October 31, 2024 • 25 mins
On this episode of 'Voices of Legacy,' we welcome Pastor Kedron Legree, the esteemed leader of The Living Vine Church in Toledo and the founder of PrayAlways.com. Pastor Legree shares his inspiring journey, beginning with his roots at the historic Bible Way Church under the leadership of the late Bishop Dr. Carl Mitchell Sr. He discusses his ongoing commitment to ministry, his impactful work with the IMA Toledo and Merge Toledo, and the vision behind his podcast, 'The Legree Report.' Tune in to hear how Pastor Legree continues to build a legacy of faith, community service, and spiritual growth.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:24):
Good day, and welcome to another episode of the Voices
of the Legacy with yours truly, Pastor Carl. Today, we're
honored to have with us someone I've known most of
my life. Another been Pastor Kedron Lagree, dedicated leader of
the Living Vine Church Toledo. As a spiritual guide, Pastor
(00:45):
Agrees not only shepherd his congregation with wisdom and faith,
but has also extended his ministry through the founding of
Prairie Allways dot com platform that encourages constant prayer and
spiritual growth. Pastoral Agree, it's a privilege to have you
(01:08):
today on the show, and we're excited to hear more
about your journey and the incredible impact that you've had
on our community here in Toledo and Lucas County. Quietly
but effective. Good morning, Pastor Lagree, how are you this morning?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Well, good morning, Pastor Carl Mitchell. It is good. We
did go to the same church together. I went to
Bible Way, came out of Bible Way, and of course,
the joy of the Lord is our strength and our peace,
and I'm just so glad to be a worker for
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, if there's anything I've
(01:43):
had other occupation that I've done down through the years
that earned me my social security of as a TV
repair man and a piano tuner. So just little things
like that that I just think God was grace. But
my great as ministry is giving out the word of
(02:04):
God and ministering in the community.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Interesting, so you said that you repaired televisions. Now who
did you you used to work for when you were
repairing TVs?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Oh? I used to work for Accurate TV and two
other companies, but mainly that was the main one that
spent most of my time.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Uh, full disclosure, Accurate TV. It was my dad's company
back Yes, Uh that's how I I one of the
ways I knew. Pastor will agree. He also was over
you were over the audio recordings of the sermons back
in the day with my grandfather, doctor Carly Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Uh so, uh you have a story history. But it
seems like electronics is kind of your thing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yes, or what it was. It was along with my preaching.
You have to do something while you're not preaching, ay man.
And you know what I tell our young men, get
a job, you know, because you know the strangest thing
about that is when you feel good about yourself. Then
(03:14):
you can project it out wherever you go. Yes, you
have a story, you have a legacy, you have something
you can say about yourself and then people can say
about you back. But when you don't have a story,
you don't have anything good, people say, who's he? You know,
what did he do? But when you can stand upon
(03:35):
your own two feet and tell them your story or
your legacy, then you feel good inside.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, that's very true. That's very true. I would agree
with that. You began your ministry career at the historic
Bible Way Church Toledo. Is that correct? Yes, under the
leadership of the late Bishop doctor Carl. How did your
experience their shape the path of your ministry?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh? How did that do that? I was close to him.
I called him. A lot of people called him Dad.
You know, I was a young man. It was just
the church was my life. And you know what, I
want to say this to the young man out there.
I had a father, but I really didn't know him.
He didn't raise me. I was raised by my grandmother.
(04:23):
And when I met Pastor Mitch, I called him Pastor
what we called him dad. He became my father figure.
He became the teaching that I needed. And I said,
a lot of young men out there they need to
grab somebody and say this is I'm holding on to see.
I may not know everything, but through you I can
(04:47):
learn a lot. I can see a lot. And you
know that keep him out of the street. Because when
you got a man that you look up to that's
working all his life, then what do you want to do?
You want to work also, But if you out there
in the street and you see you have street people
(05:08):
that you look up to and live to, guess what
your life is going to be. So I'm gonna say
this as a pastor. I'm a pastor. I actually got
a couple of titles, but I'm a pastor. I'm a
rest home ministry. I have my own show, a TV show.
