Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
She's the voice
behind the viral comedy, bold
commentary, and truth-packedinterviews that cut through the
chaos.
Author, brand creator, proudconservative Christian, this is
Elsa Kurt.
Welcome to the show that alwaysbrings bold faith, real truth,
and no apologies.
SPEAKER_01 (00:18):
Well, hello, my
friends.
Welcome to the show.
We have another specialinterview for you today.
I am so excited to introduce mytwo guests, Janita Madison and
Tamara Woldridge.
They are just wonderful,wonderful ladies doing a
wonderful mission and beautifulwork.
And I'm so excited to have youboth here.
(00:38):
So thank you for joining me.
We're glad to do it.
Happy to be here.
Okay, so you are.
So let me start with Janita.
So over, and you can correct meif I have anything wrong here.
Okay.
So over 40 years ago, youreceived a vision to create a
discipleship training centerwhere believers could discover
who they are in God andunderstand who God truly is and
(01:02):
to embrace their purpose in thistime.
And that vision, right, led theuh foundation for gold standard
ministries.
And you're devoted to restoringidentity, teaching truth, uh,
and helping people understandthat they are more than what
performance or circumstancesdefine.
(01:22):
And I love that so, so much.
It's so critical.
So, did I get anything wrongthere?
No.
Okay, okay, okay, good, good.
So um I'm gonna start.
Let me start my first questionfor you, Janita, if you don't
mind.
Um your vision for discipleshiptrainings, the discipleship
training center came in 1978.
(01:44):
Correct me again if I'm wrong.
Um, but it it took a few years,it took some time before you
really saw it just fullymanifested.
So, what were some of thehardest lessons you had to learn
um while you were waiting andwhile you were trying to grow
this ministry about, you know,about your identity and trust
and God's timing, all of thosethings.
(02:04):
Tell me a little bit about thatpart of the journey for you.
SPEAKER_03 (02:08):
Well, um, you know,
often when people get visions
like that, they think it's goingto happen right away.
And not very often.
Um, God has to take us through aprocess of letting go of our own
way, our own will.
And that was a long process forme.
(02:30):
Um, I was very good at uhpushing through things and
figuring it out, and and um andthat didn't work.
Um I had to get to a place whereif this was really gonna happen,
uh, it was up to God.
And he, you know, had to I hadto trust that He would uh He
(02:54):
would supply.
I never lost that vision.
It was very clear, verydetailed, and um and it just
never went away.
And so I I did what I could.
I I taught groups and and I'm ateacher of the word and um and
(03:14):
always um always went with whatwas there to to be able to
teach.
And um and yet, you know,something like that takes
millions of dollars.
And um, and of course, myhusband and I were always people
oriented, and um he died ofcancer in nine in uh 2007.
(03:40):
And so at that point, that wasmy hardest place because I
didn't see how any I could everdo such a thing.
Um and yet um uh I it didn't goaway.
So um anyway, I went severalyears uh teaching and um I got
(04:03):
involved with a ministry that umI loved because I'd been looking
for something like that.
I to disciple somebody you needto have the right model for
yourself.
And I found a ministry thatmodeled love and um and uh saw
(04:25):
people through covenant insteadof their condition.
And that was what I was lookingfor.
So I started uh going to theirevents and and um something I
didn't know about that ministrywas that it was a giving
ministry.
And um I they um I went for asix-week training session and
(04:50):
stayed with a couple, theyprovided everything for me.
It was in Oklahoma, and um and Istayed with them, and they uh it
was a family that was involvedwith the ministry, and and they
would always question me, okay,what's what's your dream, what's
your vision?
And so I shared with them andand um and um come to find out
(05:16):
to well it was 2018, 2018, andum and they were there and asked
me to stop by on my on our wayhome over to the airport to go
home.
And I said, okay, and and so Idid, and um they said they that
the Lord was saying to give me avery, very substantial gift of
(05:39):
home.
Um and uh when I found out thatthey did that, I found out the
ministry did that too.
And uh they would get people outof debt, they would buy homes,
they would buy cars, they would,you know, just just a gift
ministry.
And um when it when I got it, II knew immediately God was
(06:07):
saying, okay, it's time.
And uh absolutely overwhelmingexperience.
And because I I wasn't a moneyperson, I was a widow on social
security and taking care ofkids.
And uh um, and so I uh the Lordled me uh back to Portland and
(06:35):
um and I found a home that wasperfect, uh five-bedroom home,
three-bath.
Um, and it's it's a place wherepeople can come even for a week
or two and stay and and justlike I was treated to to just
have them board and um and juststay here to be trained.
(06:57):
I don't think it's not what Ithe vision, it's not that yet,
but um I believe that God'sintending to do that.
SPEAKER_01 (07:07):
Absolutely.
Can I be so rude as to ask youhow old you were when that point
hit, when when you kind of gotwhat you were asking for, or you
realized you were getting whatyou were asking for?
