The Podcast Preacher
Ha, what’s with the stick in your hand man? You can go the Spiritual Shillelagh link in the hamburger menu to see why I am holding this staff up in this picture. I am glad at my age it is not holding me up. But no, you should check it out as it has some great details and a ton of symbolism all over it and I am still working on it. It is funny that when you pay attention to God, He can give you creative ideas for all sorts of things like from building Bugatti’s or entire cities, or as in my case, how to decorate a stick that has been lying around the house for over 25-years waiting for its assignment.
So, allow me to clarify some things. The name of the ministry is Applied Strengths Ministry, the name of the podcast platform is Deep Waters, and the branding or name of the one who is teaching the podcast is know as the Podcast Preacher. Now before I get into the history of the Podcast Preacher, allow me to explain the podcast and its purpose so that you know the why the Podcast Preacher is doing what he is doing:
Deep Waters is about understanding and how to apply what's in the Bible. We need the absolute revelation, not interpretation, of God's written voice. Bible and ministry ignorance is one of the greatest plagues we are facing today, (also known as the Laodicean Church age) and I have the most earnest desire to eradicate this plague from our earthly church today. If you want entry level Bible teaching, or no teaching at all then you can attend your local church, but if you want to get to know God, yes really get to know Him intimately then stay tuned into this podcast and get ready to cast off your arm floaties. No, not all churches are missing it, but in saying this, I challenge you to find one that operates as them ol' preacher boys did in the book of Acts. This ministry isn't trying to get the attention of our Lord Jesus by being the biggest most glamorous, most relevant for today's culture church the heavenly host has ever cast their eyes upon. We are after the one's that know that they know, that they know, there has to be more than what most churches are chatting about in these times. And where, by God, is the power that is to accompany the preachers preach? Christian peeps it is time to pluck our Christian heads out of the sands of inefficiencies and ineffectiveness and join our Lord in the battle on the surface of this earth.
The Podcast Preacher challenges you to get lit for God and to listen to these messages and remain the same as you are when you first tuned in. This will be impossible if you are bent on your God obligated Christian activities and calling. Video's and books will come in there time but for now I guarantee you will not remain as you are if you engage in these messages.
The Podcast Preacher is called, appointed, and anointed to help you grow. I have been given the gift of Teacher and it is flowing in and pouring out to all who can hear and see what the Lord is doing these days.
A final word to the wise: you will hear things that you will not hear in more than 95% of today’s churches, and that is fine, that is why God is always using the uncommon man to move His church forward. Each of the more than 470 messages is fully supported by scripture so that you can do your own research and look into these things that God is saying during these no doubt end times. This is not an end times ministry, it is teaching, a getting to know God intimately ministry. It is a ministry of encouragement and of accelerated spiritual growth. The only promise that we can make is if you, yes it is, if you hear and do what is in these messages then normal goes out the window. This is Bible confirmed and backed by the good fruit of this ministry.
1 Cor 3:1-3 - 3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
The evolution of the Podcast Preacher
So now what you really want to know is who or what is the idea behind the Podcast Preacher. I mean, it can come off sort of gimmicky and even strange right? Well except for the fact that it is me in a caricature image and it represents the creativity that God has placed in me as well as a creative idea that He gave me when I started the ministry. Is this my avatar? Nope, I am in Christ as a new creation. Now but even though I got saved being born again, God decided to make it interesting by leaving us in our old corrupt bodies, asking us to act like we are perfect and being perfected, pure, holy, righteous, undefiled, non-offensive, impervious to sin, loving our enemies and each other, not getting offended at anything, and well just acting like we are not of this world while still living in it. What I am saying is that it is not an easy journey to be any kind of Christian let alone trying to be an effective one using creativity in the ministry; hence my ministry branding.
There are three personal elements that the Podcast preacher logo represents regarding me and what I really like. Ha, maybe four. I like wearing my hair long especially in my graying years. I love cars, especially convertibles, and the truly mechanicalness of all that they are and can do. When I was younger I really loved to cruise, and race when the opportunity presented itself. Beating V-8 cars with a VW is a lot of fun. Ha, I wasn’t saved so be nice. I also and most importantly love reading and teaching the bible. I also like Podcasting as a way to get the message out as none of the churches I had participated in ever really tapped into my calling and gifting of being a teacher. And finally the logo, and I have three right now and will expand the collection to seven eventually. They do make really cool computer and eBoard stickers, and the logo image represents my creativity. Now let me touch on this for a minute so that you understand the rest of the life story of the Podcast Preacher. I did not draw these out, but paid other artists to render my thoughts and turn them into what I could see in my heart. This is not as easy as one might think but for me it worked with a little back and forth. Also, I got the copyrights to the logos which made the process worth it.
