BraveMen S3E69: From Orphan to National Leader - The Sam Collier Story

This is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever heard, and to be able to talk to Sam Collier about what happened on the Steve Harvey program is a really remarkable thing. And then to talk to him about the book that he wrote that came out of that, Sam Collier is a pastor, minister, a thought provoker, if you will, influencer, and it's great to have Sam Collier on Brave Men today. Chris Shields is with me on Paul Lewis Cole, and Chris is with me, and Chris, this is an amazing story that you and I had seen, thought, man, how can we get a hold of him? And then we did. Well done, producer Chris. Thank you. But this is a fascinating conversation. Happened on the Steve Harvey show. Yes. Yes. And I mean, his book, A Greater Story, you know, is what attracted me, the title. I was like, a greater story. Okay, let's see how great this story really is. And then I started reading some of it, and I was just like, no, this is beyond a greater story. This is story of rejection and redemption. Yes. And then all the things in between. And here's Sam, who, and this has to do with adoption. He's an adoption advocate. He speaks into it, but then what happened out of this is they actually found her birth mother. Yes. This is a crazy story because it happened in front of the world. Yes, literally. Yeah. But he's been a teaching pastor for Andy Stanley. He was basically his growing up. What is it? Ebenezer Baptist Church. Yeah. Right there in Atlanta. Yes. Which, which was Martin Luther King Senior. Yes. And it's where M.O.K. Junior grew up, and then of course he went to Birmingham. Yes. In Pastor Dair. But it's a fascinating story of him ending up, you know, as a, on, on the staff of a church, not really expecting to become a pastor. It wasn't his first thrust. No. No. And then he's with Andy Stanley. He's worked with some of the most amazing men. Yes. Reggie Junior as well. Yeah. Man, it's just phenomenal. And I mean, you just can't stop but seeing the intentionality of God all written in this story. Yes. You know, it's like every step that this man has taken has been on. You know, this is a great way to finish 2020. Yes. The story of redemption. Exactly. Right. Great way to finish, great way to launch into because really what's propelled him are his dreams. We talked about these things. And it's what we begin to really launch into with the dreams of Joseph, how to be enduring, how to have tenacity, and endurance, the power of potential, which is what we started doing on Monday night men coming up in a couple weeks on, on January the 11th. Yes. And you know what's great about that is then nine days after that, you celebrate Martin Luther King Day. Yeah. No kidding. Yeah. But actually the funny thing is it actually lands on my birthday this year. We're celebrating Martin Luther King Day on my birthday. I'm so glad we know. January 18th. If you didn't know, now you know. Now we know. Well, you know, so Sam Collier is now, you know, since we did the interview, which is a few weeks ago, now in this little interim, he's gone in partnership with a close friend of ours, Brian and Bobby Houston. Yes. And lead pastor of Hillsong Atlanta. So a great way to finish the year. And as I mentioned, and we'll talk about it more about launching the power of potential. Everything in life has potential for negative or positive. And it's what we do with it and the path we take. And this is what happened. And this is such a great picture of what happened in Sam's life. And you're going to meet today a remarkable man, Sam Collier, who wrote a book called A Greater Story. And it's a it's a picture of rejection and redemption and renewal. And today on Brave Men. It's Brave Men with Paul Lewis Cole. Wisdom encouraged for the journey. Talking with Sam Collier, who is from Atlanta, wrote a book called A Great Story. One of the leading voices at North Point. And you've been featured in all sorts of leadership conferences. And Sam, this new book's coming out and it deals with, you know, your abandonment, your renewal, your life. You know, we always look, I mean, I love the way your publicist will write stuff. And on Amazon, because it's in pre-release right now. On Amazon, it says an inspiring story. Right. Yeah, but the dude had to live this story. You know what I'm saying? It's like it's inspiring, but man, you had to live it. It's inspiring and it's messy, right? Like it's filled challenges that you got to overcome. So yeah, I mean, in the end, it's been inspiring. But that's exactly right now. Dude, I'm telling you, man, when Ezekiel is in that cave, saying, God, you might as well kill me. It's a great story for us to learn from, but he was actually in that cave. He was in that cave. He was in that cave, man. So you've been alongside amazing men. And yet there was this thing in your heart and your life. You got a twin sister. And so the story of a greater story actually predicates itself of all places. It starts on the Steve Harvey show. I found it fascinating. Yeah. Of course, we all want to know what's behind Steve. But the thing is, is that there you are. And tell me what happened and where this started. And then we'll kind of get into this journey. Sam, call your, and the book is a greater story. Man, first of all, I just want to say Paul, you're amazing. And everything that you're doing is just insane. You know, I always say that I'm definitely going to get to the point. But I always got to talk about you for a second. I always say, you know, that there are more people doing big things that we don't know about in certain sectors, depending on where you are. You know, you either know all about them or you're like, or you discover them and you're like, wait, you've got this whole world. You know, that God has built and created through you. And this was, I mean, this was what you're doing. I mean, it popped up. I say, how did I not know about this? You know, that's a God thing, isn't it? Isn't that God? And isn't that what, how we're supposed to live? Yeah. You know, in the sense of, it's not, it's not more about me. It's more about him. 100%. