Core4Life with Jarrod Willams – Associate Pastor at Redemption Chapel

Published on: April 27, 2020 at 12:46 PM

Another main goal of Core4Life is learning from other men who are influential leaders and role models in the workplace, with their families and in their community. In this episode, we will dive into the Core 4 Pillars with Jarrod and also how they’ve been affected during quarantine.

Podcast Transcription:

Have you ever thought about making podcast with thought, probably too hard to get started. Couldnt be further from the truth when you use anchor. First of all, its free. So, check off box number one. It has easy-to-use, creation tools on your browser or your phone, Acura distributor podcast for you and you can make money. No matter how many listeners you have, it really is a One-Stop shop for all of your podcast knees. So stop delaying and download the free anchor app or go to Anchor. FM to get started. Welcome back to the core for Life podcast, very excited for this podcast. As we have on our first guest appearance spending all of 5 feet, 9 inches tall, trees of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. A sheet that once was lost, but now its found as a pastor at Redemption Chapel in Stow Ohio. Number 7 in your programs but clearly number one in your heart Jarrod Williams, everybody. Come on. Well, very great to have you with us tonight, man. Thank you, unbelievably honored, and I didnt hear anything the intro past five 9, because, to be honest, I may be a little bit. I give you a little bit being generous for our first guest guests for us since 4, while we were really called the the core four plus Jared. You want to elaborate on that a little bit for us. Who was playing before 4. I work in there couple times but Jared Jared weed. So he know, we talked about the core for how we came together Jared. Weve weve been good friends with him since the, since he came to Redemption chapel. And I when we started the workout group, if you was with us, he worked out pretty consistently with us and then it tailored tailored will once a week or once a week or once a week tutoring? I think is what took over in and got him from being able to consistently. I can send you with us, so that has dissipated a little bit, but we still love you and were still glad that youre here for our first. Get to hear that. Youre doing a podcast with Mike for the most attractive. Do them ever seen and I could say that cuz it was the only thing, you know, Sevens becoming tens Ryan. I think youve got the bourbon for us here tonight. What are we? What are we drinking? I have smooth, Ambler contradiction bourbon. Whats a blend of straight bourbon? Whiskey is from West, Virginia, Tennessee, and Indiana, and it is delicious. Beautiful. Can you give us a little bit of your background? Maybe your family. How you became a pastor at Redemption? I just give us, give us a little bit of your background. Im at one time getting rid of CD on our property, so many strokes hood rat run across the side. So I kind of Intercity Pittsburgh and I dont realize how much I had that until like legitimately having therapy later in life. But thanks, I kind of went to cant stay out of there and left that all behind. I was the third of four and family. We are Raised Catholic. And so with that, I didnt really know. They made us go until they couldnt make us go anymore. But, you know, I believe in God and all that. And then kind of went to Kent State for the first time understood man. What a relationship with God was and kind of do been to that. And and I didnt really mean to legit, didnt know what a pastor was. Like, if I talk to my family to this day, you know, back in Pittsburgh, a tumble in the pasture, theyre still kind of like that kind of like a priest or anytime I do missions workout exact exactly like that. I didnt know at all. What it was until I got to college and then got exposed to like Ministry and and once I realized that I could do that for a living and just miserable people and introducing them to God and Hope. I was hooked. And so, Ive been a pastor for about 10 years that youth ministry for a while, and I got, you know, sick of eating cheese, puffs and doing overnights and so. Ended up getting out of the youth ministry game and kind of a full-time pastor and ended up Redemption Chapel for about 7 years. Awesome man and I think you got a got a beautiful wife over there, right? Couple kids as well. This is true 10 years so excited and any tips on how to have a 10-year anniversary locked in your home. Im all ears though. Youre the next week coming up in may we got our 10-year anniversary and one daughter. So she is 6 and we adopted a son who weve had since he came by the NICU and now hes 3 awesome. And weve think this was a question that that Matt had brought up but we should really probably dedicate an entire podcast to adoption and Foster parenting and and just talkin all about that. But what have you learned most from your journey through that adoption with your son, Isaac? Anybody you talk to this adopted or work faster? For that matter. We never went to Foster route and so we were private infant adoption and your kind of familiar with any of the different option. But it was anybody talk to I mean, roller coaster is the right description. It is a wild ride of getting mashed families and all kind of stuff. Were a match with a family for six months and it fell through sky. Right at the end. Its a wild ride. Its up by the biggest lesson is learning like trusting. God like there is a plan but for you know, 90% of my life, I have no flipping clue with that plan is and it takes wild twists and turns. But when somebody has to learn to trust me, and there is a plane is going to feel crazy, and theres going to be ups and downs, but just learning to trust him. And yeah, weve