Conversations: Serving

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the YA podcast. Lean in. As we dive into the practicals of life with Jesus as spirit filled young adults. [00:00:26] Speaker B: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the YA podcast. We hope you had an amazing week. We pray that it's been blessed and wonderful and all the things. I have a very, very special guest on with me today. Someone I love very much, and someone I know you all love very much. And that is Jess Caruana. [00:00:48] Speaker A: Say hello, Jess. [00:00:51] Speaker B: How you doing? [00:00:52] Speaker A: So good. I'm so happy to be here. Happy to be here. [00:00:54] Speaker B: Yeah, we're happy you're here. [00:00:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:00:56] Speaker B: For those who maybe don't know you or know you well and just want a little recap on your life and who you are, tell us a little bit about yourself. [00:01:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I work here at Nima Church. This is not my entire identity, but I will start with the obvious thing. So working here at Nima, overseeing our university ministry, which is so fun and such a privilege, I get to meet the coolest people. [00:01:19] Speaker B: Shout out if you're listening right now. We love you. [00:01:22] Speaker A: I love my crew. They're so good. [00:01:23] Speaker B: You hope all your exams and all the signings and things are going well. [00:01:27] Speaker A: Yes, they are smashing it out. I'm so proud of them. Yeah. So I get to do that. It's my full time job here at Nymar, which I've been doing. It's looked a little different, but I've been doing it for a little bit over two years. And yeah, this is my home church. I've been here for seven ish years and was part of youth and probably not kids, but more youth before that until I really settled here as an adult and got into a life group and all the cool stuff and got into young adults ministry back then and yeah, it's just been so fun to be part of this family over the years and different seasons and different leaders and all of that stuff, but I just love this. It's so fun. My parents and my younger brother come here too. So being part of like the church family and my family together is awesome. [00:02:17] Speaker B: Hi, Paul, if you're listening. [00:02:19] Speaker A: Hi, Paul, if you're listening, I wonder if it's Paul. I wonder if you will be 100% be listening. We often listen on our drive together. [00:02:26] Speaker B: Well, now you can listen to your own voice in the car while you've drive to work. [00:02:32] Speaker A: No, it's good. Yeah. So that's it. I also, outside of work, I love baking. If you know me, you've probably eaten cookies or cake or something that I've made love language. It's my favorite pastime. And just love hanging out with friends. Love hanging out with the Lord. [00:02:48] Speaker B: So good. [00:02:49] Speaker A: That's pretty much my life. And I love my little baby nephew. He's my favourite humanity. [00:02:53] Speaker B: Shout out to Joel. Everyone's getting shout outs today. I don't think Joel listens to me. [00:02:57] Speaker A: Shout out to Kelsey for being on this podcast with me. Thank you. [00:03:01] Speaker B: Shout out. We are talking about a fun topic today. Obviously, you guys all know we've been talking about the corporate body. Was mean to be the corporate body, how important the corporate body and the bride of Christ is to Jesus and to the Father. And really, it is the expression on earth of his kingdom. But today we want to get specific into the topic of serving. Yes, this is a biggie. And one that, honestly, our young adults are kind of like the engine room of the church. Cause we're the ones with all the free time. We're the ones doing all the things. And I know so many people in our young adult community really love to serve the house and already see the value in it. But I guess today we wanna talk about why this is so important to our understanding of the full revelation of what the body of Christ is supposed to look like. And part of the reason we wanted to get Jesse to come on this episode with us is, I mean, I know she's someone that really values serving in the house. I know that she's someone who loves the house. But even, I mean, like, her testimony and where she's at now, obviously, the goal of our serving is not to eventually become a staff member, but when we steward the little well, God entrusts us with more. And for Jess, what that looked like was actually eventually a pathway into ministry. But I know that that started not out of a seeking of platform or seeking of pay or seeking of role, but actually just a desire in her heart to see, I guess, her expression of what it looks like to serve the house and what it means to fulfill a great commission and to put her faith to work and all of those sorts of things was through serving and serving faithfully in the house. So she's someone that we can glean off her life and actually receive the impartation of, I guess, her journey up until now and her revelation of what that looks like. So I honour that in you, Jess. [00:04:51] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:04:52] Speaker B: Because I know that anyone who knows you sees that and it's not, you know, when you rock up on a Sunday, you're not thinking about, oh, it's just a work day. And just gotta get through it, but you're seeing it as the body coming together