I share this because I did my cars the same way. No, I could not paint, rebuild my motors, stich up an interior, or even install a stereo, but I could work and afford other people to exercise their gifts to get me what I again could see in my heart. And, although not related to cars or logos in terms of an end product, I have managed people the same way. I have been fortunate to surround myself with people way more talented than myself who cover my weaknesses, and so in doing so have been able to help and offer help to others including my staff to become the best version of themselves. So the Podcast Preacher is me in every way, and oh did I mention that you could be a Christian and have fun Preaching? The logo and my branding speak to this very rare and cherished activity.
The car Mr. Podcast Preacher why that car? Ah yes, the 1959 black Cadillac Eldorado convertible. The following narrative will explain my car life, and yes I feel as though I wasted so, so, so much money on these things, but God did in fact still use them in my life, but nonetheless it will go into how I built them in the same way I just explained above. They are only a representative sample of the wheels that I had. I am not trying to pull a Hezekiah here (2 Kings 20:12-20), but to demonstrate that the Podcast Preacher has been in the making for most of my life. Oh, and the Cadillac represents the fact that I do not like to own cars that everyone else has. And this can happen even in the show car world. I love one-off’s and so this Cadillac meets my standards for uniqueness.
I Can “car-ly” Contain Myself
So I love cars and have had my share of street racers and show cars, and even some high-end cars that people kill themselves over to purchase and drive. I say that so that you don’t do that, it is not worth the other intangible costs. Now stay with me as all of the many things in my life have led me to become what you now know as the Podcast Preacher. And but as a reminder know that I wasn’t saved until I was 34 years old and much of my car history occurred before that. And but also a side note is to know that just because you are not saved does not mean that God is not working in your life. He, as I found out much later in life, was working behind the scenes my entire life.
Now I am including a few pictures because I am not afraid for anyone to judge me for my past or even how I run as a Christian. I am truly an open book, but if you come at me be prepared to be as transparent as you expect me to be.
So now yes, there are boneheads Christians that think Jesus wanted us to scrape and scrap for every morsel of food, and but even though they don’t do this, they want all who say that they are Christians to be poor, broke, bling, and as miserable as they are. Not poor in spirit like the bible states, but in wallet, which the bible does not state. So it is for this reason that I post some of what I had. Currently I do not have even the Cadillac for the ministry as the cost is way above my pay grade but I know it is not above my faith grade to eventually get one. After all the Podcast Preacher has to have something to drive that represents. Of course I would like to drive a 2006 V-12 TT Mercedez AMG, or nice motorcycle again, but because these things just don’t have the grip on my life that they used to, I am not going to sweat the small stuff. Look, in my 41-years of being able to drive, I have had over 40-cars, vans, and motorcycles in my life and most were VW’s and fixer-uppers. They were to me future race and show cars, but my life in God was to be very different than just transforming cars making them the best version of themselves and even better in some cases. Nope, I was called to equip the saints for the work of ministry as a Podcast Preacher who didn’t even know what a podcast was until about July of 2022. And now look at what God can do with a vegabondish lost soul in the desert. I am podcasting up a storm as if I really even knew what I was doing.
One of my best car pictures is of my wife and myself in the lightening fastest 1969 VW Bug I ever did own. I was so excited to be able to get married on December 21, 1985 in that car. She remains the love of my life – not the car 😊
Wedding bliss
Luxury
So is it Christian-like to have nice cars? Ask King Solomon or King David. No but really. Somehow the poverty spirit entered the church and people got the false notion that Christians can only drive Pinto’s and Gremlins; and well maybe Vega’s if they weren’t hopped up. In each of these cars below I have a testimony of how God moved miraculously to line me up with these cars. In each case He was making things happen. But this is about my Podcast Preacher evolution and not about how blessed I have been in my life.
Show cars
So, you will see a pattern which will be discussed throughout this little auto montage. This the last of my VW’s started out a nice street daily driver, but in my troubled world I had to change it again, and again, and again. I couldn’t leave things alone no matter how cool the next version of the car turned out.
