Life Community Church
Life Community Church
A Conversation with Jamey & Kelly | Dream Big | Week 1
We look back on 15 years of growth, celebrate 130 baptisms, and lay out a clear vision for 2026 built on family, accountability, and courage. We talk miracles, foster care, crisis care teams, and a dream that’s bigger than any building.
• remembering early days and first-parade stories
• why baptisms keep the focus on Jesus
• growth in leadership through anxiety, miracles and trust
• foster care, learning, and loving beyond comfort
• a God-sized dream and 57 acres without hype
• how a church lasts through Scripture and courage
• family expectations: love, serve, disciple, give
• reframing church hurt as people hurt and healing in community
• building Life Rescue Teams for crises
• praying for wisdom and a future beyond us
Tap the QR codes to join Life Rescue Teams or One Life Relief
Hello, this is Jamie Bridges, and thank you so much for joining us for this week's podcast. All of our services are inspired and built straight from the Bible. Let's get into this week's message recorded at Life Community Church.
SPEAKER_04:This service is one of my favorites out of all that we do. We start the year out always doing a little interview with Pastor Jamie and Pastor Kelly. And so I've prepared some questions and we get to go behind the scenes with Pastor Jamie and Kelly. Are you guys ready for that? All right. I'm just making sure behind the scenes. And so here we go. Let me get my uh well, the first thing I want to do if you guys are right with it, which you are now, because it was surprised at 7:30. It's now no longer a surprise. But I prepared with some help from those of us that have been here for 15 years, uh prepared some photos for you uh to look at. And so it's a little game that we were gonna play. Name that year. All right, name or date, name that date. I want the date, not just the year, boss. And so name that date. So, Alex, give me the first photo. Where's it at?
SPEAKER_03:Parade. Call me first parade. 2011.
SPEAKER_04:Mary, are you still here? Oh, I lost my date person. 2011, our first parade. First one. Uh how many, how much of that was how many, like, how many people from the church are missing in that photo, you think?
SPEAKER_01:What do you mean by that?
SPEAKER_04:Like, how big was the church in at that in our first parade?
SPEAKER_01:That's it.
SPEAKER_03:What's crazy, what's crazy is we only did Saturday night. So we literally did the parade at four o'clock and went right to church.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It was also great because my kids didn't know that Columbia Days, like the the thing was a thing, like the parade? Yeah, they didn't know it was a thing, like the rides, you know. Oh, gotcha, gotcha. Your kids are so small. Yeah, I got out of the carnival for many years because of that.
SPEAKER_04:And I want to like, I'm trying to zoom it to see who the people are in there. Anybody here in that photo?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, there, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, there's some land. Yeah, there's a few. Jake is up right behind the W.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, look how short he is.
SPEAKER_04:He's got good eyes, boss.
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, I see him. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:All right, give me the next one, Alex.
SPEAKER_02:You show that. Oh gosh.
SPEAKER_04:We've been showing this all all day, guys, right here. It's one of our favorites.
SPEAKER_01:Seven-year-old Jamie.
SPEAKER_04:Seven year old. Look at that smile.
SPEAKER_01:Look at all that hair.
SPEAKER_04:Is this like your first soccer team?
SPEAKER_01:No, I doubt. It's my not first, isn't it? Actually, at my house. Still have that jersey, bro. It's a little light blue. It's cute.
SPEAKER_04:That's amazing, actually. I mean, we've moved you a lot. I'm surprised we haven't lost it in the process. That's true. All right, give me one more. I have no clue where this photo came from.
SPEAKER_01:AI.
SPEAKER_03:He snuck one in there.
SPEAKER_01:Wait, who's the Alabama baby?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, I don't know, but they're crying. That was for rain. Cuban babies. Rain are you no, maybe the first he was in front of the biggest. Nothing Alabama today? No, I wouldn't either. Oh, that's so. That was really bad.
SPEAKER_01:I'm not even a football fan. That was bad.
SPEAKER_03:Sorry. I was getting surprised all morning, so I wanted to throw my own surprise in there. Oh, did you do that? I did.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, he did that. I I didn't know him. Him and Alex. He'd get back there and talk to the sound guy. But anyway, say here's our first question for both of you. All right. If we followed you around for a day, what song would be playing behind you? What would be your background, your anthem song? This folks, this is your pastor on the screen, just so you know. This is him. This was a party that Casey throws for her team every year, and he came out.
