Episode 1
"How to Persevere in Faith in Challenging Times" The Inaugural Episode of "To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble"
This is the inaugural episode of To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble. In Episode 001 Bishop Trimble speaks about How to Persevere through Challenging Times with Faith.
Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Mehtodist Church.
Bishop has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad MIller.
Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality and state of the United Methodist Church.”
In Episode 001 Bishop Trimble speaks about how faith helps people to persevere through difficult times like the ongoing pandemic.
He talks about biblical faith expounding from Hebrew 11 that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Bishop speaks about prayer and love of neighbor and how our purpose as Christians is to love one another as key parts of living life of faith which helps people to preserve through challenging times. He goes on to talk about putting faith into action through works of service to others.
Bishop Trimble concluded the podcast by speaking about the upcoming episode of the To Be Encouraged Podcast which will feature his observations on the topic of persevering through challenging times in the church.
Bishop Trimble shared that creating this podcast was inspired by his wife First Lady Racelder Grandberry-Trimble. He dedicated the inaugural episode to a member of one of his former churches Mrs. Louise Oliver who inspired him with her life of faith.
To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.
Transcript
Hello good people. Welcome to the be in courageous
Brad Miller:podcast with Bishop Julius C trouble. I'm pleased to be your
Brad Miller:host for this podcast. My name is Reverend Dr. Brad Miller. I'm
Brad Miller:a pastor and been about past for about 40 years of my privilege
Brad Miller:to have Bishop Julius see trouble as my friend for a
Brad Miller:similar length of time. We went to school together and have a
Brad Miller:long ongoing relationship. And it's my thrill that to be a part
Brad Miller:of his brand new podcast, which is called to be encouraged with
Brad Miller:the bishop Julius C. Treble. You can get to this podcast by going
Brad Miller:to the website to be encouraged.com. That's t o b e
Brad Miller:encouragd.com. And also through Apple podcasts and other podcast
Brad Miller:directories. But it's my pleasure and privilege to
Brad Miller:welcome to the inaugural episode of the Be encouraged podcast
Brad Miller:Bishop Julius C. Tribble Bishop, welcome to your own podcast.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Thank you, Brad. It's a great launch
Bishop Julius Trimble:this podcast and do it with a friend here. But we go back
Bishop Julius Trimble:aways, both through seminary and we had the same graduate school
Bishop Julius Trimble:where we earned doctorates from thank you for all your
Bishop Julius Trimble:expertise. And certainly for your guidance as we launched
Bishop Julius Trimble:this podcast. This is all about being encouraged. I think it
Bishop Julius Trimble:doesn't require action from the Congress or action from General
Bishop Julius Trimble:Conference for us to encourage one another. I'm the beneficiary
Bishop Julius Trimble:of many, many years of encouragement This year marks 40
Bishop Julius Trimble:years since I was first ordained I celebrate, that I would not be
Bishop Julius Trimble:have become a pastor or certainly not a bishop, ahead
Bishop Julius Trimble:have not been for encouragement all along the way. I first give
Bishop Julius Trimble:thanks to God and to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. For
Bishop Julius Trimble:this opportunity. I also want to give a shout out to my partner
Bishop Julius Trimble:and marriage and ministry. First Lady resell to Granberry
Bishop Julius Trimble:tremble, who often would say I'm excited and enthusiastic about
Bishop Julius Trimble:the Word of God, people of God, and the opportunity to encourage
Bishop Julius Trimble:others bread. So let's get started with the Be encouraged
Bishop Julius Trimble:podcast.
Brad Miller:Well, let's do that. And we call this the to be
Brad Miller:encouraged to podcast, Bishop treble, the theme that you have
Brad Miller:in your life and your ministry, and even your personal mission
Brad Miller:statement. It's all about being encouraged. Can you go there for
Brad Miller:just a second about your personal mission statement? And
Brad Miller:about how that informs what you do and everything?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Yes, my personal mission statement
Bishop Julius Trimble:predates me being a bishop or actually predates me earlier
Bishop Julius Trimble:earlier in ministry, and both my wife and I shaped mission
Bishop Julius Trimble:statements around helping others and encouraging others mine is
Bishop Julius Trimble:to encourage all people, notice I say at all, all people with
Bishop Julius Trimble:the love of Jesus Christ, to rise to their highest potential,
Bishop Julius Trimble:often, for short, people just know it is be encouraged. So
Bishop Julius Trimble:it's all about helping people rise to their highest potential
Bishop Julius Trimble:by the Ministry of encouragement. And I do that as
Bishop Julius Trimble:a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. I don't knock other
Bishop Julius Trimble:religions or other faith expressions. I'm just on the
Bishop Julius Trimble:journey to be a faithful follower of Christ. And to
Bishop Julius Trimble:encourage others with that love that I think transcends all
Bishop Julius Trimble:cultures, all races, and all faith expressions.
