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Hey everyone, welcome to Empower You Podcast and I have Amy Stevens with me here this morning

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and we are so excited to be together because for the reality of what's happening, especially

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since COVID and where we are today, Amy and I have been kind of thrown together by the

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sovereignty of God.

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We knew each other just a little bit, maybe 15 years ago or something, right?

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Yeah.

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I think so.

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Yeah.

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And you were, were you with Focus on the Family then?

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I don't think so.

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I had left by then I was in elected office.

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I think I was a legislator then.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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So what brought Amy and I together is because of the vision we have at the road at Chapel

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Hills, which is a church I pastor in Colorado Springs of a kingdom of God revolution that

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is really the genesis of why we started Empower You also.

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And it's this idea, you that are watching and a part of this and watch it every week

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is to empower you to make a difference in the world and to make changes in your community

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for the kingdom of God.

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And so Amy was doing that and you've been doing that for such a long time.

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Here's what I'm interested in to begin with, Amy, is you're a wife, how long have you guys

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been, how you've been married or on 39, 39 years and have a son.

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We have one son.

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Yeah.

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31 got to be 31.

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So let's go back in time.

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How did you, how'd you get started in public policy and caring about those kinds of things?

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It started in Los Angeles.

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And I was hired by Focus on the Family actually when they were going to move here.

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So with the understanding we would move here and the life that we had in Los Angeles, we

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felt wasn't conducive to raising a child.

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It was hard.

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We were commuting an hour each way every day, LA traffic.

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And so we went, I joined Focus and moved here and I worked in a variety of, I worked in

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public policy and I worked a lot on a choice in education and parental rights and what

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we're going on in schools just like we are today.

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I feel in so many ways we're back at the nineties.

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We've somehow come a full circle in engagement and all those things.

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But anyway, we, I would travel for Dr. Dobson at certain legislatures to educate on a number

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of issues, whether it was California or Colorado.

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And when I would be in at the Capitol in Colorado, I always had this sense that at some point,

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sometime I would be in office.

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I didn't know when, didn't have any idea.

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I just had this overwhelming sense.

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And so I left Focus in 2002, we, I'd been there 10 years and I ran for office in 2005,

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was elected in 2006, which to me was amazing.

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In that time, really, my son was in those crazy intermediate years of 11 to 13, really

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felt like he needed to be grounded.

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It's probably the best thing I ever did.

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Because then when I got into office, he really was ready.

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He was playing baseball.

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You and I talk a lot about the sports of that.

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He was in baseball, he, you know, could be a lot more self-governing and it allowed me

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to be able to serve in the legislature.

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So that was, that was a really, that was good.

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And I was in the legislature for eight years, became the house majority leader, was the

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last Republican, sadly, that we've seen since 2012.

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My goodness, I didn't realize it had been that long.

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Yeah, it's been a while.

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It's been quite a while.

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And kind of, I think what brought you and me together is during the COVID time, particularly

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is the further and further split we've seen, you know, within party politics.

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When I was in, I really worked a lot across the aisle.

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I really made a lot of friends across the aisle to run bills together for the good of

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Colorado, like the School Safety Act or protecting seniors from, you know, financial, you know,

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trickery and things like that.

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I mean, I would work with people to get those things done.

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But we have a far different legislature, even in a short time.

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And we have a far different society today, you know, than we did when we moved here.

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We're just in very different days.

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Why is that?

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I mean, why do you think we're so divided?

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I think it's a number of things.

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I think there are disappointments along the way.

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I think one thing I learned in office is you will never please everybody.

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And I don't care.

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You know, it's so funny.

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We talk about the who's a hundred.

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100% with us, right? You know, on some sort of whatever line that is, the line always

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moves, right? And I think that we have a lot of people who say, hey, I'm disillusioned

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with government. I'm disillusioned with each other. I'm disillusioned in what I thought

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was true. I'm disillusioned. And I think COVID brought on with this rapidness, which I saw

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when I was in Washington, D.C., even more. It's not talked about a lot, but I'm going

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to share it here. In the administration, you know, when you're met with the National Guard

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as part of—

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So, let's go back a second and tell everybody that Amy was in the Trump administration and

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HHS, right?

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Yes, at HHS.

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So, she was there when January 6th occurred.

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Yes, I was actually on a phone call.

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That's what you're referring to, right?

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Since the No One Raids My Home, I was actually on—I worked for the Administration for Children

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and Families. That is the largest grant-making organization in terms of children at risk,

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Head Start, early childhood, child welfare. I worked a lot with governors on foster adoption,

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because my boss, the assistant secretary, had a real heart for foster children and particularly

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for youth aging out. So, that's what we worked in. And I was a political appointee

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and saw very quickly how federal, gov, and government doesn't work, simply because political

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appointees who are there to get something done really fight careers who've been there

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forever, who kind of fold their arms and say, well, we'll just—you know, we'll see if

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we want to do that.

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I think particularly because of the Trump administration had its own challenges. But

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in that time, when I was there, we got to do a lot of good work on behalf of foster

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kids, at-risk youth, a number of things that I care about, that I worked at many years

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ago at FOCUS, and particularly in the legislature. I dealt with a lot of that.

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The interesting thing was, when the transition was happening in January, right before Biden

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took office and I had to return my federal computer and my phone, you know, I was greeted

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by the National Guard, who promptly told me, no, you can't get into your offices. You

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can park on the street. You can—it was just shocking to me that normally we talk about

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a peaceful transition, and this was anything but. You had a lot of frightened employees,

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a lot of people who had no idea what was going on. So, basically, I said, well, here's my

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computer. I turned my computer in, said I'll keep my phone until I get an envelope. But

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it was just a very weird time. And I think I knew then that we were going to be in for

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some—that America had changed in a very profound and significant way. And it made

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me wonder, will we get it back? And I don't know if you ever get anything back. We just—now

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you and I are working on ground level with our congregants on what will our lives look

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like? How are we going to empower each other? How are we going to trust as we move forward,

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right?

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So, again, what Amy's referencing for you that are listening is that I was not—I've

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always dabbled a little bit in the political process, Amy, as a pastor. But when COVID

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happened, this would be April, May 2020, and the government, polis, and also nationally—this

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is kind of across the board—churches were told to shut down, then businesses were told

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to shut down. Something in me just really kind of caught fire. And I just did not like

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it, but I also didn't trust it. So, we had a team at The Road that began to do research

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about COVID. And we began to look to professionals that were being censored by the media. And

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we began to see a trend. We began to see a pattern of anything that went against Big

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Gov, Big Pharma, and Big Tech got censored. So, I found myself actually moving toward

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the censored ones to say, what are they afraid of? There must be something they're afraid

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of. The Road kind of became involved in engagement on a whole other level. And so, that was not

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something that was part of the strategic plan at all. It was more like we were reacting.

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It felt like we were forced into a corner, and we had to make some decisions.

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Yeah. I mean, take church out in San Jose, where they were fined, right? Millions. Because

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they said, no, we're going to stay open. Our congregants need faith. Our congregants

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need to hear.

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We, those were very, and still are, I think, interesting times.

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Those I remember Cheon and a few others out in California sued and won because they said,

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look, we are an essential biz.

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We're essential to the health and welfare of many of the people of California.

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Same here in Colorado Springs.

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You said we're essential to the health and welfare.

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And that is actually what attracted me to the church is I was looking around to say,

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who's saying anything?

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I mean, who's open, first of all?

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Second of all, what are we doing about this?

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Because you remember, I think we had, we have a lot of Air Force Academy cadets that were

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wondering, do I, do I get, you know, do I get the vaccine?

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I mean, I almost found it sovereign.

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I actually was going to become vaccinated.

