The Power of Stewardship: How to Simplify Life and Strengthen Your Faith

Darrell: 00:00:01

And welcome back to another episode of A Warrior Spirit, the show where the inner warrior shines in their light, presented by Praxis 33, the company that aligns your thoughts, goals and actions to create your best life.

Darrell: 00:00:13

I'm your host, Earl Snow.

Darrell: 00:00:15

Have you ever wanted to just simplify your life?

Darrell: 00:00:18

Well, today we're going to be talking with Gwen Rutz.

Darrell: 00:00:21

Gwen's an ordained minister.

Darrell: 00:00:23

She's a content creator, archery instructor, and business owner at Native Arrow Archery.

Darrell: 00:00:30

And Gwen, thank you for joining me today.

Darrell: 00:00:33

Welcome to the show.

Gwen Rutz: 00:00:35

Thank you for inviting me, Darrell.

Gwen Rutz: 00:00:36

I appreciate it.

Darrell: 00:00:39

In: 2024

Darrell: 00:00:40

So last year, you actually started a YouTube channel that helped people simplify their life.

Darrell: 00:00:48

It resonated well with audiences because in five months you gained over 6,000 subscribers.

Darrell: 00:00:56

And I know you're passionate about teaching people how to maintain a simplified home, but you're also passionate about doing it kind of in a biblical way with Christ.

Darrell: 00:01:07

How does that come together?

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:11

Well, I take very seriously stewardship and to me, stewarding every part of my life, stewarding my home.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:21

You know, the scripture implores us to be a good steward.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:26

And so I take that into consideration.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:29

If I'm stewarding again, my personal life, but also my home, how do I take care of it?

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:37

And the things that are in my home, you know, am I want to be a good steward of those.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:43

And so and I want to be a good steward of my calling the things that God has called me to and as well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:50

And if there's chaos in my life, and for me, clutter equals chaos, I don't think as well in a cluttered environment.

Gwen Rutz: 00:01:58

So I need things clutter free.

Gwen Rutz: 00:02:01

So I, because I feel like I am the best steward of my time and my resources if things are just simple.

Darrell: 00:02:09

Well, it's something I've said, you know, as a mindset, transformational coach and someone who helps people do that stuff too.

Darrell: 00:02:21

I've often said your external world represents your internal world as well.

Darrell: 00:02:28

And I don't really distinguish whether it's a cluttered closet or a cluttered car or a cluttered home.

Darrell: 00:02:37

You know, that something in your life is also kind of cluttered.

Darrell: 00:02:43

I don't believe you need to have it, you know, pristine and show model.

Darrell: 00:02:47

You know, look, it needs to be lived in.

Darrell: 00:02:51

But there's a difference between lived in and cluttered.

Darrell: 00:02:53

And, you know, I, I mean, that's why people do spring cleaning, right?

Darrell: 00:02:59

So that they feel better.

Darrell: 00:03:00

The energy changes.

Darrell: 00:03:01

And our personal energy changes when we declutter, you know, those parts as well as declutter ourselves.

Darrell: 00:03:10

So were you expecting when you started your YouTube channel, the Instant hit that it would be.

Gwen Rutz: 00:03:18

No, not at all.

Gwen Rutz: 00:03:21

It surprised me as much as anybody, I guess.

Gwen Rutz: 00:03:25

I don't know, just because I was going along and I was doing the videos, and then I had one video that really did fairly well and everything kind of spiked up, but then it just kind of settled back down again, you know, and thought, well, this is the way it goes, you know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:03:43

But then I had another video, you know, a few weeks later that really took off, and I think part of it, it got.

Gwen Rutz: 00:03:53

It got shown at the end of another YouTube channel that's really, really popular.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:01

And so a lot of the traffic came from that and then just continued and.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:09

And so it gained steam pretty quickly for a while.

Darrell: 00:04:14

A lot of us who are.

Darrell: 00:04:15

Who are out on YouTube, who aren't gamers, because gamers seem to always, you know, jump up in.

Darrell: 00:04:21

In those spikes, you know, pretty quickly.

Darrell: 00:04:24

But those of us who are just out there putting out a show or whatever, a video, um.

Darrell: 00:04:31

Was it anything in particular that you were trying to do or.

Darrell: 00:04:35

It was just organic and.

Darrell: 00:04:37

And just happened to happen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:39

Yeah, it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:40

It just happened to happen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:43

So I did put a lot.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:46

I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:47

I learned, you know, I was studying and I studied a lot with Think Media and the Bra Academy.

Gwen Rutz: 00:04:56

And so I took their advice and I thought, okay, well, I'll just put this into practice.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:02

And so I did those steps and just paid special attention to, you know, a lot of the things that they were talking about.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:10

Include this, don't do that kinds of things, you know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:14

And then.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:16

So I was talking about 31 things to simplify your life and just went through those things, and I wasn't really sure if.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:25

I mean, 31 is an odd number, and I was afraid it was going to be too long.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:31

But, you know, I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:32

I just did it and put it out there.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:34

And that was really the one that resonated with a lot of people because there were a lot of.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:40

I talked about different things because I talked about things in the kitchen, in the, you know, in your pantry or just in your cupboard, just different areas, you know, of life.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:53

And I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:54

And then also in your.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:56

Just in your mind and in your.

Gwen Rutz: 00:05:59

In your routines and things like that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:01

So I think a lot of it just really resonated because.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:05

Especially the comment section, there were, oh, well over 700 comments on it and people just saying, yeah, that's me.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:16

I get it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:17

I didn't.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:17

I identify with that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:19

So it just really resonated with people.

Gwen Rutz: 00:06:22

I Guess.