I started recording my Sunday messages. But anyway, when you've
(05:32):
got that, you've got something going, you got something to
lead you where you don't go backwards. And I'm gonna
say this, not every good idea is a good idea.
It may sound good, it may look good, but you
know when you go down to work it out, to
put the pieces in the puzzles, you'll find pieces missing.
(05:55):
And you say, I didn't think of that. You need
somebody to guide you. You need something to look up,
somebody to look up to that has a personal relationship
with them. Yes, we got many a movie stars. You know,
people want to be like that. But that's not going
to reach here the heart. That's not going to reach
(06:18):
your brain. It's just it's a good, good idea. But
you need to have something that grounds you and somebody
that you know that's been grounding, grounded, and that has
a reputation themselves that you're not just looking up to
the flesh of the man or the woman. Don't let
(06:39):
me leave the women out are beautiful women. I thank
God for my beautiful wife, Gladys Lickery. It was meant
so much to me, have so many good words and
wisdom to share. You know, it's surprised me. I don't
know everything. And you know what this was saying Batman
and Robin was talking to Batman. Batman said, Robin said
(07:02):
to Batman, Batman, you know every thing. And Batman says, I, Robin,
I don't know everything. There's a couple of things I
don't know. That was like he said, I said, that
is funny. A couple of things that we don't know.
There's a lot of things we don't know, but if
(07:23):
we're going in the right pathway, then we'll get there.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
It sounds like mentoring. Mentoring, yes, has played a big
part in your journey and your travels and the legacy
of your ministry. Moving forward from where you came from
what we mentioned in regards to your recording of the services,
it has led you into broadcasting on Channel sixty nine
and your podcast The Will Agree Report that you've recorded
(07:49):
in the past.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yeah, How do you view the role of media and
spreading the message of faith that you're talking about and
the importance of mentoring and such things?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Okay, well right now, media, you know, we've expanded. There
was a time you could talk to people and say
did you know that? And they would say they didn't
know it. But now this time is I'll google it.
I'll google it, like what you don't know? Google it?
I even tell them google it. You know, you know,
(08:21):
we're in a different time period. There is not anything
that you can't get information on, whether it be well
mainly Google on the internet, whether it be in the
books in the library, whether it be the people that
you meet, because we meet more people now and we
(08:43):
can travel more. There was a time we had to
stay in Toledo, but now there's a time you can
travel all over the world. And we have information like
anything else. And of course I'm gonna stop here and
say this, but most of all, we have the Bible,
have God's.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Word understood, and leading into that, your involvement with the
National Day of Prayer, reaching out into the national platform,
and you've been platformed as well in the political realm
of which we're not really talking about today, but leading
prayer at some national political events. Tell us about the
(09:24):
National Day of Prayer and your involvement with that here
in Toledo.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I started working with the National Day of Prayer, but
we did the March for Jesus. Y'all remember the March
for Jesus. It was big. We'd march downtown and it
did be what thousands that would march, and that went
on until it died out. And then I joined the
(09:50):
National Day of Prayer, and so I went to the
headquarters and visit there and I spent about three days
and came back. But what it was, it hit my
desire of prayer, because if you can't pray, if you
(10:11):
can't humble yourself because prayer says God, I need you
and I need you to come down to me. Prayer
also says I got somewhere to go. There's a solution somewhere.
Prayer says that God got you, it's covering you. Prayer says,
(10:33):
I'm not lost. I'll stay right here and follow somebody
and thank God for that. So, you know what, I've
been watching the news. They're talking about all the suicide
that the people are going through after all, that's because
they haven't said, but Lord, I'm at the end of
my rope, but you can extend the rope. That's because
(10:58):
they don't see this place. But there's always a place
over there where doors closed. God can open the door.
And I'm gonna say this right here. Sometimes your personality
opens the door. It does. People just say I like you.
What can I do for you?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Hopefully they say that.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Well, hopefully they say that. If they don't like you,
they don't offer you anything.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Well, have you had any stories like that at your event?
And tell us about the event. Is it something that
you have every year here in Toledo.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, okay, here in Toledo, I do the National Day
of prayer. There's a about four or five programs going on.
I do the one at the courthouse on Adams Street.
So we started twelve twelve, the one that's an hour prayer.
