What's in a Name?

[00:00:00] This isn't some kind of out there futuristic thing. This trimming of the Wick and living full of the oil of the spirit and brightly a flame fulfilling the purpose of God because that's right, that's the purpose of the lamp is to burn right?

[00:00:17] It's the purpose of the lamp to give light. It is the purpose of the bride of Christ to shine brightly in the world to be the city set on a hill right?

[00:00:29] This is an everyday thing in the life of believers in the life of families in the life of the church. This is an everyday thing to have your Wick Trim. Hello and welcome to the first trim the Wick podcast I'm Dan. And I'm Becky.

[00:00:48] We're so happy to be with you guys and we are looking forward to this time that we get to spend together doing these podcasts. This one is really special because we get to kind of introduce ourselves and let you know

[00:01:03] who we are, who we've been and where we're going from here. Some of you might know who we are, you might have crossed our paths over the years. But we want to kind of introduce ourselves to many of those people who will be hearing us

[00:01:21] for the first time or hearing our podcast for the first time. And it's kind of an exciting time for us because we get to share with a whole new group of people as well as get to share the vision that God has given us.

[00:01:36] It's a vision that has grown over the years, isn't it? Yes, it has and you know it's one of those things where we got married young and went to Bible school and after Bible school we got out and started serving church ministry.

[00:01:53] Our God taught us, groomed us, did all kinds of things plus we had our family. You know we had four kids during that time and during that whole time you know God used those

[00:02:08] experiences to really open up our heart to people and open up our heart to not being a religious person or religious worker but to actually be a servant of the Lord.

[00:02:23] Right, and we through the years you know any of you that have been in churches for any length of time you know that there are good ones out there and there are ones that aren't necessarily as good as others

[00:02:40] just because of the fallibility of the human organization involved that's part of where trim the wick is birthed out of. There are things that we have seen happen to people in church settings that break our hearts.

[00:02:57] There are things where we see what God meant as his beautiful bride and that he loves so deeply and cares so deeply about and wants to see beautiful and healthy and well

[00:03:14] and we've been in and out of church situations over the years where we see that there are many places where the bride of Christ is not healthy.

[00:03:22] She is not well and there is in fighting or there are a political power plays that are going on and there are people that are being left by the wayside or being used up and thrown out and this is not what he wants for his church.

[00:03:44] He wants her to be beautiful and he cherishes her and over the years we have just really grown in sharing that heart with the father that we want to see the bride the way he designed her to be.

[00:04:00] Yes, yes and that is one of the things I think that is you know it's hard a lot of times when you're in the midst of it because you are working and you're doing and it's hard sometimes to realize that there needs to be some correction done

[00:04:17] that there needs to be some things to make it better and you know and that's kind of one of the things that trim the wick

[00:04:25] is birthed out of is kind of what we've been seeing through the years of our ministry and also in the last seven eight years we've been traveling and going to different parts of the world.

[00:04:40] I've been introduced to a whole new culture or multiple culture and churches and how churches done on different different countries and different languages and different cultures and the same things apply and that there are a lot of pastors who are hurting.

[00:05:01] There's a lot of churches that are hurting and a lot of people who are trying to find their way and they're just kind of lost and they're looking around and they're asking the question, isn't there's got to be more to this

[00:05:16] you know I love the church, I love the Lord but I'm kind of dying on the vine and so that's kind of where a lot of this has been birthed out of

[00:05:27] and this and so much more that trim the wick has been birthed out of and that's kind of what we want to talk to you about on this first podcast

[00:05:37] kind of explain ourselves and explain what we do and who we are to give you an idea but let's talk about this thing trim the wick because that's kind of an interesting name. It's obviously it comes from the Bible, it comes from the Book of Matthew and Matthew.

[00:05:59] Right, you want me to just read that? Yeah, if you can either just read it or just paraphrase me either way. Okay, well just why don't we just go straight to the word that we don't miss anything.

[00:06:10] In Matthew chapter 25 it reads, then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

[00:06:22] For when the foolish took their lamps they took no oil with them but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed they all became drowsy and slept but at midnight there was a cry.

