All Things Work Together with Taylor Madu

Hey y'all, I just want you to know that regardless of where you are, God is working all things together for your good. How do I know that? Because he's done it for me, because his word says that's what he does, and because also in my conversation today with Taylor Madeux, he did it for her too. So I can't wait for you to hear her story and to learn more about what God's amazing grace can look like in your life. If you don't know who Taylor Madeux is, well, you about to know. Glory Glory. Now, by the way, we started talking, y'all. I didn't even have an actual start to the episode. So I'm just going to plant you right at the beginning of our conversation because we just started talking and it was like we were long-lost friends. And that's why I like doing the podcast because sometimes that's what you get to peek in on. It's just my conversation with friends. Here we go. Y'all, if you don't know who Taylor Madeux is, I just need you, Madhu, M-A-D-U, Taylor the Way You Think. Just go Google, look on Instagram, YouTube, just, just go Google and you will then learn who she is. But I'm happy to have her on the podcast today. Welcome, Taylor.

So sweet. Thank you, my girl.

I want you to know, the very first time I reached out to you about being on your podcast, uh, being on my podcast, is when, um, you posted— and I could be wrong, but I think it was the first time because I think you posted it maybe a couple times now— but when you posted a picture of you with your firstborn, um, and I saw that, read the caption, and I thought, oh, I want to talk to her. Um, you already know, I'm sure, that that's a part of my story, um, having the first when I'm a teenager. Um, you lost your first, and so there was this huge, immense amount of emotion, um, all of the things that go with having a baby out of wedlock, and then all of the things that go with the joy of seeing your baby and the grief of losing your baby. And all in the package of a teenager's experience. It's a lot. Um, and so in the best of ways, and I'm sure in the most traumatic of ways, that experience shaped the way you think, the way you operate, the way you move through life. So because that was my first— I mean, there's been a lot of opportunities that I've had to not only connect with you in person, online, to just watch what you're doing and how you're moving through your life. I have lots of other things to ask, but because that was my first impression. I want to ask you the first question that I had in mind the day I saw that, which is, life looks so different for you now. You know, you're married, you're in ministry, you have 3 beautiful babies, you're a leader, um, you're beautiful. Everything that you do, your home, the way you operate in ministry, it's aesthetically pleasing. You're a powerful teacher, a speaker, a preacher of God's word, all of these things. But when you think about who you are now, and when you think about that experience, what did that experience do in terms of shaping the person that you are now? What did that give you in that moment? How did it break you? Um, and in the breaking, what came forth? What did that create in you that now looking back 20/20, you can see very clearly?