Oh, time to fatten up and go back in history to a time when I liked big phat fat tires. What Mr. Podcast Preacher how on earth did the white VW turn into this black monster? Well, 20-years of dollars and time. It was my plan to drive the car after I got it running for the first time in over a decade and enjoy it with my kids. Nope, god had other plans and moved me to sell it for almost nothing right after I got it running. Oh, boy do we have to die to ourselves to make room for Him.
Rare future missed opportunities
What’s this Mr Podcast Preacher? This is by far one of the coolest vans ever constructed on this planet. For car guys it is a must own. For drivers it has a lot to be desired. For Mr. podcast Preacher, when I get another one in Heaven or something, I would make it my own. Now watch how God has made me and how it works the same way in my Podcast Preacher branding. I would cut a cheese wedge shape right down the middle of the van and narrow the front and widen the back about 12”. I would then chop the top at a cool angular shape so as to give it a nice slope. Then I would install all wheel drive, two V-12 TT AMG motors mated to one another to power it down the road. The rag top would be electric, all of the windows would be pop-outs, I would install two additional port windows, black matt with black carbon fiber strategically placed on the body. and well the rest remains a secret. Bloto phat tires all around. See how I can go through the dollars when it comes to cars!
From four to two in more ways than one
So if you look at the license plate on my Victory motorcycle you will see my life long dream. Yes, I wanted to be the President of the United States and I wanted to do so because I just new, like these cars and things that I could change it for the much, much, much better. Yes, you would have had to vote for the Podcast Preacher but stranger things have happened in the election ring. Someone talked me out of this sighting it would be easier to change the world from the outside of politics. After almost 30-years working in government I would have to agree. But, at this point it is irrelevant because being the Podcast Preacher brings me more joy, and it allows me to work at my pace which is nearly unmatched by the gifted ignorant.
Well after taking the next 15-years and trying to change the world from the outside I would have to say that neither option is totally effective or easy, even though I did not give the office of President a chance. It is at this point that I should remind the reader that many time my humor is dry, and so if what I am saying is way over the top it may have a joke hidden in it just for you.
You see the problem is not out systems but the people, yes all people, especially those that do not feel as if they contribute to the humanity problems that we have in epic proportions today. Wherever we go we take the problem with us. There is no escaping this dilemma. There of course is a solution and that is to get on a motorcycle and daydream at 135 MPH. you see that is one of those jokes…maybe.
Hey Mr. Podcast Preacher what about the bikes? Oh, ok so the Victory bike below was purchased below so I could ride with my church buddy’s and given that my wife liked riding also meant I could multi-task (scientifically impossible), and ride with her and them. Well, it didn’t work out that way as we were knee deep in church activities and could not find the time to ride together much. Oh, I put 20,000 miles on my bike but most of it was with my wife.
Well, I sold the Victory and was not happy but I felt that it was indeed the Lord who said it should go. But then later and perhaps it was in season I had to get back on two wheels because it was the only thing that a Podcast Preacher would ride and be able to say that he was able to transport like those in the bible. Ha, a Harley? Now I am not totally brand loyal except to the Podcast Preacher. And well I personally wasn’t to much on V-twins as they just didn’t have the look I was looking for. But the V-Rod was different. Pay attention you will see me again. It had a Porche motor in it. Yup, just like a VW only not even close. Ha, Harley decided to pull a Podcast Preacher moment and decided to think outside of the box. Hummm, but as you might have guessed it would eventually have to go. COVID changed many lives forever, and regardless of the who, what, why, how, and when it visited this planet, I had to make room for finances so God parked this in my garage in heaven.
I have stated before that I cannot seem to leave things as they are including humans. It was no different with my bikes. Oh, I had dreams of planting a super charger on this and adding a 360 on the backside of this ride. And oh so many more $80,000 upgrades. What I don’t have that kind of money. Right – biker heaven.
I was never satisfied leaving things as they were
I narrate these things because it is important to see my tragic condition. I was living my life as if I could just go around and make everything better. And as long as I had the money, I was doing just that. But in my out-of-control auto-drama journey I found it almost impossible for people to meet my expectations for doing the same level of work that I expected of myself. So now having the money to build my dreams was insufficient, I struggled to find perfection anywhere in my life, and it wasn’t until I was radically saved that I understood that excellence and perfection were not the same thing. You see excellence is achievable, but perfection is not because we live in a world where we will never be satisfied long-term unless we are found in Christ. I know but listen to me, the Podcast Preacher was being formed while I was working on cars instead of my walking with a God in whom I knew existed. I just did not want to look into the Jesus character because, well for one I had no real examples of what a real Christian was, and the other is that He is the difference maker alone. Yes, He is the only way to San Jose if San Jose was heaven.