[00:06:37] Here is the bridegroom come out to meet him, then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out.

[00:06:51] But the wise answered saying, since there will not be enough for us and for you go rather to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.

[00:07:01] And while they were going to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut.

[00:07:11] After where the other virgins came also saying, Lord, Lord, open to us but he answered, truly I say to you, I do not know you. Watch there for for you know neither the day nor the hour. And it's a sobering story. Yes.

[00:07:29] And it's a story of 10 who were in the right place who were waiting on the same bridegroom. But half of them weren't prepared and we we look at today's church not only in the US but across the world and we see that there are places.

[00:07:51] There are people who who want to go out and meet Jesus who who are sitting in the right place but they have not come prepared. And we share the heart of the father that we desire that not any should be lost. Not any should perish.

[00:08:09] So it's our goal. The name comes from verse 7 of that that all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And there's very specific wording there in the original text that that term of trimming their lamps literally means to set their lamps in order to prepare them.

[00:08:30] In that process of trimming there's a cutting the wick to get away get rid of all the char. All the all the previous burn anything that would hinder the oil coming up.

[00:08:44] Right because when the when the the oil lamp when the wick has been used and it's charred and it's blackened and it's and it's been burned. It no longer will draw the oil up into it.

[00:09:00] Right so you have to trim it you have to cut the charred parts off so that the oil then can freely flow into the lamp. So that idea that there are things that need to be cut away when the bridegroom comes.

[00:09:20] There's that there's stuff that is going to hinder the oil coming up into the lamp that's going to stop the fire from burning. Right and we understand from from the parable that that oil is is representative of the Holy Spirit right that that when when we as.

[00:09:40] Perspective brides of Christ come out and we've been burning I mean they're their oils were burning because he was he was delayed so so the wicks of their lamps were.

[00:09:52] Burning right we see that here in in the church we see people who's lamps are burning and they're doing and they're loving people and they're serving God and they're you know they're doing the stuff their wicks are getting burned and afraid and.

[00:10:10] And if we don't take the time right to trim those wicks it gets us to a place where we are literally burnt out we have we have used up all of the oil of the spirit that we have available to us and we're incapable of taking up more because the wicks are just.

[00:10:32] And we see it. We see it in people falling away from even meeting together getting so tired of even being around one another we we see it in marriages. That our frazzled and falling apart we see it in brothers and sisters who don't love one another you know.

[00:10:58] We just we see it in so many ways in the church where. There's been all of this doing all of this serving all of this burning and we haven't taken care.

[00:11:09] To trim our wicks so that we can then be full of the oil of the spirit so that our fire burns bright one of the other things that happens when when wicks get burned out like that if.

[00:11:21] If they're still capable of holding some kind of a flame it becomes a very smoky, smoldery flame and it. It it throws so it and ash and kind of chokes out people around it and we've all been in relationships and churches that that are like that right where.

[00:11:40] Where there's somebody that's there and they're doing you know they're showing up and shoot sometimes we've been that person right. Who's there and doing desires. To to be on fire for the Lord.

[00:11:56] But because they're so much set and smoke we're choking other people out and we're you know. We're not serving in beauty and purity and nobody really wants to be around that flame. Right.

[00:12:11] Yeah and I think that it makes me think of the whole story of Mary and Martha looking at that of you know where Martha is just working like crazy. And she's actually getting frustrated and getting angry at Mary who's just sitting at Jesus feed.

[00:12:35] And you know it does it kind of makes me that thing of working and burning and doing so much and then you get charred to the point where you can't even enjoy the time with Jesus. Right.

[00:12:51] That it turns into instead of being a time of being with the master and just hanging with him and hearing from him and and learning from him. You feel like you're always having to serve him. Right.

[00:13:07] And I do think that there's a lot that in churches many people they they just feel this constant service mentality that I'm only here to serve and I know we did that. In some ways it's what we've been taught.

[00:13:24] And I know we fought that we fought that a lot. That we were people who really got our validation in our service and not our validation in our Lord. Right.

[00:13:38] And you know I see that and I see that this is one of those things of that wick being burnt and charred because you're struggling just to pull the spirit. Right.

