1 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:06,800 Welcome back to the Grace Church Members Podcast. 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,840 I'm Whitney Manus and today we're continuing our series on 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,320 Front Porch Housing to celebrate their two year anniversary by 4 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:15,280 hearing stories from 2 residents. 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,800 First, I had the pleasure to talk with Nathan. 6 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,600 He and his 12 year old daughter have been at Front Porch for 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,760 about 8 months as we're recording here. 8 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:25,520 And then I spoke with Graham, who has been a resident for 9 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,440 almost two years. I'm so excited for you to hear 10 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,439 both of these interviews as they showcase daily life at 1433 11 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:33,280 Cleveland. St. 12 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,680 Nathan, thank you so much for joining us today. 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,280 Thanks for having me. So Nathan, tell us a little bit 14 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,400 about just what has your experience been like while 15 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:44,720 you've been living at Front Porch? 16 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,640 Yeah, I would say the first questions that came to mind were 17 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:53,520 surprising and unexpected of just coming in. 18 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:59,680 Have been in a season of a lot of stress and uncertainty and 19 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,320 instability. And just to be able to come in 20 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:08,320 quickly and feel welcomed with practical things of furniture 21 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,640 and things that needed around the apartment for myself and my 22 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,720 daughter, just to be at home quickly. 23 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:19,760 The hospitableness there from everybody on campus, every staff 24 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:25,320 member was just so welcoming and then just very quickly upon 25 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:29,320 moving in just to feel overwhelming gratitude and so 26 00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:32,600 humbled at the opportunity to be able to to live there and 27 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,960 participate in the community. Yeah, and that's great. 28 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:37,680 I love, I love hearing about that. 29 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,920 What have been just like some of the wins and personal 30 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,760 celebrations that you've had while you've been at Front 31 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,840 Porch? Yeah, I would say in tandem with 32 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,520 just it being able to be a safe and stable place, but to 33 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,600 reconnect with what it means to be healthy and well for me 34 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:00,440 that's been to be able to express creativeness, caring, 35 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,200 connected with others, those are things that not necessarily been 36 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,800 able to express as well. So just to be able to have that 37 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,160 safe stable place and get out from under the the stressors and 38 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,320 then just practically completed the money matters class and able 39 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,960 to participate in the the savings match program that front 40 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,360 Porch offers there. Being able to help create and 41 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:29,480 roll out a fun scavenger hunt Front porch frogs project with 42 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,240 my daughter and that to be able to be something that the 43 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,400 community can can engage around. And then just connecting and 44 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,280 forming relationships with other residents. 45 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:44,640 Coming out of a season where can feel very lonely and then into a 46 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:48,760 fresh place where it can feel very humbling and overwhelming. 47 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,520 But to have so many other people around me that are coming out of 48 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,680 similar seasons and it just, it, it really echoed a lot of the 49 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:02,400 things I experienced in in Regen graduated that early last year 50 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,080 And just you know, to be able to have a place where you can be 51 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:11,680 yourself and not to always have to be in hiding so to speak, 52 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,000 that has been, I would say a huge, huge thing to celebrate. 53 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,480 Yeah, absolutely. And it's cool to see just the 54 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,040 partnership between Regent and just all of Money Matters, all 55 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,680 these other opportunities to, yeah, just pursue Wellness, 56 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,800 pursue healthiness and stability. 57 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:33,480 You mentioned a space to be able to pursue creativity and even a 58 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,240 scavenger hunt that you've done with your daughter. 59 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:37,240 Tell me a little bit about that. What did you guys do? 60 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,080 Yeah. So my daughter and I were just 61 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,520 out to lunch one day and randomly saw some birds like in 62 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,360 the rafters of of this restaurant. 63 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,520 And then we were talking about mice on Main downtown Greenville 64 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,760 and how that's just a really fun thing for people visiting or or 65 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,000 what not. And then she doesn't want to 66 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,680 take credit for the idea, but she came up with the idea of, 67 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,040 well, what if we did something similar around the front porch 68 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:04,160 campus. And so we came up with this idea 69 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,160 of front porch frogs over the course of a lunch. 70 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,840 We use ChatGPT to help us create some scavenger hunt clues and 71 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,360 then later that turned into a whole story that we were able to 72 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,880 read at story time one day. And then a creative hobby that 73 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,840 that I've gotten into and and my daughter as well has been 3D 74 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,320 printing. So we were able to go back and 75 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,920 create a initial prototype and then present that with with 76 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:31,800 Leanne. And then Leanne of course took 77 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,360 it to the next level and had reedy there from from the drive 78 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,640 when we launched it and was able to arrange for some ball game 79 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,600 tickets. And so we just really hope it's 80 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,160 an opportunity for kids to gather around campus, have 81 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,600 something healthy that they can connect together with, connect 82 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,960 to the staff with and just you know, really be something that 83 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,760 becomes somewhat of a a mascot a front porch. 