May 18, 2025 • 13 mins
After attending the funeral of his good friend, Sidney Shaw, Sean wanted to share this message around the importance of influence. Influence is not determined by your position or title, but how you treat others each and every day. We all have more influence than we realize.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Good morning everybody. Today is Sunday, May the eighteenth. This
is Sean Copelan and welcome to another brand new, life
changing edition of the ninety four ex Kingdom Driven CEO.
So I am so happy to be here with you
(00:32):
all today. This is a big day for our family.
Our baby girl and middle child, Kennedy Copeland, has her
baccalaureate and her graduation party today. She graduates this week
from Metro Christian High School. She has done awesome. Finley
also got to play in the state baseball tournament. We
(00:55):
did get beat, but they played super hard. And Emory
had her first week of an internship with a creative
agency just up the street from my work, and she
had an awesome week as well. So it's been a good,
very very busy, but good week for us. One of
the things that I also did this week on Friday evening,
(01:16):
I traveled to Bella Vista, Arkansas to the funeral of
a very very dear friend of mine. And his name
is Sidney Shaw. And Sidney was a successful businessman, just
a wonderful family man. I got to learn a lot
about him from his funeral. We were very close friends.
(01:38):
And one of the things that became very obvious at
his funeral was he touched the lives of so many.
He was very caring, he was quite a practical jokester.
He did a lot of just social activities with friends.
(02:00):
It's just a wonderful experience to listen to people tell
stories after stories after stories about this amazing man. And
I get to thinking about how influence is so much
greater than position, and we want to talk today about
the power of quiet leadership. You don't have to have
a big title to make a big difference. Influence, especially
(02:25):
godly influence, is often more powerful than any position. You know,
Let's talk about something that a lot of us secretly
want but we don't always admit, and that is influence.
Some people chase titles like a toddler chasing bubbles, CEO, president,
(02:47):
head of the neighborhood pickleball league, you name it. But
here's the truth. You don't need a title to be impactful.
You just need integrity, compassion, and a willingness to show up.
And if you've ever felt like you know, I'm just
a mom, I'm just an employee, I'm just a teacher.
(03:07):
I'm just a regular person trying to survive the school
drop offline. This message is for you because God delights
in using people with influence, not necessarily position. And to
make our point today, we're going to look at one
of the most influential women in scripture, who is Naomi.
(03:27):
And we're just going to make a few key points
here that I just ask you to take away and
think about as we go into our week next week.
The first one is position can be taken, but influence lasts.
Naomi had a position. Okay, she was the wife of Alimelech.
She was living in Bethlehem, but then famine hit and
(03:50):
they moved in Moab and she lost it. All is
very sad. She lost her husband, he died, both of
her sons died, and at this point Naomi had no position,
no status, no wealth, no power. She even told people
to call her Mara, meaning bitter, and that is pretty
(04:10):
darn low. But guess what she still had. She still
had influence. Ruth, her momabyte daughter in law, clung to
her with the famous line, where you go, I will go,
your people will be my people, and your God my God.
That didn't happen because Naomi had a title. It happened
because Naomi had a life. Worth living. John Maxwell said
(04:34):
leadership is not about titles or positions. It's about one
life inspiring another. And I want you to think about
your grandmother, and I think the same thing about my grandma.
She didn't have a LinkedIn profile, but her prayers have
shaped generations. She's not a positioned leader, but boy is
(04:55):
she influential. The second thing I want is to remember
is that influence happens in our ordinary life. Naomi wasn't
leading armies or writing laws. She was coaching Ruth on
how to talk to a guy on the threshing floor.
She said things like wash, put on perfume, and dress
(05:16):
in your best clothes. That's the biblical version of a
makeover show. She guided Ruth through cultural customs, gave advice,
and helped her navigate a path that she didn't understand.
Naomi's influence was quiet, it was steady, and it was
rooted in love and faith. Not all heroes were capes.
(05:38):
Some were aprons, or scrubs or hand me down cardigans.
And Matthew five sixteen says, let your light so shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your father in heaven. If you've ever met a
coach who never made the Hall of Fame, but shake
the character of every player. That's Naomi. Sometimes You're influence
(06:00):
shows up not in what people achieve, but in who
they become. I also want you to think about the
fact today that influence multiplies. Now think about this. This
is amazing because Naomi influenced Ruth. Ruth married Bohas. They
had Obed, who had Jesse, who had King David, from
(06:25):
whom came Jesus Christ. Naomi's story literally set the stage
for the savior of the world. Now, Naomi never saw
that coming. She was just going about her day trying
to help Ruth find a good man, giving as she
always did to others. But that's what influence does. It
(06:47):
multiplies beyond what we can see. Galatians six' nine, says
let us not grow weary in doing, good for at
the proper, time we will reap a harvest if we
do not give. Up school teachers whose names we will never,
forget and the values they taught you still echo in your.
