Participants:
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR190019S
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00:01 Do you dread getting up and going to work?
00:02 Do you ever feel like you're not satisfied 00:04 with where you are in life? 00:05 Well, stay tuned to meet a man who shares his journey 00:08 as it pertains to his restless pursuit of purpose. 00:11 My name is Jason Bradley, 00:12 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:37 Hello, and welcome to Urban Report. 00:39 My guest today is Pastor Marlin Perkins, Sr., 00:42 pastor of the Living Waters Worship Center 00:44 of Seventh-Day Adventist in Dallas, Texas. 00:47 He is also the founder of Purposeful Pursuits, LLC. 00:51 Welcome to Urban Report, Pastor Perkins. 00:53 Thank you, Jason. Good to see you. 00:55 It's great to have you here. 00:56 You know, so many people 00:57 are searching for their purpose. 00:59 And you see that a lot of people 01:02 are leading empty lives because they haven't found it. 01:05 Have you always been walking in your purpose? 01:08 No, that's a great question. It's a great lead. 01:10 And you're absolutely right. 01:12 For me, it started probably about at age 13. 01:15 I was just beginning middle school. 01:17 And I had a lot of academic success early in life. 01:20 And I had struggled a little in middle school, 01:23 or I should say, from fifth or sixth grade. 01:26 But about age 13, I had a conviction... 01:28 Okay. 01:29 That I look back on, 01:31 I know it was God given that my life was going somewhere. 01:33 And I didn't know where. 01:35 You know, I fancied myself sometimes 01:37 being a successful businessman, flying all over the world. 01:41 I knew I wanted to one day have a family. 01:43 But I saw myself as, you know, a huge materialistic success. 01:48 Got you. 01:49 But about age 13, I had a conviction, 01:51 my life was going somewhere. 01:52 And it really became a compass for me. 01:55 Let me ask you this question 01:56 because success is something that is subjective. 01:58 Yes. 01:59 And oftentimes, like you just mentioned, 02:01 a lot of people think of success 02:04 in a materialistic way. 02:06 So what is success? 02:08 What does success look like to you? 02:10 For me, it's very simple. 02:12 Knowing God's will and living God's will for your life 02:15 as faithful as you can. 02:17 I know it's very simple. 02:18 But trust, knowing God's will for your life. 02:21 And that's important to know God's will for our lives. 02:25 The Bible says, "Cause me to know your way." 02:28 It says in the Book of Psalms. 02:29 So knowing God's will for your life, 02:31 not somebody else's, for your life. 02:32 Yeah. 02:34 Resting at peace with that, 02:35 and then faithfully allowing 02:37 God's will to be worked out in your life. 02:39 I think if you do that, heaven will deem you a success. 02:43 Amen. Amen. 02:44 Well, so tell me a little bit about your upbringing. 02:47 What type of values 02:49 did your parents instill in you? 02:51 Well, I was raised in a big family. 02:53 There were eight of us, five boys and three girls. 02:55 I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. Okay. 02:58 My father, my mother, my father worked for as postal worker, 03:01 my mother was a stay-at-home mother. 03:03 We were raised in Seventh-day Adventist Christian home. 03:06 Okay. Went to church weekly. 03:09 And then about when I was about seven years old, 03:11 my parents separated 03:12 and then they eventually divorced. 03:14 And my sister Madeline, 03:17 who was the third daughter in our family, 03:19 she's about seven years older than me. 03:21 I'm actually the seventh child in our family. 03:22 Wow. 03:24 And I talk about that in the book. 03:25 So Madeline is seven. There's a seven-year gap. 03:28 Interestingly enough, all the sevens, 03:29 and the seventh child has a seven year gap 03:31 between she and me. 03:33 So her, myself, and my younger brother, Chris, 03:36 my mother took us, we were her last three, 03:38 to go live with my oldest sister near Fort Knox. 03:41 I had a sister Marcia, 03:42 was stationed near Fort Knox, Kentucky. 