What what point went?
SPEAKER_03 (07:21):
That was when I was
7777.
SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Yeah, wow, yeah,
incredible, absolutely
incredible, and and it's soincredible to me too.
SPEAKER_03 (07:33):
I mean, why did God
wait so long?
But he knows what he's doing,right?
SPEAKER_01 (07:38):
That's the uh that's
the whole uh you know, his
timing is always perfect, right?
And when you when you actuallyallow yourself to rest in that,
I think that's probably there'sso many hard things, um, which I
did not know three years ago,how hard it is to uh be a
believer.
(07:59):
Um, and not so much that youryour faith in him is tested so
much.
Well, I guess it is, but um inthe process, it's the process we
have a hard time trusting andthe timing that we have have a
hard time trusting.
And and I and I think yourexperience is is so valuable to
(08:20):
people who are in the waitingright now in their lives, right?
Who are sitting in the waitingand saying I have people who
reach out to me and they'relike, you know, well, well, you
know, if this, then when?
You know, I've been doing this,I've been, you know, I've been
good, I've you know, I've beendevoted, I've been loyal, I've
been all of these things.
(08:41):
When is it going to be my time?
Which and the obvious answer isI don't know.
I'm not the one to know.
I don't know when it's my timefor anything.
Um, but but resting, resting,allowing yourself, forcing
yourself to rest in the waitingis wow, incredible.
(09:01):
And and here's an example ofwhat happens when you when you
rest in the waiting, right?
And and allow him to do hiswork.
Oh my goodness, absolutelyincredible.
Uh, Tamara, I want to ask you sogrowing up under the influence
of your mother's walk with faithand eventually ministry, how did
you personally be uh come tounderstand who God says you are?
(09:23):
And were there moments that yourejected or doubted that
identity?
Because my first thought alwaysis had to be in the teenage
years.
That's when we get rebelliouswith everything.
So I'm so interested in in yourexperience and growth in this.
SPEAKER_02 (09:40):
Well, I was we've
always been really close.
Um, you know, growing up, welived on the ranch with um, you
know, out in the country andraised in a very um fundamental
uh Christian background.
(10:02):
Um when we became part of thisministry, I also became part of
it because um it was somethingI'd been waiting for my whole
life to see um people whoactually practiced what they
(10:23):
preached.
And and it was all about love.
And you know, being told thatyou can't have love without
choice, you have to be able tochoose love, and that's why we
have free will, and that's whythere's evil in the world,
because people get to chooseselfishness over love, and uh
(10:48):
God doesn't want um puppets, hewants people that choose him,
and um you can't do that, he'slove you can't do that without
choosing love, and um it youknow, we've we've uh been
(11:08):
working now on the on thesebooks, the curriculum for since
2020, um, COVID.
And it, you know, it gave us apause and a chance to kind of,
you know, what do we really wantto do here?
And and um I initially juststarted out, you know, doing the
layout, putting it into bookform, making it, you know,
(11:32):
attractive, something that wouldbe kind of fun to look at and
and read through.
And and then as we you know kindof went through that, um, and we
would we would we had ourwrestling matches with the way
we wanted to say things or youknow, um talk about stuff.
(11:54):
And but you know, especiallylike in the questions and that
kind of thing, I'm like, we havewe can't just have a question
that is yes or no.
It has to be something that willactually make people think about
what what's going on inside, youknow, what is happening in my
heart and my mind, you know, andasking the Holy Spirit to shine
(12:17):
his light in our lives, youknow, according to Psalm 90,
verse 8, where it talks aboutGod shining his light and he'll
show us.
And when we can see what's goingon inside, then we can deal with
it.
It doesn't have to stay hiddenor or have any power over us,
(12:41):
the trauma and the the stuffthat's happened to us in our
lives.
We can actually take it out, askthe Lord to shine his light and
and heal it.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
Yeah, I love that.
Um, tell me a little bit aboutthe as far as the curriculum.
Who is who is it specificallygeared toward?
Like, is it geared toward umpeople who are in discipleship?
Um, is it teaching you todisciple?
Is it just teaching about causeof like explain the curriculum
(13:15):
to me, like who it's gearedtoward, if you wouldn't mind?
SPEAKER_03 (13:18):
Yes.
Um originally uh my focus was onpeople, women especially, but
men too, um uh like 35 andolder.
It that's been churched alltheir life, or just churched.
Um and because I was in churchfrom the time I was born.
(13:43):
And um, and my husband and Imoved quite a bit, and we would
attend, we've attended Baptist,evangelical, non-denominational,
presbyterian, church of Christ,all of those churches, and um uh
Foursquare.
(14:03):
Um in all of those experiences,and we also had a ministry of
our own, um, caring fordelinquent boys from Seattle for
17 years.
Um, and then other ministries,in all of those experiences, I
(14:24):
realized something's missing.
