Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: After doing things, whether it's in relationships or business or finances or ministry. And when you sense like, this isn't the right season, or maybe the Lord's saying yes, but the depth perception or the timing is not right after you have a handful of those underneath your belt, you just get to the place where, where we've gotten, where we've said, look, if God's in it, we want everything that he has for us in this season. If he's not in this current moment or he's in the idea, but it's not the right timing, we truly don't want it.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Hello and welcome to this week's Wealth Builders podcast. We're just so grateful for you joining us each and every week. And by the way, this podcast is growing thanks to all of you. So I'm pretty sure that you're sharing this with friends and family. Well, today we've got amazing guests, really dear friends of both Dave and I and Billy and Becky. I want to welcome Colin and April Carr.
[00:01:06] Speaker C: Hi.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: Thanks for having us.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: Thanks so much for being a part of this. You guys are such a big part of the wealth builders platform. You know, you started to come on board and help us, and then we just moved into like so much of the prayer activation, prophetic. And I was just sharing with you guys at the last conference, it was like, that's everybody's favorite because at the end of the conference and the young entrepreneurs and things too, just sharing words in ministry, they said that was the best part. So we're so grateful for you. So I really want you guys to share a little bit about your story. We've had Colin on, people are familiar with it, and there's a couple things I'm going to ask you guys about, but just give us a little history, like how long have you guys been married? If you're comfortable. How did you meet? You know, because we just want to get to know.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: That's a good story. I don't know what to do. A couple, a couple different podcasts for that, but we actually, we're coming up on 20 years in two weeks.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: Congratulations.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: Thank you. So very excited.
So, yeah, I'll start. I'll give you a very brief, very brief overview as far as how I met. We talked one time in high school. We just, we connected one time in high school. We went to rival high schools, different sides of the lake, different cities, ran into each other a couple years later, just briefly in a restaurant, saw each other for two minutes, and then both of us, independent of each other, had just radical encounters with the Lord and got born again separate from each other. And then the Lord brought us back together a few years later. So we've been getting for 21 and a half years now coming up on 20 years of marriage. And it's a pretty cool story. I mean, it takes probably 1015 minutes to unpack it, so we'll save it for another time. But it's 100% a testimony of us saying, you know, lord, when you're ready, you bring my spouse. And he hand delivered April to me and me to April. It was pretty awesome.
[00:03:00] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness, that is so awesome. So, April, is there anything different you want to share in addition to what Colin is sharing about?
[00:03:07] Speaker C: Gosh, it's incredible. Just times and seasons. Karen, you talk about times and seasons of the Lord. And when God originally brought us together, it wasn't the right time and season in life. And as we matured and began to walk with the Lord and know who he was, he aligned our paths at the right time. And it was just super natural, you know, after our very first date, the Lord spoke directly to both of us that this is your spouse. So, yeah, 20 years and two kiddos later and clean, strong.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I will share that part of the testimony. So one of the first people that I heard speak at church, like, the week after I got born again, was a guest speaker, and he had shared a quick testimonial about how when he got born again, he said, lord, if I trust you for my salvation, I can trust you to bring my spouse. And so he prayed and said, lord, I'm not going to date until you bring my wife. And so when it's the right season, when it's the right time, put out my heart and I trust you to bring me the right person. And so I heard that and I was born again, literally for like a week or two at the time. And I just said, you know, that sounds pretty straightforward. So I made that commitment, lord. I said, lord, I'm not going to date. I'm not going to try to force it. When it's time, you tell me. And a few months before April and I connected for the, like, the official time. Like, my heart started to change. I started knowing that the season was coming, but I took a year and a half all by myself and just saw first of the kingdom. And then when the time came to, you know, I thought the Lord was saying, hey, the season's coming. I started praying into it and so forth, but still said, lord, you're going to have to literally hand deliver my wife to me, and he honored that. He brought April to me, and he did.
[00:04:41] Speaker C: He hand delivered. I was in his town getting my nails done, and holy spirit just brought him to my remembrance, and I looked over at the young lady next to me, and I said, this is wild. I mean, Colin hadn't lived there for years. And I said, you know, if Colin Carr happens to be in town, and she said, I don't know, but his mom's standing right next to you.