Darrell: 00:06:23

Yeah.

Darrell: 00:06:23

And what's also nice is that once you start getting the comments and the views, you know, YouTube will put you at the end of a popular show as a.

Darrell: 00:06:32

As a, you know, so it can tag onto that.

Darrell: 00:06:35

And the more engagement you get, the.

Darrell: 00:06:37

The better.

Darrell: 00:06:37

But it goes to show that we're all trying to declutter and simplify our life and trying to make.

Darrell: 00:06:43

Make a difference.

Darrell: 00:06:45

But your life is kind of interesting to me because first off, you married your high school sweetheart, which the day and age of 60% of marriages failing, let alone your high school sweetheart being success.

Darrell: 00:07:01

That in and of itself is, you know, major kudos to you and your husband.

Darrell: 00:07:06

And secondly, you're an ordained minister, but you also own, like, an archery store.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:15

Yeah.

Darrell: 00:07:15

Now you're.

Darrell: 00:07:16

To be fair, you're out in Oklahoma, and that does make sense for Oklahoma, but on the surface, none of those three really go together.

Darrell: 00:07:25

So what do you attribute that journey to?

Darrell: 00:07:29

How did.

Darrell: 00:07:29

How did you start your beginnings?

Darrell: 00:07:31

Where did you grow up in Oklahoma?

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:34

Well, I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:35

I grew up mostly, yes.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:38

I grew up until I was 14 in Texas, and then we got to Oklahoma.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:43

So I've been here obviously the majority of my life.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:46

Met my Texas light, so.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:49

That's right, Texas light.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:51

And my.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:53

My husband, we.

Gwen Rutz: 00:07:55

In a few years ago, we moved to Texas for a little bit, you know, for his work.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:00

And I said, you're finally.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:02

You get to be a Texan.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:03

And he's like, I will never be a Texan.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:06

I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:06

Oh, you know, okie all the way.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:07

I said, no, you get to be a Texan.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:10

Just feel the goodness of being a Texan, you know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:13

But yeah, anyways, so when I got to Oklahoma, and of course, my.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:19

My husband, he's always hunted, always been into archery, and we have two boys.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:24

And so, you know, when deer season rolls around, like, if I wanted to see my husband and boys, I better learn to shoot archery.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:32

You know, I better learn to hunt.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:34

So, you know, kind of that's how that came into being.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:37

And we just always, always wanted to have an archery shop.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:43

And so we opened that about three years ago.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:48

And so we have an archery range here on our property.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:52

And my husband is.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:54

He's a very good bow tech, so he does all the.

Gwen Rutz: 00:08:58

He does a lot of repairs, you know, and on people's equipment, but at the same time.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:05

So we have this archery shop, but at the.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:09

But we're also pastors.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:11

I was a lead pastor, you know, so, you know, ministry is just my passion and my heart, you know, just to share Jesus with people and.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:21

But I retired from pastoral ministry as far as being a lead pastor and we joined an organization called Center Shot.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:31

And so Center Shot is a Christian organization that shares the gospel through archery.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:37

So it's kind.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:38

Both of our passions come together and so that's how it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:09:44

Because I know none of it, it seems like none of this goes together, but it really does.

Darrell: 00:09:50

Well, I, I'm very.

Darrell: 00:09:55

Anyone who knows me, I'm a reformed Catholic.

Darrell: 00:09:58

And I say that because I grew up forcefully in, in the church.

Darrell: 00:10:02

But then when my mom married my stepdad, who's the only dad I will ever call dad.

Darrell: 00:10:08

But so Saturday was mass and Sunday was church.

Darrell: 00:10:14

And I've come to find in my own faith and walk.

Darrell: 00:10:19

You know, I went to a movie one time when I was 11.

Darrell: 00:10:25

This is the day back in the days when your parents could actually drop you off at places and then come pick you up later.

Darrell: 00:10:30

Right.

Darrell: 00:10:31

So I'm aging myself, but she dropped me off at this movie.

Darrell: 00:10:35

Didn't realize that it was a Christian based movie.

Darrell: 00:10:41

Really, really great movie.

Darrell: 00:10:43

And you know, small town, Iowa.

Darrell: 00:10:47

At the end of the movie, Billy Graham came out from behind the, from the curtain and did his call.

Darrell: 00:10:53

Altar call.

Darrell: 00:10:54

And even though I had already been growing up in the church at 11 is when I decided to give my life to Christ through that altar call.

Darrell: 00:11:04

And I've found more spirituality and more relation with God outside the pews than inside.

Darrell: 00:11:12

So, you know, for you to combine the archery and the wilderness and the nature with your ministry.

Darrell: 00:11:21

I mean, I don't.

Darrell: 00:11:22

I met you what, 10 minutes ago, plus the other group we're a part of.

Darrell: 00:11:27

But I would venture to guess if I had to put money on it, you've probably done more ministry through that archery range than you did in your pews.

Gwen Rutz: 00:11:37

Well, there is a lot of opportunity for ministry on the archery range.

Gwen Rutz: 00:11:42

And, and we also, so we take our, we've got a set of 3D targets which they're lifelike animals and, and life size animals.

Gwen Rutz: 00:11:56

So we have a, we have, we take six of these animals and we put them on a platform in a church and then we get two, we get a boy and a girl about say upper elementary to middle school age.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:11

That's, that's a really good age.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:14

And so we bring them up on stage and we teach them how to shoot archery.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:22

And they don't even, they don't need any experience or anything.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:26

So we teach them.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:27

And as we teach them to shoot archery, we share the gospel.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:32

So we bring what we do outside the Church, even in the church, we take what we do inside the church, outside the church, but we also take what we do outside the church, inside the church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:44

And so we have a bow, it's a Genesis bow and it's color coded to the plan of salvation.