John 6:37 - All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:45 - It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
So right there the Podcast Preacher feature just crushed all other false contenders as Jesus was the only one who could and who did pay for your sins. And when you pass through the door of death, you had better have had your sins paid for because it wont sit well with the Father if you show up with them not having received the payment for them through His, well lets look before moving on:
John 3:16-17 - 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
My sister Debbie (see the Staffing page on this website) was the closest thing to what a Christian is supposed to be, but she lived 600-miles away and had little influence on my life at that time. After all she was competing with a lot of car DNA, and cars for me was a way to set myself apart. Now today I do that through the Podcast Preacher as I do not want to ever be considered one of those Christians that well really isn’t a Christian at all.
So, in this next series of cars consider that they are all from the same car; it is but just one car going through many transformations. Yup, each transition is me looking for God in material things trying to get some satisfaction; some finality. Of course, it did not work but it was also working. Ha, yes it really was forming in me the desire, well future desire, to help people become the best version of themselves, and to what to get to know this God in a very personal way.
1969 vw IN PURCASED CONDITION
Every panel was dented. The doors were shot with a gun and in fact the whole car was dumped in a riverbed and really had no value except it would be my first car, and unknown to me at the time, it represented my life at the time. Oh, don’t think for a minute that I thought I looked like this green machine. Nope, I thought that I could change things if I just worked hard enough, if I just tried hard enough.
This is the end result of years of change including several red paint jobs, engines, and just about new everything. The version below is where I finally ended up. You see who needs God when you have such a cool car? Trust me I know right!
This is the version that I got married in.
Well, it was time to change so I went phat fat, and phatter than the fat I already went. I really like this look and wish I had stayed right here, but as the pre-Podcast Preacher already stated, it is impossible for us to like anything long-term outside of Christ. Buying new things is better than allowing Him to make us a new thing. Not!
Well, I took the split window plunge and this is when God began to deal with me even more. You could say I was split between Him and my old life.
I had three show/race cars that I was working on concurrently. One was the 23-window micro-bus, the other this red splitter, and the black car above, and they were all money pigs. I had not the talent to do much of the work myself other than tear em’ down and build them back up so costs were through the roof.
I decided to go on a car diet and off-load the first car I ever owned. Spiritually speaking I was really off-loading a bit of my old life. Blah this was not a good day, but I started to realize I wasn’t going to be able to work hard enough to fund all of my car projects. I had another 13 VWs sitting on my property just waiting for their new transformer bodies.
I removed the phat tires and fenders selling them and then purchasing stock fenders and swapping parts to get this one ready to sell or trade which is what I did.
Fast and I was furious that I had to sell
Ah, I put that language in the title for dramatic effect, but really, I was already saved at this time and but still did not have the resources to take care of this car the way that I wanted to. I had moved to Southern California and had acquired this car from a good friend of mine who had actually built the car himself.
So now I was down to just two fun cars having sold all things VW so I could make the move to Southern California, this Mustang and the Black Bug above, which was in the body shop in Chico far, far away. Oh, and if you didn’t think God had a way of creating separation from the world within you, the car was in the body shop for over 10-years, almost the entire time I lived in Southern California. We traded the Mustang for a 4X4 that was lifted to heaven and had a great time in it as a family while living in Lake Arrowhead.
Transitioning from stuff to people
Just so you know that if you are inclined to say as most do, “if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now”, but in truth you could actually live an even worse life if repeats were even possible. Yes, even if it were possible to learn from our past mistakes and shout out to the world, “I will never be that guy again”, you will be disappointed. You will ask God in your second pretend life, why he let that guy into your second life. Why oh why am I still all twisted up inside God? No matter how many lives you could get, without God you will continue to reproduce the worst versions of yourself which is a permanent and never-ending repeatable cycle. Ah and now we know why some believe in reincarnation – it’s a false escape; but God did not want us to go crazy with repeating a sinning life after life so He gave us once shot to get it right, or maybe better stated, He gave us one shot to allow Him to operate in our lives to such a degree that we with He could get it right (Heb 9:27).