And, I mean, she was as close as you and I were. And so I looked up at her and introduced myself, and immediately, yeah, she. She took my number home. It's a long story, but a good one.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: So, yeah, yeah, we spent the first. So we were gonna give a testimony, but now we're giving portions of it. But, yeah, we connected that. We kicked him a few nights later and just spent, you know, the evening talking about the Lord and what had happened in my life, what happened in her life. And then I got in my car, and as clear as day, the Holy Spirit said, that's your wife. Just like that. So, yeah, so, for anyone who is believing God for a spouse, I believe the Lord has a spouse for every person that has that desire, and you don't have to force it. The Lord will hand deliver that person to you if you put faith in it.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: Amen. That's actually, you know, a similar story to David and I. Of course, I was widowed, and I said that same thing. I was like, I am not gonna date. And I said, if there's a husband for me, you're gonna have to, like, knock me down, as I told the Lord, you know, but that's so interesting that you say that, because it's a similar story, but also how much confidence for people to say, you know what? I can trust the Lord for this. And aren't you glad that you listened? And you're like, hey, yeah.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: I mean, the scripture says, he who finds a wife or a spouse finds a good thing. And there's so many scriptures about, like, no good thing will the Lord withhold from those who love him. The Lord takes pleasure in the benefits and prosperity of his children. There's so many scriptures that talk about, you know, if natural parents would want to do good things to their children, how much more would your heavenly father take care of those who love him? And so to put faith in the idea that, of course God has a spouse for me, I mean, God told Adam, it's not good for you to be alone. Like, it's to your advantageous for you to have someone to connect with and do life with. And so if that's a desire, there's no difference of the Lord having a great career or a business or the right church. I mean, people sometimes say, I'm not satisfied in my church. Well, the Lord has the right church for you, or he has a hard shift and a transformation for you to be satisfied at church. And so there's nothing, there's nothing that we are involved with on that level that the Lord doesn't want to be a part of our life and that he can't make right what maybe needs some correcting or adjusting right now or bring that new relationship or opportunity into your life. If you'll put faith in there, let him. Wow.
[00:07:16] Speaker C: Amen.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: That's so beautiful. And I just know enough about you guys that you've really taken that principle and you really live by it in every area of your life. I mean, thinking about your business, you have two beautiful children. Maybe share with us a little bit about your amazing kids.
[00:07:31] Speaker C: Amen. Absolutely. I love that you noticed that, Karen, because really, the foundational principle and the life verse that we have is seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you. And that's how the Lord started this relationship. We were seeking the kingdom, seeking God, and he added unto us, in the right season, each other the same with the business, stepping out on our own, going national. All of these things were in season in his time as we sought the kingdom. So even with our kids, that's the foundation and the backbone built on Jesus is we seek the kingdom in everything we do. And God adds things in the right time. And what I love about it, we never have to worry about opportunities or what we're going to do next. We keep our eyes on the kingdom, and he continually draws the things and relationships, people, opportunities, so we can be in the right place at the right time to do what he's calling us to do in season. And so it's kind of our life versus, and it's the thread we see consistent through every area of our lives. So, absolutely, that's how we've raised our children, to seek him in every area before they put athletics or anything into their schedule or their life or their priorities, it's seeking the kingdom. And the Lord begins to highlight and give them peace and desire in the area he's directing them.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:08:39] Speaker B: Wow. And it's just a peaceful way to live. Like, when I think about all you guys do, you know, a lot of people would be like, stressed out, you know, like driven, knocking doors down. And you guys have got things in an order where you just allow things to come to you with that focus.
So maybe just share a little bit about, like, how do you do that? How do you set those godly priorities and those times where maybe you're tempted, like, hey, we've got something happening here that we want to jump out and force. How do you want walk through that? I think that's going to really help people.
[00:09:13] Speaker C: Amen. Great question.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Well, I'll start by saying this. We have made our fair share of mistakes, and we have, as Billy jokes, we've kicked out on our fair share of doors. We've tried to pursue things, maybe in the wrong season, and I don't know at what point it officially cements in your heart that that's just not the way you want to live. I think it's progressive over a period of time, but after doing things, whether it's in relationships or business or finances or ministry, and when you sense, like, this isn't the right season, or maybe the Lord saying, yes, but the depth perception or the timing is not right after you have a handful of those underneath your belt, you just get to the place where, where we've gotten, where we've said, look, if God's in it, we, we want everything that he has for us in this season. If he's not in this, this current moment or he's in the idea, but it's not the right timing, we truly don't want it. Like, we try to live our life by. And I shared this last time, you know, John the Baptist said, no man can receive anything of eternal significance unless it comes to him from above. And so we just, we trust the Lord enough to say, God, we're not worried about missing it. Like, I'm not worried about not knowing that it's you. I trust that you love me enough that even if I do miss it, you're going to bring it back to me or you're going to recorrect my course. And so, again, just you think about it.
We wouldn't give our children one opportunity if they missed it. We'd say, well, you had your chance, and so it's gone forever. We would continually remind them, encourage them, help them to redirect their focus. God does the same thing. So I don't know.
