Participant: Hey guys, how is it going?

It is good to be back.

I haven't updated you guys in a while.

Um, life has been crazy and busy,
um, but I'm glad to be back.

Uh, just have a few testimonies to
share with y'all and then a few updates.

Um, so testimonies first, I'm not sure
when this episode will come out, but,

uh, last week I was at our, uh, at
branch, the branch church's youth camp.

Um, long story short, uh, they asked me.

Uh, last minute to be their camp director.

And I had done it before, so
it was fairly easy to jump in

and the schedule was the same.

And so it, it wasn't, it
wasn't too tough of a job.

Uh, and it was, uh, it
was actually amazing.

Um, there were so many stories
of God at work, work, uh, at

camp, and just to share a few.

So we get there on Monday and.

I'm walking around, setting up,
getting everything ready to go.

Kids haven't gotten to the camp yet, but
we're, we're getting ready for them to

arrive, so we're setting everything up.

And I was walking in the worship center
and one of the people on the worship

team was laying down on one of the
pews while they were kind of taking

a break from setting up and stuff.

And I walked over to her and I
was like, are you tired already?

It's the first day of camp,
you know, making a joke.

And, and she was like, well,
my head actually really hurts.

I was like, oh, okay.

Well let's pray for it.

And she was like, O okay, like right
now, I'm like, yeah, right now.

So she stood up, she sat up, uh, put my
hand on her head and very simply said,

in the name of Jesus headache, be gone.

And I said, how do you feel?

And she looks at me like with
shock and awe that some, that

her, he, her head was healed.

That was no more pain.

And it was so nonchalant and
so simple, yet powerful that

she was like shook by it and.

She go, so, so I, I basically
say, all right, amen.

Well, the Lord, hey, the
Lord healed you just now.

And that's amazing.

There's more where that come, came from.

It's the first day of camp, let's go.

I was getting excited, you know, and so
I walked out and came back a few minutes

later and I, I saw her and I said,
Hey, how are, how's your head feeling?

And she starts tearing up and
she's like, it's, it's better.

Like it still has maybe a little bit, but
it's nothing compared to what it was like.

I can't.

And she gets choked up and starts
crying and she's just, I, she's like,

no one's ever prayed for me like that.

Like that's.

That's amazing.

She didn't, she didn't know what to do
and I was just so, I was like, come on.

That's amazing.

When God intervenes in a real time
moment like that, people just get shook.

They're like, oh my gosh, God is real.

He's here, he's moving, he's active.

Like he cares about my life.

Uh, and uh, that was
just, that was powerful.

Uh, to fast forward, she ended up coming
over to see me and my wife, uh, last uh.

Man, I don't even remember.

Everything's a blur sometime
last week or this weekend.

Um, and she came over

and, uh, was sharing just
how powerful of a moment.

Not only that was, but camp
was, 'cause there were other

testimonies of healings and, and
just really awesome stuff happening.

And, and she, uh, she was like,
yeah, it was so much so that I was

going for a run earlier today and I
saw this, this lady, two ladies who

were homeless it seemed like, and.

Basically she was saying how, because
of what happened to her at camp,

she began to see people differently
and she began to see her role in

ministering to people differently.

And she leaned in and actually offered
to help these people and felt, felt

guilty that she didn't pray for healing.

'cause one of them had like a
limp and she ran off and felt

guilty that she didn't pray.

And she felt she was feeling a
little guilt like guilty at my house.

And I was like, Hey, listen, it's
not, don't feel guilty, no shame.

Like here's, here's the
truth is that's fruit.

Even though you didn't pray like
you felt like you should have

that, that Holy Spirit conviction
or leading of the spirit, that's

fruit of the spirit, that's love.

And you didn't used to not think you
could do anything for those people,

and now you believe by the power of
the spirit, you actually have something

to offer these people in need that is
called the fruit of the spirit of love.

And she was encouraged and all that
from God just simply healing her head.

Just a little headache, just
bang gone and it shook her world.

Uh, there's another, another few stories.

Um, there's a, a, a boy in seventh
grade we did this really powerful thing.

On Wednesday night of camp Chris
Edman preached on the resurrection

and, and how the stone was sealed
with the Roman seal, uh, which

basically claim it was Rome claiming
authority and power over this grave.

This area of death.

And his, uh, he used that as an analogy
to talk about there's things that

hold a power and authority over us.

And the only thing that can
break the power is the cross

of Jesus and his resurrection.