84 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,040 The the story that we wrote is about these frogs in transition 85 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,360 and going through changes and uncertainty. 86 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,480 And that's what all of us at Front Porch are coming out of 87 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,600 and coming into this, this new welcoming environment. 88 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,840 And so we've got ideas to kind of create this Bernstein bears 89 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:18,040 sort of series of the books. And the next one would be, you 90 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,080 know, settling in and and making friends and then you know what 91 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,880 it looks like to grow once you have some of those, those basic 92 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:28,160 things provided for. What a cool thing. 93 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,120 Something we want to highlight about Front Porch, first of all, 94 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,400 is the importance of having fun, especially when you've been in a 95 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,480 season of instability and uncertainty. 96 00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:41,760 That's just something that you know you can take for granted a 97 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,040 little bit. And so when you have an 98 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:49,040 opportunity to really just have fun and be creative, like that's 99 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,320 something that we're really able to bring to the forefront and 100 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,520 just the freedom of front porch housing, I think to bring your 101 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,240 gifts, that's something that we've talked about a lot of 102 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,320 whatever gifts that you have, there's a place to bring those 103 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,440 at front porch and to be able to use those well. 104 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,520 So we just really encourage anybody who's listening, like 105 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,440 whatever skills you have, whether it's 3D printing or 106 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,400 you've played around in chat, GPTA, little bit or artistic, 107 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,880 cars, finances, really whatever you have. 108 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,960 Like there is just a need. And as a community, like, we 109 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,440 really want to bring those to bear and use those in a way that 110 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,360 is honoring the Lord and being able to love others well. 111 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,560 Yeah, for sure. And that it was really cool 112 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:36,040 timing with the sermon series that we did last summer on using 113 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,680 your resources well. And that's something I've always 114 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,280 felt challenged on that whatever we have our our time, our money, 115 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:46,120 our talents are not just for ourselves. 116 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,080 And so to come into an environment and be able to have 117 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,560 the opportunity for those things and to see the really 118 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,520 disproportionate impact that those can make buying somebody a 119 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:04,000 meal or sharing your leftovers or a project that you never know 120 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,400 what it's going to blow up into. Yeah, and a lot of that does 121 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,480 come back to this idea of stewardship of light. 122 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:11,800 We're just offering up to the Lord what he's already given to 123 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:16,800 us and entrusting him to use that to build his Kingdom and to 124 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:18,200 bless others. That's awesome. 125 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,640 Yeah, for sure. What has been unique about just 126 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,960 the work that front porch is doing as as you've been around? 127 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,400 I think the really cool, unique opportunity at this season in 128 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,000 Front Porch is that it's still new. 129 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,840 The staff does not pretend just to have everything all figured 130 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,600 out. So that entrepreneurial spirit 131 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,080 of, well, let's figure out what story time looks like in these 132 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,960 children's programs. And so learning to adapt and 133 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:50,000 change has been really cool to see, even in in the short amount 134 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,280 of time that I've been there And that this isn't something where 135 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,040 you come in and it's just a regimented structure and 136 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,880 constrained to the exact operating procedures that 137 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:02,520 somebody's already outlined, right. 138 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:06,080 And so personally, I've experienced the uniqueness of 139 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,000 the care that has been shown to me. 140 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,280 It's incredibly generous that at Front Porch we have the care 141 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,680 coordinators and you have a dedicated person that's there to 142 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,880 help make sure that you're successful and to take the time 143 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,120 to understand what success means for you. 144 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,400 And I felt that from day one when I initially did an 145 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,080 interview with the staff that, you know, we're just asking 146 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,919 questions about where I was coming from, what my goals would 147 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:39,280 be in having this place. And then just daily of getting 148 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,840 off a phone call with my care coordinator an hour ago and 149 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,880 talking through some real time things going on. 150 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:49,200 And him to be able to be a sounding board, a safe place 151 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:54,080 that knows the reality of the circumstances and also somebody 152 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,600 I can trust that knows the intentions of my heart. 