Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #240 – Night of Praise 2024
Join us for a special episode with Josh Turley, Director of Strategic Development, and Mike Schoettle, Director of Spiritual Wellness & Discipleship, as they share their excitement for the upcoming Night of Praise! We'll reflect on last year's event and look ahead to what the Lord has in store this year. Mike also highlights the importance of unity in the Body of Christ as we come together in worship. Don't miss Night of Praise on Sunday, September 22nd, at 6 PM at Fellowship Bible Church!
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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, lord, for this day and your blessings and your provisions. God, we thank you for this time, this podcast and, lord, just all of the incredible work that you're doing. Lord, thank you that we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Lord, I pray for our listeners. Pray your blessing over them in this time and this conversation. In your holy, precious name. We pray, amen. Hello and welcome to a special edition of Our Community, our Mission. My name is Josh Turley, I am the Director of Strategic Development for the Topeka Rescue Mission, and Barry Lamanda and Miriam are out today, so they have let me have the mic, which I don't know might be a little scary, but I'm excited to be joined by Mr Mike Schottel. How are you, today, doing good? How are you Doing good? Doing good, so you are the director of spiritual wellness and discipleship.
Speaker 1:Yes sir, always good to have you on. So, in honor of Barry, we will you know, today is I forgot to say the date. Today is September 18th and we're on episode 240. So, man, it's hard to believe 240 episodes. That's wild. I think I say that every time I do another one, but it's pretty cool, and we're over halfway through the month of September.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, that's wild. August took forever, but now we're going 75 miles an hour straight through September. You got to go to the speed limit folks, it's almost Christmas now. It's 100 days until Christmas. I just saw that. That's crazy.
Speaker 1:Don't like that, anyway. So we'll, uh, we'll. We'll talk about the special days, because barry always likes to talk about the special days. Um, some of them aren't that special, but hey, we like to have fun with it. Um, so, fortunately, these first couple are food related, which is always nice. So our first one today is national cheeseburger day. Man, I love a good cheeseburger yeah, so what, what do you like on your cheeseburger?
Speaker 2:you. You know I like bacon and cheese. That's kind of my basic line. Amanda, my wife would say that I am a gourmand when it comes to burgers. Here's a product placement. There's a burger place in Lincoln, nebraska, called Honest Abe's Burgers and Freedom. They have a burger there and I actually had it just a couple weeks ago when a friend was getting married. We were there for a wedding, but it is just a regular burger, but it has smoked gouda, a smoky mayonnaise, aioli sauce on it with bacon, and then get this pickled, uh, granny smith apples. You had me until the apples Very thinly sliced. So instead of like having onions on it, they put the pickled Granny Smith apples on it and it is so stinking delicious. And then their fries oh man, it's good. So if you're ever in the Lincoln area, you got to go to Honest Apes Burgers and Freedom. Okay, tell them, mike sent you, but they'll just kind of look at you and be like who the heck's Mike?
Speaker 1:You had me till the apples. That one kind of threw me off there it works All right. Well, the next one is another food which is delicious Rice Krispie Treats. I love me a good Rice Krispie Treat.
Speaker 2:Yes, they're fantastic, very good, love those, and then our last one, for today is National Respect Day. National respect day. Yes, r-e-s-p-e-c-p, you'd find out what it means. Yes, absolutely, it's a great song.
Speaker 1:Love aretha franklin yeah, so what does? What does respect look like to you?
Speaker 2:um, it's a curveball yes, that was a definite curveball. Um, respect man, the. The first thought that popped in my head was is that it is fear, but it's not the kind of fear like, oh, I'm terrified. It's like a fear and a reverence that we have for the Lord. We're afraid of them, but it's just okay. Well, I trust who they are. I can lean on them in times of trouble. I can lean on them in times of good. Um, so when you respect somebody, it just it. It holds them to a higher standard. Um, not anything to be afraid of, but I don't know if that makes any sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no, for sure. I mean, you think of I don't know, you kind of think of some of the like have a good, strong handshake, make eye contact. Yes, yes, some of like practical things, but at a base level. Yeah, you're talking about you know, yes, yeah, not a fear, but the respect.
