Today’s guest is Robby Dawkins. I met Robby through Michael McIntyre, who has introduced me to so many great people. Robby is a 5th generation Pastor who has ministered in over 58 nations. He’s been in some pretty scary environments that are hostile to Christians. The focus of today’s conversation is Robby’s quest to live out the book of Acts. There are so many ways that Christians can be activated to literally change and impact the world for Christ. As we struggle to figure out what our purpose is, we can take comfort in knowing that in following the example of Christ, everything else after that will fall into place. We don’t have to wrestle with it. We don’t have to struggle with it. We are promised it will happen. Seek yet first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you!
You can connect with Robby Dawkins at www.robbydawkins.com
When you find God’s purpose in your life, you gain the confidence to make decisions full of faith and integrity. Today, I am bringing to you two men who have operated with faith and integrity in a way that could completely shift our culture and the entertainment industry. I’m chatting with Nathan VonMinden and Cameron Arnett. Both men are involved in the production of Angry Men, a film about the deadly Challenger explosion that rocked the nation. This film tells the story of the true events of a few angry men who tried to stop the Challenger from launching, knowing very well that they were putting their livelihood on the line. While this film is not evangelical in nature, those guiding principles of faith and integrity are put on full display for audiences to see.
Up first is Nathan VonMinden, who started off his adult life as an aerospace engineer, but found a passion in producing video for his church. He saw his early video production days as a training ground for much bigger film projects God had in store. After eight years of research and a year of writing, Nathan decided to take a giant leap of faith and produce Angry Men. It is an all-hands-on-deck type of project, but so far his team has seen incredible results and rewarding experiences of genuine faith. He will share all about how God has empowered him to do the impossible, and after listening to his story, you’ll believe the same. I’m confident in that!
Next up is Cameron Arnett, an actor with one of the pivotal roles in Angry Men. Cameron will share how he got his start in Hollywood, but felt God call him away and into ministry. He never thought he would be able to act again, but God showed him the way to fulfill his purpose and use his gifts in Christian film. Now, he is working with Nathan and his team and seeing the enormous impact that faith and integrity are making in this film’s production process. He has an encouraging word for Christians who might want to consider acting, as well as courage for young people in the midst of tough decision making.
If you need a confidence boost today, this is the episode for you. God is doing incredible things in the lives of Nathan and Cameron. You don’t want to miss out!
More in this episode:
Links:
Learn all about Nathan’s film
Learn all about Cameron
Today’s show features a glimpse into the mind of Travis Thrasher. As a fiction writer of novels ranging from love stories to supernatural thrillers, Travis has focused on his writing full-time for the past 11 years. He’s written over 50 books, including many collaborations and memoirs with notable people from various walks of life. One of Travis’ favorite inspirations from scripture is God’s message to Moses: “Don’t forget what I’ve done for you.” Travis endeavors to live out this theme in his life and work, always remembering what he’s learned, and to pay attention to what God wants for his life. Travis gets real about some interesting details of his writing, including algorithms and smartphones, and how they play into future technology---and biblical prophecy. You don’t want to miss Travis’ encouraging message about living without regrets and letting God truly be in control of your life, so you can KNOW who you are, what you should do, and why you should do it. Join me for this inspiring conversation with Travis!
Resources:
Find Travis Thrasher on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, too!
On this episode of Are You Real Purpose Jon and Kasey revisit the year, and talk about the ups and downs of 2018. They go into depth about the challenges that they faced, and how they had to work through certain trials and circumstances in order to come into alignment with what God has next for them. Going into 2019, they talk about the words God has given them, vision, goals, and how you can be ready to face the year ahead with success! This is a great topic to reflect on, and it will help you as you are preparing for that is ahead in your life as well!
On episode 132 of Are You Real Purpose we talk to Jack Smith. Jack is a kingdom minded business man who lives in Santa Barbara, CA. He grew u in Northern CA, and did know one Christian as a young man. As a result, he ran wild at a young age. At the age of 23, he was given a large mortgage business to run, and says it was a failure from the beginning, because of lack of knowledge and responsibility. Jack continues to share how his journey turned from hopeless to hopeful as he turned his life over to Christ, and turned everything around. You don't want to miss this inspiring interview!
On Episode 131 of Are You Real purpose we talk to Phileena Huertz. Phileena grew up as a pastor's daughter, graduated college, and joined a non-profit group for 20 years along with her husband, Chris Huertz. During this time she worked alongside others, and did intense social justice work. Phileena explains what it means to have a daily contemplative practice, and the importance of that. She says there are things we must "unlearn to know." This is a very thought provoking, and inspiring episode you don't want to miss!
Former pro golfer Thane Marcus Ringler gets real with us today and talks about being a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur.