We have speakers that come and speak on the topics
that we have that the headquarters want us to speak on.
(11:56):
And beforehand, I talk to the people. I give them
their topic and ask them this is what we're going
to pray about, and I pray. I pray that they
pray something that touched people. You don't know the insight
the wisdom of a person until you hear their mouth,
till you hear their vision. And I put on my
(12:19):
sheet of paper here a purpose when we go down there.
We have a purpose to pray because we bless this nation.
There's no nation greater than America. God has blessed us,
and that's what he told us, and that's what he
promised us, and that's what he promised me. If you
follow me, I'll bless you.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And the responsibility of that blessing is.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
To bless others, to bless others.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I'll be honest, full disclosure.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I've been and you helped me. Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
And in the last event, I remember at the end,
we were wrapping it up, not this year, the previous
yearous A young lady came across the street, I think
it was child services or something like that, Children's services,
and she heard what was being said and she just
completely broke right there for what she was going through
(13:12):
with her children and whatnot, and acts for We were done,
and she acts for prayer. And it really struck me
when you make yourself available and show care and show
love and display that people need something bigger than themselves.
And when you do that in the public square, I
(13:35):
don't know if there's anything more effective. It's great having
churches and church houses where we come to fellowship together,
but the calling is to go out into all the
world and show the love of God to compel people
to come. And I was struck at that opportunity. It
was a clean next moment.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
It was we always envirol, always invite children's services because
they're right across the street. But our heartest for the children. Yes,
you know, the children will still be our future.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Talk about your involvement with the im A and the
Merge movement. You've been actively involved in the IMA Toledo
and Merge Toledo. Could you share with us these organizations,
their focuses and their involvement in our community and the
missions and faith.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
The im is is what they entered denominational ministers like,
and that's mainly black, and then the merge is mainly white.
But it's it's the minister's groups, and it's the two
major ones that that I'm involved with and love them
both ministers in both of them. But I just thank
(14:53):
God that we could come together and fellowship in some
group that we have, or how can I say it,
come together in our religious belief Amen. No man's an island,
and definitely I'm not an island, and I wouldn't want
(15:13):
to be an island. I tell my wife I need her.
She say, what for you? Going out? You're doing this
and doing that? But I said, my heart is feeled
when I'm with you. I married you for that. You know,
everybody can be involved in this and that and this
and that, but everybody in their life needs somebody that
(15:39):
fills them up while they're filling other people up. And
I said, thank the Lord for that. God is good
and He's worthy to be praved. So I have a purpose.
And can can I tell the story right quick? I
was going to the Salvation Army on Upton and Sylvania,
(16:00):
and as I was coming in, there was this couple.
They were coming out both he had his arm filled,
he had her arm field, and I ran quickly while
I walked quickly and opened the door for him and
held the door. As they went out. They thanked me.
And I had just been I think I preached I'd
(16:21):
been thinking about it that we should be a servant
to one another. I don't care how big it is,
how lou is, we should be a servant. And you
know what, I felt good in here, that's my heart.
It wasn't anything big. I've done it before, but just
(16:41):
at this time, I felt somebody needed me to be
a servant awesome to them. And I just said, thank
you Lord. So I don't never want to forget. Let
God use you in the way he needs you and
other people need you awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So that sounds like the benefits of being a servant.