03:45 And we stayed there about a year, 03:46 and then we moved back to Memphis, 03:48 and we moved on to northern part of town. 03:50 And my mother was a very God fearing woman. 03:53 So we were raised in a Christian home. 03:55 You know, my father, 03:56 who we'll talk about a little later 03:58 who became one of my best friends. 03:59 You know, I was able to put to peace, 04:01 a lot of the differences that led to their divorce. 04:04 And I credit a lot of that to my mother. 04:07 But later in life, even my father 04:09 and his acceptance of some of the ways 04:10 that led to their divorce. 04:12 But yes, I was clearly raised in a Christian home, 04:14 even I didn't appreciate it. 04:16 You know, and I haven't always appreciated it, to be honest. 04:18 But I thank God that I did come to appreciate it. 04:21 Did you ever stray away? 04:23 I didn't stray away drugs 04:25 and a lot of at-risk behavior. 04:29 But I wasn't a born again believer. 04:30 I mean, I went to church, my friends were there. 04:33 My younger brother, Chris, and I, 04:34 and my mother didn't have to force us to go to church. 04:37 But I wasn't a born again believer. 04:38 Yes. 04:40 You know, I went to church, it was a thing to do, 04:41 my friends were there. 04:42 That wouldn't happen until my college years 04:45 between my junior and senior in college. 04:47 Okay. Okay. 04:49 And so you said earlier when you were 13, 04:52 that's when things began to click for you 04:54 in terms of finding purpose, 04:57 and what direction you wanted to go in. 04:59 When I was 13, 05:01 God really instilled a conviction in my life 05:03 that I was going somewhere. 05:05 And to give you a clue 05:06 to how strong that conviction was, 05:08 it produced such powerfully positive feelings. 05:12 I had a picture in my mind that ultimately my life 05:14 was going to take me someplace. 05:16 It was very beautiful. 05:17 And I was definitely afraid of doing anything 05:19 I thought would derail me. 05:21 I was definitely afraid of getting a girl pregnant 05:23 and having a child. 05:24 Not that I didn't want to be with girls. 05:26 I certainly wanted to be with them. 05:27 But I was definitely afraid of doing anything 05:29 I felt would derail me. 05:31 And the frustration at times 05:33 was throughout my middle school, 05:34 even high school years, 05:36 was that I didn't know where it was going to be. 05:38 But that conviction propelled me 05:40 to do well academically, 05:41 it propelled me to become a leader 05:43 as early as my high school years, 05:45 just this focus that you're going somewhere. 05:47 And it made me realize, 05:50 again, that if I made certain decisions, 05:52 it could derail me from that course. 05:54 And I was definitely afraid of doing anything 05:57 I thought would take me off of their course. 05:59 And it was until I went on to college 06:01 between my junior year and senior in college 06:03 that I will come face to face of what that purpose was. 06:06 Really? Yes. 06:07 Why don't you talk a little bit about that? 06:09 Well, I will. 06:10 Again, as I told you, I had a lot of fanciful ideas 06:13 that I'd be a big well-known businessman 06:16 flying all over the world and having a lot of success. 06:19 I knew that I wanted to have a family. 06:21 Now that was important to me, 06:22 despite the fact that my parents had divorced, 06:25 it was important to me to have a family of my own. 06:27 Yes. 06:29 When I went to college, 06:30 I initially chose business as a major. 06:32 Didn't, that wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. 06:35 So I went on to choose political science 06:38 with a prelaw emphasis. 06:39 I end up getting an internship from my congressman 06:42 between my sophomore and junior year in college. 06:44 So I worked in Washington DC. 06:46 But between my junior and senior year in college, 06:48 I was good at my studies in prelaw. 06:51 But I knew that being an attorney 06:53 deep down inside really wasn't what I wanted to be. 06:56 Yes. 06:57 I just didn't know what it was going to be. 06:59 It wasn't until God started moving on my heart 07:01 between my junior and senior year in college, 07:04 that I became a Christian. 