Speaker 2:Somebody that you can look to what when things go, when things go left, somebody that you can look to like. Okay, I know I can trust them. I know that they've, they've got this, they've got to get. You know, no screws loose or whatever. Yeah, um, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no.
Speaker 1:So, finally, what we want to hit on and I'm super excited for this this Sunday I cannot believe it is this Sunday. I'm so excited. No-transcript. This Sunday we will be holding our second annual night of praise. Fellowship Bible Church. We're going to have bands from, obviously, fellowship Bible Church will be playing. We're going to have River of Life Family Worship Center, topeka Bible Church. Those are our three bands are going to be playing. We're going to have SJ Hazim doing spoken word again, which I'm really pumped about. Daniel Norwood is going to be our MC for the night. John the Ironman Cantrell is going to be there.
Speaker 1:So we are just super excited and honestly just thankful for all of the um people that have come alongside of us to to make this a reality. I mean, it's this is a kind of the first year I've helped put on a big event like this and just all of the people that are coming alongside to do this, to give us just a fantastic time to worship the Lord, to learn about TRM and support TRM. Man, it's just such a blessing. So, free entry. So free entry. Uh, we're asking that you, uh, you know, bring um non-perishable food, uh, diapers, baby items, and we'll have a spot you can drop those off before you even come in the door. Um, but yeah, we're just really excited. I hope, um you know, if you're listening to this and it's not September 22nd, um, that you will uh be there. We'd love to see you. Um, mike was just thinking like, as we reflect I mean, this is our second. We've done one.
Speaker 1:It feels like we just did it, I know right.
Speaker 2:It really feels like we just did it, wait, it's happening again, let's go.
Speaker 1:So what did you? Kind of I don't know what?
Speaker 2:were your thoughts from last year that, like, got you really pumped. So this is the first year. You know, last year was the first year, so last year at this time I was assistant director of distribution services, so I was on the side where it was my team that was focusing on taking in the donations, taking in the canned goods. Um, at that time though, uh, we did. We did know that the Lord was working in me and through me and things were just falling into place that I was going to, after the first of the year, become the director of spiritual wellness and discipleship. So it kind of felt like I had both feet. One foot was in assistant director, the other foot was in director of spiritual wellness. So, going into it, I've never, honestly, seen anything like it, seen anything like it Having three churches from the community come in and having SJ I've heard him do his spoken word before, but the dude rocked it.
Speaker 1:It was awesome.
Speaker 2:It was some really powerful stuff. So I don't really know what my expectations were going in, but probably about 15 minutes into the first set, I just felt this overwhelming peace. I got to my daughter didn't want to be standing on the floor, so I held her the whole entire time as we were worshiping and there were points where, you know, I had my eyes closed, my arms up and I could tell that she was moving. She kind of moved slightly and I just opened my eyes and looked over and that sweet little girl had her eyes closed in her hands up and I just thought, oh Lord, this is awesome.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, so it just felt. It felt fulfilling and you guys, you know putting everything together. Yeah, you said this is your first year planning it, but you did a lot last year, you did a lot last year. So it really put things into perspective of people from all different denominations but professing that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that he is the savior to all, um us being in that room and people just worshiping and singing praises and pouring their hearts out. It was powerful.
Speaker 2:Um, and then, half about halfway through, I just felt an overwhelming calmness that there was something that was going to happen that night and it wasn't anything big or huge, but it was kind of like man, I've just got a word to say I don't know what it is. Man, I've just got a word to say I don't know what it is. And then, not two minutes after I had that thought pop in my head like the Holy Spirit was just pushing me, like Michael, you're going to go up on that stage and you're going to talk, lamanda comes up or she texts me, she shoots me a text and says where are you sitting? And I was like in the back, I texted her back and then immediately she texts back I'm coming to see you. And I was like what the heck?
Speaker 2:And then she she comes up to me and I put Rosalie down and, um, you know, music's blaring. And she said you're going to go up on the stage with me, Kenny's going to be up on the stage, Kenny ball's going to be on the stage, he's going to give his testimony. But I think you have some words that that you need to say, and I was like hoo-hoo-wee, okay, all right, and I said are you sure about this? And she said well, you're about to go into this chaplaincy position. You're going to be doing a whole bunch of stuff with our staff, with our guests, and I really think that this is the time that you should be up there and just speak. And it was awesome just being able to tell people about the love of Christ, about how our plans are not the same as his plans, and just being able to bless them, Give them the Levite blessing that's in Numbers, chapter 6.