[00:13:51] Up to where you can burn but you can't you can't trim that stuff off because you've got to work, you got to serve and stuff.

[00:14:00] One of the things that I think is just an important thing with the trimming the wick is that aspect of it is literally trimming those things that you know what it's not a bad thing to serve.

[00:14:15] It's not a bad thing to work but there are times that we're going to have to stop and trim that off and just soak in the oil and just be with Jesus.

[00:14:31] You know and I've talked to a lot of pastors over the last few years and a lot of them they're the words they use were burned out.

[00:14:40] We love the Lord but we're just burnt out we're working so hard and a lot of that is that you know they're doing things that probably pastors shouldn't even do you know that.

[00:14:53] You know because of all the different institutional things they have to you know they feel like as a requirement. Right. You know they just don't seem to have a time to where they can go and refresh.

[00:15:06] Where they can go and be married and just sit at Jesus' feet where they're not preparing a message. Right. You know I remember when I was in my height of youth ministry and you know teaching multiple times a week it was I was studying to teach. Right.

[00:15:28] I was reading the word to teach. I was praying to teach and praying over the ministry there was very little time that was being spent on just seeking him. Right. And allowing him to minister to me and trimming that char off so that the oil would flow freely.

[00:15:50] Right. And I think that's the other thing is that we need to acknowledge that the oil is what comes up and is the fuel for the flame. Right.

[00:16:01] If we're just sitting there being a smokey little wick you know that's not where we're supposed to be serving out of. It's the spirit through us, the spirit in us is what creates a beautiful desirable flame.

[00:16:20] You know and it was it was the virgins who had the oil with them and in their lamps that were ready when the bridegroom came back. And so I hope you hear our hearts that we love the church. We love the body of Christ.

[00:16:41] Our hearts are broken by the state that we find her in in a lot of places and we want to see her. Trimmed of the things that hinder and and able to really soak up the oil of the spirit so that when she's on fire.

[00:17:02] It's a beautiful thing it is a thing that draws people to the father it is it you know it's you know we're able to to share flame to flame to flame and spread it across the world.

[00:17:17] Be those wise virgins and you know and so so that's where that's kind of where we have taken our name from because we want to come alongside.

[00:17:29] We really feel like we have a heart to be able to go listen this is a chart place let us share some truth let us bring the sharp sort of the scripture to it so that it can be cut away.

[00:17:44] And and we understand that there are times when that's going to be painful to hear those truths I'm going to be hard to follow through sometimes it's hard to submit to that and go okay yeah yeah just go ahead got it.

[00:17:55] Got it off. You know that's that's a hard thing it's a thing we've had to do repeatedly in our own lives when we recognize things but we have found that the more that you allow the sort of the spirit which is the word of truth.

[00:18:10] When you allow that to cut those things away in your life the freedom that you feel and the the ability to really do and serve and burn brightly without being depleted without being overwhelmed without being afraid and frazzled.

[00:18:31] And without creating an environment around you that chokes other people out actually draws other people to you so that you can work and share the burden together it's a beautiful thing.

[00:18:42] It is the thing that we want to we believe God has called us is to teach that to show the things that we've gone through in our life that we've experienced so that we can help prepare those because there's there's a real scary part of this story.

[00:19:02] And this parable right is that there are the ones that have the oil that have prepared their lamps who have trimmed the wicks who get to go in but then the ones who don't are locked out and that kind of concerns me to say the least I don't want to say the words.

[00:19:24] That's understatement. I don't even you know I don't know if I want to go to the point where even saying scared.

[00:19:30] But it concerns me to the point where they're going to be who have been waiting, who have a lamp but because they have not prepared properly to where they can go in and be with the bragroom they're actually going to be locked out. And that's concern. It's tragic.

[00:19:52] It's tragic. Like I said I don't want to use the word scared to that but I mean it is it's a tragic story for those and our heart is that we wanted to our best to make sure that that doesn't happen as much as we can.

[00:20:10] So our goal one of the things of our ministry is to help people to trim the wicks to help people make sure they have the oil that they're prepared for when the king comes when the brideroom comes. And this comes in.