Gwen Rutz: 00:12:52

And so as we, and then we also have steps that we teach when we're teaching somebody how to shoot a bow as an instructor.

Gwen Rutz: 00:13:01

So we'll teach them one step and then I'll go to the bow and I'll explain part of the gospel story and then we'll go back.

Gwen Rutz: 00:13:10

And so we go back and forth so it's, it's interactive with the kids because we love teaching kids how to shoot archery.

Gwen Rutz: 00:13:18

And then so at the end of it, they're shooting the targets and we're also sharing the gospel.

Darrell: 00:13:27

But see, you're doing your ministry while you're meeting the people where they are.

Darrell: 00:13:33

You're correlating real life situations with biblical teachings, which is vastly different than many preachers do.

Darrell: 00:13:44

Many preachers just want to preach the word or in Catholicism preach their version of the word.

Darrell: 00:13:51

So, you know, I applaud the fact that you're actually meeting people where they are and bringing, you know, the, the duality of life to the situation they're currently in.

Darrell: 00:14:06

You know, so that's a, that's a vastly different approach and highly effective, I would think.

Gwen Rutz: 00:14:16

Yeah, it is very effective.

Gwen Rutz: 00:14:18

And you know, it's a lot of fun because life is meant to be fun and sharing the gospel is meant to be fun.

Gwen Rutz: 00:14:25

Knowing Jesus is meant to be fun so that, you know, we put it all together and you know, I just believe that God can use anything and he can use any gift, any hobby, any talent, any resource if we give it to him and say, Lord, do with this ever what you want to do.

Gwen Rutz: 00:14:44

And you know, whatever it is, I'm willing on my part, you just lead me, just guide me, open the doors, we'll walk through them and we'll share the love of Jesus because people need to know love and well, that's Jesus.

Darrell: 00:15:00

Well, the, the one element that people forget is that, you know, religion is man made spirituality is your connection with God.

Darrell: 00:15:13

You know, that's why you have so many different religions that all, you know, try to connect with God.

Darrell: 00:15:20

But if you're walking in surrender, which is very hard for most humans to do because we always say, Jesus, take the wheel.

Darrell: 00:15:31

But then we still have our left hand on it trying to, you know, and turn it right, and that always just runs us back into a wall.

Darrell: 00:15:37

And then we blame God for the wall when we kept our hand on it, right?

Darrell: 00:15:42

And this show is a prime example of all of that.

Darrell: 00:15:48

And anyone who's listened has heard this a thousand times, or at least 108 by the time yours is out.

Darrell: 00:15:55

You know, I was told in my God voice that I was supposed to do this podcast where I give a voice to the voiceless, make their mess their message, and turn it into a survival guide for others.

Darrell: 00:16:09

And when I heard that, I didn't own a camera or a microphone, so I naturally said, sure.

Darrell: 00:16:16

No, I didn't.

Darrell: 00:16:17

I said, what?

Darrell: 00:16:18

What are you talking about?

Darrell: 00:16:20

And I fought it for six months, and until the spiritual 2x4 got loud enough that I relented and bought a camera and a microphone and finally turned it on and did an interview.

Darrell: 00:16:31

Now, I see the impact that it's having because I've had 114amazing stories told so far over two years.

Darrell: 00:16:42

And it isn't that they're coming to my show, but they're hearing your story, and it's reaching other people who are impacted by that story, and then it's helping them through.

Darrell: 00:16:54

So it's doing exactly what God said it was going to do.

Darrell: 00:16:58

And because I kept my hand on the wheel so long, I really robbed six months worth of effort to be out there already, you know, but when you surrender and you give, we don't have to always know the why or the how.

Darrell: 00:17:16

We just have to know whose calling it is.

Darrell: 00:17:20

And if we obey that calling, good things happen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:26

Exactly.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:27

Yeah.

Darrell: 00:17:28

So did you think you always wanted to be a minister?

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:35

I always knew I wanted to be a preacher, but I never wanted to be a pastor.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:42

So when I was actually.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:45

My husband asked me that question last night.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:47

He said, when did you know you wanted to preach the gospel?

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:51

And I said, when I was a little girl, I would.

Gwen Rutz: 00:17:56

I got my first Bible for Christmas, red Bible that my parents bought me for Christmas.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:02

And I just read it all the time.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:04

And I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:06

I would line up my stuffed animals and my dolls, and I would preach to them, and I just.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:12

And I would.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:13

I would tell people about Jesus on the school bus.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:15

I rode a bus, you know, into school.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:18

And so I was.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:19

I always wanted to share the gospel.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:22

I would open my Bible and I'd read it, and I would think, oh, I would make notes all over it, and little.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:28

I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:28

You know, I was writing little sermons in my Bibles, you know, when I was a teenager, and I thought, well, somebody.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:34

Yeah, I got to tell people this.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:35

It as whatever I Read in the Bible.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:38

I'm, I'm a kind of person that if I know something good, I want to tell people about it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:43

If it's a sale, you know, at the store, like I'm gonna tell somebody, hey, you gotta check this out, you know, so the gospel, when I would read the Bible, I would want to tell people what I read.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:54

And so I started preaching.

Gwen Rutz: 00:18:56

I was probably, well, about 16, 15 to 16, and I was, I played bass guitar at our church also when I was a teenager and there was an evangelist family that they were coming, they were just passing through.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:16

Well, they called my pastor.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:17

This was in, would have been.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:20

Oh, goodness, what year was it?

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:22

The mid, early 80s, I guess.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:26

You know, early to mid 80s.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:28

And so I was a teenager, they were passing through and they asked my pastor, can we stop and do a service at your church?

