Pastor to Pastor
This podcast is dedicated to iron sharpening iron, current events, and culture trends. You will hear pastors perspectives on a variety of topics including leadership development, evangelism, outreach and so much more.
Pastor to Pastor
2024 Year In Review: Insights from Pastor to Pastor 2024
Ever wondered how personal growth intertwines with spiritual accountability? Our latest episode promises an enlightening journey through these essential themes while reflecting on the vibrant second season of "Pastor to Pastor." With heartwarming anecdotes and a touch of humor, we celebrate a year filled with memorable moments and valuable insights. Guests like Pastor Cedric Cobb and Pastor Matt Hart have graced our discussions with their wisdom on worship and student ministry, imparting lessons that resonate deeply. We reminisce about the rapid pace of life and the importance of savoring each moment, encouraging our community to find joy even amidst challenges.
As we wrap up 2024, we're thrilled to share highlights from our most popular episode, "Embracing Accountability and Correction with Integrity," a candid exploration of the trials and triumphs in maintaining these virtues. We discuss vital topics such as end-time prophecy, the Great Commission, and the necessity of effective communication in pastoral work. Looking forward to 2025, we plan to expand our Sunday sermons and address pressing global issues with humor and sincerity. Pastor Jay leaves us with a heartfelt blessing, urging us all to be a light in the world, and expressing our gratitude for your unwavering support on this journey.
hey, what's up family? We are back for our very last episode in 2024 of pastor to pastor. I've got my good friend, my good friend, oh, jason watson right here I'm seth odo. We're so grateful for you. Thank you so much for uh, the podcast worth it listening and sharing and sharing your thoughts with us. Man, we're excited. We're going to take a year in view just of what really has been our favorite episode, some things that we've learned and some statistics.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll share some stats and stuff and we'll just kind of talk about the podcast as a whole. Yeah, look, it's been a journey, man. It's already December 24, the end of our second season here at Pastor to Pastor, and looking forward to next year what that's going to look like. It's quite crazy, man, how fast it seems like these are going through, and I just thought about it. Man, it's cool too, leaving something for even later.
Speaker 2:I mean these are things that are on platforms that are now that are there. For as long as the platforms are there, I don't think Apple's going anywhere anytime soon.
Speaker 1:That's right yeah or Spotify.
Speaker 2:So these are going to be out there for a while and, who knows, man, maybe one day our kids it'd be something for our kids to listen to, even as they grow, and or maybe inspire some other people to do some things.
Speaker 1:It's pretty cool man.
Speaker 2:It's been pretty awesome to be a part of this platform and trying to do some new things. It's inspired some other people. That's right Now. Here's the thing we were on the marriage podcast or the marriage series. We're going to take a break from that and we're going to really go through kind of this year in review, as Pastor Seth was alluding to, and then we're going to talk over some different things and kind of wrap this year because, man, I don't know about your schedule. I'm sorry, I do know about your schedule.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right and my schedule is crazy for the end of the year man Ministry. You know it's an amazing time, it's. One thing definitely God's been dealing with me is I'm very I shared this with some pastors and I'm rambling a little bit, but it's okay.
Speaker 1:Say what's on your heart. It's the last one of the year. All right, Give me some grace. Let us know the heart of the mouth speaks. Okay, Get it all out.
Speaker 2:I was talking with some pastors at a Christmas banquet, our district pastor's Christmas banquet. We were talking and I said man, I said God's really been dealing. You know dealing with me in terms of, um, my whole life has been task oriented. I go from one task to another. And talked about that. Before we even get to the next task, I'm already thinking about it. And so we talked about yeah, we did talk about it, yeah, rest.
Speaker 1:You do not believe in rest, restful rhythms man, but the lord's been dealing with me.
Speaker 2:So if you listen to that when you go, listen to that one, all right but yeah, lord's been dealing with me, so if you ain't listening to that one, you go listen to that one.