[00:20:27] This isn't some kind of out there futuristic thing. This trimming of the wick and living full of the oil of the spirit and brightly a flame fulfilling the purpose of God because that's right. That's the purpose of a lamp is to burn, right?

[00:20:43] It's the purpose of a lamp to give light. It is the purpose of the bride of Christ to shine brightly in the world to be the city set on a hill, right? This is an everyday thing.

[00:20:58] It's in the life of believers in the life of families in the life of the church. This isn't everyday thing to have your wick trimmed to be full of the oil of the spirit and to be on fire fully engulfed in the purpose for which you were created.

[00:21:19] And you know it's it's our heart to to help people connect the truth subscription with their everyday lives so that they are on fire strong, bright and beautiful where they are.

[00:21:34] Where they are placed in the body of Christ, where they're placed in their families, where they're placed in their communities. So that's where we feel is our charge is to go out and to do what we can to help and instruct and teach and help. Right.

[00:21:50] And those levels. So with that one of the most important things that we see in the church is the family. Right. And the emphasis in the family. I mean, that is the picture that we see here in this passage of the bridegroom and the virgins.

[00:22:08] But it's also the picture that we see of the church of the bridegroom and the church is the family and how important the family is to not only the church, but to our lives, our day-to-day, our everyday lives. Right.

[00:22:29] Yeah, because it's it's the first place that we find a picture of the unity, right? You know, in God he's a triune God. It's father's son and spirit. And we're told that it's his desire that we be one even as he is one.

[00:22:50] And the family is where that begins. Right? The husband and wife, the two, shall become one flesh, right? And so there's it's that really foundational relationship that if that's not firm and that's not on good solid ground, everything else is shaky.

[00:23:14] We've been married. It will be 34 years this year, which is a long time nowadays. You know, we've learned a lot in our marriage and we've gone through some highs. We've gone through lows.

[00:23:30] We have four children. So we've kind of dealt with the good bad and ugly of having children and raising them up. We've all adults now. We've had the privilege of seeing even one of our own children get married and you know, building their new family.

[00:23:47] We really want to share kind of what we've seen in our, in our life, in our marriage.

[00:23:54] Some of the good and the bad and the ugly, but mostly the good so that we can help build and help encourage those who are struggling or who are looking at marriage.

[00:24:07] I mean, I know that there's an entire generation right now who are looking at marriage like why would I even bother? Right. And so we want to be able to use what God has given us to help them. You've trimmed away a lot in us. Yes, yes.

[00:24:22] Yes, yes. Yes, yes. The sort of the spirit has had to do its work in our lives and it's such a good thing.

[00:24:31] I'm so grateful for it. It's sometimes feels painful in the moment, but I wouldn't trade it for anything because we now have a marriage that is set on solid grounds. Right.

[00:24:43] And that is full of the spirit and it's hard to find words to describe what it is to truly know that you are one with somebody else. Right.

[00:24:54] And I want to say that you know that you are walking the same path and you're pulling in the same direction, a hundred percent. I'm sure that there's, we're not dead yet. So there's still places that we're going to get trimmed away as we continue to walk.

[00:25:09] But we have learned over the years that God is faithful. And we want to share that.

[00:25:14] And we want to share the very practical realities of what that looks like. That is not some big esoteric thing that's out there and we just, we think about it and it is you know, it requires some really hard work in the day to day. Yes, it does.

[00:25:30] But we want to share that with you and share the benefits of what we have learned because your marriages, your relationships and your family, your parenting, things that you pass on in your life, your day to day can be full of the spirit too. That's right.

[00:25:52] I'm going to say that's a great segue to talking about what our next podcast and series of podcasts are going to be on.

[00:26:01] Starting next week, we are going to be going into a series of podcasts on the nine things, the nine essential things that are needed for your marriage. But are also needed for your everyday life.

[00:26:14] Right. So if you're not married yet or you're just looking forward to get married, or you have no intention of getting married, understand that these are these are 90 essentials for being a full person. Yes. Walking full of purpose.

[00:26:33] We have discovered over the years haven't we bade that one marriage takes two complete people? Yes, it does. And it is a lot of work.