I'm I studied the Bible all mylife since I was a Christian,
and um and I read things in theword and I'm not seeing it.
And so what's missing?
And and um it began to becomecome to me as far and starting
(14:48):
to write the curriculum.
Um I I knew some of the thingsthat were missing once I got it
uh became a part of thatministry that I went to.
Um and it was key, the keythings.
Why is the church so immature?
Why why do we still judge eachother?
(15:10):
Why do we still, you know, notlove?
And um and you know, what whyaren't we growing up and uh
becoming real sons and daughterswho can do the father's
business?
Um and it was in me just likeeverybody else.
And um, so by the uh when westarted writing the curriculum,
(15:37):
and it started to really cometogether what what was missing
for me.
And not not I in all of thoseyears, I was I just never got it
uh or somehow missed it.
Um but I think that the churchdidn't have the revelation
either.
(15:57):
Um people don't know who theyare, right?
God tells God says we are, yeah.
Um uh so that's what's in thecurriculum.
What what that's what I wantpeople to know.
SPEAKER_01 (16:14):
People who have not
gotten what they were looking
for in church, and um you seethat so often too, people
leaving church, leaving thechurch because they're not
getting fulfilled, you know.
And of course, we know thatpeople leave the church because
they simply don't like themessage, right?
You know, they don't they wantreasons.
(16:35):
That's right, you know, theythere's certainly a a large
element of of that, especiallyin in today's time where they
just want to be told thatthey're great and they're
perfect just the way that theyare, and all of those things.
And, you know, as a as aChristian, you know that it
couldn't be further from thetruth that we are not good, only
he is good, and we're saved byhis grace.
(16:56):
And, you know, so and peopledon't there is a fraction of
society that does not want tohear that because they've been
taught by the world and not bythe word.
And, you know, so that isobviously where we're at, and
that's a difficult battle.
And and I think you hit on somany important things and you
you hit it right, right off thebat with the the the love, the
(17:20):
love factor.
Yes and that, right?
And that is truly our hardest.
It's really easy to love lovablepeople, right?
Or people that you deem lovable.
It's really hard to love peoplethat you don't find lovable,
right?
Um, so I mean, I'm stilllearning it.
I'm this is this is a dailystruggle, and it will be a
(17:41):
struggle my entire life to lookat the people that um, you know,
that I feel so terrible sayingit, but that fill me with hate
for them, um, to turn thataround and and put the right
perspective.
So it really sounds like youryour curriculum and your
approach and your vision all umreally have a heart focus on
(18:05):
that, which is just so needed inthis world right now, more than
ever.
I mean, it's always been needed.
Um, so that kind of leads usinto so um kind of like the DNA
of creation.
You both emphasize thatbelievers were created from
God's DNA as his image bearers.
Um, what does that mean inpractical terms for someone
(18:28):
today, especially someone who'sbeen told that they are less
than or feels unworthy?
SPEAKER_03 (18:34):
You know, I I uh
I've become aware that in just
about everyone's heart is thequestion, who am I and why am I
here?
Especially with non-believers.
Um, you know, they there'ssomething inside of us that
knows we're created forsomething greater, and yet we
(18:59):
can't find the answer.
And that um that I believe iswhat happened in the Garden of
Eden.
When Adam made that choice, uh,he lost that sense of who he
was, and he knew it before hemade that choice, but um we
(19:20):
received his nature when we wereborn, and um, and so we have all
of that selfishness, thatself-preservation, that
self-interest, everything isabout me.
And um and that's just the wayit is with the world.
(19:42):
And so what happened on thecross was that old nature died,
and P, you know, there's alwaysa question there because then
why do I still sin?
And um, but the the word says wewere crucified with him, and
(20:05):
when we were crucified, that oldnature went into the grave with
him, so it doesn't belong to usanymore, and that's what was
missing.
One of the things that wasmissing for me, uh, and because
of the question, you know, well,I'm still doing what I don't
want to do, right?
And um anyway, uh, I think there the the reason we have that
(20:31):
question is we're not beingtaught that uh it really did
die.
That isn't a part of me anymore.
Um and when I said yes to theLord, I was conceived by the DNA
of the Lord, his image, and Ihave his nature now inside of
(20:58):
me, and I can um I can live outof that nature, I can make
choices, I don't have to sin.
And um, and so what we need tolearn is that with a new nature
that never sins, um we havechoices.
(21:22):
And uh and we need to learn thatwe we can choose every single
day to live out of his nature.
And um he he wanted imagebearers, he wanted ones who uh
were just like him, and that'shis purpose for us to become
just like Jesus and bear hisimage, true, truly bear his
(21:48):
image, um because we're madefrom his DNA.
And that's that's God'sintention is to return us back
to innocence, to um, to doingright, to being just like him,
to becoming one with him.
(22:09):
All of the scriptures point tothat, that we are returning back
to who he made us to be.
