“You’re Not Crazy, You’re a Prophet” - Craig & Colette Toach AlongTheWay 109

No, I didn't even know what a nacho was people. I'm not even kidding you. We used to call them nachos, nachos, and jalapeno. I didn't know Mexican food. I didn't know the language. I know nothing. Nothing. We could stay in the country. But we couldn't work. There weren't work visas. So we like, Okay, we can't fly home. We don't have some church here to support us at work like this. We spend anywhere from four to six hours a day in praise and worship. Yes. That's what every day because we had no food, and at times no electricity. Yeah. So we did what Prophets do.

Welcome to along the way. I'm John Matarazzo, your host and fellow traveler, thank you for joining me along my way as I try to become more like Jesus every day. The goal of along the way is to identify the moments in life that Jesus really is walking with us and trying to get our attention. But just like the disciples along the way, to Emmaus, we are missing those moments that our hearts are burning within us. I want us to be able to identify those moments, learn from others, and apply those lessons to our lives so that we don't miss the blessings God has for us along the way in our life's journey. In 2009, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a school for radio broadcasting in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a life defining season for me. But for the four years leading up to that school, I felt like my dream was constantly slipping away, and that I would never make it to that school. Let me explain why I say that. When I was starting my missionary career in 2003, I went to a Youth With A Mission School outside of Pittsburgh. After the school ended, I joined the ministry as a staff member. One night, I was all alone at the campus flipping through a physical copy of the university, the nation's course catalog, where I saw the school for radio broadcasting at Media Village in Kobe, South Africa, the course descriptions seem to jump off the page at me and my heart started racing. I strongly felt that I was supposed to go to that school. But doubt almost immediately took over. And I realized that I didn't know anyone from South Africa, or anyone who had even been to South Africa, let alone someone who had been to that school that I could ask questions. I said a little throwaway prayer of I would like to visit there or talk to someone who has been there before I decided to commit to the school, then I forgot about it. But God didn't forget. The next year, I had an opportunity to fly to Cape Town on an unrelated ministry trip. And I was actually able to visit the media village campus and talk to the school director in person. God had brought me halfway around the world because of a prayer that I didn't even remember that I prayed. I tried to sign up for the next class of the radio school. But it was scheduled for a time that I couldn't make it. And that disappointment cycle kept happening for another four years, I thought I would never get to go. When I would get discouraged. I would constantly remind myself that God is good. And he wouldn't bring me halfway around the world on a forgotten prayer just to tease me. Four years later, in 2009, I finally was able to attend this school and ended up being the top producer of the class as well as the top student on my flight back home to Pittsburgh, from my radio school. Looking out the window, I had a moment with God, where I asked, why did it take four years of frustration for me to finally do this school. I felt God respond to me saying, you weren't ready four years ago. I wanted you to be the top student, and you weren't ready then. But you were now what I had thought was a delay or even punishment was actually God setting me up to be all that he wanted me to be for that season. I actually was awarded the top student trophy from that school, and I still have it displayed on my shelf as a reminder of God's faithfulness and his calling on my life into media. My guests for this episode were also obedient to what God was calling them to, even when it didn't quite make sense. But they knew that God wouldn't move them halfway around the world just to tease them either. I have gotten to know Craig and Colette toach. Through the charisma Podcast Network. They and their next gen prophets team have grown their podcast over 100,000 downloads to in this podcast we talk about the prophetic hearing God's voice and radical obedience. By the end of this episode, you will be able to hear God speak to you as Colette guides you. You don't want to miss a moment of this powerful and really fun interview with Craig and Colette coach. I'll get to our conversation in just a moment. But I want to thank you for listening to along the way. All of my episodes and social links are amazing. liberal on my website along the way dot media all of the links from this episode will be in the show notes. And now here's my along the way conversation with Craig and Colette toach. Well, I have the privilege and honor today to be with Craig and Colette toach of the next gen prophets who I have gotten to know over the last year or so really, since I came to charisma media to work with the Podcast Network. They have a phenomenal podcast called The next gen prophets. And you guys are actually here in person in Orlando, not over zoom, there's nothing. There's no screens separating us. There's just a strange configuration of a room that we've had to commandeer to make sure that we could actually do this podcast. It is a privilege and an honor to be with you guys in person. We got to have lunch the other day. Yeah. And so it's been great to get to work with you guys with a podcast network over zoom and

delay. Yeah, yeah. Just like the message comes right across.

You reach out to shake hands and you hit a good glass screen. Yeah, we actually got to, you know, shake hands. And it was great.

It is very good. Very good. Well, I am honored that you guys would be able to give me some time to allow me to join you along your way with my podcast and kind of answer the questions that I have for you about how God has led you to where you are today. And I love your accents. And I spent, I spent three months during my radio school in Cape Town, South Africa. So just hearing your accents, even though you're not from Cape Town. But it still just kind of brings me back and gives me those warm feelings on the inside. Because this is for me, this is something that God has kind of continually bringing around in my life who said that South Africa connection that God was faithful with me bringing me to that radio school in 2009. Which that is something that set me up for what God's having me do now.

Amen. Saying is good things come out of South. Absolutely.

Absolutely. Yes. Very, very good books even more. Yes.

On your show, I just love the collaboration, you know, just even as we've grown together in the podcasting network, just as collaboration to grow the kingdom together. Yeah, this is the way it needs to be done.

And you guys just started your podcast this year. Just January. Yeah. Wow. And you hit 100,000 downloads. What was the date that you hit? 100,000 downloads?

That was last Wednesday, I believe. Yeah. Yeah.

So the beginning of November 1. Yeah. So that is really cool. Congratulations. So I do want to talk about your podcasts. But I want to back up right now and get into your story. Because, I mean, you didn't wake up just one day and say, We're going to start this ministry, and we're going to start this podcast. I mean, God has led you along the way. Yep, yes. And I want to hear that because obviously he led you guys together. So take some turns. You know how you guys you know your side of the story, Craig and your side of the story, Colette, and then we'll work together at that point. But I want to hear Colette, let's start with you how God has led you to where you are today.

Okay. Well, I'm one of those PKS, those pastor's kids, I come from a couple of generation of not just Christians, but one of those Holy Rollers, spirit filled, sharpening Pentecostal Christians, you know, like I was, I was brought up in it. Holiness, movement, very strong holiness movement. And I guess it was never a time I didn't know the Lord. But growing up as a pastor's kid, there was a lot of pressure on me and not just a pastor's kid, I was surrounded by evangelists. So it was pastors, it was evangelists. It was bar it was holiness. And with that came a certain expectation of perfection. That, while this little prophetic child never quite matched up to and so they just came a time in my life when I hit about like, 1516 I just had enough. I was just I was tired of being the PK. I was running far away from that whole church religion Christian thing is like a possibly be, but I love Jesus. You see, I was conflicted. I had a real intimate relationship with Jesus. So I sat him down, I'm like, okay, Jesus, we got to talk. See this, this whole Christian church thing? I just, I can't do it anymore. So I just need you to sit there for a bit and I need to go figure this out by myself. Okay. And so he was gracious. He was real sweet. You know, he let me go my own way or so I thought. And I went and found myself a waitressing job in a steakhouse much like Applebee's here okay. In South Africa called spose steakhouse for any of my South African friends. You know, the type, you know, the uniform I wore, and yes, I still managed to bump into this man here who thought I was actually attractive in that ridiculous uniform.

