Cailin: Welcome everyone to Faith and Purpose podcast.
Each episode of this podcast contains the personal testimony of an ordinary person
transformed by an extraordinary God.
My name is Kaylin and I'm here to introduce this podcast
for my friend Jesse Duke.
Jesse is a husband, father, author, life recovery guide, lay counselor,
and small group leader, but his most important role is disciple.
As a disciple of Jesus.
Jesse created this podcast to help other believers tell their faith stories.
We'll be hearing the personal testimonies of all sorts of people
who have one thing in common, Jesus has transformed their lives.
Jesus used parables because he created us to learn best through story.
And as we listen to how God has worked in others lives, we find encouragement
and inspiration for our own faith walk.
Whether you are already a believer or just a curious seeker, we believe that
as you listen to these stories, you will be encouraged on your own faith journey.
We are sure that God can speak to you through one of these episodes and that you
will see that our Heavenly Father truly works all things together for our good.
When we simply love and trust him.
If you are currently going through a trial, we believe that you will come
to see that your troubles, heartbreaks, and failures are not gravestones, but
stepping stones into new life in Christ.
Here's Jesse with today's guest.
MacBook Air Microphone: Hello, and welcome to faith and purpose podcast.
My name is John Crow, and this morning, I'm going to
interview my friend, Jesse Duke.
Hey, Jesse, how are you doing this morning?
I'm being followed.
What are you being followed by Jessie?
Goodness and mercy.
All the days of your life.
I've been using that.
Lately, when people ask me how I'm doing.
I see I'm being followed.
And it's funny, you give some looks, some people who know we're comes from.
smile and say me too.
And then other people that don't have no clue.
About the Bible or look at me, what kind of funny?
Anyway.
All right, Jesse.
So what is faith and purpose podcast?
faith and purpose is just a platform for ordinary Believers to tell the
story about how they came to Christ and.
And how he works in their lives.
Basically.
That's the simple version
What gave you the idea for faith and purpose podcast?
actually, I guess about.
30 years ago.
I was going to church.
And my pastor noticed just how intense.
How focused I was on my spiritual journey and he suggested that I go up to
Columbia theological seminary for this.
spiritual formation week.
So I did, I went up there And I was involved in just
learning about the Bible and.
Got an hour relates to us and all that kind of thing.
But at the end of that week, we were given a homework assignment.
They told us to come home and write a 10 page spiritual autobiography.
And I've never done that before.
I wrote my autobiography and I turned it in.
But what happened is, during that process.
I, I learned.
Some things about myself and what was true about my spiritual path.
we got always have a lot of different.
Ideas about what's going on and what God is doing in our lives.
Just thinking about it day to day, but when you sit down
and you actually have to.
Write it out.
It makes a.
A huge difference.
It it's speaks to you that way.
So.
I got the idea that, Hey, this is a really powerful spiritual tool.
And I think, I'm going to go ahead and expand on this.
So I did, I ended up writing a whole book about my recovery and in my
Christian experience and all that.
And it was really great for my spiritual growth.
Anyway.
I learned a lot by that and I thought, This would be great if I could get
other people to write their test.
Testimonies, and I could publish their books or I can put a whole
bunch of stories into one book.
This would be wonderful.
And I've seen books like that, there's a.
A great book.
cold.
They found a secret and it's a collection of.
Christian.
Leaders, missionaries pastors.
Stuff like that.
Who tell about their.
adventures.
With Jesus.
And, it's a really powerful book.
So that gave me the idea that I born to do that too.
So I started a publishing company.
And that wasn't easy back in the, late nineties and.
Everything was a struggle.
It has to learn how to make that happen.
And I, actually did.
But guess what?
I could find no one who wanted to write their story.
I mean, I looked and looked and tried and tried, but.
anyway, I did get my wife, Becky too.
She was interested in marriage story.
So she published two books Called celebrating marriage she's got, I forget
how many, but maybe about 16 and 20 stories in each book that she just.
Got people to write their housing med and what their.
court ship was liked and then a little bit about their
marriage and some marriage tips.
So that turned out to be a good thing.
But,
I could not get anybody to write.
Our story.
So.
Not everybody enjoys riding like I did.
So.
What happened is when podcasting came along, I started listening to
podcasts cause I really like audio.
I've always listened to the radio and yeah.
Listen to Christian radio and.
All you books and all kinds of things like that.
So when a park has came along, I started listening to them.
And then a few about three years ago.
I was listening to a podcast and all of a sudden.
I thought maybe I can start a podcast.
Oh, that's stupid.
And then I heard a podcast about making a podcast and.
I thought, wow.
So I started investigating it and it took me.
About that long, about three years to get around, to, to where I could.
Actually.
Set aside the time and start researching and figuring out how to.
To make it happen.
And, Yeah.
I'm glad I was born when I was so that I could be here.
When the technology came around so that I could learn how to do stuff like this.
yeah.
the internet and.