153 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:02,560 And so, you know, just another plug for Regen if if you have 154 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:06,440 not gone through that, whether you're in a season of stress or 155 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,720 not, but if you're feeling, you know, lonely or overwhelmed or 156 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,960 unequipped in whatever you're going through, definitely helps 157 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,520 to provide some some foundational building blocks to 158 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,840 to really help care for yourself in a in a gospel centric way. 159 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:28,000 And so I think the work of that through 2022 and then early 2023 160 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,080 really just revealed to me what it what it meant to be a child 161 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,400 of God. What it meant to be to love, to 162 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:41,120 be loved, to feel valued. And then coming in the front 163 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,640 porch. Now it's the hands and the feet 164 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:49,000 of what can often seem like theoretical concepts and not 165 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,440 really experienced by people at times, sadly. 166 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:58,680 And so just to come in and if it's just a hug that I need or 167 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:04,920 it's going for a walk, inventing to have that kind of curated 168 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:09,040 sort of care has been huge. And so, like, just experiencing 169 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:13,400 that myself and knowing that others have experienced that as 170 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,200 well, it's awesome. Yeah, yeah. 171 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,720 If y'all have been around for a little bit, just as we've talked 172 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,200 about front porch housing, we use this language of not 173 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:24,880 affordable housing, but supportive housing. 174 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:26,960 And I mean, that's really important to us. 175 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,680 Like that is key to the identity of the work that they're trying 176 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:34,320 to do that yeah, there are physical needs that need to be 177 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,960 met. There's emotional, mental needs. 178 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,600 And so we're really just trying to support the whole person, 179 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,520 spiritual needs as well. And care coordinators are a huge 180 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,360 part of that. So like you, like you just said, 181 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,000 all of our residents have their own care coordinators that are 182 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,800 checking in, seeing what they need, seeing what resources they 183 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,200 can provide for them. And that is a huge part of our 184 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,600 residents success is that they're able to be just really 185 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,760 personally, uniquely cared for. And then you've also talked 186 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:04,880 about being a dad. So tell us a little bit just of 187 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,160 how Front Porch has been able to support you specifically in that 188 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:09,880 way? Yeah. 189 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:15,920 So I think it's really been leapfrogging off of connecting 190 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,040 again with what it is to be healthy and well. 191 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:24,080 No pun intended on frog, right? And so you know it. 192 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,480 It's a challenge when when you're a parent, you know, 193 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:28,800 children don't remember what they say, what you say, they 194 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,040 remember what you do. And that's been weighing heavy 195 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:36,560 on me the last last few years that am I leading by example of 196 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:39,360 the things that I'm trying to challenge and grow my daughter 197 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,800 in. And so when I tell my daughter 198 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,440 you're loved, you're valuable, you're worthy. 199 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:50,880 Children are remarkably perceptive and can tell when you 200 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,800 might say that but not truly mean it, and if you don't mean 201 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,960 it authentically yourself, they can see through that. 202 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:02,840 And so I think that's been the number one way for me is being 203 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:08,040 able to to be my full self and walk in the the man, the Nathan 204 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:13,760 that God made me to be distinct from roles as you know an 205 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,440 employee, a father or husband whatever else it might be 206 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,560 because primarily we're children of God. 207 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:26,600 And so trying to model that in a in a healthier way because you 208 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,040 know if I can launch her into adulthood understanding that 209 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:36,080 health as a person is about so much more than just good grades 210 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:39,760 or good friends or a nice house or a good job. 211 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,280 And it's about having good spiritual and mental and 212 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:47,640 emotional health and then trusting God for so many of the 213 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,640 other things. And so out of that just, you 214 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,120 know, being able to overflow creativity. 215 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,600 And I'm an accountant working in consulting a lot of numbers and 216 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:03,520 stuff, but also was an English major and so I'm kind of a a 217 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:08,520 weird cookie but have tried to fit myself into certain molds in 218 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:12,480 a box throughout my career. And so just to have ways to 219 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,760 connect with the creative side of myself more in the 3D 220 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:22,160 printing or art classes or whatever it might be and helping 221 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,520 her to see that, you know, you can be so much more than just 222 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,880 whatever career you have. And so practically just the 3D 223 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,640 printing like we talked about has been a lot of fun Christmas. 224 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,320 All of our Christmas ornaments were 3D printed. 