April 22, 2025 • 19 mins
In this uplifting episode of the Radio Coffee House, host Clint Armitage introduces us to Trenton, a remarkable young man whose journey with cerebral palsy serves as a powerful testament to faith and resilience. Through Trenton’s inspiring story, we explore how a positive outlook can redefine limitations and illuminate the path of purpose.
The episode features a heartfelt clip from the Tim Tebow Foundation, showcasing Trenton’s unwavering belief that “God is able.” Despite the challenges posed by his disability, Trenton’s perspective on life is nothing short of extraordinary. He shares how his struggles have shaped him into a beacon of hope for others, emphasizing the importance of relying on God and surrounding oneself with supportive, godly individuals.
Clint reflects on Trenton’s favorite scripture, Philippians 4:13, which reminds us that strength comes from Christ, regardless of our circumstances. He dives deep into the context of this verse, discussing the Apostle Paul's message of contentment and gratitude in all situations. Clint draws parallels between Trenton’s life and the teachings of Paul, illustrating how a shift in focus from earthly concerns to heavenly perspectives can transform our responses to life’s challenges.
Listeners are encouraged to adopt a mindset of gratitude and to seek out the good in every situation, just as Trenton does. This episode serves as a powerful reminder that our outlook can change everything, and that with faith, we can overcome obstacles and inspire those around us.
Tune in to this episode of the Radio Coffee House to be inspired by Trenton’s journey and to discover how embracing a positive, faith-filled perspective can lead to a more fulfilling life.
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🗣️ Quotes from Trenton
"If you take the word disable and put go in front of it, you then get to realize that God is able."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
-----
🗣️ Quotes from Clint Armitage
"His life has been filled with obstacles, but yet his mind, his heart, his outlook, his attitude, that's what makes a man."
"Let's change our mindset. Let's be grateful."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to another edition of the Radio Coffeeh House
show, where Jesus meets coffee meets talk
radio. And the next one starts right
now.
How's it going, everybody? Clint Armitage with the Radio Coffee House. Thanks
for coming back and thanks for listening in another
episode for you today. And, man, this is
(00:23):
unbelievable inspiration.
This is such an inspirational story. A
guy by the name of Trenton, he has a disability,
but, man, it does. He, like, inspire because
of his outlook and the way he sees things,
the way he sees life, the way he believes
God gives him everything he needs. And
(00:44):
God is able. And that's his little.
That's his little line that he says, God is able. I'll let
you hear him speak about it. But I listened to
this darn guy and I got so
inspired. Just, I don't know, it's just like someone
with his disability can come forth
with such positive, godly
(01:04):
advice because he wants to be a pastor is
so awesome to me. So you'll hear his story
right here in this clip. It's actually from the Tim Tebow
Foundation. They did a video for, you
know, their listeners. And I was like, man, this is so
inspirational. I gotta talk about it. So let's get into it
and let's listen to the clip.
(01:26):
If you take the word disable and put
go in front of it, you then get to realize that
God is able. And that's how I'm realized,
that God can still use me even in
my disability.
Tren is one of those kiddos that he
has this way of bringing peace with
(01:46):
him everywhere he goes, and he is very
comforting to others.
I have cerebral palsy. It
impacts the movement of my, um, limbs
and muscles and part of
my, um, br. In my processing.
Um, But God is
working through me in such an amazing way. Even in
(02:08):
this condition that I'm in.
You see him persevering and going through these
challenges and not, uh, having to worry about
what God, uh, throws at him. He's gonna, you
know, go for it.
The day when I learned that
Trnton had cerebral palsy
(02:30):
and that he may never walk,
talk, or even make
it. But just like Trenton will say, God is
able. And he has
been working in our.
Lives so much, people,
you know, look at you a little bit different, or you think that
people look at you a little different, moving
(02:51):
about, going into society, and
everybody's kind of wondering what's going on with
him? Why is he this way, this, that and the other. And I think
that affects us as parents, um,
because, you know, we don't want people to feel
that way. We want people to see us as normal
people. And I think that's the
biggest challenge.