07:05 And interestingly enough, 07:07 He also called me into ministry about that same time. 07:10 And it was that understanding 07:12 that God was calling me into ministry 07:14 that I finally had that aha-aha moment. 07:16 And that's something that I think everybody 07:18 should reach at some point in your life 07:20 is that great aha-aha moment that says, 07:22 "This is what I'm here on this earth to do." 07:23 Yes. 07:25 And it happened to me between my junior 07:26 and senior year in college. 07:28 Wow. 07:29 Now I know the Bible speaks about purpose, right? 07:30 Do you have any verses that you want to share? 07:33 Well, it's interesting, you should ask that 07:34 because it seems like perhaps 07:36 the most well-known is Jeremiah 29:11. 07:38 Yes. 07:39 You know, "For I know the thoughts 07:41 that I think towards you." 07:42 But I like to reference Luke 19:13. 07:44 And I actually have my Bible open because I thought, 07:47 you know, we might be able to talk about it. 07:48 But Jesus says in Luke 19:13, it says, 07:51 "And He called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds, 07:55 and said unto them, 'Occupy till I come.'" 08:00 God, when He saves us, He saves us on the cross. 08:04 But He also saves us for a purpose. 08:06 And Jesus wants us to occupy. 08:08 Now, perhaps the most obvious idea 08:12 of occupying is some people 08:13 may be giving Bible studies and witnessing, 08:15 and those things are extremely important. 08:18 But there are vocational pursuits 08:20 that He instilled within us 08:22 to live out His purpose for us on this earth. 08:25 He wants us to occupy in very specific ways, 08:29 vocationally, as well as spiritually until He comes. 08:32 Unpack that a little bit? 08:34 Well, when Jesus says, "Occupy till I come," 08:38 again, that's talking about your God given purpose. 08:41 God gives you your purpose in life. 08:43 People think that you need to go looking for, 08:45 it comes to you. 08:46 In the Old Testament, you will hear this phrase used 08:49 over and over in relation to the prophets. 08:51 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 08:54 the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, 08:57 the word of the Lord came to Malachi. 09:00 Just as a prophet received 09:02 his prophetic ministry from God, 09:04 you receive your God given purpose. 09:06 He may speak through a sermon, 09:08 a conversation you have with someone, 09:10 a book, well, life experience, whatever medium that He uses, 09:14 the message will be clear that God will say, 09:16 "This is what I have put you on this earth to do, 09:19 and I want you to occupy 09:20 in this capacity until I come." 09:25 I like that. I really like that. 09:28 Speaking of purpose and all of that, 09:30 what inspired you to write the book? 09:33 That's a great question. 09:34 I want to say right off the bat, 09:35 I've never fancied myself a writer. 09:37 I write now. 09:39 But I never fancied myself a writer years ago. 09:42 I got the idea to write this book interesting enough 09:45 in a very nonconventional way. 09:47 My wife Shurla is from Bermuda. 09:49 And she was visiting, our kids were smaller. 09:52 She was visiting home, 1 May I think it was. 09:56 And one Saturday afternoon, I was out playing basketball 09:58 and thinking I'm Michael Jordan. 10:00 And I came down real hard... That's what we all do. 10:03 I came down wrong on my ankle, I badly sprained my ankle. 10:07 And no one was there at the house but me, 10:09 and I finally made my way back to the house. 10:11 I'm sitting up on the bed with my leg propped up, 10:14 and I'm just flicking through the channels. 10:16 And I landed on interesting enough 10:18 the Lifetime channel for women. 10:20 Okay. 10:21 I'll let you know, and I'm just really just flipping 10:23 through the channels. 10:24 And I started watching an interview 10:25 with Suzanne Somers. 10:27 A lot of people may remember her as Chrissy... 