It's not a misuse of grace or a misuse of the nature character of God. It's just, I have enough confidence. We have enough confidence in God that if we truly do put the kingdom of God first and that's our top priority. And we're delighting ourselves in him that he's going to direct our paths, he's going to illuminate the next thing for us. And I don't think either of us have ever done anything perfectly in our entire life, truthfully. But I think we do a good job of being strong in the grace of God and just trusting that he wants it more than we do. And if we stay focused on him, hopefully get the first opportunity, the first round. But if it's the second or the third or the 500th, we just know that God's going to continually be there for us and help us to get in the right place at the right time.
[00:11:25] Speaker B: You know, that's a really great understanding. And a lot of people are so concerned about missing God. I mean, it's one of the biggest questions that we hear is like how, you know, how can I hear God's voice? I don't want to miss him. And so how do you handle that? Like how do you just have that confidence that you guys have that you're hearing from the Lord?
[00:11:45] Speaker C: So it's such a good question because it's so important. God created us for intimacy. We've heard this before. We're human beings, not human doings. And the Lord, the whole purpose of us, you know, coming here is to be in relationship with the father. His desire was to know us, not to use us to do things on his behalf. And so, so often people get so focused on the promise and the promised land or wanting going from the pit to the palace. They forget that Jesus is in the process, in the process, in the in between time. And that's why Colin talked about death, perception. You might hear a word from the Lord or a promise and you don't realize there's generally seed time and harvest. There's that in between time where people get discouraged. Hope deferred makeshi the heart sick. But what can keep us out of that place and realize the dream fulfilled is really recognizing Jesus is in the process. He's not just in the pit though. He's there with us when we're starting out in the promise. He's there all the way to the promised land. And in that process is when we learn to hear his voice. It's when we learn to put his word and write it on the tablet of our heart. It's when we learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We learn how he communicates. We learn the word of God and the promises which are our armor and protection, where we learn intimacy, and that's where we learn his faithfulness. Howlin and I have made many mistakes, but one thing remains. He's faithful even when we were faithless, because he can't deny himself. So I loved watching us fail. But God remains the same. He is consistent. He is always faithful. Because the covenant wasn't cut with me, it was cut between him and his son, and he remains faithful to that. And so I can rest assured knowing he is going to be faithful. He did it once, he's going to do it again. I remember early on, we heard stories of people, giants in the faith, how God showed himself mighty on their behalf. But when it comes to the personal level, we need to be in relationship with him in the journey so that we can learn that he's going to be faithful to us. When we fall short and fail, he's going to come back, we're going to run to that throne of grace, and he's going to show himself mighty on our behalf. And that through that faith walk and watching him show himself faithful over and over and over, we've established a relationship that I trust. He has a good plan and a purpose that is for good and not for evil. And so the greatest place we could ever be is right in the will of God. I don't want more or less, I want to hear and be so connected to the heart of the Father that when he says move, I can move in confidence because his spirit's resting on it. And when the Holy Spirit's on it, we're going to see increase in promotion and we're going to see the fruit that remains. That's what we care about.
[00:14:08] Speaker B: Really good.
[00:14:09] Speaker A: Yeah. No, I just. I mean, I think it comes down to this simple concept. God has more for you than you have for yourself. Eyes not seen, nor his ear heard, nor has even entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him. And if the Lord shows himself powerfully on your behalf, it's so much. It's so much beyond anything that you could have either asked, thought or imagined. So if the idea or the truth is, realize that God's plan for my life is better than my life myself, the way of man is not in himself. It's not a man to direct his own steps. If you have a revelation that God's plans are better than your plans, that you don't have to worry about missing it, that you don't have to worry about forcing it, and that you do want to put your hand in the plow and not look back. You do want to have a hand of diligence, and you want to do things with the spirit of excellence, all things that are the nature of God and the kingdom of God principles. But if you do it with that confidence, there's an expectation that if I came up with my, if I wrote my own story, it would be inferior to what God has for me. And so once that. Once that realization is realized, it just life force it. I want to share one more thing that is a quote from David Briggs that he shared with me the other day that I've heard him say in the past, but it really, really attached to my heart is the will of God is not a place.