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:40

We said, yeah.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:41

So it was a Sunday night.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:43

Well, their bass guitar player, he had just quit the group.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:49

It was a mom, dad and their 12 year old daughter.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:53

He was, they were evangelists.

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:54

And so they said, well, can your bass guitar player play with this?

Gwen Rutz: 00:19:58

And so when they asked me that, I thought, I don't know what they're playing.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:04

I've never, I don't know these people.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:06

I was afraid, you know, that I wouldn't be able to do it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:09

So my daddy, who taught me, he played with them that night.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:12

And when it was, I kept thinking, well, I could have done that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:16

Well, afterwards, we had a little jam session afterwards and they said, will you come to our next meeting?

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:23

It was a town about 30 miles away.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:25

And they said, will you come play for us tomorrow night?

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:28

And so I said, y'all do that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:32

And then of all things, the evangelist, he asked my parents, can she go on the road with us again?

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:39

You know, I'm not, I'm about 16 years old.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:43

And they said, well, we'll pray about it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:46

And so I, I prayed about it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:49

My parents prayed about it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:50

I went and played for them in the service the next night.

Gwen Rutz: 00:20:55

After that service, they asked my parents, can she go with us?

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:00

And they said, yeah, she can go.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:03

This, this is, you know, the will of the Lord.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:06

And so we went back to the ranch where I lived, back to my house, and I packed a bag, excuse me, and I got on a Silver Eagle bus and rode off into the night with people I'd known 24 hours.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:21

And I, I mean, as a, When I lay, when I became a parent, I thought, I don't know how I could have let my boys, you know, much less A daughter just leave with complete strangers.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:37

But it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:38

When you know the will of God, like when you know what God said, then you trust him and you can do anything if you know what God said.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:47

And it was just.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:48

It was just right.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:49

And I learned so much.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:51

So I got to preach, you know, also preached it at youth groups and so forth.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:55

And.

Gwen Rutz: 00:21:56

And anytime during the service, you know, if I felt, you know, that the Lord wants me to speak, speak some encouragement to the people or share something.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:06

The evangelist Jerry.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:07

Jerry and Phyllis Watson were the evangelists, the Watson family.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:10

So, you know, they just.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:12

They just gave us the liberty to share what the Lord was speaking to us as well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:19

Even as teenage girls, they didn't tell us, oh, you're too young, or when you get older, they just let us learn how to minister.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:29

And so that taught me so much about ministry.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:34

And then I love school, though, so whenever I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:41

I wanted to come home and graduate with my class.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:44

And so I came home, I left my sophomore year, came back my senior year, and so I could graduate with all my friends.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:51

And it was during my senior year then that my husband and I started dating.

Gwen Rutz: 00:22:56

We fell in love, got engaged, got married right after high school, and I never went back with.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:00

I'm still in contact, you know, with the family I traveled with, but I didn't go back on the road.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:05

So it was later then, later in life, whenever I was actually called to pastor and I say I never wanted to pastor because I thought, oh, that's so hard.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:15

Like, I could never do that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:16

And I actually had said I would never pastor a church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:22

Well, I said that because I didn't think I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:24

Like, I didn't think I could do it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:26

So God's obviously not going to ask me to because I couldn't do that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:31

Well, when I was 42, I was praying for my church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:36

Who was in between?

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:37

We were in between pastors and the.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:41

I had my credentials then.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:43

Yeah.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:43

And I was ordained, so I was just filling in, you know, But I was praying.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:49

And when I was praying one day for my church, I love, love, love the church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:54

I love the church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:55

And I was praying for my church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:57

And Lord, just send us.

Gwen Rutz: 00:23:58

Send us the pastor that you have for us.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:01

And the.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:03

I heard the Lord's voice speak to me, and he said, gwen, you're going to pastor this church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:07

I was walking around in my office at the time when I heard this, and I just stopped because it was so, like, that's not anything I would tell myself because I didn't want to.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:17

I was not in.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:18

You know, fill in.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:19

Okay, I could fill in, but I'm.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:21

But no, you know, I'm not going to be a lead pastor.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:23

And three times the Lord spoke to me and said, when you're going to pastor this church?

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:28

And it was at that moment when Psalm 37.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:31

Four, the Lord dropped that scripture into my heart.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:34

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:38

And in that moment, I had the desire to pastor my church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:44

It just switched, you know, and.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:46

Oh, I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:46

So, yes, Lord.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:48

And then I said, okay, God, if this is what you want, then you gotta tell my husband.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:54

You gotta tell Troy, because I'm not telling him.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:56

I'm not gonna do it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:57

That's.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:57

That's on you.

Gwen Rutz: 00:24:58

It was two or three nights later, we were sitting out on the path patio in the backyard.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:03

Out of nowhere, just out of the blue, Troy turns to me and he says, gwen, you could pastor this church.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:11

And I went, oh, you have no idea what you just said.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:15

And he said, oh, really?

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:17

When you could do this, you're perfect for this.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:21

And I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:21

So then I told him what.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:23

The Lord spoke to me and I said, but I'm not saying anything to the ball, to the board.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:28

I'm not going to offer myself.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:30

This is a church that we grew up in, you know, since seventh, eighth grade, you know, and.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:39

And so.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:40

But the board came to me one day and they said, gwen, you know, this is really going so well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:44

Why don't you just stay our pastor?

Gwen Rutz: 00:25:46

I said, okay, so, you know, you can't say no to that when it happens like that.

Darrell: 00:25:52

Yeah, the serendipity and the signs are too obvious at that point.

Darrell: 00:25:58

And it's funny because when you said, you know, you were praying, God, show me the.

