The Puzzle Is Real

Mission Driven Life

• Matt & Melissa Pisani • Season 1 • Episode 48

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Every day  we are called to be on mission for the Gospel. May this FAITH  episode encourage you to be aware  and prepared for the opportunity  to share God's love with someone daily.


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www.mattandemelissapisani.com

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Puzzle is Real podcast where we will be discussing Faith, family, and Relationships hosted by Matt and Melissa Pisani. This is The Puzzle is Real podcast when you know, you know.

Speaker 2:

All right . Here we are. Hey

Speaker 3:

Guys. What's up?

Speaker 2:

We are a traveling family band , baby

Speaker 3:

Beam. Beam beam.

Speaker 2:

We just had the gasoline filled up in the old faith tank and we are ready for the next big move of God. What does that mean? I don't even know what he's talking about. Well, we just got back <laugh> from a 10 day trip and it was really powerful and it mm-hmm . <affirmative> stemmed from a leap of faith we took years ago and we were watching a documentary and it was about a former wrestler, Jake the Snake Roberts, and it was on Netflix and mm-hmm . <affirmative> . We were compelled to write an email to try to partner with him, and we were really inspired by his story. So that was in 2016. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> . And at the end of last year I received an email from his management saying that they wanted to talk to us about doing something with him. So over six and a half years later, we got a response. And that's amazing. 'cause you know, there's times where we've emailed people. I mean, I think we've emailed everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to , um, I don't even know. It's just, it's a long list. So we we're very thorough about letting people know about Clean Slate Living, which is the platform that we've been just using to reach people, to share with people the love of Jesus in different ways, healthy lifestyle programs, all different things. A multitude of different things. So we , um, yeah, we just, we have a few different highlights we wanted to share with you about that trip and how it tied into a greater, greater commission than we thought.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. And I think just to tie in the fact that like, God's timing is perfect, you know, we reached out in 2016 and obviously didn't hear anything back until the end of 2022, because now looking back and looking at what we just did with , um, Jake the Snake Roberts, we wouldn't have been prepared for .

Speaker 2:

We weren't ready

Speaker 3:

At that time. So I think God was just waiting for us to truly be ready and then he was like, okay, now I'm gonna open the floodgates. Yeah. So I guess we'll share what,

Speaker 2:

Well, I had a question for the listener too before we , um, really dumped this on everyone. Have you ever been prepared for something that was like a big opportunity and you went and like crushed it? We had an opportunity like that once and it was to be on national TV with the Nasdaq and that was what, 2017?

Speaker 3:

20 beginning of 2018.

Speaker 2:

So we were just ready to go. We were ready for the opportunity and we went and we were prepared. And we've always said like, wow, you have to be ready for those opportunities. And I think that this was just another reminder of like being prepared for like what God's calling you into. It's not always like big like publicity type moves . Like, oh, I'm gonna be on TV tomorrow. Right . But it's sometimes just whatever that that opportunity is. Like, are you ready to go on that, that next trip to go minister to people in Zimbabwe? Are you ready to go and, you know, support the local soup kitchen, whatever it is that you're calling to do to serve others? Or it could be your job, a vocation. Um, preparation is huge and then obviously it's God's timing. But yes, we, we felt a nudge to move forward with a project that is a video series with Jake the Snake Roberts. And it was so much more that came from that journey that we just went on to Atlanta.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So <laugh>, I don't even know where to start 'cause there's just so much, but, so it was great 'cause Matt's parents , um, flew to Charleston and hung out with us for a few days and I ended up getting sick, which was not great. And I knew that we had to film this. I knew that things were coming up and this tends to happen. It happened before our wedding. I got sick before our wedding. Anyway, so his parents come and they graciously said that they were gonna drive to Atlanta behind us or follow us there, that way they could watch the kids while we shot this film. Um, so they did. And that was incredible. And we just, there's like so many tidbits. So I guess, so one thing that I will say is right before we were about to leave , um, the person who was supposed to film for us backed out and we were kind of put in a little bit of a pickle Oh yeah. And we're like, all right , God, are you telling us not to do this? Are you telling us to do to do this? And , um, Matt's friend Eric, what the week before?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Not far before. Had met someone in Texas who was a film person, was a photographer, like, like fit the whole description of what we would, what we would need. And I was meaning to follow up to find out about this person. And the night that we found out that we didn't have the film people to shoot in Atlanta, I was at a local Walmart and you can't make this up. I literally at that point was still determined that we, I really felt like we were supposed to do it mm-hmm . <affirmative> and I didn't know how, but I just trust that guy was gonna provide someone. And there was this shirt in the kid section of the Walmart , one red shirt. And I was like, man, what is that? And it was a cartoon esque WrestleMania shirt and right in the middle with all the wrestlers was Jake the snake Roberts character. Right. And I , I just knew like, wow, this is just a wink. I really feel like God has confirmed we're supposed to still move forward with this. So the next day we got on a call with Eric. We got on a call with , uh, our now friend Ken, who committed to driving from Texas <laugh> and filming this amazing docuseries and doing of excellence. Um, we had the person, we didn't even know that he was gonna be the guy, but God knew and God knew before we even had any idea that we were gonna need <laugh> to find someone. And