Brad Miller:Well, I think that's a wonderful mission
Brad Miller:statement and informs everything that we're going to be doing
Brad Miller:here and to be encouraged to a podcast and to tell the folks a
Brad Miller:little bit what can they can expect? What kind of topics are
Brad Miller:we going to address? What kind of people are we going to be
Brad Miller:talking to what this is going to be all about? When people tune
Brad Miller:in for a little bit to hear your voice?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I think this is going to be an
Bishop Julius Trimble:opportunity to hear me speak in some depth on on issues of
Bishop Julius Trimble:faith, on issues of Church and Society on issues of justice, of
Bishop Julius Trimble:love, of Scripture passages, we're going to hear from others
Bishop Julius Trimble:who are talking about contemporary issues and
Bishop Julius Trimble:challenges in our society, relative to church related
Bishop Julius Trimble:higher education, whether to you persons who are new in ministry,
Bishop Julius Trimble:how you navigate all of the quick chant trance transitions
Bishop Julius Trimble:and changes that are happening so fast in society, how can we
Bishop Julius Trimble:be fully human? And how can we also recognize that we can
Bishop Julius Trimble:contribute to the pursuit of Beloved Community? So a lot of
Bishop Julius Trimble:what I have to say and a lot of the people that we're going to
Bishop Julius Trimble:have on a podcast are going to help us drive that train towards
Bishop Julius Trimble:an understanding of beloved community as we talk about
Bishop Julius Trimble:contemporary issues of Church and Society.
Brad Miller:And we're going to get to that just just a moment
Brad Miller:here about faith and church and society. And in that process,
Brad Miller:we're going to speak to Many of these issues that are the
Brad Miller:forefront of our world right now. Racism, voting rights,
Brad Miller:human sexuality, ecological issues, family, Faith Church,
Brad Miller:the crisis in the church, all these type of things, we're
Brad Miller:going to address those, all of those things aren't like,
Bishop Julius Trimble:Absolutely, I know heard this from
Bishop Julius Trimble:colleagues. Every Thursday, well, once a month on Thursdays,
Bishop Julius Trimble:I meet with other judicatory religious leaders in
Bishop Julius Trimble:Indianapolis, Indiana, representing a number of other
Bishop Julius Trimble:Christian denominations. And and in recent meeting, I heard one
Bishop Julius Trimble:of my colleagues say, I know that Joyce Joyce shared is
Bishop Julius Trimble:doubled. And sorrows shared is cut in half. That means that
Bishop Julius Trimble:whenever we have an opportunity to share joy or glory, sighting
Bishop Julius Trimble:or a blessing, that literally doubles its impact, because
Bishop Julius Trimble:we're multiplying it. And when we're able to share sorrow that
Bishop Julius Trimble:cuts that pain in that sorrow in half, I think is really
Bishop Julius Trimble:connected with Galatians, six and two, where the writer Paul,
Bishop Julius Trimble:or whoever, the writer of Galatians says, We have to bear
Bishop Julius Trimble:each other's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. So
Bishop Julius Trimble:part of what it means to be a follower of Christ is not just
Bishop Julius Trimble:to share the good days, but also the things that may bring them
Bishop Julius Trimble:sorrow. So for example, we've talked on a number of occasions
Bishop Julius Trimble:about the impact of the global pandemic, the people that have
Bishop Julius Trimble:been lost, the people that we know, that have been sick and
Bishop Julius Trimble:hospitalized, and how that has impacted our society and created
Bishop Julius Trimble:created disruption. And even in our worship experience and
Bishop Julius Trimble:worship gathering. Those are some of the things that we will
Bishop Julius Trimble:talk about.
Brad Miller:Yes, we will. And just to so we're gonna do that
Brad Miller:you said about sharing the joy it looks basically every week
Brad Miller:Rumi coming to you to share a word of encouragement about your
Brad Miller:life. And just to set the context as we move forward here.