It is a relationship. And so, so many people are worried about, like, the exact career or the exact investment. And I'm not against any of those things. If God said, like Andrew Wommack, you're going to have a worldwide ministry, that's a pretty specific idea. But we talked about this. People will say, Colin, do you believe that God destined you to do real estate? And my response is, I don't personally think so. I think I'm probably on my 10,000th course correction. I happen to be here now, but I'm blessed whether I'm in the city or I'm in the country, I'm blessed whether I'm coming in or I'm going out and the activities of what I do on a daily basis, this is where God has me. This is the realm that I have influence and impact in right now. But I really don't think it matters what I'm, what I'm doing. I really don't. I believe the Lord has a grace for me in different seasons. But, you know, scripturally, whether you are in the pit or you are in the house of Potiphar, whether you're in the prison or whether you're in the pharaoh's mansion, you're blessed in all that you're doing. And if God's in it, whether people do things to you and pull you out of what you thought you're supposed to do or whether you make a wrong turn, it doesn't change that the grace of God is unconditional. It doesn't change his love. It doesn't change his desire to help you. And so the will of God is a relationship, and it is a heart posture.
It might be a specific place if God's called you something very, very intentional. But I believe overall, it's you knowing him, the most intimate way. And then whatever you're doing, it should come with his blessing.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: I really like that. It takes the pressure off of what if I miss God or what if I make a mistake? And if I could just sort of, like, recap what I was hearing you guys say. It's really, you know, that no matter where you're at, no matter what you're doing, the blessing of the Lord is on you. And so you just seek him first. You pursue things, and, hey, if you maybe make a mistake, you just run to the throne and just trust that, that it's going to be okay. And really, that's humility.
[00:17:14] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:17:15] Speaker B: You know, instead of like, oh, no, it's up to me, which is actually a form of pride. It's actually saying, no, Jesus, we're going to trust you more than ourselves.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, if you have to do it perfectly, at what point when you made a mistake, I mean, can you not get back on track?
There's not one person that's ever done anything perfectly besides Jesus. And so the idea that if you make a mistake, I mean, or if you don't do it perfectly, or, I mean, all the different ways you could find yourself in error, that's a really heavy burden to carry. And that's the opposite of what Jesus said. So I do believe in giftings and callings. I do believe that, that we're supposed to stir up the gifts that God's placed inside of us. I do believe that God has called people to different offices and positions. So I'm not negating those things, but as far as, like, the day to day, whether I buy this house or that house, I believe there's a grace on those things. And God does say, this, this is a good opportunity or this is not. But what if you buy the property that you weren't supposed to buy? Is it? Are you out of luck then? And it's always really bad. No, like, you know, we're. Sin abounds. Grace super abounds. So it's not a license to make bad choices and it's not a license to be reckless, but when you're, when you're earnestly seeking the Lord, you do the best you can. He knows you're not going to do it perfectly. He knows you do the best you can. And then that's why we have mercy and grace, and that's why we have his presence with us.
[00:18:28] Speaker C: And I think it's why it's really important we understand the true nature of God. We understand his character and the heart of the father, we compare it to riding a bike. When we were teaching Carter and Layla how to ride their bike, when we put them up on those wheels and they started to take it, you know, they had the boldness and the courage to pump that wheel the first time, and they began to wobble and fall. Was I disappointed that they didn't do it well or they didn't stay on the right side of the street? No, I encourage them. I'm excited that they gave it a try, and I put back on the bike and I continue to help them. And that's how the father looks at us, even with the gifts of the spirit or in whatever he's called us to in that season. He's wanting to co labor and do it with us. He's not looking for perfection, which I know we all know, but he's looking for us to be willing to say, yes, Lord, and be willing to fall and get back up and trust that he's faithful and that our faith is in him and his goodness and his heart of the father to care for us and to help us succeed.
[00:19:19] Speaker A: Yeah. It reminds me of the scripture in Galatians. Having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh? Like, you receive the grace of God as a gift, you receive salvation as a gift. And the scriptures are evidently clear. It's from faith to faith, not from faith to works. And so it's a free gift from him and all that you do, the gifts and callings are irrevocable, et cetera. So if that's the mindset that God knows, I'm gonna make mistakes to the best of my ability. I'd like to avoid the ones that I don't need to make. And I would like to avoid as many tough times as possible if I could have just listened better or been more intentional. But there's no way of doing things without. Without airing. If any man doesn't err in speech, he's a perfect man. And that's only one person. That's Jesus. So we're going to say the wrong thing. We're going to do the wrong thing. We're going to get excited and jump ahead. But I guess the summary of all that is to the best of our ability, April and I have got to a place where we want all that God has. If he's not there, we don't want it. And we've seen the Lord do more in a matter of a minute or a moment than us striving in the flesh for years at a time. And so we would trust him more to bring it to us or to correct something in his timing at the right time versus years of us trying to force something.
[00:20:33] Speaker B: Wow, that is really encouraging. So one of the favorite stories that Colin has shared on this podcast is about the day he came home and said, honey, can you guys absolutely. Just share a little bit about that? Maybe Colin give a little, like, you know, if people haven't heard it, a little bit of the story. And then I really want to hear April's perspective of this.