Other people have made it possible.
So anyway, I thank God for that.
What a blessing to be able to use this technology for something good.
Yeah.
MacBook Air Microphone-22: And speaking of using it for good.
What happened and toward the end of that three years of procrastinating, I was
listening to a sermon by my friend, Dr.
Lindsay Powell.
Who is my guest on the episode, just after this one.
Holy spirit spoke to me during his sermon.
Of course, I can't remember Lindsay's words.
Right now, but I, and I don't want to put words in his mouth.
But what I got out of that sermon was a coming together of some truths.
That I had known for years, but I didn't really know what to do about it.
And that is that our country is in big trouble.
Because we're going in the exact opposite direction.
That God intended for us to go.
We've gotten so far away from our founding principles.
And from the God who led our founders, that we're actually destroying ourselves.
MacBook Air Microphone-25: In the book of Hosea.
God says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
We've got thousands of so-called professors and universities
all over this country.
Who.
Call themselves educators and professors and all that.
And they have no clue.
They have no knowledge of God's word.
MacBook Air Microphone-22: Over in Paul's letter to the Galatians.
He says it's for freedom.
That Christ has set us free stand firm then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by.
A yoke of slavery.
Now he wasn't talking to Americans about America, but the same principle applies.
America was founded on biblical principles and that's where we got
our desire for and our ability to live up to that freedom that we're
known for throughout the whole world.
That's how we became a great country.
But we've abandoned God and his word in the name of freedom.
And we are enslaving ourselves with this crazy idea that we know best.
We don't need God.
And the name of freedom.
We abandoned the author of freedom.
So when we took God out of our schools, our businesses and our government,
there was a backroom and we turned the government to supply all our needs.
We'd build a monster.
To replace God.
And now we're, overgoverned, over-regulated over controlled and so deep
in debt that we'll never get out of it.
The only way back is a return to God and his word.
It's for freedom that Christ has set us free.
He is the author of our faith and the true founder of our country.
This isn't political it's reality.
It's history.
It doesn't matter what power party's in power.
Jesus is the only one who can make America great again.
And his greatness is his goodness, his greatness, his, his love in us.
Over net, uh, same letter to Galatians.
Paul said you've been called to live in freedom.
My brothers and sisters.
But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.
Instead, use your freedom.
To serve one another in love.
Back in the 1830s, French author.
Uh, Alexis de Tocqueville visited America and broke this.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits
of flame with the righteousness.
Did I understand the secret of her genius and power?
America is great because America is good.
And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
And that's what's happened to us, John, we ceased to be done because
we ceased to rely on the source of goodness, the source of joy.
Hope and peace.
The source of our freedom.
You know, I wrote a book back in 2009, warning of how this debt is enslaving us.
The national debt was a shocking $9 trillion in 2009.
And now.
As of August of 2024, it's over $35 trillion.
We're digging our own grave as a nation because we are depending on the wrong God.
You know, president John Adams said that our constitution was made only
for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.
Too many of us stopped sharing our faith and allowed the culture of the world to
just take up the space that we abandoned.
And Tim many churches stop preaching truth.
It's all about feel good is.
It's all about.
What.
People want to hear.
And that's what dark warned about.
So anyway.
holy spirit had been telling me for years that I had to do.
Um, my part to help fix this problem.
A book, didn't do it very few people ever even read my book
about how we're enslaving ourselves with this national debt.
So that day, as I was listening to Dr.
Powell, that was back in, um, The summer of 20.
23.
As I was listening to him.
Holy spirit told me it was time to get off my rear end and start this podcast.
I know it's not much in light of the problems we're facing,
but it's all about Jesus.
And when Jesus says, then anything is possible.
You know, God's word says, do not despise small beginnings,
so I'm just going for it.
and I'm expecting him.
To send the people he wants to share their stories.
And also the ones that he wants to hear them.
So.
Anyway, that's.
My version of how this podcast came to be.
MacBook Air Microphone-24: And that's how I came up with
the name, faith and purpose.
My purpose is to turn more people on to faith in Christ.
And along with that, I have other purposes.
MacBook Air Microphone: I really want people to be encouraged by
hearing each other's stories.
I want nonbelievers to stumble across it and, then hear a story
and be able to relate to it.
And maybe find.
Yeah, how God is working in their lives.
Maybe how God is drawing them.
And, stories are powerful.
That way.
Jesus told parables because that's the way God created us.
To learn through story.
I think stories are probably the most powerful.
Communication that we have, I think advertisers have started.
Figuring that out, because when they'd want to advertise something,
they'll tell you a story.
The story about how this product came about and the story about how
great it is and all this stuff.
And the best sermons that you hear, when the preacher.
Tells a story and relates it to the Bible, So I won't people.
Just to be able to have fun, listening to stories, and yet.
Every Jesus' story is.
the most important thing in the world.
the most important story.
In the universe is how Jesus relates to us human beings.
Yeah.