Speaker 2:Prayed that over them and it just felt right. And then just hearing people when we were leaving, they're like we need to do this again. This was fantastic. Are you guys going to do it again? I was like, well, I don't know, it's the plan anyway, I'm not the one playing in it. So, yeah, it just it was. It was wild because I didn't know what to expect. But the important thing is is one of the things that Barry had always said, and now it's in LaManda's office is that stained glass picture that says expect a miracle, absolutely Um, people learned a lot that night that they had no idea what the mission actually does.
Speaker 2:Some people just think that it's a, you know, homeless shelter that we have people come stay at. They don't know that we have the programs they. They don't know that we feed the community. They don't. You know, there's a whole bunch of stuff that we do that people in this community don't even know about. So this is an opportunity really for us to be able to share that, to share our hearts why we do what we do. And yeah, I'm I am pumped for this next Sunday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know what was cool was you talked about well one, how the Holy Spirit kind of spoke to you before and then how that just kind of played out through the rest of the night for you and being like, okay, it's time to share, like seeing that happen is always really cool. But also, you talked about having Kenny Ball up there and he's been on the podcast. So if you're listening, go back and check out Kenny's podcast. But him sharing his story and having a conversation physical embodiment of the literal power of Christ working through someone's life to redeem them is beautiful, and Kenny is like was the epitome of that. So it was, it was great having him up there and being able to have him share his story. We've got, um this year, we've got a couple of video stories we'll be sharing and um, so, yeah, we're just I don't know anticipating.
Speaker 1:Um, I remember that night I was, uh, running around taking pictures of the event and at one point I was standing in in I don't know the really far back up at the top of the kind of mezzanine there that they have, and, um, I was grabbing some pictures and, man, just I got goosebumps just watching um, everybody worship together and, like you said, kind of those, those walls that, whether we mean to or not, within our own kind of church structures, those walls kind of disappearing and just saying you know what, tonight we're all the body of Christ. Doesn't matter what church you come from. You know the different, you know ideas you have. Maybe you're not even a believer and you just came to support TRM, which we thank you for doing that too. If you're not a believer and just wanted to come support TRM, we appreciate you so much for that, um. But you know, just seeing that and feeling really unified within that was just, I don't know, something special that I'm again looking forward to and just praying to that.
Speaker 1:um, you know the Lord would, would use this event to to really bless people to, you know, allow them to know more information about TRM and definitely join us in supporting the work, um, that we're doing here. So, um, so, yeah, I'm really excited, I know. Uh, mike, you had some thoughts, kind of a little bit, on the unity and stuff, so if you want to share those, man, I'll let you take it out of the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just kind of piggybacking off of what you were saying. I mean, I grew up Wesleyan, you grew up Assemblies of God.
Speaker 2:So that worship setting two completely drastically different, absolutely Drastically different backgrounds? You know it's a little bit more reserved with the Wesleyan, and then Assemblies of God, it is undignified. Is that probably Not undignified? Like in, like a oh, I'm just going to flail all around, but it's like, yeah, it's very more outward expression, like I am not going to hide my emotion. There's nothing that's going to hold me back on how I feel about the Lord. Yep, um so Wesleyan, you know, just a little bit more reserved. Um, so Wesleyan, you know, just a little bit more reserved. Um, you didn't see that at fellowship for the night of praise last year, and I am excited about seeing that, because one thing that I think we get so caught up in is, well, you know the aid, the AGs or whatever you know, they're just a little scary sometimes when they praise the Lord the Pentecostals.
Speaker 1:The Pentecostals are a little scary.
Speaker 2:Um, but that's not the point. That is not the point. If that's not the way that you want to worship the Lord, then don't. But the most important thing is that just kind of it brought me back to it is what Paul writes in first Corinthians, chapter 12. And I have it. I have it written down right here, but I'll read it all. So bear with me please. But this is what Paul writes to the church. This is the capital C church. This isn't just one denomination, this isn't just one congregation, this is the church.