(03:12):
His life has been filled with obstacles
from learning how to
crawl, to walk, to then
later get in a place where he was not no longer
able to really walk because he became more dangerous than
not, um, to being in a
wheelchair. The disability does not define
him. I've watched Tren
(03:33):
persevere. I've never seen
so much tenacity and
passion for life in another human
being.
Um, just to keep going, you
know, rely on God and I know um,
that tough times will come, but also
not just rely on God. Relying on God
(03:54):
is important, but it's important to find godly,
um, people that you can rely on too in tough
times. So I would also
say just keep digging and he will bring
you out of this stronghold.
I think every mom
(04:16):
of a child with a disabilities has given the gift,
strength and every
tool in the toolbox
to be able to care not just for her
child, but the family is a unit.
He has been the light
(04:38):
and the angel for our whole
family. Him wanting to be a
pastor and since he was seven years
old went to spirit the word of
God and that hasn't liked m us.
That was the moment that
for a seven year old to share something like that, I
knew you will change
(05:00):
the world regardless small or big,
you will have impact.
God has, um, used me to
encourage people and to
just show them that there is a light no matter
what battle you may be facing.
My favorite verse is Philippians 4:13
and it says this. I can do all things
(05:23):
through Christ who strengthens me. Because it
reminds me, me, even in my
disability that God can still use
me no matter my situation or
circumstance that I may be facing in the
tough moments of my life. While you're waiting on
God, your weight
on God and ah, he will direct
(05:46):
your path. So whatever your um,
battle is, just put your weight on
him while you're waiting on him.
Put your trust in him and he willert your
path.
That's my baby.
The most comforting kid that I
know.
I feel like that that's what's the biggest thing
(06:08):
for me is
I'm just proud of it.
U
I'm just proud of it.
(06:28):
If you take the word disable and put
go in front of it, you then get to realize that
God is able.
Wow. Right? Wow.
That was such an awesome audio clip.
Hearing him talk, hearing his family talk
(06:49):
and how he inspires his family
around him and other people too. And then you heard what he said,
right? You put Go in front of
disable and you got God is able
and just that outlook right for him to say that.
And then he talks about his favorite verse being Philippians
4:13. So I want to actually go over that verse. I want
to actually back up just a little bit and start at around
(07:11):
Philippians 4:10 and read through
that and see what Paul is talking about, because he's talking
to the Philippians about some things in that
chapter. And so let's go to that. So
basically what Paul is doing in those verses from
10 to 13 and even further down,
he is actually thanking the Philippians for their
generosity, for their gifts that they have
(07:34):
given. And he's talking to them
about himself. And it's not really for
him because he's content. So let me start with
Philippians chapter 4, verse 10. I
rejoiced greatly in the Lord that
at last you renewed your concern from me.
Indeed, you were concerned, but you had
no opportunity to show it. And I'm not
(07:56):
saying this because I am in need. For I have learned
to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it is to
be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I
(08:19):
can do all this through him who
gives me strength. Man, that's such
a good verse. Right? And it's so positive and it's so
uplifting. And it also gives you an
idea that Paul's not concerned about
things that are temporal. Right. He's only
caring about the eternal, the stuff that God cares about.
And he's thanking the Philippians for their gifts. And then he talks
(08:41):
about his need and his contentment, no matter
what is happening, no matter what circumst he's in.
And so I want to bring it back to Trenton because the
circumstance that Trenton finds himself in
is limiting. It's a disability. It's something where
he's limited. He can't do a lot of things that other
people can do. But yet his mind, his
(09:01):
heart, his outlook, his
attitude, that's what makes a man.
That's what makes him up. That's what makes him to
be the person that he is. Because if you think about it, how
many others would be? Well, actually, just think about it for
yourself. If you were put in that situation
right now, how positive would you be about it? Yes, you
might take a while. Because first of all, if you're not used to
(09:23):
that type of situation, then yeah, uh, it's
a Big shock. It's a big, you know, thing that happens
to someone's life. And he grew up with it, right? His
parents deal with it, he deals with it. His siblings deal
with it. His father deals with it in all their different ways that they have
to deal with this disability. But because of the
way he looks at it, meaning God does it.
