Be Transformational

Yo, what's up? This is Tim Pratt Jr. and I'm your host of the— hey, this is Tim Pratt Jr. and I want to welcome you to the Student of Life podcast. Listen, we're going to get into so many transferable truths throughout the content of these episodes that I believe God is going to use to help you apply because he's going to reveal what's already been there the entire time. Enjoy. Interviews lined up, but, um, just scheduling conflicts, a lot, a lot of things are going on, man, except this COVID thing, um, and, uh, just, it just, just happened to be that way. Uh, so nevertheless, moving those things to season 6, got the vibe it's probably going to be a little bit more heavier on interviews, maybe, uh, season 6. But nevertheless, man, like I say, I want to conclude it here, uh, with the episode Be Transformational. Be Transformational. That's what we're going to kind of just discuss and unpack today, uh, in this last episode of season 5. And like I say, Season 6 probably will launch maybe in April, probably looking at April right now because like I say, just moving to a different transition. So just to kind of, you know, let you know what's kind of been going on in my life. So like I said, everybody know if you've been tracking with me, definitely my baby girl is 3 months old now. Two boys, man, basketball season. I actually coach my youngest one and my oldest son is actually playing. He plays for the coach that works at the school now because we have to hand them off in the 6th grade if they continue to play for the school. Trying to get him ready for AAU ball as well as like my youngest and getting him ready for training. Daughter's taking up a lot of time. My wife, man, is really just doing so much in the creative space with her. And just also too, she was just recently promoted. You know, she's in the reserve side of it. As a first lieutenant, uh, and she's on the chaplain side, so she's really hammering it, that, that Master of Divinity, uh, as well as just this school counseling and things like that of that nature. So it's a lot going on. I'm probably about a year, maybe one or two months away from finishing out my master's in ministry and leadership, you know, basically focused on pastoral leadership, but ministry and leadership Didn't want to go back to school at all, but I seen an opportunity there and just prayed. And I think, you know, I like kind of preparing very early for— I feel like where God is going to transform me— not transform me, but just have me, uh, let me back up. I like preparing for where I believe God is going to have me in the future, uh, where he transcends me into that space, uh, just through— but most importantly, I'm doing my part. Uh, so that's a lot of stuff that's going on just on the surface. Uh, like I said, some stuff that I'm working on with my wife, uh, my job, and, uh, that I, that I really love my career, uh, but I also really love the ministry space. So only time will tell, only time will tell, uh, where God leads me and just how things are shaping up in, in that space, uh, as well as like a lot of mentoring and coaching that's starting to pick up, um, so on the side. So Um, and so that brings me to this episode, Being Transformational. Well, the episode Be Transformational. And you know that we kind of been moving at a cadence, man, or open up this series with a, with a leadership and had one interview with Caleb. And this was a very short season. Like I said, I really want to do about 4 or 5 interviews in this season, as well as bring my boys on to kind of talk about how they view me as a father and leading. Uh, but we're gonna get to that, uh, in due time, Lord's will. Uh, but like I said, I want to talk to you a little bit about being transformational. And the reason why I want to talk about this is because one of my favorite just communicators, just preachers, teachers of the gospel, uh, is Darius Daniels. Uh, I started watching Darius Daniels, man, a little bit before he just kind of really stepped into like that mainstream view. Um, so he's just always been a guy that just has— I have been drawn to, um, just the way he communicates the gospel, but of course his consistency, and most importantly, the favor of God and his hard work. Has really, like I say, propelled him into— uh, he's a very critical voice, man, for someone that can just clearly articulate the Bible and as well as operate in different spaces. Uh, I really love the, the mantle that God has on his life, uh, and I just really admire his leadership from afar. I mean, just people that have met him or have spent some time with him, kind of just hearing their stories about him, and he really seems like a legit guy. Uh, and of course, one of my favorite is just Tim Ross right now. Uh, that's probably somebody I'm probably gonna track with for the rest of my life. And outside of my, my dad and my father-in-law. I really admire their ministries and stepping in where I can serve there. And, and that's the thing, uh, having that opportunity, uh, one thing that I had prayed, especially in the context of ministry, uh, even in the context of my job, man, I, I, I've always prayed and I said, Lord, you know, when it comes to, to me, like, I'm not just a huge personality. Like, I don't— like, I mean, not, you know, I have fun, I do things and stuff like that, but I'm just not a huge personality where I feel like I just have like this captivating just charisma and all of that type of stuff. But I, I do believe that I'm genuine, I'm authentic, I'm not dry, not stale and things like that. Uh, but I just like, I'm more of an introvert. But when I, you know, depending on the way things go, uh, sometimes it might not look like I'm not, you know. So, uh, it just, just depends on the surrounding, the environment, you know, is it conducive and things like that. But for the most part, I'm a very chill, relaxed person. But at the same time, you know, I do have to step in certain areas that are uncomfortable, uh, because I understand the assignment that God has graced me for. And I just trust in him to, to help me navigate that space and be who I need to be, as long as it doesn't take away from like who he has made me to be. And, uh, and so that brings me to, uh, that's one of my first points, is that I before this kind of became a thing, you know, I know we've probably heard of transformational leadership. And Darius Daniels, the reason why I brought him up is he's real big on this thing called transformational communicator, uh, being like a transformational coach. And it's more so of moving from like a motivational format, because you can be motivated continuously. Like, you, you forget people that motivated you because it's just motivational, motivational, motivational. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing but you rarely forget people that help you transform. Now, from a, from a spiritual base, we understand this in the context of the Holy Spirit. We know that the power of the Holy Spirit comes in, he comes and dwells within us, and he helps transform our lives because of when we accept Christ. But also in the secular, I do believe that people can be inspired to change, they could be challenged to change. And I think, you know, we're very familiar— well, most of us are very with the term servant leadership, but this has always been two of my primary, uh, I believe focuses on leadership— servant leadership and transformational leadership. And the reason why is because, uh, when it comes to people's lives— and I'm not just talking about in the context of like transforming things and, and how my job or a ministry might want me to, but I'm talking about like when I spend time with people getting to know them, serving them, that something that God might allow me to say might transform their lives. Like, so basically the power of the Holy Spirit working through me, whether that person is a believer or not. I'm just real big on transformational leadership. But Darius Daniels took it to another level, and I, I just didn't have language to it when he talked about being a transformational communicator. And, and so I telling my wife a while back, um, like for example, when I get the opportunity to speak or preach, um, I told God, I was like, God, uh, whether I'm podcasting, meeting people one-on-one, or whatever it may be, I— when I step away from it, when I had no— have I done my due diligence, you know, most importantly communed and prayed, but truly studied and examined the text and been sensitive to the Holy Spirit, where I'm always laboring over the text, that when I get up there, whether it's 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or whatever, that I have took this assignment seriously, that I have labored over text in such a way I have prayed and communed with God, looked at it from so many different angles. I'm always continuously pouring in and just evaluating, you know, my perspective and things like that. I want people, when they, when they hear my voice, that they submit to God. That not that they're necessarily just looking at me, but more so I'm a vessel. And that instead of me pumping them up— and I'm not knocking that, I'm not knocking that at all— but because sometimes I have at times gotten really happy and excited. Like, when I— when now, when it's something I'm very passionate about, uh, my, my— that introvert and all this stuff, it goes away. Uh, but for the most part, I'm not in it to entertain people. I'm not in it to just to pump and prime people in that context, because when it's all said and done, all I have done is just got people riled up on me. But when God desires to work through me and I can say something that is impactful, that they walk away and people can come up to me and say, man, like, I just still been meditating, like, I remember a message from like 20 Sundays ago, you know, 20 weeks ago or whatever, uh, or just having a conversation with somebody and I see them 2, 3 years later and they were like, man, you know, you just said something that really helped change the trajectory of my life. That's what I care about the most because this is what leads to transformation in lives, man. Transformation where people change, where they want to be better. Like, even when I'm coaching people, like, it's very easy for us to start like allowing people to be dependent on us. And especially when I'm, you know, dealing with 19, 20-year-olds or even younger, uh, creating circumstances, man, in their life. When I listen to them, instead of giving them the answer, giving them an assignment to do, because it leads to self-discovery, you know. And, and, and most importantly, in a faith-based way, it's pointing them to Jesus. Even my kids today, like, I don't want them to be so codependent on me. Like, I want them to be dependent on God, because one day I might not— or one day I'm not going to be here, and I don't know when that's going to happen. I pray that it's a ways away from now, but one day I'm going to be gone. And if they are so dependent on me, they're going to fold. They're going to fold. So I really want to be transformational in their lives through my leadership, through the words that I say, through communicating with them, and so on and so on. And so that's why I want to challenge you. You know, whatever seat that you live in, be transformational. Be transformational in the way you communicate with people, the way you engage people. And most importantly, that I would take it a step further, uh, based on what I— when I was listening to Darius Daniels, is that your life has to support your communication. So yes, be a transformational communicator, a transformational leader, but make sure your life supports I said, because I believe that it's hard to see people transform if you are not even convinced that you're transformed, that you're not even convinced that you have been transformed by the power of God, or you're a transformational person. And so what does that— what does that look like? What does it really look like to, to be transformational, you may say, Tim? Well, for one, like I say, you, you have to labor over whatever it is that you've been called to. So if, if you're in a field like a secular field, if