Brad Miller:Bishop Julius, he tremble is the Bishop of the Indiana area of
Brad Miller:The United Methodist Church. And he'll say more about his
Brad Miller:background as we go along. But he's been in mission and
Brad Miller:ministry for 40 something years, he has really a heart for people
Brad Miller:and heart for the church, but also heart for the matters that
Brad Miller:matter. And the context we're at right now, we are basically
Brad Miller:entering we're two years into this really amazing COVID
Brad Miller:crisis, we're in what some people call the omachron phase
Brad Miller:or wave of this more people are hospitalized now than probably
Brad Miller:ever have been in the whole crisis we've had and it impacts
Brad Miller:individuals it certainly has impacted my own family, the
Brad Miller:people we know and and also our churches and the world and our
Brad Miller:hospital staff and people that we deal with it so that can be
Brad Miller:put that is one thing Bishop that can be pretty discouraging,
Brad Miller:is dealing with that. We also have other situations in the
Brad Miller:world with a with racism and voting rights and human
Brad Miller:sexuality, all kinds of things, which can be discouraging. And
Brad Miller:so let's talk for today and the next couple of weeks about how
Brad Miller:do we continue to be in couraged. During discouraging
Brad Miller:times, I think we can call this kind of be persevering with
Brad Miller:encouragement. And today I want us to talk a little bit about
Brad Miller:faith, a faith response and discouraging times and lets us
Brad Miller:go there a bishop Oh, faith. What is help define that for us
Brad Miller:here
Bishop Julius Trimble:are the Bible talks about the meaning of
Bishop Julius Trimble:faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped from right from the
Bishop Julius Trimble:book of Hebrews 11 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for
Bishop Julius Trimble:the conviction or the evidence of things not seen. It is indeed
Bishop Julius Trimble:by faith that our ancestors received approval, we have to
Bishop Julius Trimble:believe that God exists and believe that our lives matter.
Bishop Julius Trimble:So I have faith in tomorrow. Not because I know everything that's
Bishop Julius Trimble:going to happen tomorrow, but I know that God will be present
Bishop Julius Trimble:with me and with us. Tomorrow. We are created in the image of
Bishop Julius Trimble:God David feel United Methodist theologian and ecumenical
Bishop Julius Trimble:officer for the United Methodist Church, as a new book and called
Bishop Julius Trimble:a call our purpose is love. And he reminds the reader that that
Bishop Julius Trimble:we have been created in the image of God means that we are
Bishop Julius Trimble:literally connected to God. And we are created to reflect God's
Bishop Julius Trimble:character, by loving God and loving neighbor often say if you
Bishop Julius Trimble:can't remember anything, core to the Christian witness in how to
Bishop Julius Trimble:be encouraged and to be an encouragement. Remember this
Bishop Julius Trimble:love God, love neighbor, love God, love me. God, this is I'm
Bishop Julius Trimble:getting I'm again, quoting from his book, our purpose is love.
Bishop Julius Trimble:God has a mission in the world. And love is at the heart of that
Bishop Julius Trimble:mission. So what's our responsibility? Well, in a word,
Bishop Julius Trimble:it's the spread, that transforming love, save salvific
Bishop Julius Trimble:love of Jesus Christ. And I think that can help us even
Bishop Julius Trimble:especially going through crisis and especially at a time like
Bishop Julius Trimble:this global pandemic. How do we demonstrate not vitriol, one
Bishop Julius Trimble:towards another, or not angst or anger, or frustration? But how
Bishop Julius Trimble:do we hang on to that faith and bolster each other's faith with
Bishop Julius Trimble:the medicine and message of love?
Brad Miller:Well, that's a that's awesome that that's a
Brad Miller:great book for us to refer to as well. What's the title of the
Brad Miller:book and the author again, please,
Bishop Julius Trimble:David seal. Our purpose is love.