(09:44):
His attitude isn't a, hey, I'm just being
positive about it. That's not actually what he's
basing his attitude on and his outlook on. He's
basing it on God. That's why he said his
favorite verse is Philippians 4:13. He can
do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. And that's where we have to start focusing our attention. No
(10:04):
matter what's going on in your life, right? The struggles that you're going
through, the hardships that you're going through, Everybody goes through
struggles and hardships. It's all common to
man. That's what the Bible says. But it depends on
how we respond. Not the circumstance that
we find ourselves in that we walk into,
that we even do to ourselves. It's about
(10:24):
how we react after we're confronted with
it. We're confronted with big problems, big hardships,
big issues in life. Because everybody
does get into things that cause trouble
in their life. But how do we respond?
Do we respond like Trenton, where he starts
saying, hey, God is able, or
(10:44):
do we look at it as a roadblock and we cannot move
any further? See, in the book of Colossians,
Paul actually brings this up in a different way, and
it's the way we look at things. And that's what he's talking about in
Colossians. It's in chapter three. Let me read what it says, and then
we'll talk about that as well.
To add on to Philippians 4:13, so Colossians 3, verse
1. Let's start there. Since then, you have been raised
(11:06):
with Christ. Set your hearts on
things above, where Christ is
seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly
things. For you died, and your
life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in
(11:28):
glory. Put to death, therefore
whatever belongs to your earthly nature. And then Paul
goes into talking all these, uh, different things, like sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires,
greed, idolatry, all that stuff. What he's
talking about there is we have to start looking
above the plane. It's like getting a better vantage point. We
have way better vantage points. From up above than we do from down
(11:51):
below or at the same height. Right. If we have a
mountaintop view, we can look down on a situation and
Gok, I can see the bigger picture here. And that's what
Paul is talking about. He's talking about living as
though you were made alive in Christ, which you
are because you were raised with Christ. And so that's why he says set
your hearts on things above. That's where Christ is. Set
(12:11):
your mind on things above, not on earthly
things. And now talking about Trenton, if he were
to just focus on the earthly things, what does
he have to look at that he could be
excited about? If you're just talking earthly. Right. If
we're totally self centered and we're
selfish and all, all we're thinking about is
ourselves and the earthly things that we
(12:33):
have. And then I'll put yourself in Trenton's situation. He has
cerebral palsy. He says it limits his
processing not only his physical abilities because he can't even
walk, because it's dangerous for him to walk because he could fall.
So he's in a wheelchair. And you could see or if
you have any familiarity with, uh, cerebral
palsy, you can't control m your muscles.
(12:54):
But he can't control his mind and he can control
his heart. And he says it's even tough for
processing. So processing information ``ient also gives
him difficulty with this disease. But if
we had that circumstance and we were only looking at
it at a normal visual
plane, the earthly plane, the
(13:14):
view that is just in front of us, then what we
see is all negative. Then what we see is
obstacle after obstacle after
obstacle. And that's discouraging because that's the only
thing we can look at. Sometimes we only look at
that because we get so focused on it and that's like
getting too close to an object. When you get too close
to an object, you can actually start focusing on it
(13:37):
so much that you can't see anything around it
because you're too close to it. Right? If you put your face up to
anything, go ahead and put your face up to your hand. If you put that
your hand close enough to your face, you won't be able to see
anything around you. You can't see anything except your hand because
it's too close. And so what we have to do is take a step
back and start looking at it from a different vantage point.
(13:57):
And that's what Paul is talking about in Colossians.
If we start looking at things above and start getting a different
vantage point, we can start to see the big picture. We can start to
see God's picture. And then we have to start changing
the way we think about it. Like Trenton does when he says
God is able, and he's talking about being able,
right? Disabled. And he's talking about being able.