10:28 Okay. 10:30 On the sitcom "Three's Company." 10:31 When she was being interviewed about her life, 10:33 and she talked about a book that she had written 10:35 which became a bestseller called "Keeping Secrets." 10:39 And she said something in that document 10:41 and she said that the pain in her life was so strong 10:44 that one day she just sat down to start writing about it. 10:47 And she said 18 months later, I was finished. 10:49 And I never forget that line. 10:51 When she said that the Lord spoke to me 10:52 and said, "You need to write a book." 10:55 Just out of the blue like that. 10:56 And I remember in my mind saying, 10:58 "Write a book about what? 11:00 You need to write a book about destiny." 11:02 I'm like, "Well, why would I want 11:04 to write a book about destiny?" 11:05 I'm having this conversation in my mind. 11:07 And then the Lord spoke to me, 11:08 and said, because you've lived it. 11:10 Wow. 11:11 And I immediately thought that to that same conviction, 11:13 it came to me at age 13 that you're going somewhere like, 11:17 and a light bulb went off in my mind. 11:19 Not only did the light bulb go off in my mind, Jason, 11:21 but I want to share with you 11:23 that this conviction to write... 11:24 Remember now, I was not a writer. 11:26 But there was a strong conviction 11:28 that I needed to write the book, 11:29 that conviction led me to write my book. 11:32 Wow. 11:34 And what can people expect when they get your book? 11:36 What are some of the topics that are covered in your book? 11:39 In the book, I talk about 11:41 how purpose is developed at different stages of life. 11:44 So I use a lot of biographical material from me as a kid 11:47 through middle school, high school, college, 11:50 up until to the point where 11:52 I discovered my purpose in life. 11:53 That's where the book goes. 11:55 And so at each successive stage, 11:56 from little kids to the teenage years, 11:58 which can be very awkward years, 12:00 to sometimes into your middle 20s, 12:03 whatever the point is that you discover your purpose, 12:06 I talk about how purpose is developed 12:08 at each successive stage. 12:09 Nice. 12:11 So if you're a parent and you have young kids, 12:12 and you're trying to figure out, 12:14 develop your parenting skills 12:16 to help pour into your children idea 12:18 that God has a purpose in life for you, 12:21 you're going to find something in this book. 12:23 If you're a young teenager, 12:24 and you're struggling with feeling awkward, 12:26 or, you know, being self-conscious 12:28 about how you look and really wondering 12:30 where you're going, I talk about some of those things 12:32 I struggle with that that age, 12:34 you're going to be able to connect 12:35 with the book in that capacity. 12:37 If you're a 20 or 30, something, 12:39 and you've been working in a career for a while, 12:41 but you're wondering, "Where's this all taking me?" 12:44 You're going to be able to connect 12:45 because I talk about how purpose is developed. 12:48 And so you're going to connect with that. 12:50 And then interestingly enough, 12:52 if you're in your retirement years, 12:53 and you're thinking about what you're going to do next 12:56 or how you can pour into the younger generation, 12:58 and you're looking for resource 13:00 that you can give to your grandchildren 13:02 or to someone who you're mentoring, 13:04 "Restless Pursuit" is the book for them. 13:06 Wow. 13:07 So in other words, you have something for everyone 13:09 in that book? 13:10 It didn't set out to be that way, but it's that way. 13:12 Yes. Yes. 13:14 And because we're all to walk with purpose. 13:15 Yes. Yes. 13:17 How rewarding would you say it is for you 13:19 to be walking in your purpose? 13:22 There's a piece that comes over your life 13:25 when you know what you're about in life. 13:28 I feel very fortunate that I had, 13:30 I had that happened to me early in life. 13:32 I'm reminded of a book by a gentleman 13:34 by the name of Carlyle B. Haynes. 13:36 Okay. It's called "God Sent a Man." 13:38 And it's a book about the life of Joseph. 