
very like, we were happy, we hadfriends, like our pastor was
mentoring us, like we werelearning a lot from them.
We're we're growing, you know,spiritually, obviously, in our
relationship as well.
Um, and being there during thattime without my parents helped
us grow both of us growspiritually as well
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:51):
Which I think might have been sabotage if he
would have gone with his initialinkling.
I gotta save my wife
Alycia Lovingier (03:57):
, yeah, yeah it would definitely not have
played out the way it wassupposed to.
Yeah, because those were keymoments in our lives, both of
our lives, to grow without yeah,kind of relearning everything
that I've been taught for myselfum well
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (04:12):
putting into practice for yourself, because
it sounds like you and not in abad way, but it sounds like you
were living off the coattails ofyour parents for a time
and you had to get off thosecoattails and learn how to walk
on your own instead of beingdragged
Alycia Lovingier (04:24):
right with my parents.
Yeah, no, definitely yeah, um.
So yeah, I mean then, yeah, welike what two years we had, we
would have like people like ourpastor was very um.
God used him in the propheticyeah um, and so he, God, would
always like be speaking ourservices and gotta be moving and
stuff like that.
And now there's very ampleopportunity if, if God wanted us
(04:45):
to move, that we know that hewe were.
We had ears to hear like if hewanted us to, we'd be like, okay
, well, God tells us to, andthey're going to like we don't
question that, but God had nevertold us that.
Um, yeah, it was definitely apivotal time.
(05:08):
I don't.
I don't regret yeah, we'regoing through I.
Those were really good likelearning moments for us in our
personal life they're friends inchurch and like growing
spiritually and how to beleaders, even though we weren't
technically leaders at the timekind of learning all that when
your parents moved.
Scott Lovingier (05:22):
But over the 10 years we were kind of learning
all that, not when your parentsmoved, but over the 10 years
yeah over the 10 years we werekind of learning all you grew
into being yeah, it sounded likethey were.
Patricia Ruiz (05:28):
You were discipled also yeah, yeah yeah,
you were being taught and youknow like yeah it was kind of
like the cycle of end ofministry, like
Scott Lovingier (05:38):
yeah, because by the time, you know, we
advanced by the time that pastor, pastor which you can.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (05:45):
By the time he left he moved to Texas, but I
was the assistant pastor, youknow so I advanced, you know
yeah got to just number two, Iguess you know yeah, no, I I
actually uh, I probably wouldhave jumped on board with what
she said.
I think it was very importantthat you mentioned that on the
podcast because I think she saidall of us have been guilty in
(06:07):
our youth, out of desperation,to say, well, God is speaking to
us because of the circumstance,rather than God actually spoke
to me and said this.
And when you look through thescriptures and you look at all
of the testimonies of thepatriarchs, God is always
speaking something specificabout what he wants you to do.
(06:30):
It's not like this generalvague thing.
I mean, he tells Abrahamspecifically I want you to leave
your father, your mother, yourland, your family, and I want
you to go over here, you know,to a land that you don't really
know much about.
Ok, well, that's specificenough that I can do something
with it.
You know, and sometimes in ouryouth, because we haven't
developed and it seems like inthat 10 years you developed a
(06:53):
greater sensitivity for hearingthe voice of the Lord, which is
absolutely essential.
I say that you know, I'm sureyou you know.
I say that's the most importantthing for anybody is to be able
to hear and discern the voiceof the Lord, because that is
what's going to get you throughwhatever is going to come in the
future, Regardless of whetheryou believe in a tribulation or
not, it doesn't matter.
(07:14):
No matter what takes place inthe future, you will get through
it by the Lord's hand, ifyou're able to hear and discern
his voice.
But a lot of times in our youth, because we haven't developed
that sense, that relationship,that communication, um we, we in
our desperation.
Well, if the Lord opens thedoor or if the Lord closes the
(07:34):
door, that's the Lord and it'slike or sometimes, if nothing
happens, then I'm going to dothis right right and and none of
that is the Lord speaking to you.
Yeah, when go into thescriptures, he's speaking
constantly to his people andHe's directing them, He's
instructing them, He's tellingthem.
You know, and a lot of times wemight make a decision and the
(07:56):
Lord puts us through something,but if we're honest, we can go
back and realize the Lord didn'ttell me to do that.
Now, did good things come outof that decision?
Yeah, so did a lot of badthings come out of the decision?
Well, that what that means isthat God is able, and above,
sovereign over all the thingsthat we do, to still work out
(08:19):
the decisions that we make, evenif they're not what He wanted
for good.
But it doesn't justify thedecision that you made to go in
that direction, and it's hardfor young people to just discern
that little nuance.
It's so important, but it's soobvious throughout the
scriptures that it's not about.
(08:41):
Well, if he did it for Abrahamthat way, then he's going to do
it for everybody else exactlythat way.
No, what you're missing is thatwhen you see all the
testimonies of Noah, of Abraham,of David, of all the prophets,
He's speaking something to themand they are responding in
obedience.
(09:01):
That's the only commonalityamongst all of it, and so that's
what he needed to teach you.
It's not about your parents'faith, it's not about your
pastor, it's about you listeningto me.
And then are you going torespond?
Because you could haveresponded and said, well, yeah,
let me go apply to Georgia.
It just makes sense, it'scommon, it's illogical, but you
did it.
You responded the way youneeded to your, your, your
(09:23):
development.
You know the seven levels ofmaturity that I've gone through.
That was a part of it.
It's learning to hear the voiceof the Lord and not doing it
your way, because doing it yourway is eating from the tree of
the knowledge of good and eviland that you not.
Usually, that always ends inyou suffering now and you would
suffer, not for righteousnesssake.
You will suffer because youmade a bad decision and you
(09:44):
didn't listen to the voice ofthe Lord when he wanted
something else for you so I'mglad you said that.
Scott Lovingier (09:48):
Yeah, I'm actually terrified to make a
decision that's not God's will.
Yeah, like I'm very slow tomake decisions, I'm not rash,
I'm gonna.
If you were to come tell memake a split decision right now,
I'm just gonna say nope, no,we're gonna wait.
You know so.
So you're probably a goodconsumer shopper.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (10:12):
So you'll wait, you see the sale, but
you'll wait and you'll see andyou'll measure and you'll
compare, yeah, so you knowthinking about moving here.
Scott Lovingier (10:21):
It's like I do not want to move out of my own
self.
It has to be from God I wasjust just absolutely terrified
to to get that decision wrongbecause of what you said, all
the ramifications that couldhappen you know.
And he can still turn it andmake things right after the fact
, but you still gotta reap theseed that was sown right and so
(10:45):
it was.
We were very much.
This has to be from God.
For us to move has to be sothose 10 years were great.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (10:55):
That's what we gather 10 years of
development staying Californiaafter your parents move were
really great.
And then God didn't really tellyou initially to move on
anywhere.
He, he wanted you to grow whereyou're planted, not in a pot.
Grow there with those roots andstuff.
And so your faith grew.
It's not about you being in aparticular location, but that
(11:15):
your faith grew and yourtentacles really, uh, grew out
and grew in the depth of theearth and then.
But you did move.
Scott Lovingier (11:26):
Yeah, so what happened?
So 10 years that would probablyhave been 10 years after your
parents moved our pastor and hisfamily decided to move to Texas
and it was very out of the blue, very much like hey, I'm
(11:47):
leaving next week.
It was very, very difficult.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (11:50):
These were the people that mentored you for
10 years.
Scott Lovingier (11:53):
So the church we had a, I wouldn't change
anything.
We got a crash course ofministry.
I mean we saw everything thatthey did, we followed them.
I mean I would not be theleader I am today without going
through.
There's something about goingthrough a small church where you
(12:13):
can really get some realministry experience real fast,
and so I'm so thankful for that.
But the church never grew.
I mean, we stayed between 30and 50 people for 10 years.
Um, now we probably baptized200 people, you know, but just
nobody we just never, reallystayed for xyz, every reason
(12:36):
under the sun.
And so you know he.
We went out to starbucks oneday.
He said, hey, let's go getcoffee.
And here I am just thinking,hey, is this pastor and I going
to go, you know, have coffee.
Alycia Lovingier (12:50):
They did it all the time.
Scott Lovingier (12:50):
They did it all the time.
And he says I'm leaving, and I'mleaving in three days.