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I was, I was off to actually go get it.

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But the day that I did was the day they pulled the vaccine that I was supposed to go get.

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So that didn't happen.

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And then I learned more, read more and went, no, just don't think of it this time, right?

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That's a whole nother issue that occurred is that, so then we're involved in the issue

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of staying open.

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And I was fortunate enough to know and rally 25 pastors to sign an op-ed that I wrote to

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open up Colorado Springs.

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That was our focus.

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And then I met with the county commissioners and we made a declaration as a Freedom City,

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Freedom County that, and all those all were kind of momentum building.

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So we were seeing a lot of success as far as at least success from the perspective of

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symbols.

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I think it was symbolic because the county commissioners couldn't, couldn't go or didn't

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feel they could go against polis, Governor polis on things, but they certainly made a

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declaration that I think, and this is the way I framed it with them.

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And I think, and I'm not, I don't want to toot my own horn too much because I think

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they were already in line.

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They were already thinking this, but we agreed in principle, there could be stores and companies

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that would open by virtue of knowing that the county commissioners and some of the city

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officials would support them.

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They didn't feel so alone.

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That's the way I felt too.

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When I had pastors come here and we talked about opening up together.

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And so, so here we are.

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So we're in the midst of all of this stuff, you're, um, so, so what did you do after I

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came with the Trump administration?

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I came back to Colorado Springs and I left a lot of my goods back in Virginia in storage

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and basically came back.

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And it was so interesting, um, because I work with a number of national clients, uh, that

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I had been in government affairs and people knew that I was back.

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And so I, uh, had some clients that I was working for.

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Uh, but I think how you and I met through that is w we started going to this church,

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but we were, you and I would talk about this great divide, this anger, right?

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That had been, that had been emerging and, uh, within, uh, I think it was, was it the

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congressional race?

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We had a number of races that were going on where people, even within our own church,

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were, are, were very divided over.

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And uh, if you, you know, we found ourselves in the midst of this, this kind of, uh, if

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we didn't agree on who should be the congressman or who should be, we just had one set, you

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know, what about the mayoral race?

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We've had a lot of different things, people all over the map.

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And we started talking about what is that doing even within the body of Christ, right?

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When we disagree, how would we handle ourselves?

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What would we do?

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And that's when I think you said, this is a lot, we have a lot going on.

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I think we, we have to look at how do we engage or what are we going to do to engage?

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That's how we got.

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So, so what happened was I was kind of spearheading everything and a few others, there were a

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few others, but I didn't know of anybody yet that I felt like had the expertise, um, or

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administrative organizational abilities to sort of organize the organism that was

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kind of moving out and lots of stuff was happening.

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So that's when you and I started to talk and I knew only a little bit about your background.

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So you kind of informed me and I felt like, I felt pretty strongly the Lord was saying

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that you should come in and become a part of, for lack of a better word, we've kind

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of called it the roads, public policy.

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And I think you said community engagement.

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Right?

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Right.

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Isn't that the title that we kind of...

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It is.

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We talked about engagement and how do you engage.

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Right.

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I remember at the time we had a number of people actually I think confronting county

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commissioners.

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You have the issue of voter integrity.

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We could probably go all day on that whole thing, but no matter where you are, we talked

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about how do you approach people.

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I've had it happen.

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How do people approach you when you're in office?

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A lot, I would attribute reason that I could influence was because I have a lot of good

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relationships, right?

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Relationship is the key.

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We began to talk about how do we help others create relationship where they can get an

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open door, where we can at least be heard or as opposed, I think, to saying in a microphone

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to a commissioner who's sitting, you know, the gates...

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That you have no relationship with.

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Yeah.

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That you have no relationship with.

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Then you just lambast him.

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Right.

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Exactly.

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I just don't think that's helpful.

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No.

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It doesn't, I think, speak the language, I guess, in terms of, you know, you and I,

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we believe in scripture, but I don't think used in an inappropriate way, particularly

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as you're talking to someone you really don't know, is probably terribly effective.

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I think sometimes it's better almost behind the scenes to approach someone and say, we're

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thinking about this.

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Where are you on this?

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You'll know pretty quick.

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There's a time to be firm, obviously, and there's a time also to go, hmm, time may tell

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on this, right?

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Everything is about timing, relationship, and how we deal with it.

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Now, you didn't have time, I think, when you went to the county commissioners and said,

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we need to be open during COVID.

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But there are other issues where we can take a look at what our state government does.

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How will that affect our county?

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How will that affect our city?

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What role do we play in that?

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How does it affect us?

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How do we approach this issue, right?

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And I think those are the things, hopefully, that we begin to work with in our congregation,

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educate.

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I think people are exhausted.

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I think in general, they're disillusioned, they're exhausted.

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You and I, very often we talk about, someone will send me an article or someone sends me

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something and it's like, the World Economic Forum's at my door, and there's another pandemic

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that's going to come.

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And I just go, well, you know what, I have no control over that today.

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I might be able to call my congressman, I'm sure they already know about it, but I can't.

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That's an overwhelming, and I think so much of the news, so overwhelming.

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You're just trying to raise your family.

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You're just trying to get your kids off to school.

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You're just trying to get your son in a good spot, right?

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So, we're talking two different things, I think, and what I would prefer to do, and

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I heard it as I drove back, I was listening to a radio show.

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Some woman in Nebraska said, I think she was talking to Rush Limbaugh, right before he

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passed away, and she said, you know, I'm sitting here in my place in Nebraska, but there's

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one thing, maybe two, the big, important, little things that I could do every day to

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make a difference.

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And it really struck me, because I think that's truth.

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You and I, in our locus of control, you and I, there are a few things we could do, right?

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I don't know when this airs, we have the whole Bud Light debacle, we have the Target, whatever,

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people, stocks are falling, but one thing I guess I could do is wake up in the morning

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and write the CEO of Target and say, hey, normally I spend $600 a month, but myself

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and five of my other friends, we're only spending $200, and that's an X amount of loss.

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We're so sorry, we hope Target may reconsider their policies, right?

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I would tack those down as things one could perhaps do every day, just to make a little

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difference.

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You're not blowing up the world, but you are just in your own way, right?

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How am I engaged in my kid, what my kid for the sex ed class, you know, every year I get

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calls from parents, what do I do?

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What do I say?

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Well, let's look at the papers coming home with your kid, why don't you ask?

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What is the curriculum?

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What values are those modeled?

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So good.

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I mean, that's what we've talked about at the Reddit a lot, is this idea of a Kingdom

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God revolution through each person in the arena that God's placed them in, versus getting

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so amped up over national politics, international politics, WDF, all that, I mean, those are

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podcasts you can listen to, but the part that really matters is God's placed you sovereignly

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in this city, at this time in history, who are the contacts, who are the relationships

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that are around you that you can make an impact on with what the desires of your heart are?

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Because you were just with Courtney in a meeting that I walked in on today, and she's very,

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very amped up.

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animated, committed, and has vision for the education process, but 90% of the people at

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the road are not involved in that.

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But then we have someone else who just passionately cares about health care and big farming and

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the influence that it's having on us and environmental issues and how that's affecting us and our

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health and our wellbeing.

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So I feel like that when we talk about public policy, and I would say this to any pastor

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who's listening, I say this to any person who is in a church somewhere, it's possible

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that a church can actually make a difference by engaging in the processes and engaging

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with the people that are already in their vicinity.

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It's not even extra work.

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It's just a matter of opening your eyes and seeing what the father's doing, because the

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father's doing something there and we might be missing it.

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So if you care about those things, then look around and stay in step with the spirit in

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that and be careful.

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Be super careful about being overly fearful because of the national stuff, because that

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is...