And um, and so that's that's themain thing I want to impart to
others is that you're on ajourney to to back to who you
were and are.
(22:30):
And um and and then how do we dothat?
SPEAKER_01 (22:36):
What a what an
amazing foundation for growth to
start there.
Like what a perfect startingpoint.
Because you're right, that isthat is our biggest question and
our biggest struggle.
You hit right on it.
Um, you know, uh so many peopleare so lost in our world right
(22:56):
now.
And it's because, as you said,they don't know who they are.
That's right.
And and they don't know whosethey are.
And that having being groundedthere is probably the most, not
probably it is, the mostlife-changing moment of my
personal life.
(23:16):
And I would imagine anybeliever's life that that is the
moment when you actually realizewhose you are.
And now my my identity is set.
So now there is nothing in thisworld, in this temporal world,
that can it bounces off me, itcan't affect me, it can't hurt
(23:37):
me.
Anything that you say to me ortell me that I am, you know, so
the world will try and tell youthat you're this and you're
that, or you're not this andyou're not that.
And, you know, we have thatassurance that if we trust it
and we believe it, you get tosit back and say, Yeah, no, you
don't define me.
He defines me, right?
(23:57):
I mean, that is so, oh, it'ssuch a profound knowledge.
And and I get so mad that Ididn't know it earlier.
SPEAKER_03 (24:05):
I know you can go
through years of of struggle and
because we haven't been taught.
Yeah, and I have a passion umfor people for for church people
especially to grasp this, tounderstand it, to um to grow up
because he needs us to grow up.
(24:27):
We need to be available in thisworld today to uh be led by his
holy spirit to do what um we'recalled to do.
Right.
And to love.
Yeah.
Unconditionally, yeah,unselfishly.
We love.
That's the one thing he taughtme early uh years ago, is that
(24:52):
um I don't know how I knew this,but you know, we were working
with a gal that was um out of avery abusive home.
And um, and she would do thingsand and um say things and I'd
say, that's not who you are.
And I I just knew that um umwe're called to be uh great and
(25:22):
um and not look at condition inpeople, but see them for who
they really are.
And that's that's what we don'tdo in church.
And um because we don't know,you know, we don't people don't
know who who they are, right?
And we can't call people up intothat unless we know who we are.
(25:47):
And um and be convinced of that,just like you were saying,
nothing, nobody can convince meI'm not who I am.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:57):
And and and that uh
that that knowledge, that deep
knowledge, that understanding, Ithink truly does shape how
you're able to treat and and bearound others, right?
Like it just once you have thatfinding, it's so much when
you're in a good place in a agood healthy place, whether it's
(26:18):
physical health, emotionalhealth, spiritual health, um,
but especially spiritual health,because all of those other
things, if you, if you havespiritual health, because you
you you know you have eternitythat this body is just a body,
and you have that assurance, itit changes how you can interact
(26:38):
with people around you, andespecially uh the people that
you know that I mentioned thatyou may deem uh difficult to
love, unlovable in in your own,in your own eyes, which is not
that you're viewing itcorrectly, of course, um, but it
does give you that pause.
I know it's teaching me thatpause.
Again, I had a long way to go,but that is teaching me to
(27:01):
pause.
And instead of um, I think oneof the most powerful things I
heard was maybe instead ofcursing the person that cut you
off in traffic, maybe instead ofcursing them, maybe pray for
them, like turn it into prayerinstead of a curse.
Because we're, you know, we'reso quick to, you know, lay on
the horn and say some angrythings.
(27:22):
And I, you know, I hope you havethe day that you deserve, you
know, and that and maybe saysome, you know, especially nice,
not nice things.
Um so, you know, just makingyourself pause and and think
those things and um talk to me alittle bit about you, kind of
touched on a little bit of likekind of I guess church culture,
(27:42):
I guess would be.
So, how does somebody I wouldimagine for you it's very a very
quick thing?
You've been in so many differentchurches, uh different
denominations and everything.
Um are you very quickly able todetermine if it's an unhealthy
church?
Oh yes, yeah, yeah, it's it'sapparent quickly.
(28:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What are some things um a newbeliever, uh, a new churchgoer
should be looking foressentially?
Love.
SPEAKER_03 (28:16):
Um is is the leader
are the leaders um able to love,
able to discern.
Um we're a part of a churchright now that um is like that.
And um uh I I would I would youknow look for is this helping me
(28:40):
grow?
Is this is this contributing toum to my growing up, maturing?
And um a lot of times it's allabout performance.
You do this right, you should dothis, you should not do that,
all of those things, you know,those are things Holy Spirit
(29:00):
tells us anyway.
But um uh a lot of the thesituations are all about how can
you serve the church.
And um and we do need to servethe church, but we we need to be
brought, we need to beencouraged to be who we are,
(29:23):
called to be.
You know, everyone has adifferent destiny, and we need
to be a we need to allow peopleto find their destiny in God and
and pursue it.