Well, first of all, it's so sweet that you even asked me to be on here. Like, I'm so honored because I just love you and respect you and your family so much. So it's an honor to be on here. Thank you for having me. As even you, I didn't know that you were a teen pregnant out of wedlock. I had no idea about that. So that's actually, it's cool that we can connect on that way. For me, I was raised in ministry. My dad was traveling the world. Teaching Jesus, you know. But whenever I got pregnant out of wedlock, I think it was so sweet to see my family live out the grace of God. So a lot of times I've seen how people preach the gospel and it's like, the cross was enough and the blood of Jesus covers. But not for you! But all of a sudden you mess up and it's a wrap. It's like, you know, we're embarrassed, we're ashamed. Honestly, my family covered me in such a way, which gave me so, so much hope. Like, abortion was never an option for me, and then adoption wasn't an option either. I was like, wait, no, I want to keep this baby. And so they covered me and they helped me and they supported me, and they said, you know what, the baby's not the sin. You made a big mistake, but we're going to rally around you and lift your arms. And so just the grace that was shown— I already knew I was bad, and I knew that I made a mistake. I didn't need them to confirm that over and over again in my life, you know? They just loved me through that, which taught me a lot. But also, I think whenever I gave birth to Micah and lost Micah, I had prepared for him and was really excited about it. I knew that I had a hard road ahead, so I had gotten like on food stamps and WIC and was working as a waitress. I waited tables from 4 to 10:30 at night, and I went to cosmetology school from 8 AM to like 3:30 or 4. So my days were full, but I was like, I'm determined to give this child a good life. And the father was not in, in the picture, so I was like, okay, this is, this is my life, but I'm determined. I'm a strong woman in Jesus' name. I can do this. And so I prepped, and then once I lost him, it was It was definitely a pivotal moment in my life. A lot of shame, a lot of guilt. God, why would I come this far and then now look at this? And I had experienced so much loss from my family breaking up, the divorce at age 7, and then my mom's journey of addiction was very, very hard. Lots of chaos, lots of dysfunction. And we love Jesus. Can I say that? We love Jesus. But there was a lot of dysfunction. And then I got into the relationship. There was just a lot of loss. So now I had what? Was mine, my baby, my baby boy. We're gonna do life together. And then I wake up from emergency C-section and he's not alive. And so I remember holding him for like 18 and a half hours. I held him overnight. I didn't wanna let go of him. I knew that once they would get him, that it was, that was it until heaven. And so for some reason it brought me comfort to just keep hanging on, keep hanging on, right? I remember asking God, my dad, apparently he was in another room begging God, crying, that, you know, God would raise him from the dead. And it was, it was definitely, it was traumatizing. It was so, so sad, a season of sadness. But I think it was in that that God gave me— he graced me for it, one. He always graces us for what we're walking through, even though it's painful, it's uncomfortable. And I think I just discovered him in a different way. I had heard about you know, the Savior, being raised as a PK, sitting in revivals, all the things I had heard and sung about him and knew of him. But I think on this journey, he became so personal to me. It became so personal relationship with him and the way he met me in the hospital room, the way he lifted me up, the way he graced me for the journey and strengthened me along the way. It wasn't instant, it was a process. I think God is a God of process. He could do things in an instant, yes, but I think because he was building character and developing so much in my inner being, he was strengthening me in my inner being, which I think that when you're strengthening your inner being, that's what sustains you for all the days of your life.

Yeah.

And so I think it shaped me in the sense of giving me the gift of compassion and empathy. I think those are two of the greatest gifts that a human can carry. A humility, because I know where I should be and I shouldn't be where I am today. So it keeps me leaned into Father, I shouldn't be here, but by your grace I'm standing. Um, and I think what I carried through that and learned through that hindsight, I wouldn't trade it. So Micah, if that's his name, it means God's mouthpiece. I was like, Lord, I will spend the rest of my life sharing what you've done in my life shattered into a million pieces, broken, dirty, and yet you stepped in, into my situation. So I will share what you've done, whether it's podcast, coffee, on a stage, whatever that looks like. I'm gonna— this is my story. This is my trophy. And so I've seen him do it. What he's done through my story, I think, is my— I think there's the sweet spot of embracing I am who I am. And I shouldn't be where I am today, but because of Jesus. And it's not a story from afar, it's my personal journey of I was a mess and I'm here today. So I think just once again, Micah's name was, his name was God's mouthpiece. That's what I'm doing right now is his life wasn't wasted and I continue to share the good news. In different ways. And Micah's in heaven. He's okay. And God has shown me, given me dreams and given me things that just comforts me as a mama that's left here on the earth to say, hey, he's fine. And I actually rescued him because if he hadn't— I'm not saying that God caused it. I don't know. It's like, but God allowed it. And I think that if he was here, my life would look totally different. And so now he, he doesn't have to face the reality that his father left. He has a father, he's in heaven, you know. He doesn't have to face the fact that his mama is 17, 18, doing her best to try to feed him and raise him. And no, he's secure, he's safe, and I'll, I'll meet him again one day, you know. So I don't even know if that answers your question, but so good.