When I'm listening to somebody's story, I get more out of it than anybody else.
And I'm lucky because I get to hear him about five times.
Because I hear the story in person.
And then I go, when I go to edit, I listened to it at least three times
while I'm doing the editing process.
And then, right before I publish, I get the person who's telling
the story to listen to it.
And.
And then I maybe do some more editing and then I listened to it One more time
before I publish in it, after I published.
So I hear every story at least five times and every single time I
hear it, I get something out of it.
See, that's the way God works through story.
Is that.
Our spirits pick up.
On things there.
We need to hear or when we need to hear them.
So we can hear one story.
One time and pick up on an idea or something that, strikes or spirit.
In a way that we need it.
And then.
Listen to it another time and get an whole completely different thing out of it.
And it's kinda like, you know, reading.
the Bible, you can read a verse a thousand times and get something
different out of it every time
So, I think it's really a holy spirit thing because that's how he works.
he works through everything, but.
He worldly works powerfully through story.
another thing is that it's not just for the listeners.
of course.
To the listeners give.
Hello, lot out of it.
but the people who are telling their stories.
Everybody has told me that the preparation process, just getting ready to tell
their story just is really powerful because you really have to focus on.
What.
It's really important and what God has done in your life.
And.
and a lot of times people will discover what God's done in their life.
And they hadn't even known it before, but then by thinking about
their story, they realize that.
The gods have been at work.
and so it's good for the.
The people who tell their stories and The thing about it is that when we actually
get authentic and vulnerable and we just.
Tell the truth about what happened.
that opens the door for God to come in and do another work.
Yeah, on a level that we may not even be aware of.
So people could tell their stories and then maybe not even realized that God's
doing something in their lives until, A month later something happens and they
realized that they had grown than this.
Particular area.
that's one thing that's happened, not just with me, but with other people.
God is at work and stories.
And it's so obvious because The whole Bible was stories.
It's a story, but it's full of stories and, that's how he relates to us.
So I hope I answered that question.
And we have been charged to tell our stories.
Yes.
Which I think is important, and as you were talking, I
thought, forget not as benefits.
It's an opportunity for me to look at my story and say, Hey, these are
the ways God has worked in my life.
It was really powerful for me in that way.
Thank you for bringing that up.
MacBook Air Microphone-1: Because.
Three.
It sounds like a commandment to me.
I think I got some of it memorized.
Bless the Lord O my soul and all of his within me.
Bless his holy name.
And bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits.
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your
life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth
is renewed, like the Eagles.
Now, I don't know what that means about your youth being renewed,
like the Eagles, but I'll take it.
These are all.
Promises.
It's not all God's promises, but it's someone, a three is.
It's telling us to.
Remember, forget, not all his benefits and I need to remember them
in order to realize them in my life.
You know, it's easy to forget.
You know, Throughout scripture.
You know, God tells his people to build.
Monuments, you know, they'd power stones on top of another one another.
And.
Kind of build what they called a Nebuchadnezzar.
NIESR so that they could.
Remind themselves.
And when their children ask what's this monument for, they can tell them the
story about what God had done for him.
They're like, Partying there.
The water so he could.
They could walk through and defeating their enemies and all kinds of.
Things.
So it, they needed reminders.
They needed physical reminders and, um,
So he knows how it, you know, God knows how easy it is for us to forget
even the most miraculous things.
And, you know, we just get into, we get busy and we just get ungrateful
and self centered again, again.
And it happens throughout scripture.
You know, his people.
This kept from getting.
Kept forgetting.
And then they came back and they kept forgetting, and it's
just amazing how us humans.
So.
Anyway, that's what makes it telling our story so important
because we need to remind ourselves.
By telling others and telling ourselves about the goodness of God.
You know, Romans.
Chapter two.
Paul says, it's the goodness of God that leads to repentance.
So, you know, people aren't drawn to a punishing God they're
don't to the goodness of God.
And then if they don't hear about as goodness.
Through the Bible.
They need to hear it through.
You know, Uh, the real life.
Stories of the people that.
They already know are listening to this podcast.
So anyway, when Jesus gave the great commission to go into all
the world and preach the gospel.
You know, the gospel is good news.
The good news is that God has for you not out to get you.
God has all these benefits, you know, he forgives, he heals,
he redeemed from destruction.
You know, he did.
Thank God.
He res.
Redeemed me from self-destruction.
So.
Anyway, that's that's part of the gospel.
The good news that he, he just loads us with benefits and we're, we
need to remind ourselves about him.
So, anyway, thank you for bringing.
That, uh, John.
Jesse: The most powerful way to tell about him is to just use
our own personal experience.
What he's done in our lives, because nobody can argue with that.
that's the truth.
That's what happened to me.
And that's.
Then I'll take it or leave it.
MacBook Air Microphone: I actually was going to say that.
That's one of the most powerful things about it is we can sit down and debate
theology and doctrine and all that stuff.