Darrell: 00:26:02

Who's going to pastor our church.

Darrell: 00:26:04

I just pictured you walking by a mirror at that very moment and seeing your own reflection.

Darrell: 00:26:10

That would have been.

Darrell: 00:26:12

That would have been so, like, there she is.

Gwen Rutz: 00:26:14

Yeah.

Darrell: 00:26:15

But it's.

Darrell: 00:26:17

You've led an extraordinary life, connected fully with God, and it's evident in all that you do.

Darrell: 00:26:24

But knowing how children are and how growing up is because you were so willing to share God's word and to preach to even your dolls.

Darrell: 00:26:37

It must have been somewhat hard to make connections and friends in school.

Darrell: 00:26:41

Or were you in.

Darrell: 00:26:43

In an environment where that was fairly easy as well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:26:48

Yeah, I had lots of friends.

Gwen Rutz: 00:26:51

Like, I never had any problem making friends.

Gwen Rutz: 00:26:54

I've always had friends and always had good friends.

Gwen Rutz: 00:26:57

You know, I've always had a good environment and a Good.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:03

And I, I, I didn't want to put myself in an environment that I didn't think would be positive, you know, or didn't be.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:11

I was never drawn to that, you know, at all.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:15

And, and two, I was a very obedient child.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:20

And so, you know what my parents taught me.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:23

I'm not saying I never disobeyed or never anything like that, but if they told me something was good or something was bad, I just believe them because I thought my parents were the smartest people in the world.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:34

You know, they just know every, they know things.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:37

And so.

Gwen Rutz: 00:27:39

But yeah, I, I've had, I've been so blessed with just the best of friends.

Darrell: 00:27:47

It's awesome because it's rare and, you know, from seeing it in the, in the world, you know, it's, it's hard, especially when you're willing to take a stand for something as divisive as religion or God.

Darrell: 00:28:02

It can be a thorn in the sides of a lot of people.

Darrell: 00:28:06

So again, God's hand on you to put you in that right place, to fulfill the calling that he had for you, that he placed in your life as a young child.

Darrell: 00:28:17

You just can't deny the thread that, that binds them all together.

Darrell: 00:28:24

How has this played with your own sons?

Darrell: 00:28:29

What, what is their passion in their heart?

Darrell: 00:28:32

Because again, especially in the Catholic Church, you see a lot of rebellion from strict Catholicism parents, you know, the, the children have a tendency to rebel against that, you know, strictness and that, that.

Darrell: 00:28:50

So I'm just only speaking from the life that I've seen around me.

Darrell: 00:28:55

So how's it played in your house?

Gwen Rutz: 00:28:59

So our son, we have two sons, and they are both believers in Jesus as well, and both serve the Lord.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:06

And, but all growing up, you know, I can remember even as a teenager myself, because I was raised in Christianity, but I came to the point, even I was in junior high school, and I remember thinking, do I believe this because I believe it, or do I believe it because my parents told me to believe it?

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:29

Because, like I said, I was a very obedient child.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:31

And I thought my parents knew everything, you know, So I just believed what they said.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:35

But at some point, we have to believe things for ourselves.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:40

And I remember that moment asking, do I really believe this?

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:48

And I came to the conclusion, yeah, I do.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:52

I really do.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:54

And our.

Gwen Rutz: 00:29:55

So as we raised our own children to know the Lord, I can remember our younger son was sick one night, and I said, well, you want me to pray for you?

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:09

And he said, God takes too long.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:13

I understand.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:14

I I understand that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:18

You know, but our.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:19

Our boys also, they believed.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:22

But then they came to their.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:24

Had to come to their own understanding because it's their choice.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:29

It's everybody's own choice what we believe, who we serve or not serve.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:36

And so even in young adulthood, you know, they asked.

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:39

Had to ask themselves, okay, do I believe this for me or do I believe this because mom and dad told me this was the right thing?

Gwen Rutz: 00:30:49

And they came to their own conclusion, you know, and they asked their own questions, and they asked, you know, great questions, like, why does God take so long?

Darrell: 00:31:00

Tell Moses that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:31:03

Yeah, exactly.

Darrell: 00:31:05

So, yeah, that's a good distinction, though, Gwen, you.

Darrell: 00:31:08

I mean, not many people.

Darrell: 00:31:11

And again, this is where I give you kudos, because not many people are willing to ask themselves that question, is this me or is this my parents?

Darrell: 00:31:22

Especially when you are an obedient child who is, you know, doing the things that your parents say, to have the awareness, is this me or is this them is astoundingly profound for a child to do.

Darrell: 00:31:39

And then to allow your own children to have that same experience.

Darrell: 00:31:42

I know in our household, it played out the same way.

Darrell: 00:31:45

My wife and I have a great connection with God, and our lives are filled with God, moments that would never happen without him.

Darrell: 00:31:53

But our children had to decide, you know, is this what they believe or is this what they're being told to believe?

Darrell: 00:32:02

And the hard part for the parents, at least in our household, was the waiting while they wander around making that decision for themselves.

Darrell: 00:32:12

Because now there, you know, moments where you can see, okay, you're headed for a cliff.

Darrell: 00:32:19

We don't want to have you fall off the cliff, but you need to jump in order to figure out if you can build your wings or not.

Darrell: 00:32:25

You know, so again, great job parenting, to allow your children, especially with the background that you just said you were preaching to your dolls, you, you know, wanted to minister from.

Darrell: 00:32:39

From the get go, you have this strong connection with God.

Darrell: 00:32:44

To allow your children the freedom to still make their own choice is just an amazing embodiment of God, because that's what he does for us, right?

Gwen Rutz: 00:32:57

Yeah, exactly.