Speaker 3:

What's so cool is like the people that they had that were gonna film for us in Atlanta, we weren't really gonna have tons of editorial control. I think they would've just made certain cuts to,

Speaker 2:

Yeah. It might have looked different than what it might have looked a little different, what we were going after. So this was a huge provision and um, and it just worked. So we, we met in Atlanta the day before the shoot went to go get some dinner and just God started moving right away.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. I feel like when you're aligned with people who are just really in tune with the Holy Spirit, just things happen and we've seen this time and time and time again. And it's not for us to go out and go on mission trips. Right. Like Matt and I always say that we wanna live a mission-driven life. You know, the mission field is at our front door every single

Speaker 2:

Day. Yeah. We're on mission every day,

Speaker 3:

Every day. So we go , it's fun , it's , yeah, it is fun. 'cause God's just amazing and he just <laugh> when you say, okay, he will just open up everything for you. And it's just incredible. So we went to a restaurant first time we got to meet Ken, who was awesome. We brought the kids and got some food, you know, got to know each other a little bit better before the shoot. And , um, we had a waiter that was, you know , living an alternative lifestyle, put it that way. Very nice. Ended up being from New York. So we were talking about New York and just kind of hit it off, but I could tell that he was more comfortable speaking to me than he was to the men. So we finish , we pay the bill, we leave, and then we're all standing outside and we're like, we gotta go back in there. We gotta talk to this guy. And we're like, what do we do? And so Matt and Ken are like, Melissa, you have to do it. And I'm like, me. I'm like, what am I gonna say? You know? And you get fearful. Yeah . 'cause it's like you think you, you know, have to say something, but God will really speak through you when you just ask him to. So we're like, all right , let's, I'll go back in there and give him, you know, a little bit more of a tip and just let God speak through me. And so I went back inside, I had Magnolia on my hip and he sees me from a distance and he's like, oh, did you forget something? And I was like, no, actually I just wanted to talk to you. And he's like me. And he was kind of taken back and I said, listen, I don't even remember exactly what I said, but I just felt like God just showered him with his love. And he ended up crying. And I be , I think a couple things that came out out were , you know, God loves you. He hasn't forgotten you. He sees you and you have a purpose. And if no one's ever told you that, God wants you to know that and Jesus loves you so much. And he started crying. So I said, can I hug you? And he's like, yes. So we just had this warm embrace and I just, I just felt like he needed to hear that from maybe like a mother figure or hear that a father would say that to him as I was just in tune with what the spirit wanted to tell him. And it was just such a beautiful moment. And I'm not saying this to exalt us at all. I'm just saying like , we have so many opportunities throughout the day to show the love of Christ to people, and we pass by them all the time. But when we're truly in tune with the spirit, you see things from the spiritual realm. And Matt and I have been talking about this a lot lately, is like, once you see things from the spiritual, you can't unsee them. Right? Like there's just so much like heaviness that you feel like, oh my gosh, I have to talk to this person. I I want to hug that. Yeah . That person, there's just so much more promptings that happen and you see things so much more deeply than you do when you're just going about your day. So that was just a really cool moment. And from that point on, we just knew God was gonna continue doing really special things throughout the project and our trip and our family and all the new people that we're meeting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. And I would just add too , like just to like sit on the whole being out to eat with a waiter or a waitress. Like don't underestimate when someone is being friendly and sharing with you. It's not them just trying to maybe earn a tip or, you know, kill time. I think that's their unique moments to minister to people that work in that business. Right. And Melissa and I have both been in the food and beverage business before and you know, this, this gentleman was looking for connection and we could have easily overlooked that and dismissed it. And the fact that we were obedient to just love on him and to let him know that he's seen mm-hmm . <affirmative> administered to him. And that's powerful. So I just encourage, it's an uncomf uncomfortable thing to do, but I encourage you , if you can look for those moments when you're out to eat with friends and family, to just minister to the people that are serving you, it'll, it'll blow their mind. And it's a great way to remind them that Jesus loves them. So yeah. That was