I think a lot of people attempt to attain places
and positions and titles of authority without thinking of the
benefits of serving and just being kind, being kind, being
kind one to another. And that lends itself to one
(17:24):
of our final topics your Ministry of Service and Senior
citizens homes here in Toledo. Can you tell us more
about your senior home ministries and how it brings hope
and comfort to the elderly in our community.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
That is one of the first place I preached that
was a nursing home. The missionary women would go to
nursing homes as part of their activities. I started going
with them, and I fell in love without older folks,
I fell in love with that ministry and what God
(18:01):
was doing. And there, you know, because I was thinking,
one time, we'll get old and we're gonna need somebody
to ask me how my day's going. We're gonna get old,
We're gonna need somebody to care for us. When we're
gonna get old, somebody's gonna have to slow down their
day to be with us. And so I've been I've
(18:22):
been doing that for over thirty six years. And at
one time I was going to five services and I
was going on one on Sunday. My wife told me,
she said, Dear, you need to stay home with your
children on Sunday. And so I had to cut that
one out because I know what she meant. The family
(18:43):
is a Part two. Don't ever forget your family. Don't
never forget your little boys or your little girls. Never
forget your brothers and your sisters.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
But most of.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
All, never forget the relationships that you built out of
your family.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Take care of home first.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, take care of home and take care of people
that you commit to. You know, I got friends that
that they're family too. They're not blood bread, blood family,
but they mean something to me, yes, and I never
want to forget that.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Well, I'll say openly here on this platform, I would
consider you that you're definitely family, pastor ked and we're
not blood as far as I know, we're not blood really.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
The challenges and rewards of ministry are great, as you've
faced many challenges, even in some limitations in your life
in ministry. Looking forward, what are some of the hopes
and goals not only for the Living Vine Church that
you have in your broadcast ministry, but yourself personally.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I got down here on my note purpose. We got
to keep in mind our purpose, because if we forget
our purpose, we can get our eyes off of our
purpose onto somebody else's. And somebody there's that saying the
grass is always greener on the other side. Oh wow,
it's always easier on the other side. But when we
(20:22):
keep our purpose but feel good, but we come in,
it might be big and maybe small. You know Bible
Way Church that came from we were like, well, we
were like six or seven hundred people on Sunday morning
and when I started doing rest home ministry, I was
preaching to five or thirteen and one morning, this is
(20:44):
a good story. I was sick and I wasn't feeling good,
so I said, well, they just won't bring him down.
This was Sunday. The Lord started talking to me. He said,
are you going to go to work tomorrow? I said, well, yeah,
I got to go to work. And when he said that,
it came on to me. I exteemed this ministry that
I was doing, the five Folks, the six folks or whatever,
(21:07):
was coming down lighter than the work that I was
doing to make an income. And the Lord said, don't
count anything I give you less than important. Whatever task
I give you, don't count it less. I don't care
if it's one person, two or three or a thousand.
(21:30):
But I know in my heart that everything Lord, let
me do it to the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Awesome, everything awesome Thank God for that, Thank God for
you in your ministry here, and thank you so much
for coming on the Voices of Legacy today to share
your story at your very young age. We're not going
to say how young you are today? Are you going
to say how young you are? Oh? Boy, I'm so tempted,
cause you don't look your age at all.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Well, uh, I don't mind telling her I'm seventy one.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Wow, seventy one?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Well, I I think, uh, all of all of your
activities definitely keep you going and keep you.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Oh yeah, I s I still do exercise and.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
N and you you you take care of your wife
as well?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, well she sh she she does good s M.
I do the husband thing, okay, the husband thing, and
and I want her to depend on me that because
when I do that, then she loves me and and
I feel good and it keeps our relationship alive. When
two people don't talk, they fall apart. When two people
(22:39):
don't do things together, they fall apart. When two people
don't look at each other and and laugh and and
and you know what, I I'm if I have time,
I wanna share this with you. I said, gladness, I said,
you're just as beautiful when I first met you. She said,
n but I'm I'm she's ten years older than I am.
She s, but no, I'm not you putting on I said,
(23:02):
do you know what you fall in love with is
what the person looks like, And they look the same
even when they get old. I being Crosby or who
else I could, I would know them. I don't care
how old you get. You know them because what it's
the combination of your mother and your father. The way
you look that stays the same. I didn't say your
(23:25):
skin was young. I said, you're still beautiful when I
first saw you. I didn't say you get around as fast,
but you still. I can see what I saw in
you the first time I saw you. Wow, And that's
what life is and love is. So she finally accepted herself.
(23:47):
I said, but that's what I see every time I
look at you.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
You know, Wow, that's beautiful, beautiful, you said, being Crosby.
I was thinking Sinatra and you nobody till somebody.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Somebody, yes, oh boy, or Sammy Davis you can recognize
you know.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Thank you for listening to the voices of the legacy.
This is your friend. Pastor Carl Mitchell the third, your
hosts of this program. We want you to go to
w GTE dot org slash legacy to like, share, subscribe,
and hear all of our past podcast and our future podcast.