Wow, I'm leaving in three daysand I think you should take over
the church, you know.
So my whole world is justrocked.
You know, like thinking Ididn't have a desire to be a
(13:12):
senior pastor, that wasn't whatI wanted, and.
But I said
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:17):
Certainly the Lord didn't tell me that.
Scott Lovingier (13:19):
But I said you know God, if this is what you
want for my life, then I will doit.
So, you know, you know.
I actually got up and justwalked out of the Starbucks
because I just started crying.
I'm like I can't just sit herein Starbucks and cry and sob,
you know, in the middle ofStarbucks.
So we didn't even really have afull ending to that meeting
(13:41):
because I'm an emotional person.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:43):
Were you more crying because he was leaving
or because of the weight of theresponsibility?
Scott Lovingier (13:47):
No, because he was leaving.
We were close.
This is my mentor.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:53):
Did he have the same feelings?
Scott Lovingier (13:56):
I don't think so.
As far as being heartbrokenthat he was leaving, I don't
think so.
I think largely too we were soclose to their kids.
They were like our youngersiblings.
I think Mikey's like 10 to 12years younger than me, you know,
and Mara's same for you 10 to12 years younger than you.
Alycia Lovingier (14:17):
I never had a younger sibling.
She was like my little sister.
So that part rocked us prettyhard too.
Scott Lovingier (14:22):
So we were just like oh my goodness, you know,
our, our, our kids aren't gonnathey're not gonna grow up with
them.
You know like they're not gonnagrow up with them.
You know like they're likewe're just our whole world's
rock.
So she gets home and usuallyI'm like we're gonna have dinner
ready.
Alycia Lovingier (14:35):
No, dinner's ready, I'm just sitting there on
the couch I literally walk inthe door and I'm like, and he
said it's like dark too.
So it's kind of.
It's kind of creepy really andI.
I walk in the door because Icame home after him, because I
was at that time I was workinglike retail.
So I was looking home a littlebit later and I just he's just
like staring at me, I'm like andlike did someone like die?
Because it felt like that kindof like mood was in there.
(14:56):
I'm like, and he told me, andyou know that they were leaving,
and I was like what, and it'skind of like you know, ptsd from
my parents leaving.
I'm like well, now, now they'releaving I'm like, who's it like
I you know spiraled you didn'tdrill them with a bazillion
questions.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (15:12):
Why, what happened?
Alycia Lovingier (15:13):
what's going on at the time, I think we're
just.
Scott Lovingier (15:15):
I was shocked because we never thought that
was going to happen.
So and then the other part washe kind of left it, as I want
you to go to church and you kindof need to tell me within the
next two days if you'll do itwow, you know like, because we
have to tell the other leadersof the church.
We gotta tell them we gotta, wegotta make we gotta have a plan
moving forward.
(15:37):
So it was probably the next daythat we just kind of calmed down
a little bit and we're like, ifthis is what God wants for us,
then we're in, we'll do anythingthat God wants us to do, we're
gonna do, right, that's alwaysbeen our mentality is okay,
we'll do it.
And um, we went and had ameeting with other leaders at
(15:58):
the church and, um, they allwere like, yes, you can be the
pastor.
Like we, we will follow you andthis is this is you know.
You know, um, this is fine andyou know we kind of had a jolt
of like okay, yeah we have someideas on how we would want to,
you know, proceed do some thingsdifferent at the church, and we
(16:20):
were kind of going through thesteps and so he left.
But his family stayed so for acouple months, right.
So he got a job in texas.
So they had to.
She was a psychologist for aschool, she's a psychologist so
she had to fulfill her contractso she had to stay.
Her kids were in school, so theyhad to finish a semester.
(16:42):
They had to sell their house,so they had to go through all
the steps, while he left andstarted his new job in Texas, um
.
So during that time period,we're going through the
transition of you know themshowing us, you know how this is
how the church finances work.
This is how X Y Z here's.
You know how to pay the rent,and so that lasted for a couple
(17:04):
of months, and then pretty much,I'm preaching every Sunday.
Yeah, but I mean I had I hadbeen preaching a lot.
Yeah, at that point I mean, Ithat wasn't like it wasn't a
crazy thing for me.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (17:18):
Okay, so you could balance that out with
teaching.
Scott Lovingier (17:22):
Yeah.
Okay.
Our closest friends who weregoing to basically take over the
worship department because hiswife was the worship leader, so
(17:43):
obviously, and then both oftheir kids are on the worship
team, so we're losing threeworship people at a small church
is a huge deal.
So the our friends who aregoing to take over the worship,
they decided they didn't want todo it, that they weren't, they
weren't gonna, they weren'tgonna stay.
So now we're just like man,what are we going to do?
(18:04):
Like this is a big deal.
And we just or maybe me first,I think it was actually both of
us together I just felt Jesussay it's okay, this is not your
burden to bear, you don't haveto like, you don't have to hold
(18:24):
on to this dying church.
Essentially, you know it's,it's dismantling.
You don't have to.
I mean, it would have, we wouldhave been sacrificing a lot you
know,when it wasn't on our hearts to
be a senior pastor.
You know, like, like, takepastor joe, it was his heart to
be a senior pastor you know,like that is, that's what God
(18:45):
put on his heart.
God did not put that on myheart, so you know I really do
think he did see our willingnessthat we're going to do whatever
he wanted, and then he justreally spared us of having to to
go through that.
So, um, you know, the churchdismantled um in like may, and
then we started going to anotherchurch.
(19:06):
Was it an independent church oryeah?
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (19:08):
we another church was it an independent
church?
Or, yeah, we were independent,yeah, yeah, we were part of an
organization, so they weren'tgoing to send us so you were
renting, nothing was owned,correct?
Scott Lovingier (19:14):
yeah, yeah.
So yeah, it's really in.
We just we had a last sunday andthen most of us went together
to another church.
Alycia Lovingier (19:23):
They actually like a lot of people from the
church like, well, hey, whereare you guys going?
Scott Lovingier (19:26):
because they trust me.
They're trying to find a place.
Well, we're probably good ifwe're going to where they go.
Alycia Lovingier (19:34):
Yeah.
So we ended up going to anotherchurch, which is that's a whole
other story.
But I knew from familyexperiences.
I knew who the pastor was, likeI'd previously.
There's ties between us andtheir family, so like we
literally I remember going toour room and like sitting there
and just like looking up at allthe church, looking up all the
Pentecostal churches you know inthe area, like ones that we
(19:56):
knew believed, kind of what webelieved, and I'm like being
there my whole life, like weknew a lot of churches, like we
knew a lot of people who ranchurches and we're just like
this is not.
This doesn't seem like this isthe type of church that we would
belong to, like just thingsthat we kind of started can we
need out like the differentchurches?
There really wasn't very manyoptions at the time.
There was like there's a bigchurch there which was never
(20:18):
going to be an option for usbecause they were very just like
super fish.
They're very mega church typestatus, like that type of
feeling.
There are a couple of smaller,smaller churches, but we're like
we weren't we weren't opposedto going to a small church,
because that's what we've beenraised in.
I mean, it's my, my family likeI've been raised in small
churches my whole life yeahreally so trying to find one was
(20:39):
like, okay, well, I'm like well, kind of funny, because at that
time I worked, I kind ofestablished my career as working
in a vet hospital and someonewho was a part of actually a
couple people who went to go,went to that church that we
ended up going to.
I knew previously, when I was akid, like they knew me as a kid
and they would come to like theybring their animals so I like
(21:01):
run into them fairly often.
Um, and then one of them wasreally close to my mom and she's
like um, because I mentioned,you know, hey, our church is
kind of dismantling, we're justtrying to find a place to go and
she was like, well, hey, um,you know, come, sir, to come to
the church that was called citygrace.
Um, I was like I mean, we'dhave, we'd looked at, we'd
(21:22):
looked at it.
You know, we're kind of, beforemaking any decisions, obviously
we pray about, but we also likeresearch things, so we want to
look up and see what theirbeliefs are.
I kind of knew what theirbeliefs are, but making sure
everything lined up with what wewere looking for and I'm like,
okay, it was the only option.
Scott Lovingier (21:41):
It was really the only option.
It really was.
I was like it was the onlyoption.
There was no other church.