Gwen Rutz: 00:32:59

I couldn't.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:00

You can't make anybody believe anything, you know, I mean, so they.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:05

They had to make up their own mind.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:08

And.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:09

But I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:09

I remember when they were young adults, and I remember praying for him.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:14

I was laying in bed while not praying for them.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:17

And, you know, I was worried, God, are they going to make good decisions?

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:22

You know, are they going to do all right?

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:25

And I just.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:27

I just, in my mind's Eye, I saw this vision of God's great big hand, and he said, your kids are in my hand.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:38

I've got them in my hand.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:40

And I love them more than you do.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:43

And I know how much I love my boys and what I would do for them.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:48

And if God loves them even more than I do, I knew my boys were okay.

Gwen Rutz: 00:33:52

They were going to be fine.

Darrell: 00:33:55

And how is the.

Darrell: 00:33:58

You're the only female in this male household.

Darrell: 00:34:03

How is their relationship different with you than their father?

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:11

Well, that's a good question.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:14

I get one because, because we're close.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:19

You know, it's.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:20

It's that they.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:21

They go to each of us kind of for different things.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:24

Probably.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:25

I would say.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:26

Yeah, I would say that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:30

That's probably.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:31

But we have.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:31

Yeah, we have great relationships with both of them.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:34

But yeah, that's.

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:37

That's probably it is that they talk to us, depending on, you know, what the question is.

Darrell: 00:34:43

May I ask.

Darrell: 00:34:45

May I ask how old your boys are?

Gwen Rutz: 00:34:47

Yes, they are 38 and 36.

Darrell: 00:34:50

Okay.

Darrell: 00:34:51

So again, I can only refer back to my household.

Darrell: 00:34:55

One of the, our.

Darrell: 00:34:57

My wife and I's biggest joys is having our adult children want to come back and hang out with us, want to spend time with us and randomly calling us for that unsolicited advice, you know.

Darrell: 00:35:11

So I imagine that's the relationship you have with your.

Darrell: 00:35:15

With your boys.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:17

Yeah, absolutely.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:18

Absolutely.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:19

Talk to them all the time.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:20

One of them lives near us, just about five, six miles away, and the other one lives still near us, you know, just about 45, 50 minutes away.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:29

So we're close enough, you know, to even visit in person.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:32

One can come over randomly, and then, you know, one's a little too far for that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:37

But they do call, and we talk all the time and just have real great relationship with them, and they'll call for advice, you know, or, or just call to talk or just send us different things about their lives throughout the day.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:54

I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:35:55

I picked up this today, or I did this today, you know, so I'm very, very grateful.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:01

I don't take it for granted that we have great relationships with our kids.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:06

I'm.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:07

I'm so grateful.

Darrell: 00:36:09

Well, you've lived definitely a blessed life because you've been obedient to your calling, which is amazing.

Darrell: 00:36:17

As you venture into 20, 25, what is your, what is your goals for these two?

Darrell: 00:36:26

Your simplify your life and your.

Darrell: 00:36:28

And your art.

Darrell: 00:36:28

Archery.

Darrell: 00:36:29

What do you.

Darrell: 00:36:29

What do you see transpiring for.

Darrell: 00:36:31

For these two entities that you're a part of?

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:37

So in simplify your life.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:39

That is my, my YouTube channel.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:42

And that then I'm adding to that, then simplify your Bible study.

Gwen Rutz: 00:36:49

And so I've just started a Bible study coaching group because I had, I would have women call me and you know, for advice or to pray for them and so forth.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:04

And I would say, why are you reading your Bible?

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:08

Because like, the answers are in there, encouragement is in there, comfort is in there, guidance is in there.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:16

And so the Lord speaks to us through His Word.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:19

We speak to the Lord through prayer.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:21

God speaks to us through His Word.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:24

And so I would say, you know, are you reading your Bible?

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:28

And often they would say, well, no, I know I need to, but I haven't been reading my Bible.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:34

And so as I, the more I got to thinking about that, I, I thought I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:42

So I started asking people what hinders you or what stops you from reading your Bible, you know, if that's one of your goals to do.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:50

I don't have time or I don't understand.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:54

So those were just some of the responses.

Gwen Rutz: 00:37:57

So I thought, you know, I, I just really felt led then to teach women how to read the Bible and guide them through that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:07

So that is what.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:10

Simplify your life.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:11

Now I'm adding the simplify your Bible study for Bible study coaching to help women understand the Bible.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:18

There are some complex things in the Bible, but the Lord shows us and we don't have to, we don't even have to understand all of it, you know, but there's a, there's so much good in there that can guide our life.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:33

His Word says that His Word is that our lamp into our feet and a lot into our path.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:39

And he will guide us through His Word.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:42

So that is where I'm going with that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:44

And then Native arrow archery, we are a part of Center Shot, the organization that I was talking about that blends the gospel with, with the Word.

Gwen Rutz: 00:38:58

And so we're doing more of those events this year and just continuing to share the gospel.

Gwen Rutz: 00:39:04

And when people come to our.

Gwen Rutz: 00:39:05

What's so great about the, our bow shop is that when people come and they'll bring a bow to be repaired, but as we just have get to have conversations with them, you know, you know, we may ask them, well, is there anything that we can pray with you about?

Gwen Rutz: 00:39:21

And we have had the best conversations and prayers just over that question, is there anything we can pray with you about?

Gwen Rutz: 00:39:29

Because, you know, sometimes people are sick or they're going through things or they need some guidance.

Gwen Rutz: 00:39:35

And so it's a wonderful opportunity for us to help others in that way and share the love of Jesus with them.