[00:20:57] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah. So, you know, so we had, we had started a company 2009, and we were in agreement to start the company. It was, you know, we'd sat on the idea for almost a year, finished Bible college, and really waited until we had not only the desire, you know, psalm 37 four, but we also the peace of God that surpassed all understanding. And so we started the company in zero nine. We started adding other people and other agents to it, and then we basically just kept growing what we had in place for the first four or five years in Colorado. And then in 2014, the Lord said, it's time to go national. And we were in agreement to go national, but there's no blue blueprint for that. Like, there's no, like, there's no book to read on. How do you take a very specialized, unique real estate company that's never existed before and then how do you scale it? Naturally, there's just no blueprint. So, you know, we did the best we could, and I just, I got to a place where I had over committed on a handful of things specifically. And we knew that we're going to do some capital raises and we're going to try to do some other things to create, you know, more cash flow. But I had just gotten to a place where the numbers weren't lining up and I had over committed us. And so we had to make some, you know, some pretty significant adjustments. And so we had to get to the place where we sold our house. We had our cars paid for, so we sold our house to get the equity out. We sold our cars because they were paid for and leased. I tap, you know, we cash in our four hundred one k and our retirement accounts, and then we took anything else that we had that had value, like a, we lived in a golf cart community. We had a hot tub. We had, I had a gun collection. She had a large, you know, she had a beautiful jewelry collection. I mean, we took anything that had value and we sold it and we, we put it all in. And so, yeah, I came home one day and said, you know, got good news and bad news. The good news is I love you and Jesus does too. The bad news is we've hit that point and we're going to have to sell some things to bridge this gap. And sorry that I didn't do a better job of managing the finances in the season, but I did the best I could. And in hindsight I could probably undo some things, but can't turn back time in this. And so we're just going to have to move forward.
[00:22:56] Speaker C: And so, and what I love, what I love about collins heart and when he said that we were in agreement about all of it. We both go over all the details of the company. We're aware and making decisions together. So we knew we were headed. But I could tell you the decisions weren't to over commit, really were never out of bad business principles. It was extreme generosity and big faith. And Colin operates in the gift of faith. That was his heart is believing God for abundance, not just for us at our house, but for everyone the Lord brought to us. The Lord gave us a word. He said, there'll be so many fish in the boat, you'll have to call other disciples to help you haul in the catch. And so he gave us that word. And people were being supernaturally drawn to us. They were selling companies to be a part of it. And we were believing God for more than enough to satisfy our needs and all those that he wanted bring alongside of us to help them receive their inheritance. And so knowing that was the foundation of his heart, anytime we get in trouble, it's because his heart is generosity. He's always going to err on the side of give more and trust the Lord. And so I knew the heart posture and it was a matter of, we call it blessings from the word woodshed. It was a matter of just being, growing and maturing in the Lord, he knows that we're going to go from glory to glory. So many people are looking to be saved and perfect and that's, that's not how the kingdom works. Even Jesus said he grew in wisdom and stature. And so there's just a seed time and harvest in a young couple and learning to take the promises of God, employ them and then bring other people along. And so in that process, so I knew his heart, which helped tremendously. So I knew it was a conversation.
[00:24:26] Speaker A: Coming and we had death till we part covenant. So we were good to go.