Alycia Lovingier (21:47):
There really was no other place that we felt
like would be a place that wewould fit really at that time in
our lives Like it wasdefinitely.
Scott Lovingier (21:55):
Because we didn't want the really strict
standards church, but we alsolike baptism in Jesus' name was
incredibly important, you know,because if I'm bringing somebody
to church and they're notbaptizing in Jesus' name, I just
I couldn't sit well that it'sjust so um and so the mega
churches?
(22:15):
They weren't, they weren'tgonna hold to that.
Yeah, and the superconservative churches we just
had just didn't align with that,and they were the only one in
the whole area, yeah, and we'retalking about like 40 miles,
like 40 minutes around where welived like we looked everywhere.
Alycia Lovingier (22:30):
And this was the only one that kind of fit
what we were looking for.
So, yeah, we went there for twoyears.
Yeah, about two years, twoyears before we moved out here.
Yeah, I mean it's kind ofinteresting because being in
like as an adult, like I'd beenunder that previous pastor for
10 years, right, so going tolike a new church even though,
like I'd been, under ourprevious, that previous pastor
for 10 years.
Right, so going to like a newchurch, even though, like I knew
(22:53):
some people, it still stillfelt like weird.
I'm like, as an adult, likethis is kind of like our first
big like experience of goingsomewhere else other than um
where we previously gone.
But, it's kind of like we wentin there and like I mean, for me
it was like fairly immediate.
I was like this is, this iswhere we're going to be right
(23:13):
now.
Like this is like I felt Godmoving, Like it was definitely a
confirmation, like this iswhere we're supposed to be.
Scott Lovingier (23:20):
And you still felt like God, I should stay in
California.
Yeah, at that moment, yeah, westill I mean we connected
immediately with the church.
Okay, the pastor, yeah, youknow, and it wasn't even very
long until they brought us onboard in leadership roles Like
months like three months.
By the time we left.
(23:40):
I mean I wasn't officially aboard member, but I mean I was
pretty much there.
I mean I was and the pastorwent on sabbatical like I had to
do a lot more stuff and youknow and so um, so yeah, like I
mean it was, it was home and wehad a lot of friends and really
liked it and um, and so thecatalyst.
(24:02):
I mean so all of that at thecatalyst.
Okay, why are we in Georgia?
Was, um, so all of her family'sgone and little by little, my
family was leaving California.
So my brothers had both movedto.
One was in Idaho, one was inWashington, so they had left.
(24:22):
So then it's just my parents.
They're only ones in northernCalifornia, I don't you know
everyone.
Yeah, I still had anotherbrother, but he's living in.
Northern California Everyone,yeah, I still had another
brother but he's living inSouthern California.
Okay, and so in NorthernCalifornia it's just my parents,
and then they gave us like an18-month warning.
They're like, in 18 monthswe're moving and we're going to
(24:43):
be moving up to Spokane,washington, and of course
they're like we'd like you tocome too, washington, um, you
know.
And of course they're like we'dlike you to come too, you know,
um.
So that was that was the momentwhere we then felt, okay, god
is gonna move us.
we knew for 18 months that wewere gonna move we kind of, but
(25:04):
we didn't really at the time,know, okay, are we going to
Washington or are we going toGeorgia?
And we went in, we went toWashington, we went to a church
in Washington, we I was lookingat schools- in.
Washington.
We were researching churches,we were talking about houses.
We looked at houses like wewere going through neighborhoods
(25:26):
, like we really were leaving itup to God, like, okay, we got
two options.
Where do you want us to go?
You're gonna have to tell us.
You're gonna have to, like,turn our hearts and you know
because, uh, California at thattime again, covid just changed
the whole landscape is verytoxic to live in California.
(25:46):
I don't want to get all intothat.
I think everybody listening tothe podcast can probably
understand that that that roadlike shut pretty fast as far as
options, we just knew and wewere never going to buy a house
Like never.
As a teacher, there's no chanceI was ever going to buy a house
in California, right, um, but wecould in Washington and we
(26:06):
could in Georgia, and we hadfamily in both places.
So then, is it my family or isit her?
family.
And we're very close to myfamily, you know.
like you know, we lived with myparents for the last two years
of being in California.
And there's a bond there andyou know, and obviously you know
, my brothers are having kidsand I'm close to my brothers and
(26:30):
I mean it would have beenfamily wise, would have been
great church wise.
There is nothing up there.
I mean there's churches.
Obviously you go anywhere,there's churches yeah, but it
was super conservative or megachurch that had some pentecostal
(26:50):
vibe to it.
Right, because obviouslythere's.
There's all kinds of churcheseverywhere.
But if we're talking about justspirit-filled churches, uber
conservative or we're a big megachurch and we kind of allow a
lot of stuff to happen, yeah,and there was just what we fit
in, was not there at all yeah,they just had the extremes, no
(27:15):
spectrum in between.
Alycia Lovingier (27:16):
Yeah, yeah, and yeah, I mean, even when we
went to go visit his brother.
Um well, brothers, we went togo, we went, stayed there
specifically to kind of kind ofget a landscape of everything.
And I at that point and that was, uh, was it like fall?
It was like fall.
I'm like I kind of God hadalready been like working on me,
because we went and visited myfamily this summer before and
(27:38):
I'm like we're that sounds corny, but we were actually at on the
boat and we were kind of out inthe lake just kind of hanging
out.
I was just kind of, you know,just hanging out in the water
and it's like kind of like aweird, like like a peace, so
like this is, this is whereyou're going to be.
And I was like what?
Like that was not what I wasexpecting.
So I was like, okay, well, Ididn't.
I don't think I told you rightaway that that happened you're
afraid to tell me I was scared,I mean honestly, because we're
(28:00):
very, we're kind of two kind ofdifferent people how we see
things.
He's very like I need to dealright now, like right here, and
I was kind of like well, well,what about this?
What about?
You know?
Things down the road, like Iwas kind of thinking ahead of
time um, which is fine, becausewe had a lot of there's a lot of
decisions that were having tobe made in that time.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (28:17):
Um, and then when we went to go because
you're very odd and unique inthat sense you're just like
you're.
You're the opposite stereotypethat I'm expecting.
Every time you say it's likereally, uh, yeah it's definitely
that's.
Alycia Lovingier (28:29):
We get that often, okay, um, but when we
went to go visit his brother infall, like I in my heart knew
I'm like this is this is not.
Scott Lovingier (28:37):
This is not it this is not what we're going to
be, and I love his family.
Alycia Lovingier (28:41):
His family is awesome like I have.
They're perfect, they're a greatfamily, I love being around
them, I get along with all ofthem super well and so, like
that was like I'm not, I'm notgoing to tell him this, because
I know that would be really hardfor him to not be around his
family.
So I was like, nope, I'm, likeI'm not going to say anything,
we're still gonna like God,you're gonna have to make it
obvious, basically as far asmore so for him.
(29:02):
So at that point my heartstarted kind of turning to where
I'm like, well, the idea ofgoing to Georgia is not that big
of a deal.
It doesn't seem that bad if Igo to the same church as my
parents.
Like all those like things thatI was like not going to happen.
You know, started kind ofchanging again.
I was like really, Like, justkind of like that's how God was
(29:29):
like working with me pretty muchmy entire life, um, but I I
kind of I knew, even when we'rein Washington that that's not
where we're going to be, yeah,um, and I just kind of let the
process kind of like work itselfout with Scott because I knew
I'm like wherever he go, that'sobviously that's where I'm going
, whether it's God tells himthis is where we're going, okay
that's where we're going.
Like you know if it's Washington, it's Washington.
If it's Georgia, it's Georgia.
If that's you know, I'mtrusting God speaking to Scott
about making you know thesedecisions, cause he's always
(29:51):
he's always gave us direction,yes, like the last minute, but
I've always trusted that he wasgoing to make God, was going to
speak to him and lead us in thedirection that we were supposed
to go, so I had confidence inthat.
It's just like any time now hecould tell us, you know, not
make it to like the last minute.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:08):
So when did he say what?
did he say
Scott Lovingier (30:10):
I think it was probably December or January is
when I just felt I was like,okay,
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:18):
this is the middle of the school year.
Scott Lovingier (30:19):
Middle of the school year.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:20):
Okay,
Scott Lovingier (30:21):
and you know you start gearing up into
February and March that's hiringseason for the next school year
.