and actually getting to serve one another. So I honour that in you. [00:05:07] Speaker A: Thank you so much. [00:05:08] Speaker B: And I guess I throw the first question to you, which is, I guess, why is serving so important? [00:05:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Again, thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words, but this is a massive question, like, why is serving so important? And I could talk about this for days, but I think ultimately it comes down to the foundation of why we do what we do and what our values are. And as a church, you know, we talk about it all the time, but we have a value that church is a covenant family. And I think in talking about being in the corporate body is talking about what it means to be a family. And family functions well, when family is in harmony with one another and everyone plays their part in the family and we all have different roles, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, we all have different roles. But I think for me, not all of my family lives in the same household, but those of us that do is family time happens in the home and that's the main place that happens. And so when I think of church as a covenant family, I also think of church being my home. And so if I'm at home in church, then I treat it like my home. And so I think foundationally to the answer to your question is, well, if church is my home, I don't go home. You know, sometimes I have bad days and I just make a mess and I just leave it. And it is what it is, but I think it's not. I'm going on holiday, I'm visiting a place and then I'm going. But I steward my bedroom and my kitchen and my lounge room and the spaces that I have because they're mine to steward. And if it's messy, I have to deal with the mess, and if it's clean, I get the benefits of that. And if it's, you know, if there's food in the pantry, I get the benefits of that. And if there's not, so it's. I really treat it like my home. And I have a responsibility in the home. And I think it's always easy to not treat church like home. But many of us do feel at home in church. And I think it's really important that we come to church, not just to receive, but actually come to give and to play our part in the family. Like my mum cooks dinner for me, I will make that confession publicly. She does my laundry. I love her. But if I only ever came home for dinner or only ever expected her to do the chores like a maid. That would be so disrespectful of my relationship with my mum. So I have to treat my home with that level of respect. And I think it's really important to treat church with that similar level of respect. Yeah, I guess that's the first. [00:07:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, even like on the topic of our kingdom, culture, values and things that we value as a church community, like church as a covenant, family is such an, I guess, obvious one in the sense of like, well, if we're all family, we should all be playing our part, but I feel like it even comes to honor a firm's value. Absolutely, because if we value something, we will honor it. And often there's such a strong correlation between our beliefs and our actions, and often if our actions are out of alignment with our beliefs, there's something wrong. [00:08:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:16] Speaker B: And sometimes, you know, we can say, I love the house, I love being at Numa, I love being a part of the body or like whatever. But if our actions don't actually express that love, then we could almost question how much do you love the body if you're not willing to actually be a part of it? It's like if I said I love my family, but I never want to contribute to my family and I don't want to spend time with my family, I never want to pull my weight. You go, do you really love your family? [00:08:39] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think it's never nice when you're the recipient of something like that, when someone says it in word, but they don't actually live. Indeed. Or they just like, you know, only talk to you at certain times or talk to you when they want something from you or give you gifts, but not actually manage the basics well, I think that it doesn't feel nice when you're the recipient of that. And if we think that, you know, God is the recipient of our worship and actually we're coming to church to glorify the father, not that he would be offended at us because he's not a human like that, but I think how can we honour him and show him that we value him by the way that we actually have deeds behind our words. [00:09:17] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. And I think as well. Yes. Serving, I guess if you cast your mind back to the first episode we did, which was essentially about being the corporate body. We talked about a whole bunch of scriptures in that, but I guess specifically the scripture, I think it's in Corinthians where it talks about the body yeah. And that, you know, one body part can't look to another body part and say, I'm more valuable than that one, but at the same time, one body part can't look to another body part and say, I'm less valuable than that one. God has placed things in each and every one of us that actually has an expression within the body of Christ, you know, whether that's specifically through a team environment or not. Like, God's actually doing something in each of us that is required