Brad Miller:Our purpose is love. Now, here's my question
Brad Miller:for you, Bishop, as we kind of unpack this whole thing about
Brad Miller:faith in the midst of a pandemic, whatever challenges of
Brad Miller:having this purpose of love and faith in a world which is
Brad Miller:falling apart, it seems that sometimes and also where there's
Brad Miller:a lot of folks, we may want to love them, but they can be kind
Brad Miller:of unlovable sometimes. I'm getting somewhat getting with
Brad Miller:you what are some of the challenges we have to this
Brad Miller:situation of faith
Bishop Julius Trimble:and love? I think the challenge one of the
Bishop Julius Trimble:challenge, we have a whole notion of bringing about change
Bishop Julius Trimble:through proximity, Brian, at least Bryan Stevenson, who does
Bishop Julius Trimble:a lot of work around social justice and persons who've been
Bishop Julius Trimble:incarcerated, and he's done a lot with the Equal Justice
Bishop Julius Trimble:Institute. And his book, Just Mercy talks about proximity,
Bishop Julius Trimble:that in order to really address the change of problem, whether
Bishop Julius Trimble:it's racism, or whether it's whether it's a patriot, or
Bishop Julius Trimble:ideological difference, that there has to be a willingness to
Bishop Julius Trimble:get close enough to those other persons and close enough to, to
Bishop Julius Trimble:the problem or the challenge in order to address it. That then
Bishop Julius Trimble:in and of itself is a challenge. I often say that sometimes it is
Bishop Julius Trimble:necessary to pray at a distance. In other words, if you and I are
Bishop Julius Trimble:going to just blow up when we see each other, maybe I just
Bishop Julius Trimble:need to pray for you at a distance. Maybe I need to ask
Bishop Julius Trimble:God to do what you or I have been unable to do in terms of
Bishop Julius Trimble:conversation and commitment, or consensus. And so it's not easy
Bishop Julius Trimble:often say just because something is hard, doesn't mean we
Bishop Julius Trimble:shouldn't do it. It means we need help and doing it. So I
Bishop Julius Trimble:give thanks and praise to God that God does not expect to do
Bishop Julius Trimble:SPECT us to do everything by ourselves. I like the words of
Bishop Julius Trimble:the late Congressman John Lewis, who says Everybody can do
Bishop Julius Trimble:something. You don't have to do everything.
Brad Miller:I think it's awesome what you're saying there
Brad Miller:it's kind of faith in action, isn't it? You know, you we can
Brad Miller:sit back and we can talk about faith, we can modificate about
Brad Miller:it, even preach sermons about it, what have you. It's a
Brad Miller:different thing to be engaged in active faith. So let's go there
Brad Miller:for a second how can what are some practical means that we can
Brad Miller:live out our faith actively what are some actions we can take?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I think participating in our local
Bishop Julius Trimble:communities, at every level, is one way we can bring actually to
Bishop Julius Trimble:our faith in in the Indiana conference United Methodist
Bishop Julius Trimble:Church, we have a movement I call it a movement called
Bishop Julius Trimble:children matter most basically, it is a ministry of
Bishop Julius Trimble:encouragement, saying to churches and individuals, if
Bishop Julius Trimble:you're close to a school, if you're close to wherever
Bishop Julius Trimble:children are, you can not only pray for them, but maybe your
Bishop Julius Trimble:you can embrace a ministry that has an impact on children, I
Bishop Julius Trimble:strongly encourage persons to consider becoming foster parents
Bishop Julius Trimble:that consider becoming adoptive parents. And if you're not a
Bishop Julius Trimble:foster parents, or adoptive parents, how might you be
Bishop Julius Trimble:supportive of those who are we have three children, three
Bishop Julius Trimble:children's homes who provide all kinds of services for the most
Bishop Julius Trimble:vulnerable and often difficult, difficult cases where children
Bishop Julius Trimble:have not don't have safe homes. And we have been supportive of
Bishop Julius Trimble:that I say that everyone can find something at a local level,
Bishop Julius Trimble:to be engaged in through our local congregations, through our
Bishop Julius Trimble:local communities through our boys and girls clubs, or any
Bishop Julius Trimble:organization that is having an impact for children, and or
Bishop Julius Trimble:others elder care, for example. Sure, there are all kinds, there
Bishop Julius Trimble:are all kinds of things that we can engage in, that are
Bishop Julius Trimble:expressions of our Christian witness as well.
Brad Miller:I love that because we're really talking here about
Brad Miller:connecting up with and reaching out to the most vulnerable of
Brad Miller:our society, children and others who are underserved or in need.
Brad Miller:And when you do that, I think we can eat, we can go to a
Brad Miller:spiritual place when you live out your faith, you get affirmed
Brad Miller:that okay? When we see that child served or that elder
Brad Miller:person who has been comforted, there is a God, there is
Brad Miller:something bigger, there is something bigger than just a
Brad Miller:good deed done. There is a spiritual realm to this and
Brad Miller:let's go there for a second let's talk about kind of
Brad Miller:spirituality and faith in terms of perhaps even spiritual
Brad Miller:warfare. Let's talk about what happens to people when they live
Brad Miller:out of faithful life. Maybe something out of Scripture means
Brad Miller:something of your own experience about the spiritual realm when
Brad Miller:it comes to a life of faith and even going against the evil one.
