Rick Hoppe + Over 20,000 Conversations

[00:00:00] I'm Jess and I'm Abby. Today we're thrilled to have Rick hope with us. Rick has served in ministry over 20 years holding roles from senior pastor to university professor and has recently authored his first book which we have linked in the show notes. Rick is married to his

[00:00:26] wonderful wife Nancy and is the proud father of four children. Currently he provides biblical counsel and crisis intervention for listeners of K-LAV and Air One Radio Networks, which we're going to hear more about. Today you'll hear some captivating stories including

[00:00:42] getting kicked out of a bowling alley bar while sharing the gospel with over 20,000 conversations about his faith. Rick has a wealth of experience to share. Let's jump in and learn more from his incredible journey. Rick thank you so much for joining us today. Absolutely my pleasure.

[00:01:07] Well as always we cannot wait to hear your stories. You've got some fun ones our listeners are going to enjoy but first let's start with your own story of how you came to know the Lord.

[00:01:19] Sure well first of all again I love your show's cock name. Ask About My Faith and I'm glad to thank you. I grew up at a Christian home and I heard the gospel a lot.

[00:01:33] We had a good church, I had good parents, so I had a perfect family but we had good parents and it was until it was 19 where I just really realized over the years that I had a non-saving faith.

[00:01:49] I knew all about the gospel and all about what Jesus did. I never made that commitment. Maybe y'all can relate but I prayed. I prayed to God would say me several times. I just never fully met it.

[00:02:02] And so my dad said that I was met at the dinner table and I was 19 and they just really walked Genesis walked me through and things that I already known. You know after about 45 minutes

[00:02:18] I asked myself and asked my dad rather this question. Yeah you need to tell me that if I asked Jesus Christ to save me tonight he will. And even as I asked the question I was kind of surprised because I

[00:02:30] always knew that but I asked him question and my dad said without hesitation. If you in your head and in your heart he will. And so probably two or three hours later I lived down the

[00:02:44] basement at that time with the Midwest and the basement said I loved it being the basement. Yeah. And I just went downstairs and I jumped out on my bedside and tears were streaming down my

[00:02:55] face side. That's nice to forgive me. I knew I was a center, I knew I needed him and just said you could take my life Lord. I want to. So I remember going to bed in the next day

[00:03:08] you know my foot hit the top of the stairs and the the predominant thought was through I was when I thought about the day it was I don't want to send anymore. And I had been in

[00:03:22] a Midwest kid I was really honestly yes I was lost on my way to turn him out the Lord but I really also been preserved from a lot. Yeah. You know the drug scene and that alcohol and I'm really

[00:03:34] grateful for that but I knew I needed the Lord. I was lost and I knew it. That was April years ago decades ago. So I'm not by the grace of God I'm still going. I appreciate that you're

[00:03:51] pointing out that difference that you know you are a good enough kid you hadn't gotten into all that much trouble and you knew about God and you know you even believed I would it sounds like right

[00:04:05] but you didn't have that personal relationship yet. Yeah and there may be some listeners that if they were being really honest that's where they're at they they know but they haven't actually

[00:04:18] accepted and so I just want to I just want to throw that out there because there may be some listeners and that's about to yeah. I totally really I knew all the Bible stories I had the you know

[00:04:29] verses memorized but it didn't become real until that conversation so that's that's so special that your dad got to sit down and have that with you. Yeah you know he he went to be with the Lord seven years ago and I actually was at his bedside

[00:04:48] when he passed I quoted a verse about 12 o'clock noon. So I think it's on 63 three because you're loving kind of his better than life my lips will praise you and

[00:05:01] eight minutes later he went to be with the Lord so yeah my dad let me take a Lord and but even rewinding they'll quickly I had what's called the non-saving faith I had a non-saving faith

[00:05:13] I gave mental a sense of the Bible stories but I really never knew him personally and so yeah like you pointed out just there was that demarcation and I knew it I knew it I knew there was a

[00:05:26] demarcation because frankly I gave God his one fastest I mean don't get up half right don't give him half is a miracle thing and do you remember after that kind of conversion moment do you remember the first time that you got to share this newfound relationship and faith?