And um I think a lot of timesthat doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_01 (29:39):
Yeah, yeah, I think
you're right.
I I I hear all the time, I wasvery blessed too.
We found our church on the firsttry, and I did not know that
that was a big deal until somany people afterwards said,
Wow, you this was your firstchurch, and you knew this was
the one.
And and it's so funny that yousaid that because I, you know,
I'm internally I I was probablylike nodding my head so hard
(30:02):
when you were saying that.
Um, because it was such animmediate feeling of love and
embrace and welcome uh to ourchurch that I just I knew in my
heart that like this is this isthe one.
And and you know, my husband isis more pragmatic and and more
(30:22):
reserved.
You know, I'm exuberant.
I'm like, I love this place,that's everything to me.
And my husband is more reserved,you know.
So he was the the balance wetalked before we came on air.
We were talking about balance,right?
Um, so he was the balance thathe's like, well, let's, you
know, let's give it a littletime, let's wait and see, let's
get the vibe, all that kind ofstuff.
And, you know, all I technicallyknew going in is that I wanted a
(30:44):
Bible teaching church, you know,like that was the major thought
in my head.
Um, that, you know, I just wantto learn the Bible.
I want to learn the truth and Iwant it taught right.
And uh, you know, so we're superblessed with with all of that.
So I I think your message, youryour um message there is is so
(31:04):
important for people.
So go in.
It should be a loving church.
Obviously, a Bible teachingchurch church is um, you know,
great, but that's that is a sucha perfect starting point to go
from because as we said before,people get put off of church um
for exactly what we're talkingabout, not not feeling the love,
so to speak, right?
(31:26):
And and obviously that's gonnaput people off.
Um, I want to talk about youryour purpose and calling.
We have been basically talkingabout it, but I want you to like
kind of crystallize this for me.
Um so Tamara, I'll start withyou.
What do you think that yourpurpose uh in this season is and
how has it evolved as goldstandard ministry has grown?
SPEAKER_02 (31:49):
My per my purpose,
and and I actually call it my my
covenant, the the God, thecovenant that I that God gave me
that I have with God, um, is tosee people become who He
intended them to be.
He um to facilitate that, tohelp people know who they are.
(32:14):
And um, you know, that thatwhatever they've had to endure
thir through their lives,there's an answer.
There is uh a way for them toget all of the junk out of the
way and uh find out who God saysthey are.
(32:34):
And that has you know, it's it'sbeen an evolution, um just as
we've been processing throughthese books and you know it's it
really crystallized in just youknow, the the the things that I
(32:57):
hear Holy Spirit speaking to meand pointing out in myself, um,
you know, look at this, youknow.
Um a recent example is I I umasked my heart, okay, what do
you need the most?
And I heard trust.
(33:18):
I need trust and realized atthat point that my trust level
with with myself, with God, withother people was not where it
should be.
And so now the last few weeks,months has been processing
through that.
How do I learn to trust more?
(33:38):
How do I choose that?
Because really trust is achoice.
And um, so that's been kind of,you know, it's just it's always
an ongoing journey, you know.
Wherever you're at, there'salways another layer to take off
of beliefs and lies that you'vebelieved and and you know,
traumas that have happened, uh,just processing through all of
(34:03):
that.
SPEAKER_01 (34:03):
Sure.
Yeah, absolutely.
Let's talk about that a littlebit more.
The healing from trauma.
Um, for so many people, pasttraumas, disappointments, or
hurts all become barriers toembracing their identity and
their purpose.
Um, for each of you, whicheverone wants to answer first, um,
how have you navigated your ownpain and and what kind of
(34:26):
healing um has been critical foryou to walk in in freedom?
SPEAKER_03 (34:30):
Well, I have um I
have learned that we're either
going to stuff it or workthrough it.
And um, and it's uh usuallystuffing it.
Um, and then it comes out laterin our lives, affects what we
choose, affects um our behavior,affects those kind of things
(34:52):
when we stuff things, um, wemake choices based on why we
stuffed it.
And um, and so dealing withgrief and trauma uh is so so
crucial.
And lots of people have gonethrough horrible, horrible
stuff.
Yeah, and um and it needs to behealed, and so it's choosing to
(35:21):
uh to acknowledge it, first ofall.
It's it's there, and I I knowit's there, and and then being
willing, because it's hard um topull up pain and let God heal
it.
And um and yet I've seen people,uh the one gal that we worked
(35:43):
with um for uh 30 years, um, shebecame a part of our family, and
and she persevered throughhorrible stuff, and she is now
working with other people thathave gone through the same
things.
And um, and so I've seen peopleheal from that kind of trauma.
(36:06):
Um and but it's a choice, it'salways a choice to just let it
be stuffed or or get it dealtwith.