13:41 And so he narrates the life of Joseph, 13:44 but from the angle that God has a purpose for your life. 13:47 In that book, he talks about how it's a good thing to come 13:51 to an understanding early in life what you are fit for, 13:54 what God has you on this earth to do. 13:56 He says it saves you much fretting in life, 13:59 trying to grope about 14:01 as if you're groping in the darkness. 14:03 You know who you are, you know what you're about, 14:05 there's a compass in your life. 14:07 And then there's a peace in knowing 14:09 that God has saved you that your life 14:11 is not just something that's temporary, 14:13 that is an extension of life eternal. 14:16 So what you do on this earth, 14:18 there should be a direct connection 14:20 between what you do here now and your eternal destiny. 14:24 So it does give you a great amount of peace, 14:27 life hits all of us. 14:28 Yes. 14:29 But what life doesn't have to do 14:31 because of your God given purpose 14:33 is dictate how you live. 14:35 That's deep. That's deep. 14:37 And I think that, you know, when you focus on the fact 14:40 that there is a life after this... 14:43 That is correct. 14:44 You know, I think that shifts the definition of success. 14:47 Yes. 14:48 I think that that redefines success. 14:51 Yes. 14:52 We have some pictures. Wonderful. 14:54 Yes, we have some pictures that we're going to put up. 14:57 And I just want you to briefly tell us 14:58 what's going on in each one of these. 15:00 Sure, sure. 15:01 Well, that's me. 15:03 I was about six months old there. 15:05 I have my little carriage there in our backyard. 15:08 And it's one of my favorite pictures that we took. 15:11 It's taken of me by my family. That's my father. 15:13 He passed away in March of 2018. 15:15 I had to preach his eulogy back in Memphis at my home church. 15:19 And that's a precious picture of he and I together. 15:22 He became one of my best friends, 15:24 and I love him to death. 15:26 Interesting enough, I use this picture in my book. 15:28 That's me at my high school graduation. 15:30 And standing to my right is one of my best friends, Tyrone. 15:34 He was valedictorian, I was salutatorian. 15:36 And to my left is the young lady named Stephanie. 15:39 That was really a precursor to be doing public speaking. 15:42 And when I gave my salutatorian speech, 15:45 it really ignited something in me. 15:49 That's me during my college days 15:50 at Rhodes College in Memphis. 15:52 That's the cover of one of the brochures 15:54 for the political science department. 15:56 We were there at the courthouse in Memphis 15:58 and that's me doing my prelaw days 16:01 as a college student. 16:03 That's my mother, Billy Gloria Perkins. 16:05 We called her Mynta Mae. 16:07 My younger brother, Chris. 16:08 That was in his college graduation. 16:10 We were her last two boys. 16:12 I refer to us as Billy's boys in the book. 16:17 That's me doing on set, there in my office in Dallas. 16:21 I actually produced an online course. 16:23 That's a companion course for the book. 16:25 And that's me doing shooting 16:27 some of the video tutorials for that course. 16:31 That's me at the launch of my book, 16:33 "Restless Pursuit," 16:34 and I'm addressing the crowd there 16:36 and sharing a little bit about the book. 16:38 That was a wonderful occasion. 16:39 Some of my members organize it in my church, 16:42 have a wonderful church. 16:43 They organized that event for me. 16:46 That's me at my 50th birthday. 16:48 Interestingly enough, 16:50 my 50th birthday took place the day 16:51 after I eulogized my father. 16:54 Wow. 16:55 And so that always has a bittersweet experience. 16:57 And that's my book "Restless Pursuit." 17:00 I released it in June of 2019. 17:03 Wow. Wow. 17:05 You know, throughout those pictures, 17:07 as those pictures were going, 17:08 I was thinking to myself, like each stage in your life 17:13 kind of played a part in your purpose. 17:15 Yes. You know. 17:17 It does, from a child, 17:18 you saw the picture of me as a little kid. 17:21 I tell parents all the time, you know, your little baby 17:23 may be cooling in your arms, but that baby has a purpose. 