Nobody can debate your story, And that's powerful.
It's an opportunity to not to listen without that mental back and forth.
Just to get an opportunity to listen.
So that's really cool.
And of course I've known about Jesus's command to go into all the world.
for years.
And.
I always felt guilty because I didn't know how I couldn't fit.
it was not good.
I'm not a good talker.
And.
I know what I believe, but to translate it from my head to my.
Hard.
And then out into a world is extremely difficult.
When you're just coming from a doctrinal perspective, we've all heard.
people.
Trying to.
Share their faith in a way.
That's just so off-putting.
but.
Stories.
Everybody can relate to a story, even if they don't like the Jesus behind it.
Relate to.
A story and they'll remember it.
Yeah, but another thing about obedience.
when we are obedient to share our faith, that really opens a door
and to the spiritual realm that we can't get any other way, obedience
doing what God wants us to do.
From our heart and from their sincere.
Desire to please him.
Just opens the door to, so much.
piece.
And, a revelation of his presence.
And his life Yeah.
So yes.
do you help people prepare their stories?
MacBook Air Microphone-2: I do have some written guidelines
on my website, Jesse duke.net.
That, discover structure.
For preparing to tell your story.
they're just suggestions to help you think about it and organize it.
In a way that you want to tell it.
It's not a formula.
It's just a kind of a guide.
Based on my experience.
And it makes it really simple, but basically I just want people to focus on.
Glorifying Jesus by tilling what their lives were like before coming to him.
What.
Happened.
Bring them to Jesus and what he's doing in their lives now.
Kind of.
Three-part process.
What it was like, what happened and what it's like now.
And you don't even have to use my guidelines.
It's a real.
Good idea to look at them and.
Get some direction, but you can just listen to.
Some of the other episodes on the podcast and get inspired and.
Get a sense of how other people.
Tell their story.
But.
Uh, you know, as well as I do, John did.
No matter how much we plan.
It never works out the way we think it will because.
Holy spirit takes over and he does what he wants because he
knows the future and he know.
It would need to hear whatever you're saying and whatever
he's saying through you.
When you tell your story.
So, yeah, we just make a plan.
Get an outline and.
And then pray and let him take over.
We just had an example of that a few minutes ago.
Didn't really, I had a whole outline and a lot of notes.
Because I wanted to get a lot of information.
Onto this first episode in a kind of a.
Concise way.
So people could understand.
What it was all about.
And I had it all in my head and I had it all planned out,
but I couldn't make it happen.
It would just would not come out.
Right.
And thank you for saying we need to pray.
And you, you prayed for us and, uh, holy spirit came and we're just doing it right.
So I'm just trusting that all the information that we need
to pass along about Faith and purpose podcast will come out and.
And if we miss something, It'll all work out.
So anyway, the main thing is when you're preparing to tell your story, Just
pray and ask holy spirit to take over.
You know, make some notes because that's.
Good stewardship.
And when we get ready to record, will.
Pray together.
And we're both.
For his help.
And see what he does.
As the way it's been worked in, I can't explain it, I guess, do it.
there's a proper that says a man's heart plans his way, but
the Lord directs his steps.
I think that's Proverbs 16, nine, or somewhere around there.
So.
Uh, all I'm saying is that there's a difference between just winging it.
And, Letting the holy spirit take over when we're winging it
and just talking from our head.
It's all about us, you know, trying to impress ourselves or somebody else.
But when he takes over it's about glorifying God.
And that's true, not just telling our story better than everyday life.
You know, when I try to do things in my own power.
I usually have a self-centered motive, to somehow glorify myself rather than him.
MacBook Air Microphone: I may ask some questions during the interview to just
get you to expand on something or clarify.
Something, or I may make a comment to just keep it on track.
and then, towards the end of your telling your story I'll ask you, if you have
Maybe one bit of advice that you could pass along to the listeners out there.
then I'll ask the.
Person who's telling their story to just pray for the listeners.
And then we wrap it up like that.
So.
one thing I've learned in doing these 23 episodes is that I used to
want to introduce people and tell who they were and what they've done
in their lives and all this stuff.
But I found this.
really Diminishes.
the story, because it's already setting a picture in the listener's
mind of what this person is and what he's gonna say, or she's gonna say.
And now I just give the person's name and welcome them and let them start
just telling their story because who they are comes out and the story.
Yeah.
so that's I've found is just.
It's just a better way to do it.
And I don't.
Even putting a show notes on to describe the person or what the podcast is about.
I like it to be a surprise.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
one thing I've noticed is, in listening to a lot of the stories
is you've got new believers.
You've got people that have believed all their life.
You've got people that believed and turned away and came back.
It's just.
everybody has a story.
And no story is better than another.
And, I think that's really important.
for me, I was like, oh man, I'm a fairly new believer and
like, why do I have the towel?
And then we sat down and it was amazing.
I just thought that was important to mention.
yeah.