[00:05:50] You know it was a great question and you know I don't know if anyone's stuck out yeah I don't get anyone's stuck out and I was thinking about it but I do remember specifically early on in my Christian life I read the book how to share your faith

[00:06:11] just I was just being you're supposed to do that right I mean I can't be Jesus and now I'm supposed to share everything everybody and I absolutely love the book how to share faith and

[00:06:20] it was just all about what we're talking about here which is awesome and for me I just tried to take it everywhere you know what I mean and one was was my roommate in college

[00:06:33] I was named was Rob and he knew it was a Christian 9th week tennis with him we would talk all the time and we actually eventually ended up having a Bible study in my room in our room together

[00:06:48] and we had a little Bible so we went through a gospel John and just through that relationship he eventually came to Christ he took all his old old trashy music I remember it took

[00:07:00] and well Rex there's like oh Jesus this is done it took all his ideas and then through the question what's that? I remember those moments too yeah yeah absolutely so that was a very

[00:07:14] memorable one because I loved Rob you know the Lord just saved him and so we were just kind of living out your faith you were you were being you and you know I can imagine you probably were

[00:07:28] praying and there were times he was looking over you like yeah okay good for you what I mean is that kind of how it went? Yeah absolutely yeah I was on a and University of the

[00:07:39] Iowa and I was in New Christian and I just we ended up having a but that obviously I was saying about it we ended up having 19 just the Bible study my room at start was just Jeff and I

[00:07:53] he was a campus pastor very influenced one of my life and we just encouraged me to invite people we had we ended up having 19 several people prayed to know the Lord so if there's any

[00:08:03] college students at a list thing you just never know how Bible studies in your room talk about your faith because kids are wondering what that life is all about it's a great opportunity. That's a good

[00:08:16] point what an impressionable season of life. Yeah what about if we were to totally fast forward to kind of today how do you find yourself sharing your faith the most? You know I think the

[00:08:36] concept of sharing my faith the very phraseyology has expanded because I really tried to just live out what I believe and so whether it's my neighbor right to my left who doesn't know the Lord

[00:08:53] whether it's my you know my neighbor behind me who do know who do know the Lord I just tried to live my life you know and front of people before the Lord and I know people

[00:09:04] I tell people this sometime I have my searches over going to be the little time the searches over my search is over whether we talk to atheists or whoever it is and I don't want it to come across

[00:09:17] cocky because I try not I don't that's not my intention because I'm no better than anybody else but my search for pieces truly over my search for peace in this life the afterlife and so

[00:09:33] you know over the phone my neighbors people that I would come in contact with it's just more conversational you know and just by what I do whether I'm an author I'm an athlete

[00:09:44] I just try to connect with people on these areas of life and then I just try to I mean I was just talking to a gentleman recently I think just little conversations athletic shirts now the NBA players are going

[00:09:58] now when somebody has a Denver nuggets shirt on and I say well it's kind of tough game last night just people are one talk I really you know and I really believe if you love someone's soul

[00:10:14] they will listen to you more I mean I've told people from I'm really concerned about your your tone salvation to I'm really concerned that you're going to hell and they've wanted to keep

[00:10:27] talking because I'm not I'm not any better than them and I hope they feel that I really love them I love my neighbor I pray for them and I think you know as as I'm on the phone every day for hours

[00:10:44] a day it's truly an interesting journey with every single phone call and even with people that I talk to on the street or at the gym every person has their own story and being able to connect

[00:10:58] with people I'm one of 12 pastors Kayla we have over 500 boys I'm one of 30 people on our team and people call us every single day and just because I'm on the phone and I'm here in people

[00:11:13] have in stories tell me whoever it is just listen to this podcast you have all the unique people that you get a talk to being able to connect with them is incredible because because people

[00:11:27] people need the Lord the old song says right they need the Lord and the earth the world doesn't have the answers they don't you know can you do you recall any stories from being at the gym where

[00:11:41] maybe a conversation around sports or something ended up being a faith conversation absolutely yeah I had one about three weeks ago and this guy found out that I worked at Kayla and he said hey I heard on the radio that you know they're not really sure about there's

[00:12:01] another piece of the Bible and I said really tell me about that and then we were waiting play and we were off on the side and he's very particular gentleman and so he started telling me

[00:12:13] because well I heard on the radio that they said this that maybe there's another piece of the Bible that we we should have added and what do you think pastor because I know you work at Kayla right

[00:12:24] and I just I just said well I said I appreciate that I mean I know there's been the density scrolls and these other other you know you know additions or whatever but

[00:12:35] and the density scrolls is maybe unique because it's more accurate they match it with Isaiah et cetera but I said you know I really believe that at the end of the day God's given us the Bible

[00:12:47] and he's given us a true document and within that document he's explained who Jesus is and what he did the opportunity for faith that we have and so he just said he I said why go to church