Okay, so you got to describe this uniform. I don't know. because that's that's excluding a lot of people. So you got to describe this thing now.

Okay, so it was it was you know, your typical you know your denim jeans, but there was this striped shirt this red and white striped shirt. I had this weird hat and then they had the braces, you know the kind that hold up your suspenders or things. So we had that on as well. To tackle your hair up in the cap. I just looked like such a dork. I really really didn't read jeans. So yeah, we we ended up bumping into each other. And the reason why I loved him so much at first thought was because he was everything butter, Christian boy, he was a metal head. He had long hair he smoked. He was just so way out there. I thought this is my ticket out of the church. Wow. rebellious. I was like, I thought this was the way to go. But but you

still love Jesus? Yes.

I did. Love his church. Yes. Okay. All the prophets out they go, huh? I understand why. Because the system made it impossible for me to express my love for Jesus. I had to perform in a certain way. And you had to go out and get somebody saved every Sunday. You weren't Hopper Christian. And then you you had to abide by all the holiness rules. And also slack. I was I just had a relationship with him. Yeah, I just knew him face to face. And he spoke to me and I spoke to him. And somehow that just wasn't enough. I had to perform. And as a young child, especially as a pastor's kid, you're having to perform all the time. I just never matched up and

you told me that you played drums in all kinds of stuff. So you were it was like a works mentality is that very much?

Very, very much. So I mean, you must know the the UPC the whole Pentecostal environment. No, you don't wear nail polish. You know, you don't you don't wear pants you. You know, this is kind of a bit of the upbringing that I was, in the rules. It was all about the rule of religion. It wasn't about relationship at all. And everybody else seemed to get it except for me. I just seem to fumble and bumble through that. I just didn't seem to roll with it.

So was this an internal struggle? Or was it external as well? Like other people knew this was going on? And or was it like something where you just like one day, people were like, What happened to Colette

pretty much? Yes, pretty much one day, I just decided that's it. I'm done. I can't do this. My parents had been through a divorce. My life was a mess. Everything that I'd been taught just didn't seem to hold water all these doctrines. Didn't do anything. But my circumstance, all I had was a relationship with Jesus. And that's what I continue to cling to.

So your parents had a divorce, but you were a PK. So sure. That was a very difficult season.

It was a devastating season. It was humiliating. Yeah. Because my dad was teaching at a church at the time. Yeah. So you must know it's embarrassing. It's shameful. It's, it's heartbreaking. It's like, okay, so if you abide by all the rules, shouldn't Well, shouldn't things go well with you in this life? Why are we poor? Why my parents divorced? Why don't I have any friends at school? Why is my life in shambles? If we obeyed all the rules? Why don't they work for me?

Wow. Who hasn't asked that question. I think I mean, I grew up in a church, and I was the good Christian kid. And I've asked a lot of those same questions to as very relatable. That's very relatable and for me, I'm glad that God stopped me from you know, working at a at a steakhouse in a ridiculous uniform. I did work at Wendy's. But that wasn't out of rebellion. That was because I need to pay for my own car. So you met Craig at the restaurant, but he was everything the opposite of what people thought that you should want.

Oh, he was imagine all the rules I ever grew up with. He was the Antichrist. Yeah, I thought I was like back there. I thought this is it, man. This is it. That this is one easy way to break all the rules. Yeah, just one date.

Well, rings in my head is what her dad said to when I wasn't around. He said he's quite a creature.

Okay, so you guys went on that date? Did he ask you out? Are you are you were really into him too. You asked about

oh, he's going? Yes, I was the one that definitely approached him. I was like, yeah, alright, let's do this thing and he was sweet. He agreed and came along for the ride. And it was worth it. On that first date, I took him you know, we I took him home quickly came to pick me up at the house. We met my dad for the first time, but I hadn't really. This is where it gets good. Dad was a pastor. It's like that, you know you don't you know, girls when you're going out there looking for a guy. How many of you PK is like, yeah, my dad's a pastor? No. That's not what you lead with? No. Ah. So I just accidentally forgot to tell him. My dad was a pastor until just

recently air quotes. Yeah, yeah. Alright, so Craig, what were you thinking at this time?

Well, I mean, let me Yeah, yeah. So we

become a metal back up into that.

Yeah, you know, I grew up in South Africa. And it's a, you know, we were introduced to God consciousness, I want to say God consciousness in, in a lot of what we did, you know, there was, you know, scripture reading and prayer in schools. You know, Monday's was a time of worship, that would be a service kind of thing with somebody would say something biblical, and in public school, you know, public school. So you know, we were kind of we learned of God and the Bible, but nobody ever took it the next level where, you know, that's the difference between just being godly and then going to be God in a knowing Jesus. And so for me, I mean, I grew up in that kind of environment, but it didn't mean much, you know, Bibles, like just another textbook or history book that you kind of read kind of thing with cool stories and miraculous things happening within it. And, and so I grew up in an environment tribe, that scouts to also try and feel good and kind of, you know, make something on my life and went through high school and just everything didn't seem right. So I found a way to make myself handle life. And that was music. So what would happen is, I mean, if I had a really bad day, and I just was feeling down welding, you know, what, I played music and music could lift up my spirits. And so the best music for that was, well, heavy metal. Okay. And I'll never forget, yeah, my first album was Iron Maiden. And so I got my first Iron Maiden and it kind of worked for me. And then the problem was, you'd listen to all these musics, especially, you know, a lot of heavy metal was so high up and intense. But then if you have a, you know, if you go clubbing and you're, you know, hyped up, what do you do, so you'd listen to another music, and you know, you calm yourself down. And that was my life, really, after it through high school and going out of high school. And so it's like music was a drug, it was a drug. It was my god, let's put it where it said, music became my God. And so that's how it was. And of course, we went to a store that same with you know, for you as I needed it. I was going to college. So I needed gas to get to college with my car. I was actually, my mom and I was sharing a car. So I was at Hoff have ownership of it. So but I had to pay my way. So that's, that's one thing. So smokes, and petrol money was what I needed. So I got this job. And of course, that was all I was going to try and do. I was just trying to get through that. And of course, I met her one Saturday afternoon. And the funny thing was, she was what they call the start, you're starting off. And so she was under another waiter, and they were doing their thing. And I don't know, he was, I think he was trying to be smart. And he was trying to act like a middle head. And he really wasn't, and I just couldn't handle that. Because, you know, maybe it was the prophet, the black white thing. 15 and kind of

a black and white. You mean, right, right?