SPEAKER_01 (36:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
My husband, um, when we joinedour church and um we decided
that we wanted to be baptized,and um we had our conversation
with one of our pastors, and beas we were driving in, my
husband, who neither one of ushave any faith background, um,
we were just, you know, youknow, I mean, I was uh Catholic,
(36:42):
but we weren't practicing by anymeans, you know, never went to
church except for holidays andspecial occasions and you know,
things like that.
Um, and he was the same.
And so when we were driving in,he said, Well, are they gonna,
is it gonna make me confess?
Is it gonna, because it's abaptist, we go to a Baptist
church.
Uh, is it gonna make me confessbecause, you know, I don't want
to hash up all of those things.
(37:02):
I don't want to talk about, youknow, stuff from the past and
the war and all of those things.
Like, I don't want to do that,you know, that's I'm not
comfortable with that.
I'm like, honey, no, it's a it'sgonna be a conversation between
you and God.
It's you don't have to talk toyou can, and it's good to, but
you do it on your own terms.
But this is a relationship withGod.
They're they're helping youunderstand that and you talk
(37:25):
about what you want to talkabout, you know.
So there's a huge misconception,I think, that people from like a
Catholic bathroom background,and I'm I'm not knocking any
other denominations, notnothing, just you know, um, but
they they don't understand thatit's different in in other, you
know, that that's not quite whatwe do.
(37:46):
Um, you know, so and then Ithink those are important things
to to realize that this is thisis about a relationship with
God.
And if you turn to Him and ifyou run to Him, um, that is that
will change your life for thebetter.
And it does, I think it doesmake you able to start to talk
about that because youunderstand, you start to
(38:08):
understand, like you weresaying, the the purpose of your
pain might be to share it withothers to help them heal, you
know.
So there's a purpose to it,right?
You find the same things,Tamara, or or is your experience
any different or um no, it'sit's pretty much the same, I
(38:29):
think, for everybody.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (38:31):
You know, the the
number one thing is to know that
God wants a personal, intimaterelationship with you.
And um, you know, it it's been ait's been a difficult summer for
me this this summer.
I lost my husband in June.
(38:52):
Uh, he'd been ill for a whileand and I lost him.
And so it's it's been a summerof processing through grief and
coming to that place of justletting it be what it was.
And you know, if so I I prettymuch cry at the drop.
My I leak.
(39:13):
I leak all over the place.
I get it, I get it.
SPEAKER_01 (39:16):
I do.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
And and it it is it's sodifficult um to suffer that kind
of loss.
And and you know, the joy ofknowing where he is now and who
he's with now, it is a comfort,but it doesn't change your
(39:37):
earthly loss, right?
Yeah, I still miss it.
And I and I think that's um, youknow, I think that's powerful
because you have you have thatunderstanding that you can share
with somebody else who'sgrieving, who's experiences, who
maybe isn't as spiritually andemotionally evolved in that
thought process as you are, andyou can help them get there.
(39:59):
So what a what a gift to um toknow the things that you know is
is really so beautiful.
SPEAKER_02 (40:07):
I know that he's
good, he's always good.
He's always good.
No matter what we're goingthrough, he's good.
SPEAKER_01 (40:12):
Yeah, yeah, he is
the comfort, right?
Um, something that you both dothat I I understand is that you
refer to God as a good father,as the father.
And that is something that hasfrom the beginning always
touched my heart immediately,that reference to God as the
father.
(40:33):
Um, what are some of the waysthat the father heart has
expressed itself in your life,especially in moments where you
maybe didn't feel love oraccepted?
How did that change that foryou?
And it's even better if youcan't think of a moment that you
felt like that, right?
I mean, what a what a gift.
SPEAKER_03 (40:55):
Well, and I I would
say that um he's always been
father to me.
And as far as back as I canremember, um and um and I've had
the awareness of his presence umas a father to a daughter.
(41:18):
And um so I I can't think of asituation where I didn't feel
that.
Um I'm so glad that you can't.
SPEAKER_01 (41:28):
I love that.
What a what a you know, justwhat a gift that that is.
Is you feel the same, Tamara?
SPEAKER_02 (41:36):
Well, yeah, and you
know, it's kind of recognizing
because you know, a lot of timeswhen we become believers, we
start out as being just kind ofa servant of God.
You know, it's kind of like umwe're out there doing our part.
And then it it for some it kindof evolves into uh becoming a
(42:02):
friend of God.
And then it will become when youchoose, you can choose to be a
child of God.
And a child of God is someonewho comes to the table when
they're called.
They they live in the house.
Um, they're not just a friend ora servant, they're they're
(42:25):
actually part of the family.
And uh just coming to that placeof I am a child here, you know,
it's not just always my will, myway.
It's it's you know, what doesthe father want?
What what is he asking of me?
(42:45):
And basically what I hear thefather asking is I have all
these kids out here who need me,but they don't know how to get
to me.
And will you go and be show meto them?