[00:13:04] too I go to church to ask I'm where do you go and tell me what to church and I said oh that's awesome no way it's faith really yeah by this time we had to we had to go play yeah that would be any one

[00:13:16] example yeah yeah you know well and that's probably someone you're gonna rub shoulders with again at the gym if you haven't already since three weeks ago see them two or three other times

[00:13:28] yeah and so you know that conversation has just started and you didn't really maybe even get into much of that personal conversation it's like that door has been cracked open and it's you know

[00:13:40] it's gonna open a little more and more as you show interest in who he is and desire to be curious and connect absolutely and you know he's he's pretty easy to talk to you know and my wife

[00:13:53] makes one of these times I'm in a good way but she's like Rick your friends with everybody you talk everybody and I'm like okay you're right I won't you know we gotta get going or whatever but

[00:14:06] so anyway can you share with us just thinking about some of the stories that you have that are so fun there is one that took place at a bowling alley or maybe just outside a bowling alley

[00:14:20] and I'm curious I'm curious about that oh this is so fun so I'm in college and my friend Stewart and I used to go share our faith we would go to parks we would go town of well this particular time we were in California we knew all California

[00:14:38] and we're outside of a bowling alley and you know we're just looking to share with people as they come out and finally we said hey let's go into the bowling alley and see if we can share so we saw

[00:14:50] it's on the bowling alley and we kind of look around you know people are bowling and we don't want to be interrupted and we don't want to be up and so we finally looked at these stories and

[00:14:59] let's go into the ballar so they had a bar right next to the bowling alley yes and so we kind of went in and we looked at you know here's the bar laid out you know there's a bunch

[00:15:08] of people at the bar guys and ladies and so I said okay let's divide in coccurs here so he goes and starts talking to this person to the left and I go sit down and I start talking

[00:15:21] to this lady so it's a lady to my left myself and a gentleman to my right and so I just start striking up a conversation with you how are you who are you what brings you here you come

[00:15:33] here off in a classic bar conversation but I was certainly at that time I didn't know about it and I still don't really know about it anyway so we I couldn't believe how the Lord was this

[00:15:45] orchestra in the conversation we were just going back and forth about life about what he did for peace you know do you find meaning and purpose and then you start to ask me faith questions and I start literally just start unpacking the gospel yeah you know I

[00:16:02] noticed places in my life I realized I just I felt guilty and I felt like I knew I needed you know something more and that's when I started sharing my testimony and then I started sharing

[00:16:12] or the gospel and her need to come to Christ and I was right and and like the meat of the gospel okay and this guy to the right of me looks at me and he raises his voice and he says

[00:16:30] why don't you get the blankly blank out of here we come in here to get away from that you know what and I mean to tell you what I looked at him when he shared that I was just I mean I felt like

[00:16:46] I thought it was going to clobber me I don't know anything and I just sat there for a moment I was stunned obviously yeah I was gone and then I thought what should I do yeah but I keep sharing

[00:16:59] or should I leave and at that time I was probably scared to betless but I felt like you know let me just graciously leave I said I thank you so much for talking you know excuse me sir and

[00:17:11] you know I just lap that would be one that I will never I will never forgive that and yeah and I wasn't as it wasn't as what was it just come it's interesting you know you know

[00:17:25] out of here we come in here to get away to that stuff you know he knew you know the lady next to me and I don't even know maybe he was hitting I don't I don't know but

[00:17:37] maybe I took away his opportunity for a date I don't know but she was incredibly open never spoke with her ever before in my life never spoke with him ever before. How interesting that idea that

[00:17:50] you know okay if what he's saying holds true for everybody that you know we come to the bar to escape people like you and conversations like this I mean sounds like a good place for us to be

[00:18:04] yeah I don't know it's tough though yeah my husband had interaction like that this last week where someone was a little explosive when they found out that he was a person of faith and it's like

[00:18:17] man there are a couple options but what was the best in this moment is it to graciously just miss yourself or I mean being aggressive backs for sure not the radians so yeah I hope that by

[00:18:30] showing restraint and like honoring his request that he maybe has a little better view of you know christianity people that love the Lord and respecting what he what he's asking in a

[00:18:43] rude way but what he's really asking yeah and it to be honest it's you know I even tell that story and it's fun that you need a I'm kind of sad when I think about the guy you know yeah yeah