[00:26:42] And if you think that you're just going to go, oh, we're going to walk down the aisle, we're going to say the right things and say our vows. And that's all it takes. You learn very quickly that it takes a lot more than that.

[00:26:55] Well, and it can't take two partial people thinking that they can fill each other's gaps. That's not the way it works either. You need to be full people to complete in Christ full of the spirit and he's the one that knits you together.

[00:27:10] So we're going to go into some of that, yeah. Yep. We'll start that next week on next week's podcast.

[00:27:16] Before we get there, talk about just some few things as we wrap up this week with our trim the wick partners and what we're doing around the world and what we plan on doing.

[00:27:30] We've had the privilege over the last seven years to team up with some amazing people in Kenya.

[00:27:40] And one of the things is that we believe that this is going to be an outlet for what God is doing here in the United States and bridging with the work in Kenya.

[00:27:54] We've got two areas that we're going to be working, but we've got a bunch of different pastors and lay people and just church members that we're going to be working with.

[00:28:05] Well, let's tell them a little bit about, let's tell them a little bit about them and who they are. We'll first start at Nairobi. So in Nairobi we have pastor Steve and Pastor Mary, they're wonderful kids. And they minister in two of the largest slums in Nairobi.

[00:28:25] They're in Kaila and they're in Korgoccio. Their heart is very similar to ours that their in places where there is rampant drug use, there is rampant alcoholism, rampant prostitution, desperate poverty.

[00:28:42] They are very busy every single day, trimming away the burnt places there and infusing those dark places with the light of Christ.

[00:28:52] When we first met them, they were a small teeny tiny church, where there were nine women in one man in the first meeting that we had there. And pastor Steve and Mary shared with us their heart to transform the slums with the light of Christ.

[00:29:10] And they had no interest in raising people up and sending them out. They said, no, we want to transform people here. We want them to stay here and then we want them to show that Jesus can change things here. And that's what's happening seven years later.

[00:29:29] They now have a full team of voluntary, vangeless, volunteer food service people that come in and once a week, feed it's over a thousand kids a week now, isn't it? Yes. That they're feeding weekly.

[00:29:47] They have Bible study, they prayer walk the slums, help to send kids to school. In Kenya it is you don't just go to school, it's not public schools, all schools require school fees and so they help to send kids to school.

[00:30:03] They have led vocational training programs, just recently they started, they helped a woman start a start-up to potty selling business which is basically like a flat bread that is very popular in that region.

[00:30:17] They are all about bringing people to Jesus and then showing people that Jesus impacts their everyday. Yes. And we are seeing the slums literally transformed from the inside out.

[00:30:30] One of the things that Steve said is that there were so many organizations that were coming and they would find the best people and take them out. And then it would just fill up with more people.

[00:30:43] He really has a heart, both he and Pastor Mary have a heart for transforming the slums to changing it.

[00:30:51] And a prime example of that is the first time we went seven plus years ago, we kind of drove in in the car and got out went from the car directly into the church and ministered.

[00:31:06] And then from the church back to the car and drove right out this last trip that we were there. We walked the streets. We just freely were able to walk up and down. We were going into people's homes, businesses, praying for folks, healing. It was just amazing.

[00:31:27] And that is because of what is transpired there. That the community sees what he's doing, what Pastor Steve and Pastor Mary are doing. They see what that church is doing and how it is changing the community for good. Even in the worst of slums.

[00:31:46] And we were able just to walk freely, shake hands, pray with anyone that we came across and it was beautiful. Yes. And we are excited about that work. There is so much more to do. They have one feeding center right now where they feed once a week.

[00:32:06] In Kaila. And they are wanting to purchase another area and build a second feeding area. And there is also we have been praying about a little piece of land to build a school and a training center.

[00:32:23] There is also we have been praying about getting a drilling a well right there by the church. So that the church would have water but they would also be able to give free water out to everyone that's around them because there is no running water in the slums.

[00:32:41] They have to all go to a pump and pump the water out. So so many things, so many opportunities there. And we are hoping during this podcast and also with our ministry that we will get some opportunities to connect.