you're in ministry, uh, or whatever that, whatever that may be, uh, do your due diligence. Start knowing your stuff. Dig in, like really know it. Don't wing it. Don't just go by because you have this experience and you're not studying trends or reading articles, examining other people's perspectives, and so on and so on. Know your stuff. Know what God has called you to do. Especially in the context of ministry, like for real. Because with the scriptures, like, I don't know the Bible, um, like a lot of my historians— like a lot of historians may know, uh, but nevertheless, I can truly say as I study it, like, all the time, like serious, legit, all the time, it's fresh, it's relative. But the more and more that I, that I study and I trust and I pray and I commune with God, man, he just gives me insight the way I approach the text and dig in, he just— God continues through the power of God just revealing things to me, and he just helps me communicate it in a way that's just fresh and relevant every single time. Uh, and that's the way I want to be. Like I said, on the second, like, I want to know things so well that just when I'm, when I'm talking to people, especially coaching or mentoring or whatever, that it's just— they look to me in a way and just be like, wow, man, like, I just didn't see it that way. Oh wow, Tim, you know, man, this, this really This is a better thought process or whatever, and vice versa. Like, sometimes transformation will come from just going back and forth. It's not that I have the right answer. I'm— I just know all things. It's just more so a context of just like, okay, we decided to take a step back. We're dealing with a problem. But I was so committed to it. I was so committed to the way that I wanted to engage this person and learn from them just as much as they might have sought me out. And so it just leads to just this, this transparency, this authenticity moment. That I truly believe that, like, okay, when it all comes down to it, it's like, man, like, we both leave the table, like, in a transformational way. Does that make sense? Or we both leave the table transformed, for lack of better terms. And so I want to encourage you to just really be like that, be intentional about transforming people's lives. Because like I say, man, all this motivation and stuff out here, when it's all said and done, It just goes and goes and goes. And I mean, people are tired of it, especially in a faith-based way. People are tired of just like, what do you do, man, when you start experiencing things? And it's like, man, okay, all of this stuff, you know, I was having a good time and we were loud and it was just pumped up and all of this type of stuff, but it's like no true transformation. Nobody was really pointed to Christ. What do you do when you're a leader, even in the secular world, when it gets really, really hard because you have sold so many lies and so many pipe dreams and stuff like that, and now it's very challenging? And it's like you look around and like nobody wants to be under your leadership anymore. Nobody wants to, to serve under that anymore because it just, it wasn't real. It wasn't true transformation. It was just fake. And it was like, it looked good as long as things for going good. And so I think we really have to ask ourselves that question, not just as leaders but just in general. Think about our kids, man, when they start experiencing things. Like, were— like, are our words truly transformational to their life? Like, my oldest son is going through a situation right now where I was just telling my wife that I don't know, like, but at the end of the day, whether they go this way or that way, it's going to be a lesson in there.. And as much as I want to like jump in and kind of like protect him, I'm not going to do it. Now I'm going to support him and I'm going to make sure that he doesn't like identify with being a failure. But at the end of the day, if he fails, I know that can lead to a level of transformation as God used me to teach him that he won't get if I jump in and excuse him of learning that lesson. Same thing with my youngest, some things that he's dealing with right now. I'm not going to jump in and save him and excuse him of basically robbing him of an opportunity to truly be transformed in the way he approaches things. So this is a lesson that, like, I'm going to continually learn, and I'm going to be more intentional, uh, with doing that, especially in the context of, like I say, talking with people one-on-one and having the opportunity to teach and preach the gospel. Be transformational in your life. Be transformational and live a life of transformation. Because like Darius Daniels said, like, it is hard to convince. Stop trying to be convincing if you haven't been convinced. Stop selling pipe dreams and, man, just being like, just a, like, just whatever. I don't even have the term for it, but just stop like selling pipe dreams. Stop like playing with smoking mirrors and things like that. Just truly be transformational. And if you're not, that's fine. That's totally fine. Maybe, maybe it's just you weren't called to that space. You weren't called to that space. And, and that's nothing wrong. That's between you and God. But at the same time, I will say, and I might be biased, I do believe all of us to some degree have a responsibility to help be transformational in someone's lives. So I know I've been saying that word a lot— transformational, transformational, transformational— but I really want you to get this. Whether it's fitness, whether it's finance, whether it's mentoring, whether it's coaching, whether it's teaching, whether it's singing, whether it's like you out here, uh, reading to kids and volunteering, whatever it is, be transformational. Hey, what's up? I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to the Student of Light podcast today. If this content has impacted you in any kind of way, please take some time to share it on your social media feeds. And also, if you want to connect with me or just learn more about me, go over to www.timothypratt.org. Once again, thanks.