Be a friend and join with us in the Voices
(24:38):
of Legacy, where you're writing your own legacy. Every day
that you live, have a blessed day. WGT voices around us.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
WGT supported in part by the American Rescue Plan Act
funds allocated by the City of Toledo and the Lucas
County Commissioners and administered by the Arts Commission
Good day, and welcome to another episode of the Voices
of the Legacy with yours truly, Pastor Carl. Today, we're
honored to have with us someone I've known most of
my life. Another been Pastor Kedron Lagree, dedicated leader of
the Living Vine Church Toledo. As a spiritual guide, Pastor
(00:45):
Agrees not only shepherd his congregation with wisdom and faith,
but has also extended his ministry through the founding of
Prairie Allways dot com platform that encourages constant prayer and
spiritual growth. Pastoral Agree, it's a privilege to have you
(01:08):
today on the show, and we're excited to hear more
about your journey and the incredible impact that you've had
on our community here in Toledo and Lucas County. Quietly
but effective. Good morning, Pastor Lagree, how are you this morning?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Well, good morning, Pastor Carl Mitchell. It is good. We
did go to the same church together. I went to
Bible Way, came out of Bible Way, and of course,
the joy of the Lord is our strength and our peace,
and I'm just so glad to be a worker for
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, if there's anything I've
(01:43):
had other occupation that I've done down through the years
that earned me my social security of as a TV
repair man and a piano tuner. So just little things
like that that I just think God was grace. But
my great as ministry is giving out the word of
(02:04):
God and ministering in the community.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Interesting, so you said that you repaired televisions. Now who
did you you used to work for when you were
repairing TVs?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Oh? I used to work for Accurate TV and two
other companies, but mainly that was the main one that
spent most of my time.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Uh, full disclosure, Accurate TV. It was my dad's company
back Yes, Uh that's how I I one of the
ways I knew. Pastor will agree. He also was over
you were over the audio recordings of the sermons back
in the day with my grandfather, doctor Carly Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Uh so, uh you have a story history. But it
seems like electronics is kind of your thing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yes, or what it was. It was along with my preaching.
You have to do something while you're not preaching, ay man.
And you know what I tell our young men, get
a job, you know, because you know the strangest thing
about that is when you feel good about yourself. Then
(03:14):
you can project it out wherever you go. Yes, you
have a story, you have a legacy, you have something
you can say about yourself and then people can say
about you back. But when you don't have a story,
you don't have anything good, people say, who's he? You know,
what did he do? But when you can stand upon
(03:35):
your own two feet and tell them your story or
your legacy, then you feel good inside.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, that's very true. That's very true. I would agree
with that. You began your ministry career at the historic
Bible Way Church Toledo. Is that correct? Yes, under the
leadership of the late Bishop doctor Carl. How did your
experience their shape the path of your ministry?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh? How did that do that? I was close to him.
I called him. A lot of people called him Dad.
You know, I was a young man. It was just
the church was my life. And you know what, I
want to say this to the young man out there.
I had a father, but I really didn't know him.
He didn't raise me. I was raised by my grandmother.
(04:23):
And when I met Pastor Mitch, I called him Pastor
what we called him dad. He became my father figure.
He became the teaching that I needed. And I said,
a lot of young men out there they need to
grab somebody and say this is I'm holding on to see.
I may not know everything, but through you I can
(04:47):
learn a lot. I can see a lot. And you
know that keep him out of the street. Because when
you got a man that you look up to that's
working all his life, then what do you want to do?
You want to work also, But if you out there
in the street and you see you have street people
(05:08):
that you look up to and live to, guess what
your life is going to be. So I'm gonna say
this as a pastor. I'm a pastor. I actually got
a couple of titles, but I'm a pastor. I'm a
rest home ministry. I have my own show, a TV show.
I started recording my Sunday messages. But anyway, when you've
(05:32):
got that, you've got something going, you got something to
lead you where you don't go backwards. And I'm gonna
say this, not every good idea is a good idea.
It may sound good, it may look good, but you
know when you go down to work it out, to
put the pieces in the puzzles, you'll find pieces missing.