So we had a cross, and during the
last worship said, after the message,

people walked up with piece of paper
that they had written things that hold

authority, have power and authority
over them, and they gave them to these

leaders and they literally nailed them
to the cross while worship was going.

It was powerful.

Hearing the nails go into the
wood, the hammer hitting the nails.

Uh, man, it was moving.

And so this boy came up to me, came
up to me after that, and I had led his

small group for a little while, and I
was like, uh, tell me what's going on.

He's like, I wanna be baptized.

And I, I said, all right, amen.

Well, tell me why.

And he said, well, it's kind of hard
not to after a camp like this, you know?

And we laughed and he's like, no,
but seriously, I, I feel like if

that's what it takes to get closer
to Jesus, I wanna do it because I.

I wrote down lies on my sheet of
paper, and I nailed those at the

cross that I, I've told lies and
I, I wanna be done with that.

I want old, I want that old person to die.

And I wanna, I want new life in Jesus.

And I was like, wow.

Amen.

And so the next day he got baptized
and you could tell he was giddy as

countenance was changed, he was joyful.

He was happy.

It was, it was incredible.

Uh, and then the last story, I'll, I'll
share, there's many, many more, but

this last story I'll share is probably
the most personally impactful for me.

Um, so there was a eighth, eighth
grade girl, uh, that at the very

first day of camp confessed to
her, her small group leader, um,

that she had been hurting herself.

And I'll leave names
and everything out, but.

She had confessed that she
had been hurting herself.

And so naturally they came to me as the
camp director and told me, and then I

said, okay, well, I wanna talk to her.

And so, uh, I told her like, Hey, um,
so, so proud of you for confessing.

It's really hard to do.

And that tells me that you
want to be delivered from this.

And, and Jesus can deliver you from this.

And, and we care about you,
wanna protect you, keep you safe.

And I, and, and I know that there's
nobody on this earth that wants to

keep you safe more than your parents.

So because of that, I'm, I'm gonna
tell them what you confessed.

And there's no shame or judgment.

We want to help.

And, you know, she was a little
freaked out that her parents were gonna

find out and et cetera, et cetera.

But she was like, okay, okay.

Uh, so I did end up talking to her
parents and they were glad to know,

glad that she confessed, but also
broken hearted over learning something

like that about your kid, obviously.

And, uh, and so the next day,
the next morning, I, I saw her,

I said, Hey, I told your parents,
I wanted you to know how much.

They love you and they don't
think about you any differently.

They have just more love
for you and stuff like that.

And she was grateful to know that.

She came to me later and said,
Hey, I wanna call my parents.

And I thought, great.

That's awesome.

Called her parents.

It went well.

And then Thursday night we had another
powerful night of worship and teaching

and, and, um, uh, she, um, she
pointed at me right after and said,

and, and kind of motioned me over.

She, she wanted me to come talk
to her and I, I went up to her.

And she is just in tears, like
weeping and she just says, I want

you, I just want you to know.

I just wanna say thank you.

And I mean, my heart just about exploded.

I mean, what a moment.

She, I give her a hug and she just
crying and, and laughing and I said,

Hey, what are you feeling right now?

She was like, I feel happy.

And she's like, I just feel happy.

She said, during small group, I,
um, I, I was, I was just waffling

between crying and laughing and
just giddy and just looking at

things and just, I just feel happy.

And I said, that's amazing.

When's the last time you felt this way?

And she said, never.

I've never felt this way.

She had confessed to her small
group leader that first night that

she feels empty and, and on in this
moment, she was filled with happiness.

And oh my word.

I just was like, it took everything in me.

Not to just scream and shout
and wanna just, I don't know.

It was, it was just
amazing seeing the journey.

Even just a couple of days, this
journey, she had been on and

received freedom and deliverance.

I saw her dad church on Sunday, asked
how she's doing and said, doing great.

They've been talking and I'll, I'll
continue to check in, but when the

presence of God hits your heart.

He fills you with joy and happiness.

Deliverance chains break.

It's just, this is just what
happens when God is moving.

And when you give space for him to
move, as you teach, preach the gospel,

and as you minister to the Lord in
worship and put Jesus in his rightful

place on the throne in your assem,
it's like, man, man, what a powerful,

powerful, really powerful time.

So, uh, like I said, there's more,
more, more to share, but that's.

That's just a little taste of
what happens at Branch Camp.

Every single summer that stuff happens.

And it was a blessing to play
a part and really an honor.

You know, I started at the branch as the
youth pastor in 2015, and I started by,

you know, I didn't directly direct camp.