225 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:40,640 Things that she found and the front porch frogs and then some 226 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,760 prizes that we've we've made for that for the kids has just been 227 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,520 really cool. And then to see her overflow 228 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,920 from that, you know she enjoys just making things for her 229 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:54,480 friends. She's amazingly generous and 230 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,680 that's just truly what I think is, is a gifting of hers. 231 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:02,120 And so to give her opportunities for that. 232 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:07,440 And then I would say living at Front Porch gives you a unique 233 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,680 opportunity to have exposure to so many others that are going 234 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,920 through different life circumstances, people that are 235 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,480 going through the the residence program, but then you also have 236 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,840 those through United Ministries. And so I was feeling really 237 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,120 challenged. Listen to the church podcast 238 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:32,720 episode that talked through the Israeli conflict and so forth 239 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:38,280 and just gives a new perspective to those that might be coming 240 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:44,760 out of history as a refugee. And so makes our hearts so happy 241 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,960 to see some of these kids that like have a ball and that just 242 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,080 brings them so much joy and happiness or the way in which 243 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,200 the kids really you have a different sense of community 244 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,440 when you have that common background. 245 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:03,200 So just to even have some level of proximity to that and get out 246 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:07,800 of just the cookie cutter environment that most of us are 247 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:12,440 accustomed to has has truly been a blessing for me and and a 248 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,960 blessing to be able to to have that for my daughter. 249 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,040 Yeah, that is, that is really cool. 250 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,840 And it just it strikes me that like, as a church, a lot of 251 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,280 times we're just talking about this idea of being around people 252 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,280 who are not like you. And OK, where does that really 253 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,440 come from? Well, if we're all created in 254 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,760 the image of God, we're all image bearers, whether we're 255 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:40,720 believers or not. Like there's just beauty to be 256 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,920 gleaned from all experiences, and you certainly get that at 257 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,760 front porch. And it's such a blessing, 258 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,240 especially in a world where you know more often than not 259 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,320 depending on your job. Like, you're probably working 260 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,080 alongside people who are somewhat similar to you in many 261 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,240 ways. And so being in a place where 262 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,160 you are shoulder to shoulder playing soccer or doing an art 263 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,840 class next to somebody who just has a different story is really 264 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,240 powerful. And just exactly what you said 265 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,000 that especially for kids like they're developing a world view. 266 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,160 And so for your daughter to be exposed and just have this idea 267 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,080 that, OK, not everybody is living the same life that I'm 268 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:23,800 living is really valuable. And there is a lot that she will 269 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:28,400 learn about her creator and her earthly father and her heavenly 270 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,600 Father through that of, yeah, these are the kinds of things 271 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,720 that my dad was talking to me about even now. 272 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,440 And this is how I saw him care for himself and Percy, what it 273 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,760 looked like to be whole in Christ and all aspects of life. 274 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,720 Like, it's just really, really cool. 275 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,520 Yeah. Is there anything else that you 276 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,240 would add or that you wanted to talk about that we haven't 277 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,680 mentioned? Yeah, I would just say that one 278 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:57,120 of the the biggest things that I've come to realize and that I 279 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,080 think is really a big misconception within the church 280 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:05,480 is what it what it looks like to serve in healthy ways. 281 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:10,560 And so the the thing that I've realized is that you can't be 282 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,839 well for others if you're not well yourself. 283 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:21,480 And so I think there can be a a toxic kind of sacrilege at times 284 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:26,200 to where we don't care for ourselves as God's creatures 285 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,360 that he he has made us to be. You know, we're again, we're 286 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:33,760 just coming off Easter weekend. And you know, it's honestly 287 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:38,120 overwhelming to me when you think about that Jesus died, God 288 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,080 died. And he would have done that for 289 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:49,320 any one of us individually. And so if God places that worth 290 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:54,640 over my life, then nothing more is going to add to it or take 291 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,240 away from it. And so walking in that and 292 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:02,480 seeking to be the the fullest person that God has created us 293 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,600 to be intellectually, emotionally, creatively, 294 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,080 emotionally has been a a huge one for me to to try to digest 295 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:15,240 that our emotions, our emotions are not this evil thing from the 296 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:19,160 devil, but the, you know, they, they are God's gift to help us 297 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,520 to be able to connect with ourselves and connect with 298 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,680 others well. And so you know I would just 299 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,280 encourage anyone out there that that's listening to this front 300 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:32,480 porch is a place where as residents we get you know really 301 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:36,320 the unique opportunity day in, day out to be exposed to this. 302 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,520 But that there's so many opportunities to come in and 303 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,560 just meet with residents, interact with them, walk around 304 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,640 campus and help pick up trash for a couple hours and just see 305 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:53,560 the the culture around, find ways to to involve yourself. 