(14:18):
So he's taking what is
negative to him in the earthly sense,
and he's looking at it through God's view,
God's vantage point. And that's why he can say God
is able, because he's not placing it on himself.
He's not focused on the earthly things and the things that we, you
know, are all caught up in. Sometimes he's focused on
(14:38):
things above. He's focused on Christ above,
and that's a better vantage point for him. That's why he can
look down and say, hey, God is able.
I not. I may not be able, but God is able. If
we can start doing that on a regular basis, that's
really changing the way we look at things on a daily
basis.
So when you wake up, do you wake up grateful?
(14:59):
Do you wake up thankful? Or do you wake up
grouchy? Do you wake up mad? Do you wake up
discouraged? Do you wake up thinking about the things that
bothered you the day before? Those are focusing on
these earthly issues. And Trenton says,
no, focus on the things above. Paul
says, focus on the things above. So when you wake up,
(15:19):
how about being grateful? How about being thankful?
Thank the Lord in the morning when you wake up, do
that the first thing. Once you do that,
and you're truly, truly thankful, you are
sincerely grateful. You can't be
mad, you can't be fearful, you can't be anxious.
You can't be discouraged. You can't be any of those things,
because being grateful takes up that whole space
(15:42):
in your mind where the negativity would normally be.
That takes over. And if you're grateful and you have, um, a
mindset of being grateful continually, you'll be
able to go through your day with a smile no
matter what happens. You know, we can have some stressful things happen
throughout the day, and some things that we look at going, oh,
um, no, something just messed up at work.
(16:02):
I lost money in the stock market. My hours are getting cut at
my job. The grocery bill is getting too
expensive. We've got to buy less. All those things are
problems, and they're valid. But how do you look at them? Do you
look at them negatively? Do you complain about them? Or do
you go, lord, I trust you
because you are able? I'm going to Let
you take over all that negativity. I'm giving it
(16:25):
up to you, and I'm just going to be grateful for what
you give me and then believe that the Lord will provide.
Trust in the Lord. And that's what Trenton is doing here.
He's trusting that the Lord is going to provide the things
that he needs, whether physical,
mental, even spiritual. He's trusting the
Lord, and you can see the impact that he's
made, especially on his family. Did you hear his
(16:47):
mom? Did you hear his dad? They
were so emotional, man. I was getting caught up, too. I was like,
dang, this is so inspirational. It was so
emotional for me, man. I started tearing up as well, just
listening to it. I want to be like that.
How do you want to be? Do you want to be like Trenton
and have this positive attitude that extends not
from his positive thinking, but yet
(17:09):
from the Lord and thinking about the things
above, not on the things below,
man. Let's do that today. Why don't we make a commitment to
start doing that, do a better job at it. And when
we screw up, we're not going to be 100% right.
But let's make a commitment that will start changing our
mindset and start being thankful and start being
(17:30):
grateful for the things we have and, uh, the things
we are and the situation that we're
in. Be thankful that the Lord is here to
provide whatever we need. Be thankful
that the Lord is in control of things
because he should be sovereign in your life, and I hope he
is. He's obviously sovereign in Trenton's
life. Trenton wants to be a pastor. He's already starting
(17:52):
it. It's so awesome that he can just go for that goal and not be
hindered by what he sees in front of him. His arms,
his hands, his wheelchair. That's not what
he's looking at. He's looking at Christ. We need to focus
on Christ, too. Let's stop looking at ourselves and let's
focus on Christ. Let's change our mindset. Let's be
grateful. Let's be thankful and ask the Lord to help us
(18:12):
through our situation. Because it's
really all about God. It's
really about us taking the focus off
of ourselves and putting it on others and
God. Because if you've volunteered before, if
you've helped people in need before, man,
it's such an awesome feeling when you hear the. You know, when you
hear Jesus say it's better to give than receive, I
(18:35):
mean, it is totally true, 100%
true. If you're feeling disappointed, discouraged, about you
and your life. Go help someone else.