It's so very good. We, we do bring everything with us every place that we've been some echo of that positive, negative, strength, weakness. We, we cannot run from ourselves. And so I'm curious about a specific question and a broader question, but they're connected. The first one is whether it was your firstborn or whether it was your, your son's birth, did you have an echo of fear or of of great emotion connected to the birth of your first child, Micah, and his passing? Meaning, were you freaking out when you were pregnant with your first baby, you know, with, um, Robert? Were you like, oh my gosh, I hope everything goes right? Did you find, um, release maybe when your son was born? I don't know, I'm just asking, how did— did you see any of that emotion from that season of your life come back up?

Oh, for sure. So what's interesting is that my mom had 7 miscarriages. So before us, so she had 6 miscarriages, had my sister, had one between my sister and my brother. And then the whole time she was pregnant with me, she actually bled the whole time. So they were afraid that she was gonna miscarry me. So to hear that that was her story, and then I actually obviously get to where I'm 32 weeks and I give birth, but he's stillborn. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his body, and so that's what happened. It was just being in that hospital and not enough help and just the timing. It was Christmas Eve and they were shorthanded. And I, you know, I just, once again, it was God's plan. Now, when I got pregnant with my firstborn, or my secondborn technically, but my first baby with Robert was Everly, Evie. And what's crazy is, is yes, I did. It was always in the back of my head. And what if this happens again, you know? And now it's with the right person, so I think it would be even a different type of pain because this is the man of my dreams who loves me, who cares for me. And so it would even look differently. So I was, I was afraid. I had moments of fear. But what's also crazy is I go into to the hospital with a doctor. I'm looking for a doctor. They run my— they do some testing and they're like, this is very low. This is going to result in a miscarriage. And she told me that, and I'll never forget, but it was like something in my spirit was like, no, this is not actually of God. Go find another doctor. This is just another— it's the enemy's trying to water this fear that you're already feeling from your past. He's like, he's planted a seed with what she just said, and it's not true, so don't receive it, reject it, and find another doctor. So when she said that, it was like— and so I went and found another doctor. I expressed to her what that did to me, and she walked me through the journey, and I was actually great. What also is wild, it was like the enemy was trying to send that message over and over again. One day, Robert I was probably 6 months with Evie and almost there, almost at the finish line. And there was a guy that came over to him in a Sunday service and said, "The Lord just gave me a word." He said, "I keep hearing the word miscarriage." And Robert looked at him and he goes, "You're actually not hearing the word miscarriage." And he goes, "I don't receive that word from you." And he shut it down so quick. And what he didn't do, he didn't tell me until after. But it's like the enemy was trying. I'm like, devil, like get a new trick because I see you. You know, it was like, but he was trying to bring what I carry from my past into my present. But yet the Lord gave me, while yes, I had snippets of fear. I don't know, I just rested in the grace of God. And I had seen God's hand on my life, and I knew he graced me for that then, so I knew he would grace me for whatever was ahead. And right now, this day, that's what the enemy would do, would taunt us with like the future and all these— this— our imagination and like what could happen. It's like, it's not happening. We're here right now. You're good, you're healthy, the baby's healthy. And like, I didn't want to allow the enemy to steal this peaceful, incredible journey. So I had to recognize that, hey, and then also you get anytime they came around.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's great. And I love that because what that gives to someone who is wondering, do that— do I have the ability and the authority when those fears rise up, you know, to, to reject it? I think that's such a great example of what that looks like. Um, and the action that you took— I found another doctor. Like, I didn't just sit there and go toe to toe and try to be stronger. The next day I came back, I moved, I changed my physical location. Yeah, yeah. I love that. When it— when you talk about that experience, the second thing that I was thinking about is just the— what it does to you from the capacity of leading other people. Like you mentioned, the gift of compassion and empathy. And that being a way that God used that to sow into your life. Um, but you know, from leading people that I tend to be— I'll speak, speak, and then I'll ask you this question. I tend to be a rescuer. Um, I'm either zero to 60. I'm either like, you didn't meet the bar, goodbye, or I'm like, I'm going in over and over again. Like sometimes— and then there's this healthy middle, you know, where there are people in your life that are working on themselves. And, um, and maybe in leadership you've got people that join teams, you know, and then you— everybody needs a strong start. But balancing that with you're working on some things and you still need to work on some things before you continue to serve on this team, or you continue to be this close access to my family or other leaders on the team. Like, so how does that translate? How does that compassion and empathy that you gained and that God deepened because of your experience translate into what you do now as a leader, so that you have a balance of compassion and empathy, a healthy expression of compassion and empathy, but also a healthy expression of boundary when needed? How do you balance those two, or do you even balance those two well?