And that's that's being a childof of the father is being the
(43:10):
one that that will go out andrescue the ones that are that
need to be rescued, that arecrying out for love.
SPEAKER_01 (43:18):
And the father's
love.
Yeah, I think um tell me ifyou've found this in your
experience that the the the onesI my guess is more often men may
have a more difficult timegiving over, right?
Um, for women and girls, I thinkit's easier because it's you
(43:39):
know, we're softer and it'seasier for us to just kind of
fall into that embrace, um,accept it, right?
And men, I think, have a moredifficult time because they're
so used to being the men, beingthe man, being in control and
not showing vulnerability andnot needing uh a father.
(44:01):
And then particularly you addones um who don't have good or
have any relationship with theirtheir father, their biological
father.
Um you know, so how how wouldyou how would you speak to
someone who whose heart is soguarded against accepting all
(44:24):
that um the father can give toyou?
Because like you, like you said,it is there's so many layers.
There is the father, there's thefriend, um, you know, all of
these things.
How what language would you giveto someone to help them open
their heart to that?
Especially men.
SPEAKER_03 (44:43):
Um I would affirm
them and let them know um who
they are as much as possible.
Because, well, one of the thingsI wanted to add, um, you know,
why men or women fight so hardagainst being vulnerable?
(45:06):
Against um, and I experiencedthat years ago.
Um I was always the good childin my family.
Um we had aunts and uncles thatwould come and live with us and
everything, and my sister wasthe opposite, and so I was the
(45:28):
good one, she was the difficultone, and um, and that was my
identity, and um and so itstayed with me for years until a
friend of mine said, You are soself-righteous, and I thought,
oh dear, okay, um, how do I dealwith that?
(45:51):
And I couldn't deal with itbecause that was my identity,
right?
And if I let go of it, who am I?
And that's what people gothrough, they don't know their
identity.
Uh, if they know who they are,then um uh those things can't
(46:11):
get to them, and um and so Iwant people to know um I would
with men, I would um like wehave one right now, and um and
just continue to um affirm inlove and let them know that's
(46:34):
not how I see them.
I see them different, you know,in God, and and just continue
with that until they feel safe.
SPEAKER_01 (46:44):
Yeah, I like what
you both have said.
I like everything you both havesaid, by the way.
Um, but I especially like apoint that you've both made
throughout, right from the verybeginning, about love being a
choice.
You know, all of these thingsare a choice.
Forgiveness is a choice, uh loveis a choice.
(47:05):
Uh there was another one there,and I'm drawing a blank and I
don't want to keep dwelling onit, but it'll come to me.
Um, but I I think it's soimportant to point that out that
these are choices.
You can choose to do this, andit really is it's that simple of
a concept.
And I and I know in practiceit's maybe not so easy, but if
(47:28):
you make the choice every singleday, you know, in every
circumstance, you know, you youpause, it's that pause, right?
Where you say, hang on, I have achoice here.
I I can act out in uh I canchoose anger, I can choose rage,
or I can choose love andcompassion.
And I I think when people getthat in their head, really just
(47:50):
engrave it in their brain thatthis is a choice.
Everything I'm doing right nowis a choice, and I can choose a
path of peace and love andgoodness, or I can choose that
other dark path and you knowwhich one will serve better.
And um, and and I I love thatyou convey that message, and I
and it sounds like that's a hugepart of your curriculum, right?
SPEAKER_03 (48:13):
Yes, and I do want
to say that um as long as we
keep stuff stuffed, um, it's ahindrance to our relationship
with the Lord, it stands in theway, and that's why it's so
important.
He is intent on our healing andour freedom and will take us
(48:34):
there if we will say yes.
And um, and only when we sayyes, um then he will deal with
it and and remove it from ourhearts.
SPEAKER_01 (48:47):
So I think people,
myself included, I alright,
let's face it, I'm asking thisquestion for myself.
Um when I in my conversationswith God, or as I'm learning to
have conversations with God, Iget tripped up.
And I and I know I'm not alonein this because I sometimes I
(49:09):
feel like, am I speaking to himthe right way?
Am I, you know, should I besaying uh Heavenly Father, this,
that, and the other thing?
And I tend to be a veryconversational person.
So if I'm driving in the car,I'm like, hey God, listen.
So I was thinking, how about if,and then I'm like, is that
inappropriate?
Is that wrong?
(49:30):
No, like tell me if you wouldlike, is there a right?
Is there a wrong?
SPEAKER_03 (49:37):
There is no right or
wrong.
He he accepts us right wherewe're at and how we are.
I mean, it's all okay with him,he can deal with it.
I love that.
And he doesn't hold us againstus, he doesn't do any of that,
he just loves us and walks usthrough whatever we need to
know.
And um, and it's just like youknow, a parent dealing with
(50:01):
their children.
Um that's how he is with us.
And and if we're still a toddlerin our uh in some areas of our
life, that's where we're at.
And he works with that.