Speaker 2:All right, yeah, take that one out. But yeah, the Lord's been dealing with me about enjoying the moment because, just like we talked about how fast this end of Season 2 has come, we're looking at Season 3. It's easy to jump ahead into Season 3 and not realize the blessing that we've been given in these two seasons, just here on the podcast. But also this Saturday night we're going out caroling and so I'm already thinking about this is Saturday night. Right, we're going to be doing this. I'm already thinking about Sunday morning and Sunday night service. But, true, I need to be ready and be prepared for those things, but I've got to enjoy the moment. That's something that Lord's been dealing with me. As I was talking about, I was telling these pastors at this banquet the year's been amazing and it's flown by. But something God wants me to do is be more intentional and understand Enjoy the process.
Speaker 1:Yeah, take a breath.
Speaker 2:Take a breath, enjoy the process.
Speaker 1:Breathe in real soft, enjoy. Yeah, I love it, man. Yeah, I know one of your favorite things about doing this podcast, if we're honest, is that you get to spend more time with me.
Speaker 2:Oh, is that what it is?
Speaker 1:And you just light up. I mean when. I walk in your office and I'm like I'm here, Seth is here, it's okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's what it is. Well, I know probably what blesses you is seeing this full-grown man beard, that man mane that I got going on here, yeah, that I inspired you to grow, that you inspired to be like. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I inspired. You to grow.
Speaker 2:Oh, you inspired me to grow. Be honest with the people here. Okay, okay, okay, my goodness. Only one of us got a man beard though. Okay, whoa, that's because I trim, that's cool. Anyway, let's get back to the topic here.
Speaker 1:Listen. We just let's share some stats really quick and then I want to talk about some of our favorite things that we've done over the year or talked about, and maybe it can inspire you to go back and listen or get refreshed, because some of these things I'm like oh man, we did talk about that. So let's look at it. We have brought on four different guests in our podcast. I hope that we'll do this continually over the next season and stuff but Pastor Cedric Cobb came and spoke to us about worship and really what truly that was. Pastor Matt Hart, who is a student pastor, kind of helped us people who are looking into being in student ministry.
Speaker 2:He's at Reclamation Church.
Speaker 1:Yep. He's at Reclamation Church with Pastor Rob Miller.
Speaker 2:They're doing some great things up there.
Speaker 1:Pastor Jason Cook. What's the name of his church? Do you remember?
Speaker 2:Man, if you hadn't asked me Refuge, refuge.
Speaker 1:It's something with refuge.
Speaker 2:They definitely got refuge ministry.
Speaker 1:You can take a look at his podcast that he was here. He broke down some really good stuff. We did find out that he gets up at like 4 o'clock in the morning and I'm like that ain't for me, bro.
Speaker 2:I just think that's safe. I'm like that ain't for me, bro, I just think that's saved. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have my time with the Lord, but I'm also going to have my time for rest, right? Okay, rhythms are restful rhythms, amen. And then we had Pastor Michael Edds. Most recently, about a month or so ago, we did the end time prophecy and, really honestly, as we looked over our stats and stuff, the end time prophecy was one of our most watched on YouTube episodes and people really need to learn and understand that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's coming? We do, man, and I think that's probably one of my favorites from this year, because it's just that I mean and we've heard it our whole lives, you know, the Lord's coming, the Lord's coming. But to really see what Scripture says and then to be able to see some of the current events, you're like I don't know if this is it or not, but, man, this is looking like it, at least for now. You know, and I know we go from one season to another, but it's quite interesting to see what God says is going to happen. And you're like, how could this happen? And then you're like, how could this happen? And then you're like, oh, that's how that could happen.
Speaker 1:You know that was one of those four episodes where the episodes where I was like I'm just going to sit here and listen because I have nothing but questions Remember, like most people that are listening to that, you really have to take time. Pastor Ed's had decades of studying this stuff, man, and he had all the backing and the tracking to do it. And, man, it changed my view. It changed my view. I mean, I'm not doing the times course. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Teach these people get ready, get ready, get ready.
Speaker 1:We don't endorse much of the stuff from TD Jakes, but that one we do Get ready, get ready, get ready.
Speaker 1:So let's look at some other things. So, since January 1 to today, which is December 11, we have 1,080 downloads, which is fantastic, fantastic for us. Our top podcast episode, which is one of my very favorite ones, was Embracing Accountability and Correction with Integrity and, while we're on it, I think it was my favorite because it's such a challenge for everybody. Laity, it was one of those podcasts that could touch everybody who had an ear to listen to it, of accountability and integrity, because what we know to be true is people struggle with accountability.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they struggle with accountability, they struggle with correction, and I've said this multiple times before, even to our people. You'll amen me when I'm up preaching about accountability. Until accountability shows up, that's right.