That's actually such a great question because, um, I think every season of my life has revealed weak spots in my life. So when I got married, marriage, I was like, ooh, that's a weak spot. I need to grow in that area. Motherhood, I'm like, whoa, I see some things trying to come up and like, that's a weak spot. So now pastoring and leading is a whole nother area that we've technically been pastors now for 2 years and highlighted so many weak points in my heart and specifically connected to leading people from a place of compassion and empathy. While it's a huge strength, it's a huge strength. People know without a doubt that I love them. Does that make sense? But yet it has been my biggest pain point because I love people so much that I don't want to— I feel like if I move them to the side, like, hey, you did this, and like, I'll correct someone in the, in the most humble way. Like, even like this whole like language of I rebuke people, and there's a culture of that. I don't, I don't do that. I actually don't like that at all. I'm like, who am I to rebuke anyone? But more so like, hey, we're all on a journey, we're all growing. So I have a hard time separating developing leaders and then also removing because they're not the job, or what they did was unacceptable and there needs to be correction. Because you want to protect the culture that you've created. You want to protect what people say, what people do, and how they act and how they treat other people. So compassion has been— it's my strength, but it's also a weakness because I find the best. I'm always going to find the best, and I'm always going to see the grace. But Robert is opposite. Compassion is not his strength, okay? He don't care. Let me tell you something, he don't care. I literally don't care. And he will cut it off in half a second. But what's so cool is that we balance each other so well and we trust each other. And so he'll come in and there's moments where he said things and I'm like, no, we have to like believe the best. And like, you just got to see it surely. Like they're, they're going to get there. Maybe they're not there yet and maybe they're going to get there. And then all of a sudden he says, this is da da da da da. Call it out. And then like a year later, I'm like, you were right. Oh my God, you were right. How did this happen? And I'm like heartbroken and can't get out of the bed because I'm grieving over, you know, disappointing people and hurting people. It's actually, but you know, God is strengthening me. He's strengthening me just through the Old Testament, watching Moses' life. Like I'm being so strengthened just through following Moses' journey. Moses is like, "You know what? The people won't stop complaining. Lord, just kill me because it's too weighty. It's too heavy." And I'm like, dang, there's been some moments where I'm obviously not— I don't want to die, but I'm like, it's so heavy and it's so weighty that it's so ridiculous. I'm like, I don't want to carry this. I told Robert, I said, "You know, all these people got this longevity of like in leadership of I'm going to go 40 years." I'm like, I think I got another 3 in me and then I'm out.

Oh my gosh, it's amazing.

Okay, I'm like, sit down, give me 3 more, and then I'm going out with a bang.