Alycia Lovingier (30:28):
So you got to make a decision.
Scott Lovingier (30:30):
You know.
You got to get your letters ofrecommendation ready.
You got to make sure yourcredential transfers.
You got to get all your ducksin a row and find where we're
going to live, you know, and soand I just felt in my heart that
it was going to be Georgia, Icalled Joe on the phone, pastor
(30:53):
Joe, and asked him questionsabout church.
I had met him because we'd comeout and visited.
But, now I'm looking at it.
You know the meeting place asbeing a possible church for us,
so I had some questions for him.
X, y, Z.
He answered all of them.
Great.
I was like, okay, we align onour thought process and I knew
scripture that we aligned.
But there's some other things.
(31:14):
I was like, okay, you know,like hey, my wife wears pants.
Um, you know, I have a beard,you know, are we okay?
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (31:23):
Was he giving you the recruiting pitch?
Scott Lovingier (31:25):
Not really.
He didn't To come to Georgia oranything, he didn't.
No, I think he was letting Godplay that out.
You know, obviously he wasencouraging yeah, come out here,
be part of the church, we'dlove to have you.
All that kind of stuff.
(31:47):
But he wasn't laying it allthick or anything.
Okay, not yet so, because I'msurprised but yeah, I know
eventually well, because wedidn't know him very well either
, you know, and uh so in january.
Then that's when you know wetold my parents which was that
was very difficult to tell themyou know, like we're going to
Georgia, we're not following you, so that was that was very
tough.
And then obviously I had totell my school, which I taught
(32:12):
there for 11 years veryconnected, you know, I was the
leadership teacher, I was theactivities director, I had
really close colleagues and veryconnected to the school and so
that was heartbreaking to tellthem that I'm leaving and that
came out of nowhere to them thatwas not on their radar.
That.
I was leaving um and um.
(32:34):
So then I started applying tojobs in georgia and had zoom
interviews and um, we bought ahouse without ever stepping foot
in it.
You know, we just just threwvideos and we literally we
called brooke.
Alycia Lovingier (32:51):
We're like because when we, when he
accepted the job, we found outwe didn't tell my family this
was not planned.
He found out, like march 31st,that he got the position right
over the last day, march.
I don't know if march is 31days but, anyways.
So we text my family april 1styou know just being oblivious to
being april fools, right?
So we text the whole familysaying, hey, we're moving to
(33:14):
georgia.
And I was like this is not anapril fools joke.
So I want to be specific, likewe weren't like messing with
them or anything like that.
And of course they wereextremely excited.
Um, my parents kind of knew,probably a little bit before
that they were going but theyknew we were applying for jobs
and stuff, because we couldn'tmove without getting a job.
Scott Lovingier (33:34):
Yeah, so like when we, yeah, we call carolyn
knew 10 years before yeah, wewere gonna, we were to stay in
california if I wasn't able tofind a job.
I was confident I was going tofind a job.
My resume was pretty strong atthat point and there was
beginning to be a teachershortage.
I was going to find a job inGeorgia or Washington.
That wasn't going to be aproblem.
Alycia Lovingier (33:54):
As soon as he found out where he was going to
go.
Scott Lovingier (33:56):
That's when we were like we always knew, even
before meeting place.
Alycia Lovingier (34:02):
We always knew , even before meeting place,
anything like that.
We always knew we liked, likethe lawrenceville area, even
when we came to visit my brother, since we'd come here once a
year, probably once a year tocome visit, you know, stay with
parents, whatever.
But we always knew we liked thelawrenceville area.
That's always a place that wekind of were drawn to before
even moving here, before evencontemplating buying a house,
like we knew we wanted to be inthat area.
And then once knew the churchesin lawrenceville, like stuff
kind of started playing out.
(34:22):
We're like that's, that'sperfect, that's where we want to
be.
Um, but then we called Iremember either calling or
facetiming brooke, becausebrooke was, you know she's a
she's a real estate agent so shepretty much was our feet like
on the ground finding us houses.
People thought we were insane tobuy a house without even
stepping foot in the house, likewe were literally.
She was seeing his videos ofthe house well, that's news to
(34:43):
me.
I didn't know you um yeah, well,we had like a process.
We had her go, she like tookvideos of it and then, um, then
my parents who who knows morepersonally?
Would come like yeah, this isthis, this is this, and we're
like you know, we're not buyingthe house until you guys both
agree on a singular house.
Um, so it was.
Yeah, people and people back incalifornia thought we were
insane.
Patricia Ruiz (35:03):
It's pretty crazy yeah, like that's probably not.
It's not a normal.
Scott Lovingier (35:06):
Thing were you saving up the whole time to be
able to purchase the house?
yes, so that was.
You know we paid off all of ourdebt, had a chunk of money.
You know I went through allthat went through day ramsey,
essentially you know, likethat's, that's who we were
following yeah, did through allthree steps and you know, pay
off debt and got her deposit andhad some help from family and
(35:31):
all the things that allowed usto to buy a house I mean
literally like everything, justlike lined up perfectly as far
as, and she got a job withoutlike I had like seven people,
seven, seven places, withoutphysically being she did all of
her interviews on Zoom and stufftoo, and so we both got jobs
and a house before we even moved.
Alycia Lovingier (35:49):
Yeah, yeah, Everything just like.
And then my job wasn't far, youknow.
And that's how God works tooright, Like when it's his will.
Scott Lovingier (35:57):
Things are going to be easy.
Yeah, and it's his time, it'shis timing right like the
process leading up to itsometimes can be very
challenging.
It can can really test yourfaith.
Alycia Lovingier (36:09):
But when it's go time it it should be pretty
smooth going together, justeverything, just lines up
perfectly everything up until usmoving here and, like the day
that we got here was, our podscame the day before, so
everything was pretty much atour house, ready to be unloaded.
Scott Lovingier (36:27):
You know yeah.
Alycia Lovingier (36:29):
Yeah, it was pretty crazy how that all I mean
it played out pretty seamlessreally.
It was not fun driving acrossthe country in the middle of the
summer.
With three cats, with threecats at the time.
But you know, I mean we'vealways been like.
You know God's going to openthe door if it's the direction
he wants us to go, and if hedoesn't, then that's not where
we're going to go.
Scott Lovingier (36:51):
We're not going to do anything unless you know.
He tells us.
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(37:11):
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(37:34):
and obey His voice.
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose and fulfill theirpurpose,
Scott Lovingier (00:25):
you know
Patricia Ruiz (00:27):
just wanted to say I'm so glad you said that,
because we have close to us andnot, you know, other people talk
to you.
Know what is God saying there?
Well, I did all this and thisdoor opened, so this is where
God wants me to go, but yet youjust had a revelation from the
Lord that you could get the job.
(00:48):
But that would be coming fromyour flesh and I think sometimes
we tend to I think it's theunbelief part of us are not
expecting that God really isgoing to talk to us or show us
something, and we move and westart doing things, and then,
you know, opportunities happenand I've probably been guilty of
that myself.
(01:08):
So thank you for saying that.
But the other thing I wanted tosay, I'm going to say the other
side.
I I met.
I met carolyn and jim.
2021, 2022 22 I.
We started going to MeetingPlace, or we were invited to
Meeting Place, maybe 21, but goahead.
(01:30):
Yeah, it was after COVID.
Scott Lovingier (01:32):
It was definitely after COVID.
Patricia Ruiz (01:34):
So I remember I was drawn to her.
Well, she came and prayed overus and sort of challenged us in
the prayer, I think.
But I was drawn to her becausewe were standing in the back.
We had a little bit of churchhurt or a little bit of not sure
what God was wanting to do.
So I was like I'm not jumpingin here, I'm just we're just
going to watch.
And she came and prayed over usbut as we started talking to
(01:57):
each other, she was talkingabout y'all and she was talking
about how much she was prayingfor y'all to come here oh yeah,
I do remember.
Scott Lovingier (02:03):
Do you remember that?
Patricia Ruiz (02:04):
but it was like but you know, and I know, and
and, because we were teachers,so every time she found out
somebody was a teacher, it'slike, oh my, my son-in-law is a
teacher and yeah do you know ofany positions?
yeah, and she really was, andactually we did.
We did know of one that wascoming up in our school.
Um, I think we gave her theinformation to give to you, but
(02:29):
I remember praying with her,like praying with her or praying
for her, because she was sodesiring, desiring, it was a
longing in her but it wasn'tGod's time.