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So this is what happened in your life. You know, tell me about Steve Harvey showing and you and your twin sister. Yeah, man. So, man, six years ago. And by the time this comes out, the episode would have aired a new one. I just had a new one. As we're taping this, I was with Steve Harvey yesterday on Zoom. Really? You know, yeah, we did, obviously, we're in the middle of, with someone, you know, quarantine, COVID-19, as we're doing this. But with, so we have to do it on Zoom. And so, yeah, I was on a Zoom call with him and we were kind of recounting the story as kind of a mother's day edition and which actually was the day that the episode happened six years ago. And long story short, my dad adopted that, you know, he called, he commits my sister to write into the Steve Harvey show that one day, maybe we would meet our biological family. It was his idea. So we're talking about fatherhood. Wow. It's his idea. This is your adoptive father. Yeah, my adoptive father. Pretty easy. Yeah. Yeah, my, I mean, my dad, yeah, I just, I just say it for context, but no, that's, that is dad. If there's a dad, there's, that's him, you know what I'm saying? So, I, I usually clarify because people get confused. They're like, wait, are you talking about your biological dad? You know, it's my dad, but, you know, he sits in the seat. It was his idea, man. And he said, and I'll be honest, he said the Lord told him that Steve Harvey was going to help us find our parents. No, I thought he lost his, but that's what he said. I thought he had lost his mind. And I, you know, I told you, he had a barber shop down on Arb and Avenue. So you know, when you're in the barber shop, all you do, you cut hair and you watch TV and you talk trash. You know what I'm saying? I mean, that's, that's what you do. So every day he's cutting hair, talking trash and watching Steve, Steve Harvey show. And he says, as he is cutting hair one day, the Lord tells him that Steve Harvey is going to do this. Wow. And he tells me I thought he's lost his mind. He convinces my sister to write into the show. I'm like, that's not happening. A year goes by and they, they called us on a Monday at 3 p.m. And the reason I found out they called us, because my sister called me. She's, she's, I'm going to use the word. She's, she's pissed. She's upset, you know what I'm saying? She's like, what in the world? And she calls me. She's like, the Steve Harvey show is going to call you. Bye. You know what she hangs up the phone. And I click over in this to show when they say we think we can help you find your parents. Do you want to do it? Wow. You know, I said, well, let me call you back. And they asked my sister because I said, you know, Sarah, you know, whether we do it or not, I'm fine. It's up to you. Because I knew that it was going to be a little bit more difficult for her. And so she said, well, I mean, we should probably do it and we did it. We got up there and they said, we're so sorry. We haven't found anyone. And we said, okay, they said, but we want to bring you on the show to make a plea that maybe, you know, maybe your mom would pop up or maybe they would show up. So that's what maybe you're going to do this cool sort of as Steve Harvey does some really cool stuff. It'd be this moment where you'd be introduced to be live on camera. And they couldn't find her. Okay. And they said, we can't find anybody. So we got on the show and then they went to commercial break. He comes back after the break. He says, we're just kidding. Your mother's actually here. No. And Eleanor, come on out and our mother walks out. And so we meet her for the first time on national television after 25 years. Goodness. So that's what happened. That's what happened. But where are you in the middle of all this, man? I mean, where's your heart and spirit and what's happening inside of you? Yeah, man. It's, you know, I tried to wrestle with this a little bit in the book for sure. Right. And even now. Where you're real, you're real vulnerable in the book. I mean, you kind of open up and just share this stuff. Yeah, I get out there and I'll share something that I didn't write in the book. That, you know, it just continues. It's like this journey. As we've been doing this book, this journey has just gotten even crazier and crazier. And I'll talk about that and I'll talk about, you know, how kind of where I was in that moment. But I'm still, I almost feel like I'm still there. Found out my biological father met him over the phone twice since that show. Never met him in person. He died two weeks ago from COVID-19. Oh, good. And in the city of New York. I obviously, and you know in the book, I mean, he was on crack and, you know, he was still, he's still. I mean, he died trying to go get some drugs, you know, so. But found out he passed from all of that. But I think, you know, for me, where I was in that moment is kind of where I am in this moment of going. You know, you know, instantly I go from two