Speaker 1:Until we need to have that conversation and then it's I don't know who he's talking to. It's like get him pastor, get him, oh me, Nah, mm-mm, Nope Next, yeah, it's tough right.
Speaker 2:Accountability and correction are curse words in any community, but it's sad that it's crept into the Christian community, especially when you look at Scripture and it says iron sharpens iron, which is kind of our slogan here Iron sharpens iron. And so it's our job, man, to hold people accountable and to teach them and to show them and to grow. That's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was one of our episodes that were toward the beginning of the year I think, maybe February or March, when we started talking about that and I encourage you to go back and listen man, I may do it today because it reminds me of that conversation and people need to be accountable. We've said under leadership they had no accountability, and you can see it. You can see where there's nobody holding people accountable. You see it all through YouTube, these TikTok shorts and all these things where people are just saying whatever they want, not just accountable to people, but accountable to the Word of God. And so that was my favorite. What was one of your favorites?
Speaker 2:man, I just like I said, I really think that, um, that was definitely a good one.
Speaker 1:I think that I know I know restful rhythms wasn't because you're like nah, we gotta go, go, go go men are dying. What you sleep, I sleep in heaven, that's right man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I still enjoyed the prophecy ones, the end-time prophecy stuff. I did that because I'm like you. I don't know a whole lot about it. I know just kind of what I've heard over the years from Pastor Ed's talking about pre-trib, post-trib prophecy and the book of Revelation. And the book of Revelation that's definitely one of my in terms of ministerial understanding or biblical understanding. That's probably one of my weakest areas is what that looks like. I'm definitely getting better. I've definitely been better since those podcasts, but I definitely could get stronger in understanding the book of Revelation Not that I haven't read it, but you know what I mean like really breaking it down to be able to teach it.
Speaker 2:Anyway, I should say yeah absolutely so that's probably one of my favorites man yeah.
Speaker 1:You know I was reading. I'm reading a book I've shared with you a little bit, with you yesterday, called Gaining by Losing, and one of our episodes was on the Great Commission, about being about the Great Commission every day. Right, missionary is not thing where people just go all over the world and go to these foreign countries. Missionaries are really the mission for every Christian to go to their world, wherever they're at, and share the gospel. But in this book I was reading, he made this statement. He said I actually quoted him on our Facebook he said that if a church does not pursue their main pursuit is not the Great Commission, it has no reason to exist. Exactly, if that's not our number one goal and you know, I would encourage you to go check that out, figure out what the Great Commission looks like in your life and how you can really expand the gospel in your community at the Walmart or the Tar-Jay, you know what.
Speaker 1:I'm saying at the Starbucks, you know that kind of stuff. But yeah, we had some great episodes. I'll just run through just a couple of them how to communicate pastors if you're learning really how to make effectively communicate, pastor, jay and I we talk about our communication process and the goals of our sermons, how to really let your sermons hit home to your congregation, because nobody understands your people more than you do and we talk about embracing that communication and having an effective communication for your heart, for those in the congregation. We talk about walking in the Spirit, what that looks like. How to defend the faith. We brought an insert about Ty Tribbett.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And Jason repeatedly hit the back to the Bible.
Speaker 2:note here yeah, let me help you.
Speaker 1:Refresh them. Come on back to.
Speaker 2:Bible. There you go and I will say one like this.
Speaker 1:You never know where people are in their life. If you're dealing or struggling with the thoughts of suicide and you got questions about that we have an episode about confronting suicide and what god says about that and be encouraged to go. Take a listen to that. You can leave today encouraged with something that you didn't know that you needed. We talked about pastor and we did a whole slew of things preaching repentance uh, not the fluff, right? You know we're big on that. Yeah, if you've listened to this podcast at all throughout the year, you realize we don't be sugarcoating nothing we talk about it.