had some crazy stories of the, when we We were actually matched with another family and then we didnt hear from them. The day, we found out that that baby died. We didnt know it but that was actually minutes from when my son was born. When I get our lowest point is actually her son was born and we didnt know that like a week later. We got a call and found out. He was a week old and then we went back and found out like, oh my gosh, I get our lowest point, like we didnt know it. But God is just like, hold on. Like theres a plan like right in the midst of that death. Like God was breathing life if we would just trust them. So its got a while Journey for sure. How long was your adoption like journey in general? When did you start the process? And when was it finalized? Back to my hot wife, she should be back on your average. I think this is agency to agency. There you go. But its like 6 months to just get ready which is crazy right? Like anybody you know obviously young God willing if theres no health issues you dont need permission to have a kid right? Like anybody got a kid with me and if you want to. It is a massive process. You got to get a fire inspection and all kind of do it. Six months of preparing just to be qualified and then from there it just you know who knows? It depends when you get matched and all that. So it was It was in the Years year ish probably finish about a year, but over it so much easier if it was. All right? So much easier and so much more terrifying. Handing out, baby. So, you get a baby and you get a baby, get multiple kills me, say, hey, whats it? Like, whats like, youre drowning and someone can you do a baby classic? Nice man. Way thanks for sharing a little bit about that. You know, youve got a little bit of an idea on what this podcast is, what its about. You know, were posting it towards towards men husbands fathers in different types of leadership roles in their in their lives. And weve got four core pillars, that were focusing on that were. Were diving into and starting to get some resources on and just talking about how were doing it and staying accountable and our lives with them. So we wanted to just really want to walk through each of those with you. Just asking questions. See, see how youre dealing with some of that in your life. So Im going to kick it over to Matt Simmons here, for a first tiller be fit. So Jared couple weeks ago we had meant Bible study at church on a Saturday morning you rolled in after a three and a half mile run huffing and puffing a little bit. So Fitness is definitely part of something that youd built into your, your daily or weekly life. Would you mind taking a minute? Just a little bit about your health Fitness from teams how you build it that such a busy schedule. I mean, some of it is just a necessity. I remember getting that point, like, you know, it were all fairly close in ages by the oldest but not every year, I remember just like nothing has happened, you know? I mean whatever, young 28, whatever I want a metabolism slows down. I remember one summer and winter weight. Didnt just come on tonight. Im past, like, you know, like whatever I was for a while, you know, Colin whenever Im trying to get rich, but by and large man, I just really want to be healthy and its just me and its something I got to do. So its different in different phases. I was here when we were working out, man, that was awesome. So I mean Im trying at least two to three times a week, just get my heart rate up, something into right now. I signed up for a half-marathon but did you just submit that entry? Are you sign up for the full? Doesnt even interest me at all. Like yeah, I mean I was right out of hats. Like, right. I would have to really push myself, you know. I want to see if I could do it, but yeah, I was Im not interested in there. Have you done a half before? I have not so busy since this was my first half so thats where some of it. I was excited to dive in but you going to run on the treadmill since you cant get up, run it in in real life. Thats not be great. So it was and April but they actually rescheduled it so Im hoping to try I think Im going to Saturdays was six my recently and thats right when it canceled in my car and Im not Im still going to shoot for it in the end of summer when they rescheduled it answer, you just ran seven miles. I posted it all my friends of my wifes run, she is a runner. I have not run more than maybe five miles at one point ever in my life. So probably I sent my, I sent, I sent my one and a half mile, and my face is like 9:40 and I see, Kendalls, run it at like 8, something 47, I feel a little I got my heart rate up. I felt good I got the day going. So get off at the schedule is like here. Hold my beer, my ladies tees how they kick me out under a mile. You cant What are the things can get? Make a crush on the tonight and Im not a runner but I just kind of had to you know, like I said I had to set a goal or else me and I I just wasnt going to do one thing I like to add time to my day so sometimes Ill just run for my commute. So thats no, thats the 3-mile. Jog 10, 12 minutes to drive. Maybe, you know, 25 minutes to jog, everybody just jog home my day. And thats all the work at. I need. This has been nice of a knife. Every time my wife, shes around her too and she was so that runners high and like your high, I never got runners high, never never felt my life. I agree only familiar with the runners cramps that all Ive ever been with. Runners like Ranch that Charlie horse in the Cavs. What do you listen to on your runs? Or do you just just go with your thoughts be alone with my thoughts? Thats not a big audiobook, guy, audiobooks and keeping your mind occupied. So big on audio book, guy finished up in Franklins autobiography, Thanks for Sharon, I think thats sweet. We find