Wrong. You know, you're not it? No, no, no, no. So it was that, you know, you either you either are a middle head and you talk about middle, you're not a middle head, don't talk about middle. So you know, that was kind of the thing. And he was trying to give it all this advice and trying to tell us something, and it was like, absolutely wrong. So I just stepped in there and kind of gave my little two cents worth and get it. But through that we kind of got this relationship going and how it turned out, we hang out in the same group, because misfits and middle heads. And we went to clubbing a few times, and at the time, actually, and this is what she left out was I was going out with another girl at the time. And even though I wasn't Christian, I wanted to have dignity in you know, dating girls, you know, I'd seen the scene and I've seen how many people got hurt in the scene of short, you know, four or five girlfriends and sleeping around. And I really tried not to fall into that because I wanted to just keep some kind of moral, you know, dignity, but it just didn't work out. So even she I was attracted to I really wanted to go out with you. But I was going out with another girl and I thought, you know, a little bit I know, just to fast forward. She was the cheating on me. I was so naive and ignorant. I didn't know that she did. And there was this whole thing going on. And one night I found out and I was just down and out. And it was like, Okay, what the heck is going on? You know, so one night Colette actually approached me. We're in the middle of weight to being in you know, being waiters. And she said to me, Listen, I really liked Thank you, I know you're like me. Do you want to make something of this? You know, do you want to start going up, but it's got to be serious. And I must admit, I was just crying out to anything and saying, Lord, you know, just saying, Listen, I really want something serious. I don't want this missing around thing. And so there's an answer to a prayer. Little did I know what that was at the time. But, and so we started going up fosse forward, we start going out, and that's where, you know, we're going to meet the father and I'm gonna be at my base behavior. I've got a Metallica jump out of the fire t shirt, which if everybody knows about it, it's the demon coming out of hell. Okay, you know, so, I've got this. Yeah, I got my long hair down to off way down my back. Okay, I've got black, what we called stovepipe jeans at the time. So those are as tight as you can get them, you know, they 80s 90s You know, as tight as you could get them. That was cool.

So you're creating a picture that is very different from what I'm seeing right now.

This is what I'm, this is what this is where I was at the time. I've got Doc Martens, 12 ups with a hand grenade pin and a bullet shell hanging off the back. Okay, so this is I'm going to club afterwards. So this is I'm at my best, you know, I've got my image on. And so we walking through the door, her father was barbecuing in the backyard. And as we walk through the sliding door, she leans over to me quietly, this is the way my dad is a pastor. So,

how long have you guys been together this?

Long but a month, so

enough that could have come up in conversation?

You see what I'm saying? Anyway, so yes. So I walk through the sliding door knowing that she's just dropped this bombshell on me. And you're I am the epitome of everything that a pasta hates and doesn't want near his daughter. So I'm like, great, here I go. So Well, it worked out. Well, here. He let me carry on seeing her. So something must happen though. The Holy Ghost said something in motion, which later he did. Yes. Fast forward a little bit longer. And we went to visit one night. And I don't know if it was her father's planning or the Holy Spirit. But we split up and she went with her stepmom at the time to go and make a supper. And I was sitting talking to a dad and he pulled out his guitar. And he started he wanted to play some of the songs. And I'm like, Well, you know, I mean to Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, all these cool groups. I'll humor you know, play a few songs. That's fine, you know. And as he started to play, there was something about that music that was completely different to anything I'd ever heard. And I realized that he had something that I had been crying out for the whole time and why I've got into metal. And that was I wanted to have somebody hear me, you know, I've said it. So often. It's like when you're not saved. It's like, there's this blackness around you, and that you cry out. And just nobody listens. Nobody hears you, you know, you. You see, it's like you're standing in the middle of this busy party, and everybody's having fun, and you screaming out for help. And everybody just carries on doing what they're doing. And you just never get that help. You know, you go to bed at night. And after going clubbing and keeping myself you know, energized and what have you, you go to bed, you climb into bed and it's pitch black, and there's just nothing there. It's you know, you reach out and nothing reaches back. And that that just that continual feeling of that was just overwhelming. And when you played these songs for the first time, I felt something different in those songs. I mean, they weren't professional Wow, or anything. But he had a conversation with this guy, Jesus that I've read so much about in the Bible, but for the first time this Jesus was real. He spoke about Jesus and his relationship with Jesus and, and he had words that Jesus spoke back to him and there was a something there that I've been seeking. And it's like, God used my need for music to reach him. And it was so beautiful, because that night is when I actually gave my heart to the Lord. And, okay, her father was very intense. So he got me saved, told me I was a prophet, married us in the Spirit, and then told us we would have an international ministry and that our children would go with us. Same night, same night, and prayed for me for tongues, which didn't happen that night a few nights later, but for diverse tongue so that will happen on the first night.

Do you understand me now?

I can see why you want to run far away. That is possible. Oh my gosh, you get this guy that is the complete opposite of everything that you've grown up to say that this is what Colette should have. And then you bring him home thinking I'm good. You know, I'm gonna show I'm this. I'm this rebel and then your dad gets some sales and prophesies over him. Yeah, what's going on with you at this point?

I was mad. Yeah. I was like Jesus, you would not did not have this conversation. You didn't even warn me. You didn't even let me know rug battling here. What was not clear to you? Oh my gosh. And it's like, you know, God has always pursued me. You know, the Scripture says that I quote you from your mother's womb. Yeah. And I think in that moment, and the moments that followed, I really got what that meant. He picked me out, he chose me before I chose him. And that's why I love him so very much. You see, if you're looking for the heart of the Prophet, that's it right there. God finds us in our emptiness in our loneliness, and our brokenness, and he pursues us in that brokenness. And even though I grew up knowing him, he still pursued me, in a way he didn't pursue my father, in a way he didn't pursue the rest of my family. And it took me a while to get that I was chosen. Yeah, that he hand picked me. You know, I'm sure you can relate, you know, growing up in a Christian home, you, you had those thoughts are, am I just here because of my mom, or my dad, or my grandparents? You know, am I just standing on this pulpit or on the worship band just was because I was raised to be that, and it's kind of like, I felt almost like an excuse, you know, like, well, it's my parents thing. But in that moment, I started to realize that he was a lover of my soul. And he was pursuing me. And actually, it took Craig, to pull me back. Yeah, into that connection with the Lord. And that is actually continued to be the foundation of the ministry that we now have together. Yeah. are bringing others into that reality and that intimacy with Christ, man? Yeah,

I want to talk about that in just a second. But I kind of want to use something that you just said, as a segue to kind of explain what the prophetic is. Because there's a lot of misunderstandings of that. And I think, Craig, the experience that you had, where you just got saved, you get a prophetic word over you. And that same night, there was a couple other things that happen there, you as a brand new saved person had no clue what was going on. I think you're the perfect person to explain what the prophetic is for somebody that doesn't know what's going on. So can you tell us about that experience? And then we can kind of go into what God has called you guys into and how you guys came to Mexico and all this crazy stuff. But yeah, Craig, can you can you answer that?

You know, if I was to say it, I'm getting? Yeah, I mean, that night, I gave my heart to the Lord and told all this stuff. I mean, I didn't know what prophecy was, I didn't know speaking in tongues, I didn't know it gives you the spirit. You know, there was nothing on my radar that I didn't know. But if I was to say what really a prophet is, is the heart that defines the prophet, and that is a heart to belong a heart to help others who are hurt, who are battling to find their place, you know, the prophet is that he's there to facilitate in to help bring the body of Christ bring those on the outside into a fold, where they can find the place and know that they're called of God and that Jesus loves them. You know, that's the thing. It's like, for me, from that moment, even I didn't know up until then I was seeking a face to face relationship with Jesus. That was, and I think that's in everybody's nature, it per se at one point or another, it one. Desire, you know, is a face to face relationship with the Lord, we want to know our creative, we want to know that he speaks to us. And then, you know, we can speak to him, and he's gonna answer us and, and that really is, I'd say, the core of what a prophet is a face to face relationship with the Lord, and everybody wants to have that relationship. Yeah, you know, and that's where I see so often, those that are trying to be prophets failing, because they're looking at prophesying and getting revelations. And it's like, when you have the right heart, everything else then comes alongside it and adds to it and just immobilizes empowers you to become better at it. Yeah.