Well, okay, so let's talk about ministry just a little bit. I think, I mean, I think it's great that, um, the way that the Lord has brought y'all into ministry and how you've ministered and where you've ministered. And I know that y'all were really active at Trinity you know, it's down the street, around the corner from where I am. And, um, and, you know, I remember hearing then about, you know, Social Dallas and the Social Girls and all this kind of— and I was confused for a minute because I was like, wait, she's at Trinity, but like, this is a separate thing? Like, is it— I was trying to figure out what it was. Like, yeah, um, you know, is it a Trinity thing? Is it a separate thing? Is it a parachurch thing? Is it her personal thing? I was, you know, trying to fit it in the box, right? Um, but Um, you just had— and we talked about this a little bit before we started recording our public interview— but you just had Social Girls One Day, um, just this weekend from the time of our recording. And just a whole day gathered in the Windspear, and with— and you said it was miraculous. I'll say that. But you said, you know, when God gives you vision, right? And so obviously obviously you're here, you and Robert together, because God has given you a vision for Social Dallas. And y'all meet in the most, um, unexpected places, have the most unexpected experiences. You've got, you know, this unexpected crowd. I, I think not only because of where you are and who y'all are, but it feels safer. So you've got people that are coming in, like, they don't go to church, but they'll come there, you know. And so there's whole vibe. But, um, when it comes to revelation, you mentioned vision, um, and you've mentioned that a few times, not just related to church but even for your life and for people. Uh, what does it look like when God downloads or reveals vision to you? How does he drop vision in your mind, in your heart, in your soul? When do you know, okay, like, I'm— I know God has given me something. What does that process look like for you?

Well, I can't— I think everyone's journey looks differently, but I can speak for myself. Uh, a, when God gives you vision, I think he gives you a passion around that vision. So what am I passionate about? I'm passionate about rescuing people, which you talked about. I have to understand I'm not, I'm not the savior, but I do feel like the Holy Spirit moves through people and uses people, right? And I know that what I went through, I'm determined that what I went through wasn't wasted. Like, I'm like, devil, you came for me and now I'm coming for you. Because like, the thought of just letting it sit there and stay there, it's almost defeating. I'm like, no, there has to be purpose behind that. So there's a passion around this vision that God has given me and So it's like, okay, but now what? How now do I carry out this vision? Is it through— I'm not super confident in standing on a stage speaking. It's not my favorite thing. I'll do it. I do it every Sunday, but it's not necessarily— I'm like, give me a microphone, you know, give me influence, give me— I don't necessarily feel that way. But for some reason, God has— there somehow is a microphone in my hand every Sunday, hence to my husband. And so I'm like, I ask myself, why is it that I'm not— why is it that I don't want to do this? Is it like I feel like I'm not supposed to, or is it because maybe I'm afraid or I feel insecure? Well, it would be fear, which is not from God, and it would be insecurity, which is also not from God. But am I passionate about getting the message of Jesus out? Yes. So you take the passion of rescuing people, you take the passion of sharing what God has done in my life, you put those two together. Well, now I'm like, okay, now what do I do with this? And the Lord just stirred in our heart creating that space. Okay, well, creating that space, what does that look like? So we went out and did it. We continued to say, this is not a church, this is not a church, because we never saw a church in sight. And I think that's kind of what's funny about this whole thing is even with Social Girls, the way it started was I was trying to— I was at Trinity, loved Trinity. It really shaped who I am as a woman today. My pastor's wife, so Pastor Becky, she was doing her women's event on year like 30. So she's exhausted and I'm like, how, how can I help you? How can I help you finish strong with aesthetics and just like gathering the women? And so I do that, but then I call for a photo shoot because I'm like, let's, let's elevate this experience. So there's once again a passion of mine is the experience element. So I pull in these girls and When I'm pulling, I get so much feedback of like, "I'll come, I'll come, I'll come." So then I'm like, dang, this is fun. What if I did like a little event in the city where people wouldn't come to a church, but they would come to maybe a public venue? So that started with 50 women, I think. And I'm saying that because 50 women turned into— I didn't know I was going to do another one, but everyone was like, "This is so fun, let's do it again." The next one was like 220. Then the next one was Granada Theater and it was 350. So there was growth, around it and there was, and I think healthy things grow. While things aren't about numbers, but at the same time when there's something that it seems that it's healthy and it's growing, you want to pay attention to that. That's when Robert came in and was like, hey, I want to add men to this because this is incredible. So then that turned into social nights once a month. And so I think A, now my passion is, it's people and I'm seeing it coming to life, communicate the gospel, the goodness of God. That's my passion. And I'm seeing it happening before my eyes. And now there's growth to it. And it's this undeniable, miraculous thing that is happening. When COVID hit, there were 250 people that were like, y'all are our pastors. We're like, wait, we're not pastors. We're just hosting a— but it's like, we didn't leave them out here. So then all of a sudden I'm getting my phone and I'm recording Robert and we're go— we're literally in my house, in our home. I am the, you know, with my cell phone.