Darrell: 00:39:45

Well, I, I again applaud everything you're doing because you're bringing a divisive, complex issue to clarity.

Darrell: 00:39:54

And you're doing it with the passion and joy that that was placed in your heart long ago and you're still maintaining it.

Darrell: 00:40:00

So that's a, that's a huge, huge plus.

Darrell: 00:40:04

If, if someone were out there and they're listening to this or even as you, you know, meet, the first thing you ask is if you can pray for them.

Darrell: 00:40:14

But not everyone's willing to open up.

Darrell: 00:40:16

So.

Darrell: 00:40:18

And you know, to be fair, not everyone's willing to pick up the Bible and start reading it to believe what you're telling them.

Darrell: 00:40:25

So for those that are kind of either non believers or on the fence, but they're kind of still curious or they feel that pull but not sure how to proceed, what do you, what is your advice for those folks?

Gwen Rutz: 00:40:40

I say keep asking because God hears us.

Gwen Rutz: 00:40:45

And when we come to God with a curious and we really want to know, and if we ask him, ask God, are you real?

Gwen Rutz: 00:40:56

Ask God if the, if the Bible is real.

Gwen Rutz: 00:40:59

God is not afraid of our questions.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:02

There is no, there are no hard questions for God.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:05

And I would say ask him.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:07

And then because God can do amazing things, ask him to bring people around you that can help you answer these questions that you have as well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:20

You know, I think, and if we open the word of God and read it, you may not understand some of the things you read.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:32

But if you say, this is what I say to people who don't understand the Bible, for instance, pray and ask God.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:42

God wants us to know him and he wants us to know His Word.

Gwen Rutz: 00:41:46

And so I think if we stay open, just open to it and open to God putting people in our life and not just shut them out when we hear they're a Christian or shut them out, because I don't believe in that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:02

Listen and then just ask like I did when I was a teenager.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:07

God is this, should I believe this for me?

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:10

And I just believe that God will reveal Himself to you if you come to him with an open heart and an open mind, really wanting to know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:22

Some people just have their mind made up already.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:25

But then some people are in that question like, I don't know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:28

And I really want to know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:30

You know, our, our sons went through that as young adults when they were trying to figure it out for themselves.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:37

And I said, I said, you ask God for yourself if he's real and he will show himself to you.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:46

And he did, because I genuinely wanted to know.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:50

And so that is my advice.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:52

Ask God with an open, genuine heart.

Gwen Rutz: 00:42:55

And he may not, he may or may not just reveal it to you in that moment.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:01

It may take some time.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:02

But if we remain, pardon me, if you remain open, God will show himself to you.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:08

I, I just have faith in that and I believe it because I've seen it so many times.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:15

God did an amazing miracle for our son when he was three.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:21

He was at three months old, our younger son, he was born with a deformed ear.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:25

And we prayed for God to heal him, but he didn't heal him.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:31

And so we kept praying and he kept not healing him, but we kept praying.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:35

And I was in church one Sunday morning, which is a great place to be because you can learn, you know, you can learn from other people.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:44

And then, and then ask, is, is this real?

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:47

Is this true?

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:48

Always, always check it with the word of God.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:51

But we've gone through the whole service.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:53

Service was over.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:55

And I was holding my son in my arms.

Gwen Rutz: 00:43:59

It was, it was the amen prayer, you know, it was a closing prayer.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:02

I closed my eyes.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:04

The pastor prays in Jesus name, Amen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:07

I opened my eyes and I looked down at my son and his ear was perfect.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:13

Like before.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:13

I closed my eyes.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:14

He had a deformed ear.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:15

I close my eyes.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:16

It's the closing prayer, open, and he has a completely perfect ear.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:22

I was like, oh my goodness, look, look, look.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:25

You know, and everybody's so excited because everybody had seen this deformed ear for three, the three months of his life, you know, and so I'm asking, Lord, what does this mean?

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:38

Because we prayed and he didn't answer.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:40

But then we kept praying and he just.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:44

And we weren't even praying for him to be healed in the moment that he was healed and experienced this miracle.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:51

And you know what?

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:51

I believe the Lord spoke to me about that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:54

The Lord, I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:55

This is what I learned.

Gwen Rutz: 00:44:57

God is sovereign and he will answer in his own timing.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:02

And he will do what he believes best, what he knows is best and what's best for us.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:08

He'll do it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:09

If you go from the first of the Bible beginning to the end of the Bible, I did this all in the top of my Bible.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:17

I have written, every time I see the phrase at the right time, it'll say, at the right time, I will make it happen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:24

Or at the right time, at the right time all through, from beginning to end.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:28

And that, that's it, at the right time.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:31

God will reveal himself.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:32

God will show the answer.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:34

God will do it, but his timing is perfect.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:38

I would like everything done right now.

Gwen Rutz: 00:45:41

But that's, you know, that's not always for my good, but God always knows.

Darrell: 00:45:48

I personally think that there are three answers that God will always give.

Darrell: 00:45:56

One may be yes, one will possibly be no, which is the hardest one for believers to accept.

Darrell: 00:46:09

And the other is, you know, yes, but not right now.

Darrell: 00:46:14

Which again is also like why your son says, you know, God takes too long.

Darrell: 00:46:19

But I also heard one time that prayer is us asking God.

Darrell: 00:46:28

And when we're still in quiet, that's us listening to God.

Darrell: 00:46:31

And I really believe that too many people are so busy asking and talking and chattering that they can't hear the answer that they're seeking because they won't sit quietly enough to actually hear that stillness in the voice of God.

Darrell: 00:46:45

And God does things in his time, not our time, and they're not always equal, but they are always beneficial.

Darrell: 00:46:54

And, you know, you can't.