Decisions that is kingdom. Influence And i'm going to give
(07:10):
you a couple of examples of. This and these gentlemen
did have a position but it had nothing to do
with their influence on my. Life Doctor Jim halligan was
the president At Oklahoma State university WHEN i went to school,
there AND i was trying to figure out WHAT i
was going to do with my. Life AND i was
(07:31):
attending a board of regent's dinner my senior year and
they asked me what my career was going to. BE
i had one semester. REMAINING i just didn't, know AND
i was kind of. Scrambling the guy next to me
ended up having a nameplate that said he was chairman
of a, bank and SO i SAID i was going into.
(07:52):
BANKING i kind of bluffed my way through the, dinner
and AS i, left Doctor, halligan who has been to
a million banquets like, this who has dealt with, tens
well hundreds of thousands of, students took the time to
reach out to me and he, Said, SEAN i didn't
know you wanted to go into. BANKING i have a
(08:14):
good friend who owns a bank In Oklahoma. City MAYBE
i can help you get an. Internship, now think about
what this one act of kindness. Did, okay it helped.
ME i took him up on that. OFFER i ran
and got my. Resume he did help me get an.
Internship it was. Amazing that's HOW i chose my. CAREER
(08:37):
i got into the banking business because of Doctor Jim
halligan helping me get an internship at Mid First. Bank
that led to me being president of multiple, banks Buying Regent,
bank growing it, too you, know multi billion dollars in, assets,
sharing creating a faith based culture THAT i didn't even
(09:00):
realize could exist in a. Company now we teach companies
all over the world through ninety FOUR x how to
create faith based. Cultures SO i don't even know how
many people have been impacted because of the life Of Jim.
Halligan and that's he did what he did for me
(09:22):
thousands and thousands and thousands of. Times Joe williams was
the chairman of our bank in Al, Reno, Oklahoma American Heritage,
bank And Joe williams didn't realize that when he had
a Community bible study in the back of the bank
that it was going to change my. LIFE i had
(09:44):
never seen faith integrated into a business, before and when
he did, IT i, Thought, wow that is that is.
Awesome and so that just never left. Me and so
again WHEN i had the opportunity to be in. LEADERSHIP
i did the same, thing and he had a tremendous
(10:04):
impact on my life as, well and not even realizing
that he. Did so many people have impacted. Me doctor excuse. Me.
Mister Larry harvey believed in me IN ffa and taught
me to do public. Speaking my mom and dad were
tremendous encouragements to me growing. Up Homer paul believed in
(10:27):
me and promoted me to Chief Operating officer at a
very young age Of Citizen Security. BANK i, mean just
so many. People Brent curry asked me to be on
the executive committee of THE Osu Alumni association WHEN i
was just in my early, thirties which was unheard of
at the. Time Kevin stead asked me to Be secretary
(10:51):
Of commerce at a time when it was probably a
big stretch to ask somebody with no government experience to
do that. JOB i, mean just people have just believed
in me and had influence over my life over the
years that they don't even realize that they. Had we
can do the same. Thing we don't need to be THE,
(11:14):
ceo the, pastor or the president to. Lead naomi wasn't
a Queen she wasn't a, prophet she wasn't a. Warrior
she was a, grieving, aging widowed mother in. Law But
god used her steady, faith quiet, wisdom and compassion to
change the. World position is, temporary but influence is. Eternal,
(11:39):
parents your kids may not always listen to your, words
but they are watching your. Life, employees your coworkers may
never read The, bible but they are reading. You and,
students you don't need to be the class president to
make someone feel. Seen you have, influence use it. WELL
(12:00):
i want to leave you with a couple of scriptures
as we. Close proverbs eleven twenty five says whoever refreshes
others will be. Refreshed as we encourage, others just the
way That Sidney shaw did in his, life we will
be refreshed as. Well And luke sixteen ten says whoever
can be trusted with little can also be trusted with.
(12:23):
Much the more we influence, others the more influence we will.
Receive so thank you so much for joining us. TODAY
i just thought this was such an important message to.
Share AFTER i saw the impact Of sidney's life on
so many, PEOPLE i, thought you, KNOW i think many
(12:43):
of us underestimate the influence that we have in this,
world AND i just wanted to kind of encourage us
to practice that more and more. Today so please about
with me this. Morning do have. Me. FATHER i thank
you so much for this, message AND i think thank
you that you have given all of us influence that
is not tied to position at. All it is not
(13:07):
tied to a. Title it's every word that we, speak
it's every time we encourage, someone it's every time we
show love to someone. Else we are practicing. Influence help
us to do this more and more in our. Lives
help us in this. World we need encouragers and influencers for,
(13:27):
You So, father help us to do that. Today we
love you so. Much In jesus', Name, amen AND i
want to thank you all so much for joining this
edition of the ninety four X Kingdom DRIVEN ceo
Good morning everybody. Today is Sunday, May the eighteenth. This
is Sean Copelan and welcome to another brand new, life
changing edition of the ninety four ex Kingdom Driven CEO.