families to four families. And what you're trying to figure out is where do I now put y'all in my soul? Yeah. You know, you know, because the, and I always say this, if adoption is done right, right? And for me, right would be, you know, depending, hopefully, these are believers, would be Christian-filled men and women that, you know, in a married household. And again, if you, if you're single and you're Christian, I mean, I think God, but for me, you know, at least the God factor. And you've got, you know, you don't have to be perfect, but you're, at least you're pursuing a level of perfection in Christ. Obviously will never be perfect, but, you know, we're running after that lifestyle of Christ. If this done right and you love well, then that mother and father whole, that most people think you have as an adopted kid. And a lot of adopted kids have it. God will magically, you know, or by grace, feel that whole. So for me, I didn't have the father whole. I didn't have the mother whole because I had loving parents that believe in Jesus. We weren't rich, right? But they stepped in. And so now I've got this biological family that I now, this biological mother, this biological father, these sisters and brothers, but she was easier to put the sisters and brothers in because you kind of just add the men, you know, I was like, oh, okay, my brother, but I can't let you have the mom's face. I can't let you have the father's face because this is my dad. So, well, I was dinner where I am. Now I was just going, you know, I want to, I want to properly love you with the grace of God. And with a sense of gratitude and embrace you as family. But I can't put you in that, in the moms, because I got to, I got to honor them. But I can't put you in a space. And so that's where I've been going. And it's really, I guess, the biological mother's face, but it's not the mom's face. So does that make sense? Yeah, it does. But here's the thing, your dad, your dad had a barber shop. Yeah. And he took you down here when you were young. Yeah. And he was down in the area near Ebenezer and in an area that really was the birthplace of much of the civil rights movement. That's where that's where Martin Luther King senior would teach his son, you know, about life, right? Of course, he was a brilliant young man. He ends up going to college at the age of 15. But, you know, your dad did that. That had to have provided some sort of center to them walk through these other places. Oh, man. It was, you know, I didn't realize it till I got older about the significance of where I grew up. I just, you know, for me, it was always on Arburn, you know. But, like, you know, we talk about, you know, this whole idea of, you know, lack of a better phrase, the black community and, you know, this idea of growing up black and, you know, the context of being black in America. And I think for me, you know, I didn't even discover this till I was writing a book that, you know, I never went through. It wasn't until later that I went through the phase of, of, of even thinking about my race in such a way that, you know, from an oppressive perspective. Now, I was aware of oppression. I was aware of the history of civil rights. But, I grew up on Arburn Avenue, the birthplace of the movement. So, I grew up with a sense of black excellence rather than black oppression. Yeah. Now, and it was, and I knew about the oppression for sure. And I knew that there were odds we had to overcome and all of that. And I knew that we were standing on the shoulders of giants. But, I didn't look at my skin color as a crutch. It was a privilege. And it was because I grew up on Arburn Avenue. And it was normal to see a statue of Dr. King here and to see a mural of John Lewis here. And, and to, you know, to walk past the SCLC, which was modeled with the King Jr.'s organization. And then right up the street is the King Center. And you, I mean, you walk on the property of the King Center. And Dr. King, MLK, is playing above his tomb that's sitting in the middle of water. You know what I'm saying? So, it's like, you know, so for me, you know, you got Hank Aaron statues. So, for me, it was black excellence. So, I think in me, there was a sense of pride for who I was. And then, obviously, the Christian, because my father was a, was a pastor for about four years growing up. So, the sense of, you know, Jesus as a foundation and black excellence that God obviously gave us. It doesn't, and let me just define black excellence. It's not saying, that's not, you know, black power over everybody. That's not going to mean that. It just means, you know, a sense of belief in who you are. And so, you know, just growing up with that, man, it really helped to shape us a level of confidence in me to kind of go through this. And I'll say this, and I'll be done with this particular, you know, and I'll let you lead me. You know, when we were on the show backstage, we had a moment. And, and I won't, I'll say we had a moment in which, you know, me and my sister were just talking through some things. And, you know, there was a sense of, you know, for my sister, I know she's dealing, and I want to honor her and everything. There was a sense of like, you know, what if they don't, what if we meet them and they don't, you know, and it goes back. You know, and you guys were twins, you and sir, yeah, we're twins. And the counselor tells us something backstage that that's to your point. The counselor comes in that it had a counselor on, on, and he says, listen, whatever you came in here with, you're going to leave with. Wow. So remember