For us smaller thinking beings we would simply want to come back and give life another shot so that we would you know hold on to that 1969 RS/SS Convertible 4-speed convertible, or the 1964 23 Window VW Micro-Bus. Money, money, money is mostly why we would want to come back. Ah such short-sightedness. For others it might be that they might know what stock and bonds to invest it so they can have a better retirement. Maybe for others it would be to avoid trying drugs or alcohol for the first time or to save your self for marriage, or to save your marriage, or to avoid sinning at all, like as if you could erase them without Jesus. Again NOT!
Now but you see now I am just fringing on talking fantasy for you or anyone else to think or even worse, to have you believe that you would think that it would be possible to do these things, like not sinning in your second fantaticerical life, outside of the power of God. NOT A CHANCE! I tried and failed a quintillion times. He did it so why do we fight the solution to all of life so much? You had better ask yourself this question before you see Him.
So now you want to know who the Podcast Preacher is? This is him. In these stories about my life, and think not that I do not have many other stories that I could share to the total disappointment of all who could or would think I was anybody special because God uses me to teach. Nope, the Podcast Preacher struggles with his wasted past from time to time, which actually leads me to believe so much more in the idea that I am one of the most fortunate people to have ever lived to be considered to live with God for all of eternity. I squandered everything that could be squandered and yet somehow, He pointed to me and wrote my name in the book of life
Rev 20:15 - And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Oh so how close I was to becoming a lava swimmer for all of eternity. Nope, it was all paid for me that I would not have to go that way. I deal with my past and todays mistakes the same way that Paul suggested:
Phil 3:13-14 - 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [a]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
These days I cannot take even a second off without trying to teach you something about God. Why? Because I have read the bible so many times that it is now living inside of me and it fights every moment of every day, even when I am sleeping, to speak to someone who will or can hear the voice of God.
The Podcast Preacher is a catalyst for eternal change. Death or separation from God, both meaning the same thing, is a long time event. And it is inappropriate of me to even use the word time because eternity has no time. Why should I go on living as I used to live which was for myself when so many are heading in the wrong direction. The Podcast Preacher represents a passion for life, God and what is to come in all of eternity.
What can you expect from the Podcast Preacher? The first thing is messages, yes lots of Podcast messages. In fact, I am nearing 500 in just over 2-years and maintain a database of an additional 300. Now the Podcast preacher Promise is that if you listen to these messages and you do what they say then you will, no matter where you are at in your life right now, begin to becoming the best or better version of yourself. There is no issue too sensitive that I will not speak about. The bible is a 360 degree book able to handle all areas of anyone’s life including yours.
Now there is no cheating in life. In other words you cannot say no to God and expect to become the best version of yourself. This is impossible. And for the sneakey-mongers no you cannot say no to Jesus as being the savior of the world either. He alone is the way to the Father for Salvation
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
And no you cannot get around either one of them:
John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
I usually say you must be plugged in, in order to live your best life that God has created and called you to live. Without Him you are only left with your limited abilities to do anything. Oh I know some of you have made bank on those abilities, but if you want to get what I meant when I stated limited, try and buy your way into heaven and see how far you get. To be blunt you are as useful as a light bulb sitting in a box without the current of God activated in your life.
Let’s see what’s all the hubbub is about. Every successful anything brands well, and especially when it uses personal images like oh let’s say the Colonel in his famous Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises. Why mention him Mr. Podcast Preacher? Well, I just stated so, but in addition, since you asked, he told God that he wanted to be so successful that he could tithe and give 90% of whatever he made and live off of the remaining 10%. So, I was thinking perhaps I can start a product line and begin to do the same. Not because I want more stuff but because I want to do so much more to help the many who need resources just to get by. You see I don’t have a church or light bills to pay. And with your help in donating through this website I can make the bills that are associated with this podcast without any issues.
This website has a marketing page that is currently hidden, but I have not been able to look into getting a vender who can reproduce my Podcast Preacher product line. Some of the products that I will be moving shortly will be note pads, coffee mugs, tee shirts, and stickers.
I will also be adding a Podcast Preach book resource page to this website for my books soon to be published. Currently I have four books that have been accepted and another five waiting in the que.
In finishing and you know the Podcast Preacher is never finished, in the age of the Laodicean church age we need to teach and preach the pure Word of God. I do appreciate the emails that I have received. Currently the Podcast Preacher is being heard in over 44 countries, and in over 240 cities.
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."