Speaker 3:

Great . That was great. And then you can even share a quick story about another way that we just had recently where you asked him at Paige's. Oh ,

Speaker 2:

Right. Yeah. So, and you know, we had a , uh, we were getting brunch somewhere and I dunno why the guy was just , um, it was on my heart and I was gonna ask him if he needed prayer before we were going to eat. And, you know, was that resistance? And I definitely thought it was like a, like, why , why am I not asking him yet? And you know, I dismissed it and I ended up waiting till after we got the bill and I asked him, Hey, like, you know, is there anything I could pray for you for this week? And he just started opening up to us mm-hmm . <affirmative> . And it was, it was awesome. He was really receptive.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. It's just really cool how you don't realize how many people are actually open. Yes.

Speaker 2:

You just have to ask and you just have to ask. You can't be afraid of the rejection. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> or, you know, this was a guy who literally said, I've been trying to, my wife and I have been trying to have a a baby for a while and now we're finally having our baby. It's, it's coming in December, our baby, she's coming and mm-hmm . <affirmative> , it's all happening. And just pray

Speaker 3:

For

Speaker 2:

And just pray for her. Yeah . And , and it was just awesome. So like, you just, you never know how God is gonna use you. So Yeah. That was , that was just a quick little extra for you there that I just thought was important. 'cause a lot of times we dismiss those moments and think, oh, well that's only, only so and so can do that type of stuff. That's their gifting. We're all equipped to do it. And it doesn't have to be perfect and you don't need a lot of words.

Speaker 3:

No, I mean, read the Bible <laugh>. So there's so many stories of people who were not equipped, but God equipped them because they were ready and willing. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So we, we got nudged to go do this project and we got nudged to see our family in Texas sooner than we had planned, which was another part of this mm-hmm. <affirmative> podcast episode. We want to encourage you that if you're feeling a nudge to go , to go and push up a trip and it's something that you just feel like God's saying, it's time to go now. Be sensitive to go. Don't try to figure it out. 'cause we, we were sensitive to say, all right , we're gonna go, we got to Texas mm-hmm . <affirmative> unexpectedly. Um, we're asked to speak at a woman's center, a uh , a place for , um, from single moms. Yeah . And I'll let Melissa just share a little bit about that real quick here. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