that he's like, so like, no matter what happens, you're still loved. You're still accepted. You're still, you know, all of these things, you know, there's still a sense, you know, all the stuff that was put in us on Auburn Avenue. Right. It's still there. And so what your dad gave you was a sense of identity. That's one of the core things of fathers supposed to provide. So our father in heaven, the reason that we can call him our father is that he's always kept his word. He's given us a good name. Proverbs says a good name is more important than, than riches. And he's given us his story. Identity is, as we talk about it, Sam, is the story you tell yourself about yourself. And too many men are telling themselves stories that somebody else wrote. And the freedom of meeting Christ and following Jesus Christ is you get to write the story based on the definition of being in Christ. So now you have an identity. Your dad gave you an identity and all decisions, all behavior follows belief, right? Yes. So all decisions come out of definition. And what your dad gave you, how did you, you know, let's just get back into that. So now who you are, you're in your living indicator, you're living in Atlanta, you're around a lot of stuff. You know, we're not going to be naive on this thing. You're being pulled by guys who are in different areas of life. They want to get you into business, except the business is buying and selling stuff. They want to get you into alternative lifestyles, different, whatever. What is it that protected you walking through all of the temptations of high school and junior high on that stuff now? Man, I can't lie and say I got it all right. You know, I think I got you right. I got you right, except one guy. Right. Exactly. I mean, you know, I was, you know, the Bible talks about, you know, training up a child in the way you should go. And he will not depart, you know, if it's in him. And I think for me, you know, there were moments for sure where I did not do what I was supposed to do. But I wasn't, I didn't stray far enough away from that anchor that my parents put in me, which, which for me, and I stray, let me, I will go ahead and say that. You know that I wasn't perfect. You know, but you have to say that. You already wrote it down. No. It's in the book, right? I made a ton of mistakes. Right. But you know, I always say this. It's like, you know, I think, you know, God gives us so many chances to correct. Oh, my God. I mean, the amount of chances, God, like, for God to let us go, it takes like 20 knows from us, right? Like on the same situation, it's like, no, no. When I say let us go, I don't mean from his grace. I don't mean from his presence. I don't mean from his acceptance. But I mean, protecting us from our own mistakes, right? God, I mean, he gives us so many chances. And I think for me, because I had such an anchor of the word that was placed in me, I mean, every day, I was waking up on Sunday or every Sunday, you know, TV Jakes is playing, you know, Richard Smallwood, you know, is in the background. And, you know, it's preach, you know, so we grew up with a Christian foundation. And so I think when I hit rock, I don't buy making some mistakes around age 15 and, you know, in 16, when I really gave my life to Christ, everything that was in me, that I kind of pushed down chasing after the world and trying to fit in and trying to be relevant based on what society says was popular, came up. And it was like, hold on. Like, you know who you are. Wow. You know what you're supposed to be doing. And you know you stepped over the line. And now the day of reckoning is here, you got a choice. Either you're going to keep going down, you know, and we always have these moments, right? What God gives us brings us to the point of decision, right? Where it's like, you go left for right. And before you tank, I'm going to tell you you're going to tank. And now it's your decision of whether you're going to go left with you going to go right. And so I was, you know, that I think in those moments, and you know, this is how we, as I've got saved, to spend it from school, all these other things. And the Lord woke me up. And I gave my life to Christ in my bedroom without a praise team or a band. You know, and it was like, because it rolls up in. I was not happy. You know, I really felt what you say. How's that happened without the right music, man? You know, I know I didn't have to move. The mood was there for me. Nobody's waving. Nobody's waving. Nobody's waving. Nobody's waving. Hanky's nothing's going on. And you just met Christ in that private moment. Wow. Hey, this is Chris. I want to take a moment right in the middle of this great conversation to let you know the Brave Men podcast is a production of the Christian Men's Network worldwide and the Global Fatherhood Initiative. Christian Men's Network has helped pastors and leaders disciple men for over 40 years. You can find all the resources for mentoring and fatherhood at cmn.men. That's the Christian Men's Network at cmn.men. Christian Men's Network has a YouTube channel with inspirational videos. There you can find the innovative new study Monday Night Men. When you get there, make sure you click subscribe. Monday Night Men is a fresh resource for men and pastors. As a pastor, you can follow up the 30-minute study with a digital meetup with your men for prayer, discussion, and teaching. Some churches are using the videos as part of a group meeting. As an individual, enlarge, energize, and build a strong mindset. This 13-week study will be on YouTube and Facebook. Get