to be a part of the body. And so, yeah, like, I think it's sometimes, I guess, like, we can come into church and almost feel like, I don't know where my part is, I don't know where my role is or what I'm supposed to do or like, I don't. Like, I'm gifted enough, or I don't feel like I, you know, I have something practical I can do to serve. But that's not how God sees his children. God sees his children as each and every one of them having a vital role to play. No matter how big or small, God actually values it all equally. Did you have something? [00:10:27] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I was just thinking about it, like, even in what you said, and I believe it was in that first episode, but I think a topic that's just been generally talking about is, like, you have something that I need, and I have something that you need, and, like, that's why, like, that's what the body looks like. It's not just, you know, a hand over there or an ear over here. Like, we actually all need to be different, and we all need to have our part. Otherwise, it's a dysfunctional body, and healthy bodies have all the parts working together. [00:10:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:57] Speaker B: I mean, I guess a good place to start in us working out what the heart of serving looks like is to look at Jesus. [00:11:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:04] Speaker B: Yep. He was the chief servant as well as being the high priest and king. What did Jesus ministry on earth look like and how did he model serving to us? [00:11:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, like, an obvious example that comes to mind is when Jesus washed the disciples feet because he was a. Jesus is a perfect example of the christian life and the perfect example of what it means to have a relationship with the father and know your identity and to live that out. And he didn't mind looking stupid, getting dirty, and just being in the midst of it to glorify others. And, you know, it's all about, you know, greatness is not in how we compare to other people or who's better than who, but there's like, actually, the greatness is found in when we serve. And Jesus really modeled that. And something I've been thinking a lot about recently is, well, is that Jesus shows his weakness in. Even when he was on his way to the cross and he said, not my will, but yours be done. And even though he was God and even though he was perfect, he still had to lay down some of his self in order to fulfill God's purpose. And I just, I think obviously, he's a perfect example of serving others, of leading from a place of servanthood, of putting the needs of others before his own. You know, we look at even the example of he's on the way to heal Jairus daughter, essentially raise her from the dead. And this woman, with the issue of blood, touches the hem of his garment, and he stops. Even though he's in the middle of his own thing and he's got his own plan, he stops to serve this outcast woman. [00:12:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Wow. [00:12:43] Speaker A: And it's just, I think there's. So we could spend all day talking about examples of how Jesus saved people, but he always, he put other people's needs before his own, but in step with the father. And I think that those are a few key things to catch. And Jesus did talk a lot about the importance of, again, as I've mentioned, but our love looking like something, and the people that he had issue with were those that said things but didn't do them, or people that had it all together or had all knowledge or whatever, but didn't follow through with love. And so his message was, you know, if you love, then it's gonna look like action, you know? And the good Samaritan, we look at, even the first great commandment is love the Lord your God with all your mind, soul and strength. And then the second is like it, love your neighbour as yourself. And then he goes on to describe what loving your neighbour looks like. And that is sacrificial serving. [00:13:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's really good. And, yeah, I love that idea of love should look like something because I think you could even love really encapsulates all of them. Cause it is the greatest, I guess. But even all the different characteristics that we are striving to grow in in our relationship with God and in our likeness to Christ, each of those should look like something as well. And I think when I look at the life of Jesus, I see his humility, and I see that his humility looked like something. It looked like washing the disciples feet. It looked like going to the cross. Even when he didn't want to. It looked like stopping for the one or stopping for the widow or whatever it looked like for him. And I think in the same way, serving is a great expression of our humility of going. I am actually putting God before myself first and foremost, but also I'm putting my neighbor, I'm putting my brother or sister before my own desires, my own needs, my own wants, and actually choosing to serve them instead of serving my own interest, which I think there's so many ways that the Lord, I guess, teaches us how to do this. But I think serving in the body is such a simple expression of that, being on a team. And even when you don't feel like rocking up on a Sunday morning because it's early and you had a late night on Saturday night or whatever, like, going, not