I'm glad you said that because a lot of people have never had the
experience of telling their life story.
And it's so important, I think it was Socrates or Plato.
One of them said that the unexamined life is not worth living.
And, it's not.
A biblical quote.
Thing, but it's true.
Yeah.
When we take the time to sit down and look at our lives and we'll
look at what's God's done in our lives and Get our mistakes and sins
and failures and successes all into perspective into God's perspective.
It really makes a.
huge impact.
So yes, there's a lot of people that have maybe been Christians for 50 years.
And they'll want to tell you what they know, and I don't really want
people to just come and give sermons or teachings or lectures or whatever.
I don't really want.
authentic.
personal stories of how God is working in their lives.
The theology will come into it naturally, but we don't want to call it data.
We just want to be, let it be real life.
So then the other people who have.
Like you say, I have not been.
Born again for a long time.
they're new at it.
And yet.
Holy spirit works through a new believer, just as much as he works
through to the old timer, so to speak.
Amen.
and I've found that to be true.
And as a matter of fact, the.
people that are newly born again or Really more open to being led by the steroid and
telling their stories and the holy spirit, I think has a whole lot of fun with that.
Yeah.
So, when are you going to tell your story?
At some point.
I am going to get somebody to interview him in out.
And I'll tell my story.
I can't ask other people to do what I haven't done.
However, there is one caveat that I tell people in the instructions
that I give is that if you're going through a trial, At this time.
you may want to think about waiting till you get the victory
before you tell your story.
And, so I'm going through a trial.
I'm going through a long dark valley right now.
And, I've just waiting to come out of the valley.
before I tell my story, because when you're in Devalle.
It can distort.
Your story in a way that it comes out
Jesse: maybe sounding kind of.
Whiny.
You know, just not, I don't know.
The ballet just kind of distorts.
What's real.
when you're going through tough stuff, God has.
Teaching you something.
that you can't learn in any other way.
So I wanted to just be able to grab that.
Growth and learn whatever he's teaching me and the trial.
before I tell my story so I can pass along.
Whatever I've learned.
To other people when, uh, when I tell my story,
So I'm waiting for that.
And yet also there's this.
I am aware that when you're going through a trial, And you're in pain.
It can be very, healing to tell how God is faithful and he's getting you through it.
Like Paul Stone in the flesh, his grace is sufficient.
that's a powerful thing too.
So I've been going back and forth with that.
Should I talk about a story?
after I get my victory or I shouldn't talk about it during the valley.
so God's working with me on that, but.
yeah, so anyway, at some point I will, tell my story.
win.
He tells me it's time.
And whether I'm in the deep dark valley.
Or on the mountain top.
And I'm just going to trust him.
So thank you for asking.
MacBook Air Microphone: Yea though, I walked through the
valley of the shadow of death.
He is with me.
Yeah.
MacBook Air Microphone-4: Um, but you know, I don't want to discourage
anybody from sharing in the midst of the trial because you know,
it can be very encouraging to.
Yourself and as well as the people who hear it, To see how
God is faithful and president.
You know, he's with you in the trial.
So anyway,
That's the real personal decision.
So.
Everybody's got it.
Decide that for themselves.
Jesse: But for right now, I can say that, um, As far as my story goes,
the most important thing in my life.
Decides Jesus is my family.
And I just wanted to say that The Lord really blessed me with my beautiful wife.
Becky.
We've been married 40 years now.
It's hard to believe, but she's been.
Really a big.
Influence on my life because she's such a Deeply spiritual person
who, God is really worked there with her, not in, just in my life.
People's lives too.
I agree.
Just seem to come so natural for her,
I know that's not true because she got struggles too, but that,
She was just such a blessing.
She's absolutely.
Gorgeous.
And, I'm just.
I'm just all Ben that God would put her.
In my life and to stick with me for so long, because I certainly
in my flesh do not deserve.
That's just, there's an example right there.
About the goodness of God.
MacBook Air Microphone: She is awesome.
she makes it look easy.
MacBook Air Microphone-6: And another benefit that I got my Barry and Becky was.
I got a huge extended family.
And here did a whole bunch of relatives and.
Of course her parents who were awesome.
And then brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all their.
Children.
It's such a, it's a really.
Wonderful family.
Most of them in South Carolina.
And I just love being with all of them.
They're just wonderful people.
When it's a great blessing to me.
And I still have a brother and sister on.
Um, my son and family still alive and their spouses, and I've got nieces and
nephews and great nieces and nephews.
And I'm just blessed in that way.
I have a church family.
And an AA family and.
Friends all over the country.
So I'm just a blessed person.
MacBook Air Microphone-14: But my most wonderful blessing.
Has been my daughter.
I won't mention her name, but.
she's a young adult she's out on her own.
Very independent.
Very intelligent.
Very beautiful.
Everybody just loves her.
MacBook Air Microphone: God sent her into our lives.
We adopted her.
in 1995.
She was six and a half months old.