We didn't have cameras. You're the media department.

I'm the media department. And we're putting it out. And then from there we regather once the mandate lifts and all these people are showing up and it was just, God made it undeniable. So while we continue to say, you know, Charlotte Gamble, I just did an interview with her. It was like, we didn't choose that, it chose us. This. So we— when you're chosen, you can't run from it. So even in our trying to—

so hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, say that again. When you're chosen.

When you're chosen. Okay, wait, so we didn't choose it. God chose, chose us for this mission. So we didn't, we didn't choose it. We're not out pursuing it. We're not out trying to build our brand. We're not out— we're not. So a lot of people have to us, how did you do that? We're like, we don't have 0.1, 0.2, 0.3. We stepped out in faith with $2,000, $2,000 in the account. And we said, okay, Robert came off the road, he came off the road, we were literally like— and I'm talking about the, the, this, whatever this was going to be in that account, $2,000. The venue was $8,000, so there's that, you know. And that was Granada. And so it was literally like God, what— but it had chosen us. And whenever you're chosen, God will— he'll give you everything that you need for the journey, because it's not your mission, it's his mission, and you're just conduits of his mission, you know.

So I love that so much. You, you said you can't run from it, and that's, I think, so important, because when people— and, and when— you're right, people will say, how did you build it? And yes, can I tell you in hindsight what steps 1, 2, or 3 were, but we didn't follow those on the front end. Like, so can I give this a formula? In hindsight, yes. Will it work for you? I can't, I can't tell you that. And I love how, you know, earlier you said when we were talking about your loss with Micah, you said, I was so determined. And I think who you are, you bring that. God knows who you are from the very beginning. Um, you know, God knew you were determined. He knew you were wired for that from the very beginning. So you can't run from what God has for you because he knows what he has for you, and he also knows how he built you, and he knows how to bring his plans together with your design at the right timing. And so you just will— if following him and you're being true to who you are, you'll always run dead smack into where he intended for you to be all along. Even if you take a detour, even if you take a detour, you can't run away from his plan if you get in line at some point in your life with, with being, you know, following in his footsteps or following in obedience to what he wants you to do. So he's just taking who you've always been and saying, okay, now this is what I had in mind the whole time.

Yeah, the whole time.

I love that.

Yeah, and we did, you know, a lot of people, even down to a church plant, there's usually— there is that formula. There is like, we're gonna do like a campaign where it's like, hey, we're gonna step out, and we sent out, you know, we mailers to all of our friends and pastors across the world, and this is what we're doing. And we didn't do any of that. Um, we, we had 3 house rules at Social, and I raised Pentecostal through and through. So I love me a good Holy Ghost revival, you know. And so we have— we established with 3 house rules, and it was house of prayer. So in everything that we did, we bathed it over and over and over and over and over. And I mean publicly, but also privately. Um, house of prayer, house of presence. We were determined that God, when your presence comes— but God's presence is to me God's presence is in a cup of coffee, you know. God's— that's like, see you, I love you, I care about you. God's presence is in a conversation and we're laughing. But God's presence through just the manifestation like of his glory in a room whenever there's worship, it's like whenever God is there, we didn't want to move past it. So we would always have a run sheet, and the run sheet would end up being like thrown out the window. And I think that that's like our DNA. While there's nothing wrong with the run sheet, that's because that's order. That's important. But also for us, I can't tell you how many times we would experience such a level where, I mean, there was one moment where a girl runs out of Granada Theater, demon possessed on Greenville Avenue, literally Greenville Avenue. There's bars everywhere. She's running out. She's foaming out of her mouth. We're declaring out, "He loves us. Oh, how he loves us." He loves us. Oh, talking about the love of God. She runs out, throws a chair, and literally runs out. We're like, once again, this is not a church, this is not a church. But yet the, the glory of God— no, the glory of God was just so present and evident. And house of presence, like, there's, there's such a level of God's glory that I'm, I'm very grateful for, and I'll never sacrifice it no matter how big we get. So here we are now, it's It's like 3,000 on a Sunday. And we're literally, you will come in and that's what people will say. Your people are so kind. And then we're a house for people. That's our last one is, "Gah, there's such a presence here of God's glory and your people are so kind and they're so friendly and they're so loving and so inviting." And that's always been who we are. And so now, no matter how big we get, that's always gonna be who we're gonna stay no matter how, how much it grows. And I think that's what, that's what technically works for us, you know.