So but whenever that happened to you, when this was totally brand new, that had to be something was just blowing your mind. Oh, yeah. And I kind of want to help people with this thing that they, they don't understand the prophetic. And it's it's something that confuses a lot of people, especially if you've never experienced it, if you've never had somebody give you a prophetic Word or Word of knowledge or a word of understanding word of wisdom. You know, there's so many different ways that you can express the prophetic Yes. And it's for people that don't know, for because you didn't know what that was ahead of time. And Colette, you did you know that you know exactly what was happening. But he didn't. So, what did that feel like for somebody that had no context? Just to help us kind of understand that context, you know,

I was burdened. I'm not gonna lie, I was freaked out because, I mean, I didn't know what prophecy was. I'm not prophetic, you know, and to be told that I was that and I didn't even you know, I didn't even know what a good Christian was. So you put onto this burden that you got to now start to perform at this higher level, because you know, to be a prophet, that means there is some kind of level, you've gone up levels, you're not just a Christian, if you've been called a prophet that's like, you know, there's a manager or, you know, in a business, you're not just cleaning the floors anymore, you've got some kind of clouds, and you need to now uphold this image. And I think for me, personally, it was quite a burden to carry at the beginning, by His grace, and that is that I did have, you know, her father and Colette and others around me, that really helped me to understand it, and to to flow better in it. So I didn't have it as bad as some prophets out there that when they get this calling on them, and that they're kind of just out there and wondering what they need to do, and they start reaching out everywhere and grabbing everything, and put trying to use it and trying to find the feeding in it. It's like, that, in itself helped me a lot. And that's what I really want prophets, young prophets out there, it's like, don't try and just grab out there, get your understanding of Jesus at face to face relationships, start working on that first, before even trying to think of being a prophet work on that, you know, I was taught journaling, you know, journaling, as we do it is, you know, you ask the Lord a question, and you just sit and now the words to start bubbling out in your spirit, and you write them down. And I could do that, too. They taught me that very quickly. And because of that, I started to get that revelation, I started getting a understanding of Jesus talking, and I could ask a question, and he could talk back, I had those, you know, I had these giants around me. So I can go to the and say, Hey, listen, Is this good or bad is this just my voice is this the devil speaking what is going on? And through that, I could get that knowledge of it. And from there, I could make baby steps to eventually prophesying in, in in small group, and getting revelations and you know, and working myself up to where I was in profit in office, and in my view, so

that's, that's really cool. So I want to, we're gonna come back to the journaling thing a little bit later. And I want to encourage people that are listening, that by the end of this, you're going to actually journal in what God is saying, and you're going to write down, we're going to spend some time with the Lord. And you're going to write that down. And then we're going to go over some steps a little bit later about how you can hear the voice of the Lord. And that's going to be your homework. As you guys were doing this, this podcast episode, because I don't want you to just listen to this for entertainment purposes. This is a podcast that will help you change your life. Yes, because we're looking for Cragin Colette's along the way moments, and there's been a few of them here. We're going to get to those those questions a little bit later. But you know, Colette as this was happening, for Craig, your rebellion is kind of getting turned around. How did you finally just say, Okay, God, have your way with me.

Craig was actually the catalyst. Yeah. I was in the worship band from the age of 11. I was the drummer. And we were all very musical, my whole family's musical. So it was only a matter of time, I guess. And so through the whole rebellion through the, what I've gone through in church, I've been burned a bit. Some rejection. I'm a prophetic child. All the prophetic children out there. Yes. It's normal to experience tons of rejection. Yeah, it's part of our process, but I didn't understand it at the time. So I just put everything God everything, church, everything, worship, that's just bad. And I put the drum sticks away. And that's kind of like, when I shut that door, you know, because that was my expression. playing drums was my expression, not just our worship, but by connection to Jesus. That's how we experienced him the most. And so when I put that away, it's like a shutter door, you know, and I was like, No, I can't go back there. It hurts too much. And so when Craig got saved, and he was all on fire, he found out I, well, was the drummer. My dad still had the drum set at his house. And he said, Oh, cool. Come on play for me. I mean, he's the middle. And of course he wants his girlfriend plays the drums. He thinks play I don't think so. Yeah, he's no, no, come on, play for me outside. No. And then he said, No, really pregnant. And then I'm like, this was our first fight. I said, No, I'm not gonna play and then it was on. Then it was on because then it was a battle of wills. I shouldn't know. Back then. He was more stubborn than me. You know what he did? Do you know what he did to me people? He made me up, flung me over his shoulder and planted me behind that drum set, put the sticks in my hand and you said, now play.

You guys did get married after that. Yeah.

It was like in that moment, I remember just sitting there. And I, I knew what God was doing. I knew what God was doing. I don't think Craig really got the fullness of of what that meant for me. I shut that toe. And I held those drumsticks and I was like I had a choice to make I was gonna walk away for this forever, was gonna open that door again. And so I took a deep breath, and I played angry for a little while. But I played, and I began to play and that door, I opened that door once again. And in that moment, Jesus was there in all his fullness. I felt his presence, I felt his hand on my shoulder. And it's like, all the things that were dated me had become dead in me suddenly came back to life in instant. Wow. I mean, I've been flowing in the gifts of the Spirit from a very young age prophesying, took me longer to speak in tongues, but everything was there. And in that moment, it all just came up, all at the same time. And with it, I started to discover my own identity. And my own walk was Christ. That's what opened the door. And so craving has always kind of be that catalyst.

So his his stubbornness matches yours. And then you get that sweet face. iron sharpens iron, and oh, my goodness, sparks will fly when iron sharpens iron for sure. Oh, yes. Yeah. So you guys got married? How long after that? Did you guys get married? And then tell me about the Mexico thing.

It was actually it was about a year and we were engaged for about a year. Yep. We got married. Within two years. We had two kids. It was like, boom, boom, everything moved very, very quickly. My dad in the meantime had gone ahead. His brother was actually a banker, any my dad a programmer by trade? He threw my dad out. To program he system for him.

Okay, computer program. Yeah. Okay, exactly. So pastor and a computer. Very great, very methodical, very

strong teacher very, very intelligent. Yes, exactly. So. So but when he was there, he knew God was sending him there for ministry. He knew it wasn't just a business opportunity. And at the time he was in Mexico. Things weren't going so well with the business side, and it was starting to fold. And he had started this mailing list online, you must realize this is 9798. Okay. He's, I mean, almost. Yeah, he started a mailing list. And he said to Craig, and I said, you know, when you guys come over, God's gonna do something here. God's gonna do something here. So we flew over to Mexico with my then one and two year old daughters. And we'd been barely married two years, and we went into full time ministry. That's where it all began with daily prophetic word mailing list. Wow. And a hope and a dream that God was going to come through.

So an email list or a physical mailing list, no.

Email List. Wow, people, I think we started with five. But hey, back then those were rare. Yeah, we conduct in the 1000s. Very, very quickly, because there was no daily prophetic word mailing list in 1997.

Yeah. So what jobs or what life did you give up in South Africa to move to Mexico?