So I am so happy to be here with you
(00:32):
all today. This is a big day for our family.
Our baby girl and middle child, Kennedy Copeland, has her
baccalaureate and her graduation party today. She graduates this week
from Metro Christian High School. She has done awesome. Finley
also got to play in the state baseball tournament. We
(00:55):
did get beat, but they played super hard. And Emory
had her first week of an internship with a creative
agency just up the street from my work, and she
had an awesome week as well. So it's been a good,
very very busy, but good week for us. One of
the things that I also did this week on Friday evening,
(01:16):
I traveled to Bella Vista, Arkansas to the funeral of
a very very dear friend of mine. And his name
is Sidney Shaw. And Sidney was a successful businessman, just
a wonderful family man. I got to learn a lot
about him from his funeral. We were very close friends.
(01:38):
And one of the things that became very obvious at
his funeral was he touched the lives of so many.
He was very caring, he was quite a practical jokester.
He did a lot of just social activities with friends.
(02:00):
It's just a wonderful experience to listen to people tell
stories after stories after stories about this amazing man. And
I get to thinking about how influence is so much
greater than position, and we want to talk today about
the power of quiet leadership. You don't have to have
a big title to make a big difference. Influence, especially
(02:25):
godly influence, is often more powerful than any position. You know,
Let's talk about something that a lot of us secretly
want but we don't always admit, and that is influence.
Some people chase titles like a toddler chasing bubbles, CEO, president,
(02:47):
head of the neighborhood pickleball league, you name it. But
here's the truth. You don't need a title to be impactful.
You just need integrity, compassion, and a willingness to show up.
And if you've ever felt like you know, I'm just
a mom, I'm just an employee, I'm just a teacher.
(03:07):
I'm just a regular person trying to survive the school
drop offline. This message is for you because God delights
in using people with influence, not necessarily position. And to
make our point today, we're going to look at one
of the most influential women in scripture, who is Naomi.
(03:27):
And we're just going to make a few key points
here that I just ask you to take away and
think about as we go into our week next week.
The first one is position can be taken, but influence lasts.
Naomi had a position. Okay, she was the wife of Alimelech.
She was living in Bethlehem, but then famine hit and
(03:50):
they moved in Moab and she lost it. All is
very sad. She lost her husband, he died, both of
her sons died, and at this point Naomi had no position,
no status, no wealth, no power. She even told people
to call her Mara, meaning bitter, and that is pretty
(04:10):
darn low. But guess what she still had. She still
had influence. Ruth, her momabyte daughter in law, clung to
her with the famous line, where you go, I will go,
your people will be my people, and your God my God.
That didn't happen because Naomi had a title. It happened
because Naomi had a life. Worth living. John Maxwell said
(04:34):
leadership is not about titles or positions. It's about one
life inspiring another. And I want you to think about
your grandmother, and I think the same thing about my grandma.
She didn't have a LinkedIn profile, but her prayers have
shaped generations. She's not a positioned leader, but boy is
(04:55):
she influential. The second thing I want is to remember
is that influence happens in our ordinary life. Naomi wasn't
leading armies or writing laws. She was coaching Ruth on
how to talk to a guy on the threshing floor.
She said things like wash, put on perfume, and dress
(05:16):
in your best clothes. That's the biblical version of a
makeover show. She guided Ruth through cultural customs, gave advice,
and helped her navigate a path that she didn't understand.
Naomi's influence was quiet, it was steady, and it was
rooted in love and faith. Not all heroes were capes.
(05:38):
Some were aprons, or scrubs or hand me down cardigans.
And Matthew five sixteen says, let your light so shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your father in heaven. If you've ever met a
coach who never made the Hall of Fame, but shake
the character of every player. That's Naomi. Sometimes You're influence
(06:00):
shows up not in what people achieve, but in who
they become. I also want you to think about the
fact today that influence multiplies. Now think about this. This
is amazing because Naomi influenced Ruth. Ruth married Bohas. They
had Obed, who had Jesse, who had King David, from
(06:25):
whom came Jesus Christ. Naomi's story literally set the stage
for the savior of the world. Now, Naomi never saw
that coming. She was just going about her day trying
to help Ruth find a good man, giving as she
always did to others. But that's what influence does. It
(06:47):
multiplies beyond what we can see. Galatians six' nine, says
let us not grow weary in doing, good for at
the proper, time we will reap a harvest if we
do not give. Up school teachers whose names we will never,
forget and the values they taught you still echo in your.