And.
when we started praying for a baby, we ask God for.
the perfect child for us, We completely turned it over to him, say, or we don't
know, we don't know how to do this.
You bring us the child that you want us to have, where we can be a blessing to.
Her or him and.
and you can work.
Through us to raise them So we're just turning it all over to you.
So we, anyway, we ended up going to China.
And getting our daughter.
Oh, I wouldn't go back and say that.
We.
I have to tell this story.
Okay.
We had.
Been praying.
Four.
a child.
And we started praying for that child before it was even born.
We didn't know where it was even in the world.
We didn't know if it would be born yet.
I say it because we didn't know if there's a hero.
She, at the time.
When we found out it was going to be a little girl from China.
Becky ordered this, Asian doll.
That she had heard about it.
She'd seen it in a magazine.
So this will be great.
We'll have a Chinese baby.
She'll have an Asian looking dog.
something that looks like her.
So we got This doll in the mail and Becky.
Put it in the crib.
he had the room all set up in anticipation of this child.
So
When it was time to go to China, we went over there and we'd spent two
weeks and we brought her back home, man.
I was in love.
I was totally head over heels.
Totally obsessed.
We're being the best dad that I could be in this sort of this child.
I was turbo dad.
I went out and bought the pink.
Cigars.
It's a girl.
And I would carry her everywhere.
I took her to the store with me.
I took her to work with me.
I took her, I just, this was my baby.
And I was just totally in love.
one day I was playing with her on the floor and that little dog was there too.
And I looked at.
Our daughter, but she had a little freckle on the side of her neck.
And.
Such beautiful skin clear, beautiful scan.
But that was the only freckle on her body right there on the side of her neck.
And just.
Noticed, and then I looked over at this doll and it's same.
Frankel.
Exact same spot.
I'll show it to you.
Yeah.
and Chills went up and down my body.
wow.
What is this?
and tears started coming to my eyes because I realized.
God knew.
You had a plan.
it took me back to Psalm 1 39, He knew her before he formed her in her mother's womb.
He knew every day for life before it was written, I can't quote
it directly right now, but.
he just formed new this child before she was even born.
That we were going to be her parents that somehow.
She was going to be our daughter that somehow he was going to orchestrate
this whole thing it was such a powerful.
It was such a powerful experience for me.
And so from that day on.
I was going to make sure this child.
Grew up there.
Just know the Lord.
And have everything, but, you know, life, life goes on and, we, raised.
Our daughter and it was, I was just such.
So.
into being the best dad ever.
And I was doing this.
Not just for our daughter, but doing it.
For God and with God and through God.
And it was an acquired an experience.
Being a dad, but I tell you the one thing that I learned most from being a dad.
Is that.
I had never really understood what it meant that God loves you.
That God is a father.
Jesus is the one that brought.
The fatherhood of God into the world, before that.
people were sacrificing their children to all kinds of different.
Idols And.
concepts of God, but Jesus brought the whole.
Reality of God being a father to the world.
And, He said that if you've seen me, you've seen the father.
And.
having the experience of being a father and being so totally.
And love.
And wanting nothing more than to provide for and protect his child.
And it's really taught me just what God, how God sees us.
Yeah.
Where does children.
We're adopted into this family and.
He wants to provide everything
We need, even when we don't know we needed.
And I was like this with my daughter.
I wanted to give her everything.
I may have gone overboard when that bug.
he wants to protect us from it.
He wants to be there for us.
And that was like that.
I was out there protecting my daughter from all kinds of things
she doesn't even know about.
I went, I found out who the bullies were.
And I want to have parents I'm serious.
And, Ruined some relationships.
In the process, but I was going to protect this child no matter what.
And, just everything.
I did everything I could do for her.
Out of this deep.
Sense of love and.
That God had given me.
And so I learned that's the way God is.
We just don't know.
How many things that he's protected us from?
Yes.
He's healed us from he's shielded us from.
He takes us through it when we're going through, when he can't shield us
from something or doesn't want to it's because he has a purpose behind it.
And so like in my, and my daughter's case that I there's, of course there's
things that I can't shield her from.
I couldn't children from, she had to hurt.
And that's the way God, you know, but he's with us.
Yeah.
And I'm always available for my daughter, no matter what.
And even when she does things that I don't think are right.
Or it doesn't do things my way.
What I think is God's way, I still it's still there.
I did nothing that she does or says or things around.
Anything can.
Cause me to not.
Love her.
And of course I have, I've had to discipline and various ways over
the years, but God does it too.
Yes.
he corrects the child that he loves.
We correct the child that we love.
Yeah, sure.
So that's all part of being in relationship.
And God created this whole.
Universe.
For himself so that he could have these children so that we could be adopted
into his family so that he could.
Express his love because he is low.
Jesse: And the hardest part about being a human father is that.
We don't have the power.
To protect our child from everything.
We want so much to.
Protect them and keep them from making mistakes So.
it's painful, but you know, God can't.