(05:55):
And you say, I didn't think of that. You need
somebody to guide you. You need something to look up,
somebody to look up to that has a personal relationship
with them. Yes, we got many a movie stars. You know,
people want to be like that. But that's not going
to reach here the heart. That's not going to reach
(06:18):
your brain. It's just it's a good, good idea. But
you need to have something that grounds you and somebody
that you know that's been grounding, grounded, and that has
a reputation themselves that you're not just looking up to
the flesh of the man or the woman. Don't let
(06:39):
me leave the women out are beautiful women. I thank
God for my beautiful wife, Gladys Lickery. It was meant
so much to me, have so many good words and
wisdom to share. You know, it's surprised me. I don't
know everything. And you know what this was saying Batman
and Robin was talking to Batman. Batman said, Robin said
(07:02):
to Batman, Batman, you know every thing. And Batman says, I, Robin,
I don't know everything. There's a couple of things I
don't know. That was like he said, I said, that
is funny. A couple of things that we don't know.
There's a lot of things we don't know, but if
(07:23):
we're going in the right pathway, then we'll get there.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
It sounds like mentoring. Mentoring, yes, has played a big
part in your journey and your travels and the legacy
of your ministry. Moving forward from where you came from
what we mentioned in regards to your recording of the services,
it has led you into broadcasting on Channel sixty nine
and your podcast The Will Agree Report that you've recorded
(07:49):
in the past.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yeah, How do you view the role of media and
spreading the message of faith that you're talking about and
the importance of mentoring and such things?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Okay, well right now, media, you know, we've expanded. There
was a time you could talk to people and say
did you know that? And they would say they didn't
know it. But now this time is I'll google it.
I'll google it, like what you don't know? Google it?
I even tell them google it. You know, you know,
(08:21):
we're in a different time period. There is not anything
that you can't get information on, whether it be well
mainly Google on the internet, whether it be in the
books in the library, whether it be the people that
you meet, because we meet more people now and we
(08:43):
can travel more. There was a time we had to
stay in Toledo, but now there's a time you can
travel all over the world. And we have information like
anything else. And of course I'm gonna stop here and
say this, but most of all, we have the Bible,
have God's.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Word understood, and leading into that, your involvement with the
National Day of Prayer, reaching out into the national platform,
and you've been platformed as well in the political realm
of which we're not really talking about today, but leading
prayer at some national political events. Tell us about the
(09:24):
National Day of Prayer and your involvement with that here
in Toledo.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I started working with the National Day of Prayer, but
we did the March for Jesus. Y'all remember the March
for Jesus. It was big. We'd march downtown and it
did be what thousands that would march, and that went
on until it died out. And then I joined the
(09:50):
National Day of Prayer, and so I went to the
headquarters and visit there and I spent about three days
and came back. But what it was, it hit my
desire of prayer, because if you can't pray, if you
(10:11):
can't humble yourself because prayer says God, I need you
and I need you to come down to me. Prayer
also says I got somewhere to go. There's a solution somewhere.
Prayer says that God got you, it's covering you. Prayer says,
(10:33):
I'm not lost. I'll stay right here and follow somebody
and thank God for that. So, you know what, I've
been watching the news. They're talking about all the suicide
that the people are going through after all, that's because
they haven't said, but Lord, I'm at the end of
my rope, but you can extend the rope. That's because
(10:58):
they don't see this place. But there's always a place
over there where doors closed. God can open the door.
And I'm gonna say this right here. Sometimes your personality
opens the door. It does. People just say I like you.
What can I do for you?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Hopefully they say that.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Well, hopefully they say that. If they don't like you,
they don't offer you anything.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Well, have you had any stories like that at your event?
And tell us about the event. Is it something that
you have every year here in Toledo.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, okay, here in Toledo, I do the National Day
of prayer. There's a about four or five programs going on.
I do the one at the courthouse on Adams Street.
So we started twelve twelve, the one that's an hour prayer.
We have speakers that come and speak on the topics
that we have that the headquarters want us to speak on.
(11:56):
And beforehand, I talk to the people. I give them
their topic and ask them this is what we're going
to pray about, and I pray. I pray that they
pray something that touched people. You don't know the insight
the wisdom of a person until you hear their mouth,
till you hear their vision. And I put on my
(12:19):
sheet of paper here a purpose when we go down there.