Well, my at the time, of course, I was pregnant. So it was all with number three, no, no, no. Those two years, I mean, I had the little ones I was yeah, I wasn't doing anything. Craig was trying to find whatever jobs he could. It was a time of recession. And just at the time, and it'd been a struggle because my dad had left. We hit hard times. There was a major recession in the country, Craig couldn't find a job. We ended up living with these parents for a while. I live with my mother in law. Train, it's another episode. So he was really battling to get a job. And we were praying, praying, praying, and then my father invites us and says, Come, it's time. You know, would you like to come over at that time, this incredible business opportunity opens up in praying for but for us, we've been praying for a breakthrough in finances. We've been praying for a miracle. This this gentleman comes to Craig offers him an incredible job it would enable us to buy our own house would have a company car from going from having to live with his parents to being set. That was the choice at the same time, the call to go to Mexico, where there was no certainty, we weren't sure we could get the financial support. We don't even know how we're going to take care of our kids. These were our two options.

Yeah. So let's see pros and cons list. You know, good job, or no physical hope and future but you think this is what God's calling you. So yeah, pros and cons list. Yeah. can still go with what God leads you. Choice at the end of the day? Exactly. Yep.

It wasn't a choice. We didn't even need to talk. We just looked at each other. We both knew this was what God wanted. There was no debate. No, there was no heavy deep discussion. Yeah, it was like we go with the way God wants us to go. We pay the price of this call. We didn't actually consider it a price. You know, When you when you finding the leading of the Lord, I don't know about you guys, but it's like you don't only afterwards you're like, you know, I think we paid a price. Yeah. Wow, we should have thought that through a little bit. Choice. Passionate

Yeah. But God uses that passionate and it's kind of like it's easier to steer a moving vehicle than it is one that is just sitting in a parked exam. So God took your passion and just willingness to go to Mexico. Did you speak Spanish before? No, I

didn't even know what a nacho was people. I'm not even kidding. You used to call them NATO's

name chosen and

jalapeno. I didn't know Mexican food. I didn't know the language. I know nothing.

Nothing. So in 97 You guys packed up your two little kids and everything else that you owned, and you moved to Mexico with your dad. What happens next?

Well, we started that ministry. And the businessman that had been supporting us was not so supportive did not like this idea. We were falling this route so dumped us completely. We couldn't fly back. We didn't know the language and our visas were we could stay in the country. But we couldn't work. They weren't work visas are more like volunteer visas. Okay. So we're like, okay, we can't fly home. We don't have some church here to support us. Nothing. So we walk in the beach because we're actually on the beach of Rosarito. It's just south of the San Diego, we're walking walking the beach and I said, you know, we've been learning a lot about the prophetic because we had gotten been really downloading so much about the prophetic and our process at the time. I said, Well, why don't I take my dad's teachings, I can put them together in some courses. And we could just start an online public school. The only thing we've got to our names is a video camera and an internet connection. Anyway, let's use what we got.

And that's probably dial up internet connection. Yeah, and Oh, lovely sound. Yeah, that's the one.

That's the one No, that's so that's what we did. Online prophetic school. We launched our first online prophetic school in February of 99. Wow. Everybody thought we were heretics.

Oh, yeah. Well, yeah, heretics, and crazy. And there's how people gonna find you. This was pre Google. This was this was before things were out there. And everybody had a ministry website. You guys were really cutting edge. How did people find you? What how did this how did this work?

It was like this. We spend anywhere from four to six hours a day in praise and worship. Yes. That's what Yep. Every day, okay, because we had no food. And at times, no electricity. Yeah. So we did what Prophets do. We prayed, and we worshiped. And the Lord literally drew people to that little geo cities website. Wow. That would literally stumble across it by accident. Wow, people would have dreams. I mean, I've had it with somebody said, I saw this strange white lady. And I dreamed about and the Lord said, You need to go find her. She's your new mentor in the prophetic. Some people literally will give my name and the Lord say type that in? Wow, yeah. We got our breakthroughs. By praying by prayer and intercession. And mostly by worship, we would literally worship hours and hours and hours every single day. That's how people found us. Yeah,

that's amazing. Because if you would take that business plan to a bank to get a loan to start a business, you would get laughed out. But thank God, we're we go from a different banking system with the kingdom of God. Amen. And he owns the cattle on 1000 hills. And so and he

drew them to us. He brought he brought these people to us, that just had such a passion. And yeah, $20 here,$50. Here, they just started giving at that stage, we didn't charge for anything. Wow. Because we're prophets. You know, don't call yourself a prophet. You don't charge for anything. You know, really, you've received freely give, even though your children are starving God provided and you know, something he did. He really brought people from all over the world to the point where we had our first workshop in Mexico. They flew in from Russia, from Switzerland, from Germany, and from all over the United States to come and meet with us. Yeah. This tiny little Rosarito in the middle of nowhere. I mean, that's God, you can't make that stuff up.

So what were you feeling whenever like, as people were about to come for this thing? You're like, Is this really happening? Are people actually doing this? They're coming to learn here.

Yeah, absolutely. It was. It was just like, Lord, how did we get if I if I knew this before we left South Africa, I would have called you a liar. Yeah, I mean, somebody said, Hey, you're gonna go to a little place called Rosarito, and people are gonna bring Russians to you. I'd be like Yeah, serious legit. Yeah. And then and then there's the Swiss this is whole Swiss connection, you're gonna go to Switzerland? Are you like, Do you know how far Africa is from the rest of the world? You guys Southern Africa?

Yeah, yeah, that's, that's amazing. I mean, I'm glad that God doesn't tell us everything. Because he gives us bite sized pieces. Because that's how you eat an elephant one bite at a time. If you try to eat the whole film, the end of the elephant will kill you. So the same thing with the plans that God has for us. So as frustrating as it can be, to not see the whole picture, we just have to trust God as the artist is putting it all together. So you went from having these having the seminar to now having a school I mean, we're let's fast forward a few years and kind of tell the rest of the story. Because right now, you guys are here in Orlando, and we get to actually be together in person, but your what my interaction with you guys has been through, you guys are also podcasters on our network. And you've got a team that's in South Africa. You've got a team in Mexico, you've got it. Like everybody's joining in on these zooms seminars to learn about how to how to do the ministry in the podcast better. How did God bring all these people to you? Because right now, I mean, I'm only talking with Craig and Colette but in the room here is Nathan and Dalton and Michael and they're kind of they're your team podcasts for your podcast. So how did this thing grow from just the family thing to now you've got a team of people that a team of next gen prophets.