17:27 And God wants you to understand that purpose, 17:30 to be able to have good parents despite their differences. 17:32 I had very good parents. 17:35 My wife Shurla, you saw us there in the picture 17:37 of my 50th birthday and our two children. 17:39 Yes. 17:40 We've poured into them about purpose. 17:42 And the fact that the same thing 17:43 I had to go through when they're going through 17:46 as young teenagers, I have the benefit 17:47 of being able to help my kids and say look, 17:50 "Tough times don't always last, 17:51 there's a purpose for your life and don't ever forget it." 17:55 And then that was about to take me to my next question, 17:57 what values, what things did you teach your children 18:01 as they were in the more coming up? 18:03 It's interesting you should ask me that question 18:04 and a thought comes to mind as you say that. 18:06 A few years ago, I was watching a television docudrama 18:10 on the life of Tiger Woods. 18:12 And I remember there was 18:14 a particular scene in the movie, 18:15 of course, it was played by actors and actresses. 18:18 But it was a dinner room scene between Tiger's father, 18:21 and his mother and then young Tiger. 18:23 And by now he had become 18:25 a little amateur golfer as a little kid. 18:27 And in this scene, Earl Woods, 18:29 his father is trying to convince Kultida Woods, 18:31 his mother, that, "Hey, we got this young phenom, 18:34 we need to give him more media exposure." 18:36 And she was having none of this media nonsense. 18:39 She was like, "No, I'm not going to have my kid 18:41 in front of a cameras and this and the other." 18:43 And out of frustration, 18:44 finally, Earl Woods slams his hand 18:46 on the dining room table and says, 18:48 "Listen, we have a diamond in the rough. 18:51 And it's our responsibility as parents 18:53 to help polish that diamond." 18:56 I remember when he said that it made an impression on me 18:58 because I view myself as a father 19:00 particularly as having two diamonds in a rough, 19:03 my son Marlon Jr. and my daughter Reba. 19:06 And I really have viewed them 19:08 since they were little kids because I've lived that. 19:10 Yeah. 19:11 And so as they've come up as kids, 19:12 and now they're college age students. 19:14 And, you know, they're going 19:15 through that period in their life 19:17 that where they get, 19:18 their life is beginning to get started, 19:19 and I help them... 19:21 I try to help them to understand that, 19:22 "Listen, God has a purpose for your life." 19:25 My son is an architecture major. 19:26 When you're spending all that time 19:28 in the architecture building, 19:29 you know, coming home at 2 or 3 o'clock 19:31 in the morning sometimes, 19:32 and you wonder, "Why am I slaving away like this?" 19:35 It's more than just the fact you gonna become an architect, 19:38 it's how God is going to use you. 19:40 My daughter Reba is a nurse. 19:42 She's falling in the footsteps of her mother, 19:44 who's a registered nurse. 19:45 And she goes to her clinicals. 19:47 And, you know, they go through different challenges. 19:49 And I think as a parent, 19:51 especially as a God fearing parent, 19:53 we have a responsibility to help pour into our children, 19:56 to help them to see that this life 19:57 is not all that there is. 19:59 That there is an eternal life to come, 20:01 and that God has a purpose for their lives. 20:03 Yes. Amen. 20:04 Now as a pastor, 20:07 how do you prepare `your sermons? 20:12 That one threw you for a loop, 20:14 you weren't expecting that question. 20:15 It did. 20:16 It's interesting you should say that 20:18 because one of the things that I reject is the idea that... 20:22 And my members know that I'm writing about purpose, 20:24 I've now released a book, they know I do, 20:26 speaking about the subject. 20:28 But I really have resisted the notion 20:30 to make that my pulpit mantra that every time I get up, 20:35 and I preach a sermon, 20:36 it has some angle about purpose. 