I love that.

I love that.

I think, um, people think that if you get vision or you have vision, God downloads it to you, like, you know, in Isaiah chapter 6, you know, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, like you see the whole thing. And oftentimes I think it's the bit-by-bit revelation. You're just doing the next thing. You're just taking the next bit of light along the journey, and, um, you, you're drawn towards it. But sometimes, sometimes you do get the whole picture, but oftentimes you just get the next part. You just get the next part.

You know what's funny is that, um, Jada just actually spoke on that at One Day for the Being session. Hey, she's so funny to me.

And like, it's hilarious.

Jada is— her ability to communicate the word and then also just flat-footed, like no fluff.

She's just straight.

It is what it is. But what she said, she's like, so many people are like asking God for vision. She said the vision is walk right. Like, she goes, we don't need your vision board. Like, you can get your mood board, you can get your vision board, but just literally walk right.

Thus saith the Lord. That's it. That's all we got.

It literally That's my soul, 'cause I'm like, that is so true. Like the vision is just walking right. Live a life of integrity and character. Love Jesus, read the word, like live for him and he'll show you like bit by bit. Stop striving and stop like, because everyone's doing this or everyone's doing that, like seek him and he'll show you. And it's like, just, and she's like, it's very clear. Like when I tell you about, I thought I was gonna run around the wind spirit when she said that. But it's true. Like, people, give me vision, vision, vision. How'd you do it? It's like, just, just walk right. Stay— my confidence comes from my connection to him. That's the only confidence I have is my connection to the Father in the secret place. And he's showing me, okay, do this, don't do that. You know, I got the download for One Day in literally 2 minutes. I was— we were on sabbatical, I was resting, disconnected, and all of a sudden I sit on the plane, God downloaded from literally the opening moment of the video to the very end in 2 seconds. And I literally wrote it out, the whole run sheet. I emailed it to the team. I'm like, this is one day. And it was anything, I didn't strive. It was from a place of rest, which is trust. So we were sabbathing. I'm like, God, I honor you. I have a one-day event that's literally 3 sessions in 6 weeks. And you know what? I know you called, this is not Taylor's, this is yours. So I'm gonna still honor my Sabbath 'cause you called me to Sabbath and I'm gonna trust that you're gonna do it. And literally in 2 seconds, and once again, the team put it on in 5 weeks. But that's the thing is there's not a strive to it. Now there is pressure and there's different dynamics of meaning and all of that. When I tell you grace to do it, like, so in the atmosphere, I think the best part was that everyone said the team, our favorite part was that there was no stress. It was so peaceful. And I'm like, wow, because it was him. It wasn't me. It was him the whole time.

So anyways, well, inquiring minds want to know, you got a lot going on, a lot going on. You got your social media situation going, um, you have your ministry, you're speaking, you are on stage every Sunday, and then you got these 3 kids running around here, these parts. So inquiring minds want to know, how do you do it all?