my will, but yours be done, God, use me today, like, you know, allow me to minister to someone through the coffee cart or the ushering team or production team or, like, whatever that looks like, and actually saying, seeing the joy and that humility and that it's actually a joy to get to serve the body, and it's a joy to get to contribute, and it's a joy to actually be a part of that. Did you have anything you want to add on that? [00:15:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I was just thinking about, like, I guess sometimes it's. I don't want to say that, like, we're trying to say that you. The only way to serve God is to serve the church because it's not like it's so much grander than that. But this is such a beautiful and easy way to actually serve God in a safe place. And we actually get a lot of benefits out of it, which we can talk about later, but we get a lot out of it, too. But I think if I can say something, like, a little bit controversial, do. [00:16:02] Speaker B: It, as long as it's biblical. [00:16:04] Speaker A: I don't know if it's controversial. But I think for me, like, when I struggled to serve was when I needed to receive. Like, I needed to get something out of church because my own relationship with God wasn't it. And so I think especially being, you know, working in the church has really helped me to realize this, but I knew it way before that, and you don't need to get to this point to realize it, but I can't show up on a Sunday and give, give my all in worship and serve others. If. If I've got no relationship with God during the week, then I need someone to come and prophesy over me, I need to just come and receive. Come and receive. Because I'm not actually stewarding my own relationship, but when I do steward my own relationship with God, well, and I am pouring out my love upon him in the secret place, and he pours out his love upon me, and I come full of love. It's so much easier to give. Like, it's so much easier to give when you come from a full place. And I'm not trying to hate on, like, if you need. If you need to receive when you come to church, that's okay. Like, we all have our bad days, but. And, you know, I also have a really strong belief that you can receive so much while serving, which I always get when I do kids ministry. Like, I receive so much from the Lord being around the kids, and you can receive while serving, which is so beautiful. But I think if your heart is in the right place with the Lord and you can receive from him, then you shouldn't need the church to be the only place where you receive. [00:17:35] Speaker B: Yeah, that's so true. [00:17:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I actually. You bring up kids ministries. A good point. And I'm gonna go there for a sec because I notice that serving in general, but I think especially teams, like, kids team, often the struggle or, like, internal wrestle that people have is, like, I feel like I'm missing out or, like, I feel like because I'm not in the room, I'm not around what's happening, I'm gonna miss something. And it's almost this. I mean, if we're completely honest, it's a subconscious desire to still want to receive instead of going, no, this is actually my opportunity to serve. But aside from that, like, I 100% agree with you. It's sometimes in the moments of serving, like, times I've been in kids ministry, the way that you can get ministered to by young people. Like, I mean, I experience this all the time in youth ministry as well, in kids ministry. Like, we'll say there's times where, like, I'm watching a kid worship, and you're just seeing the childlikeness of God through this little one, and, like, the Lord's just wrecking my heart. Like, I'm here serving and trying to, you know, keep the peace and make sure, you know, they don't throw a ball at each other's head or, like, things like that. But then you're seeing this little one worship, and you're like, oh, my gosh. Like, that is just pure worship before God. Like, their minds are so childlike. Their minds are so open to the things of the Lord. And kids are awesome. They'll just come up and be like, the Lord showed me this over you. And it's just a completely accurate prophetic word. And you're like, it's like we're all waiting for a prophetic word from the senior pastor or the guest minister or whatever. And there's these little ones in kids church who are just overflowing with the revelation of God in such a pure form. And we feel like we're missing out by being in kids church. I'm like, no way. That's where the gold is, Mandev. And so I think, I mean, that's even just like a bit of a testimony, I guess, of that point of 100%. Like you, our heart towards serving is worship to God first and foremost and ministry to one another. But because of the faithfulness of who God is, you will always get something out of it. [00:19:34] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. [00:19:34] Speaker B: Like, yeah. And I mean, even in youth ministry, I guess a testimony from this year. And, like, youth ministry is hard work, man, where it's a long day on a Friday, youth camps, all these things. Like, it is a sacrifice to serve. But at the same time, Thomas and I will talk about the way that the Lord has just been ministering freedom through our young people this year. And we'll talk about things that the Lord has actually done in us by receiving of the freedom that they're getting from the Lord. And