Go and find someone that is more discouraged and
more disappointed and needs more help than you
and help them. You're going to see what happens because the
Lord is going to bless you, not
(18:55):
only in a way that you can see tangibly, but
inside. You're going to be blessed in your mind, in your
emotions, in your thinking, because you're going to
understand, uh, what the Lord is saying when he says it's better to give
than to receive. And then you really understand how
God is able. So we removed the disabled
part of it, and now we know God is able,
(19:15):
man. Thanks, Tebow Foundation. Thanks,
Trenton, for letting us hear your story. That was so
awesome. Thank you so much. I'm so. I'm hyped
up now. I hope you are, too. Let's
go. Have and have a great day today.
All right? My name is Clint Armitage. This is the Radio Coffee
House. And until next time, stay safe and God
bless.
(19:42):
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Radio Coffee
House show where we're all about Jesus, coffee
and radio. We'll see you next time.
Welcome to another edition of the Radio Coffeeh House
show, where Jesus meets coffee meets talk
radio. And the next one starts right
now.
How's it going, everybody? Clint Armitage with the Radio Coffee House. Thanks
for coming back and thanks for listening in another
episode for you today. And, man, this is
(00:23):
unbelievable inspiration.
This is such an inspirational story. A
guy by the name of Trenton, he has a disability,
but, man, it does. He, like, inspire because
of his outlook and the way he sees things,
the way he sees life, the way he believes
God gives him everything he needs. And
(00:44):
God is able. And that's his little.
That's his little line that he says, God is able. I'll let
you hear him speak about it. But I listened to
this darn guy and I got so
inspired. Just, I don't know, it's just like someone
with his disability can come forth
with such positive, godly
(01:04):
advice because he wants to be a pastor is
so awesome to me. So you'll hear his story
right here in this clip. It's actually from the Tim Tebow
Foundation. They did a video for, you
know, their listeners. And I was like, man, this is so
inspirational. I gotta talk about it. So let's get into it
and let's listen to the clip.
(01:26):
If you take the word disable and put
go in front of it, you then get to realize that
God is able. And that's how I'm realized,
that God can still use me even in
my disability.
Tren is one of those kiddos that he
has this way of bringing peace with
(01:46):
him everywhere he goes, and he is very
comforting to others.
I have cerebral palsy. It
impacts the movement of my, um, limbs
and muscles and part of
my, um, br. In my processing.
Um, But God is
working through me in such an amazing way. Even in
(02:08):
this condition that I'm in.
You see him persevering and going through these
challenges and not, uh, having to worry about
what God, uh, throws at him. He's gonna, you
know, go for it.
The day when I learned that
Trnton had cerebral palsy
(02:30):
and that he may never walk,
talk, or even make
it. But just like Trenton will say, God is
able. And he has
been working in our.
Lives so much, people,
you know, look at you a little bit different, or you think that
people look at you a little different, moving
(02:51):
about, going into society, and
everybody's kind of wondering what's going on with
him? Why is he this way, this, that and the other. And I think
that affects us as parents, um,
because, you know, we don't want people to feel
that way. We want people to see us as normal
people. And I think that's the
biggest challenge.
(03:12):
His life has been filled with obstacles
from learning how to
crawl, to walk, to then
later get in a place where he was not no longer
able to really walk because he became more dangerous than
not, um, to being in a
wheelchair. The disability does not define
him. I've watched Tren
(03:33):
persevere. I've never seen
so much tenacity and
passion for life in another human
being.
Um, just to keep going, you
know, rely on God and I know um,
that tough times will come, but also
not just rely on God. Relying on God
(03:54):
is important, but it's important to find godly,
um, people that you can rely on too in tough
times. So I would also
say just keep digging and he will bring
you out of this stronghold.
I think every mom
(04:16):
of a child with a disabilities has given the gift,
strength and every
tool in the toolbox
to be able to care not just for her
child, but the family is a unit.