Well, for some of them, the Lord sent us out, he spent a lot of time in Europe. That's where we certainly connected with Denise. And as God sent us out, it's like he was very strategic in where he sent us and we ended up bumping into these stragglers along the way you sent us all the way back to South Africa 17 years later, and took us to this little church in the bluff Durban again in a little you know, what good can come out of Nazareth? What good could come out of the bluff, Durbin? We walked into this meeting. And there were it was this little church having a meeting in a school hole at the back of that hole? Was this young man check it out my daughter? Uh huh. He was doing the camera work for us. And that's where we were picked up, Michael. Yeah. And that's just very typical of what God did with us in those earlier years. He would just send us to these random places, we'd end up taking what we thought was that detour and but there would be there. But there were others that the Lord literally dropped at our doorstep. As we started being more involved in the States, the Lord started having a set up ministry centers. The first one. I'm in Valley Center in just outside of San Diego, and Trifa. That was when I first came along, for the first time tried to bury No, she's tried to bury now. She came to one of our workshops and she said, You know, God tells me that I need to stay. Two weeks later, she was back and she moved in with us and she stayed now fast forward a little bit. Another workshop this time we're in discounsel, California. And here comes Mr. Nathan Berry, Mr. Loud, Mr. Proud all the way from the Midwest hugger. He's a hugger. And yeah, he's got the biggest smile. He's got so much attitude. Again, he you know, the Lord started bringing them to us. He came to us. He didn't leave. Yeah, no, he they just that happens. I mean Doulton same thing we went to phrase No, we just got a little phrase no who even heard phrase No. Yeah. Two sons in praise. No. Handle. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like, they were very strategic places. God either literally dropped them at our doorstep. And also ended up coming to visit and came because a friend. And she just didn't leave. And it was like God made these connections in our podcast with Dr. Greene and said, You know, it's just kind of our grace. I wish I could tell you what the formula is. Right? Right. But it is the grace that we walk in. We are the parents to the prophets, and God will literally just connect us to them, or them to us in one way or the other. They just kind of gather we go

so God has grit gathered people to you to do what tell me about what you how you train people, because you have a vision and a goal for this next gen prophets team. Because it is not just about training people to give nice and nice words in different areas and make people feel good. There is more to being a prophet than then what you would normally think a man so let's talk about that.

Yeah, mission is to accelerate the process that the Prophet goes through. Because until the prophet has been processed in the church, they are not the vessels that God needs to contain the anointing that's gonna bring the change in this in times move. We've got the evangelists that are equipped and going out there, but the prophets have a job to do as well. And Craig said, it's so beautifully. Profit. It's it's your responsibility. To help God's people find a place to function within the body, and then to equip them to do it. And that involves a lot more than prophecy, but it is going to involve getting a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom, what place do they belong in, and to bring them into that face to face relationship with Jesus, so that they can continue to flourish in that place. Now, you can't be so full of your own fear and your own wants and desires. If you want to be a prophet, because your eyes have to be on others, to see where they belong in the church. This is the function of the prophetic ministry, and it's not being taught in the church. You know, when you say the prophets are there, people think, Oh, great, we're going to get prophetic words. No, prophets should be helping God's people find their place in the body. And then moving on to giving them a face to face RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS prophet should be teaching the church to hear God for themselves. The church should not be dependent on the prophet for the Word of God, amen. But prophets on teaching that, yeah. And so that's what our places is to mobilize this prophetic army that God is raising up in the same time,

you know, if I could just jump in those for me, what I've realized with so many prophets have failed to make the mark or to be in the position, they need to be in the churches, because they're not the right character. You know, you can have a person with great talent, great skill and what have you. But if their characters abrasive, if their character is not great, they going to get rejection, they're going to not get the doors open that they need to. And you know, for us, we've seen that having been prophets ourselves, and having not been the right characters and, you know, stepped into this environment and you gave your heart out, but because your character was wrong, it was taken in a wrong way. And that and that rebuff, and that rejection that comes upon you, it's it's demoralizing. You know, as a prophet, you're trying to give the you stepping out in fear anyway, because you're speaking for God, you know, you're not speaking for God, you're speaking your own will and your own. And that's terrifying enough, but then to speak for God and have that rejection come upon you, it's even worse, and it kind of causes so many prophets to mute their their prophetic voice, and to not be the prophets, they're called to be because of that fear of, you know, rejection. And we realize that a lot of it is just because of character. You know, it's the character of the prophet that we really, in our schools try to encourage, and try to bring out the best of, so that when they come into the church, that characteristic of a prophet that is going to be successful, that is going to speak for God that is going to speak with authority and anointing comes up before the other wrist. And if we can get that right, we bring to the body of Christ, mighty men and woman, like David head, and look what happened. I mean, look at the change that they could do in just a little time, to the point where their names have been put in the Bible. Yeah, you know, and that's what we really want to see. We want to see the prophets just have the place of honor in the body, because if they're in that place of honor, they're going to be facilitating and helping the rest of the fivefold be the mighty men and women of God that they need to be and through that, the whole body is uplifted. And we will see the change that the Lord is trying to do.

Amen. Yeah, amen. You said about the mighty men, and that makes me think of David's mighty men. And you know, David was a was a king, but he was also a prophet. I mean, all throughout the Psalms, there's prophecy woven through that. And so it's interesting that as you're talking about this, and it's leading to mighty men, and you read about who they are, they were in charge of different groups of other lawyers. And they were, they were put in positions of authority. But it was David who was doing that. So as you guys are explaining this, that's what that's what's going through my brain right now. I'm seeing that because David had that prophetic, leading from the Lord, with the right guys in the right place so that they could accomplish the vision that God had in Spa. That's super cool. And they

will all specialists, you know, yeah. All specialists in their own right. And every profit is they each have their own mandate, but they just don't realize that one is, one can kill a beer and alone with his bare hands. Oh, another one is got the sword in his left hand. Each one is a warrior in their own right. It's our job as a spiritual parents and as those apostles to profit, see what they mandate is what that that weapon of warfare that God has given them specifically is so we can teach them to use it with the right character, to do their job in the church.

I mean, tell me about character real quick. I mean, this is something we could spend a lot of time talking about. Yes, but how important is character and what character do the people need to have to in order to actually function as a prophet?

You see, Prophets feel a lot. Yeah. Now, if you meet a prophet, you will recognize that they might even wear their heart on the sleeve a lot. Let me give you see if I can give you a case scenario. A prophet will walk into a church With hundreds of people, and he will feel all the pain in that church, he will feel the hunger of the people's hearts, He will feel the demonic bondages he will feel the conflicts. Now consider how somebody who doesn't know that that's what they're sensing. Consider how that person would behave. Wow. Okay. You don't know that. That's what you're picking up now for prophets, who are early on and don't have the character, they don't get what they're sensing. The Spirit of God comes upon them. And they start feeling all this stuff. They're feeling angry. They're feeling hurt. They're feeling dejected. And they don't know why. And they don't know what to do with it. So when they finally do open their mouths, they're not speaking with a whole lot of wisdom. When they see something that is wrong, it's not so much that they see something that is wrong in the church, they feel it. And when they open their beautiful, beautiful big mouths to express what they feel. If it's not, if they don't have the character that understands the grace that they're walking in, it comes out pushy. Yeah, it comes out rebellious, it comes out sounding angry sometimes. And it's especially rebellious. And and for pastors who don't understand the prophetic grace. They're like, What is the matter with you? Why can't you calm down? Why do you have to be so dramatic? Why is everything going to be so intense with you all the time? And the prophet is so used to rejection because they don't get but doesn't everybody else? See it? Doesn't everybody else? Feel it? No prophet? Nobody else does. And that's why we need that character training to be able to discern the difference between what is demonic? What is the Spirit of God, and what is the heart of man's. And as we do teach prophets to discern the difference. They they start walking in a character of confidence of knowing when to speak, and how to speak to bring change in the church. Wow. So a lot of that character, I would say, is enveloped in wisdom. They have to learn to flow in wisdom, and to nurture the gifts God's given them, but to express them in a way that people are able to receive them.