Well, he could, but he doesn't protect us from everything and he doesn't
Keep us from making mistakes, but The plan is of course, that we should
learn and grow from our mistakes.
So we got to trust that.
he doesn't have any grandchildren and he's going to help.
Or children.
Grow through their mistakes.
So.
Anyway, he's.
Dell, very mercifully with me during my life.
And I'm sure He'll do the same for.
Our children.
by the way, I just gave everybody permission to cry.
When you come on the podcast.
So there you go.
MacBook Air Microphone: How can people get in touch with you if
they wanted to be on the podcast or if they just need to talk to you?
I do have a personal, what I call my ministry website is Jesse duke.net.
And, anybody can email me there and then I can.
give them my phone number and we can talk.
And that's the way I hear.
Here's the thing my website is, life recovery guide.
Dot net.
And it's also Jesse duke.net.
what happened was that.
You mind if I take a few minutes?
I actually was going to ask about your ministry.
That was the next question I was going to ask.
So that's perfect.
All right.
so there's a long answer to this.
I got sober.
In AA in 1980.
And that started my, it wasn't a start, but it was my jumpstart.
for my spiritual journey and, Over the years.
Of course, God has grown me in a lot of different ways.
And I've learned a lot.
So it's been 44 years.
That I've been continuously sober in the program and sponsoring people and
being sponsored and, just doing the deal, everything that goes with that.
I guess about 25 years ago, I really wanted to get more focused on my
Christian faith and get away from, this God, as you understand and concept of.
Of AA.
Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's just not enough.
only Jesus is enough.
And, I found this ministry.
called life recovery.
And there's another ministry out there.
It's called new life.
And life recovery.
It was started by these, Minister's within new life.
So to make a long story, short life recovery is a program like a.
But it's Christian based.
It's Bible based.
and there are groups all over the country, not nearly as many as
AA, they're few and far between.
If you compare it to AA.
So I want to learn more about it.
I was in school to get my biblical counseling degree.
And One of the courses that I had to take was on life.
Where he covered.
So I ended up becoming certified as a.
Life recovery coach
I call myself a guide because coach just doesn't sound right.
I got people.
who are in recovery or need recovery or interested in recovery from all kinds of
things, not just drugs and alcohol, but.
You know, gambling, overeating pornographies sex addictions.
people get addicted to all kinds of things and.
So life recovery is not just about, Drug and alcohol, Buddhist.
It's about all kinds of the, all the idols that we can put up in our lives.
And helping people to recover From those things.
so anyway, I decided to become a life recovery guide
And then I got my master's in biblical counseling.
And, the Lord has really led me along those ways.
And I kept thinking now, what am I going to do with this?
Because I was thinking I might become like a lay counselor at a church.
And, All of this, Unpaid.
just volunteer ministry, so.
that's what the Lord led me to do.
Now I make my living doing other things like physical work, like painting and
carpentry and fixing this and fixing that I do all kinds of physical.
Labor cause I really enjoy that.
But my ministry is in helping other people recover from various things.
it's mainly just listening to people because that's what they need the most.
And I don't really give it bias.
I just.
I guess I do in a way, I would just say, do you want to know
what gun it says about that?
And I'll try to help them find out what God's word says about their situation.
And.
And, Go from there, but.
I just make myself available to anybody.
Wants to talk.
And My bottom line is that God's word is our authority.
And when you know that.
God has the final word.
And what he says is your answer that makes.
counseling.
Oh a lot easier because you, when you really know that.
there's no, second guessing this is what God says, and this is
how it applies in this situation.
And the ego thumps up really hard against that kind of thing.
So.
what what was I talking to Johnny about ministry?
Yeah.
Ministry.
Yeah.
Jesse: So I just make myself available to listen.
You know it, and it's super sacred to me that.
When I listened to anybody it's in total confidence, complete
privacy, lack of fifth stiff.
You know, your business is between you and God.
Now I might ask if you want to, if you want feedback from me and if you do,
I might make a suggestion as to what.
You can do to make something right.
So you can have peace.
But whether you do it or not is between you and God.
So.
Listening as a whole ministry in itself.
MacBook Air Microphone-20: So anyway, I do.
Really need to explain The podcast really doesn't have
anything to do with life recovery.
Yes.
There are some guests on it that are in recovery from various issues.
And yes, all Christians are in recovery from their flesh, but
the podcast is for believers.
You don't have to be in recovery from something.
MacBook Air Microphone-21: In order to tell your story.
MacBook Air Microphone-20: So if you go to my website, don't get
the idea that the podcast is about.
Overcoming addictions..
MacBook Air Microphone: I linked it to my ministry website because I'm
not ready to build a new website.
so I just kinda thought I'd blend them together.
And if that, at some point in the future, if I need a podcast
website I'll, I'll do that.
There you go.
How do people get in touch with me?
Jesse?
Do duck.
Net.