He has been the light
(04:38):
and the angel for our whole
family. Him wanting to be a
pastor and since he was seven years
old went to spirit the word of
God and that hasn't liked m us.
That was the moment that
for a seven year old to share something like that, I
knew you will change
(05:00):
the world regardless small or big,
you will have impact.
God has, um, used me to
encourage people and to
just show them that there is a light no matter
what battle you may be facing.
My favorite verse is Philippians 4:13
and it says this. I can do all things
(05:23):
through Christ who strengthens me. Because it
reminds me, me, even in my
disability that God can still use
me no matter my situation or
circumstance that I may be facing in the
tough moments of my life. While you're waiting on
God, your weight
on God and ah, he will direct
(05:46):
your path. So whatever your um,
battle is, just put your weight on
him while you're waiting on him.
Put your trust in him and he willert your
path.
That's my baby.
The most comforting kid that I
know.
I feel like that that's what's the biggest thing
(06:08):
for me is
I'm just proud of it.
U
I'm just proud of it.
(06:28):
If you take the word disable and put
go in front of it, you then get to realize that
God is able.
Wow. Right? Wow.
That was such an awesome audio clip.
Hearing him talk, hearing his family talk
(06:49):
and how he inspires his family
around him and other people too. And then you heard what he said,
right? You put Go in front of
disable and you got God is able
and just that outlook right for him to say that.
And then he talks about his favorite verse being Philippians
4:13. So I want to actually go over that verse. I want
to actually back up just a little bit and start at around
(07:11):
Philippians 4:10 and read through
that and see what Paul is talking about, because he's talking
to the Philippians about some things in that
chapter. And so let's go to that. So
basically what Paul is doing in those verses from
10 to 13 and even further down,
he is actually thanking the Philippians for their
generosity, for their gifts that they have
(07:34):
given. And he's talking to them
about himself. And it's not really for
him because he's content. So let me start with
Philippians chapter 4, verse 10. I
rejoiced greatly in the Lord that
at last you renewed your concern from me.
Indeed, you were concerned, but you had
no opportunity to show it. And I'm not
(07:56):
saying this because I am in need. For I have learned
to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it is to
be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I
(08:19):
can do all this through him who
gives me strength. Man, that's such
a good verse. Right? And it's so positive and it's so
uplifting. And it also gives you an
idea that Paul's not concerned about
things that are temporal. Right. He's only
caring about the eternal, the stuff that God cares about.
And he's thanking the Philippians for their gifts. And then he talks
(08:41):
about his need and his contentment, no matter
what is happening, no matter what circumst he's in.
And so I want to bring it back to Trenton because the
circumstance that Trenton finds himself in
is limiting. It's a disability. It's something where
he's limited. He can't do a lot of things that other
people can do. But yet his mind, his
(09:01):
heart, his outlook, his
attitude, that's what makes a man.
That's what makes him up. That's what makes him to
be the person that he is. Because if you think about it, how
many others would be? Well, actually, just think about it for
yourself. If you were put in that situation
right now, how positive would you be about it? Yes, you
might take a while. Because first of all, if you're not used to
(09:23):
that type of situation, then yeah, uh, it's
a Big shock. It's a big, you know, thing that happens
to someone's life. And he grew up with it, right? His
parents deal with it, he deals with it. His siblings deal
with it. His father deals with it in all their different ways that they have
to deal with this disability. But because of the
way he looks at it, meaning God does it.
(09:44):
His attitude isn't a, hey, I'm just being
positive about it. That's not actually what he's
basing his attitude on and his outlook on. He's
basing it on God. That's why he said his
favorite verse is Philippians 4:13. He can
do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. And that's where we have to start focusing our attention. No
(10:04):
matter what's going on in your life, right? The struggles that you're going
through, the hardships that you're going through, Everybody goes through
struggles and hardships. It's all common to
man. That's what the Bible says. But it depends on
how we respond. Not the circumstance that
we find ourselves in that we walk into,
that we even do to ourselves. It's about
(10:24):
how we react after we're confronted with
it. We're confronted with big problems, big hardships,
big issues in life. Because everybody
does get into things that cause trouble
in their life. But how do we respond?