So, in the right time, y'allended up coming.
Scott Lovingier (02:41):
I think they were out here 10 years before we
moved.
Well, yeah, she was stillyearning at that time, in the
right time y'all ended up coming, and they were out here 10
years before we moved.
Alycia Lovingier (02:45):
Well, yeah, and then, like she was still
yearning at that time yeah shetold everybody yeah, and it's
funny because, like after, likethey left and think, like you
said, things kind of settleddown, I really actually had no
desire to move out here.
Honestly, I was like I'm notmoving to Georgia, like no, I'm
not going to the same church asmy parents, like that's weird
you know, like that's literallyand it's like kind of now
thinking about it's kind of likeyou know me being 19 all over
(03:07):
again, like you're not gonnatell us.
You're not gonna tell me whereI'm moving, because that's not
in our hearts for us to move.
At that time we were very muchdedicated to where we were at
our church we were growing inour church, I mean
Scott Lovingier (03:18):
we had friends.
Alycia Lovingier (03:18):
We had friends like we had a life, yeah, like
we had a good.
It was a good life like we hadno complaints, like we had you
know
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:25):
really.
Alycia Lovingier (03:25):
Yeah
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:26):
Living in california, you had no
complaints.
I mean, I'm just kidding,
Scott Lovingier (03:30):
COVID changed a lot.
Alycia Lovingier (03:31):
But it was definitely at that time we were
very like, we were happy, we hadfriends, like our pastor was
mentoring us, like we werelearning a lot from them.
We're we're growing, you know,spiritually, obviously, in our
relationship as well.
Um, and being there during thattime without my parents helped
us grow both of us growspiritually as well
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (03:51):
Which I think might have been sabotage if he
would have gone with his initialinkling.
I gotta save my wife
Alycia Lovingier (03:57):
, yeah, yeah it would definitely not have
played out the way it wassupposed to.
Yeah, because those were keymoments in our lives, both of
our lives, to grow without yeah,kind of relearning everything
that I've been taught for myselfum well
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (04:12):
putting into practice for yourself, because
it sounds like you and not in abad way, but it sounds like you
were living off the coattails ofyour parents for a time
and you had to get off thosecoattails and learn how to walk
on your own instead of beingdragged
Alycia Lovingier (04:24):
right with my parents.
Yeah, no, definitely yeah, um.
So yeah, I mean then, yeah, welike what two years we had, we
would have like people like ourpastor was very um.
God used him in the propheticyeah um, and so he, God, would
always like be speaking ourservices and gotta be moving and
stuff like that.
And now there's very ampleopportunity if, if God wanted us
(04:45):
to move, that we know that hewe were.
We had ears to hear like if hewanted us to, we'd be like, okay
, well, God tells us to, andthey're going to like we don't
question that, but God had nevertold us that.
Um, yeah, it was definitely apivotal time.
(05:08):
I don't.
I don't regret yeah, we'regoing through I.
Those were really good likelearning moments for us in our
personal life they're friends inchurch and like growing
spiritually and how to beleaders, even though we weren't
technically leaders at the timekind of learning all that when
your parents moved.
Scott Lovingier (05:22):
But over the 10 years we were kind of learning
all that, not when your parentsmoved, but over the 10 years
yeah over the 10 years we werekind of learning all you grew
into being yeah, it sounded likethey were.
Patricia Ruiz (05:28):
You were discipled also yeah, yeah yeah,
you were being taught and youknow like yeah it was kind of
like the cycle of end ofministry, like
Scott Lovingier (05:38):
yeah, because by the time, you know, we
advanced by the time that pastor, pastor which you can.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (05:45):
By the time he left he moved to Texas, but I
was the assistant pastor, youknow so I advanced, you know
yeah got to just number two, Iguess you know yeah, no, I I
actually uh, I probably wouldhave jumped on board with what
she said.
I think it was very importantthat you mentioned that on the
podcast because I think she saidall of us have been guilty in
(06:07):
our youth, out of desperation,to say, well, God is speaking to
us because of the circumstance,rather than God actually spoke
to me and said this.
And when you look through thescriptures and you look at all
of the testimonies of thepatriarchs, God is always
speaking something specificabout what he wants you to do.
(06:30):
It's not like this generalvague thing.
I mean, he tells Abrahamspecifically I want you to leave
your father, your mother, yourland, your family, and I want
you to go over here, you know,to a land that you don't really
know much about.
Ok, well, that's specificenough that I can do something
with it.
You know, and sometimes in ouryouth, because we haven't
developed and it seems like inthat 10 years you developed a
(06:53):
greater sensitivity for hearingthe voice of the Lord, which is
absolutely essential.
I say that you know, I'm sureyou you know.
I say that's the most importantthing for anybody is to be able
to hear and discern the voiceof the Lord, because that is
what's going to get you throughwhatever is going to come in the
future, Regardless of whetheryou believe in a tribulation or
not, it doesn't matter.
(07:14):
No matter what takes place inthe future, you will get through
it by the Lord's hand, ifyou're able to hear and discern
his voice.
But a lot of times in our youth, because we haven't developed
that sense, that relationship,that communication, um we, we in
our desperation.
Well, if the Lord opens thedoor or if the Lord closes the
(07:34):
door, that's the Lord and it'slike or sometimes, if nothing
happens, then I'm going to dothis right right and and none of
that is the Lord speaking to you.
Yeah, when go into thescriptures, he's speaking
constantly to his people andHe's directing them, He's
instructing them, He's tellingthem.
You know, and a lot of times wemight make a decision and the
(07:56):
Lord puts us through something,but if we're honest, we can go
back and realize the Lord didn'ttell me to do that.
Now, did good things come outof that decision?
Yeah, so did a lot of badthings come out of the decision?
Well, that what that means isthat God is able, and above,
sovereign over all the thingsthat we do, to still work out
(08:19):
the decisions that we make, evenif they're not what He wanted
for good.
But it doesn't justify thedecision that you made to go in
that direction, and it's hardfor young people to just discern
that little nuance.
It's so important, but it's soobvious throughout the
scriptures that it's not about.
(08:41):
Well, if he did it for Abrahamthat way, then he's going to do
it for everybody else exactlythat way.
No, what you're missing is thatwhen you see all the
testimonies of Noah, of Abraham,of David, of all the prophets,
He's speaking something to themand they are responding in
obedience.
(09:01):
That's the only commonalityamongst all of it, and so that's
what he needed to teach you.
It's not about your parents'faith, it's not about your
pastor, it's about you listeningto me.
And then are you going torespond?
Because you could haveresponded and said, well, yeah,
let me go apply to Georgia.
It just makes sense, it'scommon, it's illogical, but you
did it.
You responded the way youneeded to your, your, your
(09:23):
development.
You know the seven levels ofmaturity that I've gone through.
That was a part of it.
It's learning to hear the voiceof the Lord and not doing it
your way, because doing it yourway is eating from the tree of
the knowledge of good and eviland that you not.
Usually, that always ends inyou suffering now and you would
suffer, not for righteousnesssake.
You will suffer because youmade a bad decision and you
(09:44):
didn't listen to the voice ofthe Lord when he wanted
something else for you so I'mglad you said that.
Scott Lovingier (09:48):
Yeah, I'm actually terrified to make a
decision that's not God's will.
Yeah, like I'm very slow tomake decisions, I'm not rash,
I'm gonna.
If you were to come tell memake a split decision right now,
I'm just gonna say nope, no,we're gonna wait.
You know so.
So you're probably a goodconsumer shopper.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (10:12):
So you'll wait, you see the sale, but
you'll wait and you'll see andyou'll measure and you'll
compare, yeah, so you knowthinking about moving here.
Scott Lovingier (10:21):
It's like I do not want to move out of my own
self.
It has to be from God I wasjust just absolutely terrified
to to get that decision wrongbecause of what you said, all
the ramifications that couldhappen you know.
And he can still turn it andmake things right after the fact
, but you still gotta reap theseed that was sown right and so
(10:45):
it was.
We were very much.
This has to be from God.
For us to move has to be sothose 10 years were great.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (10:55):
That's what we gather 10 years of
development staying Californiaafter your parents move were
really great.
And then God didn't really tellyou initially to move on
anywhere.