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And then the reason you get fearful, this is my opinion, the reason you get fearful

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and the reason you become so anxious and depressed over what's happening in America is because

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you have really no control.

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So don't worry so much about what you...

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You can pray about it.

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Sure.

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Don't totally pray about it.

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Yes.

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But where can you have control now and then step out in the power of the Holy Spirit and

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make a difference there?

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That's what you've been doing.

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That's right.

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That's what you've been trying to do at the road.

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That's right.

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You know, it started really years and years ago for me.

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I had heard there was some, there was an opening on the human relations commission and I just

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had moved here and I got appointed.

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I, you know, it was quite an interesting experience and I met a number of people who

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today I still am in relationship with from that experience, right?

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I think, you know, I hear from people saying, oh, we need more people at school board meetings.

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And you know, my husband Ron was saying, well, what would it be if I just showed up, sat

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and listened, right?

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Our son was in a district here.

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You know, you would support your school board member, right?

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It's not that you're being required to stand up and say some will, you may be moved to,

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that's fine.

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But some to just be there, to be a presence, I mean, we, we need people everywhere and

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I think we underestimate the, the ways in which we probably could make a difference.

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Now you and I, we're not, we may not agree on everything.

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In fact, I can probably assure you of that, right?

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You and I, we, we may, we, we may be in the 90 something percentile hope, you know, but

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if we're not, then, then can we still work?

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Can we still move forward?

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Can we still, what can we do?

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And I think that's where we find ourselves.

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Well, I think it's hard for Christians.

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I'll just say, I think it's really difficult for Christians to be, to engage culture and

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community with a different, you need a different kind of mindset.

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And I say that because I believe you can have deep level convictions, but you're now, you're

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now entering into an arena where there's a lot of disagreement and there's a lot of

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different opinions.

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And I think in most churches, there's, there's a semblance of unity.

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It may not be deeply rooted, but like at the road, I know it is, it's deeply rooted theologically,

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it's deeply rooted in the DNA of our church.

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And we kind of have these values and vision of the same, but as soon as you walk into

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a school board meeting, as soon as you walk into a school, there's a lot of different

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viewpoints.

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And I think that is very uncomfortable for people and they don't know what to do.

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And to be able to, I mean, I think one of the greatest things you can learn to do is

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active listen, to be able to learn how to listen to others without necessarily agreeing.

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Is it possible to learn how to listen without agreeing where that person feels heard?

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That's what I don't see.

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That's the, that's probably one of the biggest things for me, Amy, that wore me out was seeing

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people so entrenched in only their viewpoint that there was no room to hear the other side.

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And thus there was no bridges for there to be any kind of a compromise or any kind of

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a communication where we might start working towards some, some common goals.

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Well, you and I find ourselves in some very interesting today situations with, and let's

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just be, we can say in political parties.

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So I was at the Capitol for one of my clients on a piece of legislation and it stunned me

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how different the Capitol is right now because to disagree, many of, you know, the Democrat

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party that is.

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in huge control right now in Colorado. I mean, they're so in the majority, it almost seems

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impossible. But, again, I've been in similar worse situations. But now on the House floor,

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what I'm seeing and I'm deeply concerned about is that if we disagree, then yours is hate.

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In other words, disagreement equals hate. And that's not where civilized discussion goes.

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And so when I elect someone to represent me out of my district, I expect him to have the

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free speech right when we're debating bills on the House floor, to be able to say his piece

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on behalf of me and many other constituents in that district. That didn't happen this past

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session. It deeply concerns me. Free speech, the ability to say I represent an area where we have

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a lot of faith people, and my district does not agree with this bill. My district does not want

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me to vote for this bill. I saw those conversations being shut down. I actually heard in committee,

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which I just had to do a double take, because it was so brazen. It was, yeah, we disagree,

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and you know what? You're probably part of a hate group then.

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You and I. So now you hear things.

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So they're labeling.

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Yes.

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They're just completely labeling.

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Yes. It was so stunning to me. But a lot of people at school board meetings find themselves

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being labeled this way. Group, you and I are familiar nationally.

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That's like the key word, isn't it?

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Yes.

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They found, the Democrats have really found that the word hate carries a lot of weight with people,

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and it causes Republicans or conservatives to suddenly go on the defensive.

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00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:07.920
Well, it's like saying, it's like being called a rapist or something. In other words, it's the

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hate, when we can throw something at you where your mouth is open going, whoa, wait a minute,

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you're already starting from a negative. I had someone last night call me, known her for 30

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something years. Boy, has she been in the arena and has always been a step ahead. She gets the

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conversation of the left very well, and she has managed her business through it. But she said,

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listen, when people immediately now, when you're in an issue of disagreement,

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and you're hateful, you're being hateful. I read today, someone said, how do we discuss

401
00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:49.040
those tough issues where you're dealing at target with transgender issues or gender dysphoria? How,

402
00:27:49.040 --> 00:27:55.360
if you say, we have a disagreement over here, I have compassion here. No, it doesn't matter.

403
00:27:55.360 --> 00:28:02.000
You're just, you're hateful. Very hard to come back. In fact, I've watched the debate on the

404
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:09.280
House floor this season to see, and it just stuns people of goodwill, right? That one fellow who

405
00:28:09.280 --> 00:28:17.120
said, I have three daughters, all engaged in sports. My district does not agree with, in the

406
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Title IX aspect. We want Title IX was for women, you know, he said, but he was, he was gaveled down.

407
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He was gaveled down for saying his free speech. Now we have trouble when we are engaging in now

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situation. Let me ask you this. This is what I, among many things, but this is one thing I'm

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concerned about. I'm listening to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a lot. I'm listening to a lot of

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his interviews and stuff, and he has no trouble saying that the Democratic Party is all about

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censorship. He has no trouble saying, he says, Biden is for censorship. Biden is, is attacking

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democracy, free speech, and freedom of worship. He says it straight out. Every time, every interview,

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he says that. He says, he says that Biden's a warmonger for having us in the Ukraine. He has

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no trouble saying that. And then he gives what I would consider kind of a John F. Kennedy-esque

415
00:29:22.800 --> 00:29:30.000
Democratic Party, early sixties viewpoint, which in many ways is what we believe in.

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What we all believe in. Why are the Republicans unable to just call it out for what it is?

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Why do they, why do they seem so tentative and so unwilling to be bold about simple things like

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that? Like to me, the censorship issue since COVID, and it was happening a little before,

419
00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:57.600
but it's really happening now. Why don't they just call it censorship, call it what it is,

420
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and say, this is undemocratic.

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This is an attack on democracy.

422
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Why did they—I don't understand.

423
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I mean, here's a Democrat, R. F. K. Jr.

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He has no trouble just calling out for what it is.

425
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But I think it's who you are.

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I think we're in an age where a guy like he—

427
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and I laugh with my Democrat sister, by the way, who lives in California.

428
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And I said, if you had told me that I thought what R. F. K. Jr. was doing,

429
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that I'd be in agreement, I would say—

430
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if you had told me this years ago, I would have laughed in your face.

431
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But here we are. We're in very different times.

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And I think he gets to, A, because of his name, B, the party he affiliates with.

433
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And I think—you know, I saw this for so many years as a state legislator,

434
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with an R after your name, just easier, you're censored.

435
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You know, it's really tough.

436
00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:56.000
And I will tell you, it does take—it does, I think—

437
00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.000
we have to develop, I don't want to say thick skin,

438
00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:02.000
but we're in an age where you and I say,

439
00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:05.000
OK, we have to approach things in one manner.

440
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:08.000
On the other, I remember saying to a reporter,

441
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Why did you cover me this way?