Amen. And that's why you guys spend so much time in your schools? About character?

Yes, absolutely. Teaching prophets helping them understand what they're going through. Yeah.

Yeah. Because I mean, like I said, I love what you said, because for me, in the beginning, it's overwhelming. And, you know, the thing is that, as a prophet, sometimes you, if you saw overwhelmed with all of this, sometimes you even think it's the Lord manage, you know, you can take it, you know, you got two ways you got either, you know, people go overboard, and they'll, and they'll go and start attacking every pastor and doing this. And that, because they feel that they feel the wrong, they feel the heart of Jesus and the grieving, or they think that the Lord is mad with them. So then they go on this whole thing and trying to figure out how to please the Lord and how to work on that. And it just causes so much trouble, you know, and it's like, but if we can just get them right, right at the beginning, you know, that's why for us, it's like, if we can get a profit right at the beginning, and we can just get them on the on the road and say, Listen, you know, Colette wrote a book, I'm not crazy, I'm a prophet. And we eventually we eventually, because it was such a important book, we've got it free on our website. So it's like, you know, please just take this because you're not crazy. You're just a prophet, read this book, and you will know that you're not bipolar, you just a prophet. And it's like, that's because that's our heart when we were on this track. You know, it was you sometimes feel like you're bipolar, because you're feeling so much. And you, you know, like, if we could just get them on the right track right at the beginning. You see the potential and you see that anointing rise up in them so quickly, you know, and that's the thing, just that first little step we say, you know, we tell people, the calling is progressive. You're not, we're not asking you to stand and prophesied to Kings. Just start progressive and start with your little baby steps. And each little baby step will lead you to the point where God needs you to be in the higher rankings that you're going to

get. Amen. Amen. The calling is progressive, and we can take baby steps to get to the goal. Yep. And we can take baby steps in our walk with the Lord. And he's just glad that we're moving forward with him. But there's times in our lives where we don't realize that he's actually walking with us. You know, that's what this this whole theme of this podcast is about how Jesus has been walking with us, but we just don't realize it. And like the road to Emmaus, this disciples were walking with Jesus but had no clue that it was him until they sat down at the table. Jesus blesses the food breaks the bread, and then their eyes are opened and poof, he's gone. And they turn to each other and Luke 2432 and say, Why aren't our hearts burning within us along the way as he was revealing the Scriptures to us. So I want to hear from you guys. What is the moment that you look back at now that you realize that Jesus was walking with you but it didn't feel like it then and how can We learned from that moving forward.

I think it was certainly for me when I was working in that steakhouse thinking that I just have my whole life together. And I was going to be in control, and I was going to decide how I was gonna go. And I'd put Jesus on the shelf. And I really thought that I'd been successful in that. And yet he was walking with me through every one of those hallways to every table, he was nudging me in one direction or another. When I looked back, he knew exactly what I needed to get his message across in that day, when I had to sit down on those drums, and go back there and open that door. It was like that experience with the disciples when suddenly, aha moment. Aha. So that's what you've been up to this entire time. And I can only look back at these pivotal moments in my life, and say, Whoa, had God not revealed himself to me in that moment, if he had not walked that through with me, what other path would I have chosen? Where would I be? You know what I love about that? That illustration is that Jesus met up with them. They didn't have to go seeking Him. He showed up on their journey. And God showed up on my journey. Even when I decided to walk myself where I wanted to go, he came in with me on my road and walk with me until the time was right for my eyes to be opened. Amen.

I think mine would have to be the day I realized that my own aspirations for my my life, my future, were not going to come to pass, you know, I'd gone to technical high school, I was wanting to become an architect. My dad was a draftsman and I loved the technical drawing side, and I thought, but what better gift to give somebody then to design a house that a family would live in, and that kind of thing. So for me, that was my desire to, to draft houses and be that, and I'll never forget, I left high school, joined college, and oh, boy, within a short time, my folks didn't have the finances. They thought I wasn't serious enough. So they just, I got, I got a knock on the door, one, one day in the classroom, and one of the heads called me out and said, Listen, you know, you guys haven't paid. So you know, you've got a choice, call your parents, they need to make a payment, or I'm going to have to ask you to take your books and pack up and leave. And so called home and I said, Listen, guys, I've got this, you know, the guys calling me telling me this kind of stuff, what's going on? You know, you know, Can Can we swap this out. And my parents just flat out said, Sorry, we don't have the money. And we're not prepared to give you the money. So you can just imagine me with all my aspirations and dreams, thinking that this is the like, the, you know, this is the hitting I was going on, because even in high school, I was, I joined the building construction site. So this is my whole dream leading up to five years of dreaming. And right then and there, my parents over the phone just basically said, No, come on home. And it was it was devastating. Because I walked into that room, everybody's looking to see what's going to go on, and I had to pick up all my stuff, and walk out. And I knew that the minute I closed that door, that was it. That wasn't going to be an architect, I wasn't going to do my dream. But you know, in hindsight, I realized God had a different architectural design for me. And that was to be the apostolic and to be prophetic and to, to lead this this next gen Prophet design. And I think the Lord for it, because although it was a crushing blow to my flesh, and to my desires, and my aspirations, you know, had I kept that I don't think I ever would have had the I would never had the courage to make that step to leave South Africa. You know, because it was tough enough. When we left, I left my family behind, I left my aspirations behind, you know, like she said, I got a very good job in the IT industry. I you know, home, and it was like, I really had to make that choice again. But because I had been in that one, and it had been so crushing, because I had Jesus with me, and he was not telling me it was easy to make it. And because of that, I would then be able to make the future ones too.

Wow. So Craig, if you right now, could go back in time in your timeline and visit yourself. Maybe at that time, were you getting called out by the principal getting asked to leave school or another time in your life? And you could give yourself a piece of advice? What's going on in your life at that time? And what would you say

right at that time, I was really trying to find myself and actually that's where it all came about. Because right off to that is where the Lord opened the door for me to start going to spring I met her and that it was like at that pivotal point it was like make the right choices. You know, even though even though you have aspirations and desires that you think you need to go, you know what they are other avenues and they are other roads you can take that are far better, even though you don't know it, you know, my ways are not your ways. And that's the point is if we can trust the Lord and even if we don't know the Lord, He will lead us in those ways. You know, even though I didn't know the Lord, He led me in a process that led me to meet Colette which led me to, to marry her to meet her father to walk into the prophetic to Goddess Mexico. Again, like I said, progressively, I made one step. And because of that one step, it led me to the next milestone to the next step. And here I am today, you know,

so you would just say, It's okay. Yeah. The plan is gonna be okay. Yeah,

you know, tomorrow's another day. And you know what, just get up and focus on what you know, what comes at you and, and what, you know what you can do? Let go the past, don't dwell on the past. And focus on the future focus on what you can do today. And tomorrow, and what really lead you to the future.

Yeah. Colette, what about you, if you could go back in time and visit young Colette? What would you say to yourself and what's going on?

You know what, John? I don't think I would tell everything. That's true. I don't think our tolerance thing, because every mistake I made every failure, every grazed knee, every success has made me the woman that I am today. For me, the leader I am today. And I needed to struggle sometimes for the answers. I needed to not have the shortcut. I would stand there and I would watch her having her pity party and I would smile, saying to myself, girl, you ain't seen nothing yet.