your books and materials at cmn.men. That's the Christian Men's Network at cmn.men. Stop what you're doing. Take your phone, tablet or computer, and like us on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and follow us on Twitter. Unless you think you will lose the podcast. In that case, make yourself a note. That is Christian Men's Network or Paul Lewis Cole. Now, let's get back to this powerful interview between Paul and Sam Collier. You know, I'll say this. I knew the path to him so I could get there easy. Because my dad put that in us. He's like, here's how you get to Christ. We knew the path. I just decided to get off the path. But because I knew the way back, you know, I went back. And it was a decision. But to your point, you know, it was choosing every day after that, and even in the moments where I made some crazy mistakes to return to God. You know, it's fascinating. You read John, I think it's the seventh chapter where he's, no, it's Matthew 9, sorry. And he's empowering the disciples. And he says, you know, receive the Holy Spirit verse 1 chapter 10. But what you find out in that thing, when he annoys the disciples is the same stuff I've done you can do. John 14 to him. He empowered all of them. So everybody from the Judas. I mean, in other words, imperfect people get the anointing power of the Holy Spirit. When you become a follower of Christ, Ephesians 1 says, you're, he lavishes on us his grace and mercy and who he is. Hallelujah. So you don't have to get your act together to get to God. In fact, you can't, you can't be good enough. Right. You can't do it. Right. So now here I am a young man. Listen to this or I'm a man. Let's, let's say I'm, you know, in my 30s and I'm listening to this thing and I still have that sense of abandonment. You know, I still have that sense of I'm not sure I belong. And maybe I didn't have a dad who had that sense of put that in me. And how do you talk to guys like that Sam? How do I come back to where I need to be? Wow. Wow. You know, the statement I always use and it's rooted in, you know, it's rooted in scripture. But I'll, I'll use the scripture first. You know, the Bible's, they've come to still kill and destroy. Yeah. John 10, 10. Yeah. But I have come that you may have a life and have it to the full, have it more abundantly. Well, that Greek word abundantly translates into advantage. Hmm. And so when you start to dive into and re, right, really digest what Jesus is saying, he said, I've come that you would have the advantage in life. Wow. He came to give us an advantage. And, and, and the picture that I believe the Lord even gave me is when you're, if you were playing basketball, right? And you had someone leaning over your shoulder saying, Hey, here's what the team's going to do. They're going to go right here. They're going to go left here. They're going to jump here and do, and now when they go left, you go this way. When they do, then you would get in the game and it would be unfair. You know, it would be, you got the cheat codes. Right. He came to give, he gave us an advantage. So if, if you give your life to Christ, no matter what your situation is, he will help, he will help you navigate this thing in such a way to where you have the advantage over the schemes of the enemy and, and over the, and over the darkness that is coming at you every day. And that's, I mean, that's what we, and we know this is true because when we look, you know, we look in proverbs and, and we talk about the steps of wise men and, or, and all these other things and lean not to your own understanding. I mean, and we start, but we start walking out these biblical principles and all of a sudden life makes sense. And you go now, wait a minute. What happened is you, you, you, you got the cheat codes. Right. I mean, the creator of the universe. And, and it's even better than a guy banging on a trash can in the dugout. 100%. It's the creator of the universe telling you how the world works. Wow. I wonder when we follow his, his instructions like all of a sudden gets better. You know, the whole, the passage for me that talks about, you know, giving, it shall be given, press down, shaking together, shaming, you know, when it talks about being a cheerful giver. Well, in the middle of this COVID-19, and I'm not saying, I don't, I'm, for people that have lost their jobs and lost, lost lives, I am not coming down on that and, and saying that we're better. Well, I'm saying anything, my heart goes out. Yeah. But for me, at the beginning of COVID-19, you know, everybody's finances get hit, including, including hours. And the Lord instructed me to give, Wow. At the beginning of COVID-19 to sow a seed into something or somewhere. And a church called me and they said, hey, we forgot to pay you. And I think you may have the check and we can rescind it, but we're going through our books like, what do you want, you know, what's your address? And I said, keep, I want you to keep it. I want you to keep the money and let me sow that to your ministry. And this is at the beginning of COVID-19. And from that moment, God started bringing opportunities in the midst of the, of the crisis that sustained us and even for in some months made us more money than we may before COVID. I mean, it was just like that. Yeah. That's again. Standing power, God. And so a guy who feels a sense of abandonment, we have to go back to what Jesus taught us as disciples. It's called the Lord's Prayer. And by the way, I'm talking with Sam Collier, a greater story.org, and I'm going to say, I'm talking with Sam Collier, a greater story.org, a