We have a purpose to pray because we bless this nation.
There's no nation greater than America. God has blessed us,
and that's what he told us, and that's what he
promised us, and that's what he promised me. If you
follow me, I'll bless you.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And the responsibility of that blessing is.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
To bless others, to bless others.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I'll be honest, full disclosure.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I've been and you helped me. Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
And in the last event, I remember at the end,
we were wrapping it up, not this year, the previous
yearous A young lady came across the street, I think
it was child services or something like that, Children's services,
and she heard what was being said and she just
completely broke right there for what she was going through
(13:12):
with her children and whatnot, and acts for We were done,
and she acts for prayer. And it really struck me
when you make yourself available and show care and show
love and display that people need something bigger than themselves.
And when you do that in the public square, I
(13:35):
don't know if there's anything more effective. It's great having
churches and church houses where we come to fellowship together,
but the calling is to go out into all the
world and show the love of God to compel people
to come. And I was struck at that opportunity. It
was a clean next moment.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
It was we always envirol, always invite children's services because
they're right across the street. But our heartest for the children. Yes,
you know, the children will still be our future.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Talk about your involvement with the im A and the
Merge movement. You've been actively involved in the IMA Toledo
and Merge Toledo. Could you share with us these organizations,
their focuses and their involvement in our community and the
missions and faith.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
The im is is what they entered denominational ministers like,
and that's mainly black, and then the merge is mainly white.
But it's it's the minister's groups, and it's the two
major ones that that I'm involved with and love them
both ministers in both of them. But I just thank
(14:53):
God that we could come together and fellowship in some
group that we have, or how can I say it,
come together in our religious belief Amen. No man's an island,
and definitely I'm not an island, and I wouldn't want
(15:13):
to be an island. I tell my wife I need her.
She say, what for you? Going out? You're doing this
and doing that? But I said, my heart is feeled
when I'm with you. I married you for that. You know,
everybody can be involved in this and that and this
and that, but everybody in their life needs somebody that
(15:39):
fills them up while they're filling other people up. And
I said, thank the Lord for that. God is good
and He's worthy to be praved. So I have a purpose.
And can can I tell the story right quick? I
was going to the Salvation Army on Upton and Sylvania,
(16:00):
and as I was coming in, there was this couple.
They were coming out both he had his arm filled,
he had her arm field, and I ran quickly while
I walked quickly and opened the door for him and
held the door. As they went out. They thanked me.
And I had just been I think I preached I'd
(16:21):
been thinking about it that we should be a servant
to one another. I don't care how big it is,
how lou is, we should be a servant. And you
know what, I felt good in here, that's my heart.
It wasn't anything big. I've done it before, but just
(16:41):
at this time, I felt somebody needed me to be
a servant awesome to them. And I just said, thank
you Lord. So I don't never want to forget. Let
God use you in the way he needs you and
other people need you awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So that sounds like the benefits of being a servant.