I was more of a, kind
of like a small group.

I.

A glorified small group leader.

'cause I was like brand new in
the camp, brand new in ministry.

Uh, but I've run camps before and my
first, one of the first big tasks I had

was being at camp and helping run camp.

And then, you know, my, my time
at the branch is coming to a close

and having the honor of finishing
the way I started, I think is real.

A real gift from the Lord to go full
circle and just another confirmation

that God is doing what he always does
and he's moving and he's working in

this church plant at breakthrough.

So, uh, really an honor to
have been played a part.

Of that.

Okay.

Shifting gears to, to
breakthrough, just a few updates.

I guess maybe just one major
update, uh, is we have a facility.

Which is huge.

We're very, very excited.

Uh, there's a church in Richardson
called Loft City Church, and they're

buying a new facility right north of
Richardson High School, and that church

is called Ethnos Bible Church, and
Loft City is buying it from Ethnos and

doing renovations, and they're gonna
start their services there in August.

And so they'll be in there about
a month before we need to launch.

So.

Uh, the day.

So we got told no by Care Church.

I forget, I haven't told anybody
this, at least this podcast, but

on, on Fridays, several Fridays
ago, care Church called and said,

Hey, uh, it's not gonna work for us.

We we're not gonna be able to host
you well and all this stuff, and

it's all good and no hard feelings.

But I was grateful to know, but
also like, okay, back to square one.

Um.

And, uh, that was a, that was on Friday.

Well, the next Monday I text a bunch of
ministry leaders and pastors in Richardson

area asking if they had any leads.

And, uh, one of them named
Sam Respo responded and said,

Hey, um, thanks for texting.

I actually thought about you on Friday.

I.

And was gonna reach out to you this week?

Well, Friday was the day we got told no.

So it seems like the Lord put us on
Sam's heart the same day we got told no.

And he said, I was gonna
reach out to you this week.

We're actually buying a facility,
uh, that's a little bit bigger than

where we're at now, and would love
to talk about sharing space with you.

And I was like, whoa, that's awesome.

And so I, I ended up meeting
with him the that next week.

I went out to the
facility, checked it out.

He told me some of the renovations that
they're gonna be doing and he got, I

mean, we agreed on a, just such a generous
price and is really gonna free us up.

And, um, and he, yeah, he said he.

Uh, we'd love to have you and I'm gonna
go to Japan for a couple weeks, but,

uh, call me whenever we, whenever I
get back and we'll, we'll talk, we'll

touch base, uh, and I said, great.

So I called him yesterday and, uh,
we confirmed verbally we're gonna

get some stuff written down and
signed here in the next week or two.

But, uh, we confirmed verbally that
we'll be in their space starting

in September and it'll, his church
is called Loft City Church, but

he's gonna let us use his space.

And one of the cool things about it is
he's starting a church planting network.

In Dallas area and or with others
kind of just spearheading that.

And one of the things he encourages
other churches to do is help church

plants out whether funding them or
letting them use your facilities

or an office space or something.

And he said, I can't be telling churches
to do that and not be doing it myself.

So I, I actually would, I would want
you guys to be in our, in our facility.

I was like, wow, that's,
this is so the Lord.

What a good partnership and
we're gonna be doing ministry

together with that church and.

I just think it's really
cool, a unique opportunity.

So praise the Lord He is providing.

Um.

I feel wind at our back
and feel God is moving.

And we're, now that we have a facility,
we got three months to put some stuff

together, uh, to gather a team to.

We're gonna need a lot of bodies.

Um, and not just any bodies, but people
who are, uh, ministry minded and excited

about what God is doing with breakthrough.

And maybe just have a heart to serve if
you know of anybody or if you feel called

to help us, at least for like, you know.

You can come and help us for 12 months,
24 months, you can come help us for a

season just to help us get off the ground.

And, uh, we would love, we would love,
love, love to partner with you in

ministry, whether that's being like a
teacher in a kid's classroom or being

on the hospitality team, a greeter,
or even being on a connections team

and doing some follow up with first
time guests throughout the week.

Uh, I don't know what it looks like
or what your specific gifting or call

is, but would love to talk to you
about anybody about, uh, helping us

do this and building a team to put on.

Not, not just a church service, but
to really launch a community centered

on the presence of God and, uh, the
preaching of the gospel of Jesus.

So, uh, that's all I have for this time.

Grateful to, to be back with
you guys and I'll hopefully get

some more updates for you soon.

Uh, love you guys and
have an awesome week.