Darrell: 00:46:59

I use this analogy all the time.

Darrell: 00:47:01

You can't ask for the cake and expect a wedding cake to show up.

Darrell: 00:47:04

Sometimes you're going to get the eggs and the butter and the batter and have to some assembly required.

Darrell: 00:47:08

Do it yourself as well.

Darrell: 00:47:11

I heard a pastor say one time, and I use this often as well, everyone's asking for God to do stuff, and they're waiting on God.

Darrell: 00:47:23

They're waiting on God.

Darrell: 00:47:24

But what if God is waiting on you?

Darrell: 00:47:28

Sometimes you have to step out in that faith to know that, that what you're asking for is being done for you.

Darrell: 00:47:33

And you have to believe it as it already is.

Darrell: 00:47:37

And sometimes the deformities of our life are used there to glorify God at God's moment, not to hinder us, because it's a hindrance to us.

Darrell: 00:47:49

So patience and quietness and understanding, I think, are all a part of what has to go into your spiritual practice.

Darrell: 00:47:59

And the other thing for new believers, and this is still something as a.

Darrell: 00:48:02

I'll be 60 now.

Darrell: 00:48:05

So, you know, for someone who's been raised in the church and accepted Christ on my own at age 11, this is something that I still struggle with, with the Bible, is that, let's say I go to that book that's on your shelf behind you, right?

Darrell: 00:48:22

And I pick it up.

Darrell: 00:48:24

Well, that story is written in a chronological order that has sense and meaning and lineation.

Darrell: 00:48:30

The Bible is the word of God, but it's not a linear story.

Darrell: 00:48:37

There are jumps in the story that are not making Sense, because you expect it to be a linear story and it's not.

Darrell: 00:48:45

And once I understood that the Bible is not a linear story, I read it differently and I understood it differently.

Darrell: 00:48:53

So as an ordained minister speaking to a layperson, am I off base?

Darrell: 00:49:00

On base, you agree, disagree.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:03

No, I, no, I agree with that because it's not all in chronological order.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:10

If you read it from beginning to end and then say if you're reading in, in Kings and you're reading in Chronicles, you know, First, Second Kings, first and second Chronicles, you're reading the same stories, but it's from a different perspective.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:27

So, you know, there's that as well.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:30

But what is, what is really good people?

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:33

There are a lot of one year Bible plans.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:35

And so, you know, people will read through the Bible if you're going Genesis to Revelation and it's not a chronological Bible, they'll read through it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:46

And some of it's repetitive because you're reading the same story from a different perspective.

Gwen Rutz: 00:49:51

But what's good about doing that though is you do get, you can put together timelines and you can, you can figure out the stories because enough of it is all there together where you go, okay, I know what's happening here.

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:11

But often people don't attempt to read the whole Bible and they only may read a few books out of the New Testament or maybe a few Psalms.

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:21

And so it doesn't really make sense or they don't know how to put it together.

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:26

But so if you do just take an, even if you don't do it in one year, because it's, it's even a lot to do in a year, you know, it doesn't matter.

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:35

I say read to understand, not to finish.

Darrell: 00:50:38

Right?

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:39

We're not reading just to check off some, you know, off the list that we did it, we're reading to understand it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:50:46

So even when you go through, it does give you a really good perspective of what really did happen that we're reading.

Darrell: 00:50:55

Well, I think we could talk about this for many hours because you're fascinating and we have a great connection in our own love for, for God.

Darrell: 00:51:04

But I'm going to wrap this up and ask you the same final question that I ask all my guests.

Darrell: 00:51:10

What does a warrior spirit or having a warrior spirit mean to Gwen.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:16

That brings to mind Zechariah 4, 6.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:20

It says it's not by my, it's not by power, but it's by my spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:26

And I don't want to do things in my own spirit, in my own self.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:31

I'm not enough.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:32

I am not enough.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:34

But if I lean into the spirit of God and I let him move and I let him guide me, it's by his spirit.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:42

Like that's how mountains move.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:44

That's how battles are won.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:45

That's how we overcome things.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:47

Is letting the spirit of God lead us and letting the spirit of God go before us and fight our battles.

Gwen Rutz: 00:51:54

And then we do what is our part to do, but we take our hands off of what's not our part and we let God do his part.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:01

And a lot of times that has to do with other external circumstances and other things that maybe we'd like to control.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:07

But let's let God be in control about that.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:10

So it's by his spirit.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:12

That's what a warrior spirit is to me.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:14

If I can let his spirit live in me and live through me, that's.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:19

That's where it's at to me.

Darrell: 00:52:21

Well, I will say a big amen to that because I believe that to be true as well.

Darrell: 00:52:26

I appreciate you joining me today and thank you for all you're doing out there to, you know, know, embody the word of God and being just a shining light in this darkened world.

Darrell: 00:52:35

And you know, Gwen, I appreciate you and you're welcome back anytime.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:40

Thank you, Darrell.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:41

I.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:41

I appreciate it.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:42

I enjoyed the conversation very much.

Gwen Rutz: 00:52:45

Thank you for all you do to to share people's message and give people hope.

Darrell: 00:52:51

Oh, well, thank you.

Darrell: 00:52:53

And if you would like to connect with Gwen, you can do so on her website, native arrowarchery.com or on her YouTube channel.

Darrell: 00:53:04

Simplify your life with Gwen and also on all of her social medias.

Darrell: 00:53:09

So also I want to thank you all for joining us on this edition of A Warrior Spirit.

Darrell: 00:53:17

And be sure to hit that like or subscribe button so you can catch all of the episodes.

Darrell: 00:53:21

a wonderful day and a blessed: 2025