He, he wanted you to grow whereyou're planted, not in a pot.
Grow there with those roots andstuff.
And so your faith grew.
It's not about you being in aparticular location, but that
(11:15):
your faith grew and yourtentacles really, uh, grew out
and grew in the depth of theearth and then.
But you did move.
Scott Lovingier (11:26):
Yeah, so what happened?
So 10 years that would probablyhave been 10 years after your
parents moved our pastor and hisfamily decided to move to Texas
and it was very out of the blue, very much like hey, I'm
(11:47):
leaving next week.
It was very, very difficult.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (11:50):
These were the people that mentored you for
10 years.
Scott Lovingier (11:53):
So the church we had a, I wouldn't change
anything.
We got a crash course ofministry.
I mean we saw everything thatthey did, we followed them.
I mean I would not be theleader I am today without going
through.
There's something about goingthrough a small church where you
(12:13):
can really get some realministry experience real fast,
and so I'm so thankful for that.
But the church never grew.
I mean, we stayed between 30and 50 people for 10 years.
Um, now we probably baptized200 people, you know, but just
nobody we just never, reallystayed for xyz, every reason
(12:36):
under the sun.
And so you know he.
We went out to starbucks oneday.
He said, hey, let's go getcoffee.
And here I am just thinking,hey, is this pastor and I going
to go, you know, have coffee.
Alycia Lovingier (12:50):
They did it all the time.
Scott Lovingier (12:50):
They did it all the time.
And he says I'm leaving, and I'mleaving in three days.
Wow, I'm leaving in three daysand I think you should take over
the church, you know.
So my whole world is justrocked.
You know, like thinking Ididn't have a desire to be a
(13:12):
senior pastor, that wasn't whatI wanted, and.
But I said
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:17):
Certainly the Lord didn't tell me that.
Scott Lovingier (13:19):
But I said you know God, if this is what you
want for my life, then I will doit.
So, you know, you know.
I actually got up and justwalked out of the Starbucks
because I just started crying.
I'm like I can't just sit herein Starbucks and cry and sob,
you know, in the middle ofStarbucks.
So we didn't even really have afull ending to that meeting
(13:41):
because I'm an emotional person.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:43):
Were you more crying because he was leaving
or because of the weight of theresponsibility?
Scott Lovingier (13:47):
No, because he was leaving.
We were close.
This is my mentor.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (13:53):
Did he have the same feelings?
Scott Lovingier (13:56):
I don't think so.
As far as being heartbrokenthat he was leaving, I don't
think so.
I think largely too we were soclose to their kids.
They were like our youngersiblings.
I think Mikey's like 10 to 12years younger than me, you know,
and Mara's same for you 10 to12 years younger than you.
Alycia Lovingier (14:17):
I never had a younger sibling.
She was like my little sister.
So that part rocked us prettyhard too.
Scott Lovingier (14:22):
So we were just like oh my goodness, you know,
our, our, our kids aren't gonnathey're not gonna grow up with
them.
You know like they're not gonnagrow up with them.
You know like they're likewe're just our whole world's
rock.
So she gets home and usuallyI'm like we're gonna have dinner
ready.
Alycia Lovingier (14:35):
No, dinner's ready, I'm just sitting there on
the couch I literally walk inthe door and I'm like, and he
said it's like dark too.
So it's kind of.
It's kind of creepy really andI.
I walk in the door because Icame home after him, because I
was at that time I was workinglike retail.
So I was looking home a littlebit later and I just he's just
like staring at me, I'm like andlike did someone like die?
Because it felt like that kindof like mood was in there.
(14:56):
I'm like, and he told me, andyou know that they were leaving,
and I was like what, and it'skind of like you know, ptsd from
my parents leaving.
I'm like well, now, now they'releaving I'm like, who's it like
I you know spiraled you didn'tdrill them with a bazillion
questions.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (15:12):
Why, what happened?
Alycia Lovingier (15:13):
what's going on at the time, I think we're
just.
Scott Lovingier (15:15):
I was shocked because we never thought that
was going to happen.
So and then the other part washe kind of left it, as I want
you to go to church and you kindof need to tell me within the
next two days if you'll do itwow, you know like, because we
have to tell the other leadersof the church.
We gotta tell them we gotta, wegotta make we gotta have a plan
moving forward.
(15:37):
So it was probably the next daythat we just kind of calmed down
a little bit and we're like, ifthis is what God wants for us,
then we're in, we'll do anythingthat God wants us to do, we're
gonna do, right, that's alwaysbeen our mentality is okay,
we'll do it.
And um, we went and had ameeting with other leaders at
(15:58):
the church and, um, they allwere like, yes, you can be the
pastor.
Like we, we will follow you andthis is this is you know.
You know, um, this is fine andyou know we kind of had a jolt
of like okay, yeah we have someideas on how we would want to,
you know, proceed do some thingsdifferent at the church, and we
(16:20):
were kind of going through thesteps and so he left.
But his family stayed so for acouple months, right.
So he got a job in texas.
So they had to.
She was a psychologist for aschool, she's a psychologist so
she had to fulfill her contractso she had to stay.
Her kids were in school, so theyhad to finish a semester.
(16:42):
They had to sell their house,so they had to go through all
the steps, while he left andstarted his new job in Texas, um
.
So during that time period,we're going through the
transition of you know themshowing us, you know how this is
how the church finances work.
This is how X Y Z here's.
You know how to pay the rent,and so that lasted for a couple
(17:04):
of months, and then pretty much,I'm preaching every Sunday.
Yeah, but I mean I had I hadbeen preaching a lot.
Yeah, at that point I mean, Ithat wasn't like it wasn't a
crazy thing for me.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (17:18):
Okay, so you could balance that out with
teaching.
Scott Lovingier (17:22):
Yeah.
Okay.
Our closest friends who weregoing to basically take over the
worship department because hiswife was the worship leader, so
(17:43):
obviously, and then both oftheir kids are on the worship
team, so we're losing threeworship people at a small church
is a huge deal.
So the our friends who aregoing to take over the worship,
they decided they didn't want todo it, that they weren't, they
weren't gonna, they weren'tgonna stay.
So now we're just like man,what are we going to do?
(18:04):
Like this is a big deal.
And we just or maybe me first,I think it was actually both of
us together I just felt Jesussay it's okay, this is not your
burden to bear, you don't haveto like, you don't have to hold
(18:24):
on to this dying church.
Essentially, you know it's,it's dismantling.
You don't have to.
I mean, it would have, we wouldhave been sacrificing a lot you
know,when it wasn't on our hearts to
be a senior pastor.
You know, like, like, takepastor joe, it was his heart to
be a senior pastor you know,like that is, that's what God
(18:45):
put on his heart.
God did not put that on myheart, so you know I really do
think he did see our willingnessthat we're going to do whatever
he wanted, and then he justreally spared us of having to to
go through that.
So, um, you know, the churchdismantled um in like may, and
then we started going to anotherchurch.
(19:06):
Was it an independent church oryeah?
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (19:08):
we another church was it an independent
church?
Or, yeah, we were independent,yeah, yeah, we were part of an
organization, so they weren'tgoing to send us so you were
renting, nothing was owned,correct?
Scott Lovingier (19:14):
yeah, yeah.
So yeah, it's really in.
We just we had a last sunday andthen most of us went together
to another church.
Alycia Lovingier (19:23):
They actually like a lot of people from the
church like, well, hey, whereare you guys going?
Scott Lovingier (19:26):
because they trust me.
They're trying to find a place.
Well, we're probably good ifwe're going to where they go.
Alycia Lovingier (19:34):
Yeah.
So we ended up going to anotherchurch, which is that's a whole
other story.
But I knew from familyexperiences.
I knew who the pastor was, likeI'd previously.
There's ties between us andtheir family, so like we
literally I remember going toour room and like sitting there
and just like looking up at allthe church, looking up all the
Pentecostal churches you know inthe area, like ones that we
(19:56):
knew believed, kind of what webelieved, and I'm like being
there my whole life, like weknew a lot of churches, like we
knew a lot of people who ranchurches and we're just like
this is not.
This doesn't seem like this isthe type of church that we would
belong to, like just thingsthat we kind of started can we
need out like the differentchurches?
There really wasn't very manyoptions at the time.
There was like there's a bigchurch there which was never
(20:18):
going to be an option for usbecause they were very just like
super fish.