20:38 I have intentionally resisted that 20:40 because we oftentimes see that with pastors or preachers 20:43 who they may have some gift 20:44 and everything is about your best life now, 20:47 or, you know, just trust God. 20:49 He'll give you a swimming pool and a pink Cadillac, 20:52 you know, and all that type of thing. 20:55 So I prepare my sermons as a pastor. 20:57 I do believe in preaching the whole Bible, 20:59 I believe in preaching through the Bible. 21:01 I'm an expository preacher by nature. 21:04 Okay. 21:05 And so I feel that I have a responsibility 21:08 to preach the Bible, to preach through the Bible. 21:11 And then as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, 21:12 I do believe that I have responsibility 21:15 to keep those precious truths 21:17 that we understand about 21:19 the Bible ever before our people. 21:21 I'm reminded of a quote by Ellen White, 21:23 she says that the greatest... 21:24 The highest position to which 21:26 you could be called as a pastor, 21:28 a teacher in the Lord's institutions, a doctor, 21:30 but she says our greatest responsibility 21:33 is to fix the scriptures in the minds of the people 21:37 as a nail in a sure place. 21:40 And I really... 21:41 When you ask me how I prepare my sermons... 21:43 Yes. 21:44 I use the old adage by one old preacher, 21:48 Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 21:50 He said that his method is to grab a text 21:52 and make a beeline for the cross. 21:54 Wow. 21:56 And so when I had that text in my mind, 21:58 I try to make a beeline for the cross. 22:00 Amen. Amen. 22:03 What would you recommend for someone 22:06 who is trying to find their purpose? 22:10 Where should they start? 22:12 Well, my book would be a great start "Restless Pursuit." 22:16 But I oftentimes say if it's some... 22:18 What happens is again God comes to them. 22:21 What I will tell them is to stop being anxious about it. 22:25 That's number one. 22:27 The Bible says "Be anxious for nothing, 22:28 but by prayer and supplication, 22:29 let your requests be made known to God. 22:31 Yes. 22:32 If it's really burdening you, then pray about it. 22:34 But pray about it and ask God to give you the peace 22:36 that He will reveal to you 22:39 what your purpose is in his time. 22:41 Yes. 22:42 I'm a firm believer of that, 22:44 and I talk about this in one of my workshops, 22:46 that there are three things you need to know about purpose. 22:49 Number one is God given. 22:51 He may speak to you through a sermon, 22:52 a book, a conversation, 22:54 a life experience, whatever medium He uses, 22:56 His message is clear. 22:58 Number two purpose is God guided. 23:01 Let God guide you 23:02 in the development of your purpose. 23:04 Don't you become master and commander of your life. 23:06 Yes. 23:07 God gives you your purpose, God purpose is God guided, 23:09 and then ultimately purpose is God glorify. 23:13 So as you live your purpose for God, 23:15 you allow Him to guide you, 23:16 you will experience success in this life, 23:19 but in living your purpose, you will come to glorify God. 23:22 Amen. Amen. 23:24 Where can people purchase your book? 23:26 It's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, 23:29 as well as my website PurposefulPursuits.com/books 23:35 and it will take them right to the book. 23:36 Okay. 23:37 What are some other resources that you've developed? 23:39 What I do, as I said earlier, I develop an online course 23:42 that you can take as a companion course for the book. 23:46 I've developed in a study guide 23:48 that is correlated to each chapter in the book, 23:51 and I break down each chapter into bite size topics. 23:56 I've developed about 40 video tutorials, 23:58 over 40 video tutorials... 24:00 Wow. In this course. 24:02 I also have special prayers... Okay. 24:05 That you can pray 24:06 at different stages of your life about purpose. 24:08 And I have all those prayers on the website. 24:11 And so it's really a very interactive type of a course 24:15 where I'm talking to you. 24:16 I'm like your personal coach, 24:18 and I'm taking you through all of these stages 24:20 from as a young kid, teenager, adult. 