So my sister volunteers at a place in Texas , um, and it's all for single moms who come from various backgrounds and who just need a little bit of help. And it's a Christian organization that's really amazing. And my sister asked us to come and speak to some of the girls who live in the house with their young babies. And we did, you know, and we didn't know what to expect or even have any sort of preparation. We just kind of went and showed up and said, all right , God, you just do what you wanna do. And he always does. So we showed up and, you know, it was very informal. We were sitting in the living room area, a few of the girls came and obviously a few of them , um, you know, had their arms crossed and you could tell were kind of resistant to us at first, but then once we just started opening up and sharing and just being real and genuine and sharing about who we are and why we're there, and , um, God just like showed up in such a cool way that there was one girl who came down a little bit later after we had already all started talking and she wasn't feeling well. And Matt and I just started sharing about family and how, how we met and just kind of our story and just encouraging these girls that, you know, want, that they want to have family, they want to have that unit. They don't wanna do this alone. They're raising these babies alone right now. Um, and I guess one of the girls, she, that morning she was praying and asking God to not be alone and to have a family. And so after we shared everything that we wanted to talk about, she just kind of broke down in tears and said, I literally was praying to God this morning for everything that you guys just shared today. And I have goosebumps. Yeah . Because it was just such a powerful moment that, you know, you think, well, what am I gonna say? It's like we have to get out of our own heads and realize it's not anything that we are going to do, or we are going to say that God is just truly gonna speak through us when we're open and we're open vessels and he's gonna use those words to encourage others. Right . And he does it every single time. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And you can't discount your anointing. Each of you have an anointing. If you are following God's call in your life and you're living for him, the Holy Spirit is going to operate through you and you just have to show up. I mean, think of it this way, that nudge that led us to go to Atlanta, drive across the south to Texas, led us to this young lady who was only gonna live at that home for a short period of time. This is not a permanent residence for her. Right. If we would've done this trip later in the year, we never meet her, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> . But God loves this young lady so much, and her baby and her kids, I think she had more than one kid and he had two kids. She needed to hear from him. And, and we were just the vessels for that moment. And it was really powerful. When you think of a time span of all this, right? From the 2016, Jake the snake email mm-hmm . <affirmative> to the actual event of doing this video shoot to going to Texas. And we have this moment at this woman's center where we get to pray for now these women who are single moms, so much more happened in Texas. Oh my goodness. <laugh> . We could go on for hours, it could be like a , a movie. And we're driving back now to our home in Charleston. We're stopping in Mississippi. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , we're listening to a , a message from one of the pastors of the church that we attend in Charleston , um, pastor , uh, Greg sra . He was talking about divine appointments. Right. It was, I believe a , a really great mm-hmm . Message. And , and we were just like, drive . I'm like , well , I'm praying for divine appointments today. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , and we literally are in Jackson, Mississippi, decide to go get ice cream. We're wearing shirts, faith-based shirts, and we start talking to this gentleman and boom, within minutes, retired military fellow follower of Christ pastor end up blessing him, getting him ice cream and just awesome conversation. So God wants these moments to happen every day. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , we just have to continue to be obedient and be willing to engage. Right. It's easy to not wanna engage. There are days where I fall short of doing it mm-hmm . <affirmative> where I'm like, oh man, I'm just, I'm tapped out. I don't know if I have it in me, but just continue to seek out on how you can be that voice in the wilderness that, that voice of, of just letting people know that, that God is with you. That God is here, God can mold and shape and change and transform you. And it's all about us just following that prompting that nudge, that little, Hey, go talk to that person over there. Hey, take that drive down to that supermarket. Why am I going now ? God, I don't know. I'm not sure why you're telling me, but I'll go. It's just being obedient.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. Because you know what ? God's always going after the one, and if he can use you to go after the one he's going to and he will. Yeah. And it's ,

Speaker 2:

And if you have three kids Yep . From ages five and under, you're qualified to do this. 'cause we just did it <laugh> . So it's, it's , it's a wild time.

Speaker 3:

The cool part is like, our kids are seeing us do this, and it's part of our life. It is not a,

Speaker 2:

It's not a show. It's not

Speaker 3:

A show. This is our everyday life. And this has been us just going deeper, you know, in the word and just being filled with his spirit every time we go out of these doors. And , um, we just watch what God does. He does miracles every day . We just have to be willing. And we love you guys.

Speaker 2:

Love you guys. Thank you for sharing our podcast. If you haven't already, please repost it in social media land, encourage people to send us a review. Yes. Good, bad or indifferent, we'll take it and , uh, subscribe. Five

Speaker 3:

Stars, please, <laugh>. All right . See you guys next time.

Speaker 2:

Peace . See you later.

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, thanks so much for listening to the Puzzle is Real Podcast. Please subscribe today and share with the friend. See you soon.