greater story.org. It's the book, it's coming out right now, a greater story by Sam Collier. And it really is a story, a redemptive story, the gods at work in everybody's life, a greater story. But, you know, when Jesus taught us disciples to pray, Sam, and I know you've spoken, I'm sure, about this a lot. He taught us to pray our father. He didn't say, oh, great spirit in heaven. He didn't use Jehovah Rafa, Jehovah, Sid Canoe, or any of the names. He said, he made it very personal, very intimate. And by definition, he made him the one who touches us with his hands. Because the intimacy of God, he created the world, you know, with words, but he created mankind with his hands. And he made it to be intimate. So when we say our father, it centers us. So a man dealing with a sense of abandonment and rejection. Maybe he's, you know, maybe the guy is in his COVID-19. Maybe he had to repivot his business, his career. Perhaps, you know, I've talked about it a lot, Sam and our things with Christian and his network is, we're going to, and it's kind of funny in some ways. And then, terrible in another, a boom in December and January. Yeah, right. And they're not going to be called millennials. They're going to be called coronials. And, but the issue is we're also going to see, a lot of spike in divorces in the summer. Is right. You're going to see a divorce boom because pressure magnifies. And we see the cracks of things. So when a man has his sense of rejection of abandonment, you know, say, you're my father in the beauty of your dad, being your dad by adoption. Let me give you a little story. Some of my dad taught me years ago. The two little boys are arguing and they're getting mad at each other. And finally, the one little boy, they're both in a family. But one was adopted. The other was biological. And finally, the biological boy said to him. He said, you know, I was born in this family. You're adopted. And adopted boy was put his head down for a second and really hit him hard. And then he looked at the biological kid and he said, yeah, you know what though? They chose me. They had to take you. And I have so many friends who arrived in their family. And it doesn't matter how we arrive on the face of the earth, how that thing happened. We are Ephesians 2.10 says we were created by God with dreams and aspirations and things in us. It was good works. And for God to put you in that family and you to be able to tell this story, you know, it's that thing where our father, that sense of rejection of abandonment, the guys who may feel or sense because their business or career or their marriage failed or their second marriage failed. You know, we always can come back to our father. And that's what your dad did for you. And to me, this story, it's amazing how Steve Harvey played such a role in it. But he said, right, the start man, this was strong for me. Sam, when you said, I didn't have a hole in my heart. Because your mom and dad were your mom and dad. And they chose you. And God has chosen every single man and woman listening to us right now. They're chosen. And so we don't have to live with a hole in our heart. God fills that. Yeah. But what I would say to that, I just, just a piggyback. Yeah, please. Yeah, fix it, fix it. Okay. No, no, I'm piggybacking. I'm told. You're killing it right now. It's called, it's called brave men. So be brave, man. Okay. Fix it. Right. You know, I want to piggyback. You know, I think that sense of, you know, even as you were talking, you know, I think all of us have been accepted by someone. Right. Like, you may, you may not have both of your parents. You may not have, you may just have one that may have not been there. Right. But obviously all of us are accepted by God. And so, and our father in heaven has accepted us. And there's also someone in our life somewhere. Right. Has accepted you in some way. But I would say this, even to your point, I think our responsibility is one understanding that, but two, accepting their acceptance. Wow. You know, when I think about my life, it's, I made a lot of kids that adopted a lot of them. And, and I think people that will listen to this will understand. And this, and this translates to our, you know, to our status of being adopted into the family of God. Right. Yeah. As we move from Israel to all of us now. Right. Wow. It's accepting this adoption, I think, is an offer. But when you meet an adopted kid, right, he, you don't know what they're going to be like. Right. You just, I mean, I just throw it out. He, you don't know if they're at live out of that rejection. If they're going to live out of acceptance, if they're going to live. And, and so for example, at the time, you know, because people will say, well, your family, you had great parents. I'm like, yeah, but I had to accept, you know, adopted kids that have had great parents, but are still living out of the place of rejection. Wow. I had, I had great parents that loved me, but, but my, my biological, they didn't think I was, and you chose to live out of the place of rejection instead of out of the place of accepting, not, no, not everyone in the world is going to accept you. So it is what it is. All of us have people that have projected us, but the question is, are you going to accept the people that have actually accepted you and even accept God's acceptance for you and live out of that place? And I think for me, that's been the big difference. And again, I'm not perfect. So I'm not trying to say that because we just talked about mistakes. But I try to live out of the acceptance. And if I can live