SPEAKER_03:That was last year. That was last year, by the way. No, he came out as Bon Jovi, yes. Like finish. Finish the sentence, bro. Oh man. You can't leave it as he came out.
SPEAKER_04:Anyways, favorite song.
SPEAKER_01:It's like the anthem of your life.
SPEAKER_03:Mine would be like uh 80s Jamie would be like Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. Like today would be like Good Day by Force Frank. Love it. Love it.
SPEAKER_01:If you guys know Jamie Well, you know, he has a song literally for every word. If you say a word, Jamie's got a song.
SPEAKER_03:Every word.
SPEAKER_01:It's kind of annoying.
SPEAKER_03:If I don't have a song for it, I make it up.
SPEAKER_02:True.
SPEAKER_03:Very true.
SPEAKER_01:That's also true. Kelly, what about you? What's your favorite song? Actually, I don't listen to music very often, so if you follow me around for a day, you wouldn't hear a lot of music, even though two of the ones Casey's sang today are my favorite. But I listen to podcasts usually if I'm alone. So you're gonna hear a nerdy Bible podcast or a health podcast if you're following me around. Um my favorites are Alabaster Jar by Dr. Lynn Kohicks, one of my favorites. And then I love the Dr. John Deloney show. If you got problems in your home, he's gonna fix you upright. Listen to him. Um, and then I mean, just the nerdiest of all nerdy Bible podcasts. That's what I listen to most days.
SPEAKER_04:Love it. All right, question number two. Uh, what do you love most about the people of Live Community Church? I'm also getting 15 years to pull from, but let's talk about just 2025.
SPEAKER_03:Maybe some what do you love most about just the willingness to to jump in, the willingness to be a part of something. I mean, I think that's that to me is what church church should feel like family. It should feel like I'm a part of, I'm not just you know, somebody filling a seat. I'm I'm somebody that's a part of something, and like just seeing people's willingness to to jump in and do whatever, uh, to me is uh I just I love that. I mean we put community in our name because we wanted it to feel like that. Like we want it to feel like community. And so to me, that's the good, the bad, and the ugly. That's doing life with people, and so just people's willingness to to jump in when tragedy happens or when they see trash on the floor, like that blows my mind. And I I love that.
unknown:It's awesome.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I love the feel of just coming on a Sunday morning. It feels very alive, and it's we're very welcoming, friendly church. I hear that a lot from people that visit, which is nice because you don't hear that everywhere you go. So that's to you guys, really. But um just the you walk in and just feels alive every Sunday. I love it.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Hey, so we saw just a lot of incredible things happen in 2025 uh here at Live Community Church. Is there one story that you would say I hope we take with us uh that never leaves us that uh moves forward with us in 2026 that we don't forget?
SPEAKER_03:If you're in the stream and you got baptized in 2025, could you just stand up real fast? Just stand up, yeah. Let's go. Like to me, that's the uh you know, 130 people got baptized in 2025. Like that, that is what I want people to remember that like a lot of a lot of things get in the way busyness, your schedule, um hobbies, all those things, but like not to forget the main thing. And the main thing is people giving their lives to Jesus. So to me, as long as that's happening, like uh I'll celebrate that all you know all all year. That you know, on a personal note, like two state championships aren't bad either, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Or three.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, cheer, Gwenko Lila. I'm like that. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:It's not all about soccer, dad.
SPEAKER_04:Uh it's not Jim, mute his mic. Mute his mic. Kelly, what about you? Member you want us to take, story you want us to take into 2026. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, so I don't I don't remember any like a specific story because it's just the way my brain works. I don't really remember details a lot, but um, two things that I hope we don't lose sight of from 2025 and like carrying into 2026, of course, is one life, but John, just because it's my heart, but kids in the foster care system in general, not one life specifically, but um, there are kids all over our counties that are hurting and needing homes that were open to them and say yes to them and do hard things for them. So I hope that we never forget that as a church, but then also that, and then um people that are just hurting all around us. I never want to um I can really be someone that gets in my own world, like when I'm out and about, like I'm just gonna do what I need to do. I don't want to talk to anybody, just get it done, get out. Um, and I've really challenged myself this year to like pay attention to my surroundings and look people in the face and like um really listen to God and lead the leading of the Holy Spirit if I'm out and about and to open my mouth to people that need it, because we are the light, and that is our job to take what we know and take it outside of the four walls. Um, so I really hope that we don't lose sight of that, that there are people all over our cities and our world that are hurting and need of hope, and that we are the hope.