24:23 I even have material as I've said, 24:24 for people in retirement years. 24:27 There's something there literally 24:28 for at each stage of life. 24:30 Yes. 24:31 And you can expect to have me as your personal coach, 24:33 talking like you and I sit down right now. 24:35 Nice. 24:36 And if somebody wants to book you for a workshop, 24:39 what can they expect to see in this workshop? 24:42 Well, I have three basic workshops that I do. 24:45 One is called "Four Points to Purpose," 24:47 where I talk about the four practical steps 24:50 to understanding purpose. 24:51 I have another workshop that I typically do 24:54 for high school or college age kids, 24:56 it's called "What Are You Missing?" 24:59 Discovering the power, rather a purpose in your life. 25:03 And then I have one called 25:05 for retirees called "What's next?" 25:07 Discovering purpose in the golden years, 25:09 where I talk to older age groups 25:12 about what's next in their lives, 25:14 how they can come to understand purpose for their lives 25:17 and use their experiences 25:19 to help pour into younger people. 25:21 Yes. 25:22 How important would you say time management is? 25:25 Extremely important. 25:27 But here it is, it's interesting 25:29 that when you have a focus for your life, 25:31 and you have a God given purpose, 25:34 you are better positioned to know 25:35 how to organize and structure your life 25:38 because you have a focus. 25:39 So time management, oftentimes people struggle 25:42 with time management, I still do, 25:44 but it's a lot easier for me 25:46 because I know where I'm going in life. 25:47 I know what to say yes to and what to say no to 25:51 because I have that focus in life. 25:53 There are things that I know that I need to get done. 25:55 As a pastor, I don't have to punch a clock every day. 25:58 But I can assure you if I'm not doing my job, 26:01 it's going to show up in my church. 26:03 So that inner clock so to speak helps me 26:06 to develop the discipline to know how to organize events 26:10 and plans and time management format. 26:14 Got you, got you. That makes a lot of sense. 26:16 I want to put your email up, and I'll have you say 26:20 your email address so that people know 26:21 how they can get a hold of you. 26:23 Okay. What's your email address? 26:24 PastorPerkins @PurposefullPursuits.com. 26:30 Say that three times fast? Sure. 26:32 PastorPerkins @PurposefullPursuits.com. 26:35 Yes. 26:36 But it's definitely something that 26:38 that people should remember. 26:40 Yes. 26:42 And I hope that people invite you out 26:43 for some workshops and also take a look at your book 26:46 as they're searching for purpose. 26:47 Yes. 26:49 I want you to look into this camera right here, 26:50 and I want you to share what's on your heart. 26:54 If you're watching this program, 26:56 you may have been thinking about purpose for your life. 26:59 I can say that confidently 27:01 because I know that God has given you a purpose. 27:03 Jesus said, "Occupy till I come." 27:07 He says, "I know the thoughts," Jeremiah 29:11, 27:10 "that I think towards you, thoughts of peace 27:12 and not of evil to give you an expected end." 27:15 You may be grappling with that and maybe there's some issues 27:17 that are going on in your life right now 27:19 that may be clouding that purpose for you. 27:23 I would just tell you to do one thing, 27:25 there's nothing to be embarrassed about 27:27 by falling to your knees 27:29 and just asking God to speak to you. 27:31 If God could speak into Old Testament prophets, 27:35 if God could speak life into inanimate things, 27:38 surely you and me who have been made 27:40 just a little lower than the angels as Bible says, 27:43 He will speak to you. 27:46 Amen. Amen. 27:48 Well, I'm glad that you found your purpose. 27:51 And I know that there's nothing like, 27:54 nothing better than walking in God's purpose for our lives. 27:58 Thank you. 27:59 Thank you so much for coming on. 28:00 And thank you for joining us. Join us next time. 28:02 God bless. |
Revised 2020-01-15