ourselves in a very similar position. As far as Fitness transtig, got to figure it out. Were not trying to come in this freak models or anything like that, but Richard self it in their kids. And thats where for me that used part was setting the goal of it. Like I knew I got to the point, man, we werent working out and I wasnt, I just knew myself with young kid did not think Im not going to get up at 5 by myself. And do you do 50 burpees in my basement? And maybe have some people staying before me. I knew, if I signed up for a race, like I just knew Im not like, just for sheer Pride embarrassment. I was going to do it, like heres the schedule and thats how I work. Like if Im supposed to run, Im just like Ill do it cuz thats the goal I set. Sign up for that race. Like Im horrible at. Like, I need to work out more. Like, my wife works, like, I just need to eat a little better. I dont do that. Like, I need to say, all right. No. Pop in this amount of calories are Im going to run this site for me. I have to just set a goal. And once I do it, like I, I want to succeed enough. I wont fail, but never talking about that last week with our weight loss challenge with a lot of us were doing the intermittent fasting, it just having that set schedule, where we know that we can eat during this time but we cant eat after certain amount of time, just having those set limitations. I feel like thats it, at least all of us guys. Like thats how we function, thats how you function. It may seems to be a common guy thing where you, if you have set parameters, its easier to follow the intermittent fasting, like I can eat so much and so its not a challenge. I think its important to know that Jared was in our first weight loss challenge that we that we did with the group. And we might have done one before that, but not as long as like the official month-long one that we did and I was I was feeling great. I think I lost 33 lb in 30 days and I was like, I got this and theyre doing it by percentage and Jared beat me by 2.04%. I stayed to the best. Ive got the spray looking them up. Yeah, I lost more weight but you had the lower starting point and you got me. So that was that was impressive. Kids being a pastor but that I think eating eating my crown is that the sets that is absolutely cracked. Mike lost. 31.2 pounds, which was 14.22% of his body, weight Jared lost 27.2 pounds, which is 14.26% of his body. Of a gun that was yet, I couldnt get one out. I couldnt get one out the morning, but if you dont need to give all the tips of how we lost, as much as we did really helps. I just remember the waitress like what in the world is, were weighing in in the t, g. I Friday. I mean, we can lose a lot of way, but we can sure put it on fast. We should have jumped on the scale before and after the, the eating of the Endless apps at TGI Fridays, that wouldve been something. Alright lets wrap this up with one more question for you Jared. I related to Being Fit, how has the recent covid-19, pandemic affect your workout routine and what youre trying to do in that area. One of the nice things, you know, man, if I was totally, I know some people are motivated by in a working out with other people in my wifes like that, its needing that kind of accountability. So, I mean, that would have been a very difficult if thats you like me. And you need that person to meet in the morning, but it kind of worked out that I was running, which mostly running by my cell, so that didnt change a ton. Some weight. Again, back to the Sesame, like, me enough to wear under lockdown it. Thats actually where its kind of is a nice break. And so I heard somebody some Morning Show is Steve Young, six months, Im blaming covid-19 either way. Im either going to be like, ripped with a six pack, or Im going to be nosey with them. Its how it is. Its been kind of nice. Not one. Like, Im an it man. Just lazy or not. So you can lasers not moving as much. So so its kind of been motivating, right? Like just for my own sanity. I got to get out and like I said, my wifes Runner, weve been going back and forth of. All right, you take a run today, Ill go tomorrow, so I can support each other and encouraging each other. So its been kind of nice. Luckily though, I was kind of more in about running routine so it hasnt been crazy bad but I can see how some people would really have to adapt. If they were going to a gym or something like that, thats a big adjustment for us. Its normally if were hitting the gym twice, sometimes three times a week and by Jim, I mean Matts Garage but you know that Jim down the last. So today I actually went for a run and shot it out there and challenge you guys to take a run. Thats why Mike went for his A shot and an Andrew just faked it. So he know an ability. This is a fast walk like I was walking the dog for a little bit. All right. I will be going on over to our next pillar. I know Andrews cancer. Questions in a category. Yeah, Jared just got thinking bigger picture here, outside of the fitness itself, you have to talk about. You being a pastor or priest, fast-growing Church, lot going on there to kids wife to someone on how to manage your responsibilities set priorities in your life. What kind of things would you give me to recommend to do that to do that? Well, I think the key word being priorities like everyone at all the time, so the responsibilities but as those responsibilities as picked up when I really had to prioritize. So its me, thats the key. I remember Lexie and Mark Twain quote and I wrote it. Read a book called, eat the Frog. It was the whole point, was it? And the quote is every morning, get up and eat a frog in the, the premise of the book, I promised the idea was Just get up and do that hard thing to you need to do. If you put it off and put it off, youre never going to get to it. So whatever