they'll teach us something about freedom that we're the ones on platform ministering. But then they're ministering to us just through their own lives and devotion to Jesus. And so that's just the faithfulness of God that, like, he never wants to leave his children lacking. Like, the point of serving is not like, oh, that's my week. I'm not going to receive because I'm serving that week. But it's actually God's heart towards us is that we will always receive from him because that's just. He's just a good father. It might just look different to what maybe you expected it'll look like because it's maybe in a different context to what you're used to. [00:20:39] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's not always easy. Like, you know, we're talking about the benefits of it, but it's also just sometimes it's hard work. It's exhausting. But, like, so is anything good? Like, that's facts. Anyone who's been in life group with me knows I'm the queen of metaphors. I just love using metaphors and everything. [00:20:59] Speaker B: I thought you said the queen of metaphors. Metaphors, metaphors. [00:21:06] Speaker A: I also tend to mumble, so apologies if you can't hear what I'm saying, because I jumble my words. No metaphors. And so I think of it like exercise. Right? I hate it. Like, most of us hate it when you're in the midst of the grind and it just painful when you're, like, lifting a heavy weight or you're running really far and you're in the pain, but afterwards, it feels so good. Like, the high I get after a run is the best, but during the midst of it, not usually loving life. So I feel like it's kind of the same sometimes. Like, maybe it's a Friday night for you, and you're like, oh, I'm tired. And this feels like I'm pushing, but at the end of the night, you're like, God is so good. Like, how good was that? And, yeah, I just think that when things are really hard, it's actually not a sign that. I mean, sometimes it is. It's a sign to step back and to rest, but sometimes it's a sign that, like, you're getting to something great. [00:22:01] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:22:02] Speaker A: And you can enjoy it afterwards. [00:22:04] Speaker B: Yeah. And even, like, I know something that I'm pretty sure majority of our teams do it. Numa, I know we do this with youth and young adults. I know our worship teams do it. But often you'll get to the end of serving and you'll share testimony of, like, where did you see the Lord move? And actually, when rich Gordon was here, he came to our youth debrief, which is so fun, but he was asking the question, essentially, what are testimonies from tonight? Or where did we see Jesus tonight? And even just framing that question differently from, like, we don't care about what was good, what was bad. Like, we're not here for performance. We're not here for perfection in the way that we serve the Lord, but we're here to see Jesus move. And this applies whether you're on ushering team production, whatever. But when you're asking the question, like, where did I see Jesus tonight? Or where did I see Jesus in this, like, you know, through serving this morning? [00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:59] Speaker B: So many times I'm encouraged. And I think that's almost that feeling of, like, it's a grind in the moment, but then you see how beautiful and precious it is on the other side of that. Like, you could have had the hardest slog of a Sunday morning, but then you get to testimonies, and you're like, wow. Like, God moved through me being a part of this. I actually got to contribute to the Lord moving in that person's life in that way, whether it's, you know, ushering team getting together, and they're like, we saw Jesus move through this person in the foyer this morning. It was their first time at church, and they received Jesus. And you're like, I got to be a part of that. [00:23:31] Speaker A: That's so cool. [00:23:32] Speaker B: Like, I didn't just, you know, sit up in the tears and just receive, like, I actually got to be a part of God moving in someone else's life. I feel like it's so, so powerful and it almost. There's parts of God and parts of, I guess, like, the body that I probably would have never received of the revelation of if I just lived my life in isolation and just rocked up and left again. [00:23:55] Speaker A: 100%. [00:23:56] Speaker B: Like, serving just shows you different aspects of who God is. It teaches you so many different things. It teaches you how to overcome and be resilient and persevere. It teaches you how to, you know, I guess, like, see Jesus in people and, like, love people and do fellowship with people and do life with people, like, all of these beautiful things as well. But I guess something that is often challenging in our context is, I guess, being in a big church. [00:24:20] Speaker A: Yep. [00:24:21] Speaker B: And I think anyone who's been in a small church and then been in a big church knows, I guess, like, the differences in how things function and what that looks like. But did you maybe want to talk a little bit into, I guess, like, some of the challenges that come along with being in a big church environment when it comes to this? [00:24:37] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. And I totally agree. I feel like, with that. When you're in a small church, it's so easy to see the need and there's a lot happening and we, you see the gap and you