[00:24:30] Speaker C: We got married. My dad said, you can have her, but she comes with debt. So I figured if he was going to handle that. I'd walk through this one with him. But, you know, we knew what was coming. You know, in the natural realm, we could see some of those signs. And so it wasn't a complete shock. But when he did come in the door that day and he said, the time is now, it was definitely okay. And it was one of the things that God had been preparing our heart for. Even though in the natural, if I would have let my mind or even my flesh get involved, it could have gone in a very different direction. But the Lord had taught us through school, you take those thoughts captive, you stay in the spirit, and we won't satisfy the lust of the flesh. So we just kept our eyes on the Lord. And I remember finding joy even in those moments, because again, we trusted the Lord was faithful. And so instead of getting in disagreement and fighting or getting frustrated or disappointment, we took even my jewelry collection. I had an extensive jewelry collection, David Yurman's. All these beautiful pieces, even gifts I've been given from Colin. When we had the kids that were super special, we needed to liquidate it all. And so whatever we could not sell, we laid hands on, we blessed, and we sewed into someone else's life and believed that the Lord would multiply anything we sowed. So we took everything. I remember turning on worship music and all four of us and explaining it to our children. I mean, we just. Our parenting style. Yeah, our parenting style is they're a part of everything we do. We teach them in season and the right information, but I, they were a part of it. And we talked about laying this down at the feet of the father because he wanted us to help others receive their inheritance. We had abundance and we were going to sew this back to the Lord. And so instead of it feeling like God was taking away a golf cart or we were losing, this is an opportunity for the Lord to do even abundantly more than we could ask. And I remember turning on worship music with the kids. And we, all four of us went out there and we washed the golf cart and we rejoiced in it. And so there were, and even just our home. I loved our home. I loved our neighborhood. It was everything I could ask or imagine for. And in that scene, we still homeschool. But I remember saying, lord, I really don't want to do this. Where do I start? Because I'm at peace with it, even though it's not my desire. And he said, just start packing up your books one at a time. And he said, and I said, I don't want a single showing. I mean, I had a brand new baby, and he said, I'll bring the right person to you. He won't even have a showing. And a neighbor knocked on the door and gave us abundantly more than we were asking. I said I even wanted to stay there until the end of the summer because I'm a pool lover, and I wanted the kids to play in the pool. And he even said, you can stay all the way through the end of September, which was the whole pool season. I mean, just all these things. The heart of the father, he was in all of it. He cared about even the little details. So, I mean, it wasn't an easy thing in the natural to do, but it's all his to begin with. And that's what we looked at, is it's all his. We're stewarding. And so really, it comes from him. It needs to go right back to him. Our heart is to seek him and the kingdom. And again, we knew he would add it back unto us, you know, in whatever way he wanted to, so. But it was. It was fun. We had a choice, and we choice. We chose to worship.
[00:27:22] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:27:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:27:23] Speaker B: And it had to. I'm thinking you go through something like that, if you hit a bump in the road right now in business or whatever, that's got to be like, this faith point that you look back and, yes, you know, maybe even fondly look at some of those memories. Right? I can hear that in your voice, and you're talking about worship music and, you know, watching the golf cart so and so with your kids, you know, when they go through something like that, how has that impacted them? And just kind of even, how has you guys, your godly priorities? What are you seeing in your kids that, you know, maybe you didn't have when you grew up, but what are you seeing in and through them? And I know them, and so I could probably answer this, but I want to hear it from you guys, because they are amazing kids.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: Well, one of the things is, you know, and there's discretion here, but we're really open with our kids. You know, Carter's now 15 and a half. Layla turns 13 next month. But from a very early age, we would include them in a lot of conversations, and again, there's age appropriate conversations and so forth. But, you know, we would ask them questions like, what type of car do you think we should buy, or should we purchase this house, or we have an investment property? And we would ask them questions. And I remember walking through, like, investment properties when Layla was probably like eight or nine and big. Layla, what do you feel in this property? And getting her feedback on things? And they didn't always have the final say. Like, there's certain times when we would, you know, we would say, hey, we're going to still move forward, but we'd ask them questions like, hey, guys, what do you think we should tip the waiter or waitress? What do you think we should do with this? Or what type of gift should we buy this person for Christmas? Just things that maybe a lot of parents say it's not, you know, maybe. Why would you ask your child that? You just make a decision, or it takes more time to ask your kids or to involve them, but to the best of our ability, we wanted to get them involved. So we've been really transparent with them as we've had ups and downs, as we've had different seasons. And, you know, anytime that we've had a challenge to go through, we've always put our focus on the Lord and tried to help them direct their focus there, too, and say, and say, God has always been faithful to us and we trust him in this process and invite them to exercise and use their own faith so that they're able to believe God for themselves. They're able to discern here for themselves, discern for themselves. And it's not them. Just, yes, they cooperate and live off of our faith to an extent, but they have to have their own personal relationship with Jesus. And I think that's one of the things you see with a lot of kids is they're not required to believe God themselves. They're not required to have their own relationship with the Lord. They kind of live off their parents from, like, a surrogate perspective or by proxy through their parents, and then when they get out on their own, they're not capable of sustaining, you know, what they have to deal with. So I think. I think we've done a good job with that. Personally, I know April's on a phenomenal job of including the kids and just a lot of very specific conversations and discussions and going through the pros and cons and all those things. So I think treating your children as if they are adults from a much earlier age, giving them additional responsibilities from a much earlier age, and being willing to let them make mistakes or make the wrong decision, even in areas that maybe have higher consequences, I think is incredibly valuable.