that is like make sure you get that thing done, I copy as well. Remember it was a professor talking about, he was trying to make a point to get a big jar and put a bunch of big rocks in. You know it was a big jar for rocks it in and then he has a class cuz Im more rocks. Would know. And then, but he didnt realize it. A bunch of Little Rock Center needs to actually going to be filled in all the other spaces now with a little rocks, and he said, well, okay, well now Im sure I didnt answer. Can I see it anymore? And you said, no, and some are short and then he poured sand in and then he did the same thing with water in the tempting like less than out of that is you can always fit more but thats the suckers less and he said, you know, the real lesson is if you dont put the big rocks in first, you would never get them in there. So if you put all the litter at awesome seeing all the water, the big rocks, never go in. That is always stuck with me like what are the big rocks in your life? Now you know Im kind of wood is that frog that I have to do and so to me its just really came down to prioritize in like water the big rocks and is that, you know, getting time spending time with Lord, spending time with my kids working at work, like what? Main thing and its another question is, whats the thing you were going to say she in that only you can do. So thats like the thing I need to be doing. And so, yeah, for me its priorities when theres just stuff that I would love to do that, I just cant. And if I fill in my life and all of us can fall into that would be watching TV or just different. Hobbies that arent really refreshing. You know, if I feel my life at those though theres just no room for the important thing. So it really comes down to priorities and starting with what are those important things and making sure, you know, I get those in my life first and, you know, kind of letting the other stuff fill in if theres room or just hanging out with us and doing podcasts and, you know, just have him have a good time with your friends fall into that. This is the job that would eat the Frog. Methodology. Do you, do you plan your day that way to get the hard stuff out of the way first made for me, like, part of being it? Its not even sure its not cuz its my craft so much of my life. I waste times. You know, I waste on things that are important is another quote that I love it, just like me and I used to be afraid of failing at things, that matters and Im afraid. Its succeeding at things that dont like were so worried about succeeding at things that dont matter. And so for me man its the the right priority is of me and my spending time with God in am I walking with him cuz I think of you know like I said as a Christian and obviously is a pastor And theres still much things are temporary that wont matter in. Half the time in 5 Minutes Alone, 5 years, let alone. And so if I am not walking the God and not experiencing him and hearing from him, Mean for me a lot of it is just like me and what am I doing here? So see I I try to as much as I can and then we got a lot of the young kid phase. Its hard and its my boys up a couple times a night. Its difficult but I try to get up before the kids get up every day and get time in the word, get time and prayer. Did you set like goals? Like if youre looking at actually at a day and get up, can I eat that frog? Do do something thats hard that day or get? Get in the word. Make sure youre doing that. You can go like over a year hat. Youre something I want to accomplish anything like that. You try to be more long-term. Meet a pastor and me to Redemption, thats something we value. And so, you know, its not even a vacation day, once a year, I can just take a day to do a getaway, get out of the office. So Ill always do that, you know, goal-setting into some of it if its just taking a class or course, online or a couple different things. So you know, sometimes reading goals, show me the Spanish guy, thats I dont, in part of, its my Sabbath mentality. Part of my Sabbath idea is just like me and I want to get out of pressured things that I have to do and be refreshed that way. So I dont knock myself and since Monday is a work day for me, thats Friday. So I dont worry about Friday, but I try to spend time with God everyday and I definitely dont, dont do that every day, every week, thats my goal. And then I brought her goes like this book. This class different things like that. What are the childrens book has one goal? And I actually shared it. I just had an idea and I want to run with it and part of it sounds easy cuz Ive seen childrens books that are like 15 words long time. Like I mentioned it one time in a sermon and then that week, I had a lady from their congregation email me and just say like, hey Im at work teacher, if you have a ride and Ill go straight for you. Corona. Get that part of our stuck at home is with two little ones and theres no like Im just watching TV and read books like that, aint my life like that. For me I dont have like a crazy amount of free time that kids are older will help you bounce some ideas around. You know, Im sure come up some awesome childrens book ideas. I got an illustrator of the book with no pictures, man. Dont even need pictures Fridays. Get the boys room where we live now and then are five. Wives, may be injured. I also know just there in general pastors struggle with nothing but burn out. Your job is literally sharing the gospel that side of it to to see motivated. Today in the word is one ass back to Tulsa, stay refreshed and then motivated to keep doing that kind of another side of the coin. And that burn outside and a feeling the weight of the job on all the time. Some of it comes down to. I heard you all the time from different pastors but you know easier said than done me some of it