I think you're the first person that is actually said I wouldn't say anything to myself. I needed to go through all that. Yeah. The same to the same extent, I think. Yeah. Well, that's, that's, I can definitely see you saying that. Just giving that giving yourself that like? Oh, my goodness. Yeah, but it's, you're so right, though. Everything that you've gone through has led you to where you are today has made you who you are today and has really enabled you to teach and equip other people so that they too can be part of the call of God on their lives. To help the body of Christ as a whole. Yeah, you said something earlier, and I made mention that this is gonna be your homework for listening to this episode. I know you talked about writing, journaling. Yes. Could you guys explain this homework assignment that I'm now giving to our listeners, because I want you to do this today, before you go to bed that you can hear from God, you can promise you this, you can hear from God. And right now, Craig and Colette are going to give you some easy steps on how you can do this. And what's next after that? All right, so

you're paying attention here. Good. I want you to grab yourself a pen and paper, or I want you to get your computer for those of you that are driving, you can probably use your phone or something to record. In fact, you can

pull over this because if you get if you get if you start resting in the spirit and you're on the floor, that would not be a good safety. Yeah, good.

Okay. So journaling the way we teach it as a conversation with the Lord in writing, every single believer can do it. Yeah. And it starts like this. Begin with a direction. Know what you want to ask God. Okay. You guys have been listening to this podcast. Do you notice how John kept asking us a very specific direction? And a very specific question. Now if I suddenly taken his question and gone off on my own tangent to be a bit rude, we'd be it asked me a question. And, and I just gave him something else. It would also be rude. Don't be rude in your conversation with Jesus. And don't expect that he's just going to dump a word on you know, it's a polite conversation. So come to the Lord was something very specific. Father, what's happening with my finances? Lord, I'm struggling because I'm sick. Father, what should I do about this job? Should I move be be as specific as possible and try and keep it to one thing at a time, especially at the beginning, and pull your heart out really agile? remotion at the drama, get real legit with the Lord. Okay. You know, I find it even helps to just express some of my struggle, like for those of you who are having marital struggles, Lord, I'm really battling with my wife. I'm really battling with my husband. I don't know what to do. And what should I do in the situation? I'm frustrated, I'm angry, I'm better. I don't want to be help. Get real. Then you're gonna stop. Get it all out. And then you're going to stop and you're going to listen. Now some of you, you might feel little words bubbling up from deep inside of you for that others who are more prophetic, you're gonna perhaps see a picture in your head, okay? But I want you just to keep it real still. And then if you see a picture in your head or your feeling words, I want you to write it down. Now, this is very important. When you write those words down, I want you to write them as if the Lord is the one who's doing the speaking, now might feel a bit awkward at first, if you haven't done this before, you might feel like you're lying. It's okay. You will not be sent to Hell, if you miss it. The Lord understands and he knows your heart. So say now have come to the Lord. I've given him my marriage. And as I just am sitting there quietly, I see the storm, I see this picture of the storm in my mind, or maybe I feel a storm inside. And so how do I verbalize that? Let's think about how can we verbalize that together? My child, I know that you are in a storm at the moment, and that you can't see things very clearly. But don't worry, my son will shine once again. And I need you to hold on, I need you to keep fighting until the skies clear. And when they do, you'll see exactly what I did in the darkness. It's that simple. Now, the first time you do it, the first words you write a might feel a bit awkward. And it does help if you have somebody who's been along the way that can hear the voice of the Lord, they can vet it for you. We have a lot of teaching on this on our site. So I'm not going to go too deep. I just want to say, Guys, it's you and Jesus. Go miss up. Can I please give you permission? No, seriously, because came from that holiness movement, I was under such pressure all the time to just always be perfect. And Jesus knows you're messed up, you know, you're messed up. So that sounds for a very good conversation. To me. It sounds like you could get down with Jesus and be like, Okay, how mad, I'm mad, I'm frustrated. Good. Get Real with him. Because the more real you get with him is the more real he's going to get with you. So yeah, share that struggle. And then the first words, or pictures that come up out of your spirit, write it down and keep going until you suddenly feel like the flow stops. You can do that back and forth. And I encourage it, Craig and I teach our students to do this on a daily basis. Have a conversation with Jesus today, you guys,

you know, just to let more experienced ministers in that Blitz, you know, this is a cheat for you too. Because, you know, Colette and I use this sometimes before we go into ministry session where we we've got a person coming in, they've given us a, you know, council session, hey, I've got a problem with this, you know, we can go to the Lord and say, Lord, please, what is the direction you want us to go? What is this? You know, how can we help this person? And you know, sometimes you give us some directions right away. So when we coming into this ministry session, we already have a direction to work with. And as we work with them, and and you know, we start getting more information, we know how to direct that ministry, time to help them you know, we do this when we going to Minister You know, sermon, sermon, podcasting, whatever, we'll say, Okay, Lord, what do you want, we got the subject that we want to talk about. We know the people need to talk about what give us some notes, give us your emphasis on this preach, and you know what he'll give it to us. And then we flesh those out, and we make up ministry, sermon notes, and stuff like that. It's really, it's powerful, guys, if you get this down, it is such a powerful tool to help you in every area of your life. You know, that's the thing.

I love doing this myself, I do it. I try to do it on a regular basis. But I'll just be honest, I don't do it nearly as much as I as I should. And it's so helps me. And so I want to just encourage you, everybody that's listening to take that time, make it a priority. Ask Jesus a simple question. Keep it focused, keep it simple. Then just journal, write down what you feel. God might be saying to you, and it's okay. If you miss it. Yes. Take it to a friend who is more experienced in this and pray through it and then act on whatever God

says to do, man. Yeah, find your most important step. Yeah, cuz it's not

just about hearing something. You got to do something. Why? Yeah, yeah, it's not a for your information. It is God is gonna give you something to do. Yeah. And that will help you accomplish the goal that he's given you. And so I am just so blessed to be with you guys.

You got stuff out of us. I don't think any other host went places you guys got the skinny.

I'm so glad that we actually get to be in person. We get to do this in person. This isn't over zoom or anything like this. These loved ones Amanda, it's so great to be with your team and to just spend some time worshiping with you guys before this interview. And it is just an absolute pleasure to that you've allowed me to join you along your way.

Well, I look forward to the future. Yeah, that's pretty good friendship going. Yes,

I would love a few more of these. Absolutely. Very good. Thanks for having us, John.

I hope that you enjoyed my conversation with Craig and Colette coach, and that you followed the directions that Colette gave to hear God speak to you. That practice is life changing and will help you hear God's voice as you develop that practice. I am so glad for my friendship with the coaches and their next gen profits team. I'll be providing all of their info in the show notes. Thank you for listening to along the way. If you've enjoyed joining me along my way, please share this with a friend who you think will be encouraged by this podcast episode. Also, please rate and review along the way on iTunes that helps more people discover along the way. And subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and through my website along the way dot media. If you want to support me in this podcast, I have a Patreon page the link to become a supporter is also in my show notes. I hope that you've enjoyed this part of my journey, and may you realize when Jesus is walking with you along your way. Along the way is honored to be part of the charisma Podcast Network. You can find tons of spirit filled content from their vast catalogue of podcasts including my Monday through Friday news stories for the charisma news podcast. Go to CPN shows calm to see the full list and latest episodes.