306 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,600 You know it's you don't have to go pay thousands of dollars and 307 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,360 travel to a third world country to do missions. 308 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:02,880 There's so many place, front porch house is just an example. 309 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,760 But there's so many places around the Greenville community 310 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:11,080 to do missions and to, you know, put yourself in an opportunity 311 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,360 to serve others that are less fortunate than yourself and to 312 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,160 really appreciate the the stance that you have in life and the 313 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:20,920 giftings that you have to share with others. 314 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,760 I'm here today with Graham, who is a resident at Front Porch 315 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:31,240 Housing. Graham, thanks so much for 316 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,120 joining us today. Thank you for having me. 317 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:34,680 Yeah, I was. Glad to have you. 318 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,800 Well, we'd really love to just hear what What has your 319 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,520 experience been like as you've been a resident at Front Porch? 320 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,960 My experience has been quite a journey. 321 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,160 My background has come from a lot of addiction and things like 322 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,880 that. But but deeper than that, most 323 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,040 of my life I've tried to be something that I'm not and it 324 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:56,480 has cost me every time at front porch. 325 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:00,720 I belong not just and I I don't just know that because someone 326 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:07,960 told me, but because Miss Leanne, Brian and Marcus, they 327 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,840 they work. Wholeheartedly, and I'm sure 328 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:12,520 they do. I I know that they do with 329 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,840 others, but I mean I have just experienced them showing me that 330 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,320 I belong day in and day out, some really critical moments in 331 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:24,000 life. Miss Leanne in particular, at A 332 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,120 at a funeral service one day. It's a guy that had I'd gone 333 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:31,440 through overcomers with he had overdosed and I was I was really 334 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,320 sad. She she was at the service. 335 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,080 She comes up to me and she she asked me if I want to escape. 336 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:41,520 You know, she asked me how I'm feeling in this in in that 337 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,200 moment. And I I don't really remember 338 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,080 what it was I told her, but I know she put a hand on each of 339 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,240 my shoulders and she looked me right in my eyes and she said, I 340 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,840 love you just the way you are. I said I love the the real you. 341 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:01,560 I felt the freedom to ugly cry on that woman's shoulder and 342 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,760 little things like that I I, which I don't really consider a 343 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,800 little thing, but things like that help me go from my head to 344 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,720 my heart and believe that I belong there, yeah. 345 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:16,160 What is just such a powerful example of what it is to be seen 346 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,760 and to be known? Like for her to know that? 347 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,000 That's the question that needs to be asked in a moment. 348 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,280 I love that you talked about belonging. 349 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,080 For those of Y'all listening, if you haven't been to front porch, 350 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,440 when you walk into the clubhouse, on the the wall up 351 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:33,720 there it says you belong and and and what does it mean to you to 352 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:35,600 to belong in a place like front porch? 353 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,840 I do I. I have a lot of baggage, things 354 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,320 that they have helped me with, the things like parenting. 355 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,920 So in my addiction, I I lost custody of my children whom I 356 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,440 have for the whole week this week, which is awesome. 357 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,520 They are at they are at Front Porch right now playing soccer 358 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,560 and very excited about that. And one of the cool things is I 359 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,520 live in an apartment with three other guys. 360 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,760 So that's not an environment where you can have your your 361 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,080 children. They would probably love it and 362 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,120 all that great stuff. But you know that's just that's 363 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:08,920 just not, not not how you do it And so they have a family 364 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,320 apartment. So we've been able to use that 365 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:14,760 this week. It's been no extra calls to me, 366 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,880 which is awesome. The parenting classes, Miss Beth 367 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:24,120 Drake and Josh Lufkin and his and his wife and they they 368 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:27,920 walked us through these parenting classes and seeing 369 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,200 that you're not alone. You're you're in there, you 370 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,800 know, knee deep in a common struggle with other residents. 371 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,600 Sometimes you see these huge problems in front of you, like 372 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,960 going through the courts and everything like that in the 373 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,680 process of getting custody back. And it just seems so 374 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,640 intimidating and everything and we were in the first meeting of 375 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,000 of our parenting class and this young lady stands up and and she 376 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,640 was sharing her experience. She had already completed the 377 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:58,440 family's count course. She said her husband had passed 378 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,400 away and and I knew this already from going through grief share 379 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,080 with this same person. So I knew a little bit of her 380 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:10,360 story, and as far as being a single mother goes, she makes 381 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:12,560 the statement. I have no idea how to teach my 382 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,160 little boy how to pee standing up. 383 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:19,800 There are so many struggles, so many smaller battles that lead 384 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,480 up to these, these big ones that can be dealt with and won on a 385 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,400 community level. And and just just in hearing one 386 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,000 another stories and hearing one another struggles pouring into 387 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,920 someone just just like a vessel. You know, it's all those things 388 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,240 just pouring in. And I can grow here. 389 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,640 I can, I can continue to recover and recover. 