Do we respond like Trenton, where he starts
saying, hey, God is able, or
(10:44):
do we look at it as a roadblock and we cannot move
any further? See, in the book of Colossians,
Paul actually brings this up in a different way, and
it's the way we look at things. And that's what he's talking about in
Colossians. It's in chapter three. Let me read what it says, and then
we'll talk about that as well.
To add on to Philippians 4:13, so Colossians 3, verse
1. Let's start there. Since then, you have been raised
(11:06):
with Christ. Set your hearts on
things above, where Christ is
seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly
things. For you died, and your
life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in
(11:28):
glory. Put to death, therefore
whatever belongs to your earthly nature. And then Paul
goes into talking all these, uh, different things, like sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires,
greed, idolatry, all that stuff. What he's
talking about there is we have to start looking
above the plane. It's like getting a better vantage point. We
have way better vantage points. From up above than we do from down
(11:51):
below or at the same height. Right. If we have a
mountaintop view, we can look down on a situation and
Gok, I can see the bigger picture here. And that's what
Paul is talking about. He's talking about living as
though you were made alive in Christ, which you
are because you were raised with Christ. And so that's why he says set
your hearts on things above. That's where Christ is. Set
(12:11):
your mind on things above, not on earthly
things. And now talking about Trenton, if he were
to just focus on the earthly things, what does
he have to look at that he could be
excited about? If you're just talking earthly. Right. If
we're totally self centered and we're
selfish and all, all we're thinking about is
ourselves and the earthly things that we
(12:33):
have. And then I'll put yourself in Trenton's situation. He has
cerebral palsy. He says it limits his
processing not only his physical abilities because he can't even
walk, because it's dangerous for him to walk because he could fall.
So he's in a wheelchair. And you could see or if
you have any familiarity with, uh, cerebral
palsy, you can't control m your muscles.
(12:54):
But he can't control his mind and he can control
his heart. And he says it's even tough for
processing. So processing information ``ient also gives
him difficulty with this disease. But if
we had that circumstance and we were only looking at
it at a normal visual
plane, the earthly plane, the
(13:14):
view that is just in front of us, then what we
see is all negative. Then what we see is
obstacle after obstacle after
obstacle. And that's discouraging because that's the only
thing we can look at. Sometimes we only look at
that because we get so focused on it and that's like
getting too close to an object. When you get too close
to an object, you can actually start focusing on it
(13:37):
so much that you can't see anything around it
because you're too close to it. Right? If you put your face up to
anything, go ahead and put your face up to your hand. If you put that
your hand close enough to your face, you won't be able to see
anything around you. You can't see anything except your hand because
it's too close. And so what we have to do is take a step
back and start looking at it from a different vantage point.
(13:57):
And that's what Paul is talking about in Colossians.
If we start looking at things above and start getting a different
vantage point, we can start to see the big picture. We can start to
see God's picture. And then we have to start changing
the way we think about it. Like Trenton does when he says
God is able, and he's talking about being able,
right? Disabled. And he's talking about being able.
(14:18):
So he's taking what is
negative to him in the earthly sense,
and he's looking at it through God's view,
God's vantage point. And that's why he can say God
is able, because he's not placing it on himself.
He's not focused on the earthly things and the things that we, you
know, are all caught up in. Sometimes he's focused on
(14:38):
things above. He's focused on Christ above,
and that's a better vantage point for him. That's why he can
look down and say, hey, God is able.
I not. I may not be able, but God is able. If
we can start doing that on a regular basis, that's
really changing the way we look at things on a daily
basis.
So when you wake up, do you wake up grateful?
(14:59):
Do you wake up thankful? Or do you wake up
grouchy? Do you wake up mad? Do you wake up
discouraged? Do you wake up thinking about the things that
bothered you the day before? Those are focusing on
these earthly issues. And Trenton says,
no, focus on the things above. Paul
says, focus on the things above. So when you wake up,
(15:19):
how about being grateful? How about being thankful?