out of the acceptance and accept that I've been accepted and love, then my situation changes. But if you just go through life, go, okay, yeah, God accepted me, but he didn't. And she didn't. And he, okay, yeah, you didn't receive it. Yeah. Go ahead, sorry. You got me. Yeah, we're negative, we're negative by nature. Yeah. And we can go there. And that's where conversion takes us from negative to positive. And that's where following Christ can pivot that. But you know, it's still about people. God, you know, it's like this, Sam, God gives us hope, right? God, the Lord is the fountain of hope, Romans 15, 13. He's the fountain and source of hope. But my deal is this, he may be the source of hope, but hope is always delivered by people. Yeah. We need, we need to not only accept the acceptance, but we need to be the acceptors. And I believe what you're saying in greater story, and what's going to impact us as we read through this book, is that there are people's lives that we have a responsibility to touch. Yeah. Or as we got a job, man, our job is to become everything we're supposed to be. Before God, before God gave Adam a wife, he gave him a job. Before anything else, he gave him a job. Ten to garden. You know, take care of stuff. And so we as men have a job. And that job is to become everything he designed us to be in part of that, is to wrap our arms around those people who do feel rejected, who do feel abandoned, and to be the purveyors of hope. And say, hey, man, I talked to a guy the other day, Sam, and he's got a couple of New York Times bestselling books. He's a psychologist. He's an amazing work. Wow. I said, how do you do your life's strength? Because you're a real bad background. I had things pivot. And he said, he said I had a priest that came to me, and took me for a cup of coffee, a coke, and he was 12, 11, 12 years old. He said, that man probably spent no more than three hours total with me in my life. He said, but I can go back and say the trajectory of my life changed. Wow. Because what that priest said to me, he said to me, son, you're going to be a great man. You've got greatness in you. You're going to be somebody. You've got something. And there are people in our lives. They may be in their 40s, Sam. And they need to hear that from us. So I want to recommend a greater story.org. I'm looking at the website, great looking site, by the way. And the Photoshop looks good on you, man. Hey, man. I said, look, you've got to get the wrinkles out. I don't have hair, but you know, smooth me out a little bit. Yeah, yeah. Help me out. But when your story connects to God's story, it leads to a greater story. And it is the story of redemption and hope and of a greater purpose. And you know what? I know what it takes to write a book, Sam. You're a speaker, a broadcaster. You've done, you've spoken it all. I mean, we'll create, create global leadership, culture conference. All these different things. But writing a book means a couple of things. One is giving blood. It's painful. I don't think people realize what it takes. And then number two, once it's written, it's imprinted. It's imprinted. You've got to go with it. And you're vulnerable. And I want to thank God for you and your wife and daughters. You've walked through this thing. And for your dad, down in Auburn Avenue, in a barbershop, whose life, whether he knew it or not, he touched the heads of a number of leading men, touched the heads of hundreds of men. But through your life, he's touching the hearts of thousands of people. And so I thank God for that legacy. One hundred percent, man. I love my dad. I just don't get me started on him. I start crying right here on the show. It's just... It's all good. When I think about it, it's... Sorry. Go ahead, Paul. Go ahead. Yeah, that's wonderful. So thank you for being with us. I'm brave, man. Sam, I'm praying a lot of people get the book. It's a greater story.org, a greater story.org. And Sam, call your... And you'll hear more from him. You speak a lot with your close friend Andy Stanley at North Point and churches across the United States and around the world. So we thank God for you, man. We pray every place that puts your feet to be holy ground and every place that your hand... Everything your hands touch will prosper and that God will keep you deep within the grip of his grace and favor in the name of Jesus. Paul, I love you. Thanks, man. I love the passage of Scripture, Hebrews 12 and 2. Looking on the Jesus, the author and the finisher of faith. And you can't help but see that all in this powerful story. Man, no kidding. Yeah, it's a great story and I appreciate Sam, you know, pastor Sam, talking about the real stuff that happened in his life. And, you know, dealing with rejection and now being an... an abandonment and all those sorts of things. And now, really being an advocate for adoption. Yeah. Because it's one of the things he said to his biological mom when he said, thank you for having the courage to do the right thing for your children. Because it was he and his sister, Sarah. It was an amazing story. Yeah. Yeah, it's just powerful, you know, and I just love the whole concept and the reality of how God is always in the details of your life. Every part of your life, you know. And ultimately, Paul, we all are adopted. Yeah, well, there you go. And that's the beauty of it. You know that the story, the two boys who were, who were, you know, getting at each other in their family and their, you know, as you and your brother would. Yes. You know, all the time still to this day? The fight, little argument. Finally, the