Speaker 2:People who have different ways that they want to worship. Some people want to worship through songs, Some people want to worship through painting a picture. Some people want to worship through just prayer and being in silence. Good for you. Do whatever it is to worship the Lord, but the root of all of it, the root and the foundation of all of it is and never, should ever change is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. He is the only thing that can save us from our sins. That is the foundation of it. So if you want to do backflips while worshiping the Lord, go ahead and do backflips while worshiping the Lord If you want to be sitting and singing, go ahead and sit and sing.
Speaker 1:Just sit in silence?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you want to sit in silence? Sit in silence. Nobody can tell you what to do what they believe is better to do. Whatever you feel like you need to do to worship the Lord, bring praise and honor and glory and power to his name. To bring love. To bring love, to bring that respect to him, do it. So.
Speaker 2:This is what Paul writes in first Corinthians, chapter 12, just as a body, though, one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ, for we were all baptized by one spirit so as to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free, and we were all given to the one spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but many. Now, if the foot should say because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not excuse me. It would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be If the whole body. Were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, god has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
Speaker 2:If they were all one part, where would the body be as it is? There are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand I don't need you, and the head cannot say to the feet I don't need you. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor, and the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.
Speaker 2:But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it so that there should be no division in the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body but that its parts should be equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ and each of you is a part of it. The eye cannot tell the hand. I don't need. You can an eye, pick something up it'd be pretty weird, but that would be wild.
Speaker 2:Can the head walk?
Speaker 2:no no very weird so if, what right is it for the head to tell the feet what do you think you're doing? What right is it for the for the eye to tell the nose stop it, quit smelling. Smelling, I don't enjoy it. Well, you're an eye, so why would you? What do you know?
Speaker 2:Everything that each body part does gives glory, gives power, gives a purpose to the body as a whole. So if somebody wants to be jumping up and down to praise the Lord Jesus Christ, do it. If you want to Lord Jesus Christ, do it. If you want to write a book, do it. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about. That's why we want people from the community who want to praise Jesus to come to this. It's not just for us to raise funds for our people that we minister to. It is a time for us to worship our Lord and Savior. That's what's important, because if we are not worshiping him, if we're not following him, then what's the purpose of what we're doing? If we are not loving Jesus, how are we supposed to love our unsheltered neighbors?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's well said, man. Man, thank you for sharing those thoughts. You know, I recently, I don't know, saw a video somewhere of a pastor talking about he was sharing how you know the churches, the biblical churches those were. There were churches in each city, right? So if you wanted to, you could go visit another church. You can say, ah, I didn't, I didn't like so-and-so's preaching that time, that worship didn't sit quite right with me, you didn't have another church to just go across the street to like you were the church of that city. And so when Paul writes to them he's saying you got to work out your stuff. You can't, you can't just go to another church. You can't. We are the body of believers. You have to work, work that out amongst yourselves. And so I think you know that's something to be reminded of as, as you know, we look at unity and we look at glorifying the Lord. You know, as as long as that's the center of our faith and the redemptive work of Jesus in our lives, then you know, these other things kind of become secondary and we need to work those out amongst ourselves and and um continue to glorify and honor the Lord. So, um, well, hey, man, I appreciate you coming on sharing your thoughts on this. Um again really excited about about Sunday September 22nd. This Sunday, uh, if you're listening to it before then, please, please, come and join us. It's going to be a great night Um, a lot of great stuff happening and you know, worship the Lord and um, you know just um support the support TRM and the work going on here, cause we we can't do it without you.
Speaker 1:So, um, thank you for listening um this week to our community, our mission. Again, it was a little bit different. We didn't have our normal crew on here, but, uh, thanks for bearing with us as we uh we did today. Um, and thank you for listening. Uh, we, we so appreciate your support on here. Um, we'd love if you'd like uh rate and subscribe to to the podcast and share with your friends and um, if you want to learn more about Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to trmonlineorg. That's trmonlineorg and uh, you can do that with slash night of praise and you can go learn more. Um, you know, register, let us know you're coming, donate, support and um, again, thank you and uh, we just really hope to see you there Sunday September 22nd, 22nd. Thank you so much and just have a blessed day.