[00:18:57] even the lady because I don't know right yeah exactly the person hopefully if he's being honest with himself though you know maybe he had a point of reflection later on that you know that guy wasn't

[00:19:12] being a jerk he wasn't he wasn't really doing anything actually offensive I don't know who let's just say what his reflections were later on but yeah I love your thoughts and you know if you're

[00:19:26] in that position now knowing what you know and who you are as a little more mature in your relation with the Lord would you have reacted to him differently if you could redo that situation

[00:19:40] what a great question you know I think I might try to engage him a little bit like you know like you know sir do you mind if I communicate with you about this I may maybe it

[00:19:58] it just seems like he was so ticked off that it might be an enclosed door and maybe I even sense into my you told us to yeah yeah it's a great it's a great question though because

[00:20:10] and in US such a good question because we do have those moments where we feel like oh shoot the conversation just blew up I cannot save it and I don't always think that I actually think

[00:20:25] when people are when we're sharing the gospel with people we're trying to make connections with people I actually think there's many people who say the explosive phrase say the phrase that aids you

[00:20:38] and they're trying to see what he's saying yeah what you're made of but also oh well he is going to condemn me or wow he's not going to get me or wow he actually really cares for

[00:20:52] me oh my gosh this guy didn't get upset at me you know he's being a total jerk he actually really must care for me I think there's so many levels just sharing our faith that we have

[00:21:03] opportunity with like for example here's one so I'm talking to I know this is recorded so obviously you might have to edit it but I'm talking to a girl she's LGBTQ all right she's lesbian and we spoke for 25 minutes and share the gospel with her

[00:21:25] listen to her letter unpack her life letter share her hurts she let me share what I believe and then she said this she said you know she said Rick I disagree with with you

[00:21:41] with your view of the afterlife and Jesus Christ but thank you for talking to me respectfully right right wow because I didn't lose anything I says well you know I've told her I says well

[00:21:58] I just I just want you to know we love you and even though we're going to agree to disagree we care for you and we will continue to pray for you and I hope I get the chance to speak with you again

[00:22:09] yeah it's not about being right or winning it's about letting people know that we love them yeah that god loves them truly it that it's not about it's not about me being right right now

[00:22:26] when you were agreeing with me you saying a prayer that saves you know saves your eternity right now it's just letting you know that you know what god loves you yeah one of our core

[00:22:38] values is to have conversations and not confrontations which is exactly what you're saying these are all just like little seeds planted and we don't always get to see the bloom but yeah doing the work

[00:22:51] of the ministry is planting all the little seeds and falling god's leading that way absolutely love it Rick I appreciate that in that last story you know we also kind of revisited it

[00:23:03] and said hey if you were to be in that moment again which do the same thing which do something different not that you didn't not at all to say you did anything wrong but um I'm sure you're planning wrong

[00:23:12] it's okay you're defending it's such a fun it's such a valuable exercise yeah and um you actually have another story um about a woman who again maybe never came into agreement with you and stuck with the

[00:23:29] belief that she had never sinned can you share with us about that and you know we might do it might be a similar exercise just say you know what what if we find ourselves in that

[00:23:39] situation we'll come back to that but can you share that story yeah you know I think I've had that happen two or three times in my life okay so the funny thing is okay so I'm at this particular

[00:23:53] time I'm a milk man and I'm a tennis pro I mean total blue collar tell the white collar it's hilarious right so I have my milk job and then I get down with my milk job and then I would go

[00:24:08] shower and teach tennis right well this particular lady I was finishing up my milk job and she's a nice lady and we started talking I had some extra time and I think I might have

[00:24:23] offered her a milk because we had one that the next rest is off and so we started talking I said well I'm so wonderful though to meet you and tell me a little bit about yourself so she's

[00:24:34] unfolded her life or you know family and what she does and everything and then um I just started sharing a little bit about life and I says what do you do for hope and what do you do for peace and

[00:24:45] just I I am fine I'm I don't have any real needs ultimately in my life I say well do you ever worry about the afterlife or you know where you're going to go and

[00:24:58] have a client she hard question then I said if you ever you've ever done anything wrong I've never done anything about it ever vocal that 10 commandments never broken the 10 commandments I said

[00:25:14] do you mind if I ask have you ever sined oh no I never sined I said because I'm obviously you know I'm kind of co-coct and I asked her again I said you've never sinned I've never sinned

[00:25:35] you know I thought about the that verse and first down here where it says they don't send their liar but I didn't say that of course it's like oh my gosh man I think of man man's