feel the gap, and if you, if they need a drummer, then you can just jump up and drum. Like, I don't know, just whatever the need is, you can just jump in and fill it and it's easy to do. So, like, for example, I used to do the, like, the lyrics in my church growing up from when I was, like, eleven years old, because they needed someone to do it. And so half the, like, older kids were doing it and I had so much fun doing that. It wasn't my calling, it wasn't my destiny. It was just the. That was the need and I was able to fill it. But in a big church, like, I see someone else doing that or I come and there's so many moving parts and it seems to just flow seamlessly, so I don't see the need for it as much. And so I'm like, oh, I don't need to help, so I won't help. Or it. I talked to so many people that just find it easy to kind of come in late and sneak out early and just sort of slip in and out of the crowd or feel like they're lost in the crowd in a sense. And, you know, I remember my church growing up, there wasn't very many families, and so when a new family would come visit, we would all pounce on them. Like, oh, there's new people, new friends, like, let's get them plugged in straight away, get them straight into life, group, kids, church, all the things. And it's a little bit easier in a big church to, you know, I meet people that have been here for a year and I've never met them before and I'm like, how does that happen? But it's so easy to happen because we are a big church. But, you know, and that's an unfortunate side of it. But the other side of it is like, it makes it easy for us to be apathetic. And that's also just really, it is sad. It is really unfortunate that we can just come and go as we please and feel like we're part of an organization more than a family. But that's just not, that's just not the reality. It just seems that way on the other side of things, there's actually so much more opportunity in a big church. Like, I don't necessarily need to serve on lyrics. I can actually do something that aligns with where God's calling me to. And I get to practice evangelism in this church because we have an avenue and we have a stream for that. Like, yes, it's the kind of bad side of it, but the beautiful side is that it doesn't need to be ten people that are doing everything. If there's 500 people in the church and everyone played a part, like, just imagine how beautifully that would work and how everyone gets an opportunity to serve in the way that they're called to serve and that they love to serve. You know, people get to practice their coffee skills and then get a job as a barista. Like, you don't get those opportunities in a small church. [00:27:36] Speaker B: That's actually a good point. I want to jump in there because I used to be a wedding photographer. Not a lot of people know that, but I used to work so my brother in law owned a wedding company. I used to second shoot for him. I would do other engagements and things like that as well. But literally, I learned how to do photography by being on the church photography team. And then it went from literally, like, my design oversight at the time was like, you're creative. Do you want to try photography? And I was like, sure, why not? Let's give it a try. And just taking, like, the crappiest photos on a Friday at youth to then, like, my senior pastor coming to me being like, can you help shoot this promo for church? And I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, that feels huge. And then going, like, youth alive, and, like, do you want to shoot main event at youth alive? And you're like, just all these opportunities that then actually led to, do you want to come and work for my business and actually, like, shoot people's weddings and, like, things like that? So, yeah, what you're saying is 100% true. Like, and I know it's the same often with, like, production. It's like, you got a good ear. Come and learn production, and you could. It could become something that's actually, like, a skill that can be transferable into other areas as well. [00:28:47] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. And I think, like, it's not. We don't do it for that reason. [00:28:51] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. [00:28:52] Speaker A: And, like, something that is my personal experience is there's a lot of things that have happened in the church environment. Like, a lot of opportunities that I've had to serve in the church environment that I didn't know would be really beneficial down the line. I mean, I guess in yours, like, you didn't know that you were going to go and work photography, but you were like, oh, yeah, I'll give it a go. Like, there's a need and someone's asking of me, and I have something to give, and I want to give it. And just that posture of heart and then watch what the Lord does with it. Like, as you said, like, I get to do what I'm doing now because I started out as a volunteer, and I was like, oh, yeah, like, I'll give that a go. And then being able to discover what is God calling me to, and how can I serve his house in a greater way through that process of just, you know, trying? And I think that's something really beautiful about the big church. Like, yes, it's a lot. It's a lot more obvious I need for serving, and it's easier. A lot, I would say easier in some sense. It's to serve in a small church. But I think that we really do have a really beautiful opportunity