particularly something. Or am I reading a book, like I lost my faith and Seminary and part of, like, the point of that book was me. And now that all this is homework to me, its no longer devotional and connecting with God and so they are. Its just got to the point. I have to be careful like if Im only getting in Gods word to write a sermon. Im not actually Experiencing God hearing from him. Im just punching a clock. Its all for me. Thats you like the part of that devotional time for me. I always try to be careful. Thats not like sermon prep time and thats all I am is another great book of dangerous calling In part of it means passes as much as anybody. Like I am just as needy and just as dependent on God is any of you guys or any of, you know, anybody else in the church? So I got to be careful. Now I dont need that. Im not personally being filled by God like Im in trouble. Im in. No get mad and its a legit thing and pastors statistically burn out like crazy itself. If Im not being refreshed like still but I got myself. Im in trouble, I think is a congregant. Thats not something that we normally think about. You know, we have our quiet time, we get to consume, I guess new of the sermons that are priests from the pulpit and on a weekly basis. But yeah we never think about pastors needing that same kind of no time. We could figure your pastor, youre doing it, you know, its easy, its what you do for your job but theres so much to do when you think about preparing for the sermons and doing the day. State jobs at running the church and all that stuff. So its, its something I think that most congruence dont actually think about different like me. Is wonderfully devotion when Im almost every time, but if I can just get a different mindset of, okay, this is work. Im punching the clock as opposed to me and Im trying to hear from God. Im trying to let you know, listen to him, he said by him and said it is, it is a tricky danger. Then Ill run into that four goals that I sat. Im trying to read the Bible in a year in a couple days then fall prey to that. Something where is doing just to do it, we know were supposed to do and then youre not going to get anything out of that. You dont really refreshing that you dont look grow. I feel like you can get that in every facet like eating, which Im at work and Im like yeah man, I think you mentioned it earlier like me and I want to play with my kids. I want to be healthy and now Im just checking a box. I had these goals and that gets backwards. No longer. Am I being healthy and enjoying it? Now, Im serving this thing and Im a slave to, and Im working out to have to work out, like, wait a minute. Whats the point of this? Is to be healthy. You know what? You want the gold disturb, you not. You serve the goals spirituality or physical Yeah, for sure the past or you can have a wide variety of discussions with people and I need to counseling things like that as well. Prepare mentally for some of the more difficult conversation to have with with congregants funerals. If you got to call somebody out on something thats not bother to maybe hes preparing the conversations. You have Friday, my last meeting. So one of those I had people, you know how people come and fly and asked me to marry him. So one of the last times, I had one of those sessions, I have people Id sit down sound like, yeah, Im not going to marry you. Valley View things like listening. I definitely wont listen things and theres times I really had to like say hard things in Hardin situations with the beauty of my job where it gets easy. If Im standing on the word of God, Im standing on What God Says. Looks like the old you get mad at a postman to the letter. You got. Its like Im just a messenger. I just delivered what it said like dont get mad at me and so very much. And theres been say a sermon. Theres been times. I mean Im intimidated. Im going to say stuff that I know its probably going to like piss people off. Its like anybody else. Like, I do know. I want to be like, you know, Im still trying to be number one in the Playbook even though. And I mean, ever won your heart season. Number 7 minutes, and then I go back to wait a minute. If this is what God said. This is true. Like Im going to go with that. Im really relieved the pressure. Like if you dont have that, I will say things that will likes tear peoples lives and serious ways in different directions. If that was just based off of like my thought it would trust me, you know, like what? Like Im not you know the answers with huge power comes huge responsibility right time and you have that, you have that power to speak into peoples lives and its that is a great thing to have to always fall back on is that your Council should be based on the word of God. So its its nice to have that. Backing like you said, you dont like if you dont have that guy hit and run her in your life, then I feel like it would be crushing. I mean, you guys know, we stay before every sermon, like me, and you guys need to hear from God, not for me now, Im sure they mess up, I can get in the way, but in the end, if Im telling people would God has revealed. Then it doesnt bother me. One things. We say the church as well like, you know, I dont mind if people are offended offended for the right reasons and theyre offended cuz you know, Jerks. Well thats thats messed up. You know thats not good in the holes on the podcast no bleep it out I can Bleed It Out. Sign the contract that we get the ice staff. Pretty sure we might might give you editing, right? Thats what you will. Go over at one time. Hey guys, want to hear more with Jared has to say tuna to our next episode where we dive into the be Noble and be chill, pillars in the meantime, hit us up on social media at core for life. Thats core four life until then catch you next time. Google for life.