Thank the Lord in the morning when you wake up, do
that the first thing. Once you do that,
and you're truly, truly thankful, you are
sincerely grateful. You can't be
mad, you can't be fearful, you can't be anxious.
You can't be discouraged. You can't be any of those things,
because being grateful takes up that whole space
(15:42):
in your mind where the negativity would normally be.
That takes over. And if you're grateful and you have, um, a
mindset of being grateful continually, you'll be
able to go through your day with a smile no
matter what happens. You know, we can have some stressful things happen
throughout the day, and some things that we look at going, oh,
um, no, something just messed up at work.
(16:02):
I lost money in the stock market. My hours are getting cut at
my job. The grocery bill is getting too
expensive. We've got to buy less. All those things are
problems, and they're valid. But how do you look at them? Do you
look at them negatively? Do you complain about them? Or do
you go, lord, I trust you
because you are able? I'm going to Let
you take over all that negativity. I'm giving it
(16:25):
up to you, and I'm just going to be grateful for what
you give me and then believe that the Lord will provide.
Trust in the Lord. And that's what Trenton is doing here.
He's trusting that the Lord is going to provide the things
that he needs, whether physical,
mental, even spiritual. He's trusting the
Lord, and you can see the impact that he's
made, especially on his family. Did you hear his
(16:47):
mom? Did you hear his dad? They
were so emotional, man. I was getting caught up, too. I was like,
dang, this is so inspirational. It was so
emotional for me, man. I started tearing up as well, just
listening to it. I want to be like that.
How do you want to be? Do you want to be like Trenton
and have this positive attitude that extends not
from his positive thinking, but yet
(17:09):
from the Lord and thinking about the things
above, not on the things below,
man. Let's do that today. Why don't we make a commitment to
start doing that, do a better job at it. And when
we screw up, we're not going to be 100% right.
But let's make a commitment that will start changing our
mindset and start being thankful and start being
(17:30):
grateful for the things we have and, uh, the things
we are and the situation that we're
in. Be thankful that the Lord is here to
provide whatever we need. Be thankful
that the Lord is in control of things
because he should be sovereign in your life, and I hope he
is. He's obviously sovereign in Trenton's
life. Trenton wants to be a pastor. He's already starting
(17:52):
it. It's so awesome that he can just go for that goal and not be
hindered by what he sees in front of him. His arms,
his hands, his wheelchair. That's not what
he's looking at. He's looking at Christ. We need to focus
on Christ, too. Let's stop looking at ourselves and let's
focus on Christ. Let's change our mindset. Let's be
grateful. Let's be thankful and ask the Lord to help us
(18:12):
through our situation. Because it's
really all about God. It's
really about us taking the focus off
of ourselves and putting it on others and
God. Because if you've volunteered before, if
you've helped people in need before, man,
it's such an awesome feeling when you hear the. You know, when you
hear Jesus say it's better to give than receive, I
(18:35):
mean, it is totally true, 100%
true. If you're feeling disappointed, discouraged, about you
and your life. Go help someone else.
Go and find someone that is more discouraged and
more disappointed and needs more help than you
and help them. You're going to see what happens because the
Lord is going to bless you, not
(18:55):
only in a way that you can see tangibly, but
inside. You're going to be blessed in your mind, in your
emotions, in your thinking, because you're going to
understand, uh, what the Lord is saying when he says it's better to give
than to receive. And then you really understand how
God is able. So we removed the disabled
part of it, and now we know God is able,
(19:15):
man. Thanks, Tebow Foundation. Thanks,
Trenton, for letting us hear your story. That was so
awesome. Thank you so much. I'm so. I'm hyped
up now. I hope you are, too. Let's
go. Have and have a great day today.
All right? My name is Clint Armitage. This is the Radio Coffee
House. And until next time, stay safe and God
bless.
(19:42):
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Radio Coffee
House show where we're all about Jesus, coffee
and radio. We'll see you next time.
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