in our church and in the bigger church in inverted commons. Yeah. [00:29:55] Speaker B: And I think, I mean, another positive is, I know for a lot of people, serving is actually a really great next step to get connected into the family. [00:30:05] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:30:06] Speaker B: And I think that's a challenging thing and something I talk to a lot of new young adults about when I'm saying, like, how are you finding Newma? How are you finding connecting in? Most people who I guess, like, are coming in for the first time feel overwhelmed by how big everything is and how big the community, and they almost don't even know where to start. And really, like, the two things I'll say to people is join a life group or start serving. I know for me or both. You may as well do both for me. I found my sense of belonging when I started serving because I was then surrounded by like minded people. I was surrounded by people who had similar interests to me. It immediately took a church of 500 people or 500 young adults, to a team of 25 young adults in youth ministry that are all passionate about the same thing, that then I felt like I could belong in that community and be loved and embraced by community and embrace others into that community, that maybe I wouldn't have had that same experience if I just sat on the sidelines and waited for someone to come and ask me if they wanted to go for coffee. You know what I mean? [00:31:10] Speaker A: Yeah. And even just on that, like, you're not only gonna meet other awesome young adults, you're actually gonna meet people like moms and dads and people of all different age groups that you would just never necessarily walk up to and have a chat with. Like, I have met some of the most beautiful people when I served. There is an incredible couple in our church. They're older than me. I don't know how old they are, and I will not attempt to guess, but they're so, so beautiful. And when I was serving on coffee cup some five years ago, yeah, they just came along and they were serving on team together with me, and we really got along. I got to learn from them and hear their personal experiences, and I learned so much. Like, it gives you so much more empathy for people when you understand their stories. And they would tell me stories of other people in the church that have gone through hardships and stuff, and I would just have so much more love for others because I would learn, like, their background anyway. And I didn't see these guys for a while, and then they recently have been able to come back to church, just had some stuff going on. They've recently been able to come back, and they were like, yes. And they were like, I'm like, how do they remember me from, like, 2019? But just such a beautiful connection there. And, like, that, you know, they're more than twice my age, but get to hang out with them as family. And, like, there's some incredible young moms that I've connected with by serving in kids ministry. Like, when I used to serve in kids ministry, and now I sometimes do. But back then, you know, all my friends are my age, and as you said, walking up to someone and asking them for coffee, like, you usually do that with other people your age, but I met some really awesome moms that now, like, I get to talk to them about their mum life and just things, and they become like older sisters to me, and I never would have met them if I didn't stay with them. And, like, that's a beautiful benefit that I get to receive from as part of my obedience in saving the house. Yeah. [00:33:04] Speaker B: Yeah. I have a couple of last thoughts that I'll just rapid fire out and then we'll probably finish up this episode. The first one is, don't wait until you feel, quote unquote, called to a particular ministry to start serving. Where you serve on a Sunday doesn't have to be the be all and end all of your calling. [00:33:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:33:25] Speaker B: I think sometimes people sideline themselves or hold themselves back from being a part of the body because they're waiting for some opportunity that perfectly reflects where they feel like the Lord's taking them in life. But, like, we've already spoken about through my example. Through your example, like, it's. Sometimes we don't know the greater plan that God has. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:33:47] Speaker B: And there might be some seasons in your life where you're serving in a particular area just to learn more about the body and just, like, for no other reason than just to serve and to love the body. But other times, you might think that it's nothing to do with anything the Lord's asking you to do, but in God's eyes, it's actually a seed of something he's trying to do in your life that could amount to something else later on. And then you look back and you're like, oh, I wouldn't be here if not for that opportunity I had serving in that particular area. [00:34:16] Speaker A: Totally. And I think it's actually pride for us to think that we know exactly what our calling is and where we're going. Like, we might know where God's calling us to, but we don't necessarily know the whole way. Jesus is the way, the truth in the life. So we need to follow him. Not what, like, man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. So we need to just follow the footsteps of the Lord. And if he says, you know, go serve on the camera team