442
00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:15.000
Because what you said was not what I said.

443
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I want to know, right?

444
00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:19.000
We had that kind of come to Jesus.

445
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In fact, I think she almost cried.

446
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But we became very dear friends later.

447
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But at the time, I was like, Why did you cover me in this way?

448
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I mean, this really is so untrue.

449
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:32.000
And I've done that more than one time.

450
00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:37.000
And I think sometimes when you go to people to say, Come on, right?

451
00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:40.000
I mean, you know, I've had a turnaround.

452
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:42.000
Now, not everybody does. I'm not saying that.

453
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:47.000
But I think RFK gets away just because, A, his name, B, his party.

454
00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:52.000
I remember at Focus, I would say to Dr. Dobson,

455
00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:55.000
There is not a soul who's going to come through these doors,

456
00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.000
unless they're in a Christian publication,

457
00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:00.000
that are actually going to cover us fairly.

458
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:05.000
The goal for us is always how close to the truth were we reported.

459
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:10.000
And nine out of ten times, not reported fairly at all,

460
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.000
like with a semblance, you know.

461
00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:15.000
And so that was tough.

462
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:18.000
Okay, so then here we are.

463
00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:24.000
You're now Public Policy and Community Engagement Director for The Road.

464
00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:30.000
So how do you feel like we begin to do this effectively

465
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:33.000
from a local church perspective,

466
00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:37.000
where we can be a part of a Kingdom of God revolution

467
00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:42.000
in El Paso County and Colorado Springs in these different arenas?

468
00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:47.000
In the area of public policy, in the area of community engagement,

469
00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.000
what are you setting up?

470
00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:55.000
What are you developing at The Road that is going to make an impact,

471
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.000
not in Denver necessarily yet, but right here,

472
00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:03.000
right now in El Paso County, in Colorado Springs?

473
00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:06.000
Well, I think the first thing is getting people who align.

474
00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:10.000
We talked about Courtney Salt, who works in education.

475
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.000
Ryan Graham, who's chairman of the board at Monument Academy.

476
00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.000
They're all church attendees.

477
00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:20.000
We have them heading up education along with a few other people.

478
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.000
We discussed Pam Holloway on health freedom,

479
00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:28.000
and she too is working in that area already,

480
00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:34.000
but we want her engaging and looking over here as to areas that, again,

481
00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:39.000
the big important little things, little things that we could do every day

482
00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:43.000
to take control of our freedom, of our health, right?

483
00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:46.000
We are also moving into voter integrity.

484
00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.000
I call it voter integrity, but it's really my faith votes.

485
00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:53.000
It's really getting more people to register to vote and vote, right?

486
00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:56.000
Debbie Chavez is currently working on that,

487
00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.000
and we also, I think as you know,

488
00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:02.000
we've had a church voter guide that we've also worked on,

489
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.000
and then we're going to expand also in the area of pro-life, end of life.

490
00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:11.000
I think this church always supports so many pro-life.

491
00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:16.000
We have a lot of activities here around pro-life,

492
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:18.000
and so we're going to be moving in that direction,

493
00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:24.000
but all of it meant to empower very simple things, right?

494
00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:29.000
Not things, again, nationally that we have no control over because we don't,

495
00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:35.000
but things, for example, on how might we approach our county commissioners.

496
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:38.000
What is it like to run for office, right?

497
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:39.000
That's so good.

498
00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:42.000
What can you and I do at the beginning of school

499
00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:46.000
as we're concerned about what our kids are learning or hearing or what they're doing?

500
00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:47.000
That's so good. I love that.

501
00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:48.000
It's funny.

502
00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:53.000
You and I every day, we implement values into our kids,

503
00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:57.000
what they learn at home, how we spend our time with them,

504
00:34:57.000 --> 00:34:59.000
and it's hurtful to me.

505
00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:01.000
It hurts my heart.

506
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:02.760
that then when they go to school,

507
00:35:02.760 --> 00:35:05.460
they're being put in a position of loyalty.

508
00:35:05.460 --> 00:35:08.660
Are you, you know, I like my teacher, Ms. Sue,

509
00:35:08.660 --> 00:35:11.020
but Ms. Sue says something that my parents

510
00:35:11.020 --> 00:35:12.460
really don't say at home, right?

511
00:35:12.460 --> 00:35:13.700
I mean, that's not what I know.

512
00:35:13.700 --> 00:35:18.700
It really puts kids in a terrible pulled position.

513
00:35:18.780 --> 00:35:22.640
And I think COVID actually kind of highlighted

514
00:35:22.640 --> 00:35:24.740
what was going on for many parents and said,

515
00:35:24.740 --> 00:35:26.620
oh my gosh, I've got to get in.

516
00:35:26.620 --> 00:35:28.940
I've got to find out what's going on.

517
00:35:28.940 --> 00:35:32.060
And we're not going to get it 100% right.

518
00:35:32.060 --> 00:35:33.260
Like we're not.

519
00:35:33.260 --> 00:35:34.700
And I would say to my son,

520
00:35:34.700 --> 00:35:37.260
you have to live your faith at school,

521
00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:39.380
like to the best of your ability.

522
00:35:39.380 --> 00:35:41.500
We're going to empower you to do that

523
00:35:41.500 --> 00:35:42.980
to the best of your ability.

524
00:35:42.980 --> 00:35:44.900
But if there's something overwhelming,

525
00:35:44.900 --> 00:35:49.540
I remember a science teacher sent home kind of a more,

526
00:35:49.540 --> 00:35:52.260
it was a very questionable lesson to me.

527
00:35:52.260 --> 00:35:54.700
It was really anti-capitalism, et cetera.

528
00:35:54.700 --> 00:35:57.500
And I said, well, that's not for him to handle that.

529
00:35:57.500 --> 00:35:59.620
Even though he valiantly tried his best,

530
00:35:59.620 --> 00:36:00.980
that's for me to handle.

531
00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:04.980
Made an appointment, paid a visit, had a nice chat.

532
00:36:04.980 --> 00:36:06.700
Here's what we believe.

533
00:36:06.700 --> 00:36:08.740
You want to do these kinds of lessons?

534
00:36:08.740 --> 00:36:10.300
Sorry, not with him.

535
00:36:10.300 --> 00:36:11.140
Good.

536
00:36:11.140 --> 00:36:12.300
You know what I'm saying?

537
00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:16.820
But respectful, nice, but again, right?

538
00:36:16.820 --> 00:36:17.660
And so-

539
00:36:17.660 --> 00:36:19.100
So we've got to empower our kids, don't we?

540
00:36:19.100 --> 00:36:19.940
We do.

541
00:36:19.940 --> 00:36:22.800
The parents need to be aware

542
00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:25.460
of what is going on in the school system

543
00:36:25.460 --> 00:36:27.220
and stay in the hunt.

544
00:36:27.940 --> 00:36:31.540
So Liz and I met with the principal,

545
00:36:31.540 --> 00:36:34.220
as well as the teacher that was in question

546
00:36:34.220 --> 00:36:36.940
over something that one of our kids was being taught.

547
00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:39.900
And we knew that there was a risk involved.

548
00:36:39.900 --> 00:36:42.700
Might be a risk to their grade because we got involved,

549
00:36:42.700 --> 00:36:43.700
but we didn't care.

550
00:36:43.700 --> 00:36:45.780
So we got involved and it was a very,

551
00:36:45.780 --> 00:36:47.660
very uncomfortable meeting.

552
00:36:47.660 --> 00:36:50.000
But it was very clear what we believed.

553
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:52.620
We were very, I think, loving.

554
00:36:52.620 --> 00:36:54.140
Very grace-centered and loving,

555
00:36:54.140 --> 00:36:57.900
but uncompromising in our challenge.