Pastor Alex McElroy is this weeks guest on Are You Real. Alex says his purpose in life is to help people discover and walk in their God given purpose. He says everyone faces obstacles when it comes to walking in your purpose, and we all have to figure out what we are going to do when those obstacles come. We can turn and walk away, give up, pursue something else, but all of these things are being disobedient to the specific call God has placed on your life if you give up. "Only the creator can tell you what was in His mind when He created you" says McElroy. He also says that he would rather fail at something he loves than succeed at something he hates. This is a practical episode that will inspire you to want to live out your God given purpose!
Links;
On episode 128 of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Michael McIntyre. Michael is Are You Real Business contributor, and joins us on this episode to talk about Project Abundance. He and his wife Stacy are launching a new crop where they are focusing on 4 aspects of life including faith, relationships, finances, and community. Michael says God wants us to be abundant, and people are hungry for the practical. In this episode we hear more about how he and his wife are bringing the practical in all these ares as well as the Holy Spirit so you can live in abundance!
On this episode of Are You Real purpose we talk to Kyle Mann, author of How To Be A Perfect Christian. Kyle is married with 3 boys, and has gone from working in construction to full time writing for The Babylon Lee. Kyle says he enjoys the creative process, but this wasn't a career path he set out to pursue. In episode 127 we hear about how this transition happened, and talk about his new book. This comical book takes you on a journey of the realization that being a Christ follower is more that what society makes it out to be such as checking the right boxes. Ultimately, the Bee aims to encourage readers to embrace a more biblically rooted understanding of their faith and discover that God has more for them than cultural Christianity could ever offer. You don't want to miss this episode!
Links;
On episode 126 of Are You Real Purpose we talk to Jay Lucas who finds his purpose through serving others in so many different ways. Jay is a businessman, author, leader, and philanthropist. He served as a State representative while he was in college, and has a law degree from Harvard. He is now the Chairman and Founding Partner at the Lucas Group where he specializes in the needs of private equity investors. Jay grew up in a small town and says everything isn't always easy, but if we can look at our situation with gratitude knowing we will be in a better place for going through the challenges and can learn a lot from them. He says "there's always something to be thankful for."
LINKS;
On Episode 125 of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Are You Real Creatives contributor Matt Dietz. Matt talks about the process behind writing this album and the importance of identity and purpose. Matt says "We can't help but get our identity wrapped up in the things we are passionate about, because it's who we are." This is an inspiring interview you won't want to miss!
LINKS;
On episode 124 of Are You Real Purpose we welcome back Brad McClendon. We talked to Brad previously on episode 43, and heard his amazing testimony, and how God showed him He was real. On this episode we hear about the Kingdom impact Brad is having by walking in rest, and trusting God to show him what He plans to do each step of the way in ministry and life as well. Brad says "The era of family started 2 years ago. Everybody tries to make an image. God's not going to let that happen this time. He's going to create His image. Man is not going to be able to create this with human hands." He says this next move of God is exciting and scary at the same time, because we can't really control it. We dig in deep in this interview and see how the face of the church is changing, and some very practical things you can do to walk closer with God in your own life. You don't want to miss this exciting episode!
LINKS;
On this episode of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Juli Slattery. Juli is a licensed psychologist who felt a call to focus exclusively on sexuality, and address cultural topics in a godly way. Juli explains that as Christians we need to reclaim sexuality, and understand that God owns sexuality.
Links;
On this episode of Are You real Linked we hear from Suzanne Grimaud. Suzanne talks about what City Taking looks like to her, and takes us on the journey of what she has found works for her in her city of Oklahoma City, and the greater area. Suzanne explains "God has given each one of us authority. That authority is given to us wherever our family is, wherever we are involved in church, work, school etc. She says this is where we have permission to go to battle, and the place we have authority in." She says "He could do anything without us, but His desire is to have relationship with us, and for us to partner with Him. It's quite humbling really." You don't want to miss this inspiring, and practical episode!
LINKS;
On episode 122 we hear from Christopher Yuan. Christopher has been teaching at Moody Bible Institute for over 10 years, has a speaking ministry on Faith and sexuality where he shares at conferences, college campuses, and churches and his message has reached over 5 continents. Christopher is an author if several books, and in this episode we discuss his personal journey and his new book Holy Sexuality and The Gospel. Christopher shares about his own struggles of identity, and how he struggled with his sexuality at a very young age. He dives deep into how he immersed himself in the gay lifestyle until he had a real encounter with God. He shares how he hit his rock bottom, and went from a prison cell to being intentional about living a life of purpose and identity in Christ! There are so many conflicting messages being given in our society today on sexuality, and the consequences of not living according to God's design. Christopher touches on some very deep issues in our society today. This is an episode you won't want to miss!