And I feel like I'm a perpetualtoddler.
No, no, you're really not, justmaybe in an area or two,
(50:22):
whatever.
Um, it's just that's the way itis with all of us.
Yeah, we still have uh areasthat are waiting to grow.
SPEAKER_01 (50:31):
That's so
comforting, and you know, and I
I think it's so important forall of us um to remember that
we're not gonna be perfect inthis walk.
It's we're literally incapableof it, and that's why we need
him because he is the perfectone.
Um, and I and I have to remindmyself of that all the time, you
know, when I get angry aboutsomething and and you know just
(50:53):
lash out instead of taking thatpause.
I get so mad at myself, like,come on now, you know better.
And it's like, yeah, he knows,he knows that you're gonna keep
failing and and need to keeppicking up.
But it's the it's the caring,right?
It's about wanting to to dobetter because you know who you
belong to.
SPEAKER_03 (51:13):
So and knowing that
the Holy Spirit is the one who
helps you with it.
He he's the one that shows youthings, yeah.
Not you can't fix it.
I'll just tell you that rightnow.
We can't fix it ourselves.
He has to show us and and hewill show us the way.
SPEAKER_01 (51:30):
Yes.
I have taken to saying, youknow, every time I'm going into
pretty much any situation now,um, but especially difficult
ones where if I know thatthere's gonna that I have to
have, you know, a confrontationor a difficult conversation or
whatever the case is, um, I Ialways ask the Holy Spirit to
(51:52):
speak through me, to speak forme and through me, because
whatever I'm gonna say is notgonna be good.
Not gonna be helpful.
So, and and ladies, it'sactually working.
Like that's where it blows mymind.
I I I'm so bad and I'membarrassed to admit this.
I'm a terrible apologizer.
(52:13):
I don't do it well.
I I give back it's it's a very,very bad personal trait that I
have that I have a difficulttime apologizing.
And I had to apologize tosomebody recently.
And before this happened, I wasstruggling so hard with it
because I didn't want to do it,quite frankly.
And I that was what I said overand over again, to be honest
(52:34):
with you.
And um the words that came outof my mouth were not mine, they
were not me.
They were very mature, they werevery appropriate, they were
genuine.
Like I don't want to, I don'twant to make it sound like it
wasn't genuine.
I I genuinely felt the wordsthat came out of my mouth.
They're just not the words thatI would have spoken.
And I drove, drove home, calledmy husband, and I'm like, honey,
(52:56):
you're not gonna believe whatjust happened.
You're not gonna believe what Ijust did.
And then I had to correct andsay, Well, all right, it wasn't
me, it was the Holy Spiritworking through me for me.
And uh so yes, uh, oh mygoodness.
I'm sorry, I had to share thatlittle personal antidote.
Um, so tell me, if if someoneremembers just one thing from
(53:16):
today, one truth that you hopewill settle deep in their heart,
um, what would that be?
And how do you hope their lifewill look different because of
it?
SPEAKER_03 (53:27):
Find out what your
identity is and what God says
about you.
He says awesome things, and it'sall in the book.
Um, you will discover who youare.
Uh and it's essential.
It just has to, it has to happenfor each of us.
SPEAKER_01 (53:48):
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
I love that.
How about you, Tamar?
Tamara, sorry.
SPEAKER_02 (53:53):
I would just say say
yes.
Yeah.
Say say yes to the process.
Absolutely.
And um, just keep saying yes.
You know, just Lord, what do youwant to do?
I say yes to whatever it is youwant to do.
Just beautiful, absolutelyperfect.
SPEAKER_01 (54:14):
Tell everyone where
they can find your curriculum,
um, where they can learn moreabout gold standard ministries
and and more about what you'redoing.
SPEAKER_02 (54:24):
Go to our website,
um, which is
goldstandardministries.com.
We also have another websitethat's pretty much the same.
It's called sendinghub.org.
SPEAKER_01 (54:37):
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (54:38):
And uh yeah, and the
book is available on the book is
called The Invitation.
Beautiful.
Uh Discover the Treasure of You.
Beautiful.
SPEAKER_01 (54:46):
And that is on the
website.
Is that also on Amazon?
Can they find that any any otherlocations or everything through
the website?
I believe it's on Amazon aswell.
Perfect.
Okay, excellent.
Outstanding.
Ladies, I can't thank you enoughfor coming on the show and
indulging me in my uh littlestories and questions and all of
(55:07):
that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yes, it was so nice meeting bothof you.
Um, and and for the viewing andlistening audience, it is Gold
Standard Ministries.
And um, the book is theinvitation.
And uh, we will have the linkfor their website in the show
notes.
So you'll be able to find thatthere.
And I hope that you do.
(55:27):
As you all can see foryourselves, this has been um
just just such a pureconversation of faith and love
and and good intention and allof those things.
So thank you all for watching,and we will see you in the next
episode.
Take care, guys.