Brad Miller:So everything to say about that, I think
Bishop Julius Trimble:in the Bible, it talks about what
Bishop Julius Trimble:Galatians it talks about the, the work of the Spirit versus
Bishop Julius Trimble:the work of the flesh. And and there is this notion, it's not
Bishop Julius Trimble:just a notion, what we are up against not are in direct
Bishop Julius Trimble:spiritual forces in evil, often in high places. So I believe
Bishop Julius Trimble:that one of our greatest weapons, if you will, is our
Bishop Julius Trimble:foundation in prayer. Second Chronicles 714. If my people God
Bishop Julius Trimble:speaks to the writer, If my people who are called by my name
Bishop Julius Trimble:will humble themselves, and pray, then I will hear them from
Bishop Julius Trimble:heaven. So I think our first weapon, if you will, our first,
Bishop Julius Trimble:defense and offense is to be grounded in prayer. Often people
Bishop Julius Trimble:make reference to spiritualist related to our relationship and
Bishop Julius Trimble:our walk with God. Some people say they're spiritual, but not
Bishop Julius Trimble:religious. Some people and I heard what authors say when
Bishop Julius Trimble:people say they're spiritual, but not religious, they are
Bishop Julius Trimble:sometimes neither spiritual or religious. So when we say we
Bishop Julius Trimble:walk with God, often that's expressed through our particular
Bishop Julius Trimble:religion, I happen to be a Christian, who is a United
Bishop Julius Trimble:Methodist. That's my denominational expression. But I
Bishop Julius Trimble:also have a spiritual relationship, a spiritual, I am
Bishop Julius Trimble:working on my own spiritual growth, my relationship with
Bishop Julius Trimble:God, so that I might be fortified. And be prepared. As
Bishop Julius Trimble:my mother would say, when you leave the house, he was a put on
Bishop Julius Trimble:a whole armor of the Lord. Because wherever you go, you're
Bishop Julius Trimble:going to be faced with all kinds of challenges, the spiritual, as
Bishop Julius Trimble:well as the temple,
Brad Miller:we run into folks, quite often, really, especially
Brad Miller:during this time of COVID. And just a protracted time of
Brad Miller:stress, not only COVID, but you know, economically and racially,
Brad Miller:and all kinds of things are just happening in our world. But
Brad Miller:someone will say something, and I know I've experienced this
Brad Miller:recently, oh, my faith has waned, or I've lost my faith, or
Brad Miller:my faith left me. So what do you think are some responses we can
Brad Miller:make as Christians, men and women of faith church folks of
Brad Miller:faith? What kind of responses can we make to folks who have
Brad Miller:this experience either on our families, our churches, co
Brad Miller:workers, so what somebody says, My faith is weighed, or my faith
Brad Miller:is gone, I think we
Bishop Julius Trimble:need to listen. And we need to not
Bishop Julius Trimble:contradict them when they say my faith is rain or my faith is
Bishop Julius Trimble:gone. But this is an is an opportunity, personal
Bishop Julius Trimble:encouragement to say your faith may may have waned in your feet,
Bishop Julius Trimble:you may feel as though your faith is gone. But I want to
Bishop Julius Trimble:walk with you because I am evidence that God cares about
Bishop Julius Trimble:you. And so I'm an expression of your faith. So so as a friend,
Bishop Julius Trimble:or as a friend, or a witness, a Christian witness, we can
Bishop Julius Trimble:actually bolster someone's faith who says My faith is, is way my
Bishop Julius Trimble:faith is gone. I pray to God and this did not happen the way I
Bishop Julius Trimble:expected to happen. I was hoping that my loved one would be we be
Bishop Julius Trimble:with me for next year's anniversary celebration and they
Bishop Julius Trimble:die. My faith is is wane, your faith may have waned, but your
Bishop Julius Trimble:faith is not lost. Your faith is not lost, because it is not just
Bishop Julius Trimble:about our belief in God. I think it's also God's belief in us.