They're very mega church typestatus, like that type of
feeling.
There are a couple of smaller,smaller churches, but we're like
we weren't we weren't opposedto going to a small church,
because that's what we've beenraised in.
I mean, it's my, my family likeI've been raised in small
churches my whole life yeahreally so trying to find one was
(20:39):
like, okay, well, I'm like well, kind of funny, because at that
time I worked, I kind ofestablished my career as working
in a vet hospital and someonewho was a part of actually a
couple people who went to go,went to that church that we
ended up going to.
I knew previously, when I was akid, like they knew me as a kid
and they would come to like theybring their animals so I like
(21:01):
run into them fairly often.
Um, and then one of them wasreally close to my mom and she's
like um, because I mentioned,you know, hey, our church is
kind of dismantling, we're justtrying to find a place to go and
she was like, well, hey, um,you know, come, sir, to come to
the church that was called citygrace.
Um, I was like I mean, we'dhave, we'd looked at, we'd
(21:22):
looked at it.
You know, we're kind of, beforemaking any decisions, obviously
we pray about, but we also likeresearch things, so we want to
look up and see what theirbeliefs are.
I kind of knew what theirbeliefs are, but making sure
everything lined up with what wewere looking for and I'm like,
okay, it was the only option.
Scott Lovingier (21:41):
It was really the only option.
It really was.
I was like it was the onlyoption.
There was no other church.
Alycia Lovingier (21:47):
There really was no other place that we felt
like would be a place that wewould fit really at that time in
our lives Like it wasdefinitely.
Scott Lovingier (21:55):
Because we didn't want the really strict
standards church, but we alsolike baptism in Jesus' name was
incredibly important, you know,because if I'm bringing somebody
to church and they're notbaptizing in Jesus' name, I just
I couldn't sit well that it'sjust so um and so the mega
churches?
(22:15):
They weren't, they weren'tgonna hold to that.
Yeah, and the superconservative churches we just
had just didn't align with that,and they were the only one in
the whole area, yeah, and we'retalking about like 40 miles,
like 40 minutes around where welived like we looked everywhere.
Alycia Lovingier (22:30):
And this was the only one that kind of fit
what we were looking for.
So, yeah, we went there for twoyears.
Yeah, about two years, twoyears before we moved out here.
Yeah, I mean it's kind ofinteresting because being in
like as an adult, like I'd beenunder that previous pastor for
10 years, right, so going tolike a new church even though,
like I'd been, under ourprevious, that previous pastor
for 10 years.
Right, so going to like a newchurch, even though, like I knew
(22:53):
some people, it still stillfelt like weird.
I'm like, as an adult, likethis is kind of like our first
big like experience of goingsomewhere else other than um
where we previously gone.
But, it's kind of like we wentin there and like I mean, for me
it was like fairly immediate.
I was like this is, this iswhere we're going to be right
(23:13):
now.
Like this is like I felt Godmoving, Like it was definitely a
confirmation, like this iswhere we're supposed to be.
Scott Lovingier (23:20):
And you still felt like God, I should stay in
California.
Yeah, at that moment, yeah, westill I mean we connected
immediately with the church.
Okay, the pastor, yeah, youknow, and it wasn't even very
long until they brought us onboard in leadership roles Like
months like three months.
By the time we left.
(23:40):
I mean I wasn't officially aboard member, but I mean I was
pretty much there.
I mean I was and the pastorwent on sabbatical like I had to
do a lot more stuff and youknow and so um, so yeah, like I
mean it was, it was home and wehad a lot of friends and really
liked it and um, and so thecatalyst.
(24:02):
I mean so all of that at thecatalyst.
Okay, why are we in Georgia?
Was, um, so all of her family'sgone and little by little, my
family was leaving California.
So my brothers had both movedto.
One was in Idaho, one was inWashington, so they had left.
(24:22):
So then it's just my parents.
They're only ones in northernCalifornia, I don't you know
everyone.
Yeah, I still had anotherbrother, but he's living in.
Northern California Everyone,yeah, I still had another
brother but he's living inSouthern California.
Okay, and so in NorthernCalifornia it's just my parents,
and then they gave us like an18-month warning.
They're like, in 18 monthswe're moving and we're going to
(24:43):
be moving up to Spokane,washington, and of course
they're like we'd like you tocome too, washington, um, you
know.
And of course they're like we'dlike you to come too, you know,
um.
So that was that was the momentwhere we then felt, okay, god
is gonna move us.
we knew for 18 months that wewere gonna move we kind of, but
(25:04):
we didn't really at the time,know, okay, are we going to
Washington or are we going toGeorgia?
And we went in, we went toWashington, we went to a church
in Washington, we I was lookingat schools- in.
Washington.
We were researching churches,we were talking about houses.
We looked at houses like wewere going through neighborhoods
(25:26):
, like we really were leaving itup to God, like, okay, we got
two options.
Where do you want us to go?
You're gonna have to tell us.
You're gonna have to, like,turn our hearts and you know
because, uh, California at thattime again, covid just changed
the whole landscape is verytoxic to live in California.
(25:46):
I don't want to get all intothat.
I think everybody listening tothe podcast can probably
understand that that that roadlike shut pretty fast as far as
options, we just knew and wewere never going to buy a house
Like never.
As a teacher, there's no chanceI was ever going to buy a house
in California, right, um, but wecould in Washington and we
(26:06):
could in Georgia, and we hadfamily in both places.
So then, is it my family or isit her?
family.
And we're very close to myfamily, you know.
like you know, we lived with myparents for the last two years
of being in California.
And there's a bond there andyou know, and obviously you know
, my brothers are having kidsand I'm close to my brothers and
(26:30):
I mean it would have beenfamily wise, would have been
great church wise.
There is nothing up there.
I mean there's churches.
Obviously you go anywhere,there's churches yeah, but it
was super conservative or megachurch that had some pentecostal
(26:50):
vibe to it.
Right, because obviouslythere's.
There's all kinds of churcheseverywhere.
But if we're talking about justspirit-filled churches, uber
conservative or we're a big megachurch and we kind of allow a
lot of stuff to happen, yeah,and there was just what we fit
in, was not there at all yeah,they just had the extremes, no
(27:15):
spectrum in between.
Alycia Lovingier (27:16):
Yeah, yeah, and yeah, I mean, even when we
went to go visit his brother.
Um well, brothers, we went togo, we went, stayed there
specifically to kind of kind ofget a landscape of everything.
And I at that point and that was, uh, was it like fall?
It was like fall.
I'm like I kind of God hadalready been like working on me,
because we went and visited myfamily this summer before and
(27:38):
I'm like we're that sounds corny, but we were actually at on the
boat and we were kind of out inthe lake just kind of hanging
out.
I was just kind of, you know,just hanging out in the water
and it's like kind of like aweird, like like a peace, so
like this is, this is whereyou're going to be.
And I was like what?
Like that was not what I wasexpecting.
So I was like, okay, well, Ididn't.
I don't think I told you rightaway that that happened you're
afraid to tell me I was scared,I mean honestly, because we're
(28:00):
very, we're kind of two kind ofdifferent people how we see
things.
He's very like I need to dealright now, like right here, and
I was kind of like well, well,what about this?
What about?
You know?
Things down the road, like Iwas kind of thinking ahead of
time um, which is fine, becausewe had a lot of there's a lot of
decisions that were having tobe made in that time.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (28:17):
Um, and then when we went to go because
you're very odd and unique inthat sense you're just like
you're.
You're the opposite stereotypethat I'm expecting.
Every time you say it's likereally, uh, yeah it's definitely
that's.
Alycia Lovingier (28:29):
We get that often, okay, um, but when we
went to go visit his brother infall, like I in my heart knew
I'm like this is this is not.
Scott Lovingier (28:37):
This is not it this is not what we're going to
be, and I love his family.
Alycia Lovingier (28:41):
His family is awesome like I have.
They're perfect, they're a greatfamily, I love being around
them, I get along with all ofthem super well and so, like
that was like I'm not, I'm notgoing to tell him this, because
I know that would be really hardfor him to not be around his
family.
So I was like, nope, I'm, likeI'm not going to say anything,
we're still gonna like God,you're gonna have to make it
obvious, basically as far asmore so for him.