556
00:36:57.900 --> 00:37:02.660
And the principal, who was vehemently opposing us,

557
00:37:02.660 --> 00:37:06.120
and rightly so, I think he should support his teacher,

558
00:37:06.120 --> 00:37:07.700
when we first went in there,

559
00:37:07.700 --> 00:37:10.340
flipped about halfway through

560
00:37:10.340 --> 00:37:12.580
and began to realize that we had a point,

561
00:37:12.580 --> 00:37:14.140
a legitimate point,

562
00:37:14.140 --> 00:37:17.180
and he kind of started putting pressure on the teacher, too.

563
00:37:17.180 --> 00:37:20.580
So I think it was a win-win for the school,

564
00:37:20.580 --> 00:37:21.940
not for the teacher.

565
00:37:21.940 --> 00:37:24.140
It was a win-win-lose.

566
00:37:24.140 --> 00:37:27.220
I think she felt like she was being,

567
00:37:27.220 --> 00:37:28.620
in a sense, reprimanded.

568
00:37:28.620 --> 00:37:29.740
And I think she needed to be

569
00:37:29.740 --> 00:37:32.140
because she was actually breaking protocol.

570
00:37:32.140 --> 00:37:34.140
But that was a more conservative school.

571
00:37:34.140 --> 00:37:36.860
That was a charter school.

572
00:37:36.860 --> 00:37:38.580
So we had some of that going for us

573
00:37:38.580 --> 00:37:41.260
that maybe some of the public schools wouldn't have.

574
00:37:41.260 --> 00:37:44.620
But I think Amy, for me as a pastor,

575
00:37:44.620 --> 00:37:46.340
being involved in some of this, too,

576
00:37:46.340 --> 00:37:48.620
has been pretty eye-opening

577
00:37:48.620 --> 00:37:51.740
because I do believe that,

578
00:37:51.740 --> 00:37:55.120
I'm a big believer in having relationships

579
00:37:55.120 --> 00:37:59.300
that you have at least worked as hard as you can

580
00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:02.260
to develop with the amount of time that you have.

581
00:38:02.260 --> 00:38:05.580
So having the county commissioners in my home,

582
00:38:05.580 --> 00:38:09.060
having senators and house members in my home,

583
00:38:09.060 --> 00:38:10.300
having a barbecue

584
00:38:10.300 --> 00:38:13.180
and having some of the top leaders in the county come over,

585
00:38:13.180 --> 00:38:15.000
not to talk about politics,

586
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:16.980
but actually to build the relationships,

587
00:38:16.980 --> 00:38:18.260
having them around the fire pit,

588
00:38:18.260 --> 00:38:19.460
even like two weeks ago,

589
00:38:19.460 --> 00:38:22.820
having Ryan and Dork Hobbs.

590
00:38:22.820 --> 00:38:25.820
And I could go through others that were there

591
00:38:25.820 --> 00:38:26.660
as a part of that.

592
00:38:26.660 --> 00:38:28.900
And that was, I mean, it got a little bit political,

593
00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:31.700
but it was more about the kingdom of God.

594
00:38:31.700 --> 00:38:33.240
It was more about our relationship with God,

595
00:38:33.240 --> 00:38:36.420
about our marriages and things like that.

596
00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:41.420
Then it's not as hard to pick up the phone,

597
00:38:41.620 --> 00:38:44.420
make the phone call and say,

598
00:38:44.540 --> 00:38:47.260
what are you thinking on this?

599
00:38:47.260 --> 00:38:50.020
You know, that's not what you believe.

600
00:38:50.020 --> 00:38:53.700
And I've had to do that maybe eight or nine times

601
00:38:53.700 --> 00:38:55.300
over the last couple of years.

602
00:38:55.300 --> 00:38:56.460
And I think it actually,

603
00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:02.260
I want that lingering thought in the back of their head

604
00:39:02.260 --> 00:39:05.500
that Pastor Steve's not happy with that decision

605
00:39:05.500 --> 00:39:07.420
and he's my friend.

606
00:39:07.420 --> 00:39:08.820
It doesn't always work.

607
00:39:08.820 --> 00:39:09.660
As a matter of fact,

608
00:39:09.660 --> 00:39:10.980
there's a recent one that was like,

609
00:39:10.980 --> 00:39:12.940
he didn't even call me back.

610
00:39:12.940 --> 00:39:15.780
Okay, so I knew I was on sketchy,

611
00:39:15.780 --> 00:39:18.560
I was on the thin ice, man, it was thin ice.

612
00:39:18.560 --> 00:39:19.400
But that's okay.

613
00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:22.380
Yeah, but the support of those is important.

614
00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:24.940
You see, to every time you're gonna come there,

615
00:39:24.940 --> 00:39:27.020
I almost, it's like the double.

616
00:39:27.020 --> 00:39:32.020
Then how are you also going to bless that school, right?

617
00:39:33.100 --> 00:39:36.860
But you can't, I feel this way even in politics

618
00:39:36.860 --> 00:39:37.940
and maybe I'm just naive,

619
00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:42.940
but I feel like we can't come in with a negative word

620
00:39:45.180 --> 00:39:49.060
if we haven't given positive words before that.

621
00:39:49.060 --> 00:39:52.540
And so there's some equity built by the fact

622
00:39:52.540 --> 00:39:55.780
that we care about them as a soul too.

623
00:39:55.780 --> 00:39:57.260
And we love them.

624
00:39:57.260 --> 00:39:59.340
Now I'm not talking about the legislative body

625
00:39:59.340 --> 00:40:00.180
that you were in.

626
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.680
and where is so many, there's so many out there.

627
00:40:04.680 --> 00:40:07.240
But you even said that, you know,

628
00:40:07.240 --> 00:40:10.440
when you were house majority leader,

629
00:40:10.440 --> 00:40:12.280
you were reaching across the aisle.

630
00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:14.960
So knowing you, Amy, you were building relationships.

631
00:40:14.960 --> 00:40:16.720
You're saying that's difficult today.

632
00:40:16.720 --> 00:40:17.780
I think it is.

633
00:40:17.780 --> 00:40:19.720
Well, okay, that's the issue up there.

634
00:40:19.720 --> 00:40:21.640
I don't know how they're gonna figure that out.

635
00:40:21.640 --> 00:40:24.900
But down here, down here,

636
00:40:24.900 --> 00:40:28.400
this is where we've gotta be relational.

637
00:40:28.640 --> 00:40:30.600
Because the kingdom of God, I just love this,

638
00:40:30.600 --> 00:40:33.640
you know, Romans 14, 17 says,

639
00:40:33.640 --> 00:40:36.920
the kingdom of God consists of not eating and drinking,

640
00:40:36.920 --> 00:40:39.760
but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

641
00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:42.120
So the first one is righteousness.

642
00:40:42.120 --> 00:40:46.120
And righteousness in the Greek and scripturally

643
00:40:46.120 --> 00:40:48.200
means right relationships.

644
00:40:48.200 --> 00:40:51.580
So we can't have right relationships if we want peace.

645
00:40:51.580 --> 00:40:53.800
So if we want peace in our heart,

646
00:40:53.800 --> 00:40:55.480
we've gotta have right relationships.

647
00:40:55.520 --> 00:41:00.520
So I can't believe Paul wouldn't give us that quantifying

648
00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:04.640
of what the kingdom of God is

649
00:41:04.640 --> 00:41:06.600
under the rubric of the kingdom,

650
00:41:06.600 --> 00:41:09.800
if it's impossible to do, even in that arena.

651
00:41:09.800 --> 00:41:13.380
So I feel as though we should do everything we can.