[00:32:58] You the listener, you part of our community will be able to send questions and stuff. We can get those answered and start building a relationship with everyone part of the way from the way community with our friends there. And Irobe.

[00:33:16] We also have a second area of ministry which is out in the western part of Kenya, closer to Uganda, up in the Mount O'Gon region. And the elder at the city of elder at with Brian and Amy.

[00:33:33] And there is so much good with the churches that are on the mountain. This is a much more rural area than in Nairobi. There are hundreds of churches that we have been in contact with and we have talked to and stuff.

[00:33:54] Bishop Ryan and Amy his wife have connected us with so many people. And there is so much work that we don't out there as well. There is and out there, there's a lot of teaching and training that we do out there.

[00:34:12] They are hungry for the word out there. Just this last trip out that way was an incredible time with the women and the young people. And we absolutely believe that the teaching that happened there is going to be transformational on the mountain. It has been beautiful to watch.

[00:34:35] One of the things that we have found true over the years is that just as there is one spirit that unites all believers in Christ. It is also true that no matter what the culture is, the gospel directly confronts the culture. Yes.

[00:34:57] And out in the Mount Algonne region this past visit. The culture was directly confronted with some things. In the scripture regarding how husbands and wives relate to one another, regarding whether there is a higher archie

[00:35:12] within the body of Christ or whether we are all co-equal with many gifts that are supposed to be one working together. And we saw those truths of the scripture confront the culture and because they were walking in one spirit,

[00:35:31] because they were submitted to the Holy Spirit, we saw transformation begin to take place. And we firmly believe that this is going to be a generation out there that changes things. And we are so excited to watch.

[00:35:46] And in some of the same issues that we find in Nairobi are the same things out on the mountain. There is poverty and there is need for feeding and there is a widows community that we work closely without there that has all the same physical needs

[00:36:04] that we find in Nairobi. There is need for food, there is need for shelter, there is need for education.

[00:36:10] Those kinds of things are all true out there but there is such a hunger and a willingness to please teach us, show us how to be filled with the spirit and we want to walk. And so we're so excited about that work.

[00:36:31] And we see there is such a potential out in Western Kenya. Like I said, there are hundreds of churches and we've met quite a few pastors. We've actually visited quite a few other churches out there.

[00:36:48] And the potential, the young people, the pastors out there, there is such a heart. And we're just excited to be a part and to be a partner with them. And we look forward to passing along some of the good things that are happening.

[00:37:08] And also, again, building this community with Trim the WIC where you have input and have questions and have even opportunities to minister and to help out what's going on in Kenya. So there's a lot, there's a lot there. There's a lot.

[00:37:29] And we are super excited about our ministry that we've been called to Trim the WIC. We're just excited about what God is doing. And we're excited to connect with you. Hopefully we haven't dragged on too long talking about all of the things that we're excited about.

[00:37:47] We've been able to give you a sense of who we are, who God has called us to be. We're going with some of this.

[00:37:54] And we would love to have you along for the ride because part of trimming the WIC and part of taking up the oil and burning brightly is doing that together in community.

[00:38:08] We were, we see over and over again that God sets us in community together that God gives multiple giftings but one body. And that is part of the things that we would like to bring is that as you trim away the burnt off parts,

[00:38:25] as you take up that Holy Spirit into your life, we would love to help you discover what your giftings are and what your areas of service are. And where you fit in the body of Christ and where you are a beautiful part of the bride,

[00:38:44] and where you shine the brightest. And we're all meant to walk this together. Amen. Amen. So thank you for sitting with us on this first podcast. Next week we will be going into the nine things for a strong marriage but also for a strong life Christian Walk.

[00:39:10] And join us next week for a podcast as we'll be going over the five things. We'll have a more coherent title by next week.

[00:39:18] Yeah, we'll have an idea of what it will be called but it's, we really want to see next week right notes and let us go. Let us know what you think. Ask this questions. And we'll love to start addressing those also during the podcast.

[00:39:36] We'd love to have a question answer time each week in the podcast so we'd love to answer those for you. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with us and we look forward to seeing you guys again next week on the trim the podcast.