one brother said to the other one. And he said, you know what, hey, I was born in this family. You were adopted. And the little adopted boy just felt crushed. Yeah. And, you know, biological kid, he kind of thought, yeah, I got him on that one. And then the adopted boy looked at him all of a sudden brightened up. And he looked at his biological when it was born biologically and in the family of the brother. And he said, you know what? They had to take you. They chose me. Wow. That's powerful. Yeah, it's a great picture of adoption. And a greater story, my rescue, your purpose and our place in God's plan. Yes. That's the book that Sam wrote out of all this. And I so appreciate him sharing all these things with us. I know it's been inspirational for all of us. And what better podcasts could we have dropped? Leading up to what a nightmare. Yeah. And to finish 2020. Yes. To launch 2021. Yes. Right into Monday night. Men where we're doing the power of potential. Yes. Purpose, potential. Our place in God's plan. Yes. So it absolutely does. And Joseph literally lives out this story. Literally. Yeah. Rejection. Adolctions. Thank you. Wow. Joseph walks that out. Yeah. And you know, the thing that always intrigues me about Joseph's story is the fact that he forgave in the midst of it all. Yeah. You know, how do you do that? That's a great question. Because I mean. And we're going to talk about that on Monday night. Men. Yeah. How do we find that? You told us at the mid break. So you go to YouTube and you type in Monday night men. And that's one way you can go. Three words. Yeah. Or you can type in Christian men's network all as one word. Yeah. You have to. You know, tighten up the gaps. Yes. Squish it together. Yeah. Make a sandwich. Yeah. Yeah. Mind the gap. Yes. Back and see other. Yeah. We did strong men and tough times. Yes. It's which is a 13 week study. Never quit a 13 week study. Yes. There's also great resources there. Our chairman, Bishop Dale Bronner. Yes. We've got a couple great interviews there. Nancy Houston. So that whole channel is full of inspirational material. Yes. And but the Monday night men. And there's a Facebook site for that also, right? Yes. Which is an open group. Is that right? Yes. So go in there and click find out details information. Yep. And you also can go back and watch all the videos that we've dropped. Wow. Yes. And you can subscribe on ours. Yes, you can. How do you do that? So you just click join. And you'll be a part of it. Yeah. That's simple. Wow. The simplicity is not the gospel. The simplicity of the gospel. And of YouTube. Right. And Facebook. And Facebook. Yeah. As long as I, I mean, we're going to be there as long as they keep us on. Exactly. When something else changes, we'll just have our own website. And just keep cranking. Exactly. You know, thank you to Sam Collier. And thank you, Chris Shields, for being here today and producing some great podcasts. And 2020 has been a great year. Thank you to Brian Boyd, who helped launch us into this. And to David Minor, who does the editing. Yes. Fantastic. Not just a technician. No. David's not just a technician. His heart is in this. Exactly. You know, he listens to it. He goes through it. He makes sure that every mistake that I make is taken out. And every mistake that Chris makes is left in. Yeah. As it should be. That's what keeps me home. Yeah. So anyway, David's amazing. Yes. And everybody else involved in the process, Joanne Webster, who's our vice president. And director of publications, who's an amazing author and writer in her own right. And then everybody else who's involved in all the different stuff. Provisim. You know, Don Cordor, Chris Cordor, Chris Rainey, with our communications. Ronda Rebels, who works on our, make sure that we stay in touch with everybody. Bruce, Rob Ack, who make sure that people get their stuff. Exactly. All your resources. Thank Bruce. At C-M-N-Dot-Men. Yes. He also has discounts if you've got a church and a group. Yes. We have discounts there. Yes. And then Rob Ack, who is his older brother, who directs our events, basically worldwide. But in particular in North America. Yes. And great to have a team around us. Yeah. And I mean, we have to thank our families too for letting us get away to do this. Well, we can thank our families. We can thank the third grade teacher. Yes. We can go way back. Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That kind of put a damper on the end of my year. By the way, hey, thanks for being with us today and brave, man. And we are looking forward to launching 2021, stronger. We've got a Monday morning of Facebook every single week at Paul Lewis Cole. We've got, which is based on the theme stronger. And then we've got the money at menpower potential. a lot of great things going on this year in 2021. Coming up, but finishing year strong, and thank you to Sam Caller and everybody else who is a part of this today. And thank you for listening to Brave Men. If you wanna get a hold of us right to Paul at cmn.men. Paul at cmn.men. If you need tools, materials, the book, Fatherhood Maximized Minutes for Fathers, Strong Minute Tough Times, the book on purpose and identity, which is called Just a Bartender. It's life of Nehemiah, unexpected people change the world. cmn.men, that's where to find it. Remember, hope is alive. Hope has a name. Hope's name is Jesus. Come on, Chris. Hope's name is Jesus. Amen. You just experienced Brave Men with Paul Lewis Cole. Paul is President of the Christian Men's Network. Connect with Paul at cmn.men. Or write to him at Paul at cmn.men.