Bishop Julius Trimble:That's where where grace is so important. Read the unmerited
Bishop Julius Trimble:love that God has for us. The favor that has been placed
Bishop Julius Trimble:inside of us is still there, even when our fate has waned. So
Bishop Julius Trimble:the grace is not, Grace has not left us even when our faith is
Bishop Julius Trimble:weighing. And so it's a matter of living long enough. And
Bishop Julius Trimble:others often being the conduit for which God can resurrect, if
Bishop Julius Trimble:you will, that faith that spark that hope. And often when
Bishop Julius Trimble:people's say their faith is weighing is because hope has
Bishop Julius Trimble:been DAST. Yes, is is something something, something has
Bishop Julius Trimble:happened or something has not happened. That has das their,
Bishop Julius Trimble:their their sense of hope. Sometimes it's a season. It's a
Bishop Julius Trimble:season, and sometimes it is something that really requires
Bishop Julius Trimble:us simply walk alongside those person.
Brad Miller:And certainly that's a time when someone comes
Brad Miller:to us or we're aware that someone says My faith is wane or
Brad Miller:my faith is lost. It's not the time for anything that could be
Brad Miller:construed as condemnation or judgment. That's the time for
Brad Miller:grace and love, and care and presence. And I think he used a
Brad Miller:good word a few minutes ago listening as well, in terms of
Brad Miller:this, because faith is challenged these days, I noticed
Brad Miller:that Google does or Google does report you know, they're a
Brad Miller:search engine report at the end of the each year and you're 21
Brad Miller:They said what was the top searches in Google and the top
Brad Miller:search item and Google for 2021 was the Raise, how can I heal?
Brad Miller:How can I? And so I just think it says a lot about the hunger
Brad Miller:that people have for a healing and wholeness and completeness
Brad Miller:and dealing with a lack of faith and things of that nature. So
Brad Miller:let's turn then from that kind of thing to what then can we
Brad Miller:build on? What are some ways that people can build their
Brad Miller:faith or free construct something here? Or what are some
Brad Miller:practices or things that you do? Or that we can do that in the
Brad Miller:church that help people build faith? You know, we there's lots
Brad Miller:of images here on Hebrews 11. Look at that people who had Abel
Brad Miller:and Noah and Abraham, someone who had their faith challenged,
Brad Miller:and still came through, but time just like your take on this, how
Brad Miller:do we build faith?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I've got Again, refer to our purpose is
Bishop Julius Trimble:love. It's the subtitle to David feels book, our purpose is love,
Bishop Julius Trimble:is the Wesleyan way to be the church. And one of the things we
Bishop Julius Trimble:know from the Wesleyan perspective, Wesleyan theology
Bishop Julius Trimble:is that small groups, or are the walking alongside people, the
Bishop Julius Trimble:Bible says Where two or three are gathered, where two or three
Bishop Julius Trimble:are gathered, we know that we can draw strength one from
Bishop Julius Trimble:another. So I think one of the one of the practices that I have
Bishop Julius Trimble:is to draw strength from others, through prayer, and through
Bishop Julius Trimble:covenant accountability. I have a cabinet group, a group of
Bishop Julius Trimble:folks, we all read the same daily devotional, the upper room
Bishop Julius Trimble:daily devotional, we follow the lectionary, the Scripture
Bishop Julius Trimble:reading for the day, and for the week, and we pray one for
Bishop Julius Trimble:another prayer partners, I think we could if we could multiply
Bishop Julius Trimble:the people that say that say, I pray for you, Brad, you pray for
Bishop Julius Trimble:me, then I know that, that I can, I can make it, I know that
Bishop Julius Trimble:I can make it not my and my faith can be bolstered and my
Bishop Julius Trimble:hope can be fortified. Because I know that I'm not walking this
Bishop Julius Trimble:life journey in isolation, couple
Brad Miller:things that are just so important three things,
Brad Miller:at least, from what you just shared their small groups we're
Brad Miller:in, and a part of the small groups could be accountability
Brad Miller:partners, and then also daily, the daily discipline of
Brad Miller:Scripture and devotion. And I think that's so important to
Brad Miller:building our faith because you can be disciplined even when you
Brad Miller:don't feel like it, you know, I went and worked out this
Brad Miller:morning, I didn't really feel like it in my local gym, you
Brad Miller:know, a roll out of bed went anyhow, you know, and we tend to
Brad Miller:want to have daily habits of eating and drinking and things
Brad Miller:like that we got to do stuff on a daily basis, we do that that's
Brad Miller:going to be good thing. But I think one of the things that's
Brad Miller:different about our time here, and we can be creative a little
Brad Miller:bit, and maybe certain things like to be encouraged Podcasts
Brad Miller:can be helpful to people, is to find other ways to making that
Brad Miller:connection. For instance, some people met in small groups,
Brad Miller:Sunday school classes, what have you in person, and maybe more
Brad Miller:more that's happening over zoom and things like that. We're
Brad Miller:going to be very intentional about it. And so I just think
Brad Miller:it's a part of what we need to be we have to be intentional
Brad Miller:about our faith building personally. And with others go
Brad Miller:with that for a second, how what are some ways that we can be
Brad Miller:intentional in our faith building with other people?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Yeah, I was in a meeting just recently,
Bishop Julius Trimble:and, and during the course of the meeting, someone was saying
Bishop Julius Trimble:that they'd done something that, that they felt like a
Bishop Julius Trimble:disappointment to the group and so forth. And one of our
Bishop Julius Trimble:colleagues said, just stopped him and said, In the name of
Bishop Julius Trimble:Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Oh, man. And it was such a
Bishop Julius Trimble:powerful moment. There was a little smile, and maybe even a
Bishop Julius Trimble:little laughter because, but but but but it was so meaningful,
Brad Miller:but the sentiment was real, right?