And I'll put that in the show notes at the end of every.
Podcast episode gets to remind people Anyway.
Yeah.
With being your favorite part of doing this podcast?
Oh, definitely meeting.
People in here in their storage.
I just fall in love with everybody.
It tells me their story because you just can't, you just can't hear
somebody's deepest experiences in life.
and not love them.
Yeah.
And and because God shows up when God is love and he's that
thing in the, in between us, when I'm hearing your story on.
I'm feeling God.
So that's what I like.
11.
Yeah.
And I love it.
Yeah.
I, when you were talking about, the ministry, I thought what a
benefit it is to know that not only that God's word is the authority.
But God wants what's best for us.
Like it's one thing to know it's the authority.
But if, when I truly understood that God wanted what was best for me.
His word look completely different.
Yeah, no, it wasn't a bunch, a.
No's and don'ts.
Parameters on my life to keep me from having fun.
It was the things he was telling me, they were for my highest good.
And that was, it was really important for me.
yeah, people, don't really, a lot of people who have just
brought up in our culture.
I think that God is rules and regulations in church and in
the law and stuff like that.
I just don't really.
Understand grace.
Or freedom, freedom.
Yes.
The real freedom and freedom comes from conforming.
God wants because he wants to match that's right.
That's right.
All right.
Anything else you want to add before we pray for the listeners?
Yeah.
Just one more time about anybody who's listening to you, as you listened to
other people's stories on the podcast.
Be thinking about your story and how you would tell your story about
what God has done for you and how Jesus is working in your life.
think about your story.
What, no matter how long it takes and get in touch with me.
And if you need some direction, I can give you that.
But, otherwise just, Come on in.
Tell your story and, You can always have a do over just do it.
Just do.
So come on and tell your story and glorify the Lord.
Amen.
Thank you, John.
Yes, I will.
You got anything else?
No, I just, I thank you for this opportunity as it's so good to
sit down and just get to know you better hear your story.
I love doing the side.
I loved doing the podcast.
When I listened to it after you had posted it.
It was just funny how, there was so much in there that I didn't
even remember, And there were parts of that were very healing.
I listened to it with my wife and it was just an amazing experience.
it was truly an amazing experience for me.
But for her as well.
We sat down and listened to it together.
And, just, I highly encourage anyone.
To jump in, if you haven't listened to mine, I am.
A new believer basically, I'm 50 years old.
about two years into.
my faith, but it's been the most amazing two years of my life.
And I'm so grateful.
They you're creating this opportunity for people to share.
it's really, just such a, an uplifting and edifying use of technology.
And, I think that.
I know for me.
Yeah, I probably wouldn't sit down and write a 10 page.
testimony.
But to sit down and just talk.
it's, Just, I think it's the, way that the holy spirit is
using this technology for good.
Yes.
And I'm grateful for that.
All right.
would you like to pray for the listeners before we sign off?
Yeah.
Holy spirit, you are.
So good.
You're so present with us and.
Lord, I just ask that you would touch each and every person who's.
Listen to this, not just this episode, but any episode on the podcast that
you would just touch their hearts and grow them in a way that, that, is best.
And Laura, we just know that you always show up and your word never returns void.
You're always.
For us, you're always.
father.
You're always caring.
You're always loving and you want each and every person.
Who's out there listening to.
To just come to you and to know who you really are.
To just live in truth.
And so when we do just ask that you would touch each and every person.
And, Bring them to yourself.
And we praise you for this opportunity in Jesus name.
Amen.
Speaker: We hope you've been blessed by today's story.
In case you haven't noticed, there are no advertisements on this podcast,
and we hope to keep it that way.
So if you've heard something that you think could help someone you know, please
share it using the link in the show notes.
Also, if you will give Faith and Purpose a positive review on your podcast platform,
you could help more people find it.
You will probably never know how that small effort can make a big
difference in someone's life, but our Heavenly Father knows.
Speaking of sharing, if you know a Jesus follower with a story to tell, please send
them a link to Faith and Purpose Podcast.
It may encourage them to tell their story.
That person may even be you.
Our only criteria is that Jesus be glorified.
Most Christians don't share their faith because they mistakenly think
their story is not interesting enough, or that it's self centered to talk
about themselves, or that they are not competent to explain the gospel correctly.
But none of that is relevant.
If Jesus has changed your life, you have a story to tell.
All of our stories are completely unique.
No one has a story like yours, and you may be the only one who can reach someone
else through telling your experience.
So don't be intimidated.
A story is just that, a true account of your own experience, and no one
can disagree with your experience.
When we tell what Jesus has done in our lives, we are being obedient to his
command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
It's not about theology, and it's not about how interesting or special you are.
It's all about Jesus.
So when you're ready to tell how Jesus has impacted your life, you can let Jesse
know at his ministry website, jesseduke.
net.
There you can download guidelines that will make it easy to
prepare to tell your story.
Thank you for listening today and Shalom.