SPEAKER_04:It's good. It's good, yeah, absolutely. So LCC is 15 years old, starting 2011, with approximately 11 people in your living room, right? Uh and since then, obviously now we average like 1,100 people uh a weekend. So we've we've seen a ton of growth. Praise God for all of that. You guys have been here for all that growth, so you've seen the church grow in numbers, you've watched people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. But the question I have for you, and I'd like you both to answer it for each other, is Kelly, what is the growth that you've seen in Jamie 15 years? Jamie, what is the growth that you've seen in Kelly 15 years?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, you definitely want to see growth, right? Like even if you're in your job or in your marriage or whatever it is, you should always be growing and changing and learning and moving with each other. Um, and so from even 15 years before 15 years, when we first started out in ministry, we've been in ministry our whole adult life. So um, right when we got married, like six weeks later, we went on a missions trip. And my dad had us in South America, and he was sending Jamie alone to preach on a Sunday morning. And I he was we were like in our hotel room, and he gets he is really anxious actually, so he's very anxious about going alone. And I was kind of like, listen, you're just gonna have to suck it up because there's not another option. Like, that's it. So we had to go and do that alone. So from watch him doing that as a young kid till now, and we've walked through many, many, many hard situations with families, and every time it happens, I'm like, God, can we please not have to do this again? But it's just the nature of our job, and it's also the nature of just being human, right? We're gonna lose people, crisis that are gonna happen. Um, but a year and a half ago, ish, when um the day we lost Crawford, I watched him. We were actually out of town, and Jamie had just gotten to where we were, and he turned around and left. And I knew that he was gonna be on the phone the whole time, he was going to walk into a very hard situation, and I'm always like, Thank God I don't have to be the one to do it, right? But um, just watching him walk that process out, and it's happened multiple times, it's just this one sticks out in my mind, but um, knowing that he has to go into a really um devastating situation that nobody wants to be in, they didn't want to be there, he doesn't want to be there, and to walk in and face that and just to see that growth from that teenage boy till now obviously is just he's really good at his job.
SPEAKER_04:It's awesome. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I didn't get to explain this in the first two services because of time, but like going back to what she was just talking about, I did. I I went to that service kicking and screaming, and can I just tell you, like, like the one of the greatest miracles that I've ever seen with my own eyes happened that morning. Like, I've I don't know how how many of you have seen miracles. Like, well, the fact that we're here is a miracle, so I'm not talking about that. But that morning, I you know, I'm 21 years old, I'm preaching in this church on a Sunday, no team is with me. So, yes, I was kicking and screaming because everybody else had a team, and so I was by myself, I was very uncomfortable, and I get done speaking, and we're praying for people, and we're in we're in South America, so I'm praying for people, and this lady comes up and she says, This is my four-year-old son, he's never walked, and his legs were super skinny. She said, He's never walked. Would you pray for him? And we prayed for him. And she sat him down and this kid ran. I'd never seen anything like it. This is this is this is the craziness, though. So I'm on my way back, and uh in this country or in South America, this church particular, they're bringing me back in a van. And I'm I remember thinking, no one is gonna believe me. It's like the whole one I got last Sunday, you know, two Sunday mornings ago when I was golfing by myself. No one believes me. You know what I mean? Like no one believed like no one is gonna believe me. And I I said that to the Lord, like, Lord, I don't care that that that that I was there and I prayed for a kid and he got healed. Like, I that's not what it's about. Like, I just want people to know that there was a miracle that happened, and the other teams were coming back in similar vans, and they were listening to a radio station, kids are radio. Anyway, so uh they're listening to the radio in the car, and the mom got on the radio, called in, and said, I was out of service this morning, and my son, who's never walked, walks, and he didn't just walk, he ran. And then she says, I want to thank Pastor Jamie Bridges for coming. So I get out, and the team is coming back to the hotel, we're having lunch, and they say, they're like coming up, like, dude, we heard what happened, and I'm like, How? I was by myself. Like, so for me as a 21-year-old, early on, I learned God has you. Like, God has you. Like that, that's the things that I've because as Kelly said, I am by nature my flesh, I'm an anxious person. Like, I have high anxiety, and I'm