[00:30:31] Speaker C: I love that, you know? Yeah, we taught the kids the word of God at an early age. Like how said, we want them to be able to discern peace and desire. We want them to recognize the fingerprint of the father and the enemy or the flesh and the world. At young ages, they were prophesying and operating in the gifts of the spirit and they know the word of God. And so we would include them in conversations and then we'd begin to talk about it and we'd say, well, what does the word say? And so we would have conversations at very young ages and up until today, we actually, we value their input and their ability to hear the Holy Spirit and be led by peace and then just discern opportunities. And so we often actually will employ them, ask them for business opportunities. Some of the things that we're doing today are we're direct words from God that he gave our children and we employed and we saw amazing increase or breakthrough. And so we showed them, we valued them, that they don't have a junior Holy Spirit. They have the fullness of God in them. And so because we modeled that, they're the first ones. I'll come to the kids and I'll say, hey, I need, I need wisdom. Will you lay hands on me and release wisdom? Speak the promises over me or I need healing. They're immediately there to lay hands on us. It's become a lifestyle that we live. It's not somewhere we visit. It's our everyday. And so it's the first thing they go to is the word of God. What does the word say? And then it's really, we always joke. It's funny when your kids learn to use the word against you. This is how we're feeling led. We feel these scriptures, and all of a sudden they'll bring a proverb in and then the talk about, you know, just the process or timing in a situation. And because we honor Christ in them, they watch us wait until they have peace and we move as a family. So that's, yeah, it's pretty exciting. But during that season, they were really, really young. But in that season, they also learned to hear the voice of God. They learned, and we helped them understand what peace felt like or an absence of peace so they could discern the presence. They always want to be in the presence. And so even when we did start, we moved to a new home. There might have been a little fear, but they could feel the presence of God. And so I believe you.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:25] Speaker C: So even in that, they were like, we didn't want to let go. But God, again, he was building a faith walk with them when they were young. So they can look at the memorials now. And now they have their own faith walk at five. Now they're 15. That we didn't get until we started at 25.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:40] Speaker C: So it's spectacular.
[00:32:41] Speaker B: That is amazing. Wow.
You guys, if you were to give maybe just some input or like, advice to people in walking in godly priorities, what would that be?
[00:32:56] Speaker A: I would start with this, and it's gonna be no surprise anyone who knows me, but you have to spend time with the Lord in the word, praying in the spirit, in different environments. So for us personally, April and I could speak for both of us on this one, we have to live off the word of God. I mean, man cannot live off of bread alone. And for us, the, the more intimate that we've grown with the Lord, the stronger our relationships become. Like, the more, the more needed that is. And so just individual time, personal time with the Lord. I mean, both of us, I mean, we can spend hours or entire half day or day with the Lord in the word, and that's some of the most precious time that we have. So, you know, I think the intention, intentional schedule is one thing that we talked about as well. There's so many things in this world that are coming at people, especially when you've got a career, you have children, you're part of a church, you do ministry, you do business. If you're not intentional with scheduling things, it's very easy to get distracted. I mean, from the moment you wake up in the morning, there's typically a list of things that you have to get accomplished personally, professional, ministry wise. I mean, there's probably, I'm working off a list. There's probably been 25 things that I've had to look at today already, and I've gotten some dom and some that will happen later, but I think just overall scheduling being intentional. When are you doing this? What does it look like? How much time do I have? When am I not going to start work before this time? Because if I just wait to see if the phone rings or the emails pop up, they're going to come. They're coming really strong and fast, early. So I think time with the Lord being intentional, and then other things too, is like, we're really intentional with, with conferences in church and ministry and things that we know are a lifeline for us, it's a lot easier to say, hey, I don't have time to go to this conference for three or four days, but we know that God has something for us there with, with wisdom, with relationships, you know, with just being refreshed and so scheduling time in the word and being very diligent with our schedule. Conferences, church ministries, you know, volunteering, serving, all those things. Those are all staples of our walk. And if you pull any one of those things out, there's a part of us that's not going to be complete the way that we should be.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: So good.
[00:35:05] Speaker C: Amen. I love what Colin said about intentional. I know this is something that you're excellent at and model for us, but you have to make intentional choices. Otherwise people think it's just going to happen. It's not. You have to set time aside with the Lord.
[00:35:18] Speaker B: Every day.