390 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,040 Well here. I'm not alone. 391 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:44,600 Call. You know, once you know you're 392 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,920 not alone. You you know you belong. 393 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:48,760 Yeah. No, that's great. 394 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,920 And I mean, I'm so glad you highlighted just some of the 395 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,240 different resources that are available at Front Porch. 396 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:58,200 Like for our listeners, I just don't think that y'all know how 397 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,400 many different resources are available to our residents at 398 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,640 Front Porch. So you mentioned families, 399 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,640 counts, parenting classes. So if you're trying to regain 400 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,920 custody of your kids, that's an incredible resource. 401 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,160 Grief share, divorce care, just whatever you have going on, 402 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,680 whatever you walk in the front door with, whatever your 403 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,520 struggles are that there are just resources that are 404 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,960 available to help you walk through and process a lot of 405 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,440 that. And that's all part of this plan 406 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,800 in this progress towards moving towards health, moving towards 407 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,120 Wellness, moving towards wholeness as we've talked about, 408 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:34,600 yes. Absolutely. 409 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,760 There's something that will touch each aspect of life in the 410 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,080 recovery world. You you hear a lot about the Tri 411 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,160 dimensional man, you know like like mentally, physically, 412 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:45,520 spiritually or something like that. 413 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,360 Yeah. But front porch does something 414 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:49,360 that's I would say that and then some. 415 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,320 For example, Regen, I love Regen. 416 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:53,760 I'm. I'm about to complete it. 417 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,760 And that's my Tuesday night. We're in step 12, which is 418 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,240 talking about sharing your story for the purpose of giving others 419 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,120 hope. Are helping helping others. 420 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,320 So very excited about completing it and either the opportunity to 421 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,840 serve after completing or just going back to ground works. 422 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:13,240 Either way, that's my Tuesday night. 423 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,360 That's what I'll I'll do until I can't anymore. 424 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:20,680 Or don't. Another thing would be money 425 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,240 matters. Money matters at I had no idea 426 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,800 like I I thought I did, but I had no idea how to actually 427 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:32,160 handle money. The ideas of budgets and being 428 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:36,680 financially stable have always sounded great to me, and they've 429 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,080 always sounded like something that was in a far off, distant 430 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,000 land, almost like a fairy tale to me. 431 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,920 But sobriety did at one point too. 432 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,960 So did you know, walking closely and believing that I'm forgiven, 433 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,760 and so walking through or going through money matters, that was 434 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,000 that was great. I I I love that. 435 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:01,360 From that I've been able to meet monthly, give or take with a 436 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:05,280 money mentor if you will. That has helped me with 437 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:11,560 everything from saving money and creating checking accounts. 438 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,680 My license was almost $7000 to get back and I was just like I'm 439 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,320 just again just looking at this total bill and I'm overwhelmed 440 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,040 and so just just simple little step that you could take. 441 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,240 Just open up another free checking account. 442 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,880 This is these are things that I learned from them that never 443 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,120 occurred to me. Set aside something that's 444 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:34,320 manageable don't get a debit card to the account and let it 445 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:40,200 accrue and we did that Anyhow I drove to the meeting today so in 446 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,280 in in a car that front porch gave me Dave. 447 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,200 Money matters and the the counselors have have helped me 448 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:51,840 not only just create a budget, learn how to manage credit, 449 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:53,960 which is what we're getting into now. 450 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,480 So I still don't know anything about that, but I know that I 451 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,200 have someone that's going to help me learn. 452 00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,560 That's right. And. 453 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:04,760 That's maybe the most awesome thing about front Porch is I I I 454 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,600 know that. I don't know a lot of stuff, but 455 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,840 I know that there's someone that's going to help me learn 456 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,160 about all of it. Yeah, what? 457 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:15,280 A gift to be able to have someone to help and and to bring 458 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,560 their gifts to bear in that. I also want to say 459 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,800 congratulations on getting close to graduating region. 