not the guy that's gonna like I don't want to admit that because I give that to the Lord, but like that is a a very like I was not happy with my father-in-law at all. Like, I was like, I do want to note that, but um the the thing about like what I've learned over the last not just 15 years, but you know, we've been together, she was 15, I was 16. You know, watching each other grow, like when she became a mom, and when she, you know, obviously as she's walked with me, watching her growth has been unbelievable. But the last five years for me, I've seen the most growth in Kelly in the sense that you know she's an incredible mom. But to take two girls into our home that are not yours, I know that's usually the the elephant in the room when it comes to foster care. Like, oh, I don't know if I can love them, they're not mine, they're not, and it's like I understand that mindset, like I understand that that is a tough mindset to throw out, but to watch her love kids that aren't her own the way that she does blows my mind. And and not only that, but to watch her grow, like she would constantly say she wasn't a learner or reader or stuff like that. And the last five years, she has gone back to school, not to get a degree, but just to learn and just to grow, and so when she talks about podcasts, it's because she's learning, and to watch like I've always told people, like when you get old, it's one thing as you get older, but when you watch other people get older, that's a whole nother level. Like watching my parents get older is wild, right? And watching their friends get old, it's it's a wild experience watching that happen. But when you've been with someone over 30 years and you've seen them from before kids to having a baby to becoming a grandparent, like watching that happen, it it is like one of the greatest joys of life to be able to do that on a journey uh with someone.
SPEAKER_01:And so I work hard for your marriage.
SPEAKER_03:That's why you work hard. Yeah. Uh yeah, I'm not telling you it's something easy. I mean, she's got to put up with me on a daily basis.
SPEAKER_04:Kelly, you got anything to add? Amen. Hey, so the next two questions are more personal, more uh towards your like personalities and how you guys flow. But the first one I'll ask is for Jamie. Uh, what's a God-sized dream for our church that both excites you and honestly scares you a little? Excites you and both uh honestly scares you a little.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean, I've kind of been the my most of my life I I relate to Joseph when Joseph is coming to see his brothers and his brothers announce him and says, Oh, there's the dreamer. I've always been kind of the dreamer, and like just watching God do things. If you would have told me January 23rd, 2011, this is what life community church would look like, I would say, no way. Like, I just I can't envision it. And so even when we built this, people were like, This building's not big enough, you're gonna need it to be bigger. And you're like, What are you saying? Like, this building's plenty big, we're gonna be in here the rest of our lives, you know. Um, and so I've always been like the dreamer, but then seeing God open doors and realize like this 57 acres, like I don't know what's happening with it, but realizing like I don't need to know, like I don't I'm not in control, like God's not like, oh my gosh, you got 57 acres. He's not surprised by it, but what it looks like and what it means for life community church, I have no idea, and that scares me because I don't know, right? No, I mean when your kids come to you and they want an answer and you look at them go, I don't know, it's not comforting as a parent to say that. So, like, there's some things about this land and what this potentially could be. It excites me to no end, but it kind of freaks me out too. But I'm a dreamer, and I've I've I built, you know, on a napkin this building right here, and I passed it over to Sean and said, What do you think? He's like, What is this? I'm like, that's our next building. He's like, Really? You know, like number one, it's a horrible drawing. And then like a month later, COVID happened, you know? And so it was like, okay, well, maybe this isn't a plan, but we continue to dream. And uh, I would also add to this, I didn't say this in the other services. When you're a dreamer, and there's some dreamers in this room, you're some visionary people, uh, get around someone who isn't a dreamer but implements it, believes in it. Um, that's what changed for us 10 years ago when Pastor Sean and Shelley came. Because I I threw out dreams all the time and um I think people are like, Oh, good idea, or good luck. And Sean's like, Let's do it. Why not? Let's let's make this happen. Or the amount of times that I've thrown things out, and he's like, Yeah, let's I can make that happen. And you're like, that's someone who takes a dream and says, Let's do it, let's stop talking about it. And so I don't know, like I just I'm super curious what 2026 looks like when it comes to that. But we're just going, God, you're not surprised by this, and man, I have a lot of ideas I'd love to share with you, and I'm gonna share them with you, but um I don't know. And it excites me, but man, it's scary.