Speaker 1:There's enough sugar out there in the world, that's right that's right, y'all sweet enough, we need to get you, get you fired up for the lord, and, uh, we talked about politics in the pulpit, what that looks like, because you know, uh, I'd have to say you know, most recently that's probably one of my, one of my favorites as well. Yeah, especially relevant to relevant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because of what we're dealing with, or what we were dealing with and what we'll probably deal with some more. I mean, it ain't over. I think you're talking about should we allow politics in the pulpit? What does it look like for a pastor to lead a congregation? The do's and don'ts, but what we should definitely watch for in terms of pitfalls when it comes to politics.
Speaker 1:We even did that with just normal Christians on our conversations as well. We've talked about that. If I know more about your political status than your kingdom status, then you're in trouble. There's a problem If you talk more about that than anything, then you've got to get your heart checked. So we talked about that, and so over the past year we did 29 episodes for season two.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know, Maybe we'll get close to every week next season.
Speaker 2:Because there should be 52 episodes, right.
Speaker 1:Part of that, you know. So we pastor full-time.
Speaker 2:Work full-time and family full-time.
Speaker 1:So you know, there are some weeks where it's like we just need to adjust. So what else? What up, pastor Jay?
Speaker 2:So there are 29 episodes for season two. Our biggest platform, I would say, for podcasts was definitely Apple Apple Podcasting.
Speaker 2:If you're thinking about podcasting. Look, I can't tell you how many people this year alone pastors and just people in general have reached out to us and said hey, I know you guys do podcasting. Tell me the process, Tell me how this works. Listen, especially if you're dealing dealing with. We're here to help everybody right, especially if you're trying to get the word out. So, um, we encourage you to reach out. I definitely want to have a conversation telling you how we do it, the process. It's really not as hard, I think, as people think that it is if you've got the ability to get the equipment to make it easy yeah which is which we were blessed with the opportunity to, to grab some gear and do some things, uh, that make the we.
Speaker 2:We pretty much record and we post. I mean, there's not a whole lot of editing. I just don't have, we don't have time for it, right, um. So the process actually is pretty easy, so if you're interested in it, reach out to us and and connect with us, uh, but our greatest listening platform is apple podcast because they are superior to Android. Yeah, well, you know that's between them and themselves, right.
Speaker 2:Get saved amen Get to Apple, but the next platform was Spotify. We've had several, several listens and we've added listeners on Spotify, but definitely we post these videos as well. If you're not familiar with our YouTube channel, our YouTube channel has grown tremendously over. We've we've gained a lot of people and then, man, I can't remember how many thousands of views we've had on YouTube itself. It's more accumulatively. The YouTube videos gain more traction than the podcasting, but both are just different platforms. But, yeah, we've gotten thousands of views. If you haven't check this out on YouTube, people have sent us snapshots of them watching YouTube videos and saying what a blessing that particular episode was. So we're on YouTube.
Speaker 1:That's definitely been growing and don't comment anything crazy where Jay's going to have to give you a knuckle sandwich.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying. Or delete your comment yeah, that's right. Or delete your comment. Playing no craziness.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, out of all those platforms that Jay's talking about, hey, do us a favor, help us get this going, share it, comment, react. Let us get some traction going to look like but I know we're probably going to have some more sermon content and really diving deep in what we've preached on Sunday on a deeper level, teaching level, but also keep the relevance of what's happening in the world and be a little more vocal, possibly on some of those issues that people are dealing with each and every day in the public eye. But we're super excited. I am for the next season and I'm fired up. He's fired up. I'm fired up. I might start dressing up for these things. You know what I'm saying. You ain't gonna start dressing up, you're right, you're right I'm gonna come with my hoodie and my hat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amen. Well, hey, I just want to say again from the bottom of my heart I know I speak for pastor j2 thank you so much for taking the time to listen, to share, uh, throughout this year, because if we didn't get any views or any responses, we'd probably be pretty discouraged to quit it. But you know, whether you think it or not, that one little view or that little comment really inspires us to see okay, even if it's just one, somebody's getting this, somebody's lives are being changed and encouraged and that's all we want to do.
Speaker 1:One by one, make a difference in people's lives, and we just thank you so much for doing that. And for the last time in 2024, pastor Jay is going to bless the people.
Speaker 2:Hey. Scripture says the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you. Be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. Share this, be an encouragement to other people. Go, be the light.
Speaker 1:That's right. See you in 2025.
Speaker 2:God bless you.