652
00:41:13.380 --> 00:41:17.400
I can't say it's gonna be responded to in a positive way.

653
00:41:17.400 --> 00:41:20.320
But shouldn't we, in public policy

654
00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:22.440
from the local church level,

655
00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:25.040
try to have righteousness, peace, and joy,

656
00:41:25.600 --> 00:41:26.440
and engage?

657
00:41:26.440 --> 00:41:30.000
I mean, I was just with our mayor on Saturday

658
00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:33.860
with about five other pastors and about 20 other people,

659
00:41:33.860 --> 00:41:38.440
and prayed for him, and gave him a word from Deuteronomy 28

660
00:41:38.440 --> 00:41:40.120
and prayed over him, and it was a powerful time,

661
00:41:40.120 --> 00:41:43.020
and everybody was amening, it was a great time.

662
00:41:43.020 --> 00:41:45.600
I've gotta, well, you and I, too,

663
00:41:45.600 --> 00:41:50.600
have a relationship with him that gets us a foot in the door

664
00:41:51.040 --> 00:41:54.760
if a policy came down where he might want some input.

665
00:41:55.600 --> 00:41:58.960
And again, I think you and I also know

666
00:41:58.960 --> 00:42:01.000
that there will be times,

667
00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:04.160
there's also, we shake the dust off our feet.

668
00:42:04.160 --> 00:42:07.140
There are times we will agree to disagree.

669
00:42:08.920 --> 00:42:10.200
We're going to.

670
00:42:10.200 --> 00:42:13.640
I mean, we may have talked it out,

671
00:42:13.640 --> 00:42:16.000
but we're still going to agree to disagree

672
00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:18.640
because we're not, I don't think it's you and I

673
00:42:18.640 --> 00:42:21.400
are gonna absolutely, we got to agreement,

674
00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:24.280
because there are some things that we just simply,

675
00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:25.640
you're gonna believe one way,

676
00:42:25.640 --> 00:42:27.520
and I'm going to believe another.

677
00:42:27.520 --> 00:42:28.360
That's right.

678
00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:29.460
And you know what?

679
00:42:29.460 --> 00:42:31.040
Wish you well, right?

680
00:42:31.040 --> 00:42:31.880
Wish you well.

681
00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:32.720
But we should try.

682
00:42:32.720 --> 00:42:33.760
Yes, we should try.

683
00:42:33.760 --> 00:42:37.640
That's the part that drives me batty,

684
00:42:37.640 --> 00:42:41.840
is when I hear the innuendos,

685
00:42:41.840 --> 00:42:43.560
and I hear the name-calling,

686
00:42:43.560 --> 00:42:46.040
and I hear the labeling on both sides

687
00:42:46.040 --> 00:42:51.040
to over issues that I wonder if they even tried

688
00:42:51.920 --> 00:42:53.240
to talk about. Well, you're good at trying.

689
00:42:53.240 --> 00:42:54.280
I'm gonna give this to you.

690
00:42:54.280 --> 00:42:55.240
You're good.

691
00:42:55.240 --> 00:42:58.040
You, more than many people I know,

692
00:42:58.040 --> 00:42:59.720
you're really good at this.

693
00:42:59.720 --> 00:43:01.960
You will pick the phone up and you will say,

694
00:43:01.960 --> 00:43:02.800
hey, you know what?

695
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:03.620
We need to meet.

696
00:43:04.720 --> 00:43:08.580
A lot of people, most, I'm gonna say most,

697
00:43:08.580 --> 00:43:11.640
many people have a very hard time

698
00:43:11.640 --> 00:43:14.400
in those kinds of discussions.

699
00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:17.720
Confronting, it's like you talked about even at school.

700
00:43:17.720 --> 00:43:19.540
This was uncomfortable.

701
00:43:19.540 --> 00:43:21.360
And very often, we don't run to things

702
00:43:21.360 --> 00:43:22.440
that are uncomfortable.

703
00:43:22.440 --> 00:43:25.400
We would love to avoid pain, you and I,

704
00:43:25.400 --> 00:43:26.760
as much as possible.

705
00:43:26.760 --> 00:43:30.440
But you, I've observed, you are good at it.

706
00:43:30.440 --> 00:43:31.880
And at least, you know.

707
00:43:31.880 --> 00:43:35.040
Kind of a suicidal mentality,

708
00:43:35.040 --> 00:43:37.360
like let's just dive in there and get killed.

709
00:43:37.360 --> 00:43:38.200
You do.

710
00:43:38.200 --> 00:43:39.040
Okay, we're good.

711
00:43:39.040 --> 00:43:40.120
You do, and I'm impressed.

712
00:43:40.120 --> 00:43:41.640
I've learned from it.

713
00:43:41.640 --> 00:43:46.640
I'm learning from it because I see where you go with that.

714
00:43:47.240 --> 00:43:51.200
But I would tell you, it's just most people will shrug

715
00:43:51.200 --> 00:43:54.160
or walk away or hold a, you hold a grudge,

716
00:43:54.160 --> 00:43:57.400
or you, it's just, it's not, that's what it is, okay?

717
00:43:57.400 --> 00:44:00.000
And I don't think all the time,

718
00:44:01.080 --> 00:44:02.680
people just haven't learned,

719
00:44:03.960 --> 00:44:05.760
I can tell you even within the legislature,

720
00:44:05.760 --> 00:44:07.520
things to confront well.

721
00:44:07.520 --> 00:44:10.040
It's why you get those midnight surprises, right?

722
00:44:10.040 --> 00:44:12.340
You get things that you just didn't expect.

723
00:44:12.340 --> 00:44:16.320
But I think what you're modeling

724
00:44:16.320 --> 00:44:19.520
and have encouraged us to do

725
00:44:19.520 --> 00:44:22.000
is really kind of where we have to learn.

726
00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:27.000
So we may, I think, even within this outreach at our church,

727
00:44:27.280 --> 00:44:31.040
part of the thing is to also learn how to have a positive,

728
00:44:31.040 --> 00:44:31.920
and I don't wanna say a positive,

729
00:44:31.920 --> 00:44:35.360
a constructive conversation, the tough conversations.

730
00:44:35.360 --> 00:44:37.440
Most people don't learn that.

731
00:44:37.440 --> 00:44:41.760
And I think we do all of us better

732
00:44:41.760 --> 00:44:46.280
by always trying to learn the tough conversations,

733
00:44:46.280 --> 00:44:49.800
critical conversations, where this may go.

734
00:44:49.800 --> 00:44:53.600
I guess what motivates me also

735
00:44:53.600 --> 00:44:56.920
is I look at what's happening

736
00:44:56.920 --> 00:44:59.840
with those that I strongly disagree with.

737
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:04.000
And I'm always asking myself, am I becoming like them?

738
00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:08.000
That's just what I, that really motivates me not to become like them.

739
00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:19.000
So if I'm seeing this arrogance and this pride and this self-sufficiency and this cancel culture,

740
00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:27.000
then I realize that I'm headed in that same direction if I don't do something the opposite.

741
00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:31.000
So it's kind of that opposite spirit kind of viewpoint.

742
00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:36.000
So I think it's a fear of God. It's a fear of God thing.