SPEAKER_04:Keep you heavy night at the same time. Hey Kelly, what uh for you, what does a healthy, sustainable church look like to you, not just growing but lasting? Not just growing, but lasting.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I do obviously growth is important because it shows that your church is moving and doing something. Um, but to be a sustaining church, I really think that you have to know the word of God for yourself. So sitting on a Sunday morning isn't enough. You have to really get into the word and know, get a good interpretation, know what it means. Um again, because coming here is great, but this is not the call of the church. The call of the church is to engage in the gospel and you engage out in the world. You, I mean, we engage here, yes, but God calls us to be the light when we're outside of these four walls. And you can't be the light if you don't know who the light is or what the light is. So hiding the word of God in your heart so that you know it and you have it in there when it needs to come out and opening your mouth. Also being courageous in your faith, that's a challenge for me. Um, because I don't really like to, I'm not the loudest person in the room. I don't really want to be heard, I don't actually really like to be seen. Um, so being courageous in my faith is a real struggle for me sometimes because I I'm just I'd rather just be quiet. So if you're in that and you're like me, um be courageous in your faith this year and take steps out and open your eyes and let the Holy Spirit guide and lead you into the areas that He wants to do things through you and with you, like to be in ministry with Him.
SPEAKER_04:That's good. Uh, what is obedience uh in your perspective? What does obedience look like for us as a church as we move into 2026? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Hey, so two years ago we uh kind of re rewrote some of our like bylaws and how we did church, and we've mentioned this, you know, several times, but like our desire is for people when they come to Life Community Church, our desire is for people to become family. Like that's the desire. How do people become family? And I recognize that everybody here, your definition of family looks a little different. How you were raised, what your current situation is. I might say, like, hey, what's family look for like to you right now? And you might say it's chaos or it's crazy or it's lonely or it's different, or there's a lot of definitions. But I wanted to be a part of something. So the reason we put community in our middle name, but I wanted to be a part of something where people felt it felt like family. And with family comes accountability. With family comes expectations. And I think it's easy to come in, sit on a Sunday, sit here, and just kind of, you know, take in and say we're in a season of waiting or to just rest. But we really felt like there were four things that God asked, and you see these all over but love Jesus, serve people, make disciples, give generously. We felt like these four things were pillars for us as a church when it comes to mission, and we have expectations when it comes to being family at church that we live under those expectations. No different than your teenage kid. You should have expectations where they, you know, clean their room and maybe they're taking a uh a dinner a week or whatever the expectations are, but there is an expectation to live in your house and what that looks like. Like we have those same things from a soccer standpoint. Like all of my parents, they fill out and students as well, a rules acknowledgement form. I have rules in our program, and those you're acknowledging it. As a parent, you're acknowledging these rules. What's the point of acknowledging it if we're never going to stand by it? So when those rules are broken, I bring that acknowledgement form out. And I said, Hey, you signed this, so let's have a conversation on why we're not living like this, why we're not being obedient to this. Not from a legalistic standpoint, but from a standpoint of we all want to be better, and we can't sweep things under the rug. Maybe that was your family experience. Your family experiences, there's some things we didn't just talk about. I'm gonna just tell you right now, that's not right. That's actually the wrong approach. And now you're 45 and you're like, I had a mess up family childhood because we're unwilling to talk about those things. I don't want to be a part of that. And so we invite people to be family. I want you to join family. With that, I might say to you, like, hey dude, you've not been coming on Sunday. We're family. Why are you not coming? Or why are you not involved in a small group? Why are you not making disciples? Why are you not giving generously? Why are you not a generous person? You're not generous with your time, you're not generous with your talent, you're not generous with your treasure. We need to talk about why that's the case. Like those are the expectations. Well, what this does is it invites us into this conversation where we go, man, now we can move forward together because the expectation is understood, it's clear. I think from your perspective, you want clarity from leadership. You're like, I want there to be clarity, I want there to be accountability. All I'm saying is I do too. I think that should be also there should be clarity because you're bringing some things from