Bishop Julius Trimble:It was real, it was real. Sure. And you
Bishop Julius Trimble:said the top Google search and 2021 was how can I heal? I
Bishop Julius Trimble:believe God can use a podcast, to communicate to someone that
Bishop Julius Trimble:they are loved. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Your healing has already started. And that's the message
Bishop Julius Trimble:that I think we can we can we can share. We can share that
Bishop Julius Trimble:without restrictions without cost that people can hear in the
Bishop Julius Trimble:name of Jesus Christ. Whatever you've done, you are forgiven,
Bishop Julius Trimble:go for sin no more. Begin your healing right now.
Brad Miller:Well, that's awesome. And that also is a tool
Brad Miller:for perseverance, a tool for perseverance that we can keep
Brad Miller:going on to do to do that. And that's part of our mission. I
Brad Miller:know it's part of your mission. Here is one of the reasons you
Brad Miller:wanted to do that be encouraged a podcast just to be an ongoing
Brad Miller:voice of encouragement for folks, and to speak it to their
Brad Miller:life. And we're talking today about faith and we're going to
Brad Miller:continue this process over the next couple of our episodes.
Brad Miller:We're going to talk about perseverance and being
Brad Miller:encouraged that about the church on another Episode and about
Brad Miller:society how we reflect that in the future. Let's give a little
Brad Miller:preview of that. How important is it that we persevere in our
Brad Miller:church in our society, as just a tidbit of what we're going to
Brad Miller:talk for the next couple of weeks?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I got churches are essential to the
Bishop Julius Trimble:healing of the world. Someone has said in the past, you know,
Bishop Julius Trimble:if your church disappeared, what would your community miss it?
Bishop Julius Trimble:And I hope the answer is yes, because I hope that our
Bishop Julius Trimble:churches, smaller, large, they're located, there was an
Bishop Julius Trimble:accident just recently of a helicopter, they crashed. Was it
Bishop Julius Trimble:in Philadelphia? I don't know if you saw that news. In the news.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Yes, I saw that. And people survive crash right next to a
Bishop Julius Trimble:church. I'd like to think that too often when they're so often
Bishop Julius Trimble:when their helicopter crashes, people don't survive. Right. I
Bishop Julius Trimble:like to think that there's something symbolic about that,
Bishop Julius Trimble:that next to the church, that somehow that the that God's
Bishop Julius Trimble:presence made a difference. And I pray that the pilot and others
Bishop Julius Trimble:will recover. From that accident, we are so important,
Bishop Julius Trimble:our witness, our church's witness, so important for people
Bishop Julius Trimble:to recognize that this life journey can happen full of joy.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Even when we are faced with all of the interruptions of life. I
Bishop Julius Trimble:believe that joy does not have to be compromised. Nor do we
Bishop Julius Trimble:have to assume that we can not walk this journey with others.
Bishop Julius Trimble:There's an African proverb that says if you want to walk fast,
Bishop Julius Trimble:walk alone. But if you want to walk far walk together, the
Bishop Julius Trimble:church is an opportunity. In fact, the only organization
Bishop Julius Trimble:that's really organized for people that are not already in
Bishop Julius Trimble:the church, our purpose, our purpose is really not for those,
Bishop Julius Trimble:but for those who have not yet not become part of it. So the
Bishop Julius Trimble:church matters tremendously. You hear me say that during the
Bishop Julius Trimble:podcast, but people inside of the church matter. And I'd like
Bishop Julius Trimble:to dedicate this first podcast, Mrs. Louise Oliver from
Bishop Julius Trimble:Cleveland, Ohio, a lay woman who passed recently in recent weeks.