743
00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:44.000
So if I'm going to stand before the Lord for El Paso County, for Colorado Springs, and for the road,

744
00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:52.000
did I, with the kingdom of God that's within me, that's greater than he that is in me than he that is in the world,

745
00:45:52.000 --> 00:45:57.000
if I believe that the victory of Christ happened at Calvary,

746
00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:04.000
and that through the resurrection all demons and principalities and powers and Satan have been defeated,

747
00:46:04.000 --> 00:46:08.000
if I believe Acts 2 in Peter's speech where he said,

748
00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:14.000
this Messiah, this Jesus who rose from the grave is now seated at the right hand of the Father

749
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:24.000
all his enemies are under his footstool, that the victory of God is moving across the land,

750
00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:32.000
that even in the midst of the defeats we feel maybe right now, there's actually a greater good,

751
00:46:32.000 --> 00:46:37.000
there's actually a greater kingdom that is actually, it is advancing,

752
00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:41.000
and that there's a day coming when all the enemies of the Lord,

753
00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:45.000
and I'm not talking about just the advent, the second advent of him coming back,

754
00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:50.000
I'm talking about before he comes back, in this time frame that we're in,

755
00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:55.000
it may not be in our lifetime, but there's going to be,

756
00:46:55.000 --> 00:47:00.000
there's going to be the defeat of all the enemies of God and that he's going to win.

757
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:06.000
How can I believe in the power of God that's that great that he said,

758
00:47:06.000 --> 00:47:10.000
go ye therefore make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,

759
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:12.000
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them everything that I've given them,

760
00:47:12.000 --> 00:47:13.000
and lo, I'm with you always.

761
00:47:13.000 --> 00:47:19.000
If actually what he really meant was, go therefore and have a few Bible studies,

762
00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:22.000
but you're going to really get your butt kicked,

763
00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:28.000
and you know, the Antichrist is going to take over everything,

764
00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:32.000
and you're going to go to the tribulation, and then I'm going to come back,

765
00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:34.000
and lo, I'm with you always.

766
00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:38.000
Sorry, that's just not the victorious God that I serve.

767
00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:40.000
I see all through Scripture.

768
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:42.000
You know, we talked about Isaiah 9.

769
00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:43.000
Right.

770
00:47:43.000 --> 00:47:46.000
You know, that the government is upon his shoulders,

771
00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:51.000
and his kingdom is going to continue to have dominion and authority across the earth.

772
00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:57.000
So, there's something in me, Amy, that believes what Jesus said,

773
00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:03.000
that on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

774
00:48:03.000 --> 00:48:05.000
And I give you the keys of the kingdom.

775
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:07.000
What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

776
00:48:07.000 --> 00:48:09.000
What is loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven.

777
00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:15.000
So, there's this inward kind of thing that's growing in me.

778
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:17.000
It's like a furnace. It's like a fire.

779
00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:24.000
We win, and we're going to win, and I need to approach this with a victorious mindset.

780
00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:27.000
That means use common sense.

781
00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:28.000
Right.

782
00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:31.000
That means use natural reason.

783
00:48:31.000 --> 00:48:33.000
That means be persuasive.

784
00:48:33.000 --> 00:48:38.000
That means that I fear God, and I'm going to stand before him,

785
00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:41.000
and I'll be able to say to him,

786
00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:44.000
Lord, I did everything I know in a kingdom way,

787
00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:50.000
and we won or we lost, but I did all that I could.

788
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:56.000
But I can't say that, Amy, if I'm doing the very same thing that they do,

789
00:48:56.000 --> 00:48:58.000
and I'm just saying they're all a bunch of commies,

790
00:48:59.000 --> 00:49:03.000
and they're all a bunch of losers or whatever.

791
00:49:03.000 --> 00:49:06.000
I don't even like the labels that get used,

792
00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:10.000
but rather, even though it's a little harder work,

793
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:13.000
we do everything that we can to love those people.

794
00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:17.000
And that's why I went up to that, the Antifa leader,

795
00:49:17.000 --> 00:49:21.000
when we did Hold the Line, the thing with Sean,

796
00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:23.000
and I said, you know, I'd love to take you to coffee.

797
00:49:23.000 --> 00:49:26.000
I've seen your writing. You're a good writer.

798
00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:27.000
You're really a good writer.

799
00:49:27.000 --> 00:49:31.000
I don't agree with your point of view, and you and I both know that,

800
00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:35.000
but why don't, here's my card, you know, let's talk.

801
00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:37.000
You know, we haven't met yet.

802
00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:41.000
But a lot of people I found, not that particular person,

803
00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:43.000
but in other cases, they do respond.

804
00:49:43.000 --> 00:49:46.000
They do respond because they don't know anybody.

805
00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:49.000
They don't know anybody on the other side of the aisle

806
00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:51.000
because they do the very same thing.

807
00:49:51.000 --> 00:49:54.000
But on the other side of the aisle, most of them don't know anybody either.

808
00:49:54.000 --> 00:49:59.000
So I just am idealistic enough.

809
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:07.000
I think I'm also getting seasoned enough through some defeats and some failures in that too

810
00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:11.000
to realize it doesn't always work out, but that's not the goal, it's the fear of God.

811
00:50:11.000 --> 00:50:19.000
It's like, before the Lord did I do all that I can? Versus fear of man, which is all about my popularity

812
00:50:19.000 --> 00:50:24.000
or being cool or whatever, that's fear of man to me. I think, man, we don't want to go there.

813
00:50:24.000 --> 00:50:29.000
But we don't have to worry about what other people think.

814
00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:35.000
I think you've seen such an explosive growth in this church because of leadership.

815
00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:41.000
Ron and I the other night were looking at the history channel of FDR during the Great Depression.

816
00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:44.000
It's enlightening because...

817
00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:45.000
Is that a history channel you have?

818
00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:50.000
Yes, and everything was wiped out, right? 1920, everything was wiped out. People just...

819
00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:52.000
Lost everything. Terrible.

820
00:50:52.000 --> 00:50:56.000
But because this guy portrayed just this positive...

821
00:50:56.000 --> 00:50:57.000
He was very positive.

822
00:50:57.000 --> 00:51:01.000
Positive, here's what we're going to do, here's what we're doing, working.

823
00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:02.000
Now, you and I can...

824
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:08.000
Going through paralysis nonetheless, and yet he overcame it with such a positive attitude.

825
00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:13.000
I'll have people go, oh, she held up FDR, oh, she's an establishment, oh my God.

826
00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:14.000
Of course, of course.

827
00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:18.000
Whatever. But here's the thing, there's something to be learned by that,

828
00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:25.000
and it's something that this church exuded during a time, I almost call COVID the Great Depression because it is.

829
00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:31.000
And I think the aftermath of it is we have a lot of hurting people.

830
00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:39.000
We have a lot of mental health with kids, with youth, with family issues that we're dealing.

831
00:51:39.000 --> 00:51:41.000
It's the fallout from that.

832
00:51:41.000 --> 00:51:45.000
And so we are in a really interesting time.

833
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:46.000
100%.

834
00:51:46.000 --> 00:51:51.000
And what you're talking about right now is this model where people have gone,

835
00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:52.000
there's someone strong.

836
00:51:52.000 --> 00:51:53.000
They aren't budging here.

837
00:51:53.000 --> 00:51:55.000
We knew this over here.

838
00:51:55.000 --> 00:52:00.000
But at the same time, a grace where we can come and talk.

839
00:52:00.000 --> 00:52:01.000
We've got weakness.

840
00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:02.000
I got weakness.

841
00:52:02.000 --> 00:52:08.000
I mean, honest to Pete, but I had an open door policy in my office as majority leader.

842
00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:09.000
I'm not surprised.

843
00:52:09.000 --> 00:52:10.000
That's what I would have thought of you.

844
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:11.000
Take your badge off.

845
00:52:11.000 --> 00:52:13.000
That's why you and I are on the same team.

846
00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:14.000
Take your badge off.

847
00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:16.000
Because I knew that heart was in you too.

848
00:52:16.000 --> 00:52:18.000
Let's just have a talk here, have some tea, whatever.

849
00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:23.000
But again, those and what is shared there isn't going elsewhere.