maybe a past hurt. And can I just say, like, uh maybe I can't, but I'm going to. Sean at lifeillinois.org if you have an email. Like, can we acknowledge that you might have church hurt from your past, but can we just acknowledge it's people hurt and stop pinpointing it to church? Because you've told other people I'm just so hurt by the church. It's like, no, you're hurt by a person that's a sinner and is a person. Just like you've been hurt at work, we don't call it work hurt. You don't call it restaurant hurt. Um, what's wrong with you? I just I got I got Jim hurt. January 5th, they're mad that I wasn't showing up anymore. I don't know. Jim hurt. Like, it's it's just like a pet peeve that I'm like, all I hear about is like, oh, they got church hurt. I'm like, no, they were abused, it was wrong. Let's acknowledge it was wrong, but it's people hurt. And we have to talk through it as family where we want to talk through it. And to me, that's that to me, moving forward in 2026, we have to continue to have those. And listen, I've done it the last two months, three months. I've had a lot of conversations with people where I've had to bring up hard things, and I just learned in the beginning that if I'm not willing to talk about those hard things, then I can't complain about those hard things. And they've been awkward. There's nothing right about saying, hey, dude, I don't think that the expectation that we have for you, I don't think you're meeting them. That's not a fun conversation. Um, but we have them because I care more about the individual than I do the offense that might potentially happen. And so I'm willing to have those hard conversations, and we're doing that. Um, I think there's gonna be more of that in 2026, but I think with that comes clarity, with that comes understanding of direction, and so anyway.
SPEAKER_04:Let me let me just add real quick. I I love the answer to this question, and I don't want you to miss this, you know, as an LCC family member, right? The objective isn't to build building big bigger buildings, the objective is to help people grow spiritually. That's what you just heard. Don't miss that, right? Like he, if you wanted to just grow bigger buildings, we'd say all the fun stuff, right? Just to build a bigger building.
SPEAKER_02:That's true.
SPEAKER_04:But that's not what we're doing. We care about people, we care about the relationships with the Lord, we want to have the conversations for your benefit and for what the Lord sees in you and wants to do through you, right? It's an incredible thing. I absolutely love it. I don't want to miss that. Uh Kelly.
SPEAKER_01:Um, yeah, another way that we can be obedient in 2026 is um just coming together and taking care of each other a little bit better. We do a really good job of it, but we're gonna help facilitate organizing it maybe a little better. We've had um, unfortunately, like I mentioned earlier, many families in crisis throughout the years, and we do what we can, but we can only do so much, and this is where the family of God really comes in. So um we just had a crisis like five weeks ago with a family that lost their husband and father um tragically, and so just like with one life relief, we want to build teams that are life rescue teams. So when that happens, we have boots on the ground to move right away. So um obviously Jamie and Sean can go and be in hospitals and do what they need to do, but there are really like tangible things that families need um help with, and so we want to build teams around them. So what one life relief looks like, and this would look the same way, is like um if you're we have a widow or widower, that family would get that a team for a year, and then we would reevaluate at the end of the year, and if they need continue, that's fine. Um, or if we have a family in crisis where there's a long hospital say or something like that, that we have a team that can come in and help them, whether it's meals, taking kids somewhere, getting things done around the house, whatever it looks like, you would have that assigned team, and then they would carry out and it would just we just need to function a little bit better when it comes to taking care of each other because we can't not, we could just can't do it anymore that way. Small groups do a good job of it. We do a really good, we do a good job of it. We just want to do it better.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and I think that when I talked about earlier what you love about people, there are people who are doing it and we don't know it.
unknown:Right.
SPEAKER_03:Like we don't know it, but we know they're doing it. That's the willingness of people. All we're saying is usually when something tragically happens, it's in an instant. Like it's it's not in a good time, it's not in like, oh, this is convenient, and it's and so having a team that's ready to say, like, hey, this family is in need, here's your family, and they're on the ground going, okay, what do we need to do here, here, and here? Like being intentional and being a part of that team. Like, I I think every single one of us in this room can be a part of that. And I think some people do it already, and some people are like, I'm looking for opportunities. And so I what I hear, Kelly, when she brought the idea to me, I was like, that is very intentional, and it's it's also like um you know, getting people to understand like there is a need.