460 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,720 Like what a huge accomplishment. We're just sitting here and 461 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,840 you're just talking like all of these things that are available. 462 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:30,560 And so I think it's just this beautiful picture. 463 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:32,440 But I'd love to hear just what are some. 464 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:35,000 I mean those are huge wins being able to do money matters, 465 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,880 families counts, region. But yeah, what are some of these 466 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,880 other things in your life and your time at Front Porch that 467 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,360 you've been able to celebrate a financial? 468 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:47,120 One, a small one. I've been able to put over $1000 469 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:51,000 in savings accounts since coming through Money matters. 470 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,640 That's something that I've I've never done before and counting 471 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,400 and we're aim for more. The first goal was 500, the 472 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,800 second goal was 1000 and next goal 2000. 473 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:06,800 Some other wins that I've had at front Porch, One that was much 474 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:12,560 greater is I have never felt worthy of receiving a gift. 475 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,120 I've never felt worthy of of being loved. 476 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:19,640 I say never probably since my father died since a young boy. 477 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:21,920 I I've I've, I've just struggled with that. 478 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:27,080 I know that the Bible says that that I am loved. 479 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,480 I know that the Bible says that that God demonstrates his love 480 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,960 towards us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died 481 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,920 for us. And and I knew those things, but 482 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:37,920 I just. I struggled to believe them. 483 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,240 This past Christmas. I was really coming to the the 484 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:46,200 short roads on my driver's license and paying that stuff 485 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,160 back. We went to breakfast and we 486 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:55,800 being a group of men that serve at front porch but but also just 487 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:57,960 serve at large here at Grace Church. 488 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,560 Some guys are ushers. Merritt Anderson W. 489 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,880 Cabin J Roger, Those are the wise guys. 490 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:06,000 That's what I call them. Those are my mentors. 491 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:10,960 We had a what I thought was a year in breakfast for serving at 492 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,200 the Overcomers. That's where I met all these men 493 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,960 at when I was going through the overcomers program. 494 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:19,080 That's where I learned about Grace and Front Porch through 495 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,480 this group of men. And now I'm able to go in and 496 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,320 serve with them on Saturday mornings doing a Chapel. 497 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,200 We do the MRT studies with the men in the in the program. 498 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:32,080 And so I I think that we're going to breakfast and we did. 499 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,520 Ryan Burgess is there and some other folks from front porch and 500 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,200 I I thought, this is a little weird suspicious. 501 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:40,760 Yeah, but I I didn't. Really think too much about it, 502 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:42,600 really. And looking back, there was so 503 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,800 many, so many things. And Wes Cabin asked my opinion 504 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,480 about something that we're doing at overcomers. 505 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,800 And I was just, I was like, it's awesome. 506 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,560 They're asking my opinion, you know what I mean? 507 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,920 I was a a junkie. And now they're asking my 508 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,320 opinion on what we should do or what we're doing or how the 509 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,560 Ministry's going or how it affected my life. 510 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,960 And man, I was excited. I don't even remember what he 511 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,880 what he asked me or what I said, but I would just remember the 512 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:13,160 excitement in that moment And he shifted the conversation to 513 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:17,480 asking about my driver's license somehow And I told him that I 514 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:22,120 had X amount of dollars left to pay off and he says no you don't 515 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:28,240 and slides me a receipt and he says we understand that you have 516 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:32,240 certain amount of of fees to pay besides unpaid tickets. 517 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:36,600 And I said yeah, and they said no, you don't took care of that. 518 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,160 Wes Cavan says wait, there's more. 519 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:46,560 They take me outside and Brian comes pulling up in a car and 520 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,560 they gave me the title to it, the keys to it and everything. 521 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,200 That was awesome to receive that gift. 522 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,440 The the dollar amount is one thing and it was AI mean it was 523 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:04,440 a car and a few $1000 in in fees and stuff that that they paid on 524 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:09,520 on my behalf. But the wind that day was was 525 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:14,120 believing that I was loved. When I say that. 526 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:17,520 That people at Front Porch and people at Grace Church have 527 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,840 shown me that I'm loved. That's what I mean. 528 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,880 And it and it doesn't mean that you have to give someone or do 529 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,240 something like that for someone to to show them you love them. 530 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,600 But that's what they did. They they did do that. 531 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,240 They they showed me that I was loved. 532 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,720 They've given me an opportunity to be able to to show others 533 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:42,080 that same worth that that ministry of of you are are worth 534 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,120 something that you belong that you are loved. 535 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,640 They've given me that same opportunity to be able to to 536 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:52,840 participate in that ministry. To the men at Overcomers and to 537 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,560 other folks around Front Porch, that is. 538 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,000 That has been one of my biggest wins since living at Front Porch 539 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,840 is is going from knowing to believing that I belong. 