850
00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:28.000
You also have to prove that kind of trustworthiness.

851
00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:35.000
And I think we're in an age right now where trustworthiness, people are leery and weary.

852
00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:40.000
But where they can find it, and I think that's why this church has had such explosive growth.

853
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:43.000
It's a combination of strength and grace.

854
00:52:43.000 --> 00:52:47.000
Strength here, positivity.

855
00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:51.000
Because again, the World Economic Forum is at my doorstep.

856
00:52:51.000 --> 00:52:52.000
I don't know what to do about it.

857
00:52:52.000 --> 00:52:54.000
I get overwhelmed, right?

858
00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:57.000
But there's strength and grace.

859
00:52:57.000 --> 00:52:58.000
Strength and grace.

860
00:52:58.000 --> 00:53:09.000
That's what allows me, allows others to say, what are just the big, important, little things I can do today to own my life?

861
00:53:09.000 --> 00:53:10.000
That's it.

862
00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:13.000
And I think truth always wins.

863
00:53:13.000 --> 00:53:15.000
Truth always wins.

864
00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:19.000
There may be a period where it doesn't win.

865
00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:28.000
I mean, when we see the Bolshevik Revolution, we see the Soviet Union and all taking over Russia in that period of time of like 70 years.

866
00:53:28.000 --> 00:53:29.000
So it was 70 years.

867
00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:30.000
It seems like a long time to them.

868
00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:33.000
But in the vast spectrum of history, it wasn't very long.

869
00:53:33.000 --> 00:53:39.000
Eastern Europe falling, Iron Curtain coming down because of Christianity.

870
00:53:39.000 --> 00:54:00.000
I mean, you could argue that because of John Paul II being the pope, Ronald Reagan being the president, Margaret Thatcher being prime minister, that there was this victorious trifecta that had an impact on Gorbachev and Yeltsin after that.

871
00:54:01.000 --> 00:54:10.000
But it was this solidarity movement under Lech Walesa in Poland that kind of ignited it, right?

872
00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:11.000
Right.

873
00:54:11.000 --> 00:54:12.000
So that's what God does.

874
00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:14.000
That's what God does in history.

875
00:54:14.000 --> 00:54:15.000
Yes.

876
00:54:15.000 --> 00:54:18.000
Is there's a point where you've gone too far and truth's going to win.

877
00:54:18.000 --> 00:54:19.000
Yes.

878
00:54:19.000 --> 00:54:21.000
And the people knew that they had known it for years.

879
00:54:21.000 --> 00:54:24.000
They knew that the Communist Party was just lying to them.

880
00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:25.000
Right.

881
00:54:25.000 --> 00:54:33.000
And then you've got a guy like Alexander Solzhenitsyn being put into the Russian gulag, and he's the one who made the famous quote, you know, live not by lies.

882
00:54:33.000 --> 00:54:34.000
Right.

883
00:54:34.000 --> 00:54:36.000
So that's what we've got to remember.

884
00:54:36.000 --> 00:54:41.000
We've got to remember that America is beautiful and wonderful as our history is.

885
00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:43.000
We have been living a lot by lies.

886
00:54:43.000 --> 00:54:48.000
I mean, there's a lot of stuff coming out on tons of stuff.

887
00:54:48.000 --> 00:54:49.000
Right.

888
00:54:49.000 --> 00:54:51.000
And that's where I think COVID was so good.

889
00:54:51.000 --> 00:54:52.000
Right.

890
00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:58.000
See, I think what the enemy meant for evil, God's using for good because I didn't know.

891
00:54:58.000 --> 00:54:59.000
Right.

892
00:54:59.000 --> 00:55:00.000
Amy, I didn't know.

893
00:55:00.000 --> 00:55:04.080
know half the stuff. I didn't know anything about a World Economic Forum. I didn't know

894
00:55:04.080 --> 00:55:12.160
anything about 20 things we could go over until that happened. And then it kind of jolted

895
00:55:12.160 --> 00:55:17.760
you and that shook me enough to actually start investigating and starting to look into stuff.

896
00:55:17.760 --> 00:55:18.760
Vigilance.

897
00:55:18.760 --> 00:55:23.160
And then look at all these young, I mean we're doing Empower You and here we got all these

898
00:55:23.160 --> 00:55:28.880
young people right here in the room that are running it. You know, you look at Twitter

899
00:55:28.880 --> 00:55:37.120
and what Elon Musk has done and others. And then you've got, I don't know, probably

900
00:55:37.120 --> 00:55:44.720
25 pretty popular podcasts right now that we didn't know about three years ago.

901
00:55:44.720 --> 00:55:45.720
Yes.

902
00:55:45.720 --> 00:55:51.960
That are really happening and where the mainstream media is censoring certain people, we can

903
00:55:51.960 --> 00:55:57.160
watch them there. So the message is getting out. That's only going to grow because truth

904
00:55:57.160 --> 00:55:58.160
wins.

905
00:55:58.640 --> 00:56:03.800
People know in their heart that they're an American and we should have free speech.

906
00:56:03.800 --> 00:56:04.800
Yes.

907
00:56:04.800 --> 00:56:09.880
We're American. We should be able to worship wherever we want to. We are American. We should

908
00:56:09.880 --> 00:56:17.600
be able to have land rights and protect our home. Anyway, we could go on and on and I

909
00:56:17.600 --> 00:56:23.280
would just say thank you. Thank you for being here. And for all of you that follow Empower

910
00:56:23.280 --> 00:56:33.960
You, we're going to be doing a whole series with Amy that's going to deal with issues

911
00:56:33.960 --> 00:56:39.600
of public policy and engagement in kind of what we're doing at The Road in the local

912
00:56:39.600 --> 00:56:43.500
church that's been very effective. It's really been effective. We're getting better and better

913
00:56:43.500 --> 00:56:51.140
at it. But our hope is that you'll watch that series and be able to think about your community

914
00:56:51.140 --> 00:56:57.580
where you live or even the church that you're in, how you might even become someone who

915
00:56:57.580 --> 00:57:02.700
could direct a ministry at your church that could have an impact. And you could get in

916
00:57:02.700 --> 00:57:07.780
touch with myself or Amy about how to do that. But our hope is that through the episodes

917
00:57:07.780 --> 00:57:14.060
that you'll see, you will understand a little bit of about eight. Is it about eight categories

918
00:57:14.060 --> 00:57:15.060
that you have underneath that?

919
00:57:15.060 --> 00:57:16.060
I think. Yeah. Short of that. Maybe like six.

920
00:57:16.060 --> 00:57:21.260
So tell us a little bit. Don't tell us about it because we don't have time. But what are

921
00:57:21.260 --> 00:57:22.260
the titles?

922
00:57:22.260 --> 00:57:26.500
Well, I think we're looking education and parental rights, right? We're looking at pro-life

923
00:57:26.500 --> 00:57:33.420
and end of life. We are looking at voter integrity or getting engaged in My Faith Votes. So we're

924
00:57:33.420 --> 00:57:39.740
getting involved in, as you said, taxes, health care, health freedom. And then again, personal

925
00:57:39.740 --> 00:57:44.860
property rights. I think it's a huge issue coming in this state, really, and taxation

926
00:57:44.900 --> 00:57:49.300
of free people to the degree we can and a republic if you can keep it.

927
00:57:49.300 --> 00:57:50.300
That's right.

928
00:57:50.300 --> 00:57:51.300
Yes.

929
00:57:51.300 --> 00:57:54.300
Yeah. So thanks, Amy, for being here. Appreciate you so much.

930
00:57:54.300 --> 00:57:55.300
Thank you. It's such a pleasure. Thank you.