[00:25:43] you know right so uh yeah it was quite a I will never forget that so what do you think I mean looking at him conversating back on that like if you were to rewind like start over from point

[00:25:56] of that interaction I mean and this is kind of coming out of from the perspective of like this could probably help somebody you know some of our listeners that might bump into those situations

[00:26:09] or it's like whoa you're so wrong right now the person they're talking to like what I don't know what would you what would you have what would you have done if you could coach us through that

[00:26:19] yeah I might unpack I might attack back to economics you know yeah oh I think that I think the bot you know and I don't want to intimidate or so I think the Bible says we're not supposed to lie

[00:26:34] have you ever lied I think the Bible says we're not supposed to deal have you ever I might kind of run through them again if someone gets this then you know but to be honest

[00:26:49] if there was no openness there I wouldn't necessarily force the door either I think Washington's worst weeks about you know Paul prayed for a door for the word and evangelistic and comforts for the word of God and evangelistic and opportunity that's shared and so I think

[00:27:01] there's all kinds of connections conversations that you said Abby and you know I think there's a whole gamut of conversations gospel conversations faith conversations and you know trying to connect those and sometimes people aren't there and it's okay we don't have to feel bad I'm not in charge

[00:27:21] of forcing people's hearts open I mean there's there's so much freedom in that there really is let me know all of us you know we share that burden we want to share our faith and and we're

[00:27:31] disappointed and we're hurt when people they're not responsive and that's disappointing but it's not our job to open hearts our job to be a best one my love what went theologian one said he had

[00:27:45] plastic cup and he poked his finger in the bottom of the cup and he said I want to be a vessel through which the word of God can flow and that's what we are we're just a vessel

[00:27:59] having good conversations with people connecting with people hopefully the right lead in the Jesus amount while in her stonewalling you is for sure a defense mechanism so yeah I think just

[00:28:12] respecting her and loving her well is I mean honestly the best way to start pulling those little bricks down one one by one I'm so curious oh go ahead I can't comment on that yeah you know you're right and

[00:28:27] and you know this is this is where right doesn't bring in our culture today because you know our culture is you know more and more postmodern you know post Christian so I think even when we share our

[00:28:41] faith you guys we're gonna have to maybe go back to Genesis sometime and maybe go back to the fall and back to the nature of man to help them understand they really aren't need of a savior because

[00:28:55] some people I come sick or I just have the victims but I really don't have a sin pro and I know it's a popular obviously but it is necessary I think about that woman and the word that comes to my

[00:29:11] mind is like perfect and you know painting this picture of perfection and as a recovering perfectionist myself you know it's like it's it's it's it's it's a lot of work it's a lot of work

[00:29:25] when you're trying to portray this picture of perfectionism yeah because it's a facade and there there is usually in perfection that we know of that we're trying to you know cover up and so

[00:29:39] the word that came to my mind as you were showing that was just like refreshing how refreshing it is to realize that you know what if I can admit that I'm actually not perfect wow that's really

[00:29:52] refreshing and that opens the door for you know freedom and lifting that burden off my shoulders and getting it you know putting that you're handing that burden over to to the Lord so anyway so

[00:30:05] that's just something that I thought that came to my mind though I actually I actually love I love the thought I think it's he I think it's huge I think it's huge yes I think what you said is

[00:30:14] absolutely huge because again I just think sometimes when we share with people there is this feeling that they have were like this and what you said just I think is huge you know being able to

[00:30:27] especially know a few Bible verses and people don't understand the Bible as much you know being able to come alongside them in a non-trientess sending away you know a non-perfectionistic way like

[00:30:38] he said just is I think that's huge because especially when people talk to me and if they find out I'm a pastor I'm trying to earth myself as much as possible yeah I'm an athlete a screw

[00:30:50] up here and I have these issues in my life and I screwed up there but you know I'm really trying to love my wife love my kids you know I'm trying to do the best I can in my life but it made tons of

[00:31:02] failures so yeah I think it's a great point to bring up yeah exactly yeah exactly and your level of honesty and vulnerability to and for all of our listeners that really does open it really does open doors so yeah kind of like yeah they're out against you right

[00:31:22] I'm not against you I'm not against you I'm really trying to convince you I'm trying to persuade you but you know thank you for listening to the ask but my faith podcast we love your supporting continuing to bring you encouraging and inspiring stories please subscribe rate and

[00:31:39] review wherever you're listening and you can learn more about us and donate at askbutmyfade.com God bless you this week as you go out and share your faith