540 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:09,120 Believing that I am loved, believing that that I am worth 541 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,840 the effort that it takes to put into an individual to help them 542 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:14,800 recover. Well, that's right. 543 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,680 And the core of that, like what all of that represents, is that 544 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,920 all of those people give to you so freely and love to you so 545 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:28,800 freely because they're so clear that Jesus Christ has done that 546 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:33,720 for all of them in the biggest way possible, you know, And it 547 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,320 is just, it's the gospel at work in people's lives. 548 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:40,440 And I mean, to your point, it's not about the car, it's not 549 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,520 about the stuff. It's not about the money. 550 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,600 All of that is just representing what love is and what care is. 551 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:52,600 And meeting the physical need is demonstrating that the spiritual 552 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:55,840 need is also being met, That you have people who are pursuing you 553 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,880 because Christ has pursued them and they're just clear on it. 554 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,320 And then they look at you and they're like, now you get to go 555 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,960 do that for somebody else. And we're just in this cycle. 556 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:10,640 Like this is what Front Porch is doing is we want to help people 557 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:12,000 heal. We want them to know that 558 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,880 they're loved. We want them to experience the 559 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:19,400 power of the gospel because then they are able to go and live 560 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,400 that out for other people. Yes, I know. 561 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,200 I've I've talked a lot about knowing a lot of things versus 562 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,160 believing a lot of things. And before I came to overcomers, 563 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,800 I was a pastor. I pastored a small church in 564 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:36,720 Sumter, SC. I knew that the Bible says that 565 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,800 God's grace is sufficient for me. 566 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,200 I knew that the Bible said that underneath it all are the 567 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,200 everlasting arms. I knew all of those things 568 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:47,800 because they're written down in the Bible. 569 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:52,320 All of those things that I now believe or because of, just like 570 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:56,080 you said, the gospel at work. I've come to a deeper 571 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,960 understanding of Scripture because of the gospel at work in 572 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,440 Merritt Anderson's life. Walking me through Scripture, 573 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:07,240 I've come to no one understand that it's OK to grieve because 574 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:10,159 of the gospel at work in Mr. Roy Jones's life. 575 00:34:10,159 --> 00:34:13,920 I've come to no one understand that it's OK to confess my 576 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,480 faults, even to a former federal agent like Jay Roger. 577 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:23,239 It's OK to go through inventory and confession and I'll look at 578 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,520 what is now one of my best friends. 579 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:29,280 We had a rough start, Jay and I, but he is now one of my best 580 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:34,040 friends to know that I am unjudged and well loved and and 581 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,639 believe it is the gospel at work in his life. 582 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:49,719 And then Wes, Wes, Wes Cabin is I lost my father at 13. 583 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,880 But in the in in. The truest sense of the word I I 584 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:57,800 have not only a Heavenly Father, but I have W Cavan. 585 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,360 And that's because. Of the gospel at work in his 586 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,360 life. That's right. 587 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:05,200 I know the Bible says a lot of things. 588 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,720 I believe it in my heart because of the gospel at work through 589 00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:12,400 the lives of the people at Front Porch and the lives of the 590 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:14,720 others that that I mentioned already. 591 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:18,280 Yeah, I. Mean thank you just for sharing, 592 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:21,600 Graham. Like this is what we want you to 593 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:25,200 know about front porch. It's not about us. 594 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:29,240 We're not just trying to put this on our resume or whatever. 595 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:34,280 This is the touch point where people get to be Jesus and 596 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,440 people get to know Jesus. Like, that's the power of all of 597 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,640 this. And I mean, our hope is that 598 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,200 we're just getting to show up and just be a part of it and be 599 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,160 available to however he wants to use us to do this work. 600 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:50,040 But like, this is, this is what it's all for. 601 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:54,240 Every opportunity we have to demonstrate Christ to somebody 602 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:58,320 and not just tell them love, not just tell them what the Bible 603 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,920 says about love, but to demonstrate that and show that 604 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,800 in super tangible ways, that is just moving people towards 605 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:06,120 Jesus. And that's the thing that's 606 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,320 really going to heal. That's the thing that's really 607 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,200 has power to change lives. And that's just what comes 608 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,320 through in all of your words and your whole story is it's like 609 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:19,440 the Lord has pursued Graham and he has taken his life and 610 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:25,920 changed it in such a real way. And we're just not in doubt of 611 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:27,000 that. We're so clear. 612 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,920 And I mean, it's just a blessing to to sit here and hear all that 613 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:31,720 with you. Thank you so much. 614 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:33,240 Thank you for having me.