Decisions that is kingdom. Influence And i'm going to give
(07:10):
you a couple of examples of. This and these gentlemen
did have a position but it had nothing to do
with their influence on my. Life Doctor Jim halligan was
the president At Oklahoma State university WHEN i went to school,
there AND i was trying to figure out WHAT i
was going to do with my. Life AND i was
(07:31):
attending a board of regent's dinner my senior year and
they asked me what my career was going to. BE
i had one semester. REMAINING i just didn't, know AND
i was kind of. Scrambling the guy next to me
ended up having a nameplate that said he was chairman
of a, bank and SO i SAID i was going into.
(07:52):
BANKING i kind of bluffed my way through the, dinner
and AS i, left Doctor, halligan who has been to
a million banquets like, this who has dealt with, tens
well hundreds of thousands of, students took the time to
reach out to me and he, Said, SEAN i didn't
know you wanted to go into. BANKING i have a
(08:14):
good friend who owns a bank In Oklahoma. City MAYBE
i can help you get an. Internship, now think about
what this one act of kindness. Did, okay it helped.
ME i took him up on that. OFFER i ran
and got my. Resume he did help me get an.
Internship it was. Amazing that's HOW i chose my. CAREER
(08:37):
i got into the banking business because of Doctor Jim
halligan helping me get an internship at Mid First. Bank
that led to me being president of multiple, banks Buying Regent,
bank growing it, too you, know multi billion dollars in, assets,
sharing creating a faith based culture THAT i didn't even
(09:00):
realize could exist in a. Company now we teach companies
all over the world through ninety FOUR x how to
create faith based. Cultures SO i don't even know how
many people have been impacted because of the life Of Jim.
Halligan and that's he did what he did for me
(09:22):
thousands and thousands and thousands of. Times Joe williams was
the chairman of our bank in Al, Reno, Oklahoma American Heritage,
bank And Joe williams didn't realize that when he had
a Community bible study in the back of the bank
that it was going to change my. LIFE i had
(09:44):
never seen faith integrated into a business, before and when
he did, IT i, Thought, wow that is that is.
Awesome and so that just never left. Me and so
again WHEN i had the opportunity to be in. LEADERSHIP
i did the same, thing and he had a tremendous
(10:04):
impact on my life as, well and not even realizing
that he. Did so many people have impacted. Me doctor excuse. Me.
Mister Larry harvey believed in me IN ffa and taught
me to do public. Speaking my mom and dad were
tremendous encouragements to me growing. Up Homer paul believed in
(10:27):
me and promoted me to Chief Operating officer at a
very young age Of Citizen Security. BANK i, mean just
so many. People Brent curry asked me to be on
the executive committee of THE Osu Alumni association WHEN i
was just in my early, thirties which was unheard of
at the. Time Kevin stead asked me to Be secretary
(10:51):
Of commerce at a time when it was probably a
big stretch to ask somebody with no government experience to
do that. JOB i, mean just people have just believed
in me and had influence over my life over the
years that they don't even realize that they. Had we
can do the same. Thing we don't need to be THE,
(11:14):
ceo the, pastor or the president to. Lead naomi wasn't
a Queen she wasn't a, prophet she wasn't a. Warrior
she was a, grieving, aging widowed mother in. Law But
god used her steady, faith quiet, wisdom and compassion to
change the. World position is, temporary but influence is. Eternal,
(11:39):
parents your kids may not always listen to your, words
but they are watching your. Life, employees your coworkers may
never read The, bible but they are reading. You and,
students you don't need to be the class president to
make someone feel. Seen you have, influence use it. WELL
(12:00):
i want to leave you with a couple of scriptures
as we. Close proverbs eleven twenty five says whoever refreshes
others will be. Refreshed as we encourage, others just the
way That Sidney shaw did in his, life we will
be refreshed as. Well And luke sixteen ten says whoever
can be trusted with little can also be trusted with.
(12:23):
Much the more we influence, others the more influence we will.
Receive so thank you so much for joining us. TODAY
i just thought this was such an important message to.
Share AFTER i saw the impact Of sidney's life on
so many, PEOPLE i, thought you, KNOW i think many
(12:43):
of us underestimate the influence that we have in this,
world AND i just wanted to kind of encourage us
to practice that more and more. Today so please about
with me this. Morning do have. Me. FATHER i thank
you so much for this, message AND i think thank
you that you have given all of us influence that
is not tied to position at. All it is not
(13:07):
tied to a. Title it's every word that we, speak
it's every time we encourage, someone it's every time we
show love to someone. Else we are practicing. Influence help
us to do this more and more in our. Lives
help us in this. World we need encouragers and influencers for,
(13:27):
You So, father help us to do that. Today we
love you so. Much In jesus', Name, amen AND i
want to thank you all so much for joining this
edition of the ninety four X Kingdom DRIVEN ceo
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