(29:02):
So at that point my heartstarted kind of turning to where
I'm like, well, the idea ofgoing to Georgia is not that big
of a deal.
It doesn't seem that bad if Igo to the same church as my
parents.
Like all those like things thatI was like not going to happen.
You know, started kind ofchanging again.
I was like really, Like, justkind of like that's how God was
(29:29):
like working with me pretty muchmy entire life, um, but I I
kind of I knew, even when we'rein Washington that that's not
where we're going to be, yeah,um, and I just kind of let the
process kind of like work itselfout with Scott because I knew
I'm like wherever he go, that'sobviously that's where I'm going
, whether it's God tells himthis is where we're going, okay
that's where we're going.
Like you know if it's Washington, it's Washington.
If it's Georgia, it's Georgia.
If that's you know, I'mtrusting God speaking to Scott
about making you know thesedecisions, cause he's always
(29:51):
he's always gave us direction,yes, like the last minute, but
I've always trusted that he wasgoing to make God, was going to
speak to him and lead us in thedirection that we were supposed
to go, so I had confidence inthat.
It's just like any time now hecould tell us, you know, not
make it to like the last minute.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:08):
So when did he say what?
did he say
Scott Lovingier (30:10):
I think it was probably December or January is
when I just felt I was like,okay,
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:18):
this is the middle of the school year.
Scott Lovingier (30:19):
Middle of the school year.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (30:20):
Okay,
Scott Lovingier (30:21):
and you know you start gearing up into
February and March that's hiringseason for the next school year
.
Alycia Lovingier (30:28):
So you got to make a decision.
Scott Lovingier (30:30):
You know.
You got to get your letters ofrecommendation ready.
You got to make sure yourcredential transfers.
You got to get all your ducksin a row and find where we're
going to live, you know, and soand I just felt in my heart that
it was going to be Georgia, Icalled Joe on the phone, pastor
(30:53):
Joe, and asked him questionsabout church.
I had met him because we'd comeout and visited.
But, now I'm looking at it.
You know the meeting place asbeing a possible church for us,
so I had some questions for him.
X, y, Z.
He answered all of them.
Great.
I was like, okay, we align onour thought process and I knew
scripture that we aligned.
But there's some other things.
(31:14):
I was like, okay, you know,like hey, my wife wears pants.
Um, you know, I have a beard,you know, are we okay?
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (31:23):
Was he giving you the recruiting pitch?
Scott Lovingier (31:25):
Not really.
He didn't To come to Georgia oranything, he didn't.
No, I think he was letting Godplay that out.
You know, obviously he wasencouraging yeah, come out here,
be part of the church, we'dlove to have you.
All that kind of stuff.
(31:47):
But he wasn't laying it allthick or anything.
Okay, not yet so, because I'msurprised but yeah, I know
eventually well, because wedidn't know him very well either
, you know, and uh so in january.
Then that's when you know wetold my parents which was that
was very difficult to tell themyou know, like we're going to
Georgia, we're not following you, so that was that was very
tough.
And then obviously I had totell my school, which I taught
(32:12):
there for 11 years veryconnected, you know, I was the
leadership teacher, I was theactivities director, I had
really close colleagues and veryconnected to the school and so
that was heartbreaking to tellthem that I'm leaving and that
came out of nowhere to them thatwas not on their radar.
That.
I was leaving um and um.
(32:34):
So then I started applying tojobs in georgia and had zoom
interviews and um, we bought ahouse without ever stepping foot
in it.
You know, we just just threwvideos and we literally we
called brooke.
Alycia Lovingier (32:51):
We're like because when we, when he
accepted the job, we found outwe didn't tell my family this
was not planned.
He found out, like march 31st,that he got the position right
over the last day, march.
I don't know if march is 31days but, anyways.
So we text my family april 1styou know just being oblivious to
being april fools, right?
So we text the whole familysaying, hey, we're moving to
(33:14):
georgia.
And I was like this is not anapril fools joke.
So I want to be specific, likewe weren't like messing with
them or anything like that.
And of course they wereextremely excited.
Um, my parents kind of knew,probably a little bit before
that they were going but theyknew we were applying for jobs
and stuff, because we couldn'tmove without getting a job.
Scott Lovingier (33:34):
Yeah, so like when we, yeah, we call carolyn
knew 10 years before yeah, wewere gonna, we were to stay in
california if I wasn't able tofind a job.
I was confident I was going tofind a job.
My resume was pretty strong atthat point and there was
beginning to be a teachershortage.
I was going to find a job inGeorgia or Washington.
That wasn't going to be aproblem.
Alycia Lovingier (33:54):
As soon as he found out where he was going to
go.
Scott Lovingier (33:56):
That's when we were like we always knew, even
before meeting place.
Alycia Lovingier (34:02):
We always knew , even before meeting place,
anything like that.
We always knew we liked, likethe lawrenceville area, even
when we came to visit my brother, since we'd come here once a
year, probably once a year tocome visit, you know, stay with
parents, whatever.
But we always knew we liked thelawrenceville area.
That's always a place that wekind of were drawn to before
even moving here, before evencontemplating buying a house,
like we knew we wanted to be inthat area.
And then once knew the churchesin lawrenceville, like stuff
kind of started playing out.
(34:22):
We're like that's, that'sperfect, that's where we want to
be.
Um, but then we called Iremember either calling or
facetiming brooke, becausebrooke was, you know she's a
she's a real estate agent so shepretty much was our feet like
on the ground finding us houses.
People thought we were insane tobuy a house without even
stepping foot in the house, likewe were literally.
She was seeing his videos ofthe house well, that's news to
(34:43):
me.
I didn't know you um yeah, well,we had like a process.
We had her go, she like tookvideos of it and then, um, then
my parents who who knows morepersonally?
Would come like yeah, this isthis, this is this, and we're
like you know, we're not buyingthe house until you guys both
agree on a singular house.
Um, so it was.
Yeah, people and people back incalifornia thought we were
insane.
Patricia Ruiz (35:03):
It's pretty crazy yeah, like that's probably not.
It's not a normal.
Scott Lovingier (35:06):
Thing were you saving up the whole time to be
able to purchase the house?
yes, so that was.
You know we paid off all of ourdebt, had a chunk of money.
You know I went through allthat went through day ramsey,
essentially you know, likethat's, that's who we were
following yeah, did through allthree steps and you know, pay
off debt and got her deposit andhad some help from family and
(35:31):
all the things that allowed usto to buy a house I mean
literally like everything, justlike lined up perfectly as far
as, and she got a job withoutlike I had like seven people,
seven, seven places, withoutphysically being she did all of
her interviews on Zoom and stufftoo, and so we both got jobs
and a house before we even moved.
Alycia Lovingier (35:49):
Yeah, yeah, Everything just like.
And then my job wasn't far, youknow.
And that's how God works tooright, Like when it's his will.
Scott Lovingier (35:57):
Things are going to be easy.
Yeah, and it's his time, it'shis timing right like the
process leading up to itsometimes can be very
challenging.
It can can really test yourfaith.
Alycia Lovingier (36:09):
But when it's go time it it should be pretty
smooth going together, justeverything, just lines up
perfectly everything up until usmoving here and, like the day
that we got here was, our podscame the day before, so
everything was pretty much atour house, ready to be unloaded.
Scott Lovingier (36:27):
You know yeah.
Alycia Lovingier (36:29):
Yeah, it was pretty crazy how that all I mean
it played out pretty seamlessreally.
It was not fun driving acrossthe country in the middle of the
summer.
With three cats, with threecats at the time.
But you know, I mean we'vealways been like.
You know God's going to openthe door if it's the direction
he wants us to go, and if hedoesn't, then that's not where
we're going to go.
Scott Lovingier (36:51):
We're not going to do anything unless you know.
He tells us.
If you were blessed andappreciate listening to this
podcast and you would like tosupport us in our efforts,
consider lifting us up in prayerfirst.
Then remember these four socialmedia buzzwords share, like,
subscribe or follow.
Share this podcast link withsomeone else by text, email or
(37:11):
word of mouth in the hopes thatthey might be uplifted, as you
were Like by leaving a positiverating or review with whomever
you listen to our podcast.
With Subscribe to support theshow monetarily with the link in
our podcast description.
Follow us on all our socialmedia platforms.
May God bless you and make youprosperous in Him as you listen
(37:34):
and obey His voice.
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