or go serve in, I don't know, doing the lights or whatever, then maybe just give it a go and just see what the Lord. Maybe you'll be sitting next to someone that has an opportunity for you to da da da. You don't know. Don't limit God and say that. Oh, I, because I, and sorry if this hits anyone too close, but because I have a voice and I can sing, I need to be on the platform, worship, leading. I'm sorry, but, like, there's so many more opportunities and if God wants that for you, he will open that door for you, but trust him and just say yes to what he's asking you to do and just be obedient with that. [00:35:11] Speaker B: So good. And my other rapid fire point before we finish up this episode, something that we often hear young adults coming to us saying is we need to do more of this and why isn't the church doing more of this and the church should do this. And my response to that sometimes is, if you feel a stirring in your heart for it, you do something about it. This is something, you know, over twelve months ago, one of the guys in our young adult ministry came to us and said, I feel like we need to do more for the young professionals and there's nothing really going on for them and maybe we should do a brunch club. And we were like, okay, go for your life. You start that then. And genuinely that nudge to take something that was a burden and passion on his heart and empower him to do something about it. I think he's got like 30 or 40 young professionals who fix that space across different monthly brunches. And it wasn't something we necessarily felt as like a ministry that we needed to be doing in that season, but it was something the Lord was putting on his heart. So all power to you. And the way the Lord's speaking to you, like we're saying to you as like, spiritual covering over this ministry, like, if you have things in unis that you're passionate about, like, come and talk to Jess, and I know 99% of the time she's going to empower you into that, because what the Lord's speaking to you about and what you feel passionate in serving in, even if you don't see an expression of it yet, maybe God wants it to become an expression out of you. And same with young adults. Like, if you have a burden for a life group or you have a burden for young women or young men or whatever that looks like for you, like, come and talk to us about it, because that could be something the Lord's actually trying to empower through you. [00:36:52] Speaker A: Yeah. And if I could just add one other point onto that, like, as an evangelistic person and to all the other evangelistic people out there, sometimes we feel like you don't fit into the church because it feels like sometimes the church looks too inward and, like, we need to get out into the world. We need to preach the gospel. And they're like, I can't sit in church when there's people dying outside. And I really struggle with that, and my family really struggled with that for ages. And we find it difficult to actually, like, commit to a church because of it. But now I'm realizing that, thank God, I. That I've been able to commit to a church. And not only is evangelistic, but I get to shape some of that, too. And I actually get to do evangelism as part of serving the house of God and that other people get the opportunity to do it. Like, you know, I used to always say, oh, people are just warming seats in church and they're not actually getting out in the world. But, like, now I get to be part of helping people get out of their seats and actually evangelize. But if I was like, oh, the church doesn't have it, let me find another church, which is okay. Or if I'm even worse, like, the church doesn't have it, I will not go to church, or I will just, you know, whatever. I'll just leave that all behind and just live my own life, then I'm not actually helping the whole body grow into the fullness of Jesus. Like the Ephesians four, like, you need the five fold. You need all the expressions. And so I think for me, I'm, like, actually being able to go, yeah, sometimes I do feel restless in the church because there's a dying world out there, but I actually get to play a part in helping to change that. And it's. Yeah, it's so fun, and it's such a privilege to be able to do that and to have our expressions of what God's put on our heart and to express that through the covering and the family of church. And, yeah, I just. I love serving praise the Lord. [00:38:39] Speaker B: So your homework this week. If you're listening, if you're not serving on a team, ask the Lord, where can I put my hand to the plough? Where can I serve? Where can I contribute? And I feel pretty confident he will lead you somewhere where you can serve. Whether it's for a short season or a long season, whether it's a seed or whether it's your calling or whether it's something that you can be empowered into. I know the Lord cares about empowering his children into taking ownership over the bride that he is forming. So we pray this episode has blessed you. I pray it's challenged you. Thank you, Jess, for being with us. [00:39:14] Speaker A: Thank you for having me. [00:39:15] Speaker B: Hope you had fun. [00:39:16] Speaker A: I had so much fun. [00:39:17] Speaker B: And actually, you're gonna be hosting an episode, either the next one or later in the season, so stay tuned for that. You get to hear more from Jess. It's gonna be a goodie. So we love you guys, and we will see you super soon. Bye.