[00:35:19] Speaker C: We set time, like Collins said, in the word and prayer and worship, and then we carry that through our whole day. If we have time in the car, we don't just, you know, let our minds wander. We take those thoughts captive. We meditate either on the word or the beauty of wherever we're driving through our worship or a teaching. But we take the moments that we have throughout the day to focus our heart back on the Lord. You know, we look for things in our schedule that have kingdom importance and kingdom value for eternity. So it sets your eyes on things above and not below. So we, I think another key to having a successful life is really writing the vision not only for your family, but every area of life. You know, with our family specifically, we sat down as a family and said, what do we want our family to look like when there's 15 1822? What is it that we're looking for? We want a family that knows the Father, that hears his voice, kids that can take the word of God and walk, steer their course wisely and help others do the same. And so we wrote down and recognized the vision we have. We want a family where generations come together continually that we're in intimate relationship. And then we make intentional choices all along the way, even saying no to good things that are not God things in that season. Because I want to be in step with the Holy Spirit and what God's calling to us collectively and individually. So we really focus on things that have an internal impact, not things that are just, they're fun to do here. God loves fun. He's the creator of fun. But we can have fun in season with the Lord and in his will. And that's where you find rest and refreshment and happiness of joy. And so, you know, we take intentional steps about, like Colin said, we'll take an entire year and we'll take our priorities. And it's always little daily, you know, the micro details, spend time with God every day and what our day looks like holding his presence through the whole thing beginning to end. But then also the bigger scale of what does our entire year look like? We will take an entire weeks off instead of maybe going to traveling sports, which are huge with kids right now. Sports are important. Our kids are excellent athletes. But where do they fall on the priority line? They do not get exalted above the things of God because the things that we lay a foundation for today will be the blueprints for when our kids are old enough and on their own and they realize our commitments and priorities with the Lord come first. It doesn't ebb and flow with what's fun that day or what opportunity comes up.
[00:37:33] Speaker B: I love that.
[00:37:34] Speaker C: So we have consistencies in our schedule that are set around wealth builders. They're set around Andrew's ministry, our church, and things that we do as a family. And then we fill in from there in our priority list. So, and then it's been a successful and makes the kids hungry for those things. And honestly, they cannot wait to be a part of it. It says there's joy in the presence of the Lord, and they know when they go to these atmospheres, there's joy, and they want to be a part of it. And the Lord told us a long time ago, he said, whatever you give them a taste for, like, the finer things, health food versus pizza, they're going to crave. He said, so let them taste my presence early on. So they know me and they're drawn to be near me. And so we spend time intentionally in atmospheres and in places where they can discern that very clearly. So when they're not there, they can discern the absence of it.
[00:38:19] Speaker B: That is so amazing.
[00:38:21] Speaker C: Just intentional, like, like you say all.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: The time, how you are such an amazing couple. This has been wonderful. I know all of you have just gleaned so much from this, and we definitely want to have you both back because this is, I love its family.
You are living what you talk about, and you're giving us examples of that in college in April. They're part of all of our.
So if you want to see them in person and experience their ministry, I just really encourage you to go to wealthbuilders.org, go to events and just make a decision, just like they have been sharing with their family to make this a priority. We are a family. Billy and Becky have established wealth builders on that premise. And it really feels like that we are together in this, and we feel you are part of our family as well. I also just wanted to share with you that Billy's got a new teaching coming out based on his change mastery book. So we've got videos coming out, a devotional. So to learn more about that, go to wealthbuilders.org shop. All right, so any final thoughts before we sign off here?
[00:39:28] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll just, I'll stamp what you just said. You know, the scripture says do not forsake together or do not forsake the gathering together of the brethren. And I do believe that has its foundation in like the church format. But there's so many other expressions of that. You know, if you're believing God in a certain ministry aspect, like you should, you should lock up with ministries that are going after the things that you're going after when it comes to business, when it comes to prosperity or things from a kingdom perspective, getting around other like minded believers that are, that are believing for the same thing, that are praying for the same thing, that are developing the natural skill sets that are needed, you know, learning from those who have gone before you. It's the same concept. So the association of like Minded Believers is not limited to once a week on Sunday at church again. And that's why our priorities are our conferences with Andrew's ministry in Charis Bible College and Wealth builders and our church legacy chapel. And there's a couple other things that we plug into. And, you know, like April said, we, you know, it's the idea of like you put the largest rocks in first and then the next size rock and then the smaller, and then eventually you can fill the sand into the little openings. You know, that's the way that we do it. And for us personally, our largest, our largest rocks or boulders that are, that are filling up our jar. Start with getting together with people that we know have gone before us that are blazing the path for us or areas that we're supposed to be cooperating or co laboring with them. And so there's just, there's so much to be said about taking the time. And here's the reality. It does take time. It takes money. It takes effort. You have to say no to other things. Like there is a cost to be paid. There's a cost and there is a price to be paid for a lot of things that are in the kingdom. And yet I wouldn't trade those things for anything in the world.
[00:41:08] Speaker B: So great.
Thank you so much, Colin and April. Thanks for being part of wealth builders and for being with us today. Thanks all of you for also being part of the wealth Builders family. Please share this podcast with others we're so grateful that you are continually with us. Billy and Becky send their love to you. They pray for you every day. God bless you and make it a great rest of the day.