Bishop Julius Trimble:I remember going to Cleveland, Ohio as a new pastor, then they
Bishop Julius Trimble:tend to call me a young pastor. Now now I'm an elder in the
Bishop Julius Trimble:church. But I remember coming in hearing her sing in the Gospel
Bishop Julius Trimble:Choir, leading a song, I got a row, spiritual, I got a room,
Bishop Julius Trimble:you got a room, all God's children got a row when I get to
Bishop Julius Trimble:heaven, I'm going to put on my robe. And I'm going to shout all
Bishop Julius Trimble:over God's heaven knees, Oliver, was just a wonderful spirit. And
Bishop Julius Trimble:she and her husband and her family were great encouragers,
Bishop Julius Trimble:to whoever the pastor would be. And when I came to be a new
Bishop Julius Trimble:pastor, God always plants people like that in the church. And I
Bishop Julius Trimble:was blessed by as Oliver, but also was blessed because she
Bishop Julius Trimble:made wonderful peach cobbler. She was a great, she was a great
Bishop Julius Trimble:cook. And she would say, Pastor, you know, I just want you to
Bishop Julius Trimble:know this a peach cobbler with your name on it over at the
Bishop Julius Trimble:house. And we will certainly make it an opportunity. So God
Bishop Julius Trimble:bless the encourages. You don't have to be ordained to be
Bishop Julius Trimble:embraced administrative encouraged and you don't have to
Bishop Julius Trimble:be a biblical scholar to read your Bible and allow that Bible
Bishop Julius Trimble:to inform your living. And Mrs. Oliver is an example of that.
Bishop Julius Trimble:And I dedicate this podcast to the memory of Mrs. Mrs. Oliver a
Bishop Julius Trimble:great encouraged her she and her family.
Brad Miller:But she sound like a great, great role model for
Brad Miller:you and what we're all about here on the be encouraged to
Brad Miller:podcast with Bishop Julius C. Trouble. I want to remind
Brad Miller:everybody that you can connect up to this podcast at the
Brad Miller:website to be encouraged calm to be E, E and CLR ag ed, calm and
Brad Miller:Apple podcasts in other places. So let me leave you with this
Brad Miller:thought Bishop than I'd like for you to pray some of you will,
Brad Miller:misses all of our sound like a great example of this. One of
Brad Miller:the great passages about faith is from from Hebrews chapter 11.
Brad Miller:And verses 39 and 40 say this all were commended for their
Brad Miller:faith like this is all over yet none of them receive what I've
Brad Miller:been promised. So it's God's plan something better for us. So
Brad Miller:only together would they be made perfect.
Bishop Julius Trimble:I Lord. So would you
Brad Miller:just speak to anything you want to speak to
Brad Miller:about this and pray us out?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I think only together they will be made
Bishop Julius Trimble:we will be made perfect. God's presence is with all those who
Bishop Julius Trimble:have been faithful. And I believe that the Reverend Dr.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Martin Luther King Jr. People from our own family, people
Bishop Julius Trimble:famous and people that never made it to the headlines of any
Bishop Julius Trimble:any paper or article are cheering us on. From the great
Bishop Julius Trimble:cloud of witnesses. We are made stronger together in Christ
Bishop Julius Trimble:Jesus. Let me close let me close in prayer with the words of this
Bishop Julius Trimble:song, lead me, guide me along the way. For if you lead me, I
Bishop Julius Trimble:cannot stray. Lord, let us walk each day with the lead me. Oh,
Bishop Julius Trimble:Lord, lead me, Lord, lead us, guide us along the way. For we
Bishop Julius Trimble:know if you lead us we cannot stray. Lord, let us walk one
Bishop Julius Trimble:with another knowing that as we walk together in encouragement,
Bishop Julius Trimble:that we will be able to face the challenges of life and nothing.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Bishop Julius Trimble:Lord. Thank you. Oh God, for those who hear this podcast, may
Bishop Julius Trimble:they know that they are loved. And there is nothing they can do
Bishop Julius Trimble:about a man
Brad Miller:friends. You've been listening to the inaugural
Brad Miller:episode of the B and couraged podcast with Bishop Julius C.
Brad Miller:Triple. Thank you for joining us.