SPEAKER_04:So and if you uh didn't grab those QR codes, you can also tap that circle uh for either one of those two things if you want to move in that direction, I'll be a part of those two things. Last but not least, um, as we go into 2026 as a faith family, because this is us together, uh, how can we be praying for you specifically this year?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, wisdom is always is always good. Clarity and and wisdom to to not get in the way. Like I don't want to get in the way. I think if I've learned anything, I I I I I've learned there's an expiration date. This thing isn't built on me. Like I I recognize I'm not gonna be around the rest of my life. I mean, there's there's gonna be there's at some point I'm gone. And if this is built on I mean, if I've learned anything from John Maxwell and his leadership, it's like listen, if if you leave something and it's not better, or if it dies off, it was built on you. And I I just I don't this should grow past me, or I did it wrong. And so I've I've realized 2026 is so much about the future. And here's here's the crazy epiphany that I've I've come to is I've recognized there are some things that we'll put into play that I probably won't see the result of. That's crazy. Um, but that's the that's the kingdom, like that's the that's the gospel, like that it's gonna outlive us. We want it to. Um I do. I'm around guys older than me that some of them are like, listen, if my church closes when I die, I'm okay with that. And I cannot in my mind fathom that. Um, and so to me, 2026 is as much about the future as it is 2026. Like, I feel like there's gonna be 30 years from now where what someone might be saying about Jamie and Kelly is man, I'm so glad they put some things into play. And um I want to honor that they put those into play, but I may not see that. And uh, I'm okay with it. I'm okay with that happening, and so I just I want wisdom to just not be in the way when it comes to that. It's not about me, it's not about like any of that, it's about the kingdom of God. Like, I want your grandkids to go, hey, this is my church, and we're running this thing and and it not be about us. So I just want to make sure I'm not in the way.
SPEAKER_04:That's good. Kelly, anything you'd add? He's like, No, I'm done. I'm done, Sean. Hey, if you guys can stand with me, we're gonna pray for Pastor Jamie and Kelly. I've asked Pastor Mike uh if he'd come out and uh help us with this process and so um and pray over Pastor Jamie and Pastor Kelly. Uh and so if you don't know Pastor Mike, Pastor Mike is uh obviously on staff. Here's one of our pastors, uh, but he's also one of our overseers. We have three overseers, and so uh he gets he'll do a lot of the stuff uh in guiding, leading with the wisdom. And so if you'd reach your hands out with me and uh we're gonna pray.
SPEAKER_00:Before I pray, I'm gonna share two things with you guys real quick. Is uh I figured since you did Bon Jovi, I could do this song. How many Tom Petty fans we got in? There's uh I'm an old 70s hippie, so there's three of them. So there was uh the song that came to mind when you're talking about songs at Tom Petty, it's called Running Down a Dream. And I feel like that's for 2026, that's what we're doing. We're running down a dream. And the other thing that that came to me was something that one of the times I was with Tommy Barnett, I think I've shared it with you. I don't know if I have with you. But he said uh you'll know something's a god dream by three things. One, it's always bigger than you. Two is it chases you. It's what you think about, it's what you dream about, you can't you can't get away from it. And the third thing is you'll be willing to die for it, meaning what you'll be willing to make whatever sacrifice that you need to make for that dream. And that's just not for them, that's for us. Okay, because this isn't just their thing, this is us. Okay? And so, Father, I thank you that as we pray this morning, I I pray for Pastor Jamie, Pastor Kelly, I pray for Life Community Church. As you have set before us a dream, your dreams are always big, they always look insurmountable, they always look way beyond us, and I think you do that strategically, Lord, because all along the way it's gonna take us trusting you, obeying you, and worshiping you. And so I thank you that you've instilled something within this couple, and it's something that's chasing them. It's something that just burns within their souls. And so, Lord, I thank you. I thank you that you give them the stamina. I thank you that 2026 is a year that they'll uh experience strength like they've never experienced. I thank you for wisdom, Lord. I thank you for wisdom from heaven. The wisdom of heaven is is not earthly things and and and pragmatic systems and that, but the wisdom uh of God is from heaven, and I thank you that you release that wisdom into their lives as we as we run down this dream in twenty twenty six and beyond. In Jesus' name, amen.