I think a lot of people attempt to attain places
and positions and titles of authority without thinking of the
benefits of serving and just being kind, being kind, being
kind one to another. And that lends itself to one
(17:24):
of our final topics your Ministry of Service and Senior
citizens homes here in Toledo. Can you tell us more
about your senior home ministries and how it brings hope
and comfort to the elderly in our community.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
That is one of the first place I preached that
was a nursing home. The missionary women would go to
nursing homes as part of their activities. I started going
with them, and I fell in love without older folks,
I fell in love with that ministry and what God
(18:01):
was doing. And there, you know, because I was thinking,
one time, we'll get old and we're gonna need somebody
to ask me how my day's going. We're gonna get old,
We're gonna need somebody to care for us. When we're
gonna get old, somebody's gonna have to slow down their
day to be with us. And so I've been I've
(18:22):
been doing that for over thirty six years. And at
one time I was going to five services and I
was going on one on Sunday. My wife told me,
she said, Dear, you need to stay home with your
children on Sunday. And so I had to cut that
one out because I know what she meant. The family
(18:43):
is a Part two. Don't ever forget your family. Don't
never forget your little boys or your little girls. Never
forget your brothers and your sisters.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
But most of.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
All, never forget the relationships that you built out of
your family.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Take care of home first.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, take care of home and take care of people
that you commit to. You know, I got friends that
that they're family too. They're not blood bread, blood family,
but they mean something to me, yes, and I never
want to forget that.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Well, I'll say openly here on this platform, I would
consider you that you're definitely family, pastor ked and we're
not blood as far as I know, we're not blood really.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
The challenges and rewards of ministry are great, as you've
faced many challenges, even in some limitations in your life
in ministry. Looking forward, what are some of the hopes
and goals not only for the Living Vine Church that
you have in your broadcast ministry, but yourself personally.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I got down here on my note purpose. We got
to keep in mind our purpose, because if we forget
our purpose, we can get our eyes off of our
purpose onto somebody else's. And somebody there's that saying the
grass is always greener on the other side. Oh wow,
it's always easier on the other side. But when we
(20:22):
keep our purpose but feel good, but we come in,
it might be big and maybe small. You know Bible
Way Church that came from we were like, well, we
were like six or seven hundred people on Sunday morning
and when I started doing rest home ministry, I was
preaching to five or thirteen and one morning, this is
(20:44):
a good story. I was sick and I wasn't feeling good,
so I said, well, they just won't bring him down.
This was Sunday. The Lord started talking to me. He said,
are you going to go to work tomorrow? I said, well, yeah,
I got to go to work. And when he said that,
it came on to me. I exteemed this ministry that
I was doing, the five Folks, the six folks or whatever,
(21:07):
was coming down lighter than the work that I was
doing to make an income. And the Lord said, don't
count anything I give you less than important. Whatever task
I give you, don't count it less. I don't care
if it's one person, two or three or a thousand.
(21:30):
But I know in my heart that everything Lord, let
me do it to the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Awesome, everything awesome Thank God for that, Thank God for
you in your ministry here, and thank you so much
for coming on the Voices of Legacy today to share
your story at your very young age. We're not going
to say how young you are today? Are you going
to say how young you are? Oh? Boy, I'm so tempted,
cause you don't look your age at all.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Well, uh, I don't mind telling her I'm seventy one.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Wow, seventy one?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Well, I I think, uh, all of all of your
activities definitely keep you going and keep you.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Oh yeah, I s I still do exercise and.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
N and you you you take care of your wife
as well?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, well she sh she she does good s M.
I do the husband thing, okay, the husband thing, and
and I want her to depend on me that because
when I do that, then she loves me and and
I feel good and it keeps our relationship alive. When
two people don't talk, they fall apart. When two people
(22:39):
don't do things together, they fall apart. When two people
don't look at each other and and laugh and and
and you know what, I I'm if I have time,
I wanna share this with you. I said, gladness, I said,
you're just as beautiful when I first met you. She said,
n but I'm I'm she's ten years older than I am.
She s, but no, I'm not you putting on I said,
(23:02):
do you know what you fall in love with is
what the person looks like, And they look the same
even when they get old. I being Crosby or who
else I could, I would know them. I don't care
how old you get. You know them because what it's
the combination of your mother and your father. The way
you look that stays the same. I didn't say your
(23:25):
skin was young. I said, you're still beautiful when I
first saw you. I didn't say you get around as fast,
but you still. I can see what I saw in
you the first time I saw you. Wow, And that's
what life is and love is. So she finally accepted herself.
(23:47):
I said, but that's what I see every time I
look at you.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
You know, Wow, that's beautiful, beautiful, you said, being Crosby.
I was thinking Sinatra and you nobody till somebody.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Somebody, yes, oh boy, or Sammy Davis you can recognize
you know.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Thank you for listening to the voices of the legacy.
This is your friend. Pastor Carl Mitchell the third, your
hosts of this program. We want you to go to
w GTE dot org slash legacy to like, share, subscribe,
and hear all of our past podcast and our future podcast.
Be a friend and join with us in the Voices
(24:38):
of Legacy, where you're writing your own legacy. Every day
that you live, have a blessed day. WGT voices around us.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
WGT supported in part by the American Rescue Plan Act
funds allocated by the City of Toledo and the Lucas
County Commissioners and administered by the Arts Commission
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