How do I do it all? Uh, well, I'm learning that my, you know, what I say, what I say yes to, I'm saying no. You've heard that phrase, I'm saying no to something else. So I'm trying, I'm in a season of where I'm trying to outweigh whenever I say yes, what am I losing or what am I I'm saying no to. When I say no, like, what does that make me feel? I'm processing it, you know, because the thing is, I want to do everything. I love being a part of everything. But I think that my biggest win is a healthy family. I will say that my biggest win in life— pastoring is super hard because there's so many people that come with all these expectations. So I'm getting out this whole people-pleasing thing. And the other day there was an incident where the teachers sent me a message that my— that other teachers were talking about just how incredible my kids were, that they're leaders, they're kind. And that was like, that was my win. So I think that is what made me feel I'm on the right track. So I say that because my passion is my family, a healthy marriage, and healthy children.. And so I put boundaries around that. And if it's robbing me of that, then I usually, I'm going to let it go. So recently I was just on sabbatical and God spoke to me to lay down like the influencer, like, like just, it's still for what? Like what is your mission? What do you want to do? I want to leave legacy. And while I love influence and it's fun, it is also taking a lot of my time and what I'm doing. So it was a very, it was a very easy thing because I was grateful at that moment, but I just, I just said no to it. I was like, no more. It's okay. It was great for a season, so I'm not going to do that. I'm passionate about people. It's also that vision passion thing as well, putting those things in order. So I create boundaries. It's not easy. It's not. Sometimes I am stressed. Sometimes I feel myself getting anxious. If I feel myself getting anxious, I track it and I pay attention to it. What is causing this anxiety? Is it the the fact that my kids are going crazy. Well, I can't really, I can't really help the fact that my kids are the age 8, 7, and 5. And it's, that's, but what I can control is that I also have so much on my plate with the influencing, and I don't, I, if that's stressing me out, why am I going to allow that to steal my peace? Because that's something I can control. So I just, so it's just kind of keeping a radar. I'm in therapy. How do I do it all? I talk to my therapist. I've been in therapy with a Spirit-filled counselor since I was 19. She helps me process every season of my life. That's— I don't think that's the best for you. Let's get down to the root of why you feel that way. Okay, cool. That's highlighting that. Cut it off. Okay, we cut it off. So how do I do it? I don't necessarily know. I don't do it perfectly, but I always invite Jesus on the journey with me. And I think he just leads my life. The Holy Spirit leads my life. And he'll highlight areas. Like, I'll feel, ooh, I need some time with Robert. If I feel like it's struggling, then I set something else aside and I focus in on that area. And I don't think one thing has to suffer. I think we can do it together, you know? And so even ministry on Sunday or on this weekend, my girls, social girls, like we do it together and they're so excited. They have friends they've invited to school. Even in class on Monday, Evie said that her friend friend was wearing a Social Girls hat because I'm very— I'm all about the family. So like, I don't know, it's just kind of doing— nothing has to be separate. We do it together and we're grace for the journey. And you know, there's that.

So that's great. That's great. This has been fun. I have like, you know, 7 or 8 questions. We'll reserve that for podcast number 2 whenever we get a chance to do it again.

But I'm just—

I know, I know. Well, I mean, it's just so fun to watch. I— it's very clear to me. I don't know, I could just— I'm not— I'm no judge of persons. However, I feel it and sense it when people are doing things, and you can tell that the anointing of God is supercharging. Like, God can be with us, but the anointing of God in its own special way supercharges efforts and energies in a way that is unmistakable. Like, you can see it. And so, um, I just, um, am so having so much fun watching God build his house and his people through what you're doing, through what Pastor Robert's doing, and through how well y'all encourage and empower team for other people to feel empowered along the journey to serve and experience God for themselves, because they're bringing their passion and they're bringing their gifts to the table and being freed to use those. So it's fun to watch, but it's also fun to get to know you a little better. So thanks for making time to join me for a little bit to talk.

Of course, I think you're the best. And I just once again told you earlier, but I'm so honored that you would even consider me because I just have that most respect for you and your family and all that you're doing. And you're just so solid and kind and fun.

Also.

So podcast before 5, and let's just keep it going, you know.

Sounds great. Sounds great. All right, thanks for joining me, Taylor.