LINKS;
On episode 121 of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Tyler Reagin. Tyler is the President of a ministry called Catalyst. Catalyst consists of over 100,000 ministries world wide, and they travel around the country to serve Christian Leaders. Tyler says his highest priority is being a husband, and father to his 2 boys ages 8, and 11. Tyler is a host of a weekly podcast called Catalyst, and recently released a book called The Life Giving Leader. Tyler says "How you leas affects people's faith. The sphere doesn't matter. As a leader we have a divine directive to lead a certain way, because people's faith depends on it." You don't want to miss this inspiring, and informative interview!
LINKS;
In episode 22 of Are You Real Linked we here from Raechel Freeman. Raechel is a city taker called to the city of Lebanon TN. She shares how her and her husband were called from California to plant a salvation army, and how it can only be done through prayer. Raechel says "Things that are done in prayer have more of the eternal foundation God wants." She says "structure is always in play when God starts it." Raechel talks about her family growing up, and how her mother started an inner city school. She has been involved in planting salvation armies since 1999, and has planted them in many different places. She has a passion to see prayer and worship be brought back into what God is doing in and through the salvation army.
Links;
On this episode of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Pedro Limas who is a successful business owner, husband, and father. He opens up about the up's and downs of business, and family. Pedro talks about his faith and how it has helped him through many trials, and his journey from stepping out of a "safe haven" big corporation, and becoming an entrepreneur. Pedro has been in business for 20 years, and been in the audio/visual world for 30 years. He says Philippians 4:13 has played an important roll in his decisions, because we must rely on God. "I can't do anything without Him." In this episode Pedro shares how he has had to learn to balance the challenges of life, and business!
Links;
In this interview with Carey Nieuwhof talks about his journey from lawyer to full time ministry, and his powerful story to ministry burnout. Corey was on the edge of suicide and shares with us his experience and talks about his new book Didn't;t See It Coming. In his book, he discusses the 11 warning signs of burn out that we can all avoid. He talks about the 7 challenges we could all face at some point in our lives, and how we overcome or even possibly avoid them all together. Corey is now a pastor, speaker, writer, podcaster who shares his message so others can avoid these pitfalls in life! You don't want to miss this episode!
Links;
Didn't See It Coming By Carey Nieuwhof
On today's episode of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Roger Thompson. Roger talks about his journey from being what the world would consider successful and living the dream, but then realizing that he wasn't truly content, and happy with the direction his life was headed. Roger says he was chasing success, and his life was full, but his heart was empty. Not only was this lifestyle taking a toll on him it was also taking a toll on his kids, and family as a whole. This is what put Roger on the path to figure out what truly brought him joy. In this interview he shares his journey, and this is why he wrote a book called We Stood Upon Stars that was recently released. This episode will inspire and challenge you to live simple.
Links;
On today's episode of Are You Real Fit we hear from the author Tiffany King. Tiffany wrote the cook book Eat At Home Tonight. In this episode Tiffany describes the amazing recipes, and how practical the index is for anyone to not only follow, but make a home made meal. You will also hear the many benefits to eating at home including saving time, money, healthier ingredients, and most importantly quality family time. This is a very practical and easy step you can take to begin living a healthier more balanced lifestyle today!
Links;
On this episode we hear from the author of the book, The Brave Art of Motherhood, Rachel Marie Martin. Rachel shares what it is like to be a mother of 7 children, and all the joys and challenges that can hold. She shares that the secret to being successful is being willing to fall down, learn, and get back up again. She also shares her personal journey of coming to place of recognizing that life was not about pleasing everyone. Rachel says " I decided to place my success on what I was called to do." You don't want to miss this inspiring episode!
LINKS;
In this week's episode of Are You Real Purpose we hear from Jack Deere. Jack has spent years in ministry working in many different capacities including church plants, being a professor, speaker, teacher, and the list goes on. Jack shares his inspiring story of how he grew up in a traumatic home environment, got saved at 17, went on to do ministry until his life was forever changed when his son took his own life the age of 22 due to drug addiction. Jack goes on to share that the beginning years of his ministry were spent seeing God and teaching God as an obligation, and that there were principles that needed to be followed. Jack says when we major in obligations it can lead us to endure God rather than to enjoy God. He says he now realizes that the love of God and experiencing the character of God allows us to have true enjoyment in Him. Jack says, we need to feel His affection, and know Him as friend. This is a truly powerful testimony of how God can transform our lives, and use even the most tragic situations to draw us closer and know Him more deeply.
LINKS;
On today's episode of Are You Real Purpose we talk to Motivational Speaker, and business coach Jody Holland. Jody has a master's degree in psychology, and has written over 17 books. His new book Faces of Reality is five years of research in the making. In this book, Jody walks you through the science behind face reading, and breaks it down into five categories. The key areas include; How a person makes decisions, how they project themselves into the world, what hold that person back, how they evaluate themselves, and how they process information. Jody shares how these skills have helped him to communicate not only more